Deep Betrayal Page 0,82
vibration to it. Like it’s humming.” Then he made a swiping motion, as if he were plunging the dagger into someone’s heart.
“Oh, no, no, no. You said it was our ticket in. Please tell me you’re not going to try and kill her.” I couldn’t imagine how, even armed, we stood a chance. “Is that possible? How do you kill a spirit?”
“You’re right. It’s only supposed to be used to identify myself, but if it doesn’t work, or if Maighdean Mara’s too far gone to care … Well, if I can’t reason with her, I’ll do what I have to do to stop her.” Then, seeing my expression, he said, “Don’t worry, Lily. I know what I’m doing.”
Trouble was, I’d been able to read Calder’s face since the first time I met him. He might have been giving me his best reassuring smile, but I could see the lie beneath. Three days ago he hadn’t believed in this so-called Maighdean Mara. Obviously, this encounter wasn’t something he’d ever practiced.
His smile faltered, and he crouched down to rinse the grit from the handle. The copper glistened in the sun.
“So how do we get behind the falls?” I asked.
“I told you. There is no ‘we’ in this. You’re staying onshore. If I’m not back in an hour, I need you to tell Maris what happened. It’ll be up to her if Maighdean Mara can be stopped.”
Calder stripped off his T-shirt, kissed me, and holstered the dagger through one of his belt loops. He ran into the lake and made a shallow dive. I gasped as the last ripples disappeared, terrified that I’d seen him for the last time.
Without a second thought, I peeled off my sweatshirt and ran in after him. Jagged rocks cut my feet. Stones turned under my weight, and I wavered like a tightrope walker before diving in. Calder must have sensed me in the water. As soon as I was swimming, he closed the space between us.
“No, Lily,” he said, his eyes like cold fire.
“You need my help,” I said.
He shook his head, sending water droplets flying off his chin. “I won’t let you go into the falls. It’s too dangerous.” I started to protest, but he stopped me, saying, “If I let you help with the first part, will you promise to do what I say after that?”
“That depends.”
“Lily, please …,” he said, his exasperation clear.
“What do you need me to do?”
He sighed. “Your hearing has been awfully good lately.”
I pushed my hair off my face. “What am I supposed to listen for?”
“I want you to shut your eyes and listen,” he yelled in my ear. “If you keep them open, your sense of sight will dominate, and you won’t be able to hear what I need you to hear.”
“If you think I’m going to be able to hear her over this—”
“Not Maighdean Mara. I need you to listen for the gap. Mother always talked about a gap of sound. A gasp of air, I think. I need to hit that gap to get behind the falls”
My eyes drifted up the nearly two-hundred-foot fall. All I could hear was a constant, roaring growl. It drowned out the higher pitched spray and muted the gulls circling overhead. If Calder thought I could hear anything more, he was overestimating my senses.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Lily, close your eyes, please.”
He pulled me against his chest and supported me so I wouldn’t have to tread water. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He hadn’t transformed. I could feel his legs against mine. The blade hung heavily against his hip. If he was going in without me, if this was, perhaps, our last kiss, I wanted to make it worth it. He must have felt the urgency, too, because he kissed me back, more fiercely than ever before.
When he let me go, I took a deep breath and tried not to be afraid.
“Be still, Lily. Can you hear it? I can’t.”
“I don’t hear anything,” I said, which was a lie. I could hear the raging growl of the falls. I could hear my heart beat in my ears. I could hear his breath, raspy in his throat. I could feel someone staring at me. I searched the shoreline, then turned around to see the lake behind us. Nothing. No one.
“Listen,” Calder begged. “Try hard.” He turned me around so he was behind me, his warm hands encircling my waist, and I was facing the falls. I wanted to