Page 36 of Cruel Tides

With a flip of Laverne’s neck and an exasperated huff, she swung the bag to Claira’s feet.Then her head curled back in perfect sea lion posture, her teeth and tongue neatly concealed in her snout.“Since you’re offering.”

Claira blinked, and her hand came up to her temple like Laverne’s words had finally reached her.

My spine ached as I leaned down, snapping up the bag’s strap before Claira could make a move for it. “Not nice, Laverne,” I scolded, wagging a finger at her nose. I lifted the bag and nearly lost my footing when a stench slapped me in the face.

Though I couldn’t be sure what was in it, I had a feeling it held about a dozen regurgitated fish Laverne had originally scarfed down for lunch.

“No, no, I can carry it.” Although Claira’s nose scrunched at the smell, she still moved to take the fish bag away from me. But Laverne was practically my family—not Claira’s. My mate didn’t need to deal with the smelly outcome of Laverne’s little temper tantrum. I hoisted my bag over my other shoulder and headed for the door before either of them could stop me.

“Not you, Kai-Kai! You don’t need to carry it,”Laverne shrieked, crowding under my feet as soon as I stopped to open the door.“She’s right there. Let her do it.”

If Claira thought my face was hot earlier, she would be burnt if she tried touching it now. “Playing these childish games is getting old, Laverne.” Pain and exhaustion gave my voice a harsher edge than I’d ever used with her.

“But—”Laverne’s moon eyes rounded, her ears drooping.“Big Brother…”

I propped the door open with my shoulder to let Claira through before starting down the hallway, gritting my teeth in anticipation of more pain. Strangely enough, the bags balanced me in a way that alleviated the ache.

“Grab the keys before you leave, Laverne, since you’re the one who tossed them on the floor. Barren said we need to return them to the humans at the counter downstairs.” I watched as her head sank, her tail sulking lifelessly behind her as she collected the keys in her mouth.

Even the elevator couldn’t lift Laverne’s spirits. It was her favorite part of the entire hotel. I loved watching her enjoy the rides, but I needed to remain firm. Our relationship didn’t have many boundaries, but she needed to know my stance on Claira and that I wouldn’t tolerate her disrespecting her. I’d hoped she would warm up to Claira without my interfering, but it was clear that Laverne might never stop trying to drive a wedge between us.

When we made it to the counter, I gently took the keys from Laverne’s mouth and set them on top of it. Then I gave the man standing behind it my best smile. “I was told to return these.”

His attention dropped to the keys and the shiny ring of drool forming on the counter around them, though he made no attempt to retrieve them. “Thank you—er, sir.”

“You’re very welcome.” I beamed, then a burst of thunder cracked in the distance, making every one of us jump.

“What the—?” Claira swung around me, looking out the transparent doors. There was another thunderclap, a bright flash quickly replaced by darkness.

“The weather forecast for today didn’t mention storms,” the man behind the counter mumbled, moving to a small window to inspect the dark clouds forming outside.

“A storm…” Claira let out a loud gasp and bolted for the doors. They parted for her immediately, and when she was through them, the wind whipped her hair as she ran out into the swirling darkness.

“Claira, wait!” I slapped a hand on the counter to turn the man’s attention back to the keys, then threw him a thumbs up. “We good here?”

“Uh, yes, sir,” he stuttered, moving back to the counter. He slid the keys closer with the edge of a colorful rectangular document he’d pulled from a display beside him. “You’re all checked out.”

“Thanks, man!” Holding tight to the straps of the bags, I chased after Claira into the storm.

Outside, Claira had stopped short of the car, her body facing the shoreline where a dense, turbulent mass of storm clouds formed over the water. Through the dark haze, white-tipped waves churned, falling over each other in great, angry claps that rivaled the sound of thunder in the air.

Barren was at the trunk of the car, his hand on the open lid, his gaze on the storm.

“Look at those waves!”Laverne’s head perked along with her spirits. I opened my mouth to stop her from going out to surf when Claira called over to Barren.

“Is it Leander?” There was an evident crack of panic in her voice.

Barren nodded, turning toward us with a swing of his strong shoulders. “He’s chasing after a seabird.”

Claira’s hair blew over her face as her mouth hung open. “He’swhat?”

My head tilted. “Chasing a seabird?” I hoped that repeating the words would give them some clarity, but… it did not. I glanced up at the sky soaked with dark clouds and turbulent winds. “Why would a seabird be out in a storm like this?”

“This isn’t a storm,” Claira deadpanned, dread forming over her face. “This is Leander.” With that, she sprung forward, heading for the shore. I didn’t even think before throwing down the bags I was carrying to chase after her.

I wasn’t sure what she meant at first, but it took about thirty paces to find out she was right. Leander was on the shore at the center of the ominous storm. With every movement he made, sand whipped up around him, collecting in the wind and circling him in a gritty fog. Smaller twists of sand formed at his flanks, scattering like fish in a feeding frenzy as he took predatory steps forward, the rumble of his deep voice carrying on the wind.

“Whaleshit you‘didn’t do it on purpose!’”

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