Page 49 of Echoes of the Tide

“Anya and Mira were both very explicit that I was not to do anything permanent to your body without asking you if it was all right for me to do so. I fully understand that there are some limitations to what you can and cannot do, and I would very much like to have you around me at all times. The breathing is likely not going to be something you enjoy very much, but it is something that I can do to keep you safe. Which is important to me. When I thought you were harmed, I didn’t know what to do with myself. That is not something I will willingly endure again, so I’m afraid I don’t feel bad about changing anything in your body without your permission.”

He took another deep breath, and she held up her hand to make him stop rambling. None of it made sense anymore.

When he froze, she said, “Thank you for explaining. I think I understand what it is now.”

He blew out the breath. “Good. Does that mean you’ll do that thing with your mouth?”

Was all of that rambling because he wanted to be extra thorough so she would give him a blow job? Maybe men really weren’t all that different, no matter what species they were.

Still, a deal was a deal. And she was more than ready to get payback for the way he’d made her see stars.

Ace licked her lips, watching as his eyes followed the movement. She could see the hunger in him, the need. All of it was nearly too much and yet she wanted to keep teasing him.

“All right,” she said with a laugh. “A promise is a promise.”

He started moving toward her right at the same time she saw something flash in the depths. It wasn’t as big as the shark, but it was something. Shrieking, she launched herself out of the water just before a tentacle reached for her foot.

Maketes coughed out a laugh, but then hissed out his own angry sound when the tentacle attached to him. “Damned squid,” he muttered, batting it away before two more tentacles latched onto his waist.

He yanked it off of him, but she noticed the red circles left behind on his belly, and the scales that had been pulled up by the sheer force of the suckers.

The long, suffering sigh that he gave preceded him rolling his gaze up toward the ceiling.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll take care of the squid and then I’ll be right back.”

She rolled her lips, trying hard not to laugh. “I’ll be waiting.”

CHAPTER 20

Sometimes the sea worked with him, and other times, she taught him patience. The squid brought him right back to an entire shoal of them. And each individual squid seemed to have a vendetta against him.

Or maybe that was just how he felt because he knew he had something to get back to, and the squid were not happy he was in their hunting grounds. It wasn’t like the People of Water and squid had ever gotten along. Those creatures were intelligent enough to know that his kind were a threat to their food, and his people just didn’t like their damned beaks. Squid were far too protective over their food, and they were so quick to bite and use those suckers at every chance they could get.

He hated their species and enjoyed fighting them to get some of his pent up aggression out. Because at this rate, she wasn’t going to use her mouth on him like she’d promised. Maybe sometime soon he could convince her to do so, but realistically, too much time had passed.

The moment was gone. Simmering just underneath his skin. But he didn’t want to push her to do anything she wasn’t excited to do as well. He’d wanted to explore her body. He’d enjoyed seeing her undone by pleasure.

They had other issues. Other problems. Soon enough, they would need to return to her city of Gamma, even though it made his stomach twist with acid. He wanted to throw up at the mere idea of bringing her back to that place where she’d almost died.

So instead of thinking about it, he tore into the squid. Ripping tentacles off gelatinous bodies made him feel a little better, even if that wasn’t the healthiest way to deal with the emotion. Perhaps he was taking his feelings out too much on them. The water was rather clogged with their blood and the awful scent of their ink. He could barely see his hand in front of his face.

Ridiculous. And yet, here he was. Using violence as a way to still his mind so he could prepare something that would make her like him even more.

Which... now that he was thinking about it, he actually had quite a good plan for that.

Darting up through the water after he’d made it very clear to the squid to leave him alone, he headed up to the surface. The water lightened quickly. They weren’t that far down in the depths, after all. The cave he’d brought her to was nearly at the surface itself, although he didn’t want to tell her that. He’d come here many times in his life, exploring as a child while trying to get away from those who teased him.

His head broke through the surface, and he was surprised to see the sun almost setting. But the waves were calm and quiet, a calm sea that reflected an unbroken image of fluffy skies. There was a storm in the distance, but he didn’t think it would affect his plan. Not yet, at least.

“Perfect,” he exclaimed, before diving underneath the waves and heading back toward her cave. The plan formed in his mind just as he hit the warm vents that heated her pool.

He would show her something that no mate had yet. He would prove to her that while he was different and perhaps a little scary, he was still worthwhile to keep around.

Because if he didn’t have to prove himself to her, then he didn’t have to prove himself to other people. And Maketes wasn’t ready to accept that just yet.

Ace was right where he’d left her. She was sitting at the edge of the water, staring down at her droid who was zipping around in strange patterns. He recognized the words from when they had been messaging with each other. But he’d always had a voice to read the messages to him. Now, he still wasn’t sure what they said. But it didn’t matter.

“Kefi,“ he said, interrupting their conversation.

---