It worked. Her eyes widened. It worked!
The boat passed her by, pushing her to the side, and slammed with a loud crunch into the shore. Hudson and Jordan flew from the boat onto the pebbled sand.
The rocks rushed up at her as her wave continued to carry her to the same shore. She did not want to toss herself with the same force to the sand, but she had no idea how to control water to that degree!
“Simply stop the water,” Carmen’s voice screeched. “You are making me queasy!”
“Stop it!” Celeste cringed. Her words did not work.
“Nordic! Holdt.”
“Holdt!”
The water crested on the shore in an elegant sweep. She wavered but simply stepped forward onto the beach. Goodness! Her knees trembled, and she dropped, but not before she had stepped onto the shore. The shore! She had not died. She gripped a fistful of pebbles as her head spun, then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Why did the Nordic tongue hold such power over the sea?
“The brothers are all Nordic born,” Carmen’s voice stated. “You will need to learn the language.”
Celeste turned in the other direction. Jordan had Hudson dangling like a string of dead fish over his shoulder. Completely naked, Jordan’s skin slowly transitioned back to pale creamy pink with a hint of blue iridescence when his muscles moved, beautiful in a mad way. The white stripe of his hair hung in ringlets covering his face, and determination filled his blue eyes. Her heart pounded with each breath. My stars, how he impressed her.
“Is he well?” Celeste stepped toward them and forced her sight to Hudson.
“I am certain that is up for debate, but he lives.”
“What happened to him?” Celeste picked up Hudson’s clammy hand.
“A hasty jab to the jaw.”
“Jordan.”
“Celeste. He smashed me with the anchor and threatened our lives. I am not going to lay idle and let him do as he wishes.” He tilted his head to the side, then walked past her and toward a trail that led into the trees. “The house is this way.” His creamy backside flexed with each step he took away from her.
She would stare at that the entire walk to the house. A smile curved her lips, and she scurried to follow him.
Then she stopped and spun back. She stared at the sea in wonder. Her throat tightened. She hadn’t drowned. In fact, she’d triumphed over the fear that had plagued her all her life. If Jordan had not found her and if she had not trusted his words, she never would have accomplished that. She hastened her steps and caught up to him.
Celeste followed Jordan up the well-worn dirt path to a clearing at the top of a small hill. “There it is.”
She looked around. The top of the hill was flat and distant, with a view of the sky like she had never seen. “What am I looking for?”
“The house. Concentrate; you will see it.”
She sucked in a startled breath. The edges of the house shimmered out of the clouds. The outer wall was made of a whitish-gray stone that reflected the sun. It was not the sky, as she first thought. If one didn’t concentrate, the building disappeared. They continued to walk toward the outside wall. The closer they got, the more the architecture exposed itself to sight.
The house, as he had called it, was an enormous estate that rivaled Hudson’s. There was an outer wall and an inner, taller one. In the center, forming a perfect circle, lofty spires towered to the sky. The mansion’s image imposed but was beautiful.
“How long have you lived here?” She rushed to keep up with his elongated strides.
“I have lived here a little more than a hundred years.”
Celeste stopped in her tracks. “Pardon?”
“I will tell you more once we are inside and I can set Hudson down. I never would have thought such a short man would be so heavy.”
A hundred years. A hundred years. Impossible. A nervous laugh caught in her throat again. She had to have misheard him.
Jordan pulled on an iron-looped chain on the outside of a large, arched wooden door. The metal chain scraped against the wood, creating an eerie sound.
A small window opened, and a young woman with straight black hair and teacup-saucer-size eyes peeked through the opening.
“Open, Astrid.” Jordan shuffled Hudson on his shoulder.
Astrid immediately shut the window, and the black, dragon-shaped hinges creaked as the arched door swung outward.
They stepped inside. Celeste’s footfalls echoed on the floor. She glanced around. Jordan continued down a narrow corridor made completely of stone. Astrid had vanished. Which was a good thing, she supposed. Jordan was still completely naked. Then again, maybe she was accustomed to seeing the brothers that way.
Celeste ran to catch up. About halfway down the hall, three arches set fifteen paces apart cut through the stone to the outside. The sea air blew through the opening as they passed. She shivered straight down her spine to her toes, and her wet clothing stiffened against her skin. A fire would feel lovely.