Page 87 of Citrine

"What is your word for something that you want to keep looking at? Something that makes you feel pleased to have your eyes on it?" I ask her.

She stills, some of the anger leaving her. "Beautiful."

"You arebeautiful."

Her mouth drops open, then closes, then opens again. She looks like a fish.

A sound like she makes when she is pleased escapes my throat. A rising and falling cry that surprises me, but also feels good.

Maybe I am the one taking her voice now.

I wrap my tentacles around her, squeezing her tightly. She stares back in defiance, but doesn't fight against my hold.

All of this because she can no longer eat her nasty plants? What's wrong with eating food like me?

"You aren't allowed to hurt yourself. Those plants are hurting you."

"Screwthedamn deal! It was made under the assumption that I'mhuman. Do I lookhumanto you, Wroahk?"

"I do not know what that is supposed to look like."

"Of course you don't. If this is really a dream, I would love to wake up right now."

Her voice softens at the end. I stop squeezing and gently place her down.

I watch her skin closely, worried she will dry out. Seeing the cracks on her skin, I reach out again and carry her with me, taking extracareand take her inside the water. Submerged, all she can do is release air bubbles, but it doesn't look like she wants to talk, anyway.

I take her down to the cave and wrap myself around her.

I have never felt like this before, but I feel a need to say something to her to make her feel her. I search my head for words, but I can't find any.

I've always lived alone, and I thought I would remain like that until I died. Skills like that were always useless.

Now, I have her. Thehumanwith thekindtouch. I don't want the warmth of her skin to disappear.

After a moment, she returns my embrace, her limbs holding me tightly and her new yellow tentacles wrapping around my chest as she trembles.

"You are weak and confused. I do not know how you feel, but I have seen prey lose their minds because of these emotions. You doubt yourself because you are used to being weak, but you must understand that you have gained strength. You cannot be strong with the head of weak prey. You must accept your own strength and keep living."

I will not let go of herkindness.

She looks up at me. She isn't angry anymore and I can see what was hiding behind it now. Fear.

The best way to avoid that is to feel strong.

"You should get used to hunting. I can show you how."

She shakes her head vigorously. I move closer, pausing to give her time to say no, and then move to give her akiss.

She responds with violence, but not to hit me to tell me to stop. Her teeth almost puncture the skin near my teeth, her arms wrap around me, and she pulls me close with her graspers. With thiskiss, I feel…

The best feeling ever, though there is no name for it.

She fights for dominance with her tongue and squeezes me with her weak arms. Her lower limbs attack my tentacles, but I have no trouble against them. I want her to struggle more. I want her to fight me more.

I want to taste the fury in her blood.

She moves her lower limbs so they squeeze me tight,kissingme and nipping at me with her teeth, then pushes me away, her grasper rubbing at her lip where it is already healing from where she caught it on one of my teeth.

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