Page 22 of Call of the Fathoms (Deep Waters #4)

Twenty-Two

Fortis

S he’d kissed him. And for some mad reason, he had kissed her back.

Fortis wasn’t sure what had come over him, only that he knew if he didn’t get a taste of her lips, the world might end. She was right there in his arms, holding him around the neck, thanking him for freeing her, and he’d snapped.

The decision wasn’t the right one to make. It had been foolhardy and stupid. She was an achromo. And not just any achromo, but one who had worked for the worst of their kind. She’d fought against him and drawn blood as none of her people had done before.

There were a hundred reasons for him to not indulge himself in her.

And one good reason to do so.

He liked her. Even though he knew she was going to kill him soon enough, he found her bravery and the way she faced the world rather impressive. He enjoyed fighting with her, arguing with her, and even just the quiet moments where she found what it was to feel emotions. Fortis had been so numb for such a long time. He felt himself coming back to life as he watched her experience everything. And maybe he felt his own emotions starting to surface as well.

Helping her place the breathing apparatus over her face once more, he sank into the waves and drew her away from that cursed place that held all the answers but proposed no solutions.

“You found that how many years ago?” she asked, her voice a low murmur.

“Ten, fifteen years ago perhaps? It was the time when I realized I needed to fight against your people with everything that I had in me. You were the villains in the ocean. All of you.”

But his arms tightened around her as he said it. Somehow, this woman didn’t feel like an enemy. It was the most confusing thought he’d ever had in his life.

She hummed low under her breath. “Right, the villains.”

He swallowed, knowing that he had hurt her feelings. When was the last time he’d ever cared if he had hurt someone’s feelings? It had been years. He was the one to tell people the truth. To guide them into their future without telling them the why or how of it, only the cold hard facts. If it hurt them, then that wasn’t his problem. Their futures were not for him to decide.

This woman was different, though. Being around her made him feel like he wanted to guard her from those thoughts and that terrible mindset that sometimes came over her. He wanted to explain the future in softer tones.

He wanted to be honest.

That clarity pushed him away from where her ship was. Far from where he would bring her back to the dark, and instead, he headed for somewhere they could speak. Somewhere she could be comfortable for a while until he decided what he was going to do with her.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You did not wish to return to the ship.”

“That...” Her grip tightened around his shoulders and she blew out a breath. “Yes, I suppose I did say that.”

Alexia fiddled with the mask on her face, and he wondered just how long that would work. It wasn’t like Mira’s, where she had created it to filter the oxygen out of the water. Perhaps he should bring her back to the ship to ensure she was safe before he continued onward.

With an audible grunt, Fortis forced himself not to backtrack toward the ship. She was fine. She would let him know if something needed to happen or if she was in danger. He didn’t need to take care of her.

And yet, damn how he wanted to.

Frustrated with the thoughts running through his head, Fortis said nothing else until they approached the cave system. It was similar to many throughout the ocean. Achromos had first come down to the sea on missions to find where they could build their cities, and thus there were many abandoned research facilities. Although they were slowly rotting with time, he was quite certain this one was safe.

He approached the tunnel carved into the stone and slipped inside. It was big enough for one of the achromo ships, like the one she had followed him with. So he didn’t worry about scraping her along the sides of the stones, although he did reach down to make sure her legs were wrapped around his hips.

Alexia didn’t seem to be nervous in the slightest. She straightened an arm and trailed her fingers along the smooth stone walls that had been worn by years of waves and many ships that had passed in the same way that they were passing now.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“An old research facility. Your people used this location to scout where they wanted to place their city.”

“Are we close to one, then?”

He thought about her question, unsure if he wanted to give her their exact location. “Close enough to Beta, I suppose. But not so close that anyone from that city would ever find us here.”

“Interesting.” Alexia wasn’t just saying that. She was looking around with her mouth slightly ajar, watching as the tunnel opened up and they were in a docking bay.

He’d seen so many of these at this point in his life that nothing surprised him. But she made a little noise in the back of her throat, struggling to get out of his arms.

He released her, watching in bemusement as she kicked her feet and headed up to the surface. There was an excitement in her that he hadn’t seen yet.

“Do you realize how old this is?” she asked as they crested the surface. “This must have been one of the first research facilities they built.”

“Perhaps. Everything in here seems old.”

Alexia dragged herself out of the water, her hands gripping the rusted rungs of a ladder to pull herself out onto the floor. She scrambled to her feet, spinning to look at the massive room while he looked around with her.

He didn’t see what she would be so excited about. It was a singular room, large enough to fit at least ten of her people wandering around. The walls and floors used to be white, but now they were a dingy gray from years of dust buildup. Alexia left footprints on the floor as she walked to the back wall that was entirely glass. Easily four of her high, it stretched all the way up to the stone ceiling.

The light coming in from that wall was natural. Blue filtered through the crystal clear waters. Kelp grew just beyond the glass, and all those waving green fronds outlined her silhouette. She was so pretty. It made every part of him ache to touch her again, and to see if her lips really tasted as good as he remembered.

After everything she had been through, she still stood tall in front of that glass. Spine straight, shoulders back. She looked every inch a warrior woman who was ready to take on the world, and he wasn’t sure how to let her do that without him, now.

She turned to look over her shoulder at him, and her dark hair slicked back from her face. “Why are we here, Fortis?”

“I wished to bring you to a place where we could speak.”

“We spoke just fine when I was in the ship.”

And perhaps he wanted to see that expression on her face. The one of awe where she realized she had found something that she would never see again. The beauty of her soul peering out through her eyes was something he enjoyed immensely.

But he didn’t tell her that. Instead, he planted his hands on the cold floor and heaved himself out of the water. It took a great bit of effort. Fortis was too large to move easily on land, but he managed well enough. A wave from his movements helped propel him across the floor, easing his way until he could press his back against the glass and look back at the roiling waves he’d left behind. His fluke was still in the icy cold water, and he left it there as a reminder that he could escape if he had to.

He leaned his head back against the glass. “You laughed when I said I could see the future.”

Her lips twisted into a smile. “I did.”

“I can see it, though.” He met her gaze, already feeling the powers inside of him swirling as though they were also insulted that she doubted them. “You have felt it. You have seen how I can peer into your memories. Why is it so hard for you to believe I can do more than that?”

At his direct question, she squirmed. Alexia shifted her weight from side to side, and her hands opened and closed as she avoided his multicolored gaze. “Looking into someone’s mind, forcing them to see memories. That’s science.”

“Is it?”

“It’s believable science. I don’t know, I’m not one of the genetic analysts. Look at me! I shouldn’t be possible, but here I am. Science made this.” She gestured up and down her body as though that was an answer. “But the future? No one knows the future, Fortis.”

“I do.”

She opened and closed her mouth. “I just... It’s hard to believe. That would give you mystical powers or somehow make you...”

He waited for her to continue the thought, but she didn’t. “Make me what, Alexia?”

“God-like!” she blurted out. “No one knows the future. It isn’t set in stone. It is and has always been something that is out of our grasp. Even seeking to know the future has been the downfall of so many. But you want me to believe that you have access to all that information?”

He shrugged. “Depthstriders are different. We are close to the sea, the waves, the goddess who rules these waters. We dedicate our lives to knowing the future and learning how to find the right path for others. You are correct, some futures are not set in stone. Some futures can be changed and manipulated and guided. That is part of what my role is among my people. I find the futures that will lead us into a world that is better. For all of us.”

She leaned against the glass and crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re like a priest, then?”

“I do not know this word.”

“A...” Alexia’s nose scrunched as she thought. “Holy figure. Someone who talks to god and then relays what god says.”

He mimicked her scrunched nose before nodding. “I suppose. It is not the sea telling people their future, though. It’s just a depthstrider who has earned that ability by the goddess after years of training.”

He could see she still didn’t believe him, and that was beyond frustrating. No one had ever questioned his abilities before. He was capable of seeing the future, and that was just how it had always been. Yes, it was frustrating for him sometimes. He would see a future that didn’t match up with what he wanted. And sometimes, he would see a terrible future that he could not change. It was just there. For good. No matter how much he wanted to change it, there wasn’t a way to save the person.

“I find myself upset that you do not believe me,” he muttered.

“I think that’s a silly reason to be upset.”

Well, now he was offended. “You are questioning something I have been able to do my entire life, and something I have based my entire existence upon.”

“You based your entire existence on seeing other people’s futures? That sounds voyeuristic.”

The amusement on her face warned him that she was teasing, but he was so far beyond that. She antagonized him. “I have based my entire life upon a vision my wife saw of my death. I know how I am going to die, virago, and I never question that truth.”

Her eyes widened. “You have a wife?”

That wasn’t the way to say it. Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “I had a wife. She died many years ago.”

“Ah.” For some reason, that seemed to make Alexia uncomfortable. “Well. That might have been nice to know.”

Why? Was she thinking about their kiss? As far as he was concerned, his wife had given him permission. Astrum wanted him to live for as long as he could before he joined her in the after life and then... Even if he indulged himself with the woman who would kill him, he had decided that he was going to make use of his last days. Right until the bitter end.

“She prophesied that I would lead our people into a new future. That it would be me who changed the current of time and brought both of our peoples into a new world.” He made sure that Alexia was listening to him, dragging his claws on the floor with a sharp screech that had her staring at him. “And then I would die. I have seen the future through her vision, Alexia. I know who kills me. I know when that person kills me, and how. And because of that, I can take risks that others cannot.”

“The future is uncertain,” she replied. “You said that yourself.”

“I did. But some futures cannot be changed.”

“You’ve dedicated your life to something someone told you that you believe will happen. The future can be manipulated, that much I do believe. She made you believe that you would die, and you have fought your entire life to see that come true. No one can see the future, Fortis.” Her cheeks turned bright red during the rant, and her chest heaved up and down with anger.

He patted the floor next to him. “Come here, virago.”

“Why?”

“Because I can tell you are upset and I would like to talk with you about that.”

Her brows furrowed, as though she was suspicious about what he was asking from her. “Since when have you cared how I’m feeling? Historically, you’ve thrown me in a prison or tormented me. Why are you being so nice?”

Because something was growing in his chest and he didn’t know what else to do about it. A voice in his head screamed that he needed to take care of her. He needed her to be safe and happy and no matter what that ended up costing, he would see it through.

She was going to kill him, anyway. The least he could do was make it easier on this achromo, who he knew would carry that guilt for the rest of her days.

“Sit,” he said. “I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

Grumbling under her breath, she at least joined him on the floor. She was quite a distance away, and for some reason, that bothered him. After all the time they had spent together, he’d thought she wouldn’t mind being at least a little closer.

She was the one who had kissed him, after all.

Had he done something wrong? Achromos were confusing at the best of times, but he also knew that he hadn’t done this in a very long time. His wife had been the one to chase him, as was the depthstrider way.

Achromos were not like that. They were wooed strangely. At least, that’s what he had seen with the other three of his people who now had mates. But maybe she would be different. Just like he was different.

Breathing in through his nose, he bumped his head against the glass and stared up at the stone ceiling. “Would you like to hear about my family?”

“Are they all dead?”

His lips twisted into a wry grin. “Not all of them.”

“Then you can tell me about the living ones.”

The living ones. He snorted and rolled his eyes. “That I can do, virago.”