Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters 4)

Libby nodded. "I know. I just didn't understand him back then. He thought I had all kinds of confidence, that I was some sort of royalty. Why do people think that of us? I know Jonas does with Hannah, and for years I've heard how popular we were. I didn't feel popular in school. Did any of you? Ow!" She glared at Joley and jerked her hand away.

"What does that mean anyway?" Joley asked. "I was leader of the pack. Does that make me popular? I just couldn't take having rules. And stop being a baby. You're a doctor, for heaven's sake, it's supposed to hurt."

"You still hate rules," Sarah said, frowning. "I don't know how you do it, Joley, and you still stay as sweet and as innocent as you do."

Joley made a face. "Ugg. Never repeat that in public. Or in front of Mom or Dad. That's just wrong, Sarah."

"All the girls hated me," Hannah said. "I walked into a room and they immediately got really nasty looks on their faces. I was so painfully shy I couldn't have talked to them anyway, but it made it worse. They all thought I was stuck up and haughty. I didn't even know what haughty was the first time I overheard someone call me that." She poured a dark-looking liquid into a bowl. "This is going to hurt, honey, so take a deep breath. We want it clean though."

Tears swam in Libby's eyes for a moment as the antiseptic flowed over her leg, but she choked back the gasp and rubbed Hannah's shoulder in commiseration. "School was rough on you, Hannah. I didn't pay all that much attention to what other people thought of me. I had all of you and I was perfectly happy."

"That's because everyone loved you, Libby," Joley said. "And if they didn't, they were afraid I'd beat them up. And I would have, too. If Jackson doesn't figure out who is threatening you, I'm going to have to do the investigating myself." She passed Hannah the tube of antibiotic cream.

"That will win you points with both Jonas and Jackson," Sarah said.

Elle made a face. "Big bad Jackson. Guess we should all hide in the closet so we don't ruffle his feathers."

"What is it with you and Jackson?" Hannah asked.

Elle shrugged, turning her face away from her sisters. "He's driving me crazy."

"He never talks," Sarah pointed out. "How in the world could he drive you crazy?"

"He doesn't talk to you, Sarah. That doesn't mean he doesn't talk to me."

The sisters exchanged puzzled looks. "When?"

"All the time."

Hannah stood up and crossed the room to wrap her arm around her youngest sister. "What does he say to you, Elle?"

Elle let her breath out slowly and turned back to them. "He doesn't approve of me."

"What a shocker," Joley said, curling her legs under her. "Jonas doesn't approve of any of us, especially Hannah, and no one approves of me. Elle, sweetheart, tell the guy to drop dead. That's what I do."

Elle flashed a small smile. "Believe me, I do."

Hannah shook her head. "She doesn't mean he speaks to her as in physical talking, do you, Elle? He's telepathic, isn't he?"

Elle's hand went to her throat and she pulled away from her sister, her face going pale. "How did you know?"

Hannah ignored the question. "Can you shield yourself from him?"

Elle shook her head slowly. "I've tried. He's too strong."

"What does he want?" Sarah said. "You should have told us right away, Elle. Jonas would make him stop."

"No, don't say anything to Jonas," Elle said. "He won't stop and Jonas would try to make him. It would ruin their friendship."

"Have you told him to stop?" Sarah asked.

Libby saw the utter weariness and despair on Elle's face, her eyes so dark and shadowed it broke Libby's heart. "We can help you, Elle. Let us help you for a little while. You'll figure things out in your own time. No one has the right to rush you or dictate to you." She sank to her knees in front of her youngest sister. "Abbey should have the wedding she wants, not what the world wants for her. And you deserve that as well. You have the right to choose."

"Do I? Do any of us? Do we really have the freedom or does destiny decide for us?" Elle whispered, her voice strangled. "Because the only choice is whether we carry on the legacy or we end it. That's a hell of a responsibility."

"Every seventh daughter before you has had to make that decision," Libby said, her voice gentle, "and you have to make your choice, Elle. You have that right. But you don't need outside pressures, not from anyone. We can help you." She took Elle's hand and held out her other hand to Sarah. Sarah took Libby's hand and held out her other one to Joley.

Joley brushed a kiss on top of Elle's head as she linked hands with Hannah. "You don't always have to be strong, honey. That's why you have us. Together, we're pretty much unbeatable. Let's see him get past this shield." She hesitated and then shrugged. "While we're at it, let's add me into the circle, too. I could use a little boost to stay protected."

Silence followed her seemingly casual statement. The admissioncoming from Joley was shocking. She rolled her eyes then winked at Elle. "See, little sister, you don't always know everything, do you?"

"I thought I did."

"What is it, Joley?" Sarah asked warily. "We don't know any other telepaths."

There was a small silence. Joley began to rub her hand against her thigh as if it bothered her. It was a gesture they were all becoming too familiar with.

"Ilya Prakenskii." Elle whispered the name. "He has to be a telepath."

Joley shrugged. "Don't look so scared for me."

"We owe him," Sarah said. "We all swore we'd answer his call when the time came. What does he want?"

Joley made a face. "Who knows, who cares. The man can burn in hell for all I care. He'd better stay away from me or he'll find out what hell really is."

Libby tightened her fingers on Elle. "Let's do this, but with everybody. We all need a little extra strength. Tomorrow morning Abbey and Kate will be back. Before Hannah leaves for the hospital we'll perform the ritual just to make certain we're all in top form."

"You think it will take all of us?" Hannah asked. "I don't like the idea of leaving Jonas alone even for a couple of hours."

"He's in a good hospital," Libby assured her. "And he's improving every day."

Hannah flashed a small smile. "I forget anyone but you can actually doctor someone, Libby."

Libby laughed. "San Francisco has great hospitals and doctors."

"So what have we learned tonight?" Sarah asked, looking around the circle.

"We're all really good at keeping secrets," Libby said.

"Everyone but you," Hannah teased. "You have whisker burns all over your face. And little bruises on your arms and skid marks on your back, you little hussy."

She had whisker burns other places as well, but she wasn't volunteering the information. Libby smirked. "Yes, I do. And I'm planning on going back for more."

"Do you really love him?" Sarah asked.

"I'm falling so hard, so fast, I don't even know what hit me," Libby admitted, "but you know something? For the first time in my life I feel complete. He makes me feel beautiful when I know I'm not. He makes me feel sexy when for sure I'm not and he looks at me like I'm the only one in the world." A slow smile spread over her face and lit up her eyes. "And he's brilliant. The man is so damned brainy I'm in heaven."

"You're a brain groupie," Hannah pointed out. "And I'm so happy for you."

"Me, too," Libby said. "And on that note I'm going to bed."

"Aren't we going to talk about who might want you dead?" Sarah asked.

"Nope. I'm going to bed and I'll worry about it tomorrow." Libby blew kisses to her sisters as she climbed the stairs to her room.

She could still feel him in her body, on her skin, taste him in her mouth. Slowly she peeled off her clothes and looked at the marks of his possession on her body. There were faint smudges on her skin. She turned to look at her back and burst out laughing, feeling silly, but very happy. Hannah was right, she had rug burn on her back.

"Little Hagatha," she whispered affectionately and lay down in her bed naked, feeling the cool sheets on her body, wishing Tyson was beside her.