Hook, Line & Sinking (Completed)

39. Confrontation

Hey guys, here it is! As if the last few chapters weren't a confrontation already ;-)

Much love,

Robin

*

Confrontation

I had no strength left. Whatever the moon was doing to me was getting so strong that I was struggling to even remember the reason why I'd been so scared a moment ago. Looking at the collapsed body in front of me I couldn't even feel horror at the mass of red, blistered skin that covered his back. Who was this guy? What had just happened?

Shaking my head I backed away from the body and nearly tumbled back into the curved bowl, the bathing area inside the plateau. I only barely managed to regain my balance and then stared at the water, mesmerized at the way it rippled, at the way it lapped at my toes and soothed the heat crawling through me.

"Dani darling," a voice said from behind me and I spun again, nearly overbalancing as if I was drunk. I was drunk; drunk on the moon. In the water, swimming through the grotto towards me was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Dark eyes, dark hair slicked back from the water and the colors of his fins, dark blue, bold and dramatic.

I sighed when he pulled himself onto the ledge at my side, his muscles straining, body transforming. His shoulders were so wide, one covered in the most intriguing lines of ink. He was naked and he was glorious. On two legs he came toward me and I reached for him immediately. Yes, this one would soothe the burning beneath my skin, this was a good mate.

I knew the expression on his face was worried but I didn't understand why. When he reached me he didn't hesitate to wrap me in his arms and that felt right, that felt exactly right. His touch didn't hurt, it felt good. With his touch a little sanity came back too; as the burning rushing through my body eased I knew this was Matt and Matt would keep me safe.

Clutching my arms tightly around his neck I held on for as long as he let me. Over his shoulder I could see the collapsed body of Clay and I shuddered, I barely remembered my confrontation with him but I knew it was bad. He looked bad and I didn't know if he was dead or alive.

"Hush," Matt whispered in my ear, "You did good baby, you're safe now. I got you." It penetrated then that he was alive and well, that I'd been worried sick about him before and that Clay had taunted me that he'd been blown up with the bomb. When the thoughts coalesced in my mind I realized I'd been crying and I hadn't even noticed.

"Shit! He said you were dead," I told him hoarsely and Matt pressed me even more tightly to his body. With every curve pressed against his hard chest I felt the heat stir again, different now than before. Now it felt like the heat was ready to urge me on but patient too because Matt was right here.

"He lied," Matt assured me, "Thorne and I dismantled the bomb and called the coastguard. Dave and Clayton have been arrested." Oh... that was fantastic news. That only left Gavin and Clay. I flinched when my eyes fell on the stretched out body behind Matt. No, that just left Gavin; I hurried to explain that to Matt.

He shifted us so that for the first time there was a little distance between our bodies, just enough that we could look into each other's eyes. "I'll take care of it. You know I have to," he said, though he sounded like he hated this task very much. Now I noticed that his dark eyes had a feverish glint to them, the moon was burning in him too. Was that how my eyes looked?

"No!" I said, irrationally. He had to go, we weren't completely safe yet. "I need to take Clay up to Thorne and Noah, locate Gavin and get rid of him." Matt's words made sense but I hated them all the same.

When he let go of me I felt a spike of pain again, my body didn't like it one bit to have distance between him and me. Still, I squared my shoulders and moved with Matt to help him tie up Clay's hands. I was relieved to know I hadn't actually killed him.