Blue Water (The Nike Chronicles Book 1) Page 3

  I heard the gravel pop under the car tires. He took his time leaving, but in the end, leave he did. I smiled and wiped my hands as if I were ridding them of unwanted crumbs. It was one of my favorite human actions. It had been so hard to remember simple things like that when I had last awakened. How long ago had that been now? Twenty years? Twenty-five? Fifty? I had taken only a brief slumber, and the Order had given it begrudgingly. I think they would have been just as happy to see me go absolutely crazy. Maybe I would. Wouldn’t that be a fitting end for an unfaithful queen?

  Hmm…that was an interesting and troubling development. The Awakening had been difficult for Thessalonike too. I wondered why and made a mental note to investigate. What could it mean?

  I made my way back into the bedroom. The girl (to think I still thought of her as such) had vanished; the window was open, but I didn’t believe that was her port of departure. I walked to the window and looked out. The sun had disappeared, but I could see clearly even in the darkest night. I could see as well as any owl. I glanced at the sand and could see her footprints. Yes, she was headed to the water.

  I heard a dreadful sound. I shed my human exterior; feathers covered me, and I perched on the open windowsill. With my expert owl eyes I scanned the dunes behind the small house. At first I saw nothing. I kept still, not moving a muscle. I could wait. I would wait. As long as it took. I smiled a birdlike smile. I was good at waiting.

  Down the beach about a half mile a drunken couple were making love in the sand. A little further dozens of crabs scoured the flesh of a discarded fish. A mouse skittered across the sand. Like a hot flame, my own needs began to burn. FOOD. HUNT. STALK. I did not succumb to temptation, though it took much determination.

  Then I saw the thing. A shadow slipped behind the pyramid-shaped dune. It had no discernible figure, but I could see it was purposeful in its movements. This was not its true form. It did not want to be detected. It, whatever it was, did not want to be seen. But I saw it.

  Then I heard a splash in the water. The shadow slid across the sand toward the noise.

  I watched from a distance and then, when I thought it safe, silently sailed to a scraggly tree between the house and the bay. The shadow spun and folded in on itself.

  No longer a shadow. I could see it now.

  Harpy!

  With bird legs covered in black feathers, the creature’s torso was partially covered in black fur, but its breasts were exposed. It swung its head—the head of a woman—around, sensing the surveillance but unable to detect the source. Harpies were stupid but vicious, and its presence disturbed me. As it let out a birdlike cackle and swung its head from side to side, the creature’s greasy hair hung damply around its gnarled shoulders. Standing now on its taloned feet, it stood tall and stared at the water with deadly focus. I followed its gaze. I saw no one, and I was sure that Thessalonike had gone deep into the water by now. The harpy could not swim, and the girl would be in the water for hours.

  HARPY! I said, hoping to confuse the animal. I SEE YOU, HARPY!

  It spun about with a growl, and its talons dug deep in the sand. It opened its wings threateningly but still could not locate me. If I had been wearing human skin, I would have smiled at that.

  GO NOW, HARPY! OR DIE!

  The harpy screeched at the threat and walked backwards from the dune. It sensed the direction of my voice but was still too stupid and blind to see me. I would have to make it easy for the creature. I flew from the tree and landed on the sand between us.

  I did not return to my human form. Instead I increased my size, confident that this would intimidate the harpy. It screeched again this time; it understood who I was and that I protected Thessalonike. It backed away, nearly tripping over its clumsy wings.

  GO NOW AND TELL YOUR MISTRESS WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN! I screamed in its head. Uncontrollably it began to shake, and in a few seconds it flew away, screeching one last time before departing.

  I watched it leave with some satisfaction, but I knew this wasn’t the end. Not at all. This was a warning shot. They were surveying the battle ground, acquiring the target. The old battle would continue. Roxana would try again to resurrect Alexander, and for that she would need his sister’s blood. It was no coincidence that I was here—she was here, at the Sirens Gate.

  I shed my feathers and stood as Heliope now. I glanced up at the stars. “Do you see this?” I asked the Order pretending to be confident that they could still see, discern and help.

  I saw a star sail across the sky and land in the water some distance away. It was so far out that no human would hear it splash, but I heard it. And so would every other supernatural creature on this island.

  I hoped it would be enough.

  Chapter Five—Cruise

  Dangerous Brew

  I drove to the end of Chaumont Avenue and parked the car. I had to process what had just happened—and not like a jealous bastard but like a police officer. This wasn’t like Nik at all. How could she stand me up? Should I make a report? What would I say?

  Hey, I got stood up tonight, and now I want to tell the world. You know, put it in writing.

  No thanks.

  Aunt Helen? I wracked my brain trying to recall any Helen in any conversation with Nik and came up with nothing. Now, some woman I had never heard of or seen before was telling me that Nik couldn’t make our date because, well, she couldn’t give me a reason but gave me some vague message? I didn’t know what I expected to accomplish sitting in the car staring at her house with my binoculars, but here I was, being all pitiful. I waited for five minutes, ten minutes, then fifteen. This was ridiculous. Nik didn’t have a car, just a wreck of a bicycle with a faded white basket on the front, so I wouldn’t know if she was there or not. I pushed back the unwanted images of Nik tied to a bed screaming for help or lying on the floor of her living room bleeding to death. That was just my vivid imagination. I called her phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

  Howdy, and thanks for calling Shipwreck Souvenirs. Take us home with you. Leave a message, and we’ll get back to you on our next business day. Thanks!

  I stared at the phone but didn’t leave a message. She had caller ID, so she’d know I called anyway, and what was there to say?

  I rolled down the window, tossed the remnants of the white daisies out and rolled it back up. I saw no movement in the house and only one light was on in Nik’s bedroom. I wasn’t about to sit here all night like a loser and peep on her. I had better things to do, just as it looked like she did.

  To make matters worse, Mrs. Bannister came out of her beach house and tossed scraps to the mangy white cat she was always complaining about. She saw me, and I waved at her. With a snort she pulled her pink robe closer around her, as if I might catch a peek (or want to) and walked back inside. She’d shuffle inside and call the station or call and complain in the morning. I could hear Dan Belloc now: “Peeping on the old ladies now, Castille?”

  Dan would love this. The man was an ass, the irritating kind that hung around just to torment me. As if I couldn’t handle policing Dauphin Island, population less than a thousand. I could hardly stand working with the old man, but I kept hoping he’d retire. Yes, Mrs. Bannister might not wait to call. She was a complainer, that one. I hoped she complained to me again about those cats now that I knew she fed them. I’d tell her exactly what I thought about her. No, I wouldn’t. Who was I kidding? I was too damn nice. That’s what Nike always said. I stared at myself in the rearview mirror. Feeling a dangerous mix of rejected and lonely, I cranked the car and drove the short distance to The Pirateer. Might as well go where I was appreciated. Lucy Patrick would shower me with compliments while she poured me drinks. I knew she wanted me, and she wasn’t bad to look at. Better than watching reruns of Cajun Justice or Cops. I’d spent more than a few nights listening to her raspy voice and quirky jokes. She reminded me of a lost movie star, like she didn’t belong here at all. Kind of like Nik, but different.

  I cruised slowly past Nik’s house, deter
mined not to stop, but I did cast a glance in that direction. I saw a figure move in the front window. It looked like Helen, but I couldn’t be sure. I toyed with the idea of questioning her further, but what if there was some kind of family tragedy? What kind of jackass would I look like harassing Nik’s aunt during a difficult time for their family? I hit the gas and decided to keep to my plan. As I turned my attention to the sand-covered road, a massive black shadow crossed in front of my car and I slammed on the brakes.

  What the hell was that? I grabbed the wheel and looked up but saw nothing but a telephone pole with a dim light that had attracted every bug on the island. I couldn’t see a thing!

  I got out of the car and walked to the front to see if I had hit something. I had felt no impact, but that didn’t mean anything. Nope. Nothing. Probably one of Mrs. Bannister’s damn cats. That didn’t make sense, though, because the shadow had been over the car, not under it. I rubbed my hand through my hair. The hair on my arm stood on end like it did when you were charged with static electricity. To make matters worse, it sure felt like someone was watching me. I looked up and down Chaumont. Most of these houses were rentals, empty until next week and beyond when the spring breakers invaded the island.

  “Someone there?” I called into the night.

  Nobody answered, but I heard a door close. The blinds on the front door of Nik’s shook. Someone had been there, watching me. That’s it. I had to check on Aunt Helen, right? I tapped on the door and rubbed my chin.

  She opened the door, and her deep green eyes pierced me. “Yes?”

  I stuttered under the power of her gaze. “Is everything okay? I think an animal ran out in front of my car from this direction, but I can’t be sure.”

  She grinned at me. For some reason I was reminded of a cat playing with a mouse just before she killed it. “You aren’t sure about a lot of things, are you, Officer Cruise Castille?”

  “Please call me Cruise, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am. I can never get used to that.” She bit her lip, and it was like a predator looking at a tender meal.

  “So you aren’t from here, Helen? I thought I detected an accent.”

  “No, I’m not from here. You say you hit an animal?” She leaned forward and peered at my car. “I don’t see anything, and as you can see, I’m in my bathrobe. About to slip in the tub now. Unless you need anything else?” Was she suggesting I come inside?

  “Oh, gosh. Sorry. No, I don’t need anything at all. I’ll see you in the morning for tea, as promised, Helen.”

  “Great.” She gave me an unnaturally wide grin, and that disturbed me even more than seeing the monster shadow over my car. “Good night, Cruise. No more unscheduled visits, all right?”

  “Sure, thanks.” She slammed the door in my face, and I walked back to my car feeling pretty stupid. Unconcerned with the speed limit, I didn’t waste any time getting to The Pirateer. It was easy to spot. Half a pirate ship stuck out over the bay. I sometimes wondered what they’d done with the other side of the ship. I grew up here, went to school at Dauphin Island Elementary, and I’d loved the look of the place long before I was allowed to walk inside it. Now it was like a second home, except for the Augustines’ place.

  Lucky for me, Lucy was there. “Hey, gorgeous. Gee, you look like you saw a ghost. What’s up? If you’ve got that stomach virus that’s going around the island keep it to yourself.” She pulled herself back like she wanted to stay far away from me, but her smile let me know it wasn’t too serious a concern. As always, Lucy wore cherry red lip gloss, and her soft black hair was short except for flirty bangs that hung in her eyes slightly. She was definitely a beautiful girl, just a bit too sure of herself to suit me. And she wasn’t Nik. Or Thessalonike. What a name! It made sense, though. If she was an Augustine, she could be Greek, right?

  “No, nothing like that. Just a change of plans. How about a drink?”

  “The usual?” She grabbed a tall glass and filled it with ice.

  “Nope. How about putting some booze in it this time? Any kind you like.”

  Tossing a clean white bar towel over her shoulder, she eyed me suspiciously. “Really? No joke?”

  “No joke,” I said, settling down on a worn vinyl barstool.

  Her blue eyes sparkled. “Oh, baby. Talk dirty to me. I’ll hook you up, Cruise. Go ahead and toss your keys in the basket.”

  I laughed. “What?”

  “You know the drill. No driving after drinking, and you’ll need to walk home, I promise.”

  “Great.” I pulled out my cell phone and checked for messages. Nothing from the office, and nothing from Nik. Great again. I did as she asked and tossed my car keys in the basket, careful to remove the house keys first.

  “What brings you in here on a Friday night? The only reason I’m here is because Mandy has that stomach bug.” She shot carbonated soda on top of some kind of liquor, patted a red napkin with a female pirate printed on it in front of me and placed the drink on top of that.

  I didn’t answer her. “What is this?” I asked.

  “I call it Witches Brew. Don’t be a wimp. Drink it. Uh oh. Be right back.”

  I snorted at the name and poked around the drink with the straw. I saw cherries, and the soda looked like cola. I could definitely smell booze. I pierced a cherry with a tiny plastic pirate sword and glanced down at the end of the bar. Two women hovered together talking in low tones. Lucy joined them with drinks, and the three of them whispered for a minute. I’d never seen the other women before, but their shiny black hair made me think maybe they were relatives of Lucy’s.

  Lucy reminded me of Demi Moore but with a lot more snark. She was pretty, that was for sure, but we’d never had a thing. She made no secret that she was interested in me, but she didn’t push it and I liked the way things were. And I wanted Nik, which meant Lucy was definitely off-limits. Those two never got along.

  Lucy and I used to play ball together quite a bit as teens, and she always had natural grace, the kind you couldn’t learn. She could reach for the ball and catch it almost every time. When she lunged for a volleyball or ran to a base, you thought you were watching a dancer. I was surprised when she dropped out of college during her senior year to work at the Pirateer. Rumor was she gave up a sports scholarship, which seemed like a waste. I could only dream of having such a privilege. My dad had been an island cop, and I followed in his footsteps without question. At least my mother was proud.

  I had no idea what she was thinking giving up her scholarship. Lucy wasn’t the kind to share her private thoughts. Her mother, Marie, was a piece of work, always drunk. And Marie was a loud, boisterous drunk who commanded attention at all times. Maybe that had something to do with Lucy’s dropping out, but she didn’t seem to let it bother her. She did her thing and acted like she was happy. Or as happy as she ever was.

  Today, she wore a black vest with the Pirateer’s trademark red and white striped shorts. Just like the pirates used to wear, I’m sure. I tried not to stare at the way those shorts fit her just right. I couldn’t hear what she and the strangers were saying, but it was clear that Lucy was the boss. She slapped the table, and the other two shut up. Made me want to snatch the jukebox cord out of the wall. Baby Come Back by Player filled the bar with retro sound.

  Appropriate song.

  “Sorry about that. Hey, you haven’t taken a single sip. Give it a try.”

  I swirled the icy drink and smiled at her. “Are those cousins of yours?”

  “How could you tell?” She smiled as she began to cut up lemons and limes on the white plastic cutting board.

  “You guys favor each other. Are they new to the island? I don’t remember ever having seen them before.”

  “I had no idea you were so nosy when you were off duty, Cruise.” She smiled and chopped her fruit. “Yes, we’re family. They’re just here for the weekend, though. I don’t think they’d like living here. Not enough mischief to get into.”

  “Mischief makers, huh? They look harmless enough.
” I said sarcastically as I glanced at the two women. They tossed back their drinks and walked out a few minutes later. As they passed me, I noted the unusual tattoo on the back of the younger woman’s hand, a strange symbol that I knew I wouldn’t forget. It was the letter A superimposed over a pyramid and something I couldn’t see too clearly. She was shorter than Lucy but had muscular arms, as if she spent quite a bit of time in the gym. I couldn’t see much else since she wore jeans and black boots. Her taller friend, cousin, or whoever she was caught me looking and stared back. She was less attractive and had narrow black eyes, a long neck and rough manners. The last part I knew because she paused to let out a long belch before waving goodbye to Lucy. “Didn’t stay long. Gone to see Marie, I suppose.”

  “Stop being a cop, dude. You make my patrons nervous. Hey, grab that case of beer, please. Just slide it up on the counter. Got to stock, just in case.” I didn’t know what patrons she was speaking of. It was too early for the beach crowd to migrate in yet. Only a few regulars here.

  “Sorry, it’s a habit. Must be the weekend for families. I met Nik’s Aunt Helen tonight too. Lots of visitors on the island this weekend, and it’s not even spring break yet.” Without being asked, I slid open the beer case and began filling it with domestic bottles.

  Lucy stopped her chopping. “Nik’s aunt? What are you two now, an official item? ’Bout time, I suppose, since you’ve been mooning over her since like high school. What did the aunt look like? Do I know her?”

  I chose to ignore her snide comment. “I’ve never seen her before, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know her family like that. Honestly, I didn’t know she had any family left after her grandfather died. So Aunt Helen was a complete surprise. Pretty lady, but she’s a bit weird. Speaking of weird, is there a full moon tonight? I saw something weird on the road on the way over.”