"What-" I begin, but then Shade, seemingly noticing the problem, points at Nathan with his snout. He has the amulet in one hand, and in his other is what looks like a small wooden box.
"Easy, now," the human says, casting a nervous glance our way. "One more step and your charm is gone."
"He's bluffing," Silas growls, but I can see the uncertainty in his jewel-like eyes.
"Want to find out?" Nathan demands, his smirk only growing wider. "The second I put it in this box, it's over. Deactivated. Just a useless piece of wire on a string." Turning to me, he laughs a disgusting little laugh. "You know, for beings with powers we mortals could only dream of," he says, "you sure are willing to put your trust in us lowly humans."
"We paid for it," Hunter snarls. "You cheated us."
"I think we can consider this a learning experience, no?" Nathan taunts. "Always get your deals in writing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave. Give Lyle my regards. Or not." He winks at me.
"Don't move," I command, my siren song coming more clearly and musically than it ever has before. "Stay right there, Nathan."
I can see the dawning realization on the man's face, followed by a combination of abject terror and frustration. Slowly, I make my way towards him, my scales glistening in the now bright sunshine. I can see him struggling against my commands, but it's no use: I have him completely ensnared. "Hand it over, Nathan," I instruct him, my voice sounding musical to my own ears, "and we'll let you go."
To my astonishment, Nathan smiles in return. "Poor choice of words, Missy," he says. Before I can stop him, he turns around and hurls the amulet over his shoulder. I see it fly through the air and land directly in the river where it's immediately swept up by the current.
"No!" yells Silas, but I'm two steps ahead of him.
Not bothering to maintain my sway over Nathan, I swan dive straight into the river where a flash of familiar green scales alerts me to Landon's presence. I drop under the water, adjusting quickly to the feeling of using my gills, and yell to the other shifter underwater. "He chucked the amulet!"
"On it," Landon replies, and the two of us speed through the water with the speed and precision of a pair of mermaids or swordfish. My vision is completely clear, even in the muddy river; in fact, it's even sharper down here than it is normally. Together, we fly with the current in the direction the charm went, keeping our aquatic eyes peeled for any signs of gleaming metal.
I spot something shimmering against the riverbed and dive for it, but when I examine it, I see to my dismay that it's a rusted gold bracelet, probably lost in the river years ago. Letting out a cry of rage, I toss it to the side as I realize just how many discarded metal items litter the riverbed. We might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. My shoulders slump, but the feeling of Landon's hand on my shoulder gives me pause. I turn to him and see the medallion dangling from his fingers. "Problem solved," he says.
Overjoyed, I throw my arms around him and pull him into a kiss under the water. Landon freezes in surprise, before embracing me back, his hands sliding into my hair as relief courses through both of us. When we finally break apart, the grinning shifter surfaces, and I follow suit. Together we make our way onto the riverbank: we've traveled a long way downstream, and I can just barely make out the figures of Hunter, Silas, and Shade rushing to meet us, all back in their human forms.
I stumble onto dry land, shifting back as I go, with Landon's arm wrapped tightly around my waist.
"Tell me you have it," Hunter says, panting from the exertion of the chase.
Grinning, Landon brandishes the amulet. "Never underestimate the power of underwater vision," he proclaims.
Silas laughs, relieved, and Shade runs his hand through his hair, his shoulders finally relaxing. Hunter claps Landon heartily on the back, and I'm barely back on the pathway when Shade presses his lips to my neck. "Thank you," he murmurs against my skin before pulling away.
No longer insulated by my aquatic form, I begin to shiver from the adrenaline and the frigid water. Hunter wraps his arms around my body, casting a wary glance down at me. "You all right, Millie?" he asks.
I nod. "Now let's get back inside somewhere. I'm covered in river water."
As much as Landon and I need a shower, our first order of business is to bring the amulet to Theo. He's not in the restaurant today; rather, he's seated regally on one of the plush couches facing the grand fireplace on the ground floor. He turns to us at the sound of our approach, and his eyes light up when they land on me… only to grow worried. "What happened to you, Millie?" he demands, his unwavering voice belying his concern.
"We went for a little swim," Landon replies. "About par for the course, I'd say. But we got the amulet." Reaching into my soaked pocket, I withdraw the shimmering charm, which seems to pulsate with power as I extend my hand to Theo.
A perplexed look crosses the hybrid leader's face, but then he shakes his head. Reaching out, he takes the charm from me, but his hand freezes for the barest of moments when his skin brushes against mine. For a split second, his composure seems shaken, but he recovers admirably and clears his throat. "Excellent," he says. "Tonight, we can discuss how to best implement the charm. For now, though…" The subtlest of smiles appears on his face. "I suggest the five of you go take a rest. It looks like you've had a long morning."
Chapter 8
To say that I’m tired wouldn’t be a hundred percent accurate; by all accounts, I should be, and I think, on some level, I am, but it’s not in a physical way. On the contrary, my body feels almost startlingly okay after this morning’s events, a sensation that is as off-putting as it is comforting. I’m under no illusions about my own mortality. I can still get hurt, I’m sure, or even killed, but every physical symptom is more along the lines of “having taken a long walk” than “took part in a high-speed chase that also landed me in the freezing waters of a Scottish river.” What, then, will it take to warn me when I’m overdoing it? It’s as if that mental barrier has been brought down, and I’m now able to tap into reserves of strength the likes of which were never accessible to me before.
No, what I’m feeling now is more of a deep, profound mental exhaustion that has nothing to do with the fight or our pursuit of Nathan. Part of me can’t help but wonder if this is how soldiers or international spies feel when they’ve put all of themselves into a fight to protect someone else, someone far away. I’m feeling burned out in the worst way, like I’ve been fighting this battle for decades, rather than months.
I feel old, and that scares me more than any surge in power levels possibly could.
It must show on my face, too, because as soon as we reach the floor for our landing, Hunter says, “You look run-down, Boots.”
“I am,” I admit after a moment of hemming and hawing. “I don’t know if I over-exerted myself or…” But my voice trails off as I see I’m not the only one: Hunter’s pale skin makes the dark circles under his eyes prominent, while Shade still seems to be shaking off the residual effects of the paralysis charm. Silas, in spite of our victory, is looking melancholy, and with good reason: we haven’t even addressed the fact that his father made another attempt on our lives, seemingly without connection to Nathan. That means one of two things: either he’s been following us on orders of one of the higher-up humans, or his consuming hatred of his own son has driven him here on its own. Frankly, I don’t know which is worse.