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PENNY
Itrace little circles over his mottled flesh, considering how he reacts to my touch. A deep rumble in his throat is evidence that he isn’t asleep just yet.
My world is at peace.
Mostly.
There are still things I can’t do without, down here in his underwater lair. Little luxuries and a few basic necessities. There is water in abundance, but it is not of the potable kind. And he has no need for items like cloth, flour, or eggs. These are human supplies, but lying around in my bare skin will get old eventually, and I would like to have bread again.
As I consider the missing supplies, my list grows longer.
“Laiken?”
His eyes remain closed, but his arm squeezes around me. “Yes?”
I bite my lip, considering how to broach the subject. It’s not as simple as just saying it. I tried to escape once, and every decision he’s made afterward reflects his caution regarding me. He may not trust me to my own devices, so I need to enlist his help.
“Laiken, there are things I can’t live without.”
His eyes do open this time, scanning me thoughtfully. That curiosity is back, colored with apprehension. “Human things.”
“Yes,” I say with a smile. “Human things. Things you or I cannot make down here.”
“You are not satisfied with what I have given you?” He rolls on top of me, careful not to crush me as he scours me with his gaze. “What else is there to want?”
Even as he tickles my cheek with a caress, I can’t help but look away, burning with guilt for having to say anything at all. “It’s not that. You’ve been too kind.” His touch trails down my neck and over my sensitive throat. My breath hitches. “But you can’t understand. Not everything I need can be found in the wild. Humans have to make them.”
His eyes narrow.
“Don’t look at me like that. I cannot wear gold.”
“No?” His fingers tangle in my dark hair. “I think you would look ravishing in gold.”
An errant laugh escapes me. “That’s not what I mean. I can’t wear your treasure or eat the shells that litter the ground.”
“There is always fish and khamer.”
My stomach churns at the thought of never eating food from the land ever again. “And they’re… delicious, but we humans need more than just the flesh of fish. I needeggsand bread and salted taura meat.” My mouth waters at the promise of real protein. “I need clothes that are soft and that fit my shape. Gods, Laiken, I needwaterI can drink, not just the breathable kind.”
I’m flustered as I finish, hoping my argument finds purchase in his clever head. Sometimes, I think he’s too clever for his own good. He has it all figured out, living on his own for so long. What would anyone else know?
But I am not Laiken. I cannot subsist on fish for the rest of my days. In fact, the thought makes me nauseous.
Laiken sits up, pulling me into his lap. I give in without resistance, settling against his chest languidly. After his thorough handling, and with a deep emptiness in my gut, I don’t have much in the way of energy as it is.
Though he’s looking at me, his gaze seems distant. “You need fresh water?”
“And a few other things,” I finish, linking an arm around his neck. “I can’t say they’ll be easy to get, but they’ll make this place more suited to my kind. And I won’t need to venture out for a while.”
His eyes clear suddenly. “You left before…”
I nod. “And I regret it. Malachi found me, and if you weren’t there, I don’t know what would have happened. But I’ll understand if you don’t trust me.”
Laiken watches me with unrelenting caution.
“Guess I blew it, huh?”
He tilts his head as if he doesn’t quite catch the connotation, his glittering eyes hard. “I cannot let you out of my sight again.” His command seems like a final blow to any remaining freedom I may have had. “The khamer will not be forgiving if they catch you in their jaws.”
