Hidden Currents Read Free

adept at hiding it, and she no longer believed it was possible.
    So why couldn’t she fall in love with him? What was wrong with her? Certainly the worm—he-who-could-never-be-named—was not worth holding out hope for. Was she stupid enough to do that? Hope that he would come after her? That would never happen. He didn’t want her. He didn’t want her legacy—or her name—or her house—and he certainly didn’t want the seven daughters that would come along with her.
    No, she had stopped hoping Jackson Deveau would ever come to love or even want her.
    Now she just had to stop hurting.
    She watched Stavros as he talked to his guests, smiling and seemingly happy. As if sensing her looking at him, he turned his head and sent her a warm smile. Her heart did a funny little flip, not the way it did when the worm smiled at her, but because she knew Stavros was half in love with her and it was so unfair. The smile she sent Stavros back was sadder than she knew.
    Could she live like this? This glamorous, whirlwind life? She was born with a legacy few others—if anyone—ever had or would know. As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Elle’s psychic gifts ran deep in her genes and would be passed on to her seven daughters. And her seventh daughter would carry that same bittersweet legacy. Would Elle fulfill her destiny? Or would the Drake legacy of magic die quietly with her?
    Elle used to envision a life of laughter and happiness with her soul mate. That was before she’d met him. He was a morose, silent, brooding, very dominant male. She knew he could bring stillness and peace to her, or with one smoldering look, turn her veins to liquid fire. But he refused to accept who she was—refused to love her as she was. And if he didn’t, she feared no other man ever would—or could. Not the real Elle Drake, at least.
    She turned around, and leaned out over the rail, watching the boats coming in to take Stavros’s guests back to shore. Night had long since given way to dawn and she was tired, suppressing a yawn as she tried to figure out what she’d do next with her life. Sea Haven, a small village nestled on the northern California coast, had always been home—a refuge. Her family house was there, a large estate overlooking the turbulent ocean.
    The sea was so different here, like glass. A beautiful lure promising a sun-filled life of luxury, but she knew better than to think such a life was meant for her. Deep inside, she was a homegirl, a woman born to be a wife and mother. She loved adventure and spice, but eventually, her need to pass on her Drake legacy would grow so strong she wouldn’t be able to ignore it. Did she have the right to deny the world someone like her sister Libby, who could heal with a touch of her hands? Or Joley, with her voice? Kate, whose books gave so many people solace and escape? Each of her sisters had incredible gifts passed down generation after generation. If she didn’t fulfill her destiny, the line would end with her.
    Movement caught her eye and she shifted her gaze to see the captain approach Stavros and whisper something in his ear. She was adept at reading lips, but she couldn’t see his mouth clearly. Stavros frowned and shook his head, glanced at his watch and then over at Elle. She kept her face still, and turned her gaze back to the sea. Stavros’s bodyguard, Sid, said something as well. He was facing her and she caught his words distinctly.
    “It will be dangerous to have her on the island, sir. Think about this. Take her off the boat now and we’ll give the driver orders to take her to your villa. They can hold her there until the meeting is over.”
    Elle’s stomach tightened. The bodyguard was talking about her. Stavros shook his head and said something she couldn’t catch, but the bodyguard and captain both looked toward her again and neither looked happy.
    That built-in alarm, the one that had saved her numerous times on countless assignments, shrieked at her,