“I won’t claim to know Catalina after two conversations, but she continues to seek out company.” Zir concern comes from zir in waves. “If you isolate her, she may start climbing the walls.”
It’s a fair judgment based on my limited contact with her as well, but that changes nothing. “Better to be restless than to be harmed.” There are wards on my personal residence that prevent anyone but Embry from gaining access. And Annis and Della, of course. There will be no one for Catalina to incite, and none of our enemies will be able to take advantage of this deal and harm her.
Funny how I hadn’t even considered that would be a risk until now. Henryk reacted in anger, but he spotlighted a significantly larger problem. Catalina must be contained for her safety, which means I must take her home with me.
It also means we’ll be alone together.
The realization thrills me before I shut it down. My home is close enough to the keep for me to spend my days here, and I’ll just sleep beneath the surface, deep enough that not even a reckless human like Catalina will come searching. She can’t swim, for all that the bracelet ensures she won’t drown.
It’s a neat solution. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Thane...” Embry shakes zir head. “Fine. Do as you will.”
“It’s the logical solution.”
Ze doesn’t answer, turning and moving out the door and away from me. Zir disapproval stings, but I’m making the best call for everyone. Catalina must be kept safe, and frankly, I must be kept from Catalina.
I don’t know who that kraken was who dominated her, growled commands at her. I don’t recognize him. He’s not who I was with Brant, and he’s certainly not the shell of a person I became after Brant’s death. Better to keep apart from her and ensure he doesn’t make a reappearance.
Ever.
“You want me to swim. Again.”
I clench my jaw and strive to keep my patience. “You will not swim. I’ll carry you.”
Catalina props her hands on her hips and glares. Her earlier fear is nowhere in evidence, and I have no right to the relief that brings me. Even if it means she’s challenging me. “Right, because that worked out so well last time.”
She’s rather magnificent tonight, clothed in a lush purple dress that hugs her torso and flares out from her hips to stop just short of the ground. One of the many I ordered on that first day. My people have little use for such garments, but humans are soft and sensitive to changes in temperature in a way we aren’t. I couldn’t have Catalina walking around the keep naked.
Why not?
“You said no harm was done from that experience.” My voice is too harsh, an attempted escape from my wayward thoughts.
“I lied.” She says it so easily, as if there was never any question of it. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me, and I wasn’t going to let a little case of the bends cause you to lose your territory.”
“The bends.”
“Yep. Pretty sure that’s what happened.” She shrugs and taps her head. “I read about it once. It has to do with the pressure of being underwater. If you go too deep too fast, or come up too fast without adjusting to the pressure, your body throws a big fit.”
“A big fit.”
“Yes, that’s what I said.” A note of defensiveness creeps into her tone. “Look, I’m not a bends specialist, and I’m pretty sure I read it in a romance novel; I was more focused on getting to the naughty bits than on the science behind the bends. I don’t swim and didn’t anticipate it ever being a factor in my life. My mistake.”
I shake my head. “It’s good information to have. As I said, it won’t happen again.” It means spending more time during the trip with her close, but I can hardly assign Embry to the task. Zir reaction to my decision to take Catalina to the tower means ze won’t do it, and I don’t trust anyone else enough to wager the territory on it.
Catalina eyes the pool I emerged from a short time ago. “And we’re leaving now.”
“Yes.” The faster we leave, the faster I can retreat. I’ve only been in this room for a few minutes, but I can’t escape the onslaught of memories from the last time I was here. Of how good she looked tangled up in me. Of how desperately I wanted to touch her, to taste her. I don’t understand why this is happening.
Dangerous. This human isdangerous.
I haven’t felt this kind of draw since...
I take a breath and force myself to finish the thought. Since Brant. But it’s not the same. With him, it was as inevitable as the tide, a steady rush of needing to be close to him, to spend time with him, to get to know every part of him, body and soul.
With Catalina, it feels like a hurricane. I don’t know myself when I’m with her, and she’s only been in my territory for a few days.
It means I can’t trust myself with her.