thick and swirled with iridescent tattoos. A good size, relaxed and large enough to grasp in her fist. Was that extra-large? Or just from this angle? Maybe it was ordinary, but she hadn’t seen many in real life to compare. But she had a sudden, pounding need to explore his in detail.
She swallowed drily. “Thanks.”
Their fingers brushed, and she nearly dropped the can opener.
His eyes twinkled with a smile that stole her breath. “You are welcome, Starr.”
A hint of peanuts infiltrated her thick, mucus-clogged nose.
Oh, no.
She jerked her hand back and covered her mouth. “Did you eat the peanuts?”
“One. To test its flavor. But I washed my hands.” He tilted his head. “Is that a problem?”
Maybe not. Please not. “Sometimes.”
His face dropped in shock. “If I eat it, you get sick?”
“It’s on your breath.”
He stepped back and covered his mouth.
She quested in her pocket for the EpiPen. Her fingers closed around it. Her heart thudded like a countdown timer.
Maybe it was fine. Maybe she’d imagined it.
They faced each other, her sitting and him standing, both holding their hands over their mouths and looking terrified. At least she assumed she looked terrified. He looked sick with guilt.
That was one of the many reasons why she hadn’t dated much. The few times she’d risked opening up, her potential dates had decided she was too much work. Too picky or too fragile. Or, after one memorable incident, that dating her was too stressful.
Her throat tingled.
Panic-induced stress? Or a real problem?
Gailen turned and bolted into the galley, leaving her alone on the deck.
The film descended like a welcome friend, wrapping her securely. Concentrate. Breathe in, breathe out. Her hands steadied.
Gailen raced back with a bottle of Sea Opal elixir. “Drink this.”
His gesture dislodged the EpiPen.
Her stress spiked, and the film tightened protectively.
She accepted the bottle and calmly swigged the elixir. The liquid lodged in her closed throat.
“Swallow,” he urged.
She forced it down. The elixir sat in her stomach like a rock.
Breathe in, breathe out. The straw to her lungs narrowed, requiring more and more force to get each breath in. The familiar invisible hand squeezed her throat.
“It is not working.” He stepped back. “Your soul is hiding. The elixir cannot resonate with your light.”
Interesting.
Yes, red marks had popped up on her hands. Hives.
This was not her imagination.
She readied the EpiPen and depressed the trigger. An instant later, her heart raced and the invisible hands strangling her loosened. Breathe in, breathe out. The adrenaline in the EpiPen flooded her veins with a sudden fright, like nearly being crushed in a car accident. Her hands trembled, and sweat broke out all over her body. She couldn’t stop shaking. But she was alive, again.
For now.
And he knew.
Gailen sat at a safe distance. Resting his elbows on his knees, he settled his chin on his palms. “You are very unwell.”
She could not respond to him. The boat, the ocean, everything retreated, and she saw him as though looking through binoculars. Her body was not under her control. Her response—or silence—was not her own.
“I have never seen elixir fail.” He set the can opener on her can and, using his toe and stretching out his full length, pushed it to her. “You were hungry.”
Her distant self shook her head. It was too dangerous now. She was out of epinephrine. Another incident would kill her. This one still might. She had no backup.
“Am I still dangerous to you?”
She didn’t know, and she wasn’t going to get close enough to find out.
He scrubbed his face. “I have never heard of this illness, allergies. The mer do not suffer from it. I did not understand. Forgive me.”
She wanted to ease his self-recrimination. But her distant self did nothing. She was unreachable and would be for some time. I know it was an accident. Just be careful, please.
“Thank you. You do forgive me.” His shoulders slumped. “I will do better.”
Wait, did he somehow sense what she wanted to say?
“I can see a flicker inside.” He responded to questions she didn’t ask, somehow seeing through her resting dead-person face. “I know you want to talk to me.”
He could see her? He could really see her?
“Your soul shines a little stronger now. But it is still faint behind the barrier.” He studied her without judgment. “What can I do to help you?”
Oh. That was so sweet. She just wanted to tell him…
“Talk to me,” her distant self said.
Ah. It worked. She was still not in control of her body, but her body’s pilot had managed