Call of Water (Madame Tan's Freakshow #1) - Marina Simcoe Page 0,72

them, there is plenty of space in the ocean for all of us.”

He was obviously teasing. But I couldn’t smile back this time. The idea of Zeph alone deep in the menacing vastness of the ocean was incomprehensible. And terrifying.

“Ivy,” he called softly then leaned in, brushing my nose with his.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him to me. “I’ll drive you to the Atlantic coast, then?” I whispered into his ear. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“No need,” he replied. “I can make it to the ocean from the Lake Ontario.”

“You can?”

“When we were in Niagara River, I felt the entire system of the waterways here. It goes all the way to the ocean. I may have to get out of the water to walk past the locks on the river north from here—”

“St. Lawrence River,” I said automatically.

“Right. But it’s still going to be faster for me to swim than to drive.”

If he didn’t need me to drive, it meant we would have to part sooner. When I had just barely got him back...

My time with Zeph had been sprinkled out in tiny, delicious scraps when I didn’t think even a full meal would have been enough for me. He hadn’t left yet, and I was already missing him.

“When do you want to leave?”

“Tonight.”

So soon.

He rushed to explain, “With bracks looking for me, you’ll be safer without me, Ivy. Ghata would focus on getting her money-making exhibit back. She wouldn’t spend too much energy on recapturing an escaped human servant. Do you understand? By staying with you, I’m putting you in danger.”

In my mind, I understood it all. My heart ached, however.

“Ivy...” He reached for my hand, and I moved it out of his reach, straightening in my seat.

“It’s fine,” I stopped him from whatever he was about to say...or do. As hard as it was for me to let him go, it would be so much harder if he hugged or kissed me again. “I understand.”

I started the engine, putting the car in gear.

Day had moved into evening, meanwhile. I insisted on stopping by my bank to exchange some money for Zeph so he could buy some clothes for himself in France and a train ticket to get to Paris. He decided against swimming all the way to the capital city, choosing to come ashore in Le Havre instead.

“Do you want me to take you to the lake, right now?” I drove out of the bank’s parking lot then turned onto the Lakeshore Drive.

“Pull over here, please.” Zeph tipped his chin at a small roadside hotel.

“What for?” I did what he said, turning off into the hotel’s parking lot.

“I want to have dinner with you first.”

Chapter 25

“ARE YOU ABLE TO OBTAIN nourishment from water, somehow?” Watching Zeph winding spaghetti on his fork, I thought about the months he had spent in a sealed water tank.

“If I have to.” He nodded. “I prefer a proper meal over that any time, though.”

He ate with obvious pleasure, and I picked at the pasta on my plate, too.

Before coming in, I had called Fleur.

In order to keep Zeph’s secret, I had to lie to her. I’d told her a slightly modified story about the bad practical joke that he had made up, and did my best to dodge her questions. I couldn’t have told her the whole truth over the phone, anyway. From my own experience, the stories about magical kingdoms and Fae were best told in person, with some sufficient proof to back them up. At the end, she was happy that I was back, safe and sound.

I lingered over dinner, ordering appetizers and eating exceptionally slowly. Then, I realized what I was doing. I was trying to slow down time before I had to say goodbye to Zeph once again.

“Do you like living in Toronto?” he asked, suddenly.

“I don’t mind it.”

The waitress brought the crème brûlée I’d ordered for dessert.

“You know I was actually planning to move to Paris,” I cracked the sugary crust with the edge of my spoon. “That trip when I met you, I was assessing the city as a potential place to live.”

“Why didn’t you move?”

“I don’t know. After you...What happened then, it kind of sucked the wind out of my sails. I no longer had the drive to go ahead with the move. The city didn’t even feel the same.”

“I spoiled it for you?”

“No, not you, Zeph. It wasn’t your fault. I don’t think it was.” My thoughts turned back to that day when I