Holly

Deal is off

After work I decide to head into town to get some groceries for Abuela so she can make dinner tonight. It is only the afternoon and I plan on trying some surfing again. The waves are rough today.

I leave the grocery store and as I pass a few people, I feel an odd sensation. It feels like a predator is near me and my skin starts crawling. I look to the person closest to me and feel my heart stop. A tall man is passing me, and I recognize him as the guy Kaia is seeing. The moment is short, but we make eye contact. I hardly know him but the look he gives me tells me that he knows who I am. Like I am something important and he is waiting for something from me. It is odd but the moment ends as quickly as it started.

I bump into some old lady in front of me and apologize profusely.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Watch where you walk!"

I hurry away, my face red as an apple. Atticus is a mysterious man who I have never spoken to. What is with people these days, always knowing more than me?

I head home, trying to forget about the unsettling feeling. No one is home so I put the groceries in the fridge before changing into my wet suit and grabbing my bag and surfboard.

As I walk along the beach to the secluded part that I like to surf alone, I feel a buzz from my phone in my bag. I pull it out and continue to walk to my spot.

[Ira]
Let's go to that party at the twins' house tomorrow night.

[Holly]
You have been partying a lot.

[Ira]
Yeah, and you haven't. Bring a date lol.

[Holly]
Whatever. I'll go.

"It is a bad habit to be so glued to your phone."

I jump out of my skin and try my best to catch it. I mean my phone. Not my skin.

Arius stands ankle deep in the water with a grin on his face, satisfied that he scared the shit out of me. Of course, he is naked as the day he was fucking born, and I screech as I accidentally look down there.

I really shouldn't have. Now I have the worst thoughts in my head. That asshole! He is proud of it too; he knows I hate how naked he is.

I drop my surfboard and turn my back to him to reach into my bag. I put it in there along with a flashlight for this exact reason.

"What are you..."

"Put on some pants, creep!"

I throw the shorts as hard as I can at his face. They fall into his hands, and he glares at me, but I turn my back to him again.

"I'm not putting these on."

"Put them on!" I yell.

"Fine! Whose pants are these anyways? Did you go out and buy some random pants for this reason?" I hear him putting them on but decide not to answer the question.

"Done?"

"Done."

I turn around and am relieved that he didn't lie. "Why are you always in the water? I see you in town but most of the time you are in the water?"

"I can't leave the water for longer than a few days or I will die."

I hold in a laugh, but it slips out. "So, you will sizzle up like a little fish stick in an Easy-bake oven?"

I grab my surfboard and start to walk towards the water past him. He grabs my board and yanks me back towards him. The proximity has the butterflies fluttering their deep blue wings again.

He glares down at me.

"You should stop glaring. It will stick and everyone will see that you are the asshole you really are. Especially one that keeps secrets." I am not as mad as I am making myself sound. I just have this need to push his buttons for some reason. It is an adrenaline rush I am now addicted to.

"You should watch that pretty mouth of yours. The waters are not your domain, human."

"Say that again, makes me want to surf your stupid waves."

He chuckles with his deep lovely voice. "You are so feisty."

"It runs in my blood." Thank God for Abuela.

"Holly, I'm serious. The waters are dangerous."

"Just because you have seen me fall several times doesn't mean I am not used to it."

"That isn't why it's dangerous."

I pause, waiting for him to explain. "Why?"

He is silent as if he is contemplating if he wants to tell me. Now, I am angry.

"Why, Arius? Tell me."

"It... it just isn't safe."

"How am I supposed to help you if you and everyone else is keeping things from me?" I throw my free hand in the air.

He is silent.

"I am starting to wonder if you really need my help. If everything is as dangerous as you say it is and you don't need me, then the deal is off."

I see something brewing in his ocean eyes. "Maybe you are right. I don't know why I gave in and made this deal with you."

"Then the deal is off!" I say with little conviction in my voice. I can tell he knows I am not being serious.

"I know you won't leave this alone that easily." He speaks. "Are you really that convinced that you are safe?"

He saw right through my bluff. "Show me how dangerous the ocean really is! Even when this is over, I won't stop surfing!"

"I need to show you, don't I? So, you stay out of the water even after I am gone." His voice is deep and quiet. I don't like his tone and it feels like a threat.

His eyes look angry but also predatory. I become nervous and let go of my board to walk away. He throws the board back onto the shore with strength that startles me.

"What are you..." His large hand grabs my forearm and I yelp in shock. "Arius..."

In an instant, the next thing I know is the water shoving its way down my throat. The cold doesn't even register as I fight to breathe. The water rushes around me at an extremely fast speed and I struggle to figure out what is happening.

My vision begins to blur, and the rushing water stops. I open my eyes to see the surface a few feet away. Something strong is holding my arm and I see a large black tail disappear behind me.

In a flash, I am gasping for air at the surface of the water. I lean on a strong shoulder and struggle to catch up with what happened.

"Do you see?"

I pull my head away to see Arius holding me against him. The fear and adrenaline are keeping me from enjoying this closeness. His face is the same besides his eyes that are nearly pitch black. I feel the air escape my lungs in shock. Below me, something strong treads water. My bare feet feel something scaly.

"Do I need to show you again?" His voice is deep and threatening.

As I realize what is happening, I feel anger boil up in my chest. "Fuck you." I choke out.

His black eyes glint with rage and I am under the water again. The water rushes past me and I feel it stop suddenly. The sand hits my back and the strong arm lets go of me. I open my eyes to see him hovering above me. I am a good distance under water near the ocean floor. It isn't the surface far in the distance that has me panicking. It is him.

He is larger than the monster I saw on the beach. His tail is longer and stronger with shorter spines along his tail and back. His tail looks just as muscular and strong as the rest of him. Every scale on his body is pitch black, making him look like an underwater grim reaper. His eyes burn with black rage as he watches me struggle.

The fear finally catches up with me. I beg him with my eyes to help me but all I see is rage in those eyes. My body begins to tremble and my vision blurs.

Again, I am suddenly thrusted to the surface and feel a strong chest against me. I cough up the water and gasp. I can't help but let out a few cries of fear and tremble knowing how close I came to death.

It is a different kind of death but is that how it felt for my dad? Did he struggle to breathe with the metal in his lungs? Was his vision cutting to black and not a white light?

I shake, trying to hold in my sob. Swallowing it down and focusing on where I am, I push the memories away.

"The ocean is dangerous, Holly. So am I."

He needs help. He needs forgiveness. How can I forgive him when he is this cruel?

Even after what he has just done, the thought of abandoning him is more terrifying than what I just experienced. I am so frustrated because I have no idea why I feel this way. It is unnatural and not right. I am really losing my mind.

I feel the water fly past me but this time I am above the surface. The sandy floor of the ocean touches my feet and I realize he brought me back to the shore.

I fall into the shallow water, my legs too shaky to stand.

"Our deal is off..."

"There is a party." I choke out. Yes, even after what happened, I am asking him to be my date. That isn't the actual reason, duh. "Come to the party with me."

I look up to him. His eyes are still black which means he hasn't shifted. Even in their inky blackness, I can see the shock. He is dangerous in the ocean. I wouldn't stand a chance. But on land, at least I can run, and he wouldn't try anything around other people.

If he needs forgiveness and I can't bring myself to end the deal, then I need to find a way to get to know him. In my domain.

"That is stupid, Holly. The deal is off."

"Please come."

"Holly, I almost killed you! Aren't you afraid?"

I nod my head. "Please come."

He stares at me in disbelief.

"No."