“It feels lovely in here,” Kaia said, sighing as she stepped into the cold water. Though the outside temperature gave her chills, once she surrounded herself in water, she felt nothing but comfort. Even had she gone native sea nymph, wearing nothing at all, the water would have felt like bathwater. Hmm. Naked swimming with the vampire?
The truth was she’d thought about it, but teasing the big vryko wouldn’t be safe or fair. She knew he wanted her. But she meant it about being good to him, afraid if they did have sex, that physical tie might further cement the magical tie between them. Her goal was to give him his freedom, not make things between them worse.
He smiled at her as he walked in the water, clad in only his jeans. Likely because he knew how much she liked looking at his body. Such a broad chest with muscular arms, a body long and strong and colored a light tan, an odd shade for a creature doomed from ever seeing the sun.
“How are you so tan? I thought all vampires were pale.”
“That’s another piece of fiction right there.” Orion dunked his head and swam around with the grace of the merfolk. When he surfaced, he said, “We come in all colors and sizes. The melanin is a trick, a way to better blend with our prey. Pretty tough to surprise humans if we’re all pale as death with fangs.”
“I guess, but your eyes surely give you away.”
“What?”
“They’re red.”
“Huh. That’s weird.” He swam closer to her, and they remained in place with no effort, comfortable in the lake’s icy water.
“What color are they usually?”
“Black, but we get away with pretending our eyes are dark brown. That’s something all of us have in common. That we’re all male too. Our eyes turn red when we experience great hunger, distress, or...” He grinned.
She sighed. “Or?”
“Lust.” He smacked his lips.
Kaia had the sense to avoid that comment and dove deep. She shot through the water and swam deeper, threading through strands of vegetation and fish. There was nothing magical in the water except for them, and she appreciated the empty space to just be.
Orion followed her, the two of them laughing as they raced through the water.
“You’re so graceful,” he said in the way of water-magir, his words easy to hear, carried by their element.
“So are you, for a land-dweller.” She winked.
He guffawed. “Ha. I’m of the vrykolakas tribe. I was birthed in the water.”
She hadn’t realized that. “Really?”
“Yep. I slid out of my mother right into the Aegean’s warm embrace.”
“That’s wonderful. I did too! Well, not in the Aegean, but in the Pacific Ocean. I love being underwater so much. I have a great life on land, don’t get me wrong. Working with ancient texts and history I help to reimagine, so it won’t be forgotten, is my dream job. But sometimes I feel like I’m in a foreign place in the city. The air isn’t always warm or comforting, not like the hug of the sea. Or a lake or river.”
“Yeah. I totally understand that. I’ve been pretty busy rounding up rogues and looking for Bloode Stones since coming to the Night Bloode. A lot of the time, I don’t get a chance to enjoy the nearby lake. But Hecate added a fresh-water pool that connects to Lake Washington. I wish I could use it more.” He swam behind her and tugged on her hair. “When we go back, you should check it out. Fara and Onvyr have been planting fae trees and flowers around, so it feels like a grotto more than a manmade pool.”
“That sounds nice. I live on the water so I can slip into Lake Washington after work each night and sometimes early in the morning. I don’t think I could ever live away from the water.”
“I know. I almost disobeyed my patriarch when he ordered me to come to Seattle to pay back our bloode debt. Leaving felt wrong, as if I was being disloyal to my homeland. But then I came out here, and the house we live in is on Mercer Island, surrounded by water. That made all the difference.”
She understood how tough that must have been. “Do you plan to go back after the bloode debt is repaid?”
“I don’t know. It’s different here.”
She ignored the searching look he shot her. “Aside from the obvious, how so?”
“I’m more included here than I was at home. Being an enforcer made sense for me, and it allowed me to fight an awful lot, but the same old clan wars get old fast. The other magir aren’t much of a challenge.”
“So you were bored?”
“I guess. I’m not bored here though.” His smile had her heart racing. “I’m swimming with a hot sea nymph, under her spell. I know you want the spell gone, but I’m enjoying my time off. The guys are okay and all, but you’re so much more.”
He kept complimenting her, keeping her off balance. “You like them. They’re your family aren’t they?”
“Yes, but they’re not my mate.” He darted away before she could chastise him for calling her his mate again. They’d discussed his attraction at length, and she made sure to let it be known she had no desire to hamper him with a bond of any kind. But he kept telling her how pretty she was, how much he liked being with her. And aside from the occasional request for a kiss or a heated look at her body, he hadn’t come on to her at all.
Kaia liked him so much more. When he opened up and shared with her, it was like she could believe she’d found her other half. Orion had deep hurts he didn’t know how to acknowledge, a strange family he wanted to like but didn’t quite fit him. Though he hadn’t said it, she sensed in him a dissatisfaction with his role in his Night Bloode clan.
He swam in circles then straight up, breaching the surface like a dolphin before diving back to join her once more. “Dare you to do that.”
“Please. That’s a game for children. See if you can keep up with this.” She repeated his moves but added a series of flips and twirls both below and above the surface that had him clapping and demanding an encore.
Laughing themselves silly, they swam for hours, neither tiring until Orion mentioned he was hungry.
Once outside the water, she rid herself of the water soaking her clothes then did the same for him.
“That’s pretty handy.”
She smiled and shivered but didn’t have time to be cold. Orion took her in his arms and sped into the living room, where he built a fire.
“Are you hungry?” He grabbed a blood bag and filled a mug with it.
She didn’t want to know where he’d gotten it, but she liked that it wasn’t fresh. The thought of him feeding off a stranger didn’t feel right. The more she thought about it, the more she grew... jealous.
Yep. There it was. Kaia once again falling for a man that wouldn’t suit. And not a man this time, but a vampire. Yet, he and she had so much in common. It wasn’t fair.
“What’s with the sad face?”
She shrugged. “I’m having fun, but this is a dangerous time for us both. It feels wrong to be enjoying myself.”
“Fuck that.” He leaned back against the kitchen counter. “I work my ass off for a goddess who isn’t mine, am ordered around by a magician and a stubborn strigoi. I rarely have time to enjoy myself. I know you’re a hard worker, so I doubt you take time off for yourself. Do you?”