"Jellyfish, an entire army of them. I swear they're trying to find us, and they aren't supposed to do that."
"Fucking tell that to them, Abbey, because they don't seem to know it. How are we getting out of here?"
They tried not to move because the slightest wiggle of an arm or leg brought the creatures closer, as if the movement of their bodies drew attention to them.
"Do you feel the energy surrounding them?" Abigail asked.
Waves splashed over him and he nearly choked. When he could, he shook his head carefully. "No. But if there's psychic energy it has to be that bastard coming at us."
"We have no choice but to fight fire with fire," she said.
"Not Elle, Abbey. She'll burn herself out. She needs to rest."
"The rest of us don't. And he's not getting our sister--or you." Abigail splashed water with the flat of her hand in disgust, directing it away from them and watching the jellyfish swarm where the water fell. "Elle could totally kick this amateur's ass if she was at full strength."
They bobbed in the waves, trying not to move too much. "So how do we get out of here, Abbey? You're the expert."
"We can't go below, they're coming up from below us. He's set some sort of a trap, but as you can see, it's not specific toward us. He's using the traces of psychic energy to trigger his attacks. I was using it on Boscoe, both to calm him and to heal him. I didn't want him getting infections." It was difficult to talk and both were getting tired, trying to let the waves come and go without throwing them around. Abbey looked toward her home.
Almost at once Jackson could feel a subtle difference in the wind. It shifted direction, a soft ruffling rather than a roar, carrying a sweet feminine voice with it. Joley Drake. Superstar, with a voice like a siren's, calling to the jellyfish, beckoning them across the water. A spell singer, Joley could persuade anything or anyone with her voice. It drifted like kelp, peaceful and serene, melodious and haunting, and all the while the strains of melody whispered and cajoled the jellyfish, summoning them to her.
Tentacles lashed the water, the current of psychic energy exploding in answer to Joley's song, but the huge group of jellyfish moved away from Abigail and Jackson, toward Joley's voice, propelled by their need to answer. Jackson and Abbey waited for the migration to pass and then began to swim back to the dory.
Jackson had taken two strokes through the water, with Abigail on his left side, when suddenly her body jerked hard, the rope between them pulling taut. She clenched her fist and began beating on something unseen beneath the water, striking it over and over, before gasping and going under, her eyes looking at him, desperation and horror on her face. Jackson shoved his mouthpiece into his mouth and dove with her, following her body down below the surface.
The water was dark, and he could barely make out a massive fin and the torpedo-shaped body, a single, round eye and jaws clamped around Abbey's leg, her fist punching at its nose and eyes. The water churned and clouded more, obscuring his vision.
Kicking strongly, Jackson tried to turn, realizing the shark had released Abbey and had disappeared from his sight. He turned to see a huge gaping mouth, the double rows of teeth looking like a circular saw, wicked and primitive and far too massive to avoid. It charged past Jackson and hit Abbey again, hard enough that her body jerked and was propelled forward. He saw her hand flash as the water erupted into a churning mass of bubbles and debris, once again obscuring his vision.
His body was drawn through the water rapidly, pulled by the rope tying him to Abbey. He swam faster, trying to catch up, knife in his fist as he approached the huge shark, trying to get around it to the head. The jaws were clamped around Abbey's back and stomach, the metal tank crushed in its mouth, Abbey trying to fight as he came up on its left side. He sank the knife deep into the animal's eye and it reared its head back, opening the wide jaws to release Abigail.
Another large body shot past him and rammed the shark in the belly from underneath and Jackson caught Abbey around the waist and shoved his airpiece in her mouth as he kicked away from the shark. A second dolphin took up the attack, slamming hard into the shark's belly. As soon as it streaked away, a third and then a fourth took up the fight, the dolphins protecting Abbey, playing a dangerous game of tag team to give them time to escape.
Jackson didn't waste the precious moments the dolphins gave them. He swam hard, taking Abigail with him, pausing only to take a breath as he angled their escape toward the dory. He tried to keep them in the trough between the waves, and stay out of Gratsos hidden traps of psychic energy.
At the dory it took several tries with both of them using full strength to get Abbey out of the water. Jackson wanted his body completely out, but with his gear and his strength nearly gone, it was a fight to get himself in the boat. In the end he had to remove his weight belt and then his tank. Even then it took him several attempts before he managed to drag himself inside.
"Are you all right," he asked as he started the engine. "How bad is it?" He didn't want to take off her suit to look. The tight compression would help slow any bleeding.
Abigail, half sitting and half stretched out, gave a high-pitched whistle to signal to the dolphins to get out of the area before replying. "I was lucky. It was a juvenile Great White, and by the way, attacks from juveniles are very rare. I've only heard of it a couple of times. Now I'm wondering if something disturbed it, if Gratsos or someone like him used the sea to set psychic traps."
"Tell me how bad, Abbey," Jackson insisted as he started up the dory.
Abigail took a breath and forced herself to look at her body. There was a gash on one arm that would require stitches. Along her thigh she had quite a laceration, much larger than the one on her arm, but again, not life-threatening. She looked up at him. "I think he got his mouth around the tank when he grabbed me and there's a burning sensation, a pressure in my abdomen, and there're tears in my suit with blood on it, so I honestly don't know how bad that one is, but the others aren't so bad."
"Aleksandr is going to be one pissed-off Russian."
She sighed. "I know. He'll make me go to the hospital even though Libby could probably take care of everything at home."
The dory flew over the waves back toward shore. Around them, the fog thickened and rolled, darkening in color, blotting out all light until the shore itself disappeared. Jackson swore under his breath. Large boulders rose out of the sea all around them and visibility had just gone to zero. He could hear Abigail's breath coming in small gasps and, although she'd assured him she wasn't hurt too badly, he wasn't as certain and wanted to get her to a hospital as soon as possible.
He slowed the dory, a chill going down his spine at the same time Abbey hissed low. Their eyes met and then both began to try to pierce the veil of darkness closing in around them for the next threat. They both felt it, something malevolent stalking them, riding on the hidden current just on the surface of the water. The wind began to pick up, pushing the waves higher, so that around them the sea began to churn violently.
"Hold on, Abbey," Jackson said grimly, "the bastard's coming at us again."
"I'm fine," Abigail assured him. "Don't worry about me."
Mostly he was worried that Elle would try to help them and Gratsos would recognize her psychic energy. It concerned him that first Hannah and then Abigail had been attacked after using psychic energy. That had to be the trigger for the attacks, and the way they used their talents had to have some of Elle's signature stamped on it. Was Gratsos aware that he was actually attacking Elle's family members? He'd told her he'd kill everyone she loved unless she came back to him and Jackson had no doubt the man was vicious enough to try to carry out his threat if he found her and no one stopped him.
"Are your sisters connected to you right now?"
"Yes, of course."
"So they know about the shark attack?"
"Yes. And they know we're being stalked."
"Don't answer them. Don't in any way use psychic energy until we're safe on shore." Abigail turned her head toward a roaring sound to their left as a waterspout shot up, whirling violently, the long tube spinning and picking up strength as it pulled more and more of the water around it into the tall column. Jackson threw the dory in reverse in an effort to avoid running into the water twister just as a second burst from the water. The water tossed the little boat from side to side as the twister erupted around them as if hunting prey.
From the direction of the Drake family home came a fierce blast of wind that raced over their heads and met the turbulent cyclones head-on, pushing the columns of water back and away from the dory, clearing out a section of fog around the boat. Jackson didn't hesitate, trusting the Drake women as he took the boat into the gap. The wind continued, blowing everything in its path out of its way, forcing the twisters to back up and dispersing the fog enough to give Jackson a clear line toward shore.
Lights sprang up along the beach, several high-powered spotlights pointing toward the sea, beckoning Jackson in, and he knew Elle and Aleksandr had rigged the lights to try to pierce the thick veil of fog. Using the bright lights as a beacon, he headed home, not slowing when first one, then another waterspout whirled close to them. The ferocious wind hit just in front of the boat, forcing the cyclone away from them and continued to keep the path clear.
He ran the dory onto the beach as Aleksandr rushed toward them. The Russian lifted Abigail into his arms, cradling her tight against his chest, his face a mask of fury as he whirled around and headed back to the waiting ambulance, ignoring Abigail's protest every step of the way.
Jackson pulled the dory higher, well aware of the cyclones held at bay by the Drakes, but they were losing energy and the wind was fading. He heard Bomber barking ferociously and his heart jumped.
"Stay back, Elle. Get the hell away from the sea. Go indoors, I'll be there in a minute," he used his no nonsense voice, praying she'd listen. One never knew with Elle and she didn't take to orders well.
"Behind you, Jackson," Elle yelled.
He knew better than to turn his back on the ocean, but he'd been focused on her and the sleeper wave came roaring at him, looking like a twenty-foot wall of water. The cyclones had merged together and Gratsos was making his last brutal attack.
Jackson's heart sank. He had no chance, the wave would sweep him out to sea and he was already too exhausted to successfully fight it. He just stood waiting for it to consume him.
Elle ran forward, her arms up in the air, her face turned toward the sky, palms out. She chanted something the wind whipped up and away so he couldn't hear, but they were connected, welded mind to mind, and he felt power move in her, through her, a burst of energy so strong he expected the night to light up. He felt the impact of her rage, a well erupting, an explosion of pent-up violent energy slamming into the wall of water with the force of a volcano.
Her energy was red-hot and the air hissed and sizzled up and down the beach. Lightning forked in the sky. The wave rocketed upward, a solid sheet of superheated water that burst into the fog, spread like wildfire, consuming everything in its path, so that overhead, great mushroom clouds streaked upward. Flames of red and orange licked along the edges and rolled like fireballs inside the churning mass, to rain back over the sea, dropping liquid fire into the depths to find the hidden current beneath the water and channel the ferocious energy seeking retaliation.
The fog was gone as if it had never been, the sky clear with stars scattered everywhere. Silence settled along with the flames and only the sound of the waves remained, a steady ebbing and flowing that brought a sense of peace with it. Elle's knees caved and she went down, face first into the sand. Bomber rushed to Jackson, then turned back toward Elle, anxious, uncertain which one to go to.
Jackson stood swaying beside the dory, one hand on the boat's side to steady himself. He looked around him, dazed, exhausted, trying to find the strength to move, to get to Elle. The water was calm, the beach peaceful, and other than Abbey's steel tank and diving belt having teeth marks, there was little evidence of the fight for their lives.
"Elle?" He staggered his way up to her and sank into the sand beside her.
Elle rolled over and stared up at him. There was blood trickling from her ear and the side of her mouth. "You scared me again, Jackson," she whispered.
"You disobeyed me again." He stretched out beside her, reaching out an arm to scoop her up so her head was pillowed on his chest and her body was tight against his. "Very inappropriate behavior for the woman of a badass."
"I just saved your bad ass, buddy," she pointed out.
"Yes, you did. Remind me to thank you properly later."
"Stavros really made me angry this time."
He turned his head and looked down at her pale face. "I've got to tell you, honey, when you're pissed off, you're hot as hell. That fire in the sky was a major turn-on for me. If I wasn't so damned tired, I'd be showing you just how much." Very gently he wiped the blood from her face with his hand. "Do you have any idea how bad Abbey is? She said she was all right, but there was blood and, although she said it was a juvenile, it looked like a big son of a bitch to me."
Elle pressed her face closer to him. "Thank you for saving her."
"I wish I could take the credit. It was her dolphins. They came back to help at just the right time."
"Abbey's getting stitches in her arm, not very many, but the gash on her leg requires a lot more. Maybe twenty or so." Elle frowned, concentrating for a moment, listening to the flow of information from her sisters. "Her abdomen is very bruised and she's got a few gashes there as well, but they think something, possibly her diving belt, saved her."
"It has teeth marks on it."
Elle shivered and pressed closer. "You're all wet."
"And too tired to do anything about it." He brushed kisses over her face. "I suppose we could try crawling back to the house." He was silent a moment. "Do you remember your idea about moving inland, away from water? I'm beginning to think it might just be a good idea after all." He tipped her chin up until her gaze met his, the brief spurt of amusement fading from his eyes. "He isn't going to stop, you know."
She blinked, her eyes going from sea-green to a mystic emerald. "I know." She sighed softly, her fingers sliding over his wet suit, brushing little strokes over him, reassuring herself he was alive and well. "I'll call Dane tomorrow and report in. Maybe we can put our heads together and come up with an idea for a sting operation. There has to be a way to catch him, to get enough evidence he can't make go away. Something very public."
He was silent for a moment, hesitating before he told her what he knew to be the truth. "He won't stop coming after you, Elle, not even from prison." He was trying to tell her, without saying the words aloud, that he knew what had to be done.
"Jackson, he isn't worth it."
"You're worth it to me, baby, more than worth it. I can't let that son of a bitch terrorize you for the rest of your life."
"You can't let him force you to do something you know is wrong. Murder is wrong."
"We'll have to agree to disagree over what executing him would be called."
Elle closed her eyes. "This has been a really bad day."
"Evening," he corrected.
She put her head up to look at him. "What?"
"It was a good day, honey. I enjoyed every minute with you. Not so much with your sister though. I think I'll skip swimming with Abbey next time she wants to go diving."
Elle laughed softly and snuggled closer. "I think we're going to have to learn teleportation. Wouldn't that be cool?"
His hand came up to rest in her hair, massaging her scalp. "You're scary enough, Elle. You don't need to be able to walk on water or go through walls."
"Don't you know Sarah's the one who walks on water?"
His gaze widened. "Don't tell me things like that."
"When Damon first came to town, he heard all sorts of rumors about Sarah. He was very grumpy apparently and all the rumors annoyed him so he made up one of h
is own and it spread through the village like wildfire."
Jackson laughed. "I can see Damon doing that." He rolled over. "Can you make it into the house?"
"It looks a long way away."
"Tomorrow, Kate is going to try to heal your talent."
She shook her head and forced her exhausted body into a sitting position. The moment she moved, her head felt as if it exploded. They were so closely tied together Jackson grabbed his own head and bent nearly double in an attempt to combat the pain and dizziness. His gaze met hers.
"Don't go all stubborn on me, Elle. We can't take any more chances on you burning out completely. You keep this up and you could end up damaged permanently. Until we get out from under Gratsos and his attacks, you're going to keep using your abilities and your head is a ticking time bomb. You know it is."
"I don't want it to be a ticking time bomb for Kate. None of us has ever tried to heal a psychic burnout. It's my problem, not hers."
"She healed me, so I know she can do it."
"When Libby heals, she takes a part of that illness or wound into herself and her body has to deal with it. It's probably the same for Kate. I'm not trying to be stubborn, Jackson, I just couldn't bear it if something happened to any of them on my account."
He crouched in the sand beside her and framed her face with his hands. "If you don't allow her to try, even in small daily increments, just a little at a time to speed up the process, we're all in danger. Every time he comes at us and he succeeds just a bit, it strengthens him and weakens us. This time you sent him back a hell of a message. Wherever he was, he got a backlash. There was no way he didn't and you're nowhere near your ability. We need you in this fight, Elle. You're going to have to allow Kate to try."
"I'll think about it." When he continued to look at her she sighed. "I promise, Jackson. I'll talk it over with Libby and Sarah and see what they think before I ask Katie. Matt's very protective of Kate and he may object."
"All of us object to the things you girls do, but you do it anyway. If Kate decides she can heal you without harming herself, nothing Matt says will change her mind." Jackson caught her shoulders and helped her to her feet.