Page 46 of Tide Touched

I grit my teeth. ‘You can’t just buy me, Killian.’

He brushes a finger under my chin, directing me to meet his gaze. ‘That’s not what I’m doing.’ His voice is low and serious in the dim chatter of the market. He nods to me, indicating my awful state. ‘You need things. I need things. It’s okay.’ As though he can tell I’m still not reassured, he touches his forehead to mine. ‘Katherine.’ He takes my hand, even though I told him I’d rather shop alone, and leads me to the nearest stall. There are dresses of varying colours, some tie-dyed, others made of fresh, white cotton.

The storeholder smiles at us, a forty-something woman. ‘What are you looking for?’ I pick at a rack, a green dress calling to me. ‘That would suit you nicely. Compliment your eyes and hair.’ There’s a scarf wrapped about her face. If she’s a Water wolf and suspects we’re Fire pack, she doesn’t seem to mind. There seem to be all kinds of wolves here.

‘She’s right.’ Killian takes the green dress off the rack and holds it up. ‘But you need more than one outfit.’ He looks to the storeholder. ‘What else do you have for her?’

I avert my gaze, a little uncomfortable.

‘Well, let’s see.’ The woman gives me a once-over. If she thinks I look—or smell—terrible, she hides it well. ‘Ah, do you like this?’ She holds up a dusty pink dress.

‘I do, actually.’ It’s always better to wear a dress, no matter how much I curse them, than to be naked, I remind myself sternly.

Killian pays for my dresses, even carries the bag. We stop by two more stalls. He picks up a couple of shirts, and even finds a new pair of jeans. There’s a shop in a corner where we pick up some underwear (new, still with tags), and I find two bras. When we’re adding new shoes to our haul, my gaze lands on a stall that makes my heart swell so big I nearly cry.

I set a hand over my mouth and walk, as though transfixed, to a stall overflowing with books. There must be a hundred of them stacked neatly around the stall. More books than I’ve ever seen in my life. I pick one up, read the back. ‘You’re a booklover, I can see the sparkle in your eyes.’ This stallholder is an old lady. She wobbles over to me as Killian catches up.

‘There you are. I thought I’d lost you for a moment. Ah. I see you’ve found Mariam’s books.’ He inclines his head to the woman.

‘Nice to see you Killian. Who’s your… friend?’ Mariam’s gaze flicks between us.

‘This is Katherine,’ Killian says, a gentle hand on my back. ‘I think she’d love some of your books, but we’re travelling right now.’ He leans down to me. ‘Pick one. I promise I’ll bring you back here to get more.’

I turn, looking up into his face. ‘Really?’

Killian’s smile lights up the world. ‘Of course.’ He touches my cheek. ‘I can see how much you love them. I like reading, too.’

‘What genre do you like, dear?’ Mariam asks. ‘Some fantasy, romance? Human-contemporary, or I think I even have some shifter writers in here…’ She starts rifling through the stacks.

‘I like the sound of paranormal romance. I haven’t read many. Books are scarce where I’m from.’

‘Oh.’ Mariam looks as though I’ve just told her I have a day to live. ‘Well! Here.’ She guides me to a stack of books. ‘Anything you like, dear. These are popular for young women your age.’ She offers a kind smile.

‘Thanks,’ I say absently, already thoroughly distracted. We end up leaving with three books; one for me and the same copy for Moira so I have someone to fangirl with, and Killian even picked up one, but refuses to show me what it is. ‘I will find out,’ I warn him.

Killian squares his shoulders. ‘No, you won’t.’ The corner of his mouth twists in a smile. The sun is falling in the sky. ‘Come on.’

We follow Elijah’s directions, heading to the beach. If I tilt my head back, I can almost smell the ocean, the welcoming tang of salt in the air.

The closer we get to the beach, the more relaxed my body becomes. Muscles easing, tension from my shoulders evaporating. I inhale slowly, deeply, trying to breathe it all in. I kick off my shoes as soon as the rough dirt ground turns to sand.

‘It’s good to see you happy.’ Killian gives me a sidelong glance.

It’s such a strange comment. An observation most people in my life would never bother to make. I give him a tentative smile. ‘Thanks.’ For a long moment, our gazes hold, then we blink and break away.

We spot Moira and Elijah on the beach, the waves licking at their feet. Their heads are bent low in conversation, their foreheads nearly touching. I pause in my tracks, not wanting to interrupt such an intimate scene.

Killian takes my arm lightly and steers me behind a little copse of trees. ‘Odd, isn’t he?’ he whispers. ‘Seeing them like that?’

I blink. ‘What do you mean?’

Killian watches them through the trees. ‘Fire and Earth. Makes me wonder…’

I try to read his expression. His brows are furrowed, eyes pinched… ‘You’re worried my bond with Carter is real? If they’re fated?’ I nod to Moira and Elijah.

Killian’s gaze flicks down. ‘Well, yeah. I am. I know we haven’t talked about it but, do you still… feel anything for him?’

I wiggle my toes in the sand-dirt, the edge of the beach. ‘I don’t know. It’s hard to explain but—’ Killian’s eyes darken with hurt. ‘No.’ I set my hands on his arms. ‘Look at me. This is so different. This’—I grasp his arms—‘this is the real bond, I know it is.’

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