Page 17 of Poseidon's Island Flower

“Master?”Silas interrupted my thoughts.

I took notice of the one creation I’d relied on for so many years, and he smiled wildly, his fangs reaching over his lips. “You have found her, haven’t you?”

I gazed down at the woman’s sleeping form. Her hair covered her face, and I pushed the small bit of hair away from her cheek.

Had I found her?

“Why do you think so?”I asked.

Silas swam in a perfect circle around us, the creations of the sea backing away as they stared in wonder. “You touched her. You can barely touch me, yet you touch this woman. How does she feel?”

Soft, warm.

She smelled of chamomile and jasmine.

I wanted to keep her.

Can one keep a human?

“Master you must return her to the surface. Humans are preparing search parties since the sea is now calm.”

I held onto her, just to hold her a little closer, just a little longer.

I rubbed my nose up her neck, and her scent intensified. It smelled just like my pillow. The chamomile, the jasmine… This woman was in my quarters,she touched my things.

But I wasn’t angry. I was upset that she left. She should have waited for me to return. That wasn’t logical thinking, this wasn’t logical at all. Why did I have such an attachment to her?

“Are you my mate?” I whispered in her ear. “Are you who I am searching for?”

Twice I’d been brought to her scent.

I swallowed heavily, holding her tightly as I traveled back toward the beach. I would be the center of attention, and I would need to change my form yet again.

Once we came closer enough for me to stand, I switched to my human form—the dark hair and less imposing body. I carried her through the tides with one arm under her legs and the other behind her back.

Her head was slumped up against my neck, and for the first time in my life,I felt powerful.

She needed me.

And hell, I needed her.

Screaming, pointing, and staring ensued. My stomach flipped in on itself, and my grip tightened around this woman.

I didn’t want them to touch her. I didn’t want them to come near, but I couldn’t have the ocean swallow them whole, as nice as that sounded at the moment.

“Lani!” A blonde woman rushed forward. “Lani, oh my god, you saved her. Thank you, thank you!” She gripped my bicep, and I pulled away abruptly.

She stepped away, as well as the others that surrounded. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I-I–”

“Easy there, hold on!” Zeus burst through the crowd. His tall, imposing form drew the eyes of all the women; the men backed away from his power. “You need to give him some space. This is a lot of stimulation here.”

Zeus's eyes raked over me and nodded. “Need some help, Po—I mean Cy?”

My eyes swelled as I stood completely still, taking in the enormous crowd surrounding me. Though I was tall in this form, and towered over some of these humans, I felt them suffocating me as they gathered around us. I was being engulfed in darkness, and my legs shook.

“We need to make sure she is alright. Did she hit her head? Is she breathing?” The lifeguard pushed through the, crowd and I landed on my knees, cradling Lani in my arms.

Lani. That’s right. That’s her name.

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