Page 39 of Siren in the Rain

I turn my gaze to the water. “Well, I wasn’t allowed to visit the ocean after my mother died. I was forced to stay on dry land for the past fifteen years.”

Dr. Greenwater’s left eye twitches, but otherwise, she manages to keep a placid expression on her face.

“Shae, I’m sure Dallas and the others have already told you this, but you are a remarkable young man. There aren’t many of our kind that could have endured that kind of torment for so long, not on top of everything else you went through.” She clears her throat. “I’m very glad that you’ve been able to return to the sea. Have you found its waters to be therapeutic?”

“Very much. I go every day now, usually several times a day.”

Wolf Boy follows me every single time too.

I was able to get Dallas to buy me some swim trunks, but Griffin goes au naturel every time. Part of me wonders if he’s trying to tease me.

Or seduce me.

I can’t deny my eyes have been drawn to his gorgeous body on more than one occasion when he’s run naked down the beach and into the waves.

“I also keep my balcony doors open at night so I can smell the sea salt in the air and hear the waves lapping against the shore. It helps keep away some of the nightmares.”

Okay, if I’m being honest, something else has been helping keep away the nightmares too.

Or rather, I should say someone else.

Wolf Boy’s grinning face pops into my head. That blinding smile of his, the hint of fang popping down over his lip, and those big fluffy ears have become a weird kind of mental image for me to meditate on when I get upset.

“How often are you having nightmares?” Dr. Greenwater asks.

I shift uneasily again in my chair. “Here and there.”

“Do you want to talk about them?”

“Not really. Mostly they’re just bad memories.”

“Do you need a sleeping aid? I can prescribe something.”

“I don’t think so. Like I said, swimming in the ocean has helped and so has—” I cut myself off.

She tilts her head, an inquiring look in her pale gray eyes. “Please continue. What else has been helping?”

I cross my arms over my chest but decide to tell her the truth. “Well, the first night I had a bad nightmare. Probably because I ended up telling Dallas and the others some of my past and what happened to my mom. Anyway, Wolf Boy—I mean, Griffin—came to check on me, and he…” I trail off.

She waits patiently, her steady gaze never leaving my face.

I sigh. “Don’t laugh, okay? He… cuddled with me until I fell back asleep.”

“Why would I laugh at that?”

“I don’t know. Seems a little childish, I guess.”

Her expression fills with sorrow. “Nonsexual physical comfort, whether from cuddling or hugging, is something most of us need even after we become adults.”

I look away, keeping my eyes on the horizon. “My mom was the only one who ever did that for me, and that was when I was a kid.”

“Were you all right with Griffin cuddling you? Did he ask for your permission?”

I frown. “It’s weird. I didn’t mind it at all. He did ask for my permission, and even I was surprised when I said yes. Normally, I don’t like people I don’t know well touching me.”

“It’s not uncommon, especially given the kind of abuse and trauma you suffered,” Dr. Greenwater offers.

I shake my head. “There’s just something about Wolf B— Griffin that doesn’t inspire fear, you know? It’s like he somehow stealthily slipped past all my defenses before I even knew it.”

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