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“I can assure you; I wouldn’t have to force you.” His cockiness was back. “How badly do you want me to help you?”
That’s what it boiled down to: What was my life worth? Could I live with myself if I had sex with Collin when I wasn’t even sure I’d get my answers? Still, I couldn’t sit back and wait to be killed, or worse, play mother to Okeus’s monster babies. Collin held all the cards. “Do you really want me to hate you even more?”
His eyes narrowed. “You realize that’s not helping your case, don’t you?”
“Fine.”
He stepped to the side and said in a snotty voice, “Well, welcome aboard theLucky Star.”
The deck of the boat was a mess full of rope and nets. I looked around for a place to sit.
“It’s a fishing boat, Ellie. Not a yacht.”
“Whatever. As long as this rust bucket can get us out there, that’s all that matters.”
“Well, that’s the spirit,” Collin muttered. “You can sit inside or outside. Which do you prefer?”
“Outside.”
“Have a seat right here.” He pointed to a raised metal box just outside the wheelhouse. “I’ll start up the engine and we’ll be off.”
I nodded, still pissed.
“Any particular place you want to go?”
“Wherever you think this will work.”
The engine started and Collin untied the boat from the dock before heading out onto the sound.
I underestimated the amount of time it was going to take for us to get to the ocean. The sun was already dipping into the horizon by the time Collin found a place to stop. He shut off the engine and came out of the cabin, looking toward shore. He moved to the end of the boat and unfolded a metal contraption over the side.
My stomach twisted with nerves. What if we didn’t get back to shore before dark? But we were already here, and I wasn’t turning back now. Besides, Collin and I could protect each other if anything happened.
Right now, I needed to focus on why we were here. “Do I need to get completely in the water?”
“You can sit on the bottom of this ladder and put your feet in.” His tone was gentler than I expected. “Your legs were all that were immersed the first time we did it.”
“Okay.” I nodded and looked over at the seat at the bottom of the ladder. I could manage that.
I maneuvered over the edge and managed to sit on the metal slats, dangling my lower legs in the water. I felt the rush of power as the waves rocked the boat, splashing onto my lap and chest. I was going to be soaking wet when I finished this thing. Collin reached out to me and I lifted my right hand, preparing my body for the surge.
I pulled my hand back slightly. “Don’t let Mishiginebig eat me.” Now that I’d pissed Okeus off, there was no guarantee that I was still protected.
He grimaced. “I’m more worried about you falling off and drowning. Last time we tried this, you were completely oblivious to what was going on around you.” His gaze flicked to the shore, then back to me. “Besides, I doubt he’d come out this far. It’s too deep. I’m more worried about other things.”
My eyes widened. “How do you know it’s too deep?” I ignored the implication that there might be other waterborne demons out there.
He shrugged. “He likes shallow water.”
My voice rose. “And you didn’t think I needed to knowthis?”
Exasperation covered his face. “If you’d given me the fucking time of day, I might have told you.”
“You mean if we were still fucking.”
He shook his head in disgust. “You wanted to come out here, so I brought you. I’m helping you, Ellie. Quit giving me shit. I don’t have to do this.”
He was right. What was I doing? “Okay, let’s do this.”
