"Are you talking to me or Animus?" I asked.
"Animus, clearly!" the water spirit snapped.
"What's clear about that?" I asked.
Animus stifled a snort of amusement.
The water created a whirlpool under Nautilus as he levitated quickly towards the shore. He looked furious, but I wasn't afraid. He had a different vibe than Terranus. I got the feeling he wasn't usually this angry, and that our presence had done something to affect his mood.
I wasn't completely clueless about their history. I knew Animus had caused trouble on the coast before, and that Nautilus had something to do with it. That was how my cousin, Zak, met his mate, Kamari, after all. But they described the event in such dramatic terms, I couldn't tell what was the truth and what was an exaggeration. I wanted to hear Animus's point of view.
"You. Alpha."
I realized Nautilus was speaking to me. "Yes?"
The water spirit bared his teeth in a frustrated hiss. He gestured to Animus and demanded, "What are you doing, romping in the sand with him?"
"We were playing," I said.
"Playing," he says," Nautilus mumbled in a tone I'd learned to recognize as sarcasm. "Now tell me the truth."
"I did tell you the truth," I said. "We were having a race. I almost won."
This answer didn't please him. He lashed his scaly tail. "I do not appreciate your jokes, alpha!"
Beside me, Animus flinched. That made me angry. I didn't want my mate to be scared. I got up to stand between them.
"I'm telling the truth, so please stop accusing me of lying," I told Nautilus, raising my voice.
Nautilus's mane stopped bristling and his whiskers drooped. My blunt honesty seemed to confuse him.
"I do not understand," he said. "Why would youplaywith Animus?"
"Because I wanted to."
In response to Nautilus's baffled expression, I heard Animus chuckle behind me. I was glad the situation amused him and that he was no longer scared.
Nautilus huffed. "Leveret. That is your name, correct? You are part of my descendants' pack."
"Yes."
"Then you should know better than anybody not to spend time with him."
I frowned. "Why?"
"He cannot be trusted!" Nautilus exclaimed.
A protective feeling swirled in my stomach.
"Why does everybody say that?" I countered. "I've spent enough time with Animus to know that he's worthy of trust. To be honest, I'm sick and tired of everybody putting him down."
"Leveret," Animus murmured, his voice gentle.
But Nautilus had the opposite response. He rushed closer, looming before me. I was not intimidated. Although Nautilus acted rude, I knew he had a good heart. He wouldn't hurt me. I stared up to face him without backing away.
"Let me ask you a question," Nautilus began. "Why are you here with Animus on my shores?"
I didn't know how much of the story he wanted, but I assumed the kidnapping part wouldn't go over well. It would take too much effort to explain that I wasn'treallykidnapped and that I was here of my own free will. So I got straight to the point.