Solaris could see her friend was in pain. He was hurting and missing the woman he loved. His pride was eating away at him, too. “There’s a tropical storm heading straight for that area, Bo. You may not get a flight.”
Bo grabbed a handful of pretzels. “We’re flying in to Miami first, and if I can’t get to Haiti I’ll deal with it then. I’ll swim if I have to.” He tossed a pretzel in his mouth.
“Be careful. Last I heard the storm was gaining strength. Wait a minute-
Running his hands through his ebony hair, he headed for the door. “I couldn’t talk Jade out of coming. Apparently she wants to make up for her role in this whole mess, even though I tried to explain to her she’s innocent. She claims her mother comes to her a lot in dreams now that she’s Lamai and told her to accompany me. Does that make sense? All I know about is hunting and protecting those I love. I have instincts, not intuition.”
“I haven’t had a vision of Nicolette in a while, either. I guess it’s possible. Tobias is a very private person and he doesn’t share his experiences with anyone. I have to believe, though, that he does at least dream of Nicolette. He told me one aspect of the immortal curse is that he can’t speak with the dead. I don’t know what’s kept him going all this time. He could, after all, give his soul to Hekate and be done with it. There’s got to be more to this whole situation than he’s shared with us.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty tight lipped about a lot of things.” Walking out, he said, “Good luck with the emissaries from Greece.”
Sol noted how sad Bo looked. His heart was breaking, and she guessed he felt helpless to do anything about it. He was right about Rhia, though. Rhia did not like any beings but her own kind. She tolerated some humans, but that was the extent of her graciousness.
Tobias made the trek alone.
He could travel faster transforming into mist. He would be in Rethymno, Greece, by late afternoon.
The city of Rethymno was on the Greek island of Crete. The plethora of charms and beauties that characterized Crete astonished Tobias every time he visited. With its white sandy beaches and magnificent architecture, it had become one of his favorite places. Not to mention the island held special memories for him.
For some odd reason it was comforting to be on the island. He’d thought he might become morose every time he had to make the journey, but it was like coming home. The island of Crete was where he’d first set eyes on Nicolette.
Only she wasn’t Nicolette then. She was Helen. And he wasn’t Tobias. It had been approximately 1200 BC.
The skies were darkening when Tobias emerged from the mists in Rethymno, on the northern side of Crete. No wonder Rhia chose to live here. It was magnificent.
He breathed in the sea air, which was unlike the air on Mirabelle Cove. It seemed lighter here. Everything appeared more vibrant-the waters bluer, the foliage greener and the beaches whiter.
Tobias headed for the old section of town, the ancient section where he knew he would find Queen Rhia.
She didn’t do much these days. She didn’t have to. Welcoming a few loyal Lamai each day was the extent of her duties. As the oldest Lamai, she was truly immortal. Her body, like steel covered with pale porcelain, could never be wounded. For thousands of years she’d lived out her vengeance for what her family suffered. These days she chose to simply enjoy her surroundings with her loved ones. Not all of her ancestors survived, but a few nieces and their offspring had, down through the generations.
Tobias walked along stone-paved streets lined with vegetation leading him through his journey to see the primeval Queen. The town still preserved its old aristocratic exterior, which appealed to him. Its ancient buildings with their rustic domed archways and stone staircases, overlooking the Venetian harbor, brought back many memories. Not all were good. Outdoor cafes, stores and restaurants altered the landscape slightly, but in Tobias’s mind, he saw the old city the way it had been: regal.
He walked through a labyrinth of neatly sculpted hedges along with marble statues of Rhia’s husband and children strategically placed at the four compass points. He bowed his head as he approached.
“Tobias, come. Have a glass of wine.” Her voice was unmistakable. It echoed, giving it the tenor of something hollow. Of course her lips never moved, either, but the sound reverberated outside his mind.
The Lamai smiled, feeling as hollow as Rhia’s voice sounded. “Thank you, Rhia.” He accepted the glass of wine, for rejecting it would be an insult. One did not insult Rhia, unless you wished for death.
For some unknown reason, Rhia had a soft spot for Tobias. Some family members confided to him it was because he looked so much like her beloved with his dark, smoldering good looks and eyes the color of polished silver. He simply chalked it up to showing her the respect she deserved.
He knew she bestowed him a rare smile, though it was more an etheric one. “You are here because of your daughter?” she asked without speaking.
“For her and another reason…”
Large, cobalt blue eyes stared at him. They changed with her moods. Beware if she stared with black eyes. “Ah, yes, there’s that twinkle in your eyes. Every now and then, you come back with the same question. Hekate still refuses to cooperate?”
Tobias handed her a solid gold bracelet. Though she had told Tobias long ago it wasn’t required of him to bring her gifts, he did anyway. “She doesn’t like to discuss that part of the wheel of life.” Tobias sipped the fruity wine.
She took the gift and gave a slight nod in appreciation. “Yes, she was always a little selfish.”
Tobias sat next to the queen. “I have asked another woman to marry me.”
Rhia looked at him with a golden gaze through auburn lashes, waiting for Tobias to finish.
“And I don’t know if that was the right thing to do. I feel as if I’m betraying Nicolette.”
“A little late for second thoughts.” Rhia smiled tenderly. “What did this woman say?”
“Yes.”
“Do you love her?” she asked, leaning toward Tobias. Her body was as hard as marble underneath her satin tunic, yet her movements remained fluid.
“Yes, but not…”
Rhia’s face appeared to soften. She could appear twenty years old, or twenty thousand, mummified and skeletal. “I know, my child. It is never as it was with Nicolette, but you proposed. You are a man of your word, yes?”
“Yes, and I do adore Emerald.”
“And in the marriage contract it states when your destined love enters the earth plane again you may go to her and the current marriage is dissolved.” She paused for a moment. “Why did you propose?”
Rhia asked questions though she already knew the answers. It was rare when she didn’t know the information asked of her. But it did happen.
Tobias stared off into the distance, breathing in the salty sea air, remembering another time and place. “Emerald wants it desperately. I am content for things to remain the way they are, but she deserves more.”
Rhia’s voice vibrated through Tobias’s being. “What she deserves, you cannot give her.”
Tobias looked into his queen’s soft green eyes. She was right. He couldn’t give Emerald the love she wanted, and she wasn’t the first woman to want his love. There had been many others in his past, but only one for him. He knew he was only making the situation harder for both him and his partner. It was the loneliness that coaxed him. Like a demon demanding its due, loneliness taunted him to seek companionship. The voice whispered to his mind, reminding him of how the warmth of another’s body could make the days pass more quickly.
Rhia reached out to touch Tobias’s hand. Hers was cold as winter’s snow. “Don’t worry. Your beloved is still waiting to be born again. She has to see things through with her daughters first. Then she will start the wheel of life again, and you will find her. You always find her.”
He looked into her sea foam-green eyes. “Where is Raven?”
“I’m sorry, Tobias, but that information is hidden, even from me. I can tell you, you will find your Nicolette on the other coast of the United States, near the state of Washington. But you have time for that.”
He finished the wine. “Yes. All I have is time.”
“And family. All is not lost.” When Rhia sighed, it sounded like the winds howling through the trees. “Follow the heart, Tobias. The heart knows more than the mind ever could.”
Chapter Eighteen
The plane touched down at Miami International Airport at 6:45 p.m. It was the last plane allowed to land that day. The storm, predicted to develop into a category-one hurricane by nightfall, did not disappoint the local meteorologists.
Jade slept during most of the flight, but Bo was as restless as a caged animal, which was precisely how he felt. The wolf wanted out.
He hated flying. But he had managed to doze off for a little while-at least long enough to dream of Raven.
