“O-ho! What’s this? You hate mornings,” Elliot leaned in close to inspect her.
“Quit that!” Tempest hissed, turning pink. “I’m allowed to be in a good mood from time to time.”
His dark eyes zeroed in on her face. “Not in my experience. You look…surprisingly well rested this morning.”
“I- that’s ridiculous. I’m the same as always,” she grumbled, knowing the flush of her cheeks revealed her lies to someone as perceptive as her partner.
“Yes. Ridiculous,” Elliot drawled, tossing her a wink. “Let’s go feed the rescues and get to work!”
The sea lion shifter took her by the arm and pulled her with him toward the indoor tanks and outdoor pens where their
93
injured and recovering marine animals lived during their time at the Wildlife Rescue.
Sighing, Tempest did her best to keep up with his hurried pace and rolled her eyes, pretending she wasn’t enjoying every second of it just as much.
This part was easily her favorite of the job—not all days ended with a live rescue or marine animal interaction in the wild, but visiting the rescues their marine biologists were tending to meant she got some one-on-one time with a few of the friendlier animals.
Currently, they were looking after a pair of otters, an injured dolphin, a baby stingray whose mother had been killed, and one sea turtle.
“Good morning, doctors,” called Elliot cheerfully.
While everyone else said their pleasantries, Tempest made a bee-line for the tank with a little orphaned stingray. The biologists kept a bucket of shrimp on hand to feed him. Without hesitation, she scooped up a handful and stuck her arm into the water.
At the far side of the tank, the stingray turned toward the splash. When he realized she had food for him, he darted forward. It took only moments for him to swoop over to her and devour the handful of little shrimp. It tickled when he mouthed at her hand, searching for more.
Gently, Tempest reached down with her other hand and rubbed the top of his head, the spot above the middle of his eyes. Thestingray nuzzled her hand enthusiastically, bumping his head into her palm repeatedly. A happy little chirping noise came from the little guy as she continued to pet him.
“There you go, buddy,” she said softly. “You just needed some attention, huh?”
She couldn’t help the way this orphaned stingray called to her; somehow, he seemed to know she belonged to the sea just as much as he did. The desire to slip into the tank with him and swim for a while felt nearly irresistible. If Tempest didn’t need to get to work patrolling the seas, she would have gladly spent the day with this small stingray.
Alas, being an adult sometimes meant you couldn’t just play with cute animals who wanted your company and attention.
“Are you ready to go?” Elliot called out, and she nodded.
Together, they walked past the lab and research center to the garage where the rescue boats were stored. Tempest confirmed she had all their supplies for another hot day out on the water: granola bars, water, electrolytes, first aid kit, and a flare gun. They were a well-oiled machine at this point, with him inspecting the boat and checking the coastguard required life vests.
It took only a few minutes before they were both seated in their “floating office” and heading out of the garage toward the open waters. She tipped her face toward the sun and closed her eyes as they slipped out into the sunny summer day.
“I can’t imagine any other kind of life,” Tempest whispered into the silence.
“Me, neither,” he whispered back. “Can you imagine hiding your magic from the mundane and working in some stuffy office?”
She shook her head, laughing. “I certainly can’t see you doing that!”
“Like you’d fare any better under those conditions,” Elliotchuckled as he called her out.
“We aren’t meant for land,” said Tempest, a wistful smile taking over her face. “This is where we belong.”
“Yes, it is,” he replied, his grin growing wider by the second.
Just like that, they settled into their usual companionable silence. Elliot seemed to be lost in his thoughts more in recent days, but it didn’t bother her. Whatever was on his mind was his business, and he would share it with her when he felt ready.
In the meantime, she sat in the quiet, soaking up the warm sunshine and replaying her day at the Boardwalk with Reed. Somehow, in the span of a few days, the merman had gotten under her skin—his presence brought her more comfort than she had felt in so long. How could a virtual stranger feel like safety, trust, and hope?
Yet he did. There was no point in denying her feelings, the way her body and mind responded to him. Last night had been the best sleep she’d had in such a long time. Waking up feeling rested was a rare experience for Tempest these days, yet Reed had made sleeping seem effortless.
