Bluehour (A Watermagic Novel) (14 page)

I came upon a construction site where workers
were erecting a business building. There were a lot of people
involved and the energy was a bit hectic. Men were calling up to
each other from the ground up to the top where they were pulling up
a huge concrete block on a pulley.

I tried to hurry past, but as I was walking,
the pulley fell to the side and the concrete block slipped off
suddenly from a high floor. I was right under it. It happened so
fast. I heard shrieks. With my gaze directed upwards, I saw the
huge slab falling right for my head. There was no time to dodge it.
When it hit me, I would die.

But suddenly, the concrete block stopped
midair just above my face. My heart was about to pound out of my
chest. I could hardly fathom what was happening. I moved out of the
way. When I glanced to the side, I saw Laurent staring at the
concrete block with his hands raised. For a second, the slab
remained suspended midair and then when he lowered his hands, it
crashed to the ground.

It grazed my hand as it fell, leaving a small
scrape on my skin. I looked around. The construction workers were
aghast. Their faces were pale and some were mumbling, hardly able
to talk. It was like they had seen a ghost.

“Hey, you okay,” one heavy set man yelled
down to me.

“I’m fine. Just a tiny scratch,” I called up.
My face was beaming. I couldn’t find Laurent now, but there was no
other explanation—Laurent must have saved my life and that could
mean that he was following me!

Some of the men were arguing amongst each
other now. Others were retelling the story to their colleagues.
They were trying to make sense of what they had seen.

“You’re a lucky girl,” another man said to me
as I looked around trying to spot Laurent. “You must have a
guardian angel on your side.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t kill the gal,” the
man’s friend said to him.

I couldn’t pay attention to their banter.
Laurent had to be somewhere nearby. Where could he be? Then I saw
someone rush from behind the building through the bushes. I ran to
the spot and tried to chase after the moving figure, but he was
gone.

I hurried ahead to Ocean Avenue and waited on
a boulder behind a dumpster. It was almost twilight by now. The sky
was dimming to that eerie, spooky state of almost nighttime. A long
while must have passed and still Laurent didn’t show. He wasn’t
coming.

As I was examining the small scrape on my
hand, a sedan rolled past me and slowed. The car came to a stop
right before me as the tinted window rolled down. Before I could
get up off the boulder and run away, a creepy looking man with a
goatee on his chin offered me a ride.

“No thanks,” I said, uncomfortably.

“Awe, come on. You shouldn’t be out alone.”
His voice crackled as he spoke. Cigar smoke wafted from the
window.

“That’s okay. I’m meeting my boyfriend and
his friends here. They should be here any second.”

“Suit yourself, honey.” He rolled up the
automatic window as he drove away.

In relief, I tried to figure out what to do
next. It became apparent that I shouldn’t hang around here by
myself. There must be a back way to Laurent’s house. Maybe if I
just looked around in some more yards, I could figure out where he
lived.

Digging through my backpack, I retrieved my
cell phone. I wanted to know the time. My parents would be worried
if I didn’t get home by 7:30. But once I got the darn thing out, I
noticed I received a text from Agatha. I took a look at the
message. I couldn’t believe it. She texted that she got Laurent’s
address from Danny!

Agatha was amazing! Absolutely my best friend
ever. Quickly, I called her number.

“Agatha,” I said in a pant when she answered.
“You got it?” My voice was excited.

“I sure did,” she responded in cheer. “You
ready for the number?”

“You are unbelievably magnificent. I am
ready.” I held my backpack on my legs and unzipped it.

She giggled. “Here it is.” She told me the
address and I quickly wrote it down in one of my notebooks.

“I love you!” I exclaimed as I shut the
cell.

Now my pulse was racing like crazy. I knew
where he lived and the house was nearby and right on the beach.

In the dimming evening light, I headed down
Ocean Avenue and cut through the side yards of the houses until I
got to the front side of the homes that lined the boardwalk. I
recognized the pretty street with lots of palm trees and tall,
narrow mansions of varying styles. It surprised me that he lived in
this neighborhood. I would never have looked here.

Once I found Laurent’s residence, I stood
before the narrow French style chateau and simply stared. How in
the world could he live in such an expensive place? The house must
be worth five million dollars or more. It didn’t make sense that an
exchange student would be housed in such a home.

The stone structure was enclosed by a tall
ivy covered fence. From my view, the house appeared to be three
stories with crisscross windows and a high turret like on a castle.
It had a simple, elegant look.

From where I was at, I could hear the waves
rolling on the shore. The air was salty and fresh. And
occasionally, there was a balmy ocean breeze. I noticed that there
were lights on in the yard which gave me the feeling that someone
was outside. By now it was twilight and there was an intimidating
air to the approaching night.

I heard the backdoor shut and then I heard a
splash from within the yard. Shortly thereafter, the most beautiful
alluring song began.

1. Dangerous Love
   

The song was a soft, sensual rhythm. As I
gathered my senses, I began trying to peek into the yard through
the lattices on the fence. Mostly the ivy was in the way, but in a
few spots I was able to gain adequate focus.

It was well lit with twinkling lights
decorating some small cherry trees. Laurent was swimming in a
lovely natural pool with a waterfall and places to hide with all
kinds of ferns and tropical plants growing around it. The lights
danced on the water.

As he sang, his silky voice mesmerized my
senses. “Come to me in the blue hour…” I found it difficult to
think straight. It was almost like I was in a dream, but I sensed I
was more aware than I should have been.

To my surprise, I found myself opening the
gate to the fence and simply walking inside. It was as if the music
was drawing me uncontrollably to him. My heart beat fast. I felt
electricity running through my body. My desire to be around Laurent
was nearly overwhelming.

He continued in melody, “Come to me in the
blue hour. When the ocean blends with the sky. Come to me in the
blue hour. Your flesh is sweet. You are a dream. Come to me in the
blue hour…”

He was watching me with his ocean blue eyes.
The expression on his face was ambiguous and I couldn’t figure out
what he was thinking as much as I tried. It was my impression that
he wanted me there with him. I felt as if he was calling me through
his song. The vibrations of his vocals were so entrancing that I
almost felt as if I could feel his breath and the sounds of his
velvety voice within my own body like we were one.

I started to gain control of myself. Was he
drawing me to my death the way the legends described the mers as
singing enchanting songs to lure shipwrecked crews into the ocean
only to devour them? Was I his next meal?

I stopped short in my step. Before I reached
the pool, I held my ground. Pulling my thoughts back to me, I began
to analyze the situation further. I couldn’t believe I had entered
his yard without invitation. My actions didn’t make sense. I wasn’t
so stupid to just walk in so brazenly. Was I crazy? How could I
lose control of all rationality? Or was Laurent controlling
me
?

I was about to run away. Fear overwhelmed me.
My breath caught in my throat as my heart pounded in my chest.

But, then I noticed something. If I wasn’t
mistaken, it appeared as if he was surprised that I had stopped. He
seemed frustrated though I sensed that he was trying to cover. I
think he expected me to join him in the water. I think he believed
he could control me through his song.

If that was the case, I wouldn’t budge.

Unable to lure me into his machinations, be
it that there were any, Laurent stopped singing and spoke directly
to me, “What are you doing here?” His speaking voice was also
beautiful, but hesitant now. Even though I tried to resist, I felt
lost in the rhythms. And despite my inner struggle, I continued to
hold my stance.

“I don’t know,” I said with trepidation. My
body tensed as I looked around. The entire setting was splendorous.
I glanced at the lovely greenery, rocks, and flowers. There was a
small cobblestone path that wove through the yard with a quaint
park bench set off and under an aromatic tree of many leaves.

He gazed at me for a long while with his arms
resting on the edge of the pool. I felt embarrassed and looked down
at my hands, but I could feel his stare burning into me. Tingling
sensations were dancing through my body. I looked back up at him
and he smiled faintly.

“How was swim practice?” He asked in what
seemed like a genuinely interested manner, but I sensed darkness in
his tone.

“I wondered where you were,” I managed to say
as I tried to steady my wobbly knees.

His eyebrows knitted together. “You were
right to tell me to leave you alone, Grace.” I noticed that his
nostrils were flared, his eyes disturbed.

“Why do you say that?”

“It would be foolish of you to have anything
to do with me.” He stretched and floated on his back.

I walked over to the edge of the water and
sat down. Once I got into a comfortable position, I slid my sandals
off and dangled my feet in the water. “I’m not afraid.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “You should
be.” He was wading in the pool.

“And why’s that?”

“I’m not an acceptable partner for you.” His
eyes grew dark.

“I can take my chances.” I smirked now. The
light was hitting the water making it twinkle in the darkness.

He frowned and swam over to a large obsidian
rock and gracefully set himself upon it in a lounged position. “I
don’t feel strong enough to resist you anymore,” he finally said
looking me in the eyes. His voice was without inflection, but I
sensed that he was experiencing actual physical pain from pent up
desires. “I am powerless when it comes to you. I need you to make
me leave you alone.”

My voice softened. “I didn’t mean it when I
told you to stay away from me.” I felt an ache in the pit of my
stomach.

“You should have meant it.” His enchanting
voice was colder now. He looked angry. “If you knew what I was, you
would run for your life. I am warning you—run away.”

“I’m not going anywhere. It’s too late. And
like I said, I’m not afraid of you.” My head was spinning. “I know
what you are, but you won’t hurt me. I know that.”

He nodded. “I don’t want to hurt you, Grace,
but I don’t know if I can override my nature so completely.”

“You will,” I said confidently even though
terror was rushing through my veins. Everything inside of me warned
me to flee, but I wouldn’t. It wasn’t even a question anymore.

“Why did you come here?” He lowered his head
against his fist and scrunched up his gorgeous face.

I wasn’t sure if I should be open with him.
“I want to understand you. Maybe if I saw where you lived, I could
figure you out.” When I said that, I couldn’t help but blush.

He chuckled at that. “You want to know me,
Grace?” His tone was wry.

“Yes, I do.” I flicked water at him with my
foot, but it only splashed lightly against the obsidian rock where
he lounged.

His full lips lifted into a crooked smile
that made my pulse race even faster. “I think you already know me.”
He looked down at his feet and spread his toes.

My eyes widened and I couldn’t help but gasp.
For the first time, I noticed that he had webbed feet. “How well
you hid that.”

I wasn’t sure, but it looked like he blushed.
“It’s easy to hide. All I have to do is keep my toes together.”

It was actually difficult to concentrate on
what he was saying because his voice took my breath away. I don’t
know how, but it seemed to resonate against the insides of my body.
It was almost like an internal massage. The sounds were physically
pleasurable. “Do the webbed feet help you to swim faster?”

“Oh, yes.” He smiled teasingly like he found
my question amusing.

“Is that how you were able to catch up to me
when I was being dragged through the water by the boat?” I tried to
sound nonchalant as I implored him. I didn’t want him to know how
eager I was to know everything about him. Though showing up at his
house probably gave him some inkling of that desire.

Now he smiled slyly, a teasing look on his
face. “Did I say I was the one who rescued you?”

“I know you were.” My voice was matter of
fact.

“Oh, is that so,” he teased.

“It is,” I challenged.

“Well, let’s say someone with webbed feet
swam extraordinarily fast and caught up with you while you were
being pulled to your death…”

I interrupted, “And that someone cut with his
teeth the ski rope that was entangled in the tether that was
wrapped around my ankle…”

Now he interrupted, “Whoah, woah, woah…” His
eyes were wide. “…This someone must have sharp teeth. Maybe teeth
like a shark. Teeth that could tear through flesh.” There was a
void stare in his eyes now that reminded me of an ocean
predator.

I gulped. “Yes, I was wondering about that.”
It was hard for me to catch my breath as I spoke. “Can I see your
teeth?”

He laughed now. I supposed I caught him off
guard with my childlike curiosity. But then, he paused for a
moment. His demeanor became serious. “You don’t want to see my
teeth, Grace.” He shook his head lightly. “At least, not when they
are like that.”