Page 101 of Through the Water

He chuckled at my dazed expression before bringing his arms up to encircle my waist, tucking my head beneath his chin. “I missed you, girl.”

I didn’t care if someone saw us. It felt right—like maybe I’d been made to fit him. So, I stopped holding my breath long enough to whisper, “I missed you too, Killian.”

* * *

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d love this place.”

I frowned distractedly at the glass, just as puzzled by my reaction as Killian seemed to be. When Tsega first mentioned the aquarium, I’d envisioned a few fish tanks, backlit by fluorescent bulbs. But this was an elaborate theme park, complete with underwater tunnels and a train that passed through the shark tank.

The only real light came from within, casting everything in soft blue light. Sea life surrounded us on both sides, immersing us in an oceanic experience, and making it hard to pinpoint what it was about this place that left me feeling unsettled.

“It’s just,” I paused as a sea turtle lazily swam up, suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. “They’ll be confined within these plexiglass boxes forever.”

Killian used his crutch like canes as he moved to join me at the loggerheads’ case. “I don’t know, they look pretty happy to me.”

A smaller one watched him curiously, using a flipper to drag itself along the front of the case. “Hey, little guy. See? He’s damn near smiling.” He tapped his fingers lightly against the glass. The loggerhead moved closer, before turning its head toward me.

“Wait a minute, buddy,” Killian chuckled, rolling up his sleeves. “You moving in on my girl? I think he’s hitting on you, Ari. Hold my crutch, because I’m gonna have to kick this turtle’s ass.”

I smiled at the possessiveness in his words and turned to study his profile. Not long after his apology, Tsega had appeared from behind the art installation to drag me onto the bus. Once he realized that True North had rented out the entire space for the day, Killian decided to tag along.

Separately—as in, he brought his own vehicle.

It hadn’t exactly left us with an opportunity to talk or perhaps repeat a particular earth-shattering kiss, just to see if it was as good as I remembered.

After all, I did have a brain injury, so really, it was for purely scientific reasons that I found myself staring at his full lips. I’d been holding my hand down at my side for the last hour, flexing my fingers, practically begging him to touch me.

It was an invitation he’d yet to accept.

“Look at him, just eyeing you like I’m not even standing here,” Killian said in mock frustration, the side of his mouth quirking up ever so slightly.

“How can he be happy in a place like this?”

He kept his eyes on the glass when he answered as if he was conversing with his reptilian enemy, and not me. “Well, according to the sign, loggerheads are endangered. In here, he has the perfect habitat and is completely safe from predators. Oh, and he never has to worry about food—sounds like a kick-ass life to me.”

My chest tightened when I realized what it was that bothered me.

The turtle was me.

“Maybe he seems happy because he doesn’t know anything else. Maybe, to him, the walls have always been there. And sure, he’s safe from predators, but only because he’s living as a prisoner. He’ll never know the world beyond this box—forced to rely on his captors for everything!” Several staff members turned at the sound of my raised voice. I gave a weak wave before turning away in embarrassment.

Killian lifted a brow, blatantly amused by my outburst. “You alright there, slugger? Are we still talking about the turtle?”

Were we?

Even before his return, I’d considered tabling my plans of escape. Tsega was right, I wasn’t in any condition to brave the world on my own. But this place with its pretty glass cages stoked my fears, making me think that maybe I’d never be fully prepared.

“Let’s look at something else.” My tone was laced with desperation, but I strode ahead, hoping he hadn’t seen the terror reflected in my eyes.

The bright colors seemed dull now that I saw them for what they were—possessions. Endangered and rare were interchangeable terms here, something that made an object more valuable to its owner.

Why else would they display their shiny, exotic collectibles in glass cases if not to boast of their wealth and power?

If those loggerheads were scarred or damaged in some way, they’d still be in the ocean, blissfully unaware that places like this existed. They wouldn’t be worth catching.

Just like Brad hadn’t bought me. He’d purchased the one thing that made me valuable, something worth conquering. Once I’d been stripped of it, he’d lock me in a pretty cage, only trotting me out for show.

When Ashlynn had admitted to losing her virginity to Matt, she’d lost her worth in Tristan’s eyes. Back then, I was ignorant of just how deep the corruption went, never imagining the uproar it would have caused had the church found out. At the very least, the scandal would have put an end to Tristan’s lucrative side business.

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