Page 8 of Trapped By Claws
I shook my head at him as I continued along. "Both of you, just leave me alone, all right?"
Another tremor passed through the rope, and I started to sink.
What?
I wrenched my gaze back in time to see Tagger fiddling with the knot and sliding more rope through.
"No!" My eyes widened. "No, no, no! Bad otter. Bad Tagger!"
Tagger continued to work at the rope, causing it to lower closer and closer to the water.
I clung there, upside down, hair swinging in the breeze. My mauve skirt hung about my hips. Lovely. My face was almost in line with Corvin's now.
Corvin grinned and leaned forward.
I wrinkled my nose. "I said stay away from me."
"So you did. But here you are." He grinned, rising up from the water so that we were eye to eye. Waggling his eyebrows, he brushed the tip of his forefinger's claw against my nose. "What if I were to kiss you right now?"
I glared at him, then seized the spoon from the clip at my side and struck him on the forehead. "I said no."
He laughed at this but slid back. "It's a good thing you're so entertaining. Otherwise—" His hand darted up and brushed against the ends of my auburn hair.
I smacked his hand with the spoon again. "Do you understand what no means?"
"I've heard it means you want to extend the game." He swam out a little farther and then circled back, his eyes sparkling.
I was barely three feet above the water now. It was going to be a much steeper climb once I reached the ship. "I want you to leave me alone," I said as sternly as I could. "Tell your otter to stop."
He flashed me an even bigger smile, then leaned back and whistled. "Don't drop her in the water, Tagger. Let's see what she can manage on her own." He cut his gaze back to me. "I have to admit, darling, I really want to see if you can manage the rest of the way. You're stronger than you look."
"And you're patronizing and infuriating." More sweat and salt water rolled down my neck and arms.
"Only when I'm right. Which I always am."
I grumbled as I continued along. A gorgeous man finally wanted to talk to me, but he was a fae intent on tormenting me.Sounded about right, actually. How dare he. How dare he be so attractive and so horrible at the same time!
He splashed his tail up out of the water, sending a spray of salty water over me.
"Oh!" I gritted my teeth.
"Does that help you cool off in this heat?" he asked with teasing sweetness.
I looked at him and froze. He was half out of the water, gripping the rope with one hand as he blocked my path. "This is now a toll line. Pay the toll, and I'll let you pass."
I pulled the spoon free again. "Move, or I'll whack your fingers."
"Has anyone ever told you that spoons aren't actually weapons, darling?" He laughed as he leaned forward. His fingers grazed my cheek, the claws light and tingling across my skin. "Then again, that does look like a special spoon. I never knew anyone to carry around a wooden spoon with marks like that. What do they say?"
I huffed at him, the spoon still raised in one hand. My left arm ached and burned as I held myself up. "If I tell you, will you get off this rope?"
"I swear it." He batted his eyelashes at me. "What does it say?"
"Salt before pepper makes it better." It was a lie. But he wouldn't know that if he couldn't read runes.
He chuckled darkly. "Oh, darling, I can't even read ordinary common script. But I can read faces. So now I'm doubly interested. What does it really say?" His hand cupped my cheek, peering at me as I stared at him upside down.
"Never give up on your dreams." I set my jaw. That wasn't something I'd intended to admit, and even hanging upside down, I couldn't hide the bitterness in my voice. I felt vulnerable,and I hated it as much as I hated the advice on the spoon and cherished the kind souls who'd given it to me.
