A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Twenty-One

1868, the First Witch's Island

There was a hurtful jab of jealousy in Adelyn's heart when she heard the name. Rebecca. Whomever this girl was, Adelyn had now heard her name twice: once from Captain Greywell's lips, and then again, from Nik. Nik who had just kissed her with a passion she could have compared to flame. Nik who she felt something for that she couldn't explain. Nikolai who was looking for another girl.

"Rebecca?" Adelyn repeated, pressing her lips together in a firm line. She swallowed. "Who's that?"

"It's not what you think." Nikolai said, the words rushed from his mouth. She had yet to accuse him of anything, and he was already defending himself. Adelyn didn't know what to make of the situation, but he gave her a bit of hope. Hope that it wasn't, as he'd said, what she thought. "She's someone from my past. I'm not looking for her to... rekindle... anything. It's just something I need to do."

"Why do you need to find her?" Adelyn asked. She was doing her best to keep emotion out of her voice, but from the way Nikolai was watching her, she wasn't sure it was working. His words had sent a spur of thoughts and feelings through her head, but she figured they were doing the same to him. He looked just about as estranged as she felt.

He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. It felt like ages before he finally spoke, "Because I have to."

"You have to." Adelyn said, the words sounding strange from her mouth.

Nikolai looked more than uncomfortable. His face was flustered, blank, as he searched for something to say. Nina couldn't have come over at a worse time, but she didn't seem to sense the tension in the air when she did. She cracked her neck, biting into a banana that she'd had packed in her bag. With her mouth full, she mumbled, "Man, I could really go for a steak right now. Or maybe even just a salad. Anything that isn't fruit."

She looked up, her eyes meeting Adelyn's, and she scowled. That was all it took for Nina to realize she'd walked into something, and she swallowed, unsure what to do with herself. Nikolai, obviously exasperated, reached forward and grabbed Adelyn's arm, tugging her after him towards the trees.

He called back to Nina over his shoulder, "We'll be back."

"Take your time," Nina mumbled, quiet enough that Adelyn was sure they weren't meant to have heard. Adelyn wasn't sure Nik had heard it-- his eyes were so focused on the walk ahead of them.

Finally, he stopped, and Adelyn's feet stumbled at his sudden hallt. It took him a second longer to let go of her arm, and she resisted the sudden urge to rub at her bicep. It wasn't that it hurt-- he'd been careful not to grip her too hard-- but she still felt his hand there. A ghostly feeling, one that she could have mistaken for reality if she closed her eyes tight enough.

Adelyn kept her eyes wide open, though, trained on Nikolai's throat as he swallowed. Adelyn heard nothing but the stream beside them, and the light winds rustling the leaves above their heads. The sun was still beating down on them, and though it was still far from evening, it had gotten dimmer over the hours. It was nothing compared to the fierce brightness that had burnt the back of her neck earlier in the day.

Adelyn didn't care much for their surroundings, though. Not right then. No, all she cared about was Nik, and the question that hung in the air, begging to be asked. Finally, she cracked, swallowing her nerves just as he had his. "Who's Rebecca?"

Adelyn had her theories, of course, but she refused to believe any of them. She didn't voice them, either, which wasn't surprising. Right then, she barely felt as though she had any voice at all.

"Once upon a time I loved her," Nikolai admitted, nodding his head softly. "But not anymore. She disappeared, she... she's probably dead. But I need to know."

Adelyn wanted to ask more, but there was something in Nikolai's voice that made her decide not to. Instead, she nodded, keeping herself quiet. She would find out the rest eventually, that much she was sure of, but she wouldn't force Nik to tell her all of his secrets right then. She got the sense this wasn't something he spoke about often.

Nikolai took her silence as something else, and he began to ramble, "It's not because I want her back. Believe me, she could waltz right out of the tree line right now and I'd send her off, but I just need to know. I can't--"

"Nik," Adelyn said, shaking her head. She wet her lips. "It's okay. I get it, really."

It wasn't a lie. Adelyn knew what he meant. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone she loved disappear. The closest thing she had to compare it to was Harlem, who was trapped aboard Captain Greywell's ship, who knows where. It made her feel helpless and sad and angry all at once.

Nikolai looked down at her-- the six-inches between them suddenly feeling like miles. Adelyn could see the relief on his face, and she forced a smile. It wasn't as though she loved Nikolai-- oh, saints no-- but there was something about him that made her feeling something. It wasn't something she'd felt before, but it gave her a feeling of warmth when she looked into his eyes.

The blue of them was a comfort to her, a calmness when the world felt like it was exploding, and right then, it did. She was miles away from the only town she'd ever known, in the middle of an ocean, on an island few people knew existed. It felt like a dream, though she knew it wasn't.

"You're giving me bedroom eyes, you know that?" Nikolai mused, his lips twitching. Adelyn's eyes rolled. "It's hot, really. Don't stop. I like a girl who's not afraid to show what she wants."

Adelyn took a step back, suddenly all too conscious of how close they were standing. It didn't put a lot of distance between them, but it was enough that it let her think clearly. Before, she'd been breathing in his air, inhaling his scent...

It was too much for her to handle all at once.

Adelyn couldn't help but wonder about Rebecca. She had more questions, of course; if anything, Nikolai's answers had only led to more, but she wasn't about to ask them. She got the sense that they were the kinds of things she would find out with time.

"We should get back to Nina." Adelyn said.

Nikolai sighed, shaking his head. "You're playing with my heart, Adelyn. When will this agony end?"

"Put a sock in it, Kors." Adelyn said, turning on her heel and following the stream back towards the clearing. She could feel Nikolai's eyes on her every step of the way, and a ghost of a smile crept onto her lips. If she was playing with him, then it was not her least favorite game. That much, she was sure of.