Page 14 of Hook, Line, and Tentacle
I open my mouth to respond, but it’s just another cough. My throat burns. I’m still in his arms even when he’s trudged all the way out of the water, still clutched to his chest like he physically can’t put me down.
“I told you—” His voice breaks, and something in my chest goes cold and hollow, as if I can feel his panic too. “Itoldyou not to go near the water. And you— What, you thought that meant going for a fucking swim during a storm sounded like a good idea?”
My legs dangle uselessly. I’m soaked, freezing, and weirdly calm in a way I absolutely should not be after definitely almost drowning.
“It didn’t feel dangerous,” I rasp. My voice sounds so charred it’s barely human. “I wasn’t afraid.”
An irritated growl rolls out of him, low and animal. “That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have killed you.”
His tentacles retract slightly, but in a conflicted sort of way. They jitter in agitation. I can feel the pulse of them over his shoulders and under my legs. He still doesn’t let me go.
“I felt like—” I clear my throat, because it sounds stupid even inside my own head, but I force myself to say it anyway, because I think he might be the only person who would understand. “I felt like Ineededto be close to the water.”
He snorts a derisive little sound.
The sound of it races through me in a hot crack of annoyance, setting my skin on fire even though I’m still freezing. I shove hard against his chest. It has no effect on him at all. “Put me down.”
He hesitates.
“Put me down, Cal.” I shove again, pushing my body away from his like a cat that doesn’t want to be picked up. “Now.”
His jaw works once, then again, like he wants to argue—but he sets me down carefully on the sand. I sway, teeth chattering. My skin burns with cold, but my blood is boiling. I stagger a step back and wrap my arms tight around myself. I physically cannot stand still. My body jolts violently from the chill.
“You left me,” I snap. My throat tightens as I say it. I hate the hot feeling in the back of my mouth like I’m about to cry. “You touched me, you— We did what we did, and I didn’t know what—” My voice makes a humiliating wobbling crack, and the rest of the words come out whispered. “And then you made meleave.”
He flinches.
“You made me feel like—like I did something wrong.” I sound childish, and I hate it.
He takes a step toward me, then stops. His eyes shine weirdly in the stormlight, and there’s something desperate in his face.
“What’s wrong with you?” I demand. “You look like you’re in pain.”
“I am in pain,” he says quietly.
All the air shoots out of my lungs on a sharp laugh, and he winces at the sound. “What the fuck couldpossiblybe causing you pain?I’mthe one who’s furious.I’mthe one who’s confused.Youhurtme.”
He nods once, slow and utterly miserable. “I know. That’s why I’m in pain.”
I blink at him, totally uncomprehending.
He rakes a hand through his hair, dark and dripping with sea water. “I can feel you. Your emotions. Especially the strong ones. Like these.” He gestures vaguely to me, like I’m one big walking example of astrong emotion. “Because of... what we did. The touching. The—” He clears his throat, averting his gaze. “The open-mouthed kissing.”
A beat of pseudo-silence rolls between us.
I bark a laugh. “What, like mono?”
To my surprise, he huffs a contrite, disbelieving little sound. It’s not quite a chuckle, but it’s in the neighborhood. “Uh, yeah, Iguess. A little like mono,” he admits sheepishly.
I drag both hands through my hair and then let them fall. “Okay,” I say, slowly. “What else does it mean?”
Cal’s gaze drops to the sand. His throat works once before he answers. “You smell different.”
I feel my face contort, though just barely. It’s still half numb from the cold. “I—what?”
“To me,” he clarifies, still not meeting my eyes. “It’s not bad. It’s not… It’s not even physical, really. It’s emotional. You feel different, so your scent changes. It’s ancient… like, primal.” He shifts his weight, then adds, low and reluctant, “It means you’re mine now.”
I stare at him. The wind howls. My dress clings wetly to my ribs, my arms, my chest.
