“You’re the one with the so-called magic touch, right?” she asked, a little sheepishly. “Unless I’ve just been begging some random guy—” she went red. “Oh no, are you not the owner? Of course you’re not, the owner is apparently an octopus shifter and I don’t see any tentacles. You must have been his last client. I’m sorry for talking your ear off, I—”
“Stop,” was all I said, holding up a hand to cut her off before she could keep rambling, because her talking wasn’t doing her any favors.
“Kara,” Mina cut in, like she knew I was about to say something rude—which I absolutely was—“this is Octavius Yasu. He’s amazing at what he does and can definitely help. Octavius, this is Kara Thompson.”
Kara offered me a small smile that looked a little forced. “Oh, so youarethe guy. Nice to meet you Mr. Yasu.”
“Octavius,” I corrected, dipping my chin once in acknowledgment. “You’re new to the cove I hear?”
“Yes,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind one ear, though it didn’t quite stay there. “I just bought the little cottage up near the cliffs, and, well... the refurbishment hasn’t been easy.”
The cottage on the cliffs?
I thought that place had been condemned years ago. It was basically one strong storm away from collapsing into the sea, but suddenly things were starting to make sense. If I had invested even a single dime into thatdeath trap, I’d be carrying tension like a second skin too. And she... she didn’t exactly look like someone who specialized in home improvement.
She wasn’t just tense. She looked like she was barely holding herself together, and whether it was from simply being new in town or from her bad investment causing all that anxiety I felt in the air, I couldn’t be sure. Either way, it was clear she was crawling in her own skin under the weight of it. And I knew I couldn’t let her walk out of here carrying all of that for another day.
I should have told her no. I should have sent her away and told her to come back tomorrow, when Iactuallyhad the capacity to take on whatever she was carrying. But even though I was already close to my limit, I could take a little more. Stress from a rebuild was a lot, but manageable. I could fit it in, as long as I made it to the cove tonight.
I exhaled slowly. “Come with me.”
Kara let out a breath, clearly caught off guard. “That means yes?”
“It means come with me before I change my mind.”
She moved immediately, following me into the back room as I silently cursed myself for agreeing to this in the first place.
“This is beautiful,” she said, her voice softer now as she stepped inside, her gaze drifting along the walls as her fingers brushed lightly over the carved patterns of rolling waves etched into the wood, small details most people overlooked entirely.
“It’s not designed for beauty. It’s designed to make you feel comfortable and calm,” I said, trying to keep the edge out of myvoice. It wasn’t her fault I had suddenly developed a bleeding heart and taken her in at the last minute.
“Well,” she said lightly, like she was tiptoeing around my mood, which only made me feel like more of a dick, “you nailed it.”
“I know,” was all I said, trying to get through the evening.
I turned away, crossing to the side table and selecting a bottle of oil infused with sea fennel and white kelp, something mild and suitable for a first-time client. I set it beside the folded towels before gesturing toward the massage bed.
“Take your coat off, then lie face down here.”
She obeyed, though not before glancing once more around the room, her gaze lingering just long enough to suggest she wasn’t simply taking in the space. It looked like she was mapping it, noting doors, windows, or the lack of them, like she was studying possible exits. The kind of awareness that came from habit, not curiosity.
I wasn’t interested in small talk though, I just wanted to get this over with. Still, I found myself watching as she carefully slipped out of her coat, trying not to stare too long. Even if she was an inconvenience, she was nice to look at.
Her dress looked like something out of the 1950s, fitted in a way that suited her perfectly, soft curves and a certain kind of elegance. A simple pearl necklace rested at her collarbone, set on a chain wrapped in a delicate silver coil. It was simple but elegant, and either a very good fake or, more likely, a family heirloom passed down through her line, whatever that might be. I would have guessed sea witch bloodlines, since she looked human enough. Then again, so did I at the moment with my tentacles tucked in.
“So,” I said before Icould stop myself, my curiosity getting the better of me as I studied her, annoyed that I was even engaging, “do you have family in town?”
“I did,” she said quickly, almost too quickly. “My, uh... third—I mean fourth—cousin lived here years ago before moving to the west coast. You know how sea sprites are.”
Ah. So she was part sea sprite.
That made sense. They had a habit of mixing with humans—always the horniest of creatures—thinning their bloodlines over generations. But even a trace was enough to grant access to Crescent Cove. Places like this preferred to keep things... selective.
“No, how are they?” I asked, not even realizing I had slipped into the very small talk I had told myself I had no interest in.
“Oh, you know" she said with a breathy laugh that sounded fake "they're just kinda flighty. Going wherever the sea takes them. I guess that was the west coast for my,” she paused, hesitating, “fifth cousin.”
I lifted a brow slightly. “You mean third... or fourth?”
