Chapter 12

Luxor

"Lux!"

I turned when I heard my name, and my smile was genuine when I saw Sakkara striding toward me along Main Street, Giza at his side.

"Hey, Sakky!" I called. "You and Emmy make it back okay?"

He nodded as he offered his hand. "Got back last night, now that the ferry is back to the regular schedule. The house is fine."

"That's because we picked up all the debris," Giza rumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing me while he spoke to the other male. "You're welcome."

Sakkara grinned easily. "Yes, yes, thank you. The place looks great, remind me to have you all over for dinner."

"Make it poker," I joked, although I was shit at the game. I just liked to sit around with my friends and talk about…well, stuff that didn't grate on my soul like admitting my faults to Zoe.

You know, dick jokes and fast cars and IRA investments or whatever they wanted to talk about.

"Deal," Sakkara agreed. "Emmy's over at the Kleins' for the afternoon so I can help. Where do you need me?"

I made a show of slowly eyeing the dapper male's clothing choices. "In those trousers? Maybe you can help inside somewhere. Sitting down. Shuffling paper. I think your shoes cost more than my car."

Sakkara snorted and planted his hands on his hips, surveying the cleanup efforts already underway. "First of all, these are my work boots. Second of all, you don't own a car."

"So see?" I grinned goofily. "I was right."

"Where are you headed?"

I jerked my head toward the industrial district. "I told Mrs. Albee I'd reinforce the fence behind the kennels today. Apparently, the king tide always creeps up under the old wooden fence they have along the backside, and she's worried with all the rain we've been having."

Nodding, Sakkara unbuttoned his cuffs. Swear to the old gods, the male was wearing a button-up shirt to do manual labor! "Makes sense. I can help you or work with Giza in the historic district, whichever you think is better."

Me ? Since when did I become the leader of the cleanup efforts?

I glanced at Giza in surprise, but the older male was frowning as he studied me.

"Um…" I reached up to rub the back of my neck. "The old theater came through okay, but someone's going to have to walk through with an expert and check the supports under the roof. The Rose Inn needs some help on the grounds, but—"

Giza interrupted before Sakkara could agree it was nothing pressing. "What's wrong with you, T'mak? Are you ill?"

"Ill?" I reared back, glancing over my shoulder in the direction of the library. "Not at all."

Sure, it hadn't been pleasant telling Zoe all about my crappy childhood, but after…it had felt right. Good , you know? Like a really good workout or cleaning out your fridge. Or some other task you didn't want to do, like taxes.

She knew all my issues now.

Well, that's not true, it's not like I had issues . And I mean, I'd managed to get this far without giving her the ol' backstory dump, and she still seemed to like me, so—

"No, he's right, Lux, you look off ."

I offered them both a crooked smile as they fell into step beside me, heading toward Fishing Creek, where the shrimp boats would usually be moored if they hadn't headed out for the storm. "I look great, you mean?"

"You look like you're ill," Giza grumbled.

I smacked his shoulder. "I look like I've been working my ass off for the last three days. I look like I'm just glad to see the sunshine. I look glad we finally have electricity again."

"He's right," Sakkara deadpanned. "He does look like that."

I turned around to walk backwards, arms spread with my palms up. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sakky."

The other male—managing to look dapper even in the ridiculous humidity—rolled his eyes and side-stepped another puddle. "Don't call me that. And watch where you're—"

There are a few rules of comedic timing even I can't deny:

Pain + Time = Humor.

Inappropriately Timed Farts Are Always Funny.

And of course, if someone says something like "watch where you're going," you can damn well bet someone's going to fall over.

Sure enough, I tripped on a piece of debris under the water. It's just the sort of thing that happens in general, and to me in specific.

I stumbled, arms flailing, and I would've gone down hard had Giza not darted forward to grab my wrist and yank me toward him. I overbalanced and stumbled against him, and his hands landed on my arms to steady me.

Only he sucked in a breath and pulled his hands away as soon as I was upright. Not sure why, but it might've had something to do with the way I growled when the other male touched me. I didn't mean to, and I vowed I'd spend some time considering it when I had the chance.

" T'mak , you are not well."

"I'm fine," I managed, turning away from him, voice tight. "Thanks," I scratched out.

I wasn't fine.

This was just part of the weirdness that was happening lately, except when I was with Zoe, and I didn't like it.

"Lux," Sakkara began, but I was saved by the bell.

Or rather, by the ringtone.

From my phone.

My phone rang, is my point, and I was grateful for the distraction. I yanked it from my back pocket and held up my finger to my friends, telling them I needed to take this. I mean, it could've been a telemarketer from Nevada, selling aluminum siding, and I still would've needed to take it.

Anything to get out of this conversation.

"Hello?" I said, holding it up to my ear as I splashed through the puddles. "Hey, Mrs. Albee, I'm just on my way—whoa, whoa, slow down."

I sped up, turning down Blobfish Ave to cut across to the lot where the kennels sat, and I felt my friends hurrying after me. "Okay, okay, I'm on my way, and I'm bringing help. See you in a few."

I clicked out of the call and spoke to Giza and Sakkara without slowing. "The bank behind the shelter gave way, and the fence is definitely compromised. Sounds like she's got her hands full trying to evacuate all the dogs."

"We're here for you, T'mak, " Giza offered, even as we all broke into a jog, and I was glad he'd stopped harping on me being ill.

I mean, I was ill, but now it was with worry about the dogs in the shelter.

In my hand, my phone buzzed again. I lifted it without looking at the number. "Hello?"

"Lux, hon." Zoe . I felt my chest lighten, even in the midst of this panic. "I've got some big news."

"So do I," I snapped. "The king tide weakened the bank along the creek behind the kennels, and now the outgoing tide is yanking it away. The dogs are in trouble. I'm on my way with Geez and Sakky."

"Don't call me that!" Sakkara called from behind me.

On the other end of the phone, Zoe was quiet for a few more heartbeats than I would've guessed necessary. Then, as if she were coming out of shock, I heard her mumble, "Oh shit. Okay. Okay, are the dogs okay?"

"I dunno," I admitted truthfully, glad I could see the turn for Sea Pickle Street up ahead. "I'll let you know later."

"No," she snapped out. "No, I'm already on my way. I'll see you there."

The phone went dead, and I slipped it into my pocket, lips curled into a reluctant smile.

Zoe was coming.

And no matter what was happening at the shelter, Zoe and I could face it together.

Zoe

I left everything—phone, good shoes, everything—at the library and took off toward the animal shelter at a dead run. I know Luxor had recently built all-new kennels for the dogs' enclosures, but from what I could recall when he'd brought me there last week, the enclosures themselves weren't top-of-the-line.

And after what he'd told me today, I knew how important this place was to him.

I wasn't going to let anything happen to the shelter, or to those dogs, if I could help it.

Flip-flops are not designed for a full-out run, FYI.

By the time I turned down Sea Pickle, I had water splashed all the way up my back, and my ass was soaked. But I didn't slow; I wanted to be there for Lux.

For my Mate .

Yeah, it was a kinda weird realization, but now that I knew the truth about our relationship, a lot of things made sense.

The way he always knew where I was.

The fact I had almost this physical need to comfort him and ensure he was happy.

The way I wasn't bothered at all by his habits—like talking to himself—that would've driven me bonkers had it been anyone else.

And of course, our incredible sexual compatibility.

That wasn't just lust, it was…

The truth slammed into me just as I reached the shelter, and I slammed my hand into the wall of the cinderblock office to stay upright.

Holy shit, I loved Lux, didn't I?

I loved his goofy grins and his absolute joy of being alive. I loved his golden-retriever energy and the way he cared so damn much about everyone around him. I loved the way he treated me as if I was a queen and the way he made my life better just by being in it.

There was no way I could leave Eastshore.

Dream or no dream, I couldn't leave this island just to take a librarian position someplace else.

Lux was my new dream.

He was my heart. My light . My Mate.

"Oh, Zoe, thank goodness you've come!" Mrs. Albee was hurrying around the corner, arms full of what was either some weird-ass bondage equipment or a bunch of leashes and collars for the dogs. " Please say you're here to—"

"Yes!" I forced myself upright, still panting from my run. "Yes, of course, I'm here to help. What can I do?"

The older woman smiled gratefully as she shoved half the pile into my arms. "Luxor brought some friends, and they're rounding up the dogs. As they bring them over, help me get them leashed up and taken across the street."

I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, all along the restaurants and businesses lining the road, I could see leashed dogs tied to mailboxes and fence posts to keep them away from the rising water.

"Got it," I agreed. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll—"

"Don't be silly, girl," she snapped, already hurrying away. "This is my shelter, and I'm going to make sure my babies are safe!"

It was the word babies that caught my attention. Which dragged my thoughts away from Luxor in a way Mrs. Albee hadn't.

The puppies !

Surely, they were one of the first ones to be taken from the kennels?

I flicked my gaze across the street, at the dogs which had already been rescued. I didn't see Seamus or Hamish, and I felt fairly confident I'd be able to recognize them from their barks alone. My heart began to hammer in my chest as I darted forward, crossing around the cinderblock building, eyes darting about, searching for clues.

There were Sakkara and Giza, working together to muscle a temporary gate into place to corral a pair of lab mixes. On the other side of the shelter, I saw Mrs. Albee hunched over a small hound…

Lux! There he was, already in the puppies' enclosure.

Oh no .

A big part of the fence was missing. It looked as if the bank of Fishing Creek had given way with the outgoing tide, and the fence went with it. Lux was holding a squirming Hamish…and looking frantically downriver.

I began to run.

I skirted the outside of the shelter, darted around the kennels, and came out next to the water.

There was poor little Seamus, eyes wide, his adorable little beagle legs paddling frantically against the tide that was pulling him toward the ocean.

"Seamus!" I called, reaching toward him. "Come on, baby, come on!"

The pup turned toward my voice, and I swear I saw fear in those big dark eyes, but the little trooper didn't make a sound. Just tried to paddle harder.

He's just a baby! He doesn't know how to swim !'

Now he'd been swept past my position, and I hurried along the shore, trying to keep even with him as I called and coaxed. "You can do it, Seamus. That's right, baby, keep coming. You're so close."

I mean, he wasn't close. He wasn't anywhere near the bank. But if I was going to lie, I figured I might as well lie to a creature who couldn't measure distance and also didn't speak English.

"You got this, baby," I coaxed, holding out my hand to him even as I glanced down to avoid another section of the bank that had collapsed behind the bait shop. "Don't give up!"

But I could see poor little Seamus was losing energy. He was just a baby, and my heart was breaking. He was about ten feet from the docks, but it might as well be ten miles, for all his little doggy legs could manage.

It doesn't look that deep .

It didn't.

I took the time to glance downriver. "Don't worry, Seamus," I called, even as I eyed the distance to the mouth of the creek. It was definitely widening here, but I thought the current slowed as it reached the ocean. I mean, it would, right?

What the hell do you know about water? You can't swim!

Yeah, but I was taller than Seamus, and I could help him.

The little pup went under, and I swear I felt my heart stop for a moment.

When he bobbed back up, there was a sort of hopelessness in his movements, and in his eyes. The little beagle locked his gaze with mine, and I could feel him asking for help.

"Okay," I whispered, kicking off my shoes and veering down the walkway for the shrimping docks. Most of the boats had headed out to anchor in the bay for the storm, so they wouldn't be banged against the docks, and there was no one around to ask for help. "It's up to me."

Not sure if I was talking to myself or to Seamus. But the poor thing didn't look away as I hurtled toward him and dove in.

I say "dove" but what actually happened was somewhere between the World's Bellyflop Champion and a cannonball.

Saltwater immediately went up my nose, and I began to hack.

But Seamus paddled toward me, and I reached out my arms—even while trying to remember how to breathe again—and the little guy tried to climb atop my head.

Turns out, me being taller wasn't much help when the water was a few dozen feet deep.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I kicked my feet, trying to stay above water. Trying to keep us both above water…as the current swept us both swiftly toward the ocean.

I had just enough time to smile at Seamus—hopefully reassuringly?—before I was pulled under.

Luxor! Where are you? I need you! Lux…