Chapter 12
HAZEL
Darkness engulfed me, my head was pounding, and it felt as if someone were rocking me to sleep like a baby. A muffled sound akin to the flow of water surrounded my head, and the pressure inside my skull was almost unbearable.
A moment passed before I could move my hands and feet, and I soon realized I was pressed up against a warm, hard wall. I tried to look up, only to be greeted by more nothingness, accompanied by the rumbling sound I last recalled coming from the Talassi’s chest.
Maybe this was it. Maybe I was finally dead, my soul left to float in the ether for eternity. If this was the afterlife, I suppose it would be a bit disappointing, but I’d rather this than whatever was happening to me in that horrible asylum.
I was quickly proven wrong, though, as my eyes started to adjust and I turned my head to take in my surroundings.
My limbs were wrapped around Draya’s torso, his arms secured tightly around my back, and we were flying through the ocean faster than I had ever known a creature could swim.
It was so dark I could barely make out his features, and for a moment I wondered if indeed it was still Draya holding me.
All the panic that had left my body for those blessedly silent moments came flooding back, but this time I didn’t have the energy to fight. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t want to think about what my future held at this point. How was I even breathing? Why hadn’t I drowned yet?
Part of me wanted to claw my way out of the sea creature’s arms and demand answers, but I just couldn’t. There was nothing left inside of me, and instead of letting him know I was awake, I buried my head even further into his chest and allowed my tears to mix with the saltwater.
The rumbling noise continued, surprisingly clear despite the depth, and I let myself take comfort in the soft vibrations.
My sobs were silent as I prayed to whatever entities had sentenced me to this life that it would soon be over, and I could have sworn I felt his arms tighten around me as the rumbling grew louder and I sank even deeper into his embrace.
It was an odd feeling, to know that he was undoubtedly a predator and likely my enemy, but to be so emotionally and physically drained that I wanted nothing more than to sink into his comfort. So I did, although the lurking sense of panic quietly remained.
Eventually I noticed the surrounding expanse growing brighter. Not bright enough for me to see further than a few feet, but I assumed we were ascending closer to the surface.
Thank goodness.
I burrowed my face into Draya, holding on for dear life as he picked up speed, and before I could take another breath, I was assaulted by a gust of cool, dry air.
I felt my body being placed on a rock, and a small gasp escaped my throat as soon as my eyes had adjusted to the dim space.
We were inside a spacious cavern of sorts, with a rocky pool of ocean water directly in the center and a large hole in the ceiling that allowed pale moonlight to illuminate the space.
The walls were dark and rough, with splintered veins of translucent blueish crystal cutting through the rock.
Shelves were carved into the rock, decorated with metal and wood boxes, glass bottles, ropes, and other assorted items. A few trunks lay scattered over the dry areas of the cave, and I noticed a tunnel across the pool.
What is this place?
Draya hovered in the water in front of me, his dark hair tied into a loose bun, and his hard, angular face pressed into a frown. I knew I should be terrified of him, but I was so exhausted and spent that I simply couldn’t bring myself to care.
I watched him closely, wondering what he was going to do next.
Before I could force myself to speak, he moved faster than I could process and pulled himself out of the water.
The next time I blinked, the human man I remembered from the first time we met was sitting across from me on the other side of the pool.
I started to shiver, as the air in the cave was cold and I no longer had the warm arms of a Talassi wrapped around me. When I tried to speak, no words came out. So I laid there motionless, wishing desperately for my mind and body to function properly.
Draya stood up, prowling around the perimeter of the pool until he crouched next to me.
He really was just as beautiful as I remembered.
His skin was no longer the greyish, turquoise color it was in his Talassi form, but a tanned olive tone.
Tattoos adorned his shoulders and chest, swirling lines that looked like ocean waves, and he once again wore those linen pants.
His hair was shorter, with a few longer strands falling into his face, and his thick eyebrows furrowed as he brushed my hair from my face.
“I’m going to move you,” he said slowly. “May I?”
I nodded, still unable to speak. At this point, I didn’t care what he did to me.
He picked me up effortlessly, setting me on another rock closer to the walls of the cave and propping my back against a large stalagmite.
The warmth of his arms was comforting, though I still couldn’t stop shivering.
I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or from my fear, but I supposed it didn’t matter, anyway.
Draya draped a dry piece of fabric over me, in truth I was unsure if it was a blanket or a towel, but I didn’t care. I was glad to have something else covering my freezing body, even if it smelled faintly of musty, wet cave.
“I’ll be right back,” he said softly. I stared at his face, trying to detect any sign of deceit or danger, but I only saw concern in his deep green eyes. “Don’t move,” he commanded. I responded with a single nod.
I wiggled my fingers and toes, sighing in relief when I was sure I felt them moving. I suppose I’m still alive, I thought. Soon after, my eyes fluttered shut and I allowed my head to fall back against the rock formation behind me, dozing off almost immediately.
I was jolted awake in what felt like seconds later, though I knew at least a few minutes had passed. Draya was back, watching intently from where he sat on a rock a few feet in front of me, and a small fire burned on the floor of the cave about ten feet away from us.
He stood up slowly, handing me a metal cup of water and kneeling on the small rocks before me.
“Drink a few sips,” he directed. “Then I’m going to check you for injuries.”
Where did he get fresh water? I wondered, my head hurting from the amount of questions forming inside my mind. But I still couldn’t seem to connect my brain to my voice, so instead I sipped the water as he slowly pulled the blanket from my body.
He started with my feet, lifting each one and moving them around to check my ankles. His hands moved up my legs, a gentle caress that almost felt sensual, although I knew it was unintentional.
“I need to lift your nightgown,” he said, his voice strained. “But I promise I won’t touch you inappropriately.” I nodded. I was so exhausted that I wouldn’t have cared if he had. My body was just as numb as my thoughts.
As he worked his way up, gently twisting and prodding my joints and peering closely at my skin, I started to feel as though my mind was reconnecting with my body.
He reached my wrists, rubbing each of my fingers until they were no longer stiff and frozen, before gently moving his massive palms up my arms and shoulders.
When he cradled my face, I felt something burst inside me. All the numbness from before dissipated, replaced with an aching, empty sensation.
In the entirety of my life, nobody but my mother had tended to me like this. Even in the asylum, when I’d had nurses performing “wellness checks” day and night, I’d never felt as cared for as I did in this moment, being examined and attended to by this sea monster who had somehow turned into a man.
Tears fell again as he cupped my cheeks, turning my face to each side as he examined my jaw and neck. His fingers brushed over a point between my neck and shoulder, and heat shot through my body in a way I had never felt before.
A gasp escaped my throat, and my body involuntarily arched into his touch.
He removed his hands in haste, eyes widening as he waited for me to say something.
“No,” I whimpered, devastated at the loss of his touch. I reached out for his hands again, entwining our fingers together as his eyes scanned my tear-stained face.
“Are you in pain anywhere?” he asked, our faces only inches apart.
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
I took in the smooth skin on his face, noticing the small lines around his eyes and the faint outline of gills along his neck. My fingers reached for them involuntarily, and he jumped as I grazed the point between his neck and shoulder.
“Careful,” he warned, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.
I suppose he must have lungs in his human form, I thought, a bit unsure why I was suddenly so concerned with his anatomy.
What caught my attention the most was his ears.
When he rescued me from the shipwreck, I thought I’d seen some type of fins attached to the edges of his ears, but I’d convinced myself it was my mind playing tricks on me.
As I studied him now, I noticed the faint outline once again.
“What are you?” I asked, knowing the answer but needing a better explanation.
“Talassi,” he said. “But you already know that.”
I nodded.
“What do they teach you about us?” he asked, his voice softening.
“Not much,” I admitted. “You’re myths to us, legends. All we know is that you’re dangerous, and that your kind like to lure sailors and their ships to a gruesome death.”
“Of course that’s what they say,” he scoffed, frowning. “Humans are a plague to this world.”
“I don’t disagree,” I said quietly.