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Well, that sure answered that. Maybe the size of his gills was the difference?
“It’s not the size of the gills. It’s how you use them.”
My mouth gaped, completely mortified. “Did you just—?”
“Focus on your tail. The end of your fin, can you move it?”
No—oh no.I knew fish could project their thoughts, but I never even considered the possibility that they could hear mine as well. What was he even saying? Something about my tail, but my face felt like it was hot enough to boil the water around me.
In the middle of that thought, a torpedo of gray spun through the water, approaching the red betta fish from behind.
Oh great. Now I had Laverne to deal with, too. With the way Barren moved underwater, it was obvious he didn’t need her help, but of course she’d want to come play in the water.
Then her jaw unhinged. Wider and wider, Laverne’s mouth spread, her whiskers pulling back, readying to swallow the red fish down whole.
“Laverne,” I gasped, lunging to stop their collision. Did she even know what she was doing? Who the fish was? “Stop!”
My hands clapped over the betta, and my heart pounded with relief. That is, until a vortex of water erupted around us, sucking me down into a cloud of sand. Shards of coral and shells abraded every inch of my human half like sandpaper, the force of the vortex holding me against the ocean floor until something wrapped around me, yanking me out of the cloud of sand and over the line of water.
The haze cleared from my eyes as Barren came into focus. Or rather, his chest. His grip around me was so tight he’d smashed my cheek between his pecs. I felt the end of my tail skim over the sand, and I realized we were moving.
And not in the good direction, either. We were movingout to the ocean.
“Barren,” I said, pleading with him using just his name. Was he angry? Did he think I had something to do with the curse?
He dove underwater, dragging me down with him, and I struggled against his chest. “No,please!” But down we drifted, his tail beating against the water in long strokes. It was the bright red of fresh blood, his scales wider and smoother than the ones I remembered seeing in the Atlantic. Long frills followed behind us, streaming off the end of his tail in an elegant way mine didn’t.
I opened my mouth to plead again, but a hand came around my neck. Fingertips pressed against me, his grip just firm enough to keep me from drifting off. Three fingers were all it took to collar the entirety of my neck, the fourth resting heavy on my collarbone.
“Are you a sea witch?”
My body bristled at the pointed warning that came with his words. His dark eyes smoldered like hot coals, staring down at me like I was some undersea monstrosity. The grip around my neck strained like he was holding back from crushing my windpipe before I’d even given my answer.
This wasn’t just a question. I was on trial, and he was the executioner.
I had no clue what a sea witch was, but I knew for certain I wasn’t a witch in any capacity. A witch would have magic in spades, and I—Well, I wasme.
“N-no,” I stammered, praying I sounded sincere. Here, underwater, I could clearly see he was more titan than anything else, and I wondered how many lives the hand around my throat had taken before being cursed to come on land. “I d-don’t even know wh-what a sea witch i-is.”
Seconds passed as he studied me, his lips hard and muscles straining like he was fighting through a barrage of conflicting emotions. He’d believe me, right? He had to believe me.
I shut my eyes and let out a sob. Leander told me I could trust Barren. He’d said I’d be safe as long as Barren was around, but now…
“Mmh,” was all he said, and his fingertips retreated. My hands shook as I reached for my neck.
“You—you almost…” I said aloud, terror making my teeth chatter.
“Sea witches must perish. That is one of my duties,” he intoned. His tail pivoted, propelling us back to the shore. “I am… relieved you are not one of them.”
My hands rubbed at my collarbone. I could still feel the phantom touch of his hand around my neck.
You and me both,I answered silently. “You’ll still let me go back to the warehouse, right?”
“Mmh,” he rumbled, but his arm pinned me to his chest like he wasn’t about to let go.
24
Kai
