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"I'm aware of that."
Ronan sighed and turned to Isabelle. "Ask your questions. Some I'll answer, some I won't."
She started to object, but knew it would get her nowhere. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ronan. I think we already established that."
"Okay, then what are you?"
He arched a dark brow. "I'm a man."
Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Yes, clearly you are. I mean what do you do down here?"
"We're guardians," Ronan replied.
"Of?"
"The oceans."
"What exactly does that mean?" Ronan certainly had an uncanny way of answering questions but not giving her any information.
"Our job is to protect the sea and its inhabitants."
"How do you do that?"
"I can't say."
Lord, this was frustrating.
"Give it up, Isabelle," Dax said, turning angry eyes to Ronan. "He's toying with you. He's not going to tell you anything."
Trying to keep her irritation at a minimum, she said, "Look, Ronan. I'm already down here. I know much more than any other human does, so it's pointless to keep things from me."
Ronan regarded her with a sly smile that made her very uncomfortable.
"It's time to end this, Dax," Ronan said, his gaze never leaving Isabelle's face. She shifted uncomfortably, not liking the smug look he gave her.
"No," Dax replied, his voice tinged with irritation. "It's not time yet."
Why did she feel as if they were talking about her? A shiver of dread tingled along her spine.
The ground shook as Ronan's fingers tightened around the trident. "Yes, it is time. You have work to do. You're needed elsewhere."
Dax paused, and then nodded. "Fine. I'll take care of it."
"When?" Ronan asked.
"Soon."
"Not good enough. It has to be now."
What had to be now? What were they talking about? Before she could open her mouth to ask, Ronan reached out and touched her cheek. Instantly, warmth spread throughout her body and she fought the sudden drowsiness that overcame her.
"Sleep, Isabelle. When you wake you won't remember," Ronan whispered to her, his voice softening to a lazy drawl.
Dizziness made her lightheaded and unable to concentrate, but she still heard Dax say, "Stop it, Ronan. I mean it."
"She doesn't belong here."
"Yes, she does. She belongs with me."
Dax's voice sounded so far away. She fought to stay alert, but her limbs were like cement, heavy and pulling her down. She couldn't even lift her hands any longer, and her eyes fluttered closed. A sweet voice sang to her, calling her toward something pleasant. Her mind drifted toward the lilting music, darkness closing in around her.
She wanted to stay, but the lure was too great. She was losing the battle to remain conscious, the strains of a song beckoning her ever closer to the all-encompassing shadows of sleep.
The last thing she heard was Dax's voice saying, "I'm in love with her."
Then her world went black.
Chapter Twelve
Isabelle blinked at the sunlight streaming through the open blinds in her bedroom. Based on the location of the light, it was way past dawn already.
She jumped out of bed, disoriented and groggy. What time was it? For that matter, what day was it? Rubbing her temples as she walked toward the bathroom, she couldn't grasp what had happened before she went to sleep. Her hair and skin smelled tangy and salty like the ocean, so she must have been diving.
That's it. She turned on the shower as it all came back to her. She and Dax had gone diving yesterday afternoon. And then...and then...
And then what? Why couldn't she remember?
She stepped into the shower, hoping the warm spray would clear the cobwebs from her head. But by the time she'd showered and dressed, she still couldn't recall anything past diving with Dax. She'd remembered finding the sea turtles, and then after that...nothing.
Had she even catalogued the turtles? And where was her dive gear? Hurrying into the living room, she spotted the gear on the entryway tile, along with her camera and waterproof notepad.
She picked up the pad hoping her notes would shed some light on what she'd done. Blank. Not a single notation on there. The camera was empty, too. What the hell had she done down there? Looked at the turtles and then surfaced and gone to bed?
Dax would know. She went next door and rapped on his door, but he wasn't there. She even peeked in his half-open window but saw no sign of him.
None of this made sense and trying
to recall yesterday's events only made her head pound. Maybe coffee and some food would help. She drove over to the hotel, relieved to find the place nearly deserted. Looking at her watch, it was clear that she'd slept through the better part of the morning. By now, most of the resort guests would be busy with their sexual adventures of the day.
She ate in the restaurant alone, sipping her coffee and wracking her brain for clues as to the missing hours. Bits and pieces of memory assailed her, but it was more a jumbled mess than anything. Besides, all the little scenarios sailing through her head were bizarre as hell--it was more like a dream sequence than reality.
Diving into the darkness without an oxygen tank. Swarms of dolphins surrounding her. She and Dax making love under the water, and some glass enclosure reminiscent of Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
Oh yeah, that smacked of reality, didn't it? Isabelle heaved a frustrated sigh and added more cream to her coffee. Clearly the only thing she was able to remember from last night were her dreams. And they were weird ones at that.
Maybe she wasn't sleeping well.
"You look a little lost today."
Isabelle looked up and smiled at Morgan, then motioned for her to sit at the table. She needed company and some rational conversation.
"I'm feeling a little lost and confused," she admitted.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I think I had some kind of weird memory lapse last night."
Morgan raised a brow. "Really?"
"Yeah. I remember diving with Dax yesterday afternoon, and then the next thing I knew I woke up this morning in my bed."
Morgan pursed her lips. "Hmm, that's odd. Were you drinking at all yesterday?"
Oh, great. Now Morgan thought she was a lush with frequent alcohol-related memory loss. "No, at least not that I can recall."
She rubbed her forehead, flashes of memory coming back to her despite the sharp pain in her temples. She and Dax, naked at the bottom of the ocean. Then a tall man, dark-haired, piercing blue eyes, gorgeous, in fact. He spoke to her, but she couldn't make out what he said.
"Headache?"
Isabelle looked up and met Morgan's concerned gaze, then laughed. "Sort of. You probably think I'm a walking medical problem. It seems like every time I run into you I'm having either physical or mental issues. I really am a normal person."
