AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t need a mocha.” It had been a lie, and we’d both known it. I loved mochas.
“Yes, you do. We both need coffee, and if we are going to get this report written, we probably need to forget this conversation.”
He’d walked off, and I’d scrubbed my hands down my face. It had been frustrating giving into nonsense and equally frustrating that I hadn’t been able to tell him everything.
If I didn’t focus, there was no way I’d survive my Slaymore Academy experience.
* * *
When Deus returnedfrom getting our coffee, we dove straight back into our work, but I couldn’t miss the way he kept fidgeting. His tongue darted out, sliding over his lips, and his ever-present smile kept shifting, like he didn’t know what he wanted to say.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “Hey, Seta? I got you something.”
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a gift bag. It was vibrant green and tied with gold ribbon.
Did other paranormals give each other presents for things like presentations? Was this a land-dweller tradition I wasn’t aware of?
“I, uh… thanks?” I stammered, my brain telling my heart that it wasn’t personal. It didn’t mean Deus felt anything for me.
Besides, I didn’t want him to…
“Don’t thank me ‘til you’ve opened it,” Deus joked.
I picked at the ribbon with shaking, uncooperative fingers. My belly twisted nervously. I’d never been given a gift from a guy. I was definitely in new territory here.
With a couple more tugs, the ribbon came free. I plucked out layers of white tissue paper until my hand closed around something smooth and hard. Pulling it free, I lifted it up to the light.
“Epitonium scalare,” I gasped.
It was a pale pink shell, ribbed with white protrusions, its hollow body curling like a tower up to a point.
“Do you like it?” Deus’s smile was anxious.
“I… You didn’t kill some poor sea creature for this, did you?” I whispered.
“No!” He laughed. “Of course not. There’s an antique shop here in town. I asked the owner what he had from the ocean. I figured, since mermaids like shells and coral, you might like this.”
Deus looked so hopeful that it was all I could do not to laugh. I’d forgotten about that aspect of being a mermaid.
“I love it,” I answered truthfully.
Mermaids liked pretty things, but Krakens took it to another level. We were the dragons of the sea, hoarding the treasures we collected.
It was beautiful and reminded me of the horns on the narwhals we’d been studying. “Why… Why did you get it for me?”
One shoulder came up in a shrug, revealing a strip of bare collarbone beneath his shirt. His aura grew brighter, warmer.
“I wanted to impress you.” His eyes dropped to the ground, not meeting mine.
The admission did weird things to my insides, and with my heart overruling logic, I threw my arms around his neck, toppling his chair. Deus caught me to his chest as he landed on his back.
“I guess you like it?” Deus’s chest rumbled with laughter that vibrated through me.
I leaned forward. He smelled like sunlight. Sunlight and rain.
“Yes,” I said.
Our mouths were inches apart, and up close, his eyes were as bottomless as the sea. Neither of us made a move to get up.
