The Fate of the Muse - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,51
met, he looked away and kept walking. It could have been a coincidence, but the mere thought that we were being followed was enough to ruin my fleeting moment of lightheartedness.
“What’s wrong?” asked Shayla, noticing my frown.
“I think that guy followed us here from the museum,” I said, nodding to the window.
Her eyes narrowed, and she stormed out the door to look up and down the street. She came back in with a shrug, “He took off.”
“We need to go,” I announced, rushing to pay for our purchases and peeking out of the store cautiously.
Once we were safely in the cab she patted my arm, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I turned to look behind us, setting my jaw determinedly, “I will be.”
Once I got through this day it would all be over. I could just go home and focus on school, painting, and surfing. I vowed to spend more time with Ethan; to stop wasting my precious energy on petty jealousy and focus on building our life together. I’d learn how to manage my anger, and maybe even find a way to put my unwanted muse powers to their best possible use. Yes, I vowed, if I could just get through this one meeting it would all be smooth sailing from now on.
I really wanted to believe it, and if I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could see Ethan standing in front of the beautiful home he’d build someday. I just prayed that I was fated to be the one standing by his side when that day finally came.
CHAPTER TWELVE
COUNCIL
Evie had laid out an outfit for me, and I slipped on the chic dress she’d chosen, donning a pair of heavy gold Versace cuffs like armor. I applied my makeup as deliberately as war paint, smoothing my hair back and pinning it up. I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror, satisfied that I looked like someone who fit right in with the high fashion crowd. Dressed to the nines, polished and pampered, the girl in the mirror looked back at me with worried eyes.
I slipped on some oversized sunglasses and set out to do battle.
Boris had a car waiting in front of the hotel, and he escorted us to Shayla’s second fashion show. We were seated between a pampered American heiress and an Italian film star, both of whom could scarcely take their eyes away from Evie. This time I was too preoccupied to be amused by the spectacle, anxious for the meeting to commence so I could go home and see Ethan. I planned to call him as soon as we finished, and I couldn’t wait to tell him that it was all over.
I missed him desperately, but I also craved the comfort of a good long surfing session. I thought about the wave in my dream and licked my lips, expecting salt, but tasting only waxy lipstick.
Daydreaming about surfing with Lorelei had seen me through many a boring high school lecture, and I soothed my nervous mind with thoughts of my mermaid sisters. I decided I would go out to see Nerissa and Nixie as soon as I got home. Telling Evie about it had only raised more questions, and given my newfound powers of telepathy, perhaps with a little effort I could pry some answers out of their pretty little heads.
As awful as our ordeal at Peter’s hands had been, a new mermaid was created out of it. Maybe it was meant to be, and Peter was doomed to die for his crimes. Like seeds that would only sprout when the forest was burned down around them, it was possible that the creation of a new immortal had to come out of another’s destruction.
I was lost in my musings, pondering the bizarre nature of mermaid reproduction, when the lights dimmed and the throbbing beat of the music filled the room. Shayla opened the show, strutting out boldly, sporting an outrageously fringed leather jacket, paired with the shortest of short skirts that showed off her long, strong legs. The crowd went silent, mesmerized; they had obviously read all about the latest runway star. The designer was ecstatic– this kind of buzz was priceless, and she had clearly put Shayla front and center to milk it for all it was worth.
A procession of colorful and luxurious clothes paraded by, and by the time the show ended it was clear Shayla had scored another tremendous success. She was bold, fresh and unaffected, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had