Page 51 of Ensnaring the Siren

“Small spaces make me feel trapped.” She hadn’t talked about it with anyone, not even Melusina or Delphine. They had their families and their own slew of cares to worry about, and she wasn’t going to heap her burdens on them.

Her first few days back home after Shorewalker and Cure Creator freed her from the tank had been about celebration and healing. And then all her focus went back into the pod: getting the cure to her people, reunifying their community, maintaining relationships with their Surface Dweller allies.

From the outside looking in, she was fine. Nothing had changed. There just wasn’t a reason to let anyone think otherwise.

Nireed nodded behind them. “I was okay in there until I woke up from a bad dream. I forgot where I was.”

“They kept you in that tank for a whole year.” She always knew it was bad, but to hear the shock in his voice, from someone who didn’t know her then, was validating in a way she didn’t know she needed. What had happened to her wasn’t acceptable Surface Dweller behavior even to other Surface Dwellers.

“Lorelei, the friend we called earlier, got me out. She’s also the reason I was there in the first place.” Weariness weighed down her shoulders. The thought of trying to explain the whole situation drained what little energy she had left. “It’s a really, really long story.”

And not all of it was hers to tell.

“You don’t have to tell it. Whatever happened, she must be a good friend now to have your trust.”

“She is.”

“You look like you’re about to fall over. You good?”

“Can I…” Nireed faltered. Twenty-Armed Goddess, she was so tired.

“What do you need?” He gently nudged her tail with his foot.

“Can I go back inside and sleep?”

Worry pinched his brow. “Won’t you feel trapped in there?”

That was a concern, but what choice did she have? “I’m exposed out here.”

“Right. What if I open the windows and prop open the door? Would that feel better?”

She nodded. Not just spaces she could “escape” through, but smelling and hearing the ocean might keep her from feeling trapped in the first place.

She waited outside while he worked on opening his home.

When he came back, he crouched beside her, holding out his arms. “Come on. I’m not going to make you crawl.”

That made her smile. He was so thoughtful, so attentive, and each time he said or did something that showed he valued her despite their differences was another little hook in her heart, pulling her to him.

He carried her back to his bed, and when he sat her down, she grabbed his forearm. “Stay.”

It had been a while since she’d slept curled up against another—her sister, her friends. There was a simple comfort to it that she missed, a promise of peaceful sleep, and a reminder that no matter how hard things got, there was still always this. There was always each other.

Nireed needed some of that now.

Reid hesitated, his gaze darting between himself, her, and the bed.

“Please.” She pulled gently.

And then he nodded. Either to himself, or her, she couldn’t be sure, but he slid in next to her, and she draped an arm across his bare chest, propping her wounded side against him for support. He flinched a little, his heart rate speeding up, but he wrapped an arm around her and snuggled in.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Anytime, Starfish.” He rubbed her shoulder, the motion pressing her closer. “Whatever you need.”

She nuzzled into his body’s warmth and promptly fell asleep.

Chapter

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