Page 37 of Catch of a Lifetime
Because it was better to shift between forms, healing a little more each time, when he was safe and in his own territory? My house was Dave’s territory, I was under no illusions there.
Or…
I threw an arm over my eyes and blew out a short, frustrated breath.
Because he wanted to be with me.
He’d stayed until the sea had forced his return, the same way it did every autumn. I’d recognised the signs, hadn’t I? The dull hair and skin. The distance growing between us.
I moved my arm and stared up at the stars.
It was fine. We’d get through this. He was healing faster now he was out at sea. Now that he was eating properly.
Sometimes the flashes I got were through his eyes. Sometimes they were of him. Those ones showed me how fast he was, how easily he cut through the water; twisting and turning, darting and diving as he chased his prey. They showed me that his wounds had healed to harsh, raspberry-pink lines criss-crossing his abdomen and upper body. The bruising still mottled his torso and left him patchy but it was, I thought, fainter.
And his face…
It wasn’t the face of my playful, sexual Dave. It was the face of a predator. Of a creature on a mission.
The temperature had dropped as full night drew in, and I shivered in a sudden cold wind. I got to my feet and headed inside, pausing to take one last look out across the headland and to the sea. The sky was a deep indigo, freckled with silvery pinpricks. The colour of Dave’s eyes.
You couldn’t see the stars during the day but they were there nonetheless.
Dave wasn’t here with me yet, but he would be.
Hewouldbe.
Once a predator knowswhere to get easy food, he’ll go back for it.
So it wasn’t the biggest surprise when Dave decided that theMary Janewas fair game.
I’d just finished doing my usual morning routine at the computer. I leaned back in my padded office chair, took a sip of coffee while gazing out of the window at the cool grey mist that had swept in from the sea at dawn and would be on its way by lunch, and did my hourly check on Dave.
I couldn’t do it more often than that. I’d learned the hard way that it gave me severe vertigo, followed by a migraine, followed by a miserable hour or two on my knees, cradling the toilet in the bathroom.
It was strange to think that I’d barely ever used our link before this year. Then again, I hadn’t had any need to. Dave was with me most of the time, and when he wasn’t, I was secure inthe knowledge that he would be soon. Once he left for the year, it didn’t work anyway.
I thought that a quick peek every hour was reasonable. Dave was doing his own thing on his own timetable but dammit, even if he wasn’t here with me where he belonged, I’d at least seize every available opportunity to see his beloved face.
I’d also seen a lot of things I’d rather not have, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Today, he was back to stealing Jerry’s catch, and Jerry was indeed having those words he’d threatened to have.
I couldn’t hear exactly what Jerry was saying, although I could guess. He was yelling angrily over the side of theMary Jane, and he got a face full of water for his trouble. His eyes were in furious little slits and he leaned threateningly over the gunwale, waving his arms around with lots of pointing and gesticulating. TheMary Janewallowed in the choppy sea, and Jerry nearly went overboard.
I heard a shout of caution as Patrick appeared behind Jerry, hauling him away from the gunwale. The brothers yelled at each other. Vinny joined in.
Dave joined in.
He dove deep, powered up, and slammed into the bottom of the trawler with a great boom that I somehowfelt.
When he broke through the surface, Patrick and Vinny were shouting, their voices shrill and panicked, and Jerry was gone.
I stood up, knocking my chair over as I clapped my hand to the scar and all but throttled myself trying to see.
Jerry fell through the water. His stout, flailing figure grew closer and clearer as Dave sliced through the distance between them, wound around him in one sinuous twist, and shot the pair of them back up to the surface.
Jerry sucked in a breath, and one more, and then he unleashed an absolute tirade on Dave, who watched Jerry for amoment as he bobbed about in the waves like a little cork, then put a hand on top of his head and ducked him.
