I press myself against the railings.
“Blue!” I call out, but the wind steals my voice away.
I watch and wait. But there is nothing but waves. Yet I swear he is here. Just out of reach. Lingering for a moment before he swims away forever and I’ll never see him again.
I love you.
I’m sorry I hurt you.
I’m so very sorry things didn’t work out between us.
But what if they did work out? What if we talked? He loves me and I love him. I can’t lose him and regret it forever.
I scramble over the railings.
Blue will save me.
But what if I’m only imagining that he is close by? My heart thumps. I don’t care. Blue is the only light in my life. Without him there is no point in anything. Besides, Mal will probably notice in time and pull me out. It’s worth the risk.
Love is always worth the risk.
I take a deep breath. I jump. And I fall.
Chapter twenty-nine
Blue
Sammy is here. He is sitting at the end of the pier, looking out at the ocean. I’m a little to his left and keeping my head low. It’s only the top of my head and my eyes that are above the water and the waves are quite choppy. He hasn’t seen me.
But he came. He cares enough to have come here. Maybe my lingering isn’t so pointless after all? Hope flickers to life, and it is a terrible and wonderful thing.
I can’t see his expression from here, but somehow I’m convinced he is looking out at the horizon with longing and regret. Though that could just be wistful thinking on my part. A side effect of my big ego.
I shouldn’t want him to miss me. That’s cruel and selfish. But that is the nature of sirens and I’m no different from my kind. The love of my life is sad and I’m here drinking it in as validation.
Sammy truly is better off without me. I should swim away. Except, now that I’ve seen him, I’m not sure if I can. I feel anchored to this spot. Tethered to this awful hope.
Perhaps I should go talk to him? If he is here, he must feel something for me? We might be able to fix the wounds we have given each other. On the other hand, talking might be nothing more than a barrage of fresh injuries. A chance to hurt each other even more.
Sammy is moving now. Is he walking away? Have I lost my chance? My heart thumps. I watch in bewilderment as he climbsover the railings. What is he doing? Realization hits me one solitary heartbeat before he falls. Cold horror floods my veins.
I’m swimming faster than I have ever swum in my life. It’s not deep here, but deep enough to lose someone. There are all sorts of currents churned by the pier and the water is dark with sand and silt. Sammy is not my mate anymore. I cannot feel where he is. I have to find him with my other senses. Before he runs out of air.
I’m at the spot where he hit the water. I swim around in frantic spirals. Reaching out blindly with my arms. A screech of dismay escapes me. Then my fingers brush against something. Cloth. It’s the hood of a sweatshirt. I yank it towards me and suddenly, Sammy is in my arms. I hold him tightly and bring him up to the surface.
He gasps as soon as we breach. Then he coughs and splutters and wheezes. His hair is over his eyes. I watch him closely as color returns to his cheeks. He is okay. Sammy is okay. My heart is still beating far too fast, but to a different rhythm now.
“Blue!” he pants. “Blue! Blue, you are here!”
The sound of my name on his lips is like music. I have never heard a more wonderful song. I could listen to it for eternity.
“Sorry. So sorry!” He stops to cough and splutter some more. “Had to talk to you. Had to tell you that I love you.”
His words sink into my soul and spark through my blood. I have no thoughts, let alone any words. All I have is feelings. Immense and powerful ones. Rolling through me. Consuming me.
Sammy pushes his hair out of his eyes. The moment his eyes meet mine feels like being hit by lightning.
His dazzling blue eyes widen. “Shit! The mate bond is back, isn’t it? I’m so sorry. But we know how to get rid of it now.”
