Page 27 of Bony Bony
AfterSebastianfinally left our place,Iexhaled.Whydid he have to get in my business like that?Justbecause we were married and mated didn’t mean we needed to be soldered together, spending every free moment smothering each other with our presence.
Ineeded space.No, whatIneeded was my tranquil place to help me break through this simmering inside.
AsIleft the townhouse with a beach bag, tension twisted through me like snakes.Wherehad it come from?Ithad slowly simmered in me at the club.Bythe timeI’dgotten home,Iwas thoroughly frustrated withSebastianwithout a clear reason why.Ineeded a way to claw it out of me, and the best way to manage that was heading to the sea.
Idrove down to the oceanside whereIoften slipped in for a swim.AfterIparked,Irage-walked down to the shore with arms swinging and muttering to myself.Thesun beamed down, mocking me with its brightness, whereas the oppressive sensation felt like dark rainclouds pressing down.
WhileItook off my sandals,Itripped on seaweed and fell into the sand.Icursed, my muscles clenching ever tighter.Theocean was my happy place, but so far, it wasn’t helping ease the cloying tension inside.
OnceIstood,Iplodded through the sand toward a hidden cove whereIliked to swim.Thewarm sand flowed between my toes, but it didn’t caress the soles of my feet as they usually did.Nottoday.Instead, the particles felt abrasive.Whywas it when you were in a shitty mood, even the tiniest thing could irritate you?
Couldit be that time of the month already?No, too soon.So, what the hell was going on?Theworst part about this was thatIdidn’t even know the reason behind these intense emotions.Itook a heaving breath and kept walking.
Acandy wrapper poked out from the sand.Polluters.Couldn’tthey pick up their crap and throw it out like a decent person?Itwas ridiculous how much garbageI’dfind even when swimming out deeper into the sea.
Iwalked quicker, eager to get into the ocean and swim this angst away that was more fitting for a teen than a grown-ass woman.
Wheredid this come from?
Didit have something to do withSebastian?Afterall, he’d been my focal point for my anger earlier.Ugh.Isighed.
Relationshipswere challenging for sure, but why didImake mine ever-more-complicated by falling for a wolf shifter?Theywere territorial and protective.Oncethey found their fated mate, they wanted to be with them whenever possible.ButIhad alifebeforeSebastian, one in whichIwas happy and independent and free.Sure, not every day was super awesome, butIwas content.I’dworked hard to be independent and was proud thatIwas able to run a successful business and buy a townhouse on my own.Ididn’t need a man to make me happy then, andIdidn’t need one now.
Right.WhatIneeded was room to breathe.Bemyself again.
Thathad to be it.SebastianandIhad been together almost every night since we’d gotten married.Wasthat healthy?Perhapsnot.
Maybewe should spend some time separately.Afterall, there was that saying about absence and the heart, andIsure wasn’t feeling too fond ofSebastianright now.Ifwe had some time apart, that could help us—provide a salve to our relationship before it turned toxic and drove us to a permanent separation.
Ithought of a recent missed opportunity to do so and grunted.Zanehad invited me to go on tour with the band, andI’dturned it down.Whatthe hell?Whydidn’tIeven consider it?Itwould have been the perfect break.Itrusted my staff and the club wouldn’t fall apart without me there for a short time.
WhenIpictured that night whenIsang on stage surrounded by all that energy,Ifurther lamented not giving it more thought.I’dfelt incredible on stage, powerful—not only with the energy in my voice, but with the exuberance from the audience coming back to me.Ithad been a brilliant, electrifying, symbiotic circle.PerhapsIhad been foolish not to accept the invite.
Wasit too late now?WherewasZaneand the band?MaybeIshould reach out to him.Imean, what was the harm in leavingSalemfor a brief period?I’dleft before and come home.Goingaway was no different from going away for a vacation with girlfriends or a solo adventure to feed the soul.Instead,I’dbe doing so from beneath the spotlights of a stage.
IfSebastianandIwere truly meant to be together, a few weeks apart would strengthen our relationship, not damage it.
OnceIreached the cove, tucked away from developments,Ifound a hidden spot behind a formation of rocks whereIstripped and stashed my clothes and phone in my bag with a towel and my car keys.Theamethyst necklace dangled on my chest.Thatwould get in the way whenIswam, soIremoved it.Itshined brighter, pulsing with a warm heat beforeItucked it in the bag.
Asudden whoosh of the salty ocean air engulfed me, andIdrank it in.Iloved the ocean.Itwas my happy place.Naked,Iembraced the sun’s warmth on my body.Itiptoed barefoot through the sand, relishing the sensation of the warm grains sliding in between my toes.Thatwas better.
Atthe edge of the shore,Itoed the cool sea.WhenIstepped into the ocean, the brisk water pooled along my ankles.Afteradjusting to the cool temperature,Istepped deeper into the water.Onceit reached my waist,Idove beneath the surface.
Forseveral minutes,Iswam in human form before initiating the shift.ThenIconnected to the energy inside me, and power rippled through my body as the transformation began.Gillsformed, fins emerged, and my legs fused together before becoming a tail.
Insiren form,Iexplored the underwater world, swimming closer to the sea floor, where plants swayed asIswam past.I’dalways found comfort in the sea and loved to swim but hadn’t realizedIwas able to shift into a siren until my mother had come back into my life after twenty-five years and had shown me how.Thatwas the only good thing her arrival brought—well, that and knowingI’dbeen better off growing up without her.She’dreturned toSalem, supposedly to reconnect, but it had all been a ruse.Thesense of abandonment returned, engulfing me like a deep cavern had opened up inside me.
AlthoughItried to force memories of her away, especially as they crept into my relaxation time, they kept popping up, like a buoy pushed beneath the surface that would force its way to break the plane.Thelast time she came toSalem, she and her siren goons had gotten revenge on me by dosing my drink with an aging spell.I’dgrown old so quickly thatIfearedIonly had a limited number of days beforeI’ddie from premature old age.
Worse,Sebastianwould leave me.
Buthe hadn’t.Sebastianhad loved me and accepted me even whenIappeared more than three times his age.Evenwhile he was devastatingly handsome, a hot shifter in his prime, he still embraced me.Helooked deeper than my looks.Hesaw the real me—even with my many and messy flaws—he loved me still.
Swimminggave me the opportunity to think, away from all the distractions and clutter from the world above the sea.Icould marvel at the serenity of the underwater world, glide alongside fish, mute out the intrusive sounds of the world above.Earlierthat morning,I’dbeen fuming about being smothered, telling myselfI’dbeen fine and happy before he came along.WhyhadIsnapped at him that way overbreakfast?WasIthat much of an uber-bitch?Theway he doted on everyone with food was one of his endearing qualities, not an annoying one.Ialways joked that feeding people was his love language, leading him to become an incredible chef.
Regretswam through me.IpicturedSebastian’sface with his soulful, brown eyes.Whenhe looked at me,Ifelt likeIwas the only woman in the world.Theonly one for him.Hepromised that he’d do anything for me, sacrifice anything to keep me safe.Hemade me feel loved, cared for, adored.Heaccepted me in a way thatI’dfelt lacking my entire life.
Apang of longing struck me.Iyearned to be near him and make up for the icy morning.I’drun my fingers through his soft brown hair and over his coarse, trimmed beard that tickled me in such a tantalizing way when he kissed me.Adelightful shiver traveled over my skin.
