Page 75
“That I should go home.”
“You are already home, Caspian.”
I turn and smile at him. “You’re right. I am home. Because you are here and this -” I wave at the sea and the beach and the lighthouse standing guard. “This is where all my memories live. And this is where you’ll always remember me, right?”
Something in my chest uncoils, tension draining from me at the same time Sterling’s smile grows bigger.
“I don’t need to remember you. Because you are right here.”
I look around again, the air around us growing hazy and glowing orange like the sun on a scorching summer’s day.
“Sterling.” I hold out a hand, my eyes catching on the sharp black claws at the end of my hand.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Chase me.”
And then I run, diving into the waves, a thick tail and two huge fins extending from my body, rocketing me through the water. It feels good. Warm. Comforting. Safe.
Home.
My eyes shoot open and I blink them once, then twice, then a few times more, adjusting to the dim light. I’m on a bed, a scratchy green blanket at my back.
“Caspian.” Sterling’s big hand reaches out and cups my chin, tilting my head from side to side. “You’re okay.” He rests his forehead against mine, wetness falling down his cheeks and onto mine.
“Hey.” I slide a hand into his hair. “Why are you crying?”
“I thought I lost you,” he says, voice soft. He pulls back, and I note his green eyes are dim, rimmed red around the edges.
“Lost me?” Everything floods back in, then. Eugene. The sand. The knife. Lifting a hand to my throat, I run a finger along the skin, finding nothing but two-day old stubble. “Was it all a dream?” I sit up in the bed, my back against the wall.
Nothing hurts. My body is lax, my vision clear. Sounds crisp. It’s as though I’ve woken from the best sleep I’ve ever had. The only thing remotely uncomfortable is the ache in my belly.
“It wasn’t a dream.” Sterling sits next to me, the mattress dipping under his weight. “You nearly died. You woke up on the beach but passed out again when I carried you home.”
I cover his hand with mine. “You saved me.”
He looks at where our hands are joined. “Do you feel any different?”
“I’m hungry, and I really need to pee, but otherwise, no.”
He won’t look at me, and that makes me uneasy. There’s no tension in my chest, our bond secure and settled, even so, I sense something is worrying him.
“Look at me, please.” He does, green eyes meeting mine. “What happened?”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Bagel chooses that moment to jump onto the bed. She freezes at the foot, her wide eyes trained on me. Assessing. A line of fur lifts on her back and she hisses once, then turns and jumps off the bed.
What the hell?
“She’ll work out soon enough that you’re not a threat. The same way she did with me.”
“Why would she think…” My words trail off as I run my tongue over my teeth, the tip of it catching on a sharp edge. I wince at the bite of pain, replacing my tongue with a finger.
“Sterling?” My mind is taking a moment to catch up with what’s happening. I think I know. Deep down, I can already feel the difference in me. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to grasp.
“Close your eyes,” Sterling commands, and I instantly obey. “Now picture that you’re standing with your feet in the water.” It’s easy enough to do because it is so much like the dream I just had. “Let your body take over. Don’t fight it.”
