"Was that them?"
"They dive," Eren said. "They're good swimmers. I've seen 'em."
Two more little plopping splashes followed, and then there was silence above.
Eren yawned. "I think the night's entertainment is over."
He was asleep quickly after that, his breathing evening out. Lucy lay snuggled in his arms, and felt her own breathing deepen and slow to match his.
This had certainly been a day full of surprises. Her mind was still sorting and rearranging it, trying to make sense of it all. Eren, her uncle, her own past—everything felt uncertain, as if the foundations of the world were shifting under her.
Tomorrow we'll find some answers,she promised herself.
And they would do it together.
EREN
In the morning,the rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray and the sea choppy. Eren didn't think it was unsafe to sail in, as long as a new squall didn't blow through, but he gave Lucy a Dramamine from the ship's medical kit to make sure she was comfortable.
Then he set out for Dane's cabin.
It was much less nice than the previous trip. The boat wallowed on the waves, and rain streaked the pilothouse windows. Lucy looked a little nervous at first, but she was soon standing up and looking out, wearing a borrowed rain slicker from the supplies on board that hung on her like a tent.
With visibility so poor, Eren had to rely on the boat's GPS to find the island. At least there was no chance of being followed, by either air or sea. No one could possibly spot them in this murk.
He was almost on top of the island before it loomed out of the fog. Eren gave the boat's horn its usual two quick taps, did a circuit of the island to make sure there was no sign of any other boats moored there, and then pulled into his tie-up spot.
This time, Lucy jumped gamely off the boat's deck onto the rocks to tie it up without even being asked—and before he could warn her not to, because she was unused to these conditions and he wouldn't want her to slip and fall. But she was completely sure-footed, and tied a perfect knot.
Dane met them halfway up the path to the cabin. "Wasn't expecting you so soon, and not in this weather," he said. Rain beaded his black hair, but the chill didn't seem to bother him; he was in a T-shirt. His gaze shifted rapidly, checking behind them, glancing over the boat. "Is it an emergency?"
"Not exactly, but we do have some things to talk about." Eren held out the large Ziploc bag from the cooler. "Brought you cookies."
Soon, in Dane's cabin, they were offered cups of hot, strong coffee and Dane put the cookies out on what appeared to be his only plate. As there was only the one chair, Dane provided a crate and a large cooler as makeshift seats at the table. Eren gave Lucy the chair.
"I'm going to lay this out first," Eren said, curling his big hands around his chipped mug, while Lucy surreptitiously added sugar to hers, tasted it, and added more. "She knows about shifters already. I—told her about our past." Dane went tense all over, and Eren added quickly, "I know. I had no right, and I'm sorry. But I needed her to understand about me, and there was no way to do it without telling her about you. I'm sorry."
Dane looked like he was one move from fleeing the cabin. Eren wasn't even slightly afraid that his friend would attack them. But Dane running down to the shore, flinging himself into the ocean, and swimming for parts unknown was a definite possibility.
"I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear," Lucy said.
Eren expected her to hunch into her borrowed coat in that shy way she had, but instead she pushed her shoulders back and sat up straight. He found his heart spilling over with love for her. Ever since the confrontation with her uncle's men, there had been a subtle, core-deep confidence in her that he hadn't seen before.
"I can't trust that," Dane said tightly, and Eren found himself half out of his chair, instincts surging.
He knew, intellectually, that Dane would never hurt Lucy. But his bear's mate-bond urge still had him halfway to throwing himself across the table with a fist at his friend's throat.
Lucy laid a hand on his arm. "It's okay," she said. "Dane, I have secrets too." She turned to Eren with a strange smile. "Eren, say something to him."
"Like what?" Eren asked, startled.
Dane's green eyes flicked back to him. There was a deep hurt in them, under the anger and fear, and Eren felt suddenly, intensely sorry for breaking his friend's trust.
"I really am sorry, man. It's a special situation, though. I haven't told anyone else, no one at all, not even my dad or my brother and sister. And Lucy's not like other people. She's my m—"
"Where did she go?" Dane exclaimed, rising from his crate-seat.
Eren could still feel Lucy's hand on his arm. Surprised, he turned to look at her. He was halfway expecting to not see her, or at least to see the wall through her. But she was just sitting there, looking perfectly normal, except for the expression of deep concentration on her face.