Zirene jumped out of the hovercraft and landed in front of Kaede, lips drawn back.
“You know better than to sneak up on me, Agent Kaede,” Zirene hissed, advancing on him until he was leaning into Kaede’s personal space.
Kaede calmly tilted his visored head, exposing his neck as he met Zirene’s gaze.
“And you know I wouldn’t interrupt the small amount of private time you have unless it was urgent… Sire,” he clipped Zirene’s title, annoyance lacing his voice.
Zirene hissed, daring Kaede to flinch. When he didn’t, Zirene stepped back, his tail jerking agitatedly.
“Selena, I am sorry I have to cut short our time together,” he huffed, refusing to look at me. “Stay here and enjoy yourself with Agent Kaede. When you are ready to go, he will return you home to your nestmates.”
“Zirene…”
He glanced over his shoulder, failing to disguise the sadness in his eyes. “I hope to continue this… If you will let me.”
I unclipped my safety harness and climbed out on his side of the hovercraft, leaping onto the ground. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed my head against his back,feeling the warmth radiating from his fur. His tail wrapped itself around my leg as I felt him exhale.
“I understand your duty comes first… I just wish things could be different between us…”
He patted my hand and pulled away. “I will see what my brother needs.”
“Go on. I am sure Kaede can protect me from the scary waves,” I said, wincing at how awkward my joke sounded.
He nodded and jumped into the hovercraft. I watched in silence as he turned the vehicle around, driving near Kaede and me. He slowed down and nodded at Kaede before speeding away.
Once he disappeared down the street, I sighed and faced the waves, not knowing what to say to Kaede, now that we were alone. The storm clouds were getting closer, their darkness looming over the waters. A gust of wind blew my hair back, making my steps falter.
I would not let Zirene’s sudden departure or the oncoming threatening weather ruin my moment. This was the first time I had ever touched land, and I was going to enjoy as much of it I could before Kaede ushered me away to safety.
Kicking off my boots, I dug my feet into the sand, feeling the fineness along the bottom my feet and squishing between my toes. I could taste salt in the air as the wind picked up, and a blanket of humidity fell on me.
Taking in a deep breath, I screamed, letting out all the pent-up frustrations.
As I ran into the water, a wave hit my legs, pushing against me as if as I had hit a wall. I stumbled and fell backward, landing into a familiar pair of arms.
“Good thing I was put in charge of protecting you from these scary waves,” Kaede chuckled against my ear, his voice sending chills down my spine.
“Kaede…”
He stood me up, stabilizing me on my feet as his hands lingered on my hips. We stood there in silence, watching the clouds come in as the waves lapped against our legs. His body pressed against mine, I was hyperaware of the weight of his hands, rubbing my silky sundress against my skin. Heavy breathing drowned out the surrounding sounds.
“Kaede… how can you touch me after everything I did?” I whispered.
He sighed and dropped his arms, backing away from me. I turned and faced him, needing to fix the awkwardness between us.
“Can’t you drop it?” he growled. “It wasn’t your fault, and you had no control over your actions.”
“Yeah, but—”
“No, Selena. Can you listen to me for once without questioning me?”
Thunder rumbled behind me as the sky cried on us.
“Can you answer one thing?” I begged.
“What?” he asked, refusing to meet my gaze as his dark hair blew behind him.
I brushed my hair back, holding onto its end to prevent it from flying wildly in our faces.
