Page 47 of Ensnaring the Siren

She almost died saving a friend and her baby. And she almost died again getting here, all while thinking that he hated her, when he felt anything but.

Nireed was a monster. There was no denying that. She’d ripped off a man’s head with her bare hands and sometimes consumed human flesh. But she was also the bravest, most selfless person he knew.

Perez and Hatcher were right, damn them.

He wanted her. So damn bad.

But kissing her right now was out of the question. She was hurt, and she didn’t need him complicating things when she’d just survived some harrowing shit. “We should get some sleep.” He slapped his hands to his thighs, abruptly standing, before desire got the better of him. “You can have my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Her smile fell. Was that disappointment he saw?

“I don’t know,” she said, rubbing her upper arms. “I think I should go.”

A surge of protectiveness rose inside him. “Not with that injury.” It came out harsher, more demanding than he meant it to, and she rightly glared at him.

Dammit. He’d regressed to the communicative range of a caveman.

“I’m sorry.” He knelt in front of her, his hands framing but not quite touching her tail. “Please stay. Don’t go back out there. Not yet.”

Her expression softened.

“It’s a long way,” he continued. “You’re exhausted, and you’ve been through a lot. Please rest here.”

Nireed stared at the horizon through a nearby window. He couldn’t know what she was thinking, but if he had to guess, several things weighed heavily there. Mental calculations about energy reserves and the long miles ahead. Worry for her friends and podmates. Grief for those who never made it home. A whole community counting on her. The burden of responsibility. Rage.

She lay on his bed, arms folding across her middle. Not quite fitting, her tail hung over the edge, fins draping across the floor. “Okay,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay.”

Chapter

Fifteen

Reid had been right. She was exhausted. Exhausted enough to find even this dry Surface Dweller bed comfortable. But he’d confused her too.

One moment, she thought he was about to kiss her. The next, he jumped away so fast one would think she was about to bite him.

Oh. Maybe he did think that.

Disappointment sank to the pit of her stomach like a rock. He said he didn’t hate her, and she believed him when he said he was afraid she’d been killed, but she barely had the energy to think a coherent thought, let alone untangle the meaning behind Reid’s mixed signals.

That was a problem for tomorrow.

Right now, she needed to ask a favor from Shorewalker before she let sleep claim her. Reid jumped at the opportunity to help—maybe he felt bad—and together they looked up Lorelei’s work phone number. Some instructing and a lot of pointing later, she had Reid’s cell phone in her hand, a strange noise she couldn’t even begin to describe repeating at regular intervals.

A click. “Lorelei Roth, Director of the Haven Cove Museum of Oceanic Discovery.”

“Shorewalker, it’s Nireed.”

“Nireed?” Lorelei’s voice quieted on the other end. “How’d you get a hold of a phone?”

“Borrowed from the, uh, Coast Warrior friend I told you about. He looked up your number on the Inter-Net.”

The line went quiet on the other end.

Nireed handed the phone to Reid. “I think it stopped working.”

“Ms. Roth? Are you still there?”

A throat cleared on the other end. “Um, yes, still here. You can put Nireed back on.”

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