Chapter 21
Kiora
I WOKE UP WITH A SLOW realization that something was wrong. The bed was too comfortable. Definitely not my truck. Nor was it a truck stop or even a B&B level of comfort.
Right, there was that kraken Azar had talked to under my window. The guy deserved more than just one apple charlotte slice for leading the kraken to a place I could hear him asking about me.
Ugh, I was in the mountains. Now I knew why everything felt so weird. It was the altitude, and the fact that I was stuck here. I didn’t have wings to fly away if things went south. Instead, I had to rely on someone else to save me.
Which brought the next troubling thought—could I actually trust Troy?
Sure, he got me out of Whynot when I needed it, but it didn’t mean I should trust him with my life. Something about him didn’t add up. He seemed to know too much.
Had I ever told him I had an imaginary friend named Kitty? And even if I had, why would he assume I was a selkie and not any other kind of shifter?
A delicate floral scent tickled my nose, and I cracked one eye open, careful not to make it too obvious that I was awake, just in case. And there, right next to me were wild pea flowers.
Oh, waves. All my suspicions evaporated at the sight. Troy was just so sweet. Where had he even gotten these flowers all the way up here?
As I sat up, I found a vase brimming with mores. They weren’t professionally arranged, and they looked slightly different from the flowers Azar grew. Anyone could buy flowers at the flower shop, but not everyone would trick me into revealing what flowers were my favorite only to pick them himself.
Kitty stretched out lazily, smug satisfaction oozing from her. She trusted Troy, and she rarely trusted men. A lot of my own suspicious nature came from her to the point where I always insisted on using my own condoms just in case the guy took his breeding fetish too far and poked holes in his.
The idea of a baby tying me to someone like that terrified me, but it scared Kitty even more. Come to think of it, if I were part selkie, entrapment of any kind would be extra scary for Kitty.
I brought the flowers to my nose and inhaled again, remembering Troy’s searching eyes as he told me I might be part selkie. It’s like he wanted me to believe it.
Maybe I was imagining things, and maybe being stuck in the mountains was messing with my head.
I got up, found my bag in the corner, and dug out my trucker casual couture, aka a comfy shirt and a pair of jeans most people would only consider wearing after they retired. The kind with an elastic band instead of a proper zipper.
Dressing-to-not-impress, I left the bedroom and went in search of the sexy merman who needed a thank you kiss for the flowers. As luck would have it, I found him in the kitchen making sandwiches.
Troy pointed a finger at me and narrowed his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be out of bed yet. How am I supposed to bring you lunch in bed if you’re not in bed?”
I grinned like an idiot. No wonder I was suspicious of him—the man was too good to be true. And yet, here he was with sliced tomatoes on freshly baked bread and thinly sliced cured fish he had prepared earlier.
“The important part isn’t the bed, the important part is me eating all of that.” I snatched the first sandwich and bit into it.
Oh, wow. That was on another level. I could eat this all day every day and never get tired.
“You like?” he asked.
“I’m in love,” I mumbled through the next bite, then realized what I said, and oh, no, I didn’t just say that. No, no, no. Words, go back. “With the sandwich.”
I kinda screamed that last part, which really didn’t help the situation. Floor, please, open up. No, wait, I was still up in the mountain. If the floor opened up, I would have a long way to fall. A lightning strike would be better.
Troy laughed at my mortification, then came closer, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed the tip of my nose. “I know you meant the sandwich.” Thank the great wave. “But I’m not above using my cooking to change that.”
Well... Um... How was I even supposed to feel about it? Kitty didn’t seem fazed by the idea. If anything, she got a little more smug than before. So, this fear of being tied down wasn’t hers. Although, getting caught didn’t seem so terrifying if Troy was the one catching me.
“Where did you get the flowers?” I asked in the least subtle attempt to change the subject.
Troy took my hand and led me to the exit from the series of caves. I absolutely refused to go to the ledge. Heights and I were not friends. We were not friends at all. I got dizzy just thinking about heights.
“They were growing right there.” Troy pointed down just over the right side of the cliff.
“You mean you actually climbed down there?”
I stepped back until my foot bumped into a boulder and I plopped on it, eager to get off my ever-weaking feet.
“Yeah. There’s some rope over there.” He pointed at the chest next to me, then at something near the ledge. “And there’s this piton right here.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be scared of heights, like all normal mers?”
“Trust me, I was clenching my ass cheeks the entire time, so I wouldn’t crap myself.” He grinned as he said it, like it was all great big fun.
To be fair, a lot of things seem like great big fun after the fact, and he had gotten me flowers.
“Well, thank you for almost ruining your pants. The flowers are beautiful.”
He came closer and crouched before me, his hands on my knees. “I can’t say I’ll climb down the mountain to get you flowers every day, but you had a terrible morning, and I wanted to cheer you up.”
Swoon.
“Thank you. It worked.”
I gave him a quick peck on the lips, then quickly withdrew before Troy could deepen it. He let out a playful growl, then grabbed me by the hips and brought me closer. Our lips collided, and I didn’t pull back this time.