Page 51 of Jewel of the Sea

When he turned to her, he paused. His light caught in the moisture on her skin, giving her a glow of her own — a thousand tiny points of reflected light, more beautiful than the star-filled sky. Though she wore the suffering of the day’s events in her expression and the bruise on her cheek, she was breathtaking. An ethereal vision he might not have believed was real had he not touched her, held her, kissed her.

“I...” It took no small degree of concentration for Arkon to recall what she’d said a moment earlier. “I think...yes. That’s plausible. There was some connection between the Facility, this place, and The Watch, but I have been unable to find solid information in that regard.”

He moved away from her, tucking the containers under his arms again, and scanned their surroundings. Though most of it was lost in darkness, the cavern was huge, with two tiers — their current level and another above it, with several wide sets of steps linking the two. The set-up was mirrored on both sides of the water. Everything was built of the same manmade stone, its planes too perfect to be natural.

Arkon shifted his attention to the ceiling. The damage there was likely the result of time and weather. The massive chunks of broken concrete had destroyed one of the two bridges that linked the sides of the bay, and Arkon little trusted the area around the damage; even a small piece could prove deadly.

Aymee’s gaze dropped. She inhaled sharply and stepped toward him. “You’re hurt! Why didn’t you say something?” She lifted her hands to his chest, her touch light as she inspected his cut.

Despite her gentleness, the wound burned. Fresh blood oozed from it.

“I... I have nothing to stitch this with,” she reached down and grasped her skirt with both hands, “but we can bandage it for now.” There was a helpless note in her voice.

He coiled a tentacle around each of her wrists, halting her hands. She looked up at him with a desperate gleam in her eyes.

“It is fine, Aymee. I am fine.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“Once we settle down and rest, the wound will have ample time to heal. It will nearly be gone by morning.”

Her gaze dipped to his chest again, dropped to her wrists, and she burst into tears.

Arkon frowned and set the canisters on the floor. He’d seen Macy cry before, but nothing like this. It writhed through his insides, tugged on something in his chest, and made his hearts thump.

Aymee is a healer, not a hunter. What she went through today was probably unlike anything she’s experienced in her life.

Releasing her wrists, he drew her into a close embrace, smoothing her hair down with his palm. Aymee embraced him, clinging tight. Her sobs were ragged and painful, and shudders tore through her body.

She buried her face against his shoulder. “This is my fault.”

“No, Aymee,” he said softly. “You and I are not blameless, but we did not push it to this point. Ishould have listened to you from the start. You were the one thinking logically, the one trying to be safe.”

“But I d-didn’t fight you. I wanted to see you. I wasn’t careful. They found you because of me, because I couldn’t k-keep quiet, because of my sketches.”

He carefully combed the tips of his claws through her wet hair. “You did nothing wrong, Aymee. Nothing. I knew the danger. You warned me many times. But...I couldn’t stay away from you either. You were worth the risk. Youareworth the risk.”

For a time, the only sounds she produced were the occasional whimper or sniffle. Her hold on him didn’t loosen. When she’d finally calmed, she rested her cheek, still damp with tears, against the uninjured side of his chest.

“I shot someone,” she said softly.

“It was an accident.”

“I know. I know it was, but I can’t stop thinking about it. If it had hit him a few inches to his right, it would have killed him.”

“But it didn’t.” He settled his chin atop her head. “Those men are hunters, Aymee. They made their choices and accepted the risks. Every time they go out, each of them must know in his heart that he may not return. And one of those men would have killed you if he’d had a little more time.”

She released a shaky sigh. “Despite the circumstances, I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Relief flowed through Arkon; though the day’s events had pushed his worries from his mind, he hadn’t let go of the notion that he’d wronged her, that he’d turned her away, that she’d lost whatever interest she might have held for him.

He cupped his hand behind her head and pressed his face to her hair. “Me too.”

After a few moments, his gaze drifted to the break in the ceiling. “Let’s find a spot to rest. We can talk more in the morning.”

“Okay.” She stepped back; he released her reluctantly.

Arkon collected the canisters and led her to the steps farthest away from the structural damage. Placing the containers at the base of the steps, he eased himself down against the wall beside them. When Aymee sat next to him, he pulled her close, and she slipped her arms around him.

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