I look at the shore. It’s still far, but I don’t care. We made it.
Using the last of our energy, we swim for the shore without looking back. Just looking forward. Until we can finally stand in the sand and walk on shaking legs the rest of the way to the shore. Unfortunately, that’s the moment my legs give out.
Without hesitation, Cassius lifts me into his arms like I weigh nothing at all and begins carrying me the rest of the way. I feel bad. He shouldn’t have to do this. Not after everything he’s done. But I can’t help relaxing into his muscular body. Safe at last.
Alive.
And I can’t ask for more than that right now.
16
Cassius
I carryher until the stones scrape my feet and the water is only at my knees. It’s strange. I should be focused on my pain. On my bruises and cuts and the fact that that merman rearranged my insides, but instead, all I can focus on is her. I want her so badly it makes my teeth ache.
She’s half-naked, wet, the thin clothes she’s wearing practically see-through, and covered in bruises and scrapes from the chain and the fight. She looks at me with a face that says don’t you dare let go. So I don’t.
Not that I want to.
I stumble, and she shifts in my arms, my erection pressing into her for just a minute before I readjust her. Her whole body goes tense, but then she laughs, a quick exhale that’s more nervous than amused.
“Sorry,” I say. My voice is shot. “It’s just?—”
She interrupts, “It’s fine.” But she’s so red it almost makes me laugh, too.
I let her down onto some smooth rocks. She sits, legs drawn up, and wraps her arms around her knees. For a second, I think she’s going to cry, but instead she just stares at the water, breathing hard. Not that I blame her for feeling shocked after what just happened. Mermen are terrifying creatures, rare, but awful, even to the fae.
“You okay?” And I don’t know if I’m asking about the merman or our kiss.
She nods, but she doesn’t look okay.
I want to say something. I want to tell her that I’ve never felt anything like this before, that I would drown a hundred more monsters if it meant I could kiss her again. But the words stick. Which is a surprise. Previously, I would’ve said one of my strengths was being good with words.
Then her gaze moves to my erection again, and her cheeks turn red once more.
Fuck. Go down, damn you!
I try to will myself soft, but it’s a losing battle. So I sink back into the lake, just deep enough to hide my shame, and try not to watch the way she smooths her hair back, the way her chest rises and falls, the way every inch of her skin is alive with what just happened.
I close my eyes, but it doesn’t help. All I see is her.
After a minute, I look up and see the others. Ashton, Oberon, Sylvian. They’re running down the shore towards us in nothing but their boxers, and I’m pretty sure they’ve been diving in the lake, searching for us, ever since the attack. Ashton is the first to come forward. His chest is covered in mud, but his eyes are on Alette, sharp and bright.
“You okay?” he says, low, like it’s just for her.
She nods again, not looking at him.
Sylvian is next. He walks straight up to Alette, kneels in front of her, and cups her face in his hands. He looks at the cuts on her cheek, the dirt in her hair. “Did it hurt you?” he asks.
She shakes her head.
Oberon hangs back, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He looks pissed, but not at her. At the situation. That someone he cared about was in danger, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Sylvian pulls her into a hug, then lets her go, standing up with a kind of easy grace I’ll never have. Ashton crouches beside Alette, says something I can’t hear, then rests a hand on her shoulder. She doesn’t flinch.
I feel like an intruder. This feeling I have with Alette… it might only go one way. I’ve seen the way the others look at her. If she has a choice between us, I know she won’t pick me.
Which is a bit depressing. I’ve never had much competition for women. Not that I’ve wanted many.
