Adonis inched closer until he reached the end of the board. The oar was still in his hand; Connor saw its distorted shape under the water.
“I need that back,” Connor said, his voice coming out calmer than he felt.
Adonis lifted his hand to the back of the board, and he pushed. Connor’s centre of balance jerked to the side; he barely caught himself from falling into the ocean. Adonis waited until Connor gripped the sides of the board before he pushed again. Within a few seconds, they were gliding through the water faster than Connor had been able to row on the journey out when he’d been full of energy.
Connor swallowed.
Keeping a good hold and widening his knees to keep centre of gravity low, he held out his hand. “Can I have the oar?”
Adonis glanced at him.
“The oar.” Connor pointed to where Adonis held it in his other hand. He had a spare in case he lost his in an emergency, but he didn’t dare take it out in case Adonis snatched that one from him, too. He was not so far from the shore that he couldn’t swim in, but that would leave him at the mercy of Adonis.
Adonis seemed to realise what he wanted. His top lip curled back, and he hissed.
Connor held his nerve. There was no going back either way. “Adonis, give it back.”
Adonis hissed again.
“Give it back.”
The hiss faded.
“The oar, Adonis.”
Adonis glared at him. They slowed, coming to a stop, and Adonis angrily slapped the oar onto the board. Connor only just gripped it before Adonis set both hands onto the back of the paddleboard and they surged forwards.
Connor breathed out in relief.
With Adonis functioning as an engine, what had taken Connor close to twenty-five minutes to travel was accomplished in ten. His house came into view.
“Adonis, stop,” Connor called. He stretched out, tapping Adonis’s hands so he didn’t powerboat them right past his destination. “I’m going here.” Connor pointed to the dock.
Adonis looked first, then easily turned the board in that direction. He brought them in slowly, stopping when they were a few feet out from the shoreline. Adonis swam to Connor’s side, glancing between him and the beach.
Connor was only a few feet away from the dock but was reluctant to close the distance. “I’ll come out again tomorrow,” he promised. He still didn’t know if Adonis understood exactly what he was saying, but he’d seen enough to know that he had a general grasp of what Connor was trying to communicate, at least. He’d given him the oar back, after all.
Connor took it out now and Adonis tensed. His eyes flashed dangerously. This time, Connor lifted the oar up, out of Adonis’s reach, just as he lunged for it. Adonis’s hand grasped empty air, and he caught the edge of the paddleboard with a frustrated hiss, eyes fixed on the oar.
“Stop it,” Connor said.
Adonis sank back, leaving only his eyes above the water. He swam to the back of the board and grabbed it. He shook the board, making Connor yelp and wobble, and then Adonis gestured between himself and the spot where he held the board. Adonis ended the display with a lip-curling sneer at the oar.
“Was I struggling so much that you think it’s an enemy?” Connor asked, finding that he couldn’t stop his smile. “Look, I’m just going to the dock. Don’t grab it out of my hands, okay?” Connor gave Adonis his best,don’t you dare,look before dipping the oar into the water and guiding the paddleboard to the dock.
Adonis followed with his hands on the back of the board the whole time, and when Connor peeked at him, his eyes were fixed on the oar in a murderous glare.
Connor grinned. Once the dock was within reach, he paused. “You’ll have to let go,” he said. He twisted around and sank his feet into the water as he sat backwards on the board. “It’s too shallow for you past here.”
Adonis didn’t let go of the board.
Connor slowly rowed in, and it wasn’t until he was halfway down the length of the dock that Adonis’s expression changed. He looked down into the water and made an unhappy noise in his throat. He tensed, and Connor worried that he was about to be pulled into deeper waters. Instead of dragging him out as Connor feared, Adonis let go of the board. Staying in place as Connor continued to shore.
Adonis watched him mournfully from the water and made a keening noise in his throat.
Connor had spent only one afternoon with him, but Adonis’s heartbreak at being left behind made his own heart squeeze painfully. As soon as he was on the beach, he pulled the board onto the sand and trotted down the dock. “I’m not gone, okay? Don’t make that sound. I’m going to feel too guilty to leave you if you do.”
Adonis’s expression brightened.
