Page 48 of A Sea of Secrets
“Kendra texted me when you didn’t answer the messages sent to your cuff. She wants you to meet her by the lake.”
“And she can’t wait a bit longer?” I eyed him off as I soaped myself… slowly. “I think you missed a few spots.” The soap slipped over my breasts. “Here.” I trailed it down. “Here.”
His sea-green eyes turned molten as he took a step closer. “I didn’t want to get in the way of secret mermaid business, so I thought I’d check in on the sleeping sea slugs. But who am I to deny the call of a sexy siren when I see one?”
I laughed. “Back in the shower. Now.”
He was halfway across the room when a loud knock sounded on the bathroom door, followed by, “Bitch, listening to your weird sexy sea talk is one thing, but I am not waiting for you to bang in the shower,” Kendra called. “Also, what is it with you guys and showers? Sheesh!”
My cheeks reddened. “How long have you been waiting there?”
“Long enough,” she answered sweetly.
“Ugh.”
Zane laughed, then held out a towel for me as I stepped out of the shower. “We’ll continue this later,” he whispered as he grabbed my ass and hauled me to his chest. “I’m going to make you cum so hard you won’t be swimming straight.”
With that, he threw open the door, his own towel abandoned on the rack, and stood in front of Kendra with his hands on his hips.
“Mornin’,” he said cheerfully.
“For fuck’s sake, Zane,” she screeched, covering her eyes. “Why?”
I laughed, not even bothered by his open display of nudity. It was just so… Zane.
He was out of the room in a minute, clothed, much to Kendra’s relief, which gave me enough time to throw on a baggy pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and drag a brush through my hair.
“Is he always that confident?” Kendra asked. She shook her head. “Who am I kidding, it’s Zane we’re talking about, of coursehe is.” She shook her head again with a smile. “Here. Morning fuel. Careful, it’s—”
“Coffee,” I said in a demonic voice. Safe to say it was snatched up and the first gulp was halfway down my throat before I winced.
“Hot,” she finished with an eye roll. “Come on, weirdo, we’re going to the lake.”
I continued making a few happy little grumbles as we made our way outside, both of us content to walk in comfortable quiet for a while. The grounds were empty, with most Potentials likely still getting much-needed rest after our return yesterday afternoon. Or, you know, it could be the fact that there were so precious few of us left.
Kendra must have been thinking the same thing because when we’d finally made it to the lake and settled on a couple of rocks near the bank, she shook her head. “It’s so quiet,” she said softly. “Even the birds don’t want to sing.”
“It’s been a tiring time for us all. I don’t blame them.”
She looked at me carefully. “How are you doing? I mean, really.”
I stared across the still water to the trees on the other side. “I’m… managing. Sort of.”
It wasn’t really an answer, but honestly, between the trial and Victoria’s death, it was a blessing just to be alive.
“Do you want to talk about it all?”
A gentle offer. I knew Kendra was worried, but she wouldn’t push unless she was truly concerned that I’d have some kind of psychotic break or was at risk of doing something crazy. I shrugged, which was much too casual for all the emotions and thoughts raging inside.
“My sister is gone. I hated her for so long and had already mourned the absence of the person I loved forever ago. Butstill… I miss her. Is that weird? Is it weird to miss something you didn’t really have?”
“I don’t think so. She was two faces of a very complicated coin. It’s okay to miss someone even if they did bad things. It’s also okay to yearn for what could have been.”
I nodded. “That’s just it. I can’t help but think if we’d had the time, we might have been able to fix whatever fucked-up shit Victrus did to her. We might have gotten the real Victoria back. We’re also no closer to figuring out who the hooded attacker is.”
“We’ll get him, Fallon. And once we do, I know a few guys who can get answers out of him.”
“Oh, we won’t be needing them,” I said with an edge of bitterness. “My father ensured I have the skills necessary to… gain leverage over our enemies.”
