Outside the glass, there was no crushing psychic pressure — that feeling she had always equated with the ground pressing down on her bunker.
The darkness had been replaced with water. In her mind’s eye, it was a swirling emerald green shot through with rays of sunlight. Silver flashed in the swirling depths, like fish darting in and out of swaying kelp.
And inside the glass, all around her, Emory’s haunting melody echoed.
It wasn’t overwhelming. Now that she was truly awake, it faded into the background until it was barely audible. But when she concentrated, she was astonished to realize that the impression of moving water outside those clear walls actually movedwiththe music.
Clementine’s breath stuck in her throat. The fingers of one hand crept across the blankets until she found the warmth of his skin.
His mindismy wall.
It wasn’t water. It was him.
When they bonded, his mind didn’t simply connect to hers. It surrounded hers like one massive defensive moat.
ChapterTwenty-One
Clementine shookEmory’s shoulder andreallyput her back into this time. He didn’t so much as twitch.
Falling back onto her haunches, she gripped a fistful of her hair and rasped, “Shit!”
She could feel how deeply he slept, but a desperate part of her had still hoped that he might wake up if she just tried hard enough. Unfortunately, whatever happened during the bonding process seemed to have really worked a number on Emory. It didn’t matter how loud she shouted or how hard she shook him. He slept on.
“Okay, okay. I can figure this out.” Clementine stood up and began searching the room for her discarded clothing. Merfolk weren’t prudes about nudity, but there was no way on Burden’s green Earth she was going to meet a strange pod in the buff.
Her hands shook as she hastily zipped up her yellow windbreaker. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to see Emory’s dark eyes open, but she found his peaceful expression unchanged.
What she could only assume was thepodwas rapidly approaching the cove. Her mate had passed out and couldn’t be woken. She was completely on her own.
In the days since she confronted him, Emory had drilled into her again and again that other merfolk were a threat. They were so desperate for mates that they weren’t above stealing them, let alone fighting to the death for one. She felt a little guilty for how she’d shrugged off his warnings, not believing that anyone would go so far as to actuallyfightfor her.
Now, feeling the volatile intent that rolled through the mind spearheading the charge to the cove, Clementine believed it.
After shoving her feet into her waterproof boots, she risked one last look at her mate before she jogged out of the room. She hated leaving him. It was her fault he was vulnerable. It was up to her to keep him safe, but the feeling of leaving him alone in the unfamiliar cove made her skin crawl.
An obviously handmade embroidered curtain was all that guarded her sleeping mate. It would have to be enough.
Clementine picked up speed as she ran down the hall, trying to recall all the twists and turns that led to the entrance. With every step, a twinge of pain between her thighs reminded her of what she was protecting. She considered hunkering down, maybe even finding some cupboard to hide herself and Emory in until the pod abandoned their search, but she tossed that idea almost as soon as it presented itself.
First, she hated the thought of being trapped. Second, after living with Emory for some time, she knew that she was dealing with expert hunters. Even on land, where they were at a considerable disadvantage, there was not a chance they wouldn’t be found eventually.
So her only real option was to be their defense.
Don’t be a weenie, Em. You can do this.
She didn’t want to turn anyone’s brain to putty. She didn’t want a confrontation at all. But if it came down to choosing between non-violence or her mate, she would choose her mate every time.
What was it he said to her before they left the house?You are a merman’s mate now. You must be bloodthirsty to protect yourself, our cove, and our pups.
She had threadbare hopes that she’d misunderstood the pod’s intentions and that they weren’t hostile, but even she knew that the chances were slim. Emory wouldn’t have taken the precautions he had for nothing. This was real and scary and it was up to her to make sure they came out of it all right.
Another flash of guilt struck her as she rounded a bend that led her into the room with all the glittering rain water collection pools. Was it her fault that they’d been found? Their short trip around the island seemed so safe, but now she couldn’t help but wonder if the pod had been laying in wait, anticipating an opportunity to ambush them.
She didn’t know why being in the cove made a difference, or why no one would have used the many times Emory left the house to their advantage, but as soon as she felt the presence of another mind in the distance, she stopped trying to figure it out.
Terrified that they might slip into the cove and somehow get to Emory, Clementine sprinted toward the entrance. Her boots slid on the shiny stone floor and the childish carvings on the walls blurred as she ran past them. The lights that guided her way were dim and faintly orange, only increasing the gloomy atmosphere and heightening her unease.
Every shadow seemed deeper. Every rolling roar of distant waves more menacing.
