Page 39 of Jewel of the Sea

“It did.” She wished she could make out his darkness-clouded expression.

He moved closer. “And their meeting, whether fate or not, was the first link in the chain of events that brought you and me together.”

That increasingly familiar warmth sparked in her chest again. “It did.” Aymee would never have met Arkon if not for Macy and Jax. She glanced up at the sky. “It’s late. Is it safe for you to travel home, after dark?”

“There is no need to worry about me. Is it safe for you?” He turned his head and looked at the jungle, which was lit from within by countless glowing plants. The crease between his brows was visible now that the moonlight touched his face.

“I told you waiting wasn’t very smart of me.”

“But you didn’t say why.”

“It’s not very safe to go out at night. Especially in the jungle.”

He frowned before turning back to her. “Then I will accompany you, or you will wait here with me.”

Aymee pressed her thighs together and curled her hands into loose fists. “You’ll stay the night here with me?”

He reached forward and took one of her hands. “Without hesitation, Aymee.”

Her heart skipped, and she forgot to breathe for a few moments. The depth and meaning behind those simple words was too much to decipher. Once again, she thought of what Maris said that day in the square.

Squeezing his hand, she leapt up and pecked a kiss on his cheek before pulling away to gather her skirt. “Do you think this spot is safe enough from the tide?”

He seemed briefly dazed by the kiss; he visibly shook himself before tilting his head to study the ground. “The tide line is here,” he said, moving his hand horizontally to indicate a strip of ground about two meters away. “We’re above it, but it’ll get close.”

“Will we be okay through the night?” she asked, stepping into her skirt and pulling it on.

“Putting the near-drowning behind us…you’ll be safe with me.”

Aymee chuckled. “I didn’t doubt you for a second.” She sat on the sand and patted the ground beside her. “After hunting, I imagine you’re tired, too.”

Arkon slithered over and eased himself down. “I am accustomed to sometimes going days without sleep. It is often necessary for the hunt.”

“How long do they usually last?”

He lay back, putting one hand behind his head and the other over his abdomen. “A few hours; a few days. It varies greatly, depending on what we are hunting and where we go to find it.”

Aymee scooted closer and lay on her side next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Arkon tensed; he’d said he wasn’t used to touching like this. Still, she wrapped her arm around his chest and held him. She couldn’t resist snuggling closer. “Today’s hunt was a quick one, then?”

Though he hesitated a few times in the process, he eventually slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Yes, relatively. I…must confess to some degree of impatience that fortunately sped it along.”

“Really? I thought you had great patience.”

Heat radiated from him, branding her arm where his hand rested. His claws lightly pressed against her through her blouse, fingers occasionally twitching as though he wanted to run them over her body.

“Apparently not when it comes to waiting to see you.”

She mockingly gasped. “Are you blaming me for your impatience?”

His skin darkened. “No, not at all. It is my fault, but I had been looking forward to our meeting so eagerly since the last time and—”

Aymee laughed and slid her palm over his chest. “It’s fine, Arkon.”

Her hand rose and fell as he inhaled and released a shaky breath. “I just want very muchnotto disappoint you, Aymee.”

She rubbed her cheek against him. “Perhaps it was fate at work again. If you’d been on time, we might not have shared this night together.”

“How do you always find the positive aspect of any situation? You waited here, alone, for hours.”

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