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“The cave isn’t.”
According to my grandma, and anyone else who believed in the true history of our island, Zodiac Cove had been formed from the sea by the gods and goddesses of the constellations as a gift for their human lovers. The children born on the island, descendants of the zodiac, were gifted with powers that could only be used here. It was a beautiful place, full of love and magic. Until Ophiuchus ruined everything. He didn’t think the human descendants deserved to have magic, believing them to be greedy, petty, and selfish. In a fit of jealousy, he cursed the island in an effort to sink it back into the sea. The descendants battled the curse, eventually trapping it within a cave at the center of the island, but they used all their magic to carry out the binding, held within twelve birthstones that framed the cave’s entrance.
After they lost their powers, most of the original twelve left. Heartbroken over what they’d been forced to give up, they gathered their families and returned to the mainland. Only a few stayed behind. Including my ancestors and Wes’s.
All these years later, the stones still glowed with a pulsing light. Something scientists tried to explain away as molybdenum or phosphorescence. I knew the truth though, and as a direct descendant of the original twelve, regardless of his opinions on the matter, Wes should’ve known it as well.
“The cave is a chemical reaction of minerals in a bunch of rocks that we play up to draw in tourists.” He shook his head. “Please don’t tell me you still believe in that nonsense.”
“You don’t feel it?”
“Feel what?” He shifted his stance, as if his shoes had suddenly grown two sizes too small. Oh, yeah. He’d felt it. And it was a lot more than a simple urge.
“Something is coming. Something huge.” I couldn’t explain it, but we were right on the verge of… something. And it was only a matter of time before it shoved us all over the edge.
“Is that why you’re out here without any clothes on? Is this one of your new age rituals?”
“Don’t be silly.” My fingers skimmed the water around my chest. I didn’t miss the way he tracked the movement. “I don’t need a cataclysmic excuse to get naked outdoors.”
He swallowed. “Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.” He’d been messing with me for long enough. That comment about screaming his name, and worse, my physical reaction to it, grated on my nerves. It was time for a bit of payback. “I didn’t realize you were such a prude though.”
His eyes narrowed, fully aware that the game was changing, and he couldn’t do anything other than play along. “What do you mean by that?”
“You seem to be offended by the fact that I’m naked out here. More so than you appear to care about me trespassing on your property.”
“I thought you said this was your property.”
“Let’s just call it neutral territory.” I stretched, raising my hands over my head while he stood still as a shadow, giving nothing away. I stayed low enough to keep everything hidden under the bubbles. Barely. “Anyway, I’m tired of soaking, so I’m going to get out now. Might want to turn around to protect your sensitive eyes.”
“Cute.” He crossed his arms, stretching the fabric of his dark blue T-shirt over his biceps. He spent most of his days behind a desk yet somehow managed to stay in excellent shape. The universe was a cruel place. “Too bad I’m calling your bluff.”
“Excuse me?”
“You talk a big game, but there’s no way you’ll step one foot out of that water while I’m here.” Ugh. That tone. He could teach classes on how to be an insufferable pain in the ass. “I’m willing to bet this spring and the land leading up to it from your property that you won’t so much as stand up until I leave.”
That got my attention. “Is this an actual bet or just a figure of speech?”
“Actual bet.” He leaned a shoulder against a nearby tree trunk. “You get out of the water, I’ll give you the spring.”
I didn’t trust it. This was Wes I was dealing with, after all. “What if I don’t get out of the water? Are you going to report me for trespassing?”
“You can still use the spring as much as you’d like. I won’t bother you or tell anyone else.” His eyes flashed with a wicked glint. “But every time you come out here, we’re both going to know it’s my land you’re getting naked on.”
This would be my undoing. He knew damn well I could never resist a dare like that. “You’d seriously sign the spring and the adjacent land over to me?”
“Absolutely.”
“And all I have to do is get out of the water?”
“Yep.”
It was a completely unnecessary offer. I would’ve gotten out of the water just to wipe that smug expression off his face. There must’ve been some kind of angle I wasn’t seeing. The Lathams didn’t end up owning half the island by giving away parts of it so easily.
I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. “How do I know that you won’t take it back?”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “No take-backs. A deal is a deal.”
