Page 161 of Bewitched By the Sea Monster
“Oh, hun, that’s a lie if I ever heard one,” Melany said.
“Alrighty. Well”—Sarah scooted to my left side, Melany to my right—“let’s see what we can do to save your friend.” They linked their arms through mine.
Gratitude ballooned in my chest, nearly choking me. “Thank you.”
Melany patted my arm.
But the little comfort I’d suckled from them perished as we started walking. Because radioactive panic spilled into my chest.
Alistair’s.
It was thin, with him so far away, but he’d been scared enough to shoot his emotions clean across the sea and land.
My stomach twisted itself into a pretzel.
Hold on, Alistair!
Caleb sat alone in Brew& Bites, nursing a beer that’d already gone flat, looking a little glum and a lot irritated.
But he exuded calm. Even when I rushed up to him and started babbling my story, Caleb’s emotions stayed steady. When he took my cold, shaking hand between his warm, calloused ones, some of my panic ebbed.
He didn’t prod or question anything. Just listened, and jumped into action as soon as I’d finished.
“The ruddin’ sods tookLegacyas well,” he said as he led me through Brew & Bites, barreling into the RESTRICTED: ISLE STAFF ONLYdoors.
“Legacy?” I asked.
“The ship they use for the tours,” he amended.
“Oh.”
Some of the isle attendants, noticing we’d burst into their corner of the building, sputtered and tried to wave us out of the area.
Caleb ignored them.
“There’s a boat somewhere, though? Right?” I had to jog to keep up as Caleb cut through a rather dingy-looking cafeteria and lounge. The floors here were a slate grey streaked with black scuffmarks from the employees’ shoes. Ratty furniture dottedthe area—couches, recliners, tables and chairs that looked like they’d spent a chunk of time festering on a curbside.
“There’s not,” Caleb had gruffed.
My heart sank. “But…how…”
He shoved against a door on the far side of the lounge and pulled me into a massive storage room.
As the flame sconces flicked to life, illuminating the rows of supplies, Caleb took me to a rack in the center of the room, where life vests and floatation devices hung.
Oh no.
My stomach plopped stickily.
“This’ll keep ye floatin’.” Caleb popped a life vest off its hanger. “And this’ll take us out to sea.” He handed me one of the round floatation devices. “They’re enchanted, mind. Dunna rightly know how it works, but they’re made to go to the isle or the ship. Takin’ ye somewhere safe and the like. We may have to force them away from the isle since they’ll be thinkin’ we’re already safe.” He slung one of the life vests over his shoulder. “But we’ll get to yer beast. One way or another.”
Stars, this man was a blessing, wasn’t he? A true gentleman. A shining example of the male species. We needed a hundred more like him.
Which was why I wasn’t willing to risk the one our societydidhave.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “But I…I think I should go alone. I—” Thin tendrils of Alistair’s fear still gyrated in my belly. “I’d hate to put you in the middle of this. When I don’t know what they’re doing, or what it’ll do to him. I should go alone.”
Caleb paused. “No. I dunna like that, lassie. What if yer hurt, eh?”
