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“Umm…excuse
me, but I was only trying to survive. Besides, that wasn’t nearly as crazy as
the rest of the day – watching all you Guardians with your insane abilities.”

“You’ll
get used to it,” he said, cracking a smile. “You just missed Jessica and Laci.
I dropped them off about 10 minutes ago. We should be at the Retreat in about,”
he glanced at his sports watch, “an hour or so, unless we take the longer, more
scenic route.”

“What time
is it?”

“Nine
o’clock.”

“Scenic
is fine.” A gentle wind brought goose bumps to my skin, and I tucked my hands
under my sweatshirt. Although sunny and clear, the morning felt quite chilly.
Bellingham Bay rippled in hues of deep violets and dark blues, and the vast sky
was cloudless.

“That’s
Portage Island off to our right, and the bigger one back in the distance is
Lummi.” Jason pointed in front of us. “Soon, we’ll pass around the tip of Lummi
and make our way down between Sinclair and Guemes Islands. Then we’ll turn
north between Cypress and Sinclair and cruise until we reach Towhead, which is
basically off the northern tip of Cypress. The day is perfect. You’ll enjoy the
scenery during our sail.”

I
studied his profile and decided the scenery was already as good as it was going
to get. As my eyes drifted over his face and took in the fresh marks and
scratches left on his body from the previous day’s battle, I had the distinct
urge to reach out to him; soothe him with my touch. His nearness sent my heart
racing. Heat rose to my cheeks as I remembered the kiss I’d planted on his lips
before he’d stepped out to face the Ray-pacs. I wondered if he’d thought about
that.

Making
a bold move, I stepped closer to him and placed one hand firmly on his
shoulder. He drew one shaky breath but didn’t speak or move. He kept his eyes
focused on the waters in front of him. “Does this bother you?” I asked.

His
jaw locked. “No…yes…I don’t know,” he sputtered.

“That’s
an awfully contradictory answer,” I said. Stepping behind him, I began
massaging his shoulders. They were broad and strong, but they were tense.
Eventually, he relaxed and tilted his head slightly to the side. Max and Laci
had said that an Amethyst’s touch always felt good – revitalizing, because the
Essence transferred from one to the other. I wished I knew whether Jason liked
my touch or just couldn’t help himself because of my Essence. Since he couldn’t
see me, I closed my eyes and reveled in the moment. One real question remained:
How did he feel about me?“Laci said I’d be in high demand, but if I’m making
you uncomfortable I’ll stop.”

He
shook his head and said quietly, “No, it’s okay. An Amethyst’s touch is always
calming to a battered body, and I’ll heal faster this way.”

“So physically
I’m helping. What about emotionally? How do you feel?” I persisted.

He
sighed. “That part’s complicated. I don’t know.”

That
hurt. “What don’t you know?” I asked.

In a
gentle protest he said, “We’re not meant to be together Alex. We talked about this
yesterday.”

Okay,
just wrench my heart out through my throat, because that would be less painful
than his words. Fearful my voice would crack, I didn’t respond. Even more so, I
didn’t want to reveal the depth of my feelings, or worse yet, start crying.

“But,”
he spoke cautiously, “I can’t stop certain feelings…”

I
waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. “What feelings?” I asked, swallowing
hard.

“Alex,
let’s not go there. We shouldn’t even…this can’t even be open for discussion.”

The
sharpness in his voice told me to back off. I’d have to wait and broach the
subject another time, which was fine, because my heart needed a reprieve. I
stepped alongside him but kept one hand on his shoulder. “Okay,” I said when
his eyes locked with mine, “but sometime we’re gonna have to talk about it.”

With
an unreadable expression he regarded me silently but offered no promises. I
leaned against him once before moving away. The sun’s rays penetrated my face,
and I focused on the white caps as the wind whipped through my hair. We were
quiet; except, occasionally he’d offer the name of an island or point out a
bald eagle. Finally, I broke the silence and asked him what it was like to be a
Guardian, or more specifically an Imitator. I wanted to know what it felt like
to shift.

He
talked openly and willingly, offering intimate details and painting a vivid
picture of what it felt like to transform into a wild animal and fight in that
form. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other moving about in the
air, he spoke about his responsibilities as a Guardian and his unique
experiences as an Imitator. His descriptive stories amazed me and gave me the
chills more than once, especially when he was talking about the Ray-pacs. I
felt like I was reading a good book and had been sucked into the story – his
story. Listening to his deep voice, I watched his facial expressions and
interpreted his emotions as he spoke, taking care to keep my distance and
simply enjoy his company.

After
awhile, when I could tell he was tired of talking about himself, I said
light-heartedly, “So, how big is this fancy yacht of yours?”

He
smiled and tapped the steering wheel. “This baby is a 49 foot Pilothouse with
all the amenities. I’m spoiled, really.” He motioned with his arm towards the
huge open space and the L-shaped lounge, seating area. “It’s just as roomy down
a floor in the interior pilothouse. My stateroom, the salon, and the galley are
pretty sweet, too.”

Studying
the pristine white bridge deck, I took note of the dinghy and crane behind us.
“So, are you like the Guardian of the Bay? The one who transfers needy
passengers back and forth between the city and the safe haven – a.k.a. the
Retreat?” I giggled.

He
rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Kind of like the Greek God
Hermes who protects and takes care of travelers.”

I
frowned. “Didn’t he also protect miscreants and thieves?”

He
made a face. “Oh, well scratch that last part.”

“I
think you’re more like Poseidon,” I joked. “He was much more important, and sailors
always prayed to him for a safe voyage. Not to mention, he was a hottie.” I
winked.

“I
don’t know about that, but maybe he is a better choice.” He grinned wickedly,
“After all, didn’t he hook up with Aphrodite?”

I
slapped him on the back. “Maybe once or twice, but Ares was her true love.”

“Hmm...”
He bit his lip. “I’ll have to watch myself around you. Way too much Greek
knowledge. Guess I’ll just have to nickname you Athena.”

“Oh
yeah, goddess of wisdom,” I mused. “But you better watch out. She was also the
goddess of war.”

He
shook his head in defeat. “I always knew you were trouble.”

“You
got that right,” I said playfully and breathed in the salty, ocean spray. After
a couple minutes I said, “That day when you ran into me on the sidewalk…”He
gave me a sideways glance which I chose to ignore. “Was it my Essence that
stopped you dead in your tracks?”

He
continued looking straight ahead. “Yes.”

“I’ve
been thinking…”

“Uh,
oh.”

“Hey
now.” I sent him a severe look. “But really, I was wondering if the reason you
were running in the first place was because you’d had a premonition about the
mom and her toddlers?”

His
jaw tightened, and he shook his head in the affirmative. “Yes, and I was almost
too late…”

“Because
of me.”

“Alex,
that was in no way your fault. The circumstances were…well, I was just so
shocked to bump into you...you an–”

“Amethyst?”

“Yes,
an Amethyst. But I shouldn’t have allowed that to stop me from my mission,
which was saving that lady and her children. The delay in reaching them was
entirely my fault.”

Changing
the subject, I said, “So, when you up and abandoned me during lunch, I’m
guessing you had another vision?”

He
tapped the dash of the helm. “Actually, Madison was communicating with me
telepathically. She wanted my help because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able
to handle the outcome of one of her own premonitions by herself.”

Rubbing
my hands together, I blew warm air between them. “Mmm…That explains a lot.”

Slowly,
he turned and gazed at me with his aqua-marine eyes, and my heart lurched. “I’m
glad we don’t have the secrets between us anymore.” He spoke with stony
resolve, but his eyes narrowed like he was questioning whether I was still
hiding something.

Right,
I thought. Except you’re still hiding your feelings, and I haven’t bothered
sharing with you that I have premonitions. Other than that, things are just
hunky dory between us. “Yeah, me too,” I managed to say in a subdued tone. But
all the while my mind was shouting,
Dentelle, Dentelle, Dentelle
. Funny
how that sounded a lot like
don’t tell, don’t tell, don’t tell
. This was
not the time to ask him more about Dentelle’s.

“Speaking
of secrets,” I said, narrowing my eyes suspiciously, “why did you stop me from
telling everyone I could hear your telepathic conversations with Madison?”

Swallowing
hard, he took his hands off the wheel and rubbed his cheeks like he was
agitated. “Alex, I don’t like to keep secrets. But I felt for your own
protection, it would be better if they didn’t know.”

“That
sounds lame. Why not? Can’t Jessica hear telepathic conversations between
Guardians?”

“No,”
he said simply. “You’re different. You have an ability I’ve never heard of, and
that can be dangerous. I want you to promise, even if it’s the only promise you
ever make me – you will not tell anyone else about that ability unless I say
it’s okay.”

“That’s
ridiculous…”

Grabbing
my arm, he didn’t let go. That freaked me out, because now that I understood
things, I knew my touch had to be hurting him. If he only knew how much it
broke my heart that I caused him physical pain. “Promise me,” he seethed and
tightened his grip.

Worried
about his sanity, I finally agreed. “Fine. I promise. But, I want to know why.”

With a
look that told me he was finally satisfied with my response, he let go of my arm
just as a flash of pain crossed his face. “A couple reasons. First, if everyone
is paranoid that you might overhear their conversations, they might shy away
from your touch. That could be especially bad if they need you to heal them.
Second, I don’t want word reaching the Council of Senior Guardians.”

“The
what?”

He
sighed. “Every circle has a Senior Guardian, and at least twice a year the
Council of Senior Guardians meet. They discuss a variety of issues – anything
from new developments in their region, to reports on Ray-pac activities, or any
unusual or unique abilities among the members of the Circles.” He paused and
glanced at me.

“So?”
I mumbled.

“Well,
as a whole group they make a lot of influential decisions. Decisions that must
be adhered to and that can be applied to anyone in the Network. For example, if
the Senior Council thinks it would be beneficial to remove a Guardian from one
Circle and place them in another, then they can do that. Or, if they feel a
link between two certain Guardians would be advantageous, they can demand one
of the Guardians pack-up and join a new Circle to make that happen.” He looked
at me uneasily. “I just don’t want any unnecessary attention drawn towards you.
Once you are placed under their scrutiny, who knows what kinds of decisions
might be made. Does that make sense?”

I
smiled. “Sort of. Sounds like you’re trying to protect me. Again”

“I am,
and I always will,” he said firmly. “But you’re not very good at following
directions.” He shook his head and frowned. “After your fight with Melanie, you
were supposed to go and get in the creek. But oh no! Instead you decided to
come back and take on the Ray-pacs.”

Choosing
to ignore that comment, I said, “Speaking of the Ray-pacs, do they have any
other weaknesses besides when they are in or near water?”

He
sighed. “Just one that we know of, and one that we also share with them. None
of us react well to orchids. For some reason, that variety of flower makes us
nauseous, and if we get too close and inhale any of the pollen, paralysis sets
in. Usually lasts around 20 minutes and then wears off again.”

“Oh
that’s just totally weird,” I said as a small speed boat zipped past. It
crashed over the waves, causing the passengers to bounce in their seats. “So,
who is the Senior Guardian of the Bellingham Circle?” I asked.

He was
quiet for awhile, and I thought maybe he wasn’t going to respond. But then he
finally spoke up. “My dad.”

I
almost toppled over the front fly bridge. “What? So, you’re planning on keeping
things about me from your dad?”