Page 88 of Surface Pressure

How long had she been waiting?

Soulara stayed just at the surface of the water, hoping that if the man turned around, she’d be able to dip back down before she was seen again. And she didn’t want to transform. No, they needed to talk. They needed to figure this out.

Woman to woman.

Soulara waited until the right moment, until Autumn was waist deep in the water. She plopped under the water as Autumn kept moving. Soulara swam as fast as she could, straight toward the human. She wrapped her arms around Autumn’s legs and jerked her under the water.

Autumn screamed.

She thrashed.

Soulara pressed their bodies together, holding Autumn underneath as she pushed her fluke hard and propelled them back out toward the sea. She moved as swiftly as possible, ignoring Autumn’s nails digging into her arms as she hugged Autumn close to her chest.

Bending her head, Soulara breathed air into Autumn’s lungs. The touch of their lips together calmed Autumn’s worried mind. She had to be scared. She had to be so confused. But they couldn’t talk on the beach, not with someone watching them. Not where someone could attack at any moment.

She didn’t wait.

Soulara kept swimming until she reached her little sanctuary of an island. Though it wasn’t so little anymore. Soulara pulled Autumn above the water, holding her still until she found her footing on the sand under the water.

“What the hell, Soulara?” Autumn ripped her arms from Soulara’s grasp.

The touch was fleeting, though Soulara knew she’d have to bring Autumn back to the human camp at some point. She couldn’t keep her here as a captive for long. Autumn deserved better than that.

“We couldn’t talk there.” Soulara pulled her magic into her body, already splitting her tail into two, forming feet and toes. She breathed a sigh of relief when the transformation was complete.

“So you kidnapped me!” Autumn scoffed and splashed her hand through the water, pushing it into Soulara’s face. “You tried to drown me!”

“I told you I would never let you drown.” Soulara’s heart raced. “I promised—” Her voice broke. “I promised, Autumn.” She tried again, holding her ground.

Autumn dragged in a deep breath and reached into her pocket, pulling out the soul-stone necklace. It dangled from her fingers, swinging in the air between them. Sparks of electricity seemed to run between it and them. Soulara’s eyes prickled with tears, and she shook her head slowly.

“That’s yours,” Soulara stated.

“Nothing on this world is mine.”

Soulara whimpered. How much more wrong could Autumn be? Couldn’t she see that by now? Soulara was hers. Soulara belonged to Autumn more than she belonged to Reine sometimes—or at least it felt that way.

“I am.” Soulara looked Autumn directly in the eye. Her breath shallowed. It was harder to keep still. She wanted to run forward and wrap her arms around Autumn’s neck and hug her tight, but they weren’t there yet. Autumn was too tense, too pushed to the brink. “I’m yours.”

“Fuck you, Soulara.” Autumn rolled her eyes and started toward the beach.

That hurt. Soulara clenched her jaw as she pushed the tears that freely fell down her cheeks off her face. “No. Fuck you!” Soulara screamed. “Fuck you and all your people for coming here. I know you’re different from them, Autumn. I know you don’t believe in the same things they do, but fuck you.”

Autumn spun around. She charged back toward Soulara and stuck a finger in her face. “You left me.”

“You chose them!” Soulara’s heart thundered. Were they even really talking right now? Or was this just leading them nowhere?

“You abandoned me.” Autumn’s voice broke. She tried to pull herself together, drawing in a deep breath. Her cheeks were red. Her eyes squinted.

“I didn’t.” Soulara stepped forward. She held out her hand, palm up. She waited with every ounce of patience she had left in her body. “I didn’t abandon you.”

“They’re going to kill me, Soulara.” Autumn broke. She reached for Soulara’s hand.

Soulara grabbed her and pulled in. Their bodies pressed together, wet clothes, damp skin. They breathed together, Soulara’s calmer, steadier breathing easing Autumn’s ragged gasps. When Autumn shuddered, Soulara moved in. She pressed their mouths together. She held onto Autumn with everything she had.

“I love you,” Soulara whispered.

Autumn tensed. “Don’t lie to me. I don’t need to hear more lies.”

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