A Big Problem
Chapter Six
KYROS
Ismell her the second I hit the water.
Sweet.
Potent.
Addictive.
My lungs burn as I inhale, drawing the ocean into my lungs. The change is quick—a dizzying pain followed almost immediately by borderline overwhelming relief. I belong in the water, not on land.
I snap my tail, stretching the muscle as I dart toward the two men sinking below. I avoid Sadie. Her scent is worrisome, and I don’t care to deal with it right now. Besides, she’s still squirming, fighting against the currents drowning her.
I’ll loop back around to check on her once she’s gone still.
I follow the path of Tipper first. The bastard caught me throwing Frank overboard, and he put up a hell of a fight. More than I expected.
My forearm burns even now, blood drifting into the water as I circle his drowned form. I trail my eyes up and down the length of his body, confirming he’s good and dead, before heading for Frank.
He’s a little farther down but still easy to find.
I confirm his death before looking upward.
Sadie is up there…still squirming.
She should be dead by now. Why is she not? The answer forms in the back of my mind, but I refuse to let it see the light of day.
There’s no way.
It’s impossible.
Still…a small thread of excitement courses through me as I approach her. What if…? It could fix everything. I chew my bottom lip, circling her thrashing body. She looks terrified. Her mouth is open in a silent scream, several strands of her hair sticking to her lips and teeth.
Red irritation is already beginning to show in the whites of her eyes.
Guilt snakes its way up my spine. She wasn’t so bad, not nearly as awful as the other humans I’ve had the misfortune of meeting.
If I were honest with myself, this entire crew was tolerable.
I didn’t enjoy killing them. I never do.
But I have no other options. Frank isn’t the first fisherman to get too close, and he won’t be the last. Every year humans push farther into our waters, and every year they stumble upon something they weren't supposed to find.
Sadie thrashes, her chest heaving as she finally draws in water. I drift closer, my face only inches from hers. I see the moment she accepts her death. The moment realization hits.
I want to touch her.
My fingers twitch with the need, my hands trembling.
Strange.
I've spent years avoiding humans. The last thing I should want is contact. Still, I find myself wondering if her hair is as soft as it looks.
Sadie seemed authentic. I wish she didn’t have to die. She was honest, but she wasn’t unkind.
Well.
Actually.
She was kind of a bitch.
I take my apology back, and consider it doubled. Fuck you twice.
My lips curl as I recall her angry words. I suppose I was being a dick, but for good reason. It’s not in good practice to get close to the people you’re intending to murder. She was marked for death the moment Frank’s boat took off from port.
Sadie’s lungs expand, her chest rising. I drop my head, my eyes narrowing as I stare at her chest. Her pajamas are a thin cotton, the fabric clinging to her skin. I have a perfect view of her moving chest. It sinks inward, then expands again.
She’s breathing.
Fuck.
I drift backward, keeping my distance as she begins to flail. With every movement, her scent spreads.
I inhale, drawing it into my lungs. It’s good. Too good.
Dangerous.
I should kill her. That’s the entire reason I’m here. Frank’s information wasn’t entirely accurate, but it was too close to the truth. He was only a few miles off from the Coveborn pod, and if he found them, it was only a matter of time before he found us.
I look upward, scanning what I can see of the boat. Flames roar overhead, destroying every bit of Frank’s research.
Sadie kicks out her leg with enough force to send her spiraling.
I sigh.
She’s going to be a problem.