Forever Breathing (Just Breathe #3) by Heather Allen Page B

but I force them. Standing across the room from me is a startled but very amused Alex. It worked!  I take a deep sea breath and tell myself, Okay, it’s show time Ever.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 18
    James
     
    Alex gave me fair warning to leave and I took heed of it. I believe that this Roman guy means business. To top it off, I’ve pretty much lost any ally I thought I had in Sara. I guess I’m on my own. This pretty much sucks. The shit I do for my sister, you would think she’d appreciate me more.
    I close my eyes thinking about my new plan. If Alex won’t help me and Sara can’t, I’ll just have to find help elsewhere.  I open my eyes momentarily losing my focus. She did it again. Sara betrayed me again and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I should have known. I vow, no chick will ever get that close to me again.
    I close my eyes again trying to focus on one thought. The Erebus caves aren’t far from Jaspen’s city. There must be some around here as well, anything, to get me far away from here. Here’s just hoping if there are, they are Erebus and not Lior. I picture the outside of the city. Not much to go on but it’s all I’ve got. The water stirs around me and I know I’ve changed locations. my not Lan>
    I open my eyes and find large foreboding caves centered in front of me. Here goes nothing. I glide to the entrance and knock on the wide bronze door. Not a soul is around which is odd. Even on the worst day, Jaspen always had Erebus monitoring the outside of the caves. No one comes to the door so I try the curved handle. It turns easily and the door swings inward. The room in front of me is grand on a different scale. It is rustic looking. The walls and floor look like they are made of planks of wood, reminding me of the deck on a ship. The ceiling rises up into the sea with transparent glass. This, I’m finding is the same no matter where we are. Mer-people appreciate the view above them.
    I carefully glide into the room taking it all in. The one thing that’s missing is the people. As I roam around, I let my guard down a little which turns out to be a mistake on my part.
    I turn a corner and find myself greeted by the point of a spear. The shock that I just about swam into this spear quickly turns to anger. I’m about to hit someone or at the very least yell at whoever would allow this when my eyes roam over the small, milky, white hands holding onto the end of the spear. My eyes follow the small arms up to meet clear, scared, green eyes. She is just about the cutest girl I have ever seen. I’m taking her in as she speaks to me in a sweet voice and all I can do is grin.
    “Who are you? Why are you here?”
    I just stare at her and my upturned mouth goes completely dry. How this is possible under water, I have no idea but I feel as if cotton is filling my cheeks.
    She repeats her questions with more anger, “What are you doing in these caves? Who are you?”
    I try and clear my throat to find my voice. I must look like such a prick grinning at her like this but it’s all I can do. She is so adorable and holding that spear that is almost too big for her.  I’m entranced and I can’t pull myself out.
    As I speak, I push the point of the spear away from my face to avoid any mishaps.
    Finally my voice cracks as I introduce myself, “Hi, my name is James.”
    “Why are you here?”
    I have to be careful with the answer to this one. If she is a Lior, I could be in big trouble. I look her up and down trying to decide which side she might be on. Her fin is an array of blues and greens shimmering with the movement of the water around us. She is wearing a blue bikini top but it’s partially covered by her long dark, almost black, hair. I look back up into her face and notice a straight perfect little nose and small pink lips.
    I decide to chance it. She looks like she could be on either side.
    “I’m looking for the Erebus that live here…”
    She cuts me off breathlessly,