disappears. Gasping, I cling to him, savoring the soothing vibration that touching him invites in me as we cling to one another. My clothes feel heavy on my body as I bury my head in his neck, squeezing him in thanks.
I’m not sure what I would’ve done if he hadn’t dived in after me. Even though the Taxin are half my size, they’re strong and in their element underwater. Some of the creatures didn’t even appear to have legs. They looked to have tails instead, and I let out a little shiver thinking about how many of them there were.
They did look like the one at the schoolyard, and I don’t mean just because they were alive. Instead of the placid features of the dead, bloody female Taxin, these ones were ferocious and angry as they attacked. It takes a minute before I realize the echoing in my ears is not my blood rushing through my veins.
I’ve been so psyched up from the adrenaline, anticipating fighting for my life, that I didn’t even realize we’re now in a shower. Behind me, the water streams just out of reach until Nikon jostles us back a step. I’m now directly under the spray with warm water beating on my back. Letting out another shiver, I loosen my arms and peer at Nikon, who’s jaw has begun twitching.
“Are you okay?” My voice comes out hoarse, and I taste salt water, feeling the sting of it in my throat. Immediately, I begin coughing. My body’s natural desire to rid my lungs of the perceived threat overwhelms me.
Pulling me against his body, Nikon rocks me as I brace myself, my lungs heaving to expel the salty water. “Are you alright is the real question.”
Surprised at the anger in his voice, I lean back again to look at him, covering my mouth with one hand. The tightening in my chest has me clutching it with my other. “Are … are you mad?”
Nikon doesn’t answer right away. Instead he diverts his eyes to the side as he crouches down, allowing me to straighten my limbs and test my wobbly legs. “I didn’t mean to fall out.” Defending myself automatically, I turn around to let the warm water hit my front, sticking my face in it briefly and rubbing my eyes before licking my lips to see if the salt is gone.
When it tastes normal, I open my mouth, swallowing quickly to soothe my throat. Now that he’s not touching me, I can think a little more clearly. “At first only one of those … things grabbed my paddle. I was trying to keep from losing it. When the others jumped up and latched on, it threw me off balance—”
“I’m not angry at you.”
Well, he sure sounds angry as he cuts me off. Bracing myself for what I expect to be his continued denial, that means nothing while he’s acting like an idiot, I wait for him to get it out of his system. Ranting and raving has been a part of my life forever. A side effect of men venting their frustration—or anger—whether it’s at me or just with the world and their circumstances. The littlest thing could set my father off when I was a child. I know when to shut up. Otherwise, I could end up locked in the hall closet indefinitely …
That’s why when I feel Nikon’s hands settle lightly on my upper arms, I jump a bit. Instead of the push I expect, his grip tightens slightly before he spins me to him. His arms capture me, sending an intoxicating vibration through my system, soothing me against my better judgment.
“I’m angry at myself.” This has me tilting my head back in surprise. “I waited too long. I know better.”
Shaking his head, his eyes drop from mine to the floor of the shower, defeat clear in every line of his face. “I don’t know why I thought maybe some of the Taxin in the water there could be spared? The Wen virus … it’s terrible how quickly it spreads. Everything out there now …”
His voice dies off, and my eyes widen in understanding. Nodding, I still ask, “Everything? It’ll spread to all the other species in the ocean there with them?”
“Everything they encounter that lives. And even if it doesn’t … say they take a bite out of something, and it manages to get away—it’ll turn … and then infect the next thing and the next thing …”
The defeat I see on his face