House of Royale (Secret Keepers #4)(19)

“Stay close to me,” Xander said when I was shoulder deep. “Laous is still out there. It’s a huge risk having you exposed like this.”

“I promise,” I said. “Unless we see a shark. It’s the one thing which has me wary in the ocean, and I usually bail.”

Xander’s eyes flicked down to my hand, which was curled in slightly at my side, the scar tissue tight tonight.

“You don’t have to worry about anything in the water while you’re with me. I’ll keep you safe.”

Then his face shuttered and he dived below before I could reply. As I followed, I really wished I knew what he was thinking, because for a moment there it almost looked like he cared.





7





The moment the water closed over my head, waves pushing me back toward the shore, my night vision kicked in. Out of the water I saw maybe five percent better than most people, but under the water … everything was clear.

Spikes of moonlight lit up the landscape below. Xander took off, going deeper, and I followed as close as I could. Actually, I was pretty sure he was pacing himself, because I would never have been able to keep up with him at full speed. He’d already proven that by chasing me down yesterday.

The further we got out, the more marine life was around and the lighter my heart felt. As my body relaxed, I started to swim more freely. I didn’t call for the dolphins—they wouldn’t hear me from this distance anyway. I sent out my love for them though, hoping they’d sense the vibrations in the water. Water carried emotions and messages. I truly believed that.

A water bubble smashed into my face unexpectedly, and I would have screamed except I recognized the sensation from yesterday. This was one of Xander’s communication bubbles. The exprendo channel.

“Don’t be alarmed,” his deep voice echoed across the space around my head. “But there is a shark close by. Two, actually.”

The moment someone told me to “not be alarmed” was the exact moment I usually freaked out. A firm hand gripped my scarred one, and because I’d been expecting a shark attack, I let out a shriek and yanked myself free. In doing so, I broke the exprendo channel around my head.

Since I needed to breathe, I used the moment to power up to the surface, sucking in a deep breath before diving back below. My legs dangling while sharks patrolled underneath was one of my only irrational fears. Sharks did not usually attack humans; it was really rare actually, but ... I couldn’t help myself.

As soon as I was below again, I scanned the water, searching for the predator of the ocean, and saw nothing except a few butterfly fish, which I took as a good sign. They wouldn’t be hanging around if a great white was close by, so either the sharks were one of the less dangerous species, or they weren’t close anymore.

After another minute I calmed completely and started searching for Xander. He’d told me not to leave his side, and only ten minutes into the swim I’d already lost him.

Something grabbed my injured hand again, but this time I didn’t freak. There was no pain, and I recognized the feel of skin.

Xander.

He held my hand tightly, seemingly not put off by the scars and marks that defined the underside of my palm and wrist. I’d only dated a few times in my life, but more than once I’d had guys deliberately maneuver themselves so they were on the side to hold my “good” hand. I’d even had one say during dinner that I was “really hot, but the hand wigged him out.” His implication was that if I just got it fixed, I’d be perfect, and then he’d be interested.

I kicked his ass to the curb. My hand was not a goddamn flaw, it was a battle scar. I had to believe that, otherwise whatever shaky confidence I’d built would be lost and I’d succumb to the soul-sucking pressure humans felt to always look perfect.

I was not perfect. And that was okay.

Bubbles wrapped around my face again and the water drained out quickly. “I scared them away,” Xander told me, his husky voice bringing my body to attention in more ways than one. He might be a bastard, but he was a damn sexy bastard. Who clearly didn’t care about holding my hand. Because he still was.

“We should head back soon,” he added. “The others will be waiting for us.”

I wanted to protest. I wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of my ocean. Of my Hawaii.

I didn’t say that though, I just murmured, “Yeah, okay. Let’s head back.”

He hesitated, just briefly, then he pulled me a little closer, his features still distorted by the exprendo channels. “I promise I’ll take you swimming in the legreto of House of Royale. You’ll feel right at home. And … when this is all over, you can have one of my houses in Hawaii. You can come back here and live in your own place.”

That was so unexpected that I kind of gasped before slamming my lips together. “Why would you do that?” I choked out. “You don’t even like me.”

Xander pulled me closer again, our bodies only inches apart, drifting in the water together. “You’re part of our team,” he finally said. “I have more houses than I need. And … House of Royale looks after their members. You are one of us.”

A small sliver of disappointment hit me, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. Xander had just offered me everything I’d ever wanted. My own place in Hawaii, freedom to surf and swim and live in my ocean, and yet … his reasoning bothered me.