Page 17 of Fionn
There was no way I could outswim him. He'd already proven that he was both faster and stronger than me.
How was he doing that? I was an almost-Olympic athlete, one of the fastest swimmers in the country. And how was he surviving underwater without a breathing apparatus?
Without warning, he swam towards the surface. His body barely moved, yet he arrived before I'd even started swimming upwards. With a few strong strokes I joined him. Breaking through the surface felt like tiny victory. I was no longer reliant on the oxygen tank. Up here, I could breathe.
I removed the mouthpiece and immediately swallowed salt water. I spat, then glared at the man.
"What the fuck? Why would you do that?"
His expression didn't change. If anything, it became more passive. "I am Kelon. And you are mine."
9
Fionn
Kelon didn't join us for breakfast. We had our morning meal on board the Tidebound, surrounded by other crew members. The atmosphere was loaded. Everyone had been disgruntled and angry ever since Kelon had announced that only him and the three of us were allowed to disembark. Even Captain Maggnus had to stay on board. Him and Kelon were chiselled from the same coral, haughty and arrogant, but if this situation continued for much longer, I could see the captain switch sides. Kelon had been worried about a mutiny from the very beginning. Maybe he had been right.
I didn't know what side I'd choose if it came to it. Kelon had shown his true colours in the past few sunpasses. He had no respect for females, no matter if finfolk or Peritan. The only person in the universe that he cared about was himself. Maybe that's why he'd been chosen for adoption by the matriarch. He'd make a good politician.
Rainse pointed at a group of finmen huddled around a table on the other side of the galley. "They're plotting something."
I nodded. "We shouldn't stay here for much longer. I really want to follow the dating agency's plans, but it isn't safe. If they all decide to leave the ship, there's no way of stopping them. We're outnumbered. Kelon must know that."
"Have you seen him at all? He was very broody when we returned here last night."
"Isn't he always. I think I'll have a chat with Pam today. Maybe there's a way to accelerate the process. Add the other males' details to their database so they won't feel left out."
Rainse frowned. "I don't think some of them should have females. They're behaving like spoilt hatchlings."
"That's not our decision to make, though. They should have the same chance as us, don't you think?"
"I don't. Maybe there's a reason why our species is in decline. Maybe it's not just down to climate change, maybe we deserve it."
I put an arm around his shoulders. "Even if that were so, you deserve a female, my brother. And you will find the one for you. I feel it in my greenskin."
A twinkle appeared in his eye. "My greenskin felt a lot of things when I listened to Elise last night. If all Peritan females have that effect on me..."
Something cold and sour suddenly appeared in my chest. "She's not yours."
Rainse looked at me curiously. "Do you think she's yours?"
I knew it. Felt it. But how could I put that intense feeling into words? The urge to protect her no matter what, the desire to wrap myself around her, our bodies touching, becoming one, feeling her lips against mine, our souls linked until the end of time... Yes, she was mine. No doubt about it. I didn't need a DNA test to know that.
"If she is, you should act, brother," Rainse said softly. "Before Kelon does."
Whatever I was about to say was lost when Thallus, one of the more reliable crew members, came rushing into the galley.
"There's a Peritan outside with an urgent message!"
The room fell silent. Everyone seemed to be looking for Kelon. In his absence, I decided to take charge.
I stood, facing Thallus. "I will deal with it."
I ignored the murmurs of protest and hurried to the closest airlock. I knew Rainse would hold the fort until my return.
* * *
Paul stood outside along with a Peritan female dressed in a skintight black outfit that covered her entire body, even her head. She had a strange contraption on her back and a set of flippers in her hand.
