Page 87 of Echoes of the Tide

“Not at all. That one is terrifying.” Ace shook her head and then shuddered. “I just don’t know how Maketes feels.”

Though she knew the words were hard, and that neither of the women could speak for him, she had hope that they could shed some light on this situation. And maybe it was her own insecurities holding her back. The last thread to snap before she tumbled headlong into...

Love, she realized. She might love him.

Mira leaned forward, braced on her elbows with her fingers linked. “Maketes has always been the one who seemed fine. He hides everything with humor, and while I find that entertaining, I see it for what it is. He’s hiding something. Lately, he’s seemed a lot worse. There’s been more pranks, more antics, more jokes. Almost to the point where it feels like I can’t talk to him at all. No one can have a real conversation with him because he takes nothing seriously.”

That all made sense.

“I think he was sad,” Ace replied. “He was watching everyone he loved find people to love, and he was alone in fearing that the things he saw in himself would only make people think less of him. He was sad and hiding and watching everyone else find the loves of their lives when he was convinced it would never happen to him.”

Mira leaned back in her chair and shared a look with Anya. Then she shook her head, lips pressed into a straight, flat line. “That moron. He never sees himself as a catch. I look at him and I see the best person in the world, and all any of us have ever wanted was for him to be happy.”

Ace sighed. “He knows that, in a sense. But he also knows that there are pieces of himself that some people wouldn’t accept.” She looked down at her hands, seeing her thighs beneath them. Larger thighs than most people found attractive. “I have a unique understanding of that.”

There was a slight pause, and then Mira’s hand covered hers. “Just tell him. Undine are remarkably stupid when it comes to relationships, because they don’t do it themselves. Oh, and let him get you something. Even tell him to do it, if that makes you feel better. Gift giving is a huge part of this. If he hasn’t already been hunting items for you.”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Well, he’s doing it all wrong then, and that’s probably why he’s been feeling a little off. Undine have a very particular way of finding a mate. They hunt them, they feed them, and then they bring them treasures from the sea.” Mira sat back and slapped her thighs. “That’s all you have to do. Get him to give you a gift. I assume he’s already hunted for you?”

“Yes, but I’m not particularly a fan of fish.”

“Ah, well, that would make him feel a little odd too. Feeding their mates is a big deal.”

She’d been doing this all wrong, obviously. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and tried hard to keep her mind from rambling through all the options ahead of her. “So, we’ve both been idiots not realizing that the other is trying to... whatever.”

“You have to say the words if you want them to be real,” Anya quietly replied.

So she did. She just let the words out. “I think I’m in love with him.”

The ear piercing shrieks that came out of their mouths had her slamming her hands down over her ears. Narrowing her gaze, she stared at the two women who had just grabbed eachother and were hysterically shouting. But still, it made her feel good, too.

Because it was exciting. These emotions made her feel... special.

She was in love with him. No one else. And maybe it was high time that she tell him.

Mira stood, patted her pocket in an obvious movement to make sure the keycard was still in her pocket, and then gestured for Ace to get up. “Come on. You go tell him that, and I’ll figure out with Arges and Daios where we are going to plug this keycard in. There has to be some abandoned research facility that’s still functional enough for me to do my work without someone coming and attacking us.”

“Well,” Anya replied, standing too. “Not attacking you until you crack into the keycard.”

“Something like that.” Mira was still grinning, though. “Nothing we can’t handle or haven’t handled before. You, however, are going to go get your man.”

Yes. She was. She was going to tell him everything that had been plaguing her, and he was going to sit there and listen. Because one of them had to do this, and one of them had to be the person who made the leap.

If that had to be her, then fine. If he didn’t return her feelings, which she hoped he did, then she would stay here with the other women. It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go. Her sister might even join them.

Maybe. If that’s what Laura wanted.

She squared her shoulders, set her jaw, and nodded. “Right. If he’s waiting, then I have a plan.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Tell him everything.”

It wasn’t really a plan, but an action that she needed to do. But as they strode through the hallways into the mainchamber, she found her heart beating harder and sweat staining underneath her arms. Was she going to do this?

Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her breath nearly wheezing in her lungs. Then she saw him.

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