Page 162 of A Storm in Every Heart
“Fuck,” I blurt out, suddenly finding my voice again.
I pull my tail in, trying to scramble further onto the sand. Scrambling with a tail isn’t all that graceful, and I flop forward, nearly falling face-first into the sand, before catching myself against Kastian’s shoulder. He laughs, in an exhausted, humorless sort of way.
I toss my hair back to glower, the image of the terrifying, hideous sirens flashing in my mind. “How can you laugh? I’m sure I look monstrous right now.”
“You don’t.”
My frown deepens. “Don’t lie.”
“I’m not. All this—” He gestures toward my face and chest, “—is normal. It’s just your, uh, tail. Here.” He bends down and picks me up, tail and all, and carries me further up the beach. By the time he sets me down again, the tail has shrunk back into two legs—albeit with an impression of scales along my feet and calves.
I sit on the sand and pull my knees up to my chest, wrapping both arms around them. Kastian sits next to me and we’re silent for a moment, watching the waves crashing against the beach.
I don’t know what to do—what to think. Kastian is alive, I’m alive, the siren queen is dead, and I don’t really understand any of it.
Kastian reaches over and his fingers curl into my hair. He turns my head, forcing me to look at him. “Say something.”
I exhale a long breath. “You’re an idiot.”
He blinks rapidly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me! What were you thinking?
I only realize that I’m yelling when he shouts back, matching my tone. “What wasIthinking?” he roars, “Youthrew yourself into the fucking ocean. I wasthinkingI had to find you.”
“You could have—no, youshouldhave drowned. How were you breathing? Any man should have died ten times over.”
“I keep telling you, Princess, I’m not just any man.”
“Arrogant prick. I—” My voice cracks. “I thought you were dead!”
“And you thought that meant you could leave me?” He grips my hair harder, squeezing painfully. “Nothing is going to take you away from me, not even death.”
Emotion explodes in my chest. The bond and my pulse fall into sync, making me hyper aware of my own thundering heartbeat. I’m not really sure if we’re arguing, or just processing all the pent up emotions of the last several days—the last several decades, really.
I want to believe him. I want everything to be alright now that neither of us died and I can feel the bond strong between us. I want this to be the beginning of something rather than the end; Except…
“Could you hear what the siren said?” I ask, no longer yelling.
He shakes his head. “No, just a lot of screaming.”
“She said it’s in our nature to destroy anyone we care about. I could still end up hurting you, we don’t know?—”
He shakes his head, cutting me off. “I’m not worried about it.”
“Why?”
“Do you know where we are?” Kastian asks, by way of answering me.
I frown. “Of course, what?—”
Kastian sits up and looks me dead in the eyes. “This is the same beach where you left me,”
My breath catches in my chest. “Where I left you, when?”
He doesn’t answer immediately, glancing out over the water as if seeing far more there than I can. My racing heart thunders with anxiety, and finally, I can’t take the silence any longer. “When?” I ask again, louder.
“You know, it’s the strangest thing.” He says slowly. “When Magnus was torturing me I thought I was dying. I was sure I died, actually, but then Connell woke me up.”
