back up and leaned his forehead against mine.
I was confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“We can’t do this,” he answered, his voice hoarse and low.
“Why?”
“We just can’t.”
“But why? No one has to know.”
Jackson leaned back and looked into my eyes.
“I would never hide you from anyone,” he said earnestly.
I wanted to smile, but not as much as I wanted Jackson’s lips on mine again.
“Then why?”
One side of Jackson’s perfect mouth tipped up in a small, sad smile.
“Because you’re not mine.”
I was afraid to say all the things that I felt, things like I was his, whether he knew it or not, whether it was right or not. But I didn’t. Something held my tongue.
“I’m not anybody’s,” I said quietly.
“Not yet,” he said, stepping away from me.
I had nothing to say to that. I felt nauseous to think of spending a lifetime with anybody other than Jackson, but I couldn’t say that either. I would eventually have to marry Aidan, despite our ties to other people. It was the Mer way. I could never be with Jackson, not for long anyway. Ours was a forbidden union and we both knew it.
Smiling more fully, Jackson held out his hand.
“Come on,” he said, tipping his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nodding, I took his hand and let him lead me from my room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I didn’t know where we were going and I didn’t care. I was just happy to be in Jackson’s company, my fingers wrapped securely in his.
It was when we walked out the dormitory doors and I saw Building A across the street that I remembered why I’d come to Jackson in the first place.
I pulled up short and Jackson stopped a couple paces in front of me.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to go to the woods. Come on,” I said, tugging him in a slightly different direction. “I’ll explain on the way.”
And I did. I told him how the Seer had come to me in the shower and how he’d somehow taken me out to the forest through the rain. I told him what I’d seen there. I explained everything from the tree spirits to the wolf-like creature that I’d seen and how I thought it was probably Wolfhardt.
“But you said it was dark, right? And rainy?”
“Right.”
Jackson and I both looked out across the horizon to the last vestiges of a setting sun.
“Maybe if we go back into the trees, they’ll show me who Wolfhardt is. Surely the tree spirits have seen something.”
“I guess it’s worth a try. We need to hurry, though. It’ll be dark soon.”
“We have time. It won’t happen tonight.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw a full moon through the trees. And we both know the moon won’t be full until tomorrow night.”
And we did. Being tied so inexorably to the sea, Mer knew without ever having to look into the sky where we were in the lunar cycle. We felt the sway of the moon just as surely as the ocean did.
We walked in silence for a ways before either of us spoke.
“I know this has been hard on you,” Jackson said quietly. “And, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve been incredibly brave.”
I felt the rush of blood to my cheeks. I shrugged, feeling embarrassed by and unworthy of his praise.
“I don’t know why. I haven’t done anything.”
“Sure you have. You’ve stepped up and taken the initiative to find out who Wolfhardt and the Straus Maiden are. You were almost killed trying to get to your parents. You were almost abducted by Seers, although now, I imagine they were probably trying to help,” he said, grinning sheepishly.
“Speaking of, I never got a chance to thank you for that.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For saving me.”
It was Jackson’s turn to shrug.
“It’s my—”
“Don’t say that it’s just your job,” I interrupted sharply.
Jackson chuckled. It was a throaty sound that I felt rasp pleasantly along my nerves, making me want to purr. My abdominals clenched in
I was confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“We can’t do this,” he answered, his voice hoarse and low.
“Why?”
“We just can’t.”
“But why? No one has to know.”
Jackson leaned back and looked into my eyes.
“I would never hide you from anyone,” he said earnestly.
I wanted to smile, but not as much as I wanted Jackson’s lips on mine again.
“Then why?”
One side of Jackson’s perfect mouth tipped up in a small, sad smile.
“Because you’re not mine.”
I was afraid to say all the things that I felt, things like I was his, whether he knew it or not, whether it was right or not. But I didn’t. Something held my tongue.
“I’m not anybody’s,” I said quietly.
“Not yet,” he said, stepping away from me.
I had nothing to say to that. I felt nauseous to think of spending a lifetime with anybody other than Jackson, but I couldn’t say that either. I would eventually have to marry Aidan, despite our ties to other people. It was the Mer way. I could never be with Jackson, not for long anyway. Ours was a forbidden union and we both knew it.
Smiling more fully, Jackson held out his hand.
“Come on,” he said, tipping his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nodding, I took his hand and let him lead me from my room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I didn’t know where we were going and I didn’t care. I was just happy to be in Jackson’s company, my fingers wrapped securely in his.
It was when we walked out the dormitory doors and I saw Building A across the street that I remembered why I’d come to Jackson in the first place.
I pulled up short and Jackson stopped a couple paces in front of me.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to go to the woods. Come on,” I said, tugging him in a slightly different direction. “I’ll explain on the way.”
And I did. I told him how the Seer had come to me in the shower and how he’d somehow taken me out to the forest through the rain. I told him what I’d seen there. I explained everything from the tree spirits to the wolf-like creature that I’d seen and how I thought it was probably Wolfhardt.
“But you said it was dark, right? And rainy?”
“Right.”
Jackson and I both looked out across the horizon to the last vestiges of a setting sun.
“Maybe if we go back into the trees, they’ll show me who Wolfhardt is. Surely the tree spirits have seen something.”
“I guess it’s worth a try. We need to hurry, though. It’ll be dark soon.”
“We have time. It won’t happen tonight.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw a full moon through the trees. And we both know the moon won’t be full until tomorrow night.”
And we did. Being tied so inexorably to the sea, Mer knew without ever having to look into the sky where we were in the lunar cycle. We felt the sway of the moon just as surely as the ocean did.
We walked in silence for a ways before either of us spoke.
“I know this has been hard on you,” Jackson said quietly. “And, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve been incredibly brave.”
I felt the rush of blood to my cheeks. I shrugged, feeling embarrassed by and unworthy of his praise.
“I don’t know why. I haven’t done anything.”
“Sure you have. You’ve stepped up and taken the initiative to find out who Wolfhardt and the Straus Maiden are. You were almost killed trying to get to your parents. You were almost abducted by Seers, although now, I imagine they were probably trying to help,” he said, grinning sheepishly.
“Speaking of, I never got a chance to thank you for that.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For saving me.”
It was Jackson’s turn to shrug.
“It’s my—”
“Don’t say that it’s just your job,” I interrupted sharply.
Jackson chuckled. It was a throaty sound that I felt rasp pleasantly along my nerves, making me want to purr. My abdominals clenched in
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