Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

Reid had been right. She was exhausted. Exhausted enough to find even this dry Surface Dweller bed comfortable. But he'd confused her too.

One moment, she thought he was about to kiss her. The next, he jumped away so fast one would think she was about to bite him.

Oh. Maybe he did think that.

Disappointment sank to the pit of her stomach like a rock. He said he didn't hate her, and she believed him when he said he was afraid she'd been killed, but she barely had the energy to think a coherent thought, let alone untangle the meaning behind Reid's mixed signals.

That was a problem for tomorrow.

Right now, she needed to ask a favor from Shorewalker before she let sleep claim her. Reid jumped at the opportunity to help—maybe he felt bad—and together they looked up Lorelei's work phone number. Some instructing and a lot of pointing later, she had Reid's cell phone in her hand, a strange noise she couldn't even begin to describe repeating at regular intervals.

A click. "Lorelei Roth, Director of the Haven Cove Museum of Oceanic Discovery."

"Shorewalker, it's Nireed."

"Nireed?" Lorelei's voice quieted on the other end. "How'd you get a hold of a phone?"

"Borrowed from the, uh, Coast Warrior friend I told you about. He looked up your number on the Inter-Net."

The line went quiet on the other end.

Nireed handed the phone to Reid. "I think it stopped working."

"Ms. Roth? Are you still there?"

A throat cleared on the other end. "Um, yes, still here. You can put Nireed back on."

Nireed accepted the phone, and continued, dimly noting how Reid went into the boat's tiny kitchen section to give her privacy. "I need a favor."

"Anything. What can I do?"

"Nautic's fishermen took Delphine's baby. We got her back, but there was a fight, and I got hurt. I'm staying with the Coast Warrior while I heal, but I need someone to let the pod know I'm okay and bring food and healing supplies. Can you do that, Shorewalker?"

With so many members of the pod hurt during the attack, hunting would be hard, maybe impossible. Their kind healed fast, but with meager food stores it would be a difficult few days.

"Killian's going out first thing tomorrow morning. I'll stowaway and get him to divert course."

"I appreciate his sense of honor but tell him to fish in our waters. It's the least we can do for his troubles."

"I will, Nireed. Thanks. If I need to get a hold of you again, is this the number I should reach you on?"

Nireed paused to ask Reid, then brought the thin, shiny brick back toward her mouth. "Coast Warrior says yes."

"Okay, great. Writing it down now. Are you okay? You said you got hurt."

"I will be fine, Shorewalker. Don't worry. Just need to rest."

"Do you want me to come get you? You can stay with Killian and me."

They had a lot more room and a private cove she could swim in while she regained her strength. But Reid wouldn't be there. She studied him from across the room, where he leaned over the counter, cutting up raw filets of fish, his expression focused and thoughtful. "He's taking good care of me."

"Is he now?" There was a teasing, rhetorical lilt to the question, but Reid didn't want her in the way Lorelei's tone implied.

Putting down his knife, Reid beckoned to the phone with his hand. "Can I talk to her a sec before you hang up?"

Nireed nodded. "Coast Warrior would like to speak with you."

"He does?" If Nireed didn't know any better, she'd say Shorewalker sounded nervous, but there was no reason for her to be.

"Yes. Here he is."

He took the phone and talked to Lorelei for several minutes—giving her his address and work schedule in case she wanted to visit Nireed. When he hung up, he turned to Nireed. "She's got a little bit of a Yooper accent. Kinda like my mom's."

"Mm." Nireed didn't know what that meant, only that the way Shorewalker spoke to him was different from how she spoke to her. Some Surface Dweller thing? She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the conversation, but her sensitive siren hearing couldn't be helped.

He shrugged, as if it was an inconsequential thought he'd just had and pocketed his phone. "Hungry?" Reid retreated into the kitchen, returning with cuts of raw fish neatly arranged on a plate.

She took it, sniffing it tentatively. It was fresh enough. "Thank you, Coast Warrior. For everything."

The air between them was awkward and tense as she ate his offering in silence, but Nireed didn't have the energy left to try to fix this. When she finished, she laid the plate on the floor and got situated for sleep.

Maybe it was rude not to say anything more, not to thank him again for all his help. After all, the Surface Dwellers loved their platitudes and niceties. But surely, after everything that had happened, she was allowed to skip them just this once.

Hugging herself, Nireed closed her eyes and willed sleep to carry her away. A little rest and she'd be strong enough to make the journey home. Update Undine. Get back to Aersila. Check on Delphine and Celia. Then figure out…

Figure out…