‘What do we do?’
Zyke has been so silent inside me, coiled in a knot of scales and frills, watching through big, green eyes. The erratic beat of his indecision pulsing through my blood and bones.
‘Soft little mate safe in sparkly rut hut.Notsafe in too still sea. Zykanth swim real fast with big strong tail. Check on treasured one. Find soft little mate sparkly rock for big sorry. Little man poke soft little mate with tiny love stick. Soft little mate make big forgive.’
Fuck.
I need to speak with her. At leasttryto make her understand.
I push up, spinning. Heart stilling at the sight of Vicious cresting the rise of steps.
Her hair is a wild dash of disarray, eyes like rising suns—still heavy from sleep as her snowy brows pull together. Confusion stains her stare, and she looks to the drop behind me, back again.
My skin pebbles, responding to her nearness like the sea tides to the moon.
She shakes her head, and the two halves of my heart fall away from each other.
She knows I’m leaving.
“I have to, Vicious …” I steal a step forward, crushing the space between us while she looks at me through wide eyes. “I must help a treasured one. You stay. I go.Dangerous.”
Toodangerous for her.
“Mine,” she growls, shaking her head, tears slipping down her flushed cheeks as she steps forward and tips onto her toes, then takes my face in her hands. “Mine!”
The hurt in her eyes plows through my layers like a fucking gaff.
“Yes,” I rasp. “Yours.I’ll returnsoon.” My determination to outrun the hungry waters will also get me back. To her. “You stay.Safe.Nothing can get you here so long as you stay out of the water.”
Confusion swims in her glistening eyes, then her expression hardens, upper lip peeling back as a snarl builds in the back of her throat. “Come.”
My lungs compact.
Come …
The second word she’s ever spoken and it’s another spear through my fucking chest. Because I want her to come more than anything. Want to take her to my trove and show her my treasures.
She’s my chosen. I want to go everywhere with her—always.
Forever.
But there’s a hungry beast lurking in the water. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her because I lured her away from her safety net.
“Come!” she screams, the words clawing at me as she paws at my face, my arms. As she nuzzles into my chest.
‘Little chosen one thinks big strong. One chomp, gone.’
A pained sound rips up my throat.
I walk her back against the crystal until we’re a clash of hard and soft, and take her face in my hands, looking down into her wide eyes. “You can’t, Vicious. Youcan’t.”
Her features scrunch up, and I feel my heart do the same.
I dip my face into her neck and press a kiss to her flesh—
She shoves at my chest so hard I stumble back toward the edge, heaving breath, looking into wild eyes.
‘Hmm. Little chosen one bit strong …’
