Danger On the High Sea
EVREN
Two days later, I still can’t believe I lost. I never lose, especially at numbers games.
Odds are what I do for a living, for fucks sake.
Either I was too confident in my ability to beat the house odds, something I should have known better than to underestimate based solely on the thievery of the slot machines, or the universe truly doesn’t wish me to spend more time with Kallie.
Clearly, I should have spent more time studying the game before placing my wager.
Leaving my suite, I wander down to one of the restaurants for breakfast. As I traverse the enormous ship, I search for Kallie. Again. Luck, however, does not seem to be on my side. By the time I reach the restaurant, I’m in a pissy mood, worse than when I first arrived.
Things don’t get any better from there. The waitress brings me the wrong order twice, then knocks over my glass of water into my lap. I want to snarl and snap at her to be more careful and watch what she’s doing, but my gruff demeanor is probably what made her nervous to begin with.
I leave her with a generous tip and begin aimlessly wandering. Well, that’s not entirely true. My aim is to find Kallie. Wandering is how I am trying, and failing, to accomplish that.
I’m about to head to the casino when her scent hits me, hibiscus and orange blossom.
My eyes dart all around, desperately searching for her.
I finally spot her, a flash of coppery hair and porcelain skin on one of the upper decks.
Using my massive size to my advantage, I take the steps nearly three at a time.
Rushing past families and couples, I nearly knock people over in my rush to catch up to Kallie.
When I spot her again, she’s standing in line for one of the off-ship excursions. With a little help from my demonic powers, I manage to clear the people behind her in line so I can creep up behind her.
Today her hair is pulled back in a low ponytail. She’s wearing a red bikini top that has me drooling like a cartoon caveman, and shorts that hug the curve of her ass like a glove. She’s a mouthwatering snack I’m more than eager to take a bite out of.
Once I’m behind her, I lean down and say, “Of all the lines, for all the excursions, you end up in mine.”
Kallie whirls around with a smile that rivals the sun and a musical laugh.
“You use that line on all the ladies?” She asks with a quirked brow.
“Not a chance, Doll. Only you.” I replied.
She laughs again, smiling brightly, making my stomach do somersaults.
“What are we in line for?”
“I thought this was your line?” She quips sassily.
Now I laugh, “I have many lines.”
“That’s what she said,” Kallie laughs again, and I join in. “To answer your question, deep sea fishing.”
I try, and fail, not to recoil.
“Not a fan of fishing?”
“Fishing is fine. Open water, not my favorite.”
Kallie’s smile dims a tad as we scoot up the line.
“Bummer. Maybe we’ll see each other later? I mean, the odds seem to be in our favor of running into each other.” She says, smile returning as we hit the sign-up station.
Kallie turns and signs all the necessary paperwork. When she steps aside, I step up and do the same despite the anxiety steadily growing in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re going?” She asks excitedly. It pleases me that she’s eager to spend more time with me.
“I am,” I say with as much confident enthusiasm as I can muster.
As we make our way down the steps to a lower deck and head outside, I ask, “What have you been up to since I failed miserably at roulette?”
“Mostly shows,” she says as we follow the crowds to the railing where several boats wait for us. The unease in my stomach grows, but I tamp it down. I refuse to miss this opportunity to spend time with Kallie.
We climb onto the fishing vessel that’s rocking in the waves and find seats. “What about you?” She asks before we set off.
My stomach lurches as I watch the cruise ship fade into the distance.
“Learned how to play roulette better,” I snark with a smile.
Kallie’s musical laughter drowns out the chorus of anxiety building inside me. I make it my personal goal to make her laugh and smile as much as possible.
When her laughter dies down, she gifts me with that radiant smile. “Think you can do better next time we bet?”
“Absolutely, Doll.”
We continue to chat as the boat speeds us along to our destination. It’s almost enough to distract me from the gnawing anxiety. Almost.
The boat finally slows, and several crew members come around to explain the rods and reels, as well as how to cast and not get our lines crossed. Simple enough except for the violent teeter-tottering of the boat.
When our instructor finishes, I pull him aside and ask which way the boat is, should our fishing vessel sink. He gives me a dubious look but tells me nonetheless. I return to Kallie, who casts her line before giving me a concerned look.
“You okay?” She asks as she slowly begins turning the reel.
“Fine,” I say less than convincingly as I cast my own line.
“Really,” she says in a sassy, doubtful tone.
I shrug, adjusting my stance to counterbalance the rocking of the boat. “As I mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of open water. I just asked if something happened and the boat was sinking, which way to fly us to get back to the cruise ship.”
Kallie looks over at me and smiles, “Us?”
I level her with a serious look. “Yes, us, Doll. No way I’m leaving you behind.”
She blushes slightly, turning her focus back to fishing. “So what is it about open water that bothers you? As you pointed out, you do have wings.”
“But I can’t fly indefinitely, and I don’t have the power to conjure portals. Also, I’m not really a swimmer. I mean, I can doggy paddle like a Saint Bernard, but when I run out of steam, I’ll sink like a stone.”
“That’s understandable,” she says, turning back to face me. “Fear not, hotstuff, I’m a great swimmer. I’ll save you.” She says with a wink.
Hotstuff.
The cute tease makes me smile. “You think I’m hot?” I tease.
Kallie’s flush starts at her neck and spreads all the way to her hairline.
She’s saved from answering me by a crew member who comes by to tell us to reel in so we can move locations. We reel in and take our seats as the boat takes off once more.
The rest of the afternoon is pleasant, filled with laughter and banter. Neither Kallie nor I catch a single fish. At our final location, the seas turn choppy. Our boat rocks precariously side to side as we try our luck one last time.
“Well, it looks like our luck fishing is no better than our gambling,” Kallie laughs as she sets her rod back in the holder on the railing and leans against it.
“I’m not complaining,” I say nonchalantly as I finish reeling in my line.
“Oh?” she asks curiously.
I make a pleased humming sound. “I may not have caught a fish, but I got to spend an entire afternoon with you. That’s a win in my book.”
She graces me with a beautiful smile and opens her mouth to respond when a wave rocks the boat violently, causing her to lose her balance.
I watch in horror as the boat dips down, and Kallie’s body is tossed into the air as she screams. My fiery veins turn to ice as I see her body disappear over the railing.
I move without thought, the rip of fabric drowned out by the snap of my wings as they tear free.
She sinks beneath the surface of a large wave, terror etched on her face.
Propelling myself faster, I dive in after her.
She hasn’t sunk far, thank the gods, so I’m able to use the momentum and speed to quickly grab her and launch us upward.
My wings spread, beating off the salty ocean water as we rise.
I look down at Kallie, who is coughing and shivering in my arms, and my own heart rate speeds along like a runaway train.
“Kallie. Kallie! Are you okay? Talk to me, Doll,” I say as I circle slowly back down to the deck of the boat, where the other excursion tour members have gathered to watch.
Once she’s sucked in several gulps of air, she looks at me. There’s such awe and raw emotion there, I forget to land and simply hover, holding her close.
“You jumped in after me.” She whispers
“Of course I did.”
“But you can’t really swim. What if I’d have sunk further?”
“I would have doggie paddled my way to you, and when I caught you, I’d let you take over and rescue me.”
That makes her laugh, which brings on another coughing fit. I land as gently as I can since the boat is still being tossed around like a towel in the dryer.
“Oh my Gods, dude, that was insane! Let us take her from here. We’ve got a medic ready to check her out,” says one of the crew members.
I snarl at the man, making him jump a foot back.
“I’ll take her below deck. She can be seen there,” I snap, already moving to the stairs that lead below. I shake out my wings once more before pulling them back into my back.
“It’s okay, Evren, they’re just trying to help,” Kallie says softly, laying a still shaking hand against my bare chest.
I take a deep breath and try to calm the malestrom of emotions rolling through me.
“I know, Doll, I just need to get you somewhere safe first.”
Below deck, I find a seat and sit with Kallie in my lap.
“I’m okay, Evren,” she says as I adjust my hold on her so she can face the medic approaching. “You can let me go.”
“Humor me, Doll. That scared the shit out of me, and I’m not quite ready to let you go unless you want me to.” I don’t want to be overbearing, but my Gods, that was my own personal horror film. The second I saw she was in danger, all of my own fears vanished; my singular thought was Kallie.
She relaxes into my hold, leaning her back against my now bare chest. I have a brief moment of panic, remembering I’m not in the fittest shape, but Kallie doesn’t seem to care.
The medic checks her out and clears her. When he leaves, she’s quiet, and I wonder if she’s fallen asleep after the trauma. I’m surprised when she talks.
“Evren?”
“Yeah, doll?” I say, resting my chin on her head.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?” She asks quietly.