Page 61 of Song of the Abyss

Or rather, draped on top of it. From this distance, she assumed he was a male, just like the one who had her wrapped in his arms. The flat chest was the only thing she had to go on. But this one was bright yellow instead of red.

The other undine was dramatically splayed out on top of the glass, one hand raised over his head while the other traced something above him in the water. His tail flicked every now and then, perhaps a display of recognition that they were staring at him.

Pressing her hand a little more firmly against Daios’s chest, she looked up at him with a frown. “Are we going to your home?”

He looked down at her, and that deep voice boomed through the water. “This is not my home.”

Right, the man of few words who so easily misunderstood what she was asking. “Then where are we?”

His eyes met hers, and she knew he wasn’t comfortable telling her. He didn’t want her to know where they were, or who was going to meet her. Or maybe, just maybe, this was what he had meant. He couldn’t keep her, no matter how much he wanted to.

Shit. Was he going to leave her here?

“Daios?” she quietly asked. “Where are we?”

A strange swell of pressure brushed against her side before she realized that something had moved closer to them. It took every ounce of bravery in her not to scream, and even then, she tucked herself a little closer to the wall of Daios before she realized there was another undine in front of them. Another undine who was far too close to her face.

Those black eyes looked her up and down, the yellow around his fins seeming to brighten before he grinned. At least, she thought it was a grin. There were a lot of teeth involved in that expression and they were just as sharp as Daios’s.

“So you kept her alive,” the undine said, and she was startled to realize she could hear him too. His voice wasn’t quite as deep as Daios’s, although it was still deep. “I was wondering when we would see the two of you.”

“Get out of the way,” Daios growled.

“She’s got one of your air tubes in her, there’s no rush. Why can’t I introduce myself?” With a flourish, the undine made some kind of move that almost looked like a bow before he reached out his hand for her to take. “My name is Maketes, little one. Welcome to your new home.”

He was almost charming, if he weren’t so terrifying to look at. But she wasn’t scared of Daios, so she definitely would not be scared of this smaller male.

Reaching out her hand, she let him take her fingers and then press a chaste kiss to the backs of them. A dark rumble moved through Daios’s chest and into her torso before the other undine let her go.

“Now, Daios,” Maketes said, his voice turning chiding even as Bitsy changed all the words to yellow for him. “You have no say over this one. After all, you were just supposed to bring her here and leave her. Were you not?”

“Careful, brother.”

“Brother?” she repeated, looking between the two of them. Confusion wrinkled her brows, and she tried her best to see the resemblance.

It just... wasn’t there. Maketes was so much smaller than him, not to say that he was small, but at least a couple feet smaller. He lacked the impressive fins around his waist and the ones around his face were much less prominent. He was very much sleeker, a fast moving creature rather than the bullish one who held her. She’d even suggest they weren’t even the same strain of undine species seeing them together.

Were undine genetics really so different?

They both stared at her with confusion on their own features. So she licked her lips and added, “You don’t look anything alike.”

A booming sound echoed from behind them all. This time, she did flinch. Ducking underneath Daios’s chin as she tried to get used to hearing that there were people around her.

Bitsy tossed an arrow up that pointed behind her, as if she didn’t know there was another undine who had joined the other two.

Daios didn’t turn, but his arm tightened around her a fraction more as if he didn’t like the other undine who was interrupting them. It should have been enough of a warning for her to toss her guard up. It was not, unfortunately.

The creature who swam around them was significantly larger than Maketes. He was almost as big as Daios, although she didn’t think there were many that could reach the size of the man holding onto her. Blue fins glowed in the light, reflecting the sun beams that seemed to caress his features. His massive shoulders tapered into an attractively narrow waist, but it was the softness in his expression when he looked at her that made Anya relax the smallest amount.

“I am his clutch mate,” this new undine said. “Although he has no wish to admit it.”

Maketes rolled those dark eyes, or at least, the movement looked like he did. “We all grew up together. Just because I didn’t share the same purse as you, doesn’t mean I’m any less your brother.”

The words were confusing. “Purse?” she asked, glancing up at Daios.

“We...” His brows furrowed. “What are your children birthed in?”

“They just... come out.” She gestured between her legs and was glad for the cold water against her cheeks. “Do you mean to say you’re birthed in a purse like a shark?”

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