Edythe woke up to the sound of her heartbeat. The whooshing seemed so loud that she rubbed at her ears. She felt a pressure against them, like an earache. Then suddenly she was swamped with terror.
Linc!
I’m here, Edie. You’re safe. The lights were dim, and her body felt strange. She looked around for him. She was astonished when he pushed off a rock wall and swam toward her. He floated in front of her, sending her thoughts of comfort and safety she couldn’t process.
She watched her hand float through the water, trying not to freak out. Linc?
He swam next to her, and Edythe saw she was drifting? Floating?
Resting, Linc offered, hearing her struggle to make sense of what she saw and felt.
Her body rocked back and forth, and she found she could turn, her body making adjustments unconsciously. She could stay upright without treading the water, and if she wanted, she could place her feet on the sandy bottom. She was buoyant, but not weightless, and moved through the water easily. It didn’t slow her; it supported her, lifted her, helped her move faster.
She was underwater, and she was alive!
How is this possible? She looked to Linc for an explanation.
You are my mate, he replied. When I kissed you, your body changed so you could survive here, under the water.
Impossible, she thought.
He smiled at her, his teeth glowing in the light. She looked around, and saw on the walls of the cave a species of marine fungi she’d never seen before. Bioluminescence, she realized. The fungi lined the cave, stretching from one end to the other, and wrapping around the walls. Their light was bright enough she could make out Linc just fine, but everything had a bluish-green tinge.
It’s so beautiful. Linc! This is incredible!
He reached for her, grasping her arms and pulling her close to him. Edythe could feel his fear and uncertainty. He was afraid he’d pushed her too far, and she would reject him.
She suddenly understood something she wasn’t brave enough to admit before today. Linc had always been hers. It was why she rescued him from her father, and why she stayed away from the marshes for so long. He was hers to protect, hers to love.
So, why did you leave me? His question was involuntarily. On its heels came a series of questions he immediately sought to take back. If your father was dead, why worry about my safety? What were you afraid of?
How could she explain her fear to him? It was so intangible, but it stayed with her, like a living, breathing thing. After the fire, she’d had nightmares. She dreamed he was trapped in her house as it burned. She dreamed her father was alive, searching for him. Her worst nightmare—the one that left her in a cold sweat—was about finding Linc, and before she spoke to him, a net trapped him and he was dragged away from her. No matter how fast she ran, she was too slow to catch him. Sometimes, she dreamed she was pulled beneath the marsh waters, Linc’s screams echoing in her ears.
She struggled to find the words to explain herself. I never, she began, in my whole life before we met, believed my father was evil. He hugged me, kissed me, tucked me into bed when he was home at night. He showed me how to catch frogs and fly a kite. He was a normal dad.
Linc looked away. Edythe could feel his guilt; he blamed himself for taking her father away from her.
No, Linc. She grasped his arms tightly. You didn’t take him away from me. He never existed. He was always bad. He hid it from me. What he did to you, it didn’t come out of nowhere. It was always inside him, a potential for cruelty. She needed a breath, but underwater, she couldn’t open her mouth and pull in air. Still, she felt her lungs inflate. It distracted her from her explanation, and she caught Linc’s indulgent smile.
Sorry, she apologized, science.
It took her a second to gather her thoughts again. What I realized, Linc, was there was evil hidden in the world. Even the best things, the things I would never think to doubt, couldn’t be trusted. How could I return to you with that in the world? I would still be gone, she admitted, if I hadn’t feared for your life.
She stared into his eyes, willing him to understand and forgive her.
As much as I am yours, she told him. You are mine.
His forgiveness wove around her. Yes, my mate, I forgive you.
She searched for an understanding of what a mate was, and Linc filled in the blanks. It meant children; it meant living above or below the sea; it meant knowing someone better than she knew herself. It meant forever.
Linc’s mouth came down on hers. His tongue swiped her lips before delving into her mouth. Her fingers trailed down his arms, feeling the pliant strength of his scales. It again reminded her they were underwater. She felt his amusement in her mind, and then he was pulling her toward the back of the cave.