Page 53 of Call of the Fathoms

When a waved splashed over them, soaking her face with icy water, she drew back. Water droplets clung to her eyelashes and obscured the sight of him, but she knew he was staring at her with that dark, almost unhinged gaze once more.

“What was that for?” he asked.

Her fingers slid through the gills on the sides of his face. Gills that intrigued her far more than she wished to admit. “Thank you,” she finally got to say. “For setting me free.”

Twenty-Two

Fortis

She’d kissed him. And for some mad reason, he had kissed her back.

Fortis wasn’t sure what had come over him, only that he knew if he didn’t get a taste of her lips, the world might end. She was right there in his arms, holding him around the neck, thanking him for freeing her, and he’d snapped.

The decision wasn’t the right one to make. It had been foolhardy and stupid. She was an achromo. And not just any achromo, but one who had worked for the worst of their kind. She’d fought against him and drawn blood as none of her people had done before.

There were a hundred reasons for him to not indulge himself in her.

And one good reason to do so.

He liked her. Even though he knew she was going to kill him soon enough, he found her bravery and the way she faced the world rather impressive. He enjoyed fighting with her, arguing with her, and even just the quiet moments where she foundwhat it was to feel emotions. Fortis had been so numb for such a long time. He felt himself coming back to life as he watched her experience everything. And maybe he felt his own emotions starting to surface as well.

Helping her place the breathing apparatus over her face once more, he sank into the waves and drew her away from that cursed place that held all the answers but proposed no solutions.

“You found that how many years ago?” she asked, her voice a low murmur.

“Ten, fifteen years ago perhaps? It was the time when I realized I needed to fight against your people with everything that I had in me. You were the villains in the ocean. All of you.”

But his arms tightened around her as he said it. Somehow, this woman didn’t feel like an enemy. It was the most confusing thought he’d ever had in his life.

She hummed low under her breath. “Right, the villains.”

He swallowed, knowing that he had hurt her feelings. When was the last time he’d ever cared if he had hurt someone’s feelings? It had been years. He was the one to tell people the truth. To guide them into their future without telling them the why or how of it, only the cold hard facts. If it hurt them, then that wasn’t his problem. Their futures were not for him to decide.

This woman was different, though. Being around her made him feel like he wanted to guard her from those thoughts and that terrible mindset that sometimes came over her. He wanted to explain the future in softer tones.

He wanted to be honest.

That clarity pushed him away from where her ship was. Far from where he would bring her back to the dark, and instead, he headed for somewhere they could speak. Somewhere she could be comfortable for a while until he decided what he was going to do with her.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You did not wish to return to the ship.”

“That...” Her grip tightened around his shoulders and she blew out a breath. “Yes, I suppose I did say that.”

Alexia fiddled with the mask on her face, and he wondered just how long that would work. It wasn’t like Mira’s, where she had created it to filter the oxygen out of the water. Perhaps he should bring her back to the ship to ensure she was safe before he continued onward.

With an audible grunt, Fortis forced himself not to backtrack toward the ship. She was fine. She would let him know if something needed to happen or if she was in danger. He didn’t need to take care of her.

And yet, damn how he wanted to.

Frustrated with the thoughts running through his head, Fortis said nothing else until they approached the cave system. It was similar to many throughout the ocean. Achromos had first come down to the sea on missions to find where they could build their cities, and thus there were many abandoned research facilities. Although they were slowly rotting with time, he was quite certain this one was safe.

He approached the tunnel carved into the stone and slipped inside. It was big enough for one of the achromo ships, like the one she had followed him with. So he didn’t worry about scraping her along the sides of the stones, although he did reach down to make sure her legs were wrapped around his hips.

Alexia didn’t seem to be nervous in the slightest. She straightened an arm and trailed her fingers along the smooth stone walls that had been worn by years of waves and many ships that had passed in the same way that they were passing now.

“Where are we?” she asked.

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