Chapter 10
HAZEL
I’m dead. I have to be dead.
I’d jumped off the jetty and drowned in the Atlantic, and the last bit of oxygen left in my brain was giving me wild hallucinations.
Instead of the churning waves swallowing my weakened body, I’d landed in the arms of my angel, my friend, my terrifyingly beautiful sea creature.
He was there, holding my head above the surface, making sure I could breathe through the waves and storms crashing around us.
I couldn’t help the choked sobs escaping my throat, seawater and mist mixing with my tears. He stared at me, deep blue eyes searching my face with more care than I’d ever known from anyone besides my mother, and I felt as if my soul was breaking.
After a moment, I realized I could still feel my body. Everything hurt, and my lungs felt as if they’d been filled with water. My throat burned as I coughed it back up. I was freezing, shivering, and my legs were kicking slowly on their own, weakly treading water.
Perhaps I’m not dead?