Page 95 of Storm and Sea

It would be too easy.

He could find his Pod and bring them here. He was tempted. He was…

Nephi paused, realizing where he’d found himself. It was the same secluded beach where he’d left Leo’s unconscious body. The human he’d saved when he should have watched him drown.

His heart twisted as he recalled that day—the day he’d acted completely opposite of what he believed. The day emotion and heartache drove his actions rather than his conviction. The day he’d let weakness seep through the cracks Ludo left behind.

He loathed himself for it.

Nephi swam to the surface, wading through the waves until he was on the sand. The beach was on the cliffside of the island, with no way for humans to spot him unless they came around the corner. Still, he made sure no prying eyes were watching before he ascended. He pulled on a hooded sweater he’d stolen from a first-floor balcony and stashed in the rocks a few days earlier. It was damp and smelled of human detergent, but it would do. It was about double his size, and he didn’t care for the piss-yellow color, but thieves couldn’t be choosy.

As he dried, he let his stubby human toes dig in the sand, wrinkling his nose at the useless appendages. His Mer feet were at least webbed and served a purpose.

He remembered Leo’s unconscious body, lying lifeless on this very beach. Someone found him and fixed him up. Nephi hated the fact that, if not for him, that boy would be dead. He hated even more that a small part of him panicked at the idea of losing him.

A sniffling on the other side of the rocks made him pause, tuning to the sound. Nephi listened to the barely repressed sobs, wondering how a human’s pathetic life could possibly be worth crying about. Curiosity won out as he stood up and stalked to the rock’s edge, peaking to the other side.

Inju, the Spirit of war, must have heard Nephi’s desire for blood because sitting in the sand was a familiar curly blond head with bloodshot yellow eyes. Or maybe Dahest, the Spirit of life and death, had placed an offering before Nephi as recompense for the life he’d lost.

Because as he approached, his pupils constricted into slits. This human’s life now rested in his hands. And not even the Spirits could stop what was about to happen.

He pulled up his hood, tightening the strings to hide his face, forcing his eyes to relax into circles as he approached. Nephi made himself known, kicking sand as he walked.

When Leo spotted him, he quickly turned his head, wiping at his eyes.

“Sorry. Thought I was alone.”

Even his voice…

Nephi wanted to howl in rage as the boy’s eyes flickered between yellow and silver in his mind.

“What’re you doing here?” Nephi asked but suspected he knew the reason.

Leo shrugged. “It’s a long story.”

Nephi remained still, his reticence prompting the boy to continue.

“I guess this is the place where things stopped making sense. Maybe I’m trying to figure out why. Anyway, my life has kinda gone to shit recently, so if you don’t mind, I want to be alone.”

Nephi forced back a grin, ignoring the dismissal. “And you think this beach will help?”

“Nothing else has.”

Nephi sat a few feet from him in the sand, gazing at the horizon, but his attention was painfully focused on the human on his left. Leo didn’t argue. Either deep down, he wanted the company, or he had no fight left to protest.

It would be over so quickly. My hands around his throat. Finish what I started.

“I’m Leo, by the way,” he offered, startling Nephi out of his fantasies. He didn’t offer his name in return, so Leo continued. “You were talking to Atreus on the beach a few weeks ago.”

“What if I was?”

Leo shrugged again. “That’s none of my business.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

“I recognize the eye,” Leo said, making a circular motion around his own.

Nephi pulled the sweater tighter, hiding the right side of his face. He turned to make some rude remark, but it died in his mouth.