It was easier said than done, though. She struggled to imagine any person feeling entirely confident locking themselves in a metal tube under water, knowing that a predator lay in wait just beyond the dock’s underwater fence.
But that hot, prickly feeling of recklessness pushed her forward. Jaw set, she lowered the hatch and began launch procedures. To calm herself, she thought,I’ll roast those peppers tonight. I’ll make myself a big, fresh meal and call my parents. Tomorrow I’ll put the bracelet by the moon pool and see what happens.
It all sounded easy in her head. There was nothing to worry about. All she needed to do was get home.Totally normal.
Still, she held her breath as the mechanical arm slowly lowered her into the water. There was a splash, frothing water over the plexiglass, then the momentary weightless feeling as her vehicle sank into the waves.
Her hands trembled as she watched the light by the gate flash twice, indicating it was safe for her to exit.
Roast peppers. Make salsa. Grill some of that pork I’ve been saving in the freezer. Maybe a salad? No, I’ll shave some onions and do a light pickle with the herbs I ordered. They’ll be even better tomorrow.
Her eyes flicked to the sonic imager. There was nothing except the usual rocky shapes she was used to.
Breathing a little easier, she hit the autopilot button but set the speed to a little bit faster than normal, just in case. She couldn’t help but check the screen every thirty seconds or so. After several minutes without any unusual activity, Clementine felt the knot between her shoulder blades unwind a bit.
She sat back in her seat and forced her fingers away from the wheel. There was no danger. Everything was fine.
Unable to help herself, she reached into her pocket to pull out the little silver box. Gently pulling the lid off and setting it in her lap, she peered inside. Her stomach flipped at the sight of the bracelet coiled within it.
Would he think it was silly? Maybe. If he didn’t like it or didn’t take it, she would be a tiny bit crushed, but it would be okay, too. She’d heard it took persistence to make friends. Patience.
And if he didn’t want it, then she could wear it. No big deal.
Clementine delicately extracted the bracelet from the box. Draping it over her fingers, she ran the pad of her thumb over the beads and knotted cord. The farther she got from land, the easier it became to focus on other things besides her barriers and appreciate how pretty it was, even if she was pretty sure the beads were artificial sea glass.
Skating her thumb over the gold charm, her gaze wandered back to the sonic imager. She blinked. That shape hadn’t been there a moment ago?—
The proximity alert blared a mere second before a massive, finned shape darted in front of the cockpit. Before she could even begin to register what she was seeing, the end of a powerful tail came down on the plexiglass with a solidthwap.
A new alarm filled the cockpit, this time warning her of a collision even as the vehicle rocked, pushed back by the force of the hit.
Clementine yelped and reached for the steering wheel. The bracelet slid over her hand to rest loosely around her wrist as she tried to stabilize the submersible. The autopilot turned off the thrusters immediately upon impact, which helped keep her from spinning completely out of control or possibly scraping the sea floor, but it also left her momentarily stalled.
The huge shape passed over her again, flashing a pale white belly and vivid black markings for just a moment before her view was obscured not by a flexing tail, but a man.
The recycled air stuck in her lungs as she stared into a pair of dark eyes.
His hair was a black cloud around a pale face. Black markings around his inhumanly large eyes, cheekbones, and the top of his forehead gave him a sinister, dramatic look. They almost made it seem like he was wearing a bone-white mask. His nose was a sharp blade, his upper lip black, and his expression was…furious.
Those wickedly shaped lips were pulled back in a vicious snarl, revealing sharp teeth designed for tearing through flesh and thick ocean animal hide. His brow was deeply furrowed and his dark eyes opened wide. His powerful shoulders were bunched around his ears as he pressed his webbed palms against the plexiglass. The tips of his claws screeched against the clear barrier as he spread his arms wider, framing the entire cockpit with his upper body.
He was beautiful — all elegant lines and aquiline, almost fox-like features — but he was also the single most terrifying thing Clementine had ever seen in her life.
And that was before he opened his mouth.
A stream of bubbles erupted at the same time a shriek of rage cut through the water. She could hardly comprehend how loud the sound must have been for her to hear it through the water and the insulating material of the advanced submersible. It was somehow loud enough that she felt compelled to slap her hands over her ears.
She’d only just managed to block out the worst of the noise before a crackle filled the cockpit, followed by the unmistakable scent of magic — ozone and blood.
In an instant, nearly all of the vehicle’s instruments went down, plunging her into semi-darkness.
Just beyond the cockpit, floating in the inky black of the ocean, her predator bared his teeth as if to say, “You’re mine now.”
ChapterSeven
Emory was forcedto leave his mate as he tracked a cocky, adolescent shark towards Point Reyes. At least he was certain Clementine would follow her usual routine at home. He was reluctant to abandon her for even a short time, of course, but providing for her required hunting, and hunting in the ocean meant crossing great stretches of water.
He’d pushed himself hard to make the hunt as quick as possible. Just because hehadto leave her didn’t mean he liked it, or that it didn’t come with risk. Even if there wasn’t the ever-present threat of the pod returning at any moment, there was always the chance she could slip on the rocks, or fall into the moon pool, or break one of her precious, fragile bones hopping around on those funny feet.
