Page 54 of Echoes of the Tide

“An honor?” she repeated, before looking down at him with an incredulous expression. “What do you mean, it’s an honor? For you or me? Maketes, this is more than I ever dreamt I would do in my life. This is beautiful and wonderful, and I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. This is a dream come true to see the ocean as you do.”

He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It immediately pulled free, but it was more the motion than what he accomplished with it. His hand lingered on her face, following the line all the way down to her chin. He stared at her like he looked through all the walls she had put up and he saw the real person inside of her.

It terrified her that he saw so much of who she was. But at the same time, it was such a relief that someone finally saw her.

“I had a feeling it would be like this,” he murmured. “From the first moment Anya spoke of you, I could feel that the sea wanted to draw me to your side. But I never guessed how this would feel.”

“How does it feel?”

He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “Oh, kefi, someday I will tell you that.”

“You harbor a lot of secrets, undine.”

“Shh.” He pressed that thumb over her mouth to silence her. “Stop talking. You’re going to miss this moment, just like you might have missed the sun.”

So she turned her head and watched the sea. Because he was right. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she would not waste it.

CHAPTER 22

He glided with her through the sea, all the while reminding himself that he couldn’t keep her. It wasn’t right for him to force her to be underneath the sea. But then, another part of him was reminded of the other two women. There was room in their home. They were building more and more onto it, taking pieces of Alpha and making their own little town where there were individual places for people. Growing areas. Spaces where humans could thrive, even under the sea.

And if he could bring some of them above when there weren’t storms, perhaps they could figure out a way to expand back onto the land where humans lived as well. All they had to do was create a home that could hold up to the sharp storms of ice and flying metal pieces that would slice their skin, the heat of the day, and sometimes tides that rose over the building.

If anyone could do it, it was Mira and the other women who had created a home for themselves where he had left them. And his dear Ace, his little kefi who had proven herself thoroughly intelligent. He was certain she could do more than he expected.

And yet, there were only a few moments for him to even consider these things before he knew their time was running out.Because though they could enjoy time on the back of a whale shark, reality was barreling toward them.

Her sister needed saving, and if she wasn’t going to ask him to help her, then he would figure out a way to do it on his own.

The problem was that he didn’t know where to find her sister. Maketes glided with her back toward the cave, still feeling like he was missing a piece of the puzzle. There were things he didn’t know, things that he wasn’t certain he would ever understand.

Ace was asleep in his arms, though. And he didn’t want to wake her to answer his questions. So once they got back to the cave, he kept her relaxed in his arms with his breathing tube in her neck, and popped his head above the water.

“Droid?” he called out, hoping that he wouldn’t wake the sleeping achromo in his arms.

Her droid zipped toward him from behind a rock, clacking together in excitement as though it recognized him. It should at this point, but he never knew with droids.

“Ah, good. You’re still here.”

It wheeled in a circle and then stood still, eerily like a pet waiting to be told what to do.

“Who is this Jacob, and how does he know about her sister?” That maybe wasn’t the right question. “Actually, how does he keep track of where her sister is? His threat is very real, I’m certain, but I want to know how he’s keeping track of her.”

The droid started to spell out a reply on the sand, but froze when he made a tsking noise.

“I can’t read your language.”

It clacked together harder and then moved farther away from him. With all five of the silver balls splitting apart, it quickly worked on a picture in the sand that was eerily accurate to what he imagined it looked like in real life.

“A surveillance drone?” he murmured. “He’s sending one of those out to spy on her sister?”

The droid made two sharp clacks and then started on another corner of the picture. It drew Ace out in the sand. She was so accurate, it was like he was looking at her. Right down to the bend in her glasses that was just over her right ear where she’d maybe broken them before.

“So it’s Ace’s drone that keeps track of her sister? And he’s just watching through the same thing that Ace is using?”

Two clacks.

“One means no, two means yes?”

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