Page 77 of Call of the Fathoms

She wanted to drag her hands all over those muscles, and it killed her that she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to do so yet. She wanted to rake her nails down his chest, bite down on those incredible pectorals, and then lick her way between the valley of his abs. None of these thoughts were safe for what they were doing right now, but she couldn’t help herself.

She knew the moment he smelled her arousal. His dark eyes seemed to sharpen on her, and a wicked grin spread across his face. “No, Alexia. We have things to do.”

“I hate it that you can smell me so easily.”

“And yet, I love that I can.”

The deep rumble in his voice sent shivers throughout her entire body. She hated that she reacted to him like this when there were other things for her to focus on. She needed to get her head on straight. But all she wanted was to ask him to take her somewhere else so she could experience the pleasure only he seemed to give her.

“Are you ready, Alexia?” he asked, jolting her once again from her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “As ready as I’m going to get.”

He looked around them as though he were making sure no one was going to see him, and then he swam closer. In a sudden rush, his hands grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to his side. With a delicate touch, he ran his finger down the side of her throat where her pulse rapidly beat.

“It is a shame Mira found a way to let you breathe on your own. I quite liked doing it for you. My tentacle inserted into your neck made me feel... strange.” His gaze didn’t move from her pulse. The thudding of her heartbeat clearly captivated him, and for a moment, he looked like he had the first time he’d scented her arousal in the water.

But then he stiffened and moved away from her, and she saw that another undine approached them. Clearly, she wasn’t someone he wanted to be seen with. Not yet, anyway. Why did that sting so badly?

She swallowed hard and pulled herself together. Even Fortis seemed to swirl the water around them, yet another way he hid the scent of her desire.

It made her feel foolish. To him, this was just curiosity. A way to satisfy a need… But here she was, pining over this undine who did nothing but disappoint her.

Arges approached them with a grim expression on his face. “All right, there’s not much more I can do to prepare everyone. You two head out, and I’ll make sure that I get everything situated here. There are plenty of people willing to fight with us, but almost everyone is waiting to see if the depthstriders agree to help. Then they’ll make their decision.”

“This is why I wanted to hurry,” Fortis scolded.

This time, he reached for her without hesitation. A quick grab, and a sudden flick of his powerful tail, and they were off. Flying through the water as though rage powered him to be even stronger. They darted past the rest of the village that she’d seen from the inside, then over the edge of a drop off that descended far into the darkness. The light faded, and the entire time she watched his colors fade as the light stole them away.

It was easier to stare at him than look at where they were going. After all, the depths were still terrifying. The last time she’d been down there, the squid attacked her. She could still feel their powerful jaws gnawing on her body and sawing through muscles. But this time, she had him.

As his muscles moved between her legs, sending them careening into the darkness without an ounce of fear, she felt very confident that he would keep her safe. What creature in the ocean would be mad enough to attack him?

“Stop staring at me,” he muttered.

“Why?”

“Because it’s unnerving.”

She shook her head and chuckled. “You can’t see anything, anyway. There’s no light down here.”

The darkness had snuffed out the sea. Now it was just her and her own thoughts, existing in the nothingness of bleak dark.If she was still staring in his direction, it was entirely without her knowing. She was just looking where she had been moments ago when there had still been light.

He snorted. “I can see just fine. You and your human eyes are just weaker than my peoples’.”

There was a long pause before she repeated, “Human eyes, huh?”

“My son has reminded me that even if I do not trust your people, you still deserve respect. If you wish to be called humans, then I can... learn.” He ground the words out like he was angry.

Of course it would be Aulax. The young man had popped in to visit her multiple times. And while he had been sweet and understanding of many things, he hadn’t exactly seemed to realize the danger they were all in. He wanted everyone to see the use in each other, that much she could understand.

But it would take more than that. Humans were terrified of the undines, and for good reason. With creatures as large as them, it wasn’t foolish to wonder what would happen if a human pissed one off. It was just basic survival.

“Well, your son does seem to have a streak of kindness in him that I don’t see as easily in you.” She snorted. “Actually, your son is a lot more kind than I’ve ever seen you be. He’s a good person.”

“You don’t think I’m a good person?”

“You’re...” Alexia hesitated. “You’re like me.”

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