Page 26 of Rainse
Verity stepped forward. "It's just a cracked rib, nothing to worry about. But if you have a way for me off this island, I would be very grateful." She shot a dark look at me. "It seems Rainse forgot to mention that there are other routes to safety that don't involve swimming through dangerous currents and shark-infested waters."
I knew Fionn well enough to know that he was struggling with his self-control. He knew I'd kept the truth from Verity. And he didn't support that decision.
"Give me a moment to explain everything, brother. I thought... I thought I'd have more time."
His gaze softened. "I will go for a swim. I saw an interesting swarm of fish nearby that I want to take a closer look at. And Rainse... Make sure you tell her everything."
I swallowed hard as I watched him wade back into the water. I wasn't ready. Verity wasn't ready to hear the truth yet. If I told her now that she was my mate, she'd run. She didn't feel the bond the same way I did - none of the humans ever did. And once we got back to the island, they'd separate us until our mate bond had been verified by science. For that, Verity would have to consent to give a DNA sample. Would she even want to do that? And if she did, it would take several sunpasses for the results to come back. I couldn't be parted from her for that long. I just couldn't.
"Everything," Verity said sternly, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Spill the beans."
"Beans?"
"It's an expression. It means, tell me everything. Now."
I sighed. "I will. Under one condition."
"I don't think you're in any state to make demands. Not after what your brother implied. But... I'll hear it."
"Promise me you will listen. Don't get up, don't run away, don't ask Fionn to take you to the other island until I've finished. Please."
She cocked her head to the side as she considered my words. Then, after a small eternity, she nodded.
"I will listen."
10
Verity
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when I told him to “spill the beans.” Probably some explanation about alien culture or why he’d dragged me to this particular sandbank. I hadn’t expected him to look as if he’d rather face a hurricane than talk to me.
Rainse sat opposite me, elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles had gone pale green. For once, he didn’t try to meet my eyes. The only sound between us was the low hush of waves licking at the shore.
“You said you’d listen,” he began quietly.
“I am.”
He nodded once, as if steadying himself. “Among my people, when two lives are… meant to be entwined, the sea recognises it. We call it the bond. It isn’t magic. It’s biology, or maybe chemistry. I'm not a scientist like you. It tells us when we’ve found the person we’re meant to be with. To protect. To love.”
Love. The word settled somewhere deep inside my heart.
“So, you’re saying this is predetermined?” I asked. “Like some kind of built-in compatibility test?"
“Not predetermined,” he said. “Recognised. Our finfolk scientists can confirm it through DNA once both partners consent, and there is one human lab that can now do the same, but most of us know before that. Our bodies… react. We feel it.”
“React how?”
He hesitated, searching for words that wouldn’t sound ridiculous. "It's a pull. Magnetic. A finman will always know where his mate is, without having to open his eyes. And when mates touch each other's greenskin... it's hard to describe. But it's intense. Overwhelming. If my brothers were to touch my greenskin, it feels no different from being touched elsewhere. But if a mate does it - again, I don't have words for it."
I thought of how I'd felt last night when I'd stood guard by his side. There had been this static between us, whenever I'd touched him. I'd put it down to the jellyfish reaction, but maybe... And how this morning I'd known exactly that he was right next to me, way before I'd opened my eyes. But... No. It couldn't be.
I wasn't an alien's mate. I wasn't in love with him. I wasn't. Right?
I refused to examine the emotions bubbling up in me. They were caused by gratitude for him saving me from the shark. From the isolation, the drama, the injury. I felt a connection to him because we'd been isolated together on this islet. That was all. The only explanation that made sense.
"I'd like to think," I said quietly, "that you are just explaining this to teach me about your people, about the finfolk. And not because there is a bigger reason for it. But there is, isn't there?"
He smiled at me through his thick lashes. Something inside me melted. "Yes, there is. I felt it even before I first touched you. I knew it the moment I heard your voice from far away, amplified by the ocean. I've never swum so fast in my life. I had to get to you. See the person who had made me feel a connection that I had almost given up on. And then there you were, in danger, exhausted, cold, threatened by a hungry sea creature. And I knew I had to save you... but I also couldn't take you back to the island with me."
