Page 89 of Into The Light

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you when I pushed you out of the way?” I asked, turning my head to look at her.

“I’m gonna have a pretty sexy bruise on my stomach, and you knocked the wind out of me, but-”

“I hurt you!” I rolled over and examined her stomach.

“But,” she continued, “I’m so glad you did, or I would be shark food right now.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered and looked up at her.

“Stop apologizing. Thank you, Aiden. You saved my life.”

Before I could answer she had my face in her hands and she pulled my lips down onto hers. I exhaled a deep breath while I dissolved into her kiss. Knowing I had almost lost her intensified the love for her coursing through my veins. I didn’t know how I would make it through this life of ours without the ability to protect her, but the taste of her lips reminded me why I had chosen to be human in the first place. I sunk deeper into her kiss and relished the sweetness of her lips.

Her hand moved up my arm and bumped the red-tinged bandage wrapped around my arm.

“Ouch,” I grimaced, and her eyes shot open as she pulled her lips away.

“I’m so sorry!” She cringed and drew back her touch.

“I’m fine.” I pushed through the pain and leaned back down for another kiss. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re not fine,” she argued as she sat up. “You got bit by a shark. A fucking shark, Aiden. That’s not nothing.”

“It’s not a bite. Just a cut. I’m fine.” I slid my hand down the small of her back and drew her toward me. For the first time, she pulled out of my touch. My brow furrowed in frustration.

“Aiden, we’re not doing that now. You’re hurt. I’m hurt.”

“It hurts?” I asked, my frustration now turning to worry.

“A little. I don’t think I have any broken ribs, but I certainly won’t be up for any wild sex for a few days.”

“I’m just so glad you’re all right.”

“Thanks to you,” she said as she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on my lips.

I wondered now if I should tell her that this may have been the last time that my waning powers would be used to defend her. I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it... and I hadn’t even processed how I felt about it. Perhaps they would come back. Maybe they were just on hiatus... I had expelled a lot of energy when I’d punched that shark. It hadn’t happened to me before, so this was all new. I took a stilling breath and hoped that maybe this wasn’t it for my heroic rescues of the woman I loved. I would wait until tomorrow to see if they replenished and tell her when I knew for sure.

“Do you know what the best thing is for pain when you’re human?”

I shook my head.

“Alcohol.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Lots of it.”

I tipped my head and shot her a look of concern.

“We’re getting hammered. Come on.” Before I could protest, she pulled me to my feet.

“The brochure said there’s a beach-side bar. We’re going. And we’re getting wasted. We just survived a shark attack. That deserves some serious cocktails.”

“I don’t know, Emilia.” I pulled against her a bit, not sure I wanted to partake in the human experience of getting hammered.

Her lip pushed out in a pout. “If Mark was here, he would get drunk with me. But he’s not... you’re my Mark now. So that means you have to get drunk with me.”

I chuckled and gave up my fight. “Fine. I’ll be your Mark.”

“Yay!” She clapped her excitement.

I followed her down the docks and we turned onto the beach. It felt spectacular between my toes. The warm white sand moved beneath me, massaging my bare feet with each step until we reached the thatched bar on the side of the beach. The salty air mixed with the fruity aromas of beach cocktails and coconuts. Island music played from the speakers above the bar and blended with the sound of lapping waves and the wind blowing through the palm trees above us.