Hydromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 4)

“It’s too soon for you to need Tim’s blood,” he mused.

If he only knew how badly she needed Tim, he’d be as frightened as she was. She hadn’t been this out of control in her whole life.

She took a deep breath. “It’s probably just PMS.”

Cesar looked as if he was going to bolt. He lifted his hands. “Hey, I’m no good with that female stuff, but I can call Frida if you need a shoulder.”

She snorted.

“Thought you’d say that.” He scratched his head.

“Let’s just get out of here. It’s hot, and I’m hungry.”

“Okay.” He didn’t sound very certain. “Want to go to town for lunch?”

“Why the hell not?” She bundled her hair into an elastic band. “Work can wait. I don’t have another dive until three.”

Cesar took her to a bar on the beach and ordered fish and grilled vegetables. Even though she didn’t have an appetite, she ate everything on her plate. In her line of work, she needed her strength.

An hour later, despite the meal, she felt weak and feverish. She never got sick. Being a mixed breed, she was as strong as a horse. No pure, fragile genes. She hoped to all the gods of health she wasn’t coming down with something. Not now.

Under the water during the afternoon dive, her energy returned somewhat. When she headed to the condo at sunset, Cesar kept a step behind her as if he expected her to explode and blow his head off.

“You all right, Miss Martin?” a guard asked when she arrived at the house. “You look pale.”

She wiped the cold sweat from her brow. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Cesar stepped in front of her on the veranda, blocking her way. “He’s right, you know. You don’t look well.”

“I just need an early night. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

He hovered, looking uncertain again.

“What is it, Cesar?”

“Felicity’s coming over. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” she said. “Why would I mind?”

His shoulders sagged with relief. “She got a babysitter.”

“Why don’t you make good use of the opportunity and take her out?”

“My place is here. I’m just happy that she can spend some time with me. We’re going to watch a movie. Want to join us?”

“You’re sweet, thank you. I just want to turn in.”

“Call if you need anything.”

She nodded and walked past him.

After a cold shower, she still didn’t feel better. A nagging pain settled in her joints, and her body ached all over. If this was what it felt like to have a fever, it sucked. She dressed in black pants and a stretch top and waited until Felicity arrived. Pretending to go downstairs for a glass of water, she checked in on them. They were watching a movie with Felicity sitting in Cesar’s lap on the sofa.

When Felicity noticed Maya, she got up and pulled at the hem of her dress. “Hi, Maya. How are you?”

Ignoring the pain in her muscles, Maya smiled. “How’s Enrique?”

Felicity beamed. “He’s wonderful.”

“Next time, you should bring him.”

Her eyes lit up. She glanced at Cesar. “Really?”

He leaned back and crossed his hands behind his head. “Yeah. We could all hang out together. He’s a cool kid.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“But not every time,” Cesar said, shooting Felicity an intimate look.

They said their goodnights, and Maya made her way back to the room. Upstairs, she opened the balcony door and gazed down. While Cesar was occupied, she’d have to take her chances and make a run for the dive center to work undisturbed. When the guard who had a visual on her window turned his back to light a cigarette, she climbed over the rail. It wasn’t a high jump, nothing compared to jumps she’d done in the past, but when her feet hit the ground, the wind was almost knocked from her lungs. Damn fine time to get sick. She couldn’t afford this weakness.

Waiting behind a bush until the guards walked toward the beach, she moved in the shadows of the garden, careful not to make noise. Once she was out of sight, she ran on the wet, more compact sand of the beach. What should’ve been an easy jog, turned into a lung-wrenching, throat-burning run that had her panting by the time she reached the dive center.

Dragging her tablet from the cupboard, she wasted no time in activating the tracking program. She didn’t flick on any lights, but crouched on the floor behind the desk, waiting for the automated hacker to cut its way through cyber space. It was an expensive program, but a clever investment. Her hands shook while she waited for the software to run its course. The trembling had gotten worse since that morning. She sighed with relief when the green button, indicating a number match, pinged. She sent a copy to Joss and shut down the program.

Before switching off the tablet, she checked for keyword alerts in the new transcripts downloaded from the listening device in Tim’s study. If there were anything mentioned related to arms, the program would pick it up. The search came up clean. She’d listen to his new conversations tomorrow, in between the dives, if she could keep Cesar at bay. She checked her watch. She had already been gone for almost an hour. She had to return before Cesar discovered her absence.