Page 98 of Cursed Waters

With his bad back and her arthritis, they were too old to be doing the work I knew they would push themselves to do while I was gone. But when had I stopped worrying about getting home to them? Stopped thinking about takingLady Ochreout on the water?

It baffled me how quickly I’d pushed those thoughts aside. Going back home should have been all I thought about, and yet…

I leaned against the boardwalk’s railing, feeling more foolish than ever. I’d let myself get so wrapped up in a world where I didn’t even belong.

“There you are,” a voice called from behind me, nearly breathless, like they’d just completed the last leg of a track meet.Ugh. Was it too much to ask for a minute alone to think?

“You won’t change my mind,” I sighed, my eyes absently tracing lines of waves as they rolled up the shore until Kai rounded in front of me, obstructing my view.

“I’m not trying to change your mind.” He held up a palm, and I stared at it, not sure what it meant.

His fingers sure were long, though, the surface of his palm calloused where I had expected the skin to be smooth.

What was he, a warrior? A champion of undersea tug-of-war? Honestly, neither seemed very believable, but it just seemed like a would-be mate should know why their would-be partner had calluses on his hands.

Suddenly, it was like I was seeing Kai for what he truly was: a stranger.

I’d always felt myself relaxing next to him, like I was cozying up to an old friend, butwhy? I knew nothing about him other than his name, and apparently, I hadn’t even really known that.

Leander had called himKaius,right? I didn’t know a Kaius. I—

“I want to apologize,” Kai said softly, and I felt flustered when he placed his calloused palm on my shoulder. “I was just so excited. I didn’t think about how you would feel or—or if you would even want to be my mate.” He swallowed hard, a daze misting his eyes. “Or if you had already found someone else before me.”

My lips parted, but all words fled from thought. What was I supposed to say to that?

“It’s okay, Claira. You don’t have to worry about me bringing it up again.” His grip on my shoulder tightened briefly, and then his hand dropped, plunging to his side like he was letting go of me altogether.

“All right.” I nodded, the sharp tang of sea air burning down my dry throat. “Good.”

I stared at the sand, unable to look him in the eyes. Not while my heart was throbbing so wildly, the panicky feeling of loss welling inside me, beating against my chest like a drum.

Was I crazy? This was a loss of something I never even had. Kai and I were only friends—nothing more. That was all there ever was between us.

My body seemed overly aware of his movements as he shifted on his feet, facing down the boardwalk.

“Barren must have been an excellent teacher,” he said lightly, slowly easing back into his normal cheerful lilt. “Or you were a better swimmer than you thought? You made it all the way to King Eamon’s kingdom and back in one morning. That’s pretty amazing.”

I focused in on the shell fragments littering the sand next to the boardwalk, feeling uneasy. “Oh, that.” What could I say that wasn’t a lie? The last thing I wanted was more undeserved praise.

“But I still don’t like the idea of you going back in the water alone,” he mumbled, his hands settling on the wooden rail beside me. “How about you take me with you next time?”

“E-excuse me?” Shocked, I jerked up to look at him, only to find a broad smile waiting for me.

“Just think, you could tie me up in a bag or something! Wear me on your hip like those belts we saw when we went shopping.”

I let out a slow breath of relief, cracking a small smile at the thought of a miniature Kai trapped in one of those fish bags I’d seen in pet stores. “Wear a fish like a belt? Now I know you’re teasing me.”

“I’m completely serious!” He nudged my elbow, looking a little too excited at the thought of me dragging him around in a little baggie. “I guess Laverne could carry me, if you think I might slow you down.”

I pictured Leander in his betta fish form, trapped in his own shirt, and let out a snort. “Sure, okay. And as my betta fish warrior, what do you plan to do if we swim into more of those octopus creatures?”

Kai paused, scratching at the short hairs on the nape of his neck. “Flare up and blow bubbles in their eyes, I guess?”

Now that would be a sight. “I appreciate your courage, but I think I’m better off going…” The wordalonefelt like a knot in my tongue, and I found my mouth clamping shut before I could say it.

I couldn’t do it—couldn’t bring myself to lie to Kai, who had been so honest and genuine with me.

“Come here,” I said, seizing him by the wrist before I could reason myself out of it. “There’s something I should show you.”

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