Chương 22: Aquaphobia
"Then let's get going. Do you think it can fly?" I ask, getting into the driver's seat, and starting it up. The keys are conveniently in the ignition.
"Probably not," I'm told as the beautiful redhead gets into the passenger's seat. "The one-eyed beasts aren't much for being airborne." The doors close, and then lock on their own.
Oh crap! "Then how—" I start to ask, a terrifying thought entering my head, but I'm cut short as my car's tires spin in the sand of their own accord, and we head back for the water. "No, no, no, no. . ." I repeat, scrabbling at the door, trying to open it. It's locked, and no matter what I try, it won't open. The brakes and steering wheel are just as unresponsive. I watch in horror as the bumper dips into the waves and keeps on going. Mentally I try to stop my car from trying to kill me, but it seems to have a mind of its own, ignoring my frantic mental commands.
"Lyden, calm down," Brooke's voice says next to me. "You need to breath normally, or you're going to hypervent—"
Whatever she'd been about to say is lost as blackness creeps into my vision. I can feel the sea swallow me, and I know that this time it won't let me go.
* * *
"Lyden, wake up," Brooke's sweet voice penetrates the fog around my mind, but I keep my eyes closed.
"Oh, Brooke," I say to the mermaid, glad to have my friend there. "I was having the worst nightmare. I dreamt that my car was trying to kill me by driving us into the sea."
"Um. . . ." The uncertainty in her tone makes my eyes slowly crack open, and I see a school of some kind of colorful fish swim past the driver's side window.
Panic grips my heart again, but Brooke grips my face and makes me stare into her green eyes. Sea-green eyes, like the sea around us.
"You're going to be fine. Your car's not trying to kill you. I'm here. That's right. Just concentrate on me right now." Her soft crooning voice breaks through my fear, and I can feel my heart rate lessening. "You're entirely safe. I won't let anything happen to you." I nod thankfully to her, but that's not good enough. "I want you to say it. Say you're safe," she commands.
"I'm safe," I say aloud, and surprisingly feel safer. "I'm safe with you," I say again, feeling stronger now and making her smile.
Even though I feel safer, I don't dare look outside.
"Good," she tells me, releasing her grip on my face. "Now then, we need to talk."
And there goes my slightly growing feeling of contentment. I've not dated a lot of women, but whenever a woman says those fateful words, it usually means something like, 'You're a nice guy, but . . .' or 'I don't want to hurt you, so . . .' It's never been, 'Hey, I think I want to introduce you to my friend and have a threesome!'
"It's about what happened when you were in my mind." I have nothing to say and so keep my mouth shut. Thinking about how long we're likely to be traveling through the water, I'm afraid this trip is going to get rather awkward. Of course, I guess she could always get out and swim if she really wants to. "I didn't really have a lot of control in there. It really was like a dream to me, so if I said or did anything that bothers you, I want to apologize."
That's absolutely not what I expected to hear.
"Apologize?" I ask, thoroughly confused. "There's nothing that needs apologizing for."
For some reason she frowns slightly at my words.
"I . . . said some things that I shouldn't have, and don't want you to get the wrong idea," she says looking at her clasped hands resting lightly in her lap.
I immediately know she's talking about when she'd said she loves me. If she didn't really mean it, then why did she tell me again on the beach? Just because she thought we were going to die? Wouldn't that have made her more honest?
"Oh, that?" I ask, trying to sound off-handed. "Don't worry about it. I know how dreams can take a life of their own."
She smiles at me, but I can see a bit of pain in her eyes. What does she want from me? I can't confess undying love for her. Don't get me wrong, I care for her deeply and it may even be love, but I really don't want to get my heart broken again. It still hurts from Angela's betrayal.
"I'm glad," she obviously lies to me. "We can't really be together. It's against too many of our laws."
And just like that, I think I understand Angela's actions. Hadn't she told me that she can choose when to procreate? That would explain why she'd wanted to do anal, so that she wouldn't be tempted to get pregnant and why she'd acted like she had at the end. I wonder what would have happened if I had cum into her womb. I could've become a father. Another cambion, perhaps like me, would be born. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Then I remember something else. When two different species mate, there is no telling what the offspring may be. We could create a terrible and destructive monster. Or we could create a benevolent being. Either is just as likely.
Anger starts to fill me now, as I think I should have been given that choice. Shouldn't we have discussed it, instead of her making the decision on her own?
"What are you thinking?" Brooke asks me, breaking my train of thought.
Thinking fast, I reply, "I was wondering what happened with you and Angela back in TanaVesta's mountain. What kind of deal did you two make?"
"How did you— Nevermind," she says. Inhaling deeply, she's visibly trying to gather her thoughts before answering. "I thought you'd be in the dungeon, so that'd been the first place I'd looked. When I found your succubus, I was tempted to leave her there, but she somehow sensed me. Not many can when I don't want to be noticed." I wonder at that for a moment and even at the tone of awe in her voice, until I remember that she's some kind of assassin. I still can't reconcile that with the Brooke I grew up with, even after seeing her with her orc-gore covered sword.
"Well, she told me where you were being held if you were still alive, and that I'd need her help to get to you." She pauses, and I know that it's taking a lot for her to tell me this. I almost tell her she doesn't need to continue, but I feel like I need to know. "When we first got to the dragon's chambers, we found the boulder blocking the way into you. Neither one of us was strong enough to move it on our own or even together. We kept trying to find ways to move it when the Pillar wasn't with you, but nothing worked." Her eyes sparkle as she continues, "And then she left it cracked. At first I thought it was a trap, but Angela wouldn't wait. When I got into your chamber, I could sense how strong you were. I couldn't believe the power you held. The rest you know."
"But what was the deal you two had made?" I press.
She looks at me for a long moment, before answering. "When we were trying to get to you, we talked. You've been changing, and neither one of us knows why. I'm not even sure I like it. But it was obvious that we both cared for you. We almost came to blows over it, but when we realized that killing each other would only make things worse for you, we came to a truce." She's silent for a couple moments and I wait for her to continue. "Neither one of us would try to win you over to the other, if we should succeed in rescuing you."
Somehow I get the feeling that's not everything, but I choose to leave it there, for now. To know that two women almost fought over me, boosts my ego a bit. Even so, I'm not happy with how things are turning out.
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