Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) (34 page)

"No swimsuit," he said instead. "That seems optimistic."

"I have a good feeling about tonight." Brie smiled sadly at him. "In fact, I don't think I should stay down here with you. I think you're at the point where you can figure it out without my coaching."

"I hope you're right."

She didn't make a move to leave. "Before I go, have you... have you had any more dream predictions?"

"No. The one I told you about is the only dream like that I've had." He may not be having any more vivid dreams, but he still dreamt about Brie every single night. Some nights were good dreams—his arms wrapped around her on a sailboat, keeping her safe as they watched the sunset, the water from the motor spraying all around them. But most of his dreams were nightmares. Brie swimming away from him so fast he couldn't keep up, until she disappeared into the blackness of the ocean. Sirena and Brie leaving him at a strange hotel, transporting out into the streets of a large city and fading into the crowds without him. His dreams often brought out his greatest fears, the most torturous ways he could lose her.

"You're lucky," she said. "It's an amazing gift. Getting glimpses of the future will be useful once you hone it."

He studied her face; even from where he was sitting, she seemed a little... desperate. For answers?

"Brie, what do you want to know about the future?"

"Anything," she said.

"Is this about Milena's map again?" he asked. "I'm still going. Even if Sirena says no."

Brie pursed her lips, worried. "Sirena thinks it's a good idea for you to come with us. She said you're strong and smart, and not corrupted by the New Order. She was impressed with your idea about traveling underwater."

"That's great." Rykken heard the words coming out of his mouth, but he was surprised that Sirena thought so highly of him. "It's settled then."

"No, it's not," Brie said. "I can't let you. She doesn't understand how I feel about—" Brie stopped, leaving Rykken to fill in the blanks for himself. It only made him want her more, but he knew saying so wouldn't help him convince her.

Brie's expression turned hard, resolute. "This is not your fight. You've been a Hallow for what, a week?"

"Clara said your life is worth all of ours."

"Clara hates me! If anything, Sirena's life is worth more than mine. She's the heir to the throne and she's the fighter between the two of us. She has a fire about her that could lead the type of revolt the Hallows want to plan."

"Maybe the Hallows haven't told you everything yet," Rykken said quietly. "If Sirena agreed to let me come, she might know something you don't."

"Sirena doesn't keep secrets from me," Brie said, though the look on her face seemed doubtful. "The rest of them do, but she doesn't. She sees me as an equal."

"Brie," he said. He cleared his throat. "Don't worry about me. I don't have a family to leave behind."

Brie gave him a look the color of unburned coal. "That doesn't mean you don't have people who care about you."

"You and Pilot, for the most part. And I would die to protect you."

"I know that," she said angrily. She seemed flustered by his admittance. He was desperate for her to admit that she felt the same way about him—that she needed him just as much as he needed her.

She folded her hands in her lap, picking at her fingernails. "That's why I can't let you come with us." She stood up, folding her arms across her chest. "Text me if you figure out your powers tonight,"

she said quietly, before racing back to the house.

Rykken stared after her for a few minutes before starting his training. He understood if she was scared—

he was too—but he didn't understand what would cause her to be so angry about their growing feelings for each other.

He progressed down the pool steps slowly, concentrating instead on his transformations. For her.

Because somehow, he associated getting his powers under control with getting Brie to understand that she couldn't keep pushing him away.

He spent the next couple hours running through the exercises that Brie and he designed, pushing the limits of how fast and how much he could transform at a time. He practiced from in the water, transforming to a human. He practiced sitting away from the pool, transforming to a seal. His speed increased, until the transformation was so instantaneous that his body didn't even bother change when he hit the water.

Finally, Rykken climbed the ladder for the diving board. He figured if he could withstand a sudden submersion in the pool without changing, he would finally be comfortable going out into public waters.

He counted to three and jumped, savoring the rush of air that hit his human face before his skin touched the water.

*****

Brie sat on her bed and studied the map of Milena's travels again, for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Clara had given Brie a device the size of a cell phone that projected images onto any surface for easy viewing. She could zoom in and out with a few drags of her fingers, and she could tap the dots on the map for more detailed information.

She had no idea what Milena was looking for, which meant she had no idea what Sirena and she were looking for, which made it hard for Brie to figure out where they should start. Then, what they would do when they reached any one of these destinations on the map? Hang out until a miracle occurred or someone tried to kill them?

There was also the business of everyone she was leaving behind. Pilot and James and Annie would be safe, she thought—as long as Cora and Thessa agreed to look after them. It seemed impossible for anyone to get hurt under Thessa's watch. Brie still didn't have a story to explain her absence, but she thought she could come up with something that didn't draw media attention.

Last, there was Rykken, who tore Brie's heart apart with indecision. Maybe he would be safer coming with them on the trip instead of staying in Hawaii. After all, Kennedy was still out there. Couldn't she come back for him?

Brie stopped herself. Was she trying to justify her actions, roping that beautiful boy into more danger than they could possibly imagine? Brie knew the New Order wasn't behind Milena's death, but someone was.

She had no idea what they might be walking into, or whom they might find on their quest for answers.

Brie had other reasons for leaving Rykken out of it, anyway. She knew the moment she gave in to letting Rykken come with them, she would give into everything else she felt. It would be a relief, at least, to stop pretending, but that didn't make it the right decision.

Brie was overwhelmed with the prospect of leaving, but she knew the day was coming soon. She would wait for Thessa to return with news about her real father. After that, Sirena and she might go to him, or plot a different move. Maybe they could visit the part of the ocean where Milena's plane crashed? Brie doubted they would find anything valuable there, not six months later, but it was something to do at least.

Either way, she would have no excuses for staying once Thessa came back, which could be any day now.

An upbeat chiming sound came from her phone—a text, interrupting her thoughts. She didn't have to look to know who it was or what it would say. She grabbed her phone, silencing the text, and made her way downstairs quietly.

Outside, Rykken jumped around giddily. Her grin turned to laughter as she watched him prance around the deck, celebrating his victory.

When Rykken saw her, he ran to her, hoisting her into his arms. Brie gasped. She wrapped her arms around Rykken's neck, holding him tight as he spun her around once before setting her down.

He rested his forehead on hers, his hands settled firmly on her waist. His thumbs stroked her back lightly, sending tingles along her spine.

"Brie," he whispered softly.

She didn't say anything, just ran her fingers along the tips of his wet hair, catching the drops of water on her hand. The wave was breaking, washing away any lingering resolve she had to distance herself from Rykken. She was too nervous to look at him; her entire body was aware of how close he was. She let her fingers explore his neck, stroking his Adam's apple, tracing the bone structure of his muscular shoulders.

He kissed her forehead lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He traced her ear down the side of her face, lifting her chin lightly with his index finger. She finally looked into his eyes. She felt her mouth watering; she could smell the mixture of natural minerals and rain water on his skin.

He cupped her face, staring into her eyes. She knew she should push him away again, like she had the last time, but she couldn't stand to hurt him. She couldn't stand to be so close to him, yet so dishonest about what she wanted. What they both wanted.

"You're shaking," he observed.

She swallowed. "You make me nervous."

He smiled slightly. "I'm glad I make you nervous." He closed his eyes and leaned in, brushing her lips with his.

His lips were salty, delicious. Brie couldn't breathe. She stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck again, pulling him toward her, parting his lips hungrily with hers.

She surprised him, she could tell, and who could blame him? She had put so much emotional distance between them while they were training; but now, she couldn't think of anything she wanted more than him.

He responded to the pressure of her kisses, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, tracing the lace at the edges of her flimsy camisole.

She felt his fingers on her bare back and let out a soft sigh. He pulled back. "You're driving me crazy,"

he whispered into her mouth.

She touched his face tenderly. "I think I need a breathing break." She took a step away from him, giving them both a little space. Her entire body tingled; she was so aware of him, and all of a sudden there he was in tight polo briefs. She tried not to gawk at his chiseled body, sculpted from years of water sports. He held both of her hands lightly in his fingers. She swallowed again, trying to steady her breathing.

He beamed at her, his eyes never leaving her face.

The trusting, loving look on his face chipped at her heart. "We should think about this," she said, trying to think logically. "We had good reasons for not—"

"You look so beautiful right now."

She looked down—she was barefoot in a tank top and silky shorts, her hair in a messy ponytail pulled to the side.

"In this?" she asked.

"It's a very natural look."

"You mean it looks like I just woke up."

He pulled her toward him. "No, not at all. I mean you look like yourself. Not the Brie you put on for the rest of the world." He coughed. "Not that she isn't hot too," he said, stroking her hair. "But I like you like this best."

Brie raised an eyebrow. "Rykken..."

"It's pointless to pretend," he said, touching her face lightly. "Whether I kiss you again right now or not, it doesn't change how we feel." He traced her nose, her mouth. "If the next months, maybe years, are going to be as dangerous for us as you think, then at least give me this one moment of happiness with you."

Once again, Rykken made such a perfectly logical argument that Brie couldn't refute it, couldn't even refuse it. She tried to pretend that she was a regular girl and he was a regular boy and they could have a regular, high school relationship.

She took a deep breath, giving him a smile. "Maybe if I wore my nightgown to school, you would have kissed me sooner."

"You have no idea how long I've waited to kiss you," Rykken whispered. He let his thumb trace the edges her lips. "Years."

"What are you waiting for then?"

Rykken gave her a hard look and put his hand around her neck, gently pulling her face to his. She felt her entire body turn to jelly, but his arms held her up as he kissed her again, rougher this time. She ran her hands through his damp hair, resting them on his hard chest as they let themselves get lost in just one moment, the quiet eye of a typhoon.

"What the hell is going on out here?"

Brie and Rykken jumped apart, both of them recognizing the voice instantly.

Pilot.

*****

Pilot looked from Rykken to Brie, not sure who he was more angry with at the moment. His night with Kennedy had already ended poorly, when she informed him she was leaving again and didn't know when she'd be back. Then, when he got home from his date, he noticed the kitchen light on. He followed it outside and saw his best friend and sister kissing through the patio door.

Rykken stared at the ground, stirring his foot in circles on the cement. At least he had enough sense to be ashamed; Brie met Pilot's eyes with defiance.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "Did you just now get home from your date?"

Pilot stared at her in disbelief. "What are
you
doing out here? It's three in the morning." He turned to Rykken. "And why are you at my house?"

Rykken looked up, opening his mouth to answer; but he stopped when Brie stepped in front of him. Brie folded her arms across her chest. "I invited him."

Pilot gaped at the two of them. "For what? You're definitely not finishing up a school project! You're supposed to be grounded."

"Don't make a big deal out of this," Brie replied. She glanced at Rykken, who averted his gaze. "We were just kissing."

She said it like it was something normal, like 'we were just picking flowers' or 'we were just chewing gum.' But anyone who knew Brie and Rykken even a tenth as well as he did would know that two of them kissing was monumental. They
hated
each other. They could barely be in the same room together without hurling insults at each other. How did that lead to kissing outside the van Rossum patio door?

Pilot took a deep breath. "Again, it's three in the morning. So that doesn't explain much." Pilot rubbed his forehead. "Can I have a minute with Rykken?"

Brie grimaced. "This was my decision too, Pilot. I get to choose who I date."

"Who says I want to talk to him about you?" Pilot asked. "The world doesn't live and breathe for your existence."

Brie opened her mouth, but Rykken spoke first. "Stop it," he said, holding his hands up and stepping between the two of them. "You two squabble like siblings or something." Pilot guessed that Rykken meant it as a joke, but he didn't smile. Brie continued to glare at Pilot.