His lips parted mine as I felt his tongue deepening the kiss. It did something to me I had no control over. I wanted more. I wanted all of him. Still kissing me, he easily lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me farther up toward the dunes and I could feel the muscles in his shoulders as he lowered me down onto the cool sand. He gazed down at me with stormy, hooded eyes and I saw a trace of sadness in them again. He looked at war with himself, but finally pressed down on top of me, slipping one arm under the small of my back, pulling me against him again. My entire body responded to his touch. I ran my fingertips down his back and felt him shudder. Every kiss burned hotter than the one before. Every touch lit a new fire on my skin.
Too soon, he slowed our kisses, until they were only light pecks. Ever so gently, he kissed my cheeks, my nose, and then my lips again. His mouth lingered and I fought the urge to pull him back down on top of me. Lying on his side, he delicately took my hand and threaded his fingers through mine in a gesture I was starting to love.
As much as he frightened me, he was unlocking an entirely new world for me. One with endless possibilities. The ability to breathe underwater? It was so unbelievable, I still wasn’t sure I did it. I knew without a doubt there was no one else I’d rather have with me through this. I reached for him and he held me tight, lightly running his fingers through my hair. I felt a virtual safety net wrap around me as the security of his arms lifted some of the weight I’d always carried on my shoulders. The rest of the world felt miles away from us and I wanted to stay there forever.
“Promise me you’ll give me a warning next time you want to convince me of something. I’ll give you a red flag to wave or something.” I smiled up at him lazily.
“I definitely will. I don’t want to get beaten up again.” he grinned back down at me.
“Since I can breathe underwater, should I expect my legs to morph into a fishtail?” I wiggled my feet in the air.
“I can assure you that won’t happen.” he rolled his eyes at me.
“Oh good, that would really hinder a lot things. Like walking. Or wearing pants.” I frowned.
“Or playing kickball,” Finn added, clearly amused by my logic.
“Or playing footsy,” I tried to tickle his foot with my toes. I saw his leather anklet again.
“Black onyx?” I asked, as I touch it with my foot.
“That’s right – it’s the stone of protection.” He said. I tried to decide if I should ask him what he needed protection from when I remembered my own new jewelry.
“Kira gave me turquoise bracelet,” I told him and then sat up to show him.
“It fits you,” he turned his attention to the ocean, “although an aquamarine would be better.”
I waited for more of an explanation, “because it matches your eyes,” he added, a little too rushed. I got the feeling that wasn’t the reason he was really thinking of. I made a mental note to research aquamarine, since it must hold a special meaning for him. I remembered him saying it symbolized foresight and courage, but that was all I knew. If you needed protection, courage would have to be at the top of the important qualities list. Then something else hit me. Maybe he knew more about evil than I thought.
“Will the black onyx protect you from…a curse?”
His expression turned surprised, “A curse?”
“Well… I heard that you’re, um…” A nervous knot tightened in my stomach and I looked down at the sand, running my fingers through it. There was no turning back now. “…that you’re cursed.” I looked back up at him timidly. He laughed and shook his head.
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” He laughed darkly. His eyes locked on mine, making it impossible for me to look away and all lightheartedness left his tone, “I’m not cursed, Stasia, it’s something much worse than that.” He leaned toward me, “I’ve been Chosen.”
I felt my eyes widen. “You’re….Chosen?” Well, that was a new development. Suddenly, I felt very small in comparison. “That’s incredible. But, I thought being Chosen was a great honor?”
His face turned menacing and he shifted away from me. “Not always. Sometimes being Chosen comes with a very high price.” He stood suddenly and walked to the ocean. I followed farther behind, giving him room. He stopped at the water’s edge and ran his hand through his hair. Another habit of his I was beginning to fall in love with. In the moonlight, his hair matched the black onyx stones glistening around his ankle. The pale light cast a sinister shadow on his face, making him appear dangerous. And beautiful. I reached for his hand.
“What price do you have to pay?” I asked quietly.
“Why do you want to know?” His jaw clenched and the unexpected ferocity in his eyes had me taking a step back. He reached for my hand, pulling me back to him. The anger was instantly replaced by complete surrender.
“I’m not the one who has to pay it,” he whispered, running his finger across my lips again. He dropped his hand, turned, and walked out into the ocean. I watched as he lightly skimmed his fingertips over the foaming water in a slow circular motion. The water around him began to dance.
As I looked on, he seemed to become a part of the water, moving to the cadence of the waves. I found myself walking out to him without knowing it. He turned to face me as I approached and I could see the teal and green hues in his eyes again. His hands eclipsed mine, slowly guiding them across the top of the water in the same rhythm. As I looked in his eyes, I heard it.
Singing. The same melody I heard in the bathtub, in the ocean that first day, and in class. I closed my eyes and listened. What I thought was a woman’s voice was actually just the soprano of the larger melody. Listening closer, I realized it resembled the sounds of a hundred violins. Flowing in to my soul, it embraced me fully and I felt my body swaying to its tempo. Like a field of grain bending in unison to the wind, I let it take control of me. I opened my eyes to see that Finn had been watching me. The sadness in his eyes had retreated and he was eyeing me with wonder.
“Can you hear it, Stasia?”
I nodded “I think I feel it more than I hear it. It’s amazing.” I glanced down at the dancing water surrounding us. “What is it?”
“The ocean,” his face brightened, “reaching out to you. Not everyone can hear it. It only embraces the pure of heart,” he said, sounding wiser than his years. He lifted our hands and the sound began to fade as the water took on its silvery quality once again.
“I’ve heard it before; I just didn’t know what it was.”
“It was calling to you,” he smiled knowingly.
On the way back up the beach, I began to feel slightly overwhelmed with all of the information I’d digested. “There’s so much I don’t know. So much I still have to learn.”
“It comes with time,” he looked at me with a sudden seriousness, “but right now we have a bigger issue.”
“What’s that?” I didn’t know if I could handle any more earth shattering revelations tonight.
“Why you have sand all over you.”
“I don’t have….” Before I could finish, he swept my legs out from under me and caught me mid-fall. He lowered me onto my back on the sand. Not one to give up on a good fight, I caught him off balance and yanked him down beside me. Seeing my opportunity, I scrambled back to my feet and started up the beach to our sitting spot near the dunes. Suddenly, he easily picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
“I win.” he declared, as he lowered me down in front of the dunes.
“Well, enjoy it now because this’ll be the last time I let that happen. I want a rematch.”
His blue eyes lit up and a deliberate grin appeared, “Anytime you want to wrestle, I’m game.”