Page 49 of Oceansong
“What’s wrong?”
“A slight ache in my lungs. It’s where we store our magic, and it happens when we grant landwalkers the gift. The pain will fade.”
Her eyebrows creased with concern. “I just don’t want you to die while I’m down here. I’ll be lost and wouldn’t know how to help you.”
He took her other hand and turned her around to face him, his grip tightening. “I’ll be fine.”
Angie nodded, and her neck tipped back as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes didn’t sting from the salt, and she saw as well as if she had her scuba mask on. At least, before it fogged.
Still, the seas were unnervingly devoid of life.
Save for a stray sea lion who passed through, stopping briefly to assessthem before moving on. The seabed started sloping downward, and when Angie peered over, Kaden’s tail kicked up a large rock, sweeping it down the slope. It bounced and dropped into an endless abyss.
Angie gulped. It was a reminder of just how vast, how deep, and how mysterious the sea was.
A forceful current barreled into her and swept her out. She grasped Kaden’s forearms to stay in place, and he reached around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
“Kaden.” His name came out breathy and gentle. Their noses brushed together, and his long, thick lashes fluttered with a quick blink. Her head swam like a gallivanting fish, and she pulled back. A beam of sunlight filtered through, bathing him in an ethereal light. His eyes lit like they held a sunset within. He looked so natural—of course he did, this was his home—and she hated to admit, he was stunning.
The waves swept back his thick, jet-black hair, and his cheeks glowed under piercing blades of sunlight. His eyes roved over her face, as if taking in and memorizing each of her features. His muscles tensed as he slid one hand to the base of her skull.
“I—” Angie struggled to find her next words.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m afraid if we do this, I won’t be able to hold myself back anymore. I’m already feeling things I don’t want to feel.”
“What makes you think I’m not feeling the same?” Kaden reached behind her and ran a lock of her hair through his fingers. “I have been wanting to do this for a while. If you would allow me, I would like to kiss you. An actual kiss, this time.”
She had hardly finished saying, “Okay,” when a small noise of pleasure escaped her throat once he lowered his head and locked her lips with his. Her eyes drifted close, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss. Blood rushed into her ears, pounding inside and making her feel as if she temporarily lost her senses, all but her sense of touch. Kaden’s skin was pearl-like under her fingertips, his lips sensual and pillowy as they moved with hers.
As they floated in the water, he wrapped his tail around her legs, keeping her close. Her mouth opened in tandem with his, tongues searching until they entangled with one another. Kaden pulled back, purportedly for a breath. Even though he breathed through his gills.
Wanting, no, needing more, Angie cupped his cheeks and pulled him to her again. He tasted of sharp salt, burning and puckering her lips, but she couldn’t get enough.
She put one hand on his neck, and he jerked his head back, wincing.
Her finger poked one of his gills while it opened. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
“I will live.” A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “It’s, ah, sensitive there.”
“I’ll—well, I’ll put my hand…” She fumbled around the base of his neck and his shoulders. He took her hand and interlaced her fingers with his.
His free hand slid up to her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, and he kissed her again. Blissful delirium overtook her until she had to take a breath, panting when their mouths parted, their bodies pressed flush.
“While I want to do this all day,” he whispered against her lips where a contented smile played, “I promised to show you to your mother.”
“Yeah, let’s g-get going.” Her tongue was no longer tangled with his, but she found herself tongue-tied all the same. He methodically unwound his tail from her legs.
A Dungeness crab skittered by, its large claw narrowly missing her face, and she twisted her torso to the side. She clung to his hand as they descended deeper, deeper, deeper.
A new sensation emerged. She smelled everything around her: whiffs of the salty tang of the sea and the earthy aroma of sediment. The scents were a welcome change from her rubber scuba mask.
The uneven edges of emerald and crimson seaweed blades brushed against her, soft whispers tickling her bare hands and feet. The sensation was acute and so close on her skin, and a thrill raced through her limbs.
The seafloor became sparser, her surroundings ever darker as they plunged further into the midnight zone.
Thank goodness she trusted Kaden, and didn’t use her equipment.
