I didn’t even want to know what a horny octopus looked like, something about eight arms with suction cups and a squishy penis sounded terrifying.
I shuddered. “It’s actually disturbing.”
“Ah. But it got you in the water.”
There was no amount of preparation that could have made this any easier. Whether I knew it was coming and counted the heartbeats, or I was surprised, the second I registered the water on my skin, I was going to freak out. And freak out, I did. I flailed, sending saltwater over the rim of the tub in all directions.
Ezra kept moving, not slowing for a second until his ass met the bottom and my knees along with it. The water came all the way up to my chest. It surrounded me. Pushing and seeking a way inside, it soaked through my clothes and under my skin. I couldn’t get away, couldn’t move, couldn’t doanythingbut scream into Ezra’s shoulder as my entire body suffered the onslaught.
It made and destroyed me all at once. My body greedily soaked up the nutrients and whatever the fuck else it so desperately needed while my mind fractured and I tried to hold on to the pieces.
My head is above water. My head is above water.
My chest rose and fell in deep breaths, trying to capture the very life this water offered.
My lungs are clear. My head is above water.
My skin loosened and no longer felt like it was going to crack along my joints. It stopped caging me in and started to once again feel like a part of me.
I’m not tied up. My head is above water.
Every single part of me, even parts I didn’t notice had shut down, were roaring with feeling and strength. I was starving, exhausted, and felt like I could arm wrestle a yeti all at once.Deep within me, my well of magick began to refill. There would be no denying it now.
Through it all, Ezra quietly rocked me. It sent even more water spilling over the side, but neither of us cared. He held me, while I held on to myself, and together we beat the monsters of my mind away.
My head is above water. My head is above water.
And with his help, I was never going to let it fall back under.
CHAPTER 14
Ezra
Nothing in my life prepared me for this. I was the outsider. The enforcer. Thehalf-breed. I wasn’t coddled by my father, nor loved by my mother or siblings. Only Kai ever showed me any affection, and it definitely wasn’t the wet kind, all tangled up in a bathtub. Although I was sure if I really needed it…
Another shiver wracked Rani’s body, and I tightened my hold. Even with my size dwarfing hers, even with my arms wrapped around her so tight I was sure I’d break her in half, I couldn't keep the tremors at bay.
Was it some kind of siren magick? Or just the temperature? Gods help me if it was the former, I didn’t know how I was going to beat the shit out of a bunch of saltwater. But I’d find a way to slap it around all fucking day if that’s what she needed.
“Talk to me, baby,” I whispered. “Tell me what you’re feeling right now.”
A whimper was the only answer, and I fought back a growl of frustration. I was useless! I put her in this tub, and now Icouldn’t protect her from the damage. Or was it healing? Fuck! Why did I think this was a good idea?
Because she was dying, you idiot. Something had to be done.
Knowing that didn’t make this any easier.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” I repeated the words over and over, and meant them with every fiber of my being. “I’m right here.”
If I couldn’t give her my strength and I couldn’t fight this battleforher, then I was going to make damn sure she knew I was in it with her. She clung to me, all while her body still shook from whatever was happening. Cova made it sound like it should be a relief for her to be back in the water, but this looked like torture.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat like that, her on my lap as I tried to hold her together with sheer will, but at some point, the shaking stopped. The water, once warmed with Cova’s magick, was now freezing and not at all comfortable. Rani’s breathing evened out to deep breaths. With each inhale, the water from the end of the tub was drawn toward us, then on each exhale, it rippled away once more.
Mini whirlpools spun in eye-catching dances near my arms and feet. I sat in stunned silence while the magick leaking from my bond brought the water to life in a way I’d never seen. As the sun set behind the house and the light dimmed in the bathroom, a faint glow illuminated the tile walls. Thousands upon thousands of tiny crystals shimmered through the tub and along Rani’s skin.
Gods, she was breathtaking. I’d never seen something so beautiful.
My little siren stirred in my arms, as if waking from a deep slumber. She nuzzled into the crook of my neck, and the bond reacted in my chest with a jolt. Another soft wave sloshed excess water over the side of the tub, and I felt her waken fully.
