Drake Sisters 07 - Hidden Currents

forward, his eyes focused on the bank of heavy gray fog moving toward the shore. He whined, communicating his anxiety but he obediently preceded El e up the steps to the house and disappeared inside.
    â€œWait for him, El e. Let him clear the house. He’l signal when it’s safe for you to go in. Always wait. You have to start taking precautions.â€
    â€œI’m not used to this.†She shivered inside the blanket.
    â€œI know, but it wil become second nature. It’s better for us to learn how to take care of ourselves and our children. We both have something dangerous hanging over our heads that could affect our lives.†He kept his voice matter-of-fact, as if it was nothing to live under a death threat. The one thing El e’s kidnapping had taught him was he had to grab ahold of life with both hands, and not watch it pass him by because he was afraid for El e or for his children. Bad things happened al the time, but he was missing the good things while waiting and he was determined for El e to see they had a future no matter what.
    Bomber poked his head out the open door and gave a short bark. “Praise him and go in with him.â€
    â€œI’l put the kettle on and get dressed,†El e said, grateful to be of some help.
    Jackson waited until El e and the German Shepherd were safely inside before he started down the worn path. The smal stretch of dunes separating his property from the beach rol ed gently, little plants pushing through the sand, dotting the landscape with bits of vibrant green.
    Once on the beach, he crouched beside Sarah. “You okay?â€
    â€œJust a little drained. Did it work?†Sarah glanced out toward the sea, a smal frown on her face. “I don’t like the look of that.†Her voice was thin and she didn’t move, not even turning her head, but shifting her gaze to look at the brooding fog.
    â€œI think you real y helped her, Sarah. If nothing else, she felt better surrounded by you al . She’s making tea. I’l help you into the house, but don’t let any of your sisters try to get inside her head. She doesn’t want that.â€
    â€œWe figured that out,†Sarah said.
    Jackson’s stomach was beginning to tighten into hard knots and a frisson of awareness crept down his spine. He turned from Sarah to watch the sea. The waves receded, pul ing back into the thick bank of fog gathering out at sea in an eerie calm. A dark channel of water ran from the shore to the sea, the deeper color pushing into the ocean water, staining the blue a muddy green right through the middle. Out at sea, a wave gathered force and began a rush toward the beach.
    Jackson leapt to his feet, shouting a warning to Hannah as he ran, pounding through the sand toward where she lay, one arm and leg outstretched in the damp sand. Hannah was pregnant, Jackson knew, although only a smal rounded bump on her thin frame gave evidence of the fact. Her eyes were closed and her body limp, drained from using psychic energy to direct the healing mist to her youngest sister. The waterline closest to Hannah was much shal ower than it should have been, creating the il usion of utter calm. He was nearly to her as the water hit and the long thick arms of the tubular kelp reached up out of the fast approaching wave and wound itself around Hannah’s wrist and ankle.
    With the wind driving the wave onto shore with such force, the backwash, with nowhere else to go, was pushed to the side—surrounding Hannah completely as the water sought to return to the sea. The hidden current, much stronger on the surface than underneath, gathered in strength, and beneath the murky water, the returning kelp jerked hard and Hannah’s slim form slid toward the open sea. Water foamed around her body, splashed over her face, and her eyes snapped open in panic. She began to struggle, but her movements were feeble and no match for the power of the retreating rip current as it dragged her out to open water.
    Jackson dove after Hannah, catching her arm, holding on as the wave sucked both of them under, rol ing them violently as it rushed them into deeper waters. He hung on grimly, refusing to give her up to the sea.
    Don’t fight it. Stay calm, Hannah. He had never used telepathy with anyone but El e, but El e was with him, directing the communication in his mind. He could feel her, the fear, the knowledge they were in terrible