Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

Nireed drifted listlessly in foul, dank water. Her tail twitched occasionally, just enough to push water past her gills and keep her breathing. This was her life now. Day after day. Week after week. She never used to mind spending time in her head, but her thoughts had become grim company.

Change only came when the Surface Dweller scientists wanted something. More tests. More poking. More prodding. Then back into the tank, its glass squeezing in on all sides. An unbreakable net. A never-ending cycle.

Cold, curious eyes stared and stared and stared. And what did they learn? Was it how easily they could break her?

Didn't they know? They couldn't get answers from her when she was dead.

But no. That wasn't true. Surface Dweller scientists liked cutting into things.

"Dissections," they called it.

"Nireed."

She never told Shorewalker that.

That they'd wanted to cut her open to study what was inside.

"Nireed."

A hand fell to her shoulder, shaking.

Something was in the tank with her.

"Nireed!"

She shot up, eyes flying open. She was walled in on all sides, the air close in the small, cramped space. Trapped. She was trapped. A horrible shriek ripped out of her mouth, dry and rasping and parched. No, no, no, no, no. Not again.

"Nireed?"

Ignoring the panicked voice beside her, she scanned her surroundings for a means of escape. Wall, window, wall. Door! She lunged forward, crashing into a chair, before slamming to the floor, sharp pain shooting up her side. Black spots dotted her vision, but she wouldn't, couldn't stop.

Hand over hand, she dragged herself toward freedom.

Almost there. Almost there.

It struck her that this was too easy. Something should jump out and stop her—a security guard, a scientist—but nothing did.

Reaching up, she grabbed the door handle and wrenched it open—cool, salty sea air embracing her. And the ocean. There was the ocean, beckoning her to safety.

She dove in.

Reid darted after Nireed, shucking off his shirt along the way, the water rippling from where she dove in. Maybe she'd be okay with those injuries. But maybe not. And that just wasn't something he could leave to chance.

Something had spooked her badly.

Something from her past. He'd seen it before in seasoned Aviation Survival Technicians, haunted by nightmares and memory in equal measure.

It was risky.

It was stupid.

It was the furthest thing from self-preservation that had him following a man-eating mermaid with PTSD into the water.

But he dove in after her.

Nireed doubled over in pain, her side spasming something fierce before cramping and locking up tight. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Oh Goddess, why couldn't she move? If she didn't move, water wouldn't flow past her gills, and she'd drown.

Twisted fate for a mermaid.

Something plunged into the water behind her.

She flinched, bracing for an attack she couldn't defend against. Whatever it was flutter kicked hard, getting closer and closer. It was coming straight for her. I'm sorry, Aersila. I'm so, so sorry.

A familiar scent filled her senses, cutting through her fear.

Reid?

His strong arms threaded underneath hers, and he pulled her back against his chest, kicking up hard. Back and forth, back and forth, until their heads burst above the surface.

Nireed gasped for air as sharp, shooting pains lanced up her side.

"I got you." He towed her backward, but the pain worsened.

It was unbearable. "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop."

He stopped, kicking only enough to keep them afloat. "Talk to me. Is it your side? Is it cramping?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

"We're going to need to stretch it out and loosen up the muscles, okay? It's going to hurt like a sonofabitch, but I need you to trust me."

Nireed didn't know what a sonofabitch was, but it sounded awful.

"Lean back on me." Her side twinged as she gave him her full weight, but she could endure it.

"That's it. Now, lean to the right."

She whimpered as she pushed through it, tight, aching muscles screaming in pain.

"You got this, sweetheart. Keep going. Keep going. Stop. Hold it right there."

"Reid," she cried. This was too much.

"I know. Now let's ease it back."

It got harder before it got easier, but it did get easier, and he patiently supported her through every stretch. They paused from time to time, so he could knead at her knotted muscles, coaxing them to release and relax, all the while taking care not to come too close to her wound.

By the time he was done, she was exhausted and sore, but she could move again.

Still, he bid her to lie back and let him tow her in.

Boarding the boat was tricky, but she managed it on her own, using her arms and a little artless wriggling to get up onto the diving platform. Reid got out with a lot more grace, water sluicing off his body as he spun around to sit beside her.

Nireed swallowed, her tail waving nervously in the water.

She'd never seen him with so few clothes on before. She knew he was strong, but she never knew a Surface Dweller could look so…built.

No judgment to their kind, but they lived softer, kinder lives, and yet, Reid's physique wasn't that much different from his oceanic counterparts. Broad, chiseled chest that tapered down to a trim waist. Forearms twice the size of hers and the biceps to match. And he wore these black, short things that clung to his thick upper thighs and bottom but nothing else.

There was an interesting bulge at the apex, too, and as she eyed it curiously, it twitched.

Cheeks burning, she averted her eyes. Mighty Twenty-Armed Goddess, Surface Dwellers wore their genitalia on the outside of their bodies, even when they weren't aroused. If he noticed her staring, he didn't mention it.

They were silent a long time before Nireed spoke. "Bad memories find me in my dreams sometimes. Sometimes when I'm awake too."

"What happened?"

"Have you heard about the Haven Cove mermaid lab?"

He rocked forward, the muscles in his arms flexing. "Yeah, it was notorious for keeping a mermaid captive. There was an exposé about it last year."

She dipped her tailfin in and out of the sea, just to watch the water roll off. "That was me."

He tensed beside her.

"Small spaces make me feel trapped." She hadn't talked about it with anyone, not even Melusina or Delphine. They had their families and their own slew of cares to worry about, and she wasn't going to heap her burdens on them.

Her first few days back home after Shorewalker and Cure Creator freed her from the tank had been about celebration and healing. And then all her focus went back into the pod: getting the cure to her people, reunifying their community, maintaining relationships with their Surface Dweller allies.

From the outside looking in, she was fine. Nothing had changed. There just wasn't a reason to let anyone think otherwise.

Nireed nodded behind them. "I was okay in there until I woke up from a bad dream. I forgot where I was."

"They kept you in that tank for a whole year." She always knew it was bad, but to hear the shock in his voice, from someone who didn't know her then, was validating in a way she didn't know she needed. What had happened to her wasn't acceptable Surface Dweller behavior even to other Surface Dwellers.

"Lorelei, the friend we called earlier, got me out. She's also the reason I was there in the first place." Weariness weighed down her shoulders. The thought of trying to explain the whole situation drained what little energy she had left. "It's a really, really long story."

And not all of it was hers to tell.

"You don't have to tell it. Whatever happened, she must be a good friend now to have your trust."

"She is."

"You look like you're about to fall over. You good?"

"Can I…" Nireed faltered. Twenty-Armed Goddess, she was so tired.

"What do you need?" He gently nudged her tail with his foot.

"Can I go back inside and sleep?"

Worry pinched his brow. "Won't you feel trapped in there?"

That was a concern, but what choice did she have? "I'm exposed out here."

"Right. What if I open the windows and prop open the door? Would that feel better?"

She nodded. Not just spaces she could "escape" through, but smelling and hearing the ocean might keep her from feeling trapped in the first place.

She waited outside while he worked on opening his home.

When he came back, he crouched beside her, holding out his arms. "Come on. I'm not going to make you crawl."

That made her smile. He was so thoughtful, so attentive, and each time he said or did something that showed he valued her despite their differences was another little hook in her heart, pulling her to him.

He carried her back to his bed, and when he sat her down, she grabbed his forearm. "Stay."

It had been a while since she'd slept curled up against another—her sister, her friends. There was a simple comfort to it that she missed, a promise of peaceful sleep, and a reminder that no matter how hard things got, there was still always this. There was always each other.

Nireed needed some of that now.

Reid hesitated, his gaze darting between himself, her, and the bed.

"Please." She pulled gently.

And then he nodded. Either to himself, or her, she couldn't be sure, but he slid in next to her, and she draped an arm across his bare chest, propping her wounded side against him for support. He flinched a little, his heart rate speeding up, but he wrapped an arm around her and snuggled in.

"Thank you for helping me."

"Anytime, Starfish." He rubbed her shoulder, the motion pressing her closer. "Whatever you need."

She nuzzled into his body's warmth and promptly fell asleep.