Rhodoreef

18. The Human Craze

He approached her at a brisk pace. She let out a mini shriek and drew back.

"Stay away from me!" She reversed the Cypod another meter, even though he slowed to a stop. "And let me go. I'll give you the gear back in a few hours."

His forehead furrowed, enhancing the shadowy effect the stubble bestowed on his face. "What are you going to do in a few hours?"

"I met the person I wanted to meet," Dea said testily. "He turned out to be the prime minister's son. Wait, back at the Witch's Cauldron, when I showed you his card—you knew, didn't you? Of course, you knew."

"You met him?" He shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe his ears. "How?"

"That's not important!" She composed her face into a scowl. "The point is, I did. And he invited me to his banquet tonight."

The waves swashed outside, and the trees whispered in the wind.

Dea cleared her throat. "Yeah, quite a lot happened. I think he recognized me as his rescuer—"

"What did you tell him?"

The sharpness in his voice made her blink. "I didn't get to talk. That's why he invited me to his place. I also bumped into those nasty humans earlier—there was this big factory thingy. I saw ships, so I guess it's actually some kind of port?"

The massive window wall next to them diffused the moonlight and outlined one side of his face. Her eyes inadvertently traced the strong jawline and high cheekbones.

Anuk finally opened his mouth to reply, but her stomach beat him to it. It emitted a wail that carried in the stillness—much to her embarrassment. Great. As if the aches and perils aren't enough right now.

His frown appeared to play a tug of war with his amusement. Then he succumbed to the smile that twitched at his lips.

Without further ado, he closed the gap between them in three strides.

Dea flinched and glared up at him.

Unfazed, he reached down and lifted her up into his arms again. His hands were smooth as they slid around her torso, trailing soothing sensations like the brush of seagrass. Heat erupted in her face.

She squealed and wriggled, one hand hugging her backpack. "What the flipping hell are you doing?"

"Torture. Upstairs." He carried her towards the staircase.

The words emanated in the same annoying tone he used when he asked her to shoot him. It was so matter-of-fact that she wanted to bonk him on the head.

As they ascended, a gurgle of water wafted into her ears.

For a monster from the brine pool, he was surprisingly gentle, and the bobbing motion made her eyes heavy. Dea resisted the impulse to lean her head on his shoulder. She had never been so close to a boy before—the closest was smacking the school bully back in the seventh grade. After all, dating was a no-no for teens in Calliathron. It was even more incredible when she pondered the fact that Anuk was a human guy.

Pressed to his chest, Dea tuned in to the rhythm of his heart. She was suddenly aware of lean muscles and a whiff of terrestrial forest that lingered about him. Her stomach experienced a feeling akin to many insects taking flight. It was short-lived, however, when annoyance bubbled up. A moment like this was supposed to have been reserved for "Prince Dilip", and here she was with the Sea Witch instead. It was confounding and so very unfair.

She shook her head and craned sideways to see how far down the floor was. Then she did an experimental jerk.

"Stop wriggling." He paused, his arms cradling her closer, which didn't help lower the temperature in her face. "It's futile to fight."