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“A heart surgeon. Even Mildred is a pediatric nurse. They’re loaded.”
“And your parents?”
She stared across the deck. “My parents and sister drowned last spring break.” Her words sounded hollow.
“Drowned?” he prompted.
Facing him, she said, “I…I don’t want to talk about it.”
She wrung her hands in her lap, and he took her hand and held it. “I know how that feels.”
Her eyes filled with tears, as she looked at him.
“My father was killed in the war,” he said, purposefully leaving out the era or location, “and my mother and sister died, too. I was only six when an uncle took me in.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“He died later.” Levka took a deep breath. “When I turned eighteen, I was on my own.” He motioned to his friends. “All of us were. We became best of friends, watched out for each other, stuck together through all the good times and bad.”
“You don’t go to school?”
How could he tell her he’d been to schools for hundreds of years just to find out what other teens his age were studying, but that he’d already lived through so many of the events they were learning as history?
“Sure, we go to school,” he said.
“But what about money? How do you live?”
“We all have inheritances, work side jobs, and are careful how we spend our money.” He didn’t want to tell her most of their money came down through the ages, that they were all Welsh princes with Russian family roots before this. No matter how enlightened she might be, she’d never believe it.
She motioned to the ship. “But you’re spending a small fortune on a cruise.”
“Sometimes, you have to spend a little money and enjoy life.” Although they hadn’t had to spend a dime on it, just moved some rich kids out of their suite whose parents had paid for it.
Leaning against the seat, she seemed to relax. “I’ve never known anyone quite like you and your friends. I used to have a couple of close girlfriends, but after…”
When she didn’t say anything further, Levka wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “After what, Caitlin?” He was the dark prince who should have ensnared her with his powers, yet she was the one who drew him in, captured him with her impish, but beguiling smiles, her fragility, her strength.
She nestled her head against his shoulder and for the first time, he felt no pain in his chest.
When she didn’t speak any further, he listened to her breathing, shallower, her heart rate slowed. She’d fallen asleep in his arms. Already, he felt himself slipping into the dark bottomless pit like he had when he’d met Cassandra. Like before, he couldn’t seem to disentangle himself from Caitlin. Damn his friends for encouraging their relationship. Nothing but tragedy could ever come of it.
He wanted to run away as far as he could get from her, flee to the other side of the world, never see her bright blue eyes or her sunshiny Florida smile again. She snuggled closer to him, and he tightened his hold, never wanting to let go.
Glancing at the pool, he saw Dylan and Alicia speaking. They looked in his and Caitlin’s direction. They both grabbed their towels and headed inside.
Torn between waking Caitlin so she could continue to act as her foster sister’s chaperone, or keeping her in his embrace, he saw a ship’s crewmember speaking to Ruric, which brought the earlier worry to mind. Had discrepancies in the passenger manifest been discovered?
Chapter 7
Stasio joined Levka at the swing and smiled. “Like old times, eh?”
“You know this is folly.” Yet Levka couldn’t fight the feeling Caitlin filled some need, an emptiness he’d felt for too long. With her snuggled against his chest, he felt whole again.
“We have known you for so long, Levka. We know she’s the one for you.”
Levka ignored Arman’s comment and motioned with his head toward Ruric, still speaking to one of the ship’s crew. “Do you know what’s going on? Has it to do with irregularities in the ship’s manifest?”
“I have no idea. Ruric is too busy conversing with the crew member to let us know privately. Did you see Caitlin’s foster sister and Dylan slip away from the pool and go inside?” k'12
