Page 19 of Unmoored

“Drink a few sips,” he directed. “Then I’m going to check you for injuries.”

Where did he get fresh water?I wondered, my head hurting from the amount of questions forming inside my mind. But I still couldn’t seem to connect my brain to my voice, so instead I sipped the water as he slowly pulled the blanket from my body.

He started with my feet, lifting each one and moving them around to check my ankles. His hands moved up my legs, a gentle caress that almost felt sensual, although I knew it was unintentional.

“I need to lift your nightgown,” he said, his voice strained. “But I promise I won’t touch you inappropriately.” I nodded. I was so exhausted that I wouldn’t have cared if he had. My body was just as numb as my thoughts.

As he worked his way up, gently twisting and prodding my joints and peering closely at my skin, I started to feel as though my mind was reconnecting with my body. He reached my wrists, rubbing each of my fingers until they were no longer stiff and frozen, before gently moving his massive palms up my arms and shoulders.

When he cradled my face, I felt something burst insideme. All the numbness from before dissipated, replaced with an aching, empty sensation.

In the entirety of my life, nobody but my mother had tended to me like this. Even in the asylum, when I’d had nurses performing “wellness checks” day and night, I’d never felt as cared for as I did in this moment, being examined and attended to by this sea monster who had somehow turned into a man.

Tears fell again as he cupped my cheeks, turning my face to each side as he examined my jaw and neck. His fingers brushed over a point between my neck and shoulder, and heat shot through my body in a way I had never felt before.

A gasp escaped my throat, and my body involuntarily arched into his touch.

He removed his hands in haste, eyes widening as he waited for me to say something.

“No,” I whimpered, devastated at the loss of his touch. I reached out for his hands again, entwining our fingers together as his eyes scanned my tear-stained face.

“Are you in pain anywhere?” he asked, our faces only inches apart.

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

I took in the smooth skin on his face, noticing the small lines around his eyes and the faint outline of gills along his neck. My fingers reached for them involuntarily, and he jumped as I grazed the point between his neck and shoulder.

“Careful,” he warned, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

I suppose he must have lungs in his human form,I thought, a bit unsure why I was suddenly so concerned with hisanatomy. What caught my attention the most was his ears. When he rescued me from the shipwreck, I thought I’d seen some type of fins attached to the edges of his ears, but I’d convinced myself it was my mind playing tricks on me. As I studied him now, I noticed the faint outline once again.

“What are you?” I asked, knowing the answer but needing a better explanation.

“Talassi,” he said. “But you already know that.”

I nodded.

“What do they teach you about us?” he asked, his voice softening.

“Not much,” I admitted. “You’re myths to us, legends. All we know is that you’re dangerous, and that your kind like to lure sailors and their ships to a gruesome death.”

“Of course that’s what they say,” he scoffed, frowning. “Humans are a plague to this world.”

“I don’t disagree,” I said quietly.

“What your kind don’t seem to understand, especially your father,Hazel Emerson,” malice coating his voice as he enunciated each syllable of my name, “is thatwedo not care to ‘lure humans to untimely deaths’ the way your legends have painted. People like Lord Emerson and his associates enjoy plowing their ships through the ocean with no regard to the established habitats and creatures, and it causes extreme distress for those of us wholive there.”

His voice was laced with emotion, and I couldn’t blame him for his anger.

“My father is a monster,” I said. “Believe me, I’m well aware.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t raise you with the same hatred for us that he carries in his heart,” he scoffed.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Draya muttered, standing up and pulling his hands out of my grasp. “We have some important things to sort out, but I need to know your mind is sound before we continue.”

I nodded, taking in his words and trying to figure out what he meant. Did my father have prior interactions with the Talassi? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Emerson fleet was the largest merchant organization in the world, and he’d spent years of his life exploring the ocean. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if he’d angered the Talassi at some point.