Awaken by Skye Malone Page B

swimming God knew how deep too.
    Trembling, I swallowed. “What are you?”
    “Dehaian,” he replied. My expression stayed
the same, and his lip twitched. “You know. Fish. Same as you.”
    My head shook. “I… you’re…”
    The words refused to come. My legs were
unsteady beneath me, and if not for the edge of the wooden rail
biting into my palm, I’d have believed I was dreaming.
    Though given how vivid my dreams had been
lately, there was still a good chance.
    “I’m not…” I tried. The words still wouldn’t
come. They were too stupid. Too insane. I wasn’t going to argue
about whether or not I was a fish . “You stay away from me,”
I said instead. “From the house, from anywhere. I see you again,
I’m calling the cops.”
    He hesitated. “I saw you underwater. I saw
you changing. I know what you are.”
    “I’m human, you freak!” I yelled, my voice
breaking.
    Gasping, I started up the stairs.
    “Then why’d the sieranchine work on you in
the hospital?”
    I froze. Turning, I looked back to where he
stood at the base of the stairway.
    “I snuck into the hospital,” he said. “I used
some of our medicine on you, in case it’d help.” He paused. “It
did.”
    On the banister, my hand shook. Amazing
recovery, the doctor had called it. A sudden and swift turnaround
from when they’d brought me in. He’d been stunned.
    And I’d just felt like I had enough energy to
fly to the moon.
    “Why’d you do that?” I managed.
    He shrugged a shoulder, not answering.
    “Do you know where Jesse is?”
    His brow furrowed. “Who?”
    “The guy at the bookstore.”
    “I don’t know any guy at the bookstore.”
    “He attacked me.”
    “I don’t–”
    “He looked like you.”
    Zeke paused. “How?”
    “His eyes.”
    He shook his head. “We don’t work in
bookstores. We don’t work at all, for that matter. Not on land.” He
hesitated. “And you should know that.”
    I turned to go up the stairs again.
    “You really don’t have any idea what I’m
talking about, do you?” he called.
    “I know you’re crazy,” I snapped over my
shoulder.
    “You’re telling me you don’t feel the pull of
the water? You don’t have to be near it? Anything?”
    I stopped and looked back at him.
    “We don’t do well far from the ocean,” he
said. “We get sick if we’re away for too long.” He paused. “That
doesn’t happen to you?”
    I swallowed. “Just lately,” I whispered.
    A heartbeat passed, and he stepped back from
the base of the stairway, clearing a path from me to the water’s
edge.
    “I’m not a threat to you,” he said. “I swear.
I just want answers. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    I didn’t move.
    “Can we start over?” he asked.
    My shoulder lifted in a small shrug.
    “Okay. Like I said, I’m Zeke. And you
are?”
    “Chloe.”
    His lip twitched, wry humor in his blue eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Chloe. You ever heard of dehaians?”
    Not taking my eyes from him, I shook my
head.
    “Alright. Can I show you then?”
    He gestured to the ocean. Cautiously, I
descended the stairs. Keeping well clear of him, I walked to the
edge of the wet sand.
    “It helps if you’re in the water,” he said, a
trace of amusement entering his voice.
    I stayed where I was.
    “Okay,” he amended, humor fading. “Just… have
a seat.”
    Still watching him, I sank onto the sand.
    He crouched several feet away, his
lean-muscled arms braced on his knees and his bare skin bright in
the moonlight. “Put your legs out so the water hits them. And don’t
fight it.”
    My brow furrowed, but I stretched my legs
out.
    He glanced to the ocean. A moment passed as
the tide swept out and then came rolling back in.
    Water rushed up around my legs, cool and fast
and wonderful, and my skin tingled as it passed. My lips twitched
reflexively toward a smile, and I fought the expression, not
wanting to give any sign of how great it felt.
    I looked back to him as the water pulled away
again.
    His mouth