“Escorts?”
“Yanix, Tobar, Sarraf, and Willow.”
“Your horses?” I was incredulous.
Tammer stood. “We’d better get going.”
The dock swayed uneasily beneath our feet. Thayde, Tammer and Ezen had stripped down to their shorts and stood facing us, their backs to the setting sun, the fading light silhouetting their bodies. It was the last time I was going to see Thayde and my heart was tearing in two.
Tiesa and Ezen embraced. Tammer and Mom held hands and looked into each other’s eyes. I wanted to grab Thayde and never let him go. He pulled me close, pressing my head against his chest. His heart beat ferociously.
“Remember, you’re my love,” he said in a quiet voice.
I clung to him, squeezing as tightly as I could. “I don’t want you to go,”
“I know,”
“Please be careful,” I sniffed, not knowing what else to say. Somehow, crying ‘you’re going to die’ didn’t seem like the best thing to say at that moment. Suddenly, I remembered the necklace I’d bought for him. Digging into my pocket, I fished it out and placed it into his hand.
“What’s this?” He asked.
“It’s called a Chi Rho. It’s supposed to protect you.”
“Oh baby,” he tied it around his neck and leaned forward to kiss me.
I circled my arms around his neck and, as we kissed, I memorized his soft lips, his smell, the perfect way he held me, the warmth of his skin.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised.
I nodded, unable to speak for fear that if I opened my mouth, I’d scream.
A happy squeak sounded behind us and when I looked around Thayde, there were four strange looking dolphins bobbing in the water.
Tammer kissed Mom and called to the biggest one. “Yanix,”
My confused look prompted Thayde. “Tammer’s horses – they turn into pilot whales. They protect Tammer when he goes out into the ocean on trips. They’re going with us.”
Ezen dove into the water, phasing as he surfaced. Tammer followed. Thayde held my hand as long as he could, as he pulled away. Stepping backward off the dock, he disappeared beneath the waves. Moments later, he surfaced close to the smallest black whale. Taking its dorsal fin in his hand, he smiled encouragingly at me. Slowly, they pulled away.
I felt on the verge of a panic attack. I dropped to my knees, clinging to the edge of the dock. Mom and Tiesa waved goodbye, glancing back at me nervously. What had I forgotten? Something was nagging at me. Then I realized I hadn’t told him I loved him.
I heard Mom shout as I threw myself into the water, but it was pointless. I had to tell Thayde. If I didn’t, I’d hate myself for the rest of my life. I swam in his direction with all I had. When he realized what I had done, he let go of the little whale and made his way toward me.
“Thayde!” I cried as I swam, “Thayde, I love you. I love you!”
He reached me in seconds and I clung to him, sobbing and confessing my love. We sank below the water as he kissed my face. I kissed him back and let every inch of my body imprint his touch and energy.
When he pulled away, I could see he was suffering as much as I was.
“I’ve got to go, Morgan.” He mumbled.
“I want you to know you’re my life. Please come back to me,” I cried.
“I will,” he said and pulled me to the surface. The others were waiting and I allowed Thayde to pull away from me once again. I watched them until they slipped below the water. The heaviness that gripped my heart was a sludgy black tar enveloping my golden light.
Chapter Eight
Idaho
I’d forgotten how clean and sweet the Idaho air smelled. In the forests, the strong smell of pine sap mingled with the fragrance of healthy soil and rainbow of wild flowers. I lay on my back looking through the tamarack trees to the vivid blue sky. Chipmunks scurried along the branches angrily informing each other a stranger was among them. Closing my eyes, I listened. Listened to the wind move through the trees, making their leaves shuffle against each other. Listened to the water from the lake lap against its silver shore. Listened to the hawks cry as they circled above the trees. I was home.
That brief feeling of peace was a Godsend. It had been three days since Thayde and the others had left and my heart was an empty casket. The feelings of deep depression and loneliness haunted me. For a few moments, concentrating on being one with my surroundings brought an immense feeling of relief. Digging my fingers into the earth, I reminisced about the previous days.
The day the guys left, Mom and I packed our things and booked tickets for the next morning flight to Boise. She also arranged for my little sister, Naira, and her nanny Shirley, to meet us there. Tiesa returned to Vero Beach to finish her last year of high school.