Chapter 4

The first thing I felt was the weight in my chest.

It pressed against my chest, rising and falling with every slow breath. I felt terrible like my body was used as a bat to hit an immovable object, my nose felt stuffy, my throat was dry and there was an bitter taste on my tongue that felt like something went to rot there

The feeling of disgust heightened, the dirt on my body felt like a layer of unwanted skin, the gnawing feeling of hunger rose within me, eating me from the inside out from my stomach leading to my chest.

I stretched my aching bones, stirring the weight on my chest, a low hum followed by a yawn drifted up, then the weight was gone.

One, a soft, gentle pink, like the blush of dawn. The other split straight through the middle half that same delicate pink, half an inky, endless black. It was a strange and impossible harmony.

They were watching me.

No, he was watching me.

And in those eyes, there was something so open, so vulnerable… joy, fear, relief, exhaustion all crashing together. I felt the weight of it hit me like a tide. I should’ve looked away. But I couldn’t.

I just stared.

Something in my chest tightened I could not move, almost afraid that if I moved those beautiful eyes would shatter like a mirage.

The man looked back at me in surprise studying me from top to bottom , when he looked satisfied with what he saw his beautiful eyes filled with tears even as his lips broke into a trembling smile. He lunged into my arms with a broken so, “You're awake” he said in between sobs

He held me in a tight embrace, I was something precious

something he never thought he’d see again.

“I thought you would never wake up I was so scared” His voice cracked, and I felt something wet hit my skin. I froze, unsure what to do. My body went rigid under his warmth.

I didn’t understand.

I didn’t know him.

Id never seen him before, and I new I would remember someone with such beautiful eyes thst bloomed like cherry blossoms.

But I couldn’t push him away.

Not when those pearl-like tears kept falling.

Only a few people worried about me, one was dead, the other was a traitor, in the face of such warmth struck more fear into me than my near death experience ever would, every cell in my body willing me to push this stranger away instead of living my hand on his back neither pulling nor pushing.

I could not find it in myself to pull away either, I just stayed still letting him shake and breathe and settle against me and trying not to drown in the unfamiliar weight of being held.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, a strange feeling blooming in the darkest area of my being

After what felt like an eternity he finally settled slowly detaching himself body for my own.

He stopped only breath between us his smile almost blinding me, I wanted to lean back but I was afraid that would set him off crying again.

He must have noticed my discomfort, he released my shoulders  his hands sliding down to take mine instead. That strange, tight feeling coiled in my chest again something unfamiliar, something dangerous.

His eyes sparkled  filled with triumph,  as if waiting for me to say something.

When I said nothing huffed and grinned. ” well..its nice to finally meet you face to face”he chuckled as if we shared an inside joke …one I wasn’t in on.

“i’m the you’ve been sending the courting gifts”he added, his cheeks flushing a soft pink, embarrassment blooming across his moonstone-like skin.

“Gifts?” My voice cracked, rough and broken from disuse. It sounded like sandpaper dragging against a violin string.

I shot him a confused look.

I don’t send gifts, at least not good ones. The things I left behind were meant to inspire fear, not make someone beam like they’d just been handed a treasure.

He tilted his head, my head buzzed at the action“my apologies you must still be disoriented”

I nodded my head, that was… an understatement.

“you know the foo-”he cut himself off,  face going even redder. ” sorry the bodies you dropped into my marsh”

My brain stalled.

Inside my head my mouth gaped..

Was he a cannibal? He was too cute to be a cannibal, but then again that would make it easier to trick people.

 That would explain the disappearing bodies I’d always assumed some wild animal had dragged them off. But no… it had been him.

My muscles tensed with a slow wave of apprehension., was this cannibal going to eat me? Is that why he saved me, no I shook my head,

The way he smiled, so soft, so warm, and impossibly sincere.

No, there was no malice there… And with the way his face lit up when he called me his spouse…If he was planning to eat me, it probably wouldn’t be right away.

I sized him out of instinct, He wasn’t particularly big, but his arms were strong  built for heavy lifting, no doubt. I could take him if things went south. I’d taken down bigger

When he caught me looking, his eyes sparkled mischievously. He propped his chin on his hands and waggled his eyebrows. “Do you like what you see?”

I looked away as he burst into laughter, the sound of it echoing of the stone walls of the cave .

“im happy to see you and im sure youre happy to see me right…my love?”

I met his eyes, and that was a mistake.

There was so much sincerity there, so much hope. It would’ve been easier to tell him the truth, to shut this down before it spiraled out of control.

 I dumped the bodies cause this place was convenient and bodies disappearing showed that nobody would ever find them.

But I couldn’t. Not when I saw the exhaustion lining his face, the dark circles beneath his eyes. He’d taken care of me when no one else would. He’d saved my life.

And in all the movies I’d seen, it was common courtesy to show gratitude to your savior.

I nodded my head, he beamed at me  and I felt that strange tightness in my chest again.

Growl

My stomach made itself known.

“oh you must be starving” He practically jumped up from where he sat,"Now that you're better, I can go find food. I'll be right back!"

Before I could say anything, he pushed off from the cave floor and hurled himself into the water, his tail  flicked launching water droplets at me.

I wiped my face, blinking at the spot he disappeared.

He has a tail?

Not a cannibal.

A mermaid.

I snorted, joshua said there was no vampires and here I am…practically married to a mermaid.

The dawning of something that I could consider amusement drained from me.

With everything happening, I had forgotten something important.

Joshua…the director..

They betrayed me.

I searched for an emotion , anger..hatred…anything, but I felt nothing,

Just a dull numbness settling over me, like a heavy fog.

I exhaled slowly.

On the bright side I’m finally free of the organization, I wont need to kill another person.

I don’t need to follow orders.

I need to find a job, and a safe place, to say.

I glanced around the cave. Spacious, damp, filled with the scent of salt and stone. Not somewhere I could stay indefinitely.

But for now, it would have to do.

When I returned the cave smelt different, less damp more warm and lived in.

I swam in my hands full of fish and some more plants for medicine and some vegetation for him to eat for a balance breakfast and so he could balance his diet. Very important so he would stay healthy and live forever, I felt proud of myself.

What greeted me made my heart skip a beat,

he was… cleaning?

This killing machine, the perfect assassin was cleaning out living space, the clothes I used as a make shift nest were folded in a neat pile by the side, and some were hanging to dry.

He’d gathered all my shiny treasures into one corner and sorted the random, interesting twigs I’d collected into another.

I fell in love with him again

With a loud plop, I dropped my haul onto the cold stone floor. He turned at the sound, his face as unreadable as ever but his eyes jumped, just a little.

I had seen enough of his memories to understand that it wasn’t that he lacked emotions, he just didn’t know what they were or understand how to reach to somethings.

And he was very spare with his words.

And, of course, he was very sparing with his words.

“You know you’re not supposed to be cleaning,” I said nonchalantly, flicking some water off my tail.

“it was a mess” was his sharp reply, he brisked like a cat that was caught doing something bad

I hummed in response, my smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

 “did you miss me darling?”I asked in a sing song voice

He rolled his eyes. To anyone else, it would’ve looked like annoyance — but I knew better. It was exasperation, sure, but there was no real heat in it. Probably wondering how long I’d keep up the nicknames. (The answer was forever.)

“Get used to it… I teased, casting a slow, appreciative glance around the clean cave. .”…with the way you cleaned this cave I’m already planning our wedding”

He raised a brow but said nothing, bending down to pick up the fish I’d caught.

“so what would you like, a beach wedding ?or do we just give ask the sea goddess to bless us?”

“Whatever you want,” he said flatly. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

My pout was immediate.”youre making it seem like im forcing you into marriage.”

He shot me a look — that hard, assessing gaze I’d grown so fond of. “What did you just say?”

I blinked.”was my voice too low?”

His eyes narrowed, he opened his mouth and another language came out of his mouth” are you speaking Russian right now?”

“Oh,” I said quickly, switching back to English. “Sorry. You see, with the blood I consume from all the gifts you’ve given me… I absorb their memories, too.”

His eyes sharpened, curiosity flickering behind his cold expression. He studied me like I was some strange new weapon.

How? I felt the question radiate off him without him saying a word.

I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “I don’t know. It just kind of happens. I’m not sure how.”

he nodded then took the fish and went to the fire,

I watched him go, eyeing the distance between myself and the warmth. The stone between us looked rough, and my scales were still too sensitive. Some of the vegetables I’d gathered lay on the dry ground, and just thinking about dragging myself across the rocks made me wince.

My poor scales. One had already snagged on a sharp edge earlier and ripped clean off.

The shock had been so intense I’d broken into curses that would’ve made a pirate proud — in at least twenty different languages.

With a sigh, I picked up the lost scale from where it had fallen. It was shaped like a guitar pick and shimmered beautifully when the light hit it just right flashing from deep red to a soft teal green.

I stayed by the water’s edge, letting the coolness soothe my tail, and started braiding a bit of string I’d found nearby.

“You okay?” his voice came from behind me, quiet and cautious.

I smiled, still focused on the string. “I’m alright. Just can’t move too far right now. My scales are a bit sensitive from all the dragging.”

“Oh.” That was all he said — short and simple, as always.

We settled into a comfortable silence — the kind I liked. The warmth of the fire spread over my back, the cool water lapped at my tail, and the quiet rustling of him preparing the fish was oddly soothing.

When I finished my braiding I punched a tiny hole in a corner of the scale and threaded the string through.

“Done” I announced proudly, spinning to face him.

He looked… unsure. After a beat, he clapped — slow, awkward — and added a thumbs up. “You… did good?”

I smiled at least he was trying.

Before I could stop myself, I leaned in and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

His eyes widened a fraction.

Oh, I liked that reaction.

“this is one of my courting gifts, its not as much as you’ve done for me” I whispered leaning into him, his hot breath sprayed across my face, his breath hitched and my smile grew.

I crossed my arms behind his neck and tied the makeshift pendant around his throat, letting my fingers linger as they brushed against his warm skin.

Then, because I couldn’t resist, I patted his chest and took my time feeling the hard muscle beneath my palm.

“Now you’ll always have me close to your heart.”

The words were teasing, but there was something real behind them something soft and dangerous.

I wrapped my arms around him, and this time, he didn’t freeze. Slowly so slowly his arms came up around me, his hands patting my back in the most awkward attempt at comfort I’d ever experienced.

It was adorable.

“well…thank you” he mumbled, his voice rough, his gaze fixed anywhere but on me.

I wanted to kiss him then, really kiss him, but I knew he wasn’t ready.

So I bit him instead.

My teeth sank lightly into his neck, just enough to make him suck in a sharp breath. He didn’t make a sound, but his whole body tensed.

And then, without a word, he stood up fast. “Uh..the food’s ready. I… I need to..” He gestured vaguely toward the fire and all but fled.

I giggled, watching him go, my heart fluttering.

He was so fun to tease.