Page 4 of Entranced By the Nakken (Freedom, Love, Monsters #4)

“Not human,” the embodiment of beauty supplied with a wry scowl, holding their violin like they might continue playing any moment. “Correct.”

“Breathtaking,” Casey finished.

The creature’s eyes widened. The teal hue of their cheek scales shimmered in a way that had nothing to do with the sun now hiding behind puffy white clouds, like their beauty was too great for even it to bear.

“I mean, your music. Well, and everything else, too, but—ahh—” Casey snapped his mouth shut. Stop acting weird, man! He cleared his throat and tried again. “Your song is lovely.”

“No.” They lowered their instrument and scowled at it like it’d fucked their mom.

“Maybe it’s missing something.” Casey tentatively set down his bass, placing the notebook and pen on top. He moved slowly, conscious of the piercing glass eyes tracking his every move.

This was his chance. There was no doubt in Casey’s mind that this was the same spirit—or whatever they were—that had saved his life. He gathered his courage and met their piercing gaze.

“I don’t know if you remember me, but—” I’ve missed you every day of my life since we met. Casey tripped over the sudden words that almost poured from his lips, and the truth of them made him literally trip. He stumbled forward and narrowly caught his balance on a wet rock, only to slip again.

A blue hand caught Casey by the shoulder.

Casey instinctively grabbed on, noticing the wide fins that extended from their forearm like wings.

Shorter than Casey, they were bare from tip to toe, with the lean, athletic body of a swimmer.

Silver hair cascaded over glittering teal shoulders, all leading up to disdainful watery eyes.

"Thank you,” Casey croaked sheepishly, his whole body on fire with embarrassment. This was not how he’d pictured this moment, and he’d pictured it often.

“You’re no less clumsy than last time,” his savior—for the second time—grumbled, helping him to his feet on dry-ish land. “No matter. The blood contract doesn’t require you to have better coordination than a blind cave fish.”

“I mean thanks for everything, not —wait, what?” Casey couldn’t feel anything past the prickling of his scalp. None of this was going as he’d imagined. “Blood contract?”

“I received your offering.”

They offered no further explanation, simply stared at Casey with their perfect lips flat.

“My. . .”

A transparent film slid up and down over their aqua irises, their scowl deepening. Patience wasn’t a strong suit of theirs, Casey gathered.

“I see you’ve brought your instrument.” The creature nodded toward Casey’s belongings. “We begin now.”

“Okay,” Casey agreed. To what, he wasn’t sure, but if it kept them around, he was all in.

It took two milliseconds to extract his guitar and flip open his notebook. A flutter crackled across his every nerve when the water spirit sat close enough that if he leaned back on his palms, their fingers might brush.

What the fuck was this unfamiliar bullshit in his gut? Like a hive of fucking bumble bees had taken up camp. With one exception, in his past, Casey was the kind of guy that thrived on the chase. Right now, all he wanted was to learn every tiny detail about the person before him.

“I’m Casey, by the way.” He strummed a chord to keep his hands where they belonged. “I go by he and him pronouns. Will you tell me about yourself?”

“Tsunis. They." Tsunis tipped their chin in some kind of bow.

“Tsunis.”

“Correct. Now,” Tsunis spared Casey a brief glance. They had one leg tucked up, blue toes digging into the marshy bank. Their other leg was outstretched and ended in a long, wide fin, which they allowed the water to shower. “Play.”

Casey obeyed, cringing at how rusty he sounded. Tsunis made no indication they were paying attention, which simultaneously helped and made things worse.

“Shit, sorry,” Casey mumbled when he strummed a discordant note. He laughed nervously and rocked back. “I’m better at vocals.”

“Then why are you not singing?” Tsunis all but snapped.

Good question. He wasn’t singing because he had no fucking idea what was happening. He gave another awkward chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. “All right. Um, I do a pretty good cover of—”

“Absolutely not.” Jeez, did they live in a perpetual state of annoyance or was that something Casey brought out of them? “You’ve scribbled in that notebook for years, and have nothing of your own?”

Casey’s heart tripped over itself, an unfair flash of hurt squeezing his chest. “You’ve been here all along?”

Tsunis’ hardened gaze flashed with a deep sorrow, melting all of Casey’s misguided anger. He reached out and placed a hand on their shoulder. They went preternaturally still, but didn’t pull away.

“Hey.” Casey waited until they met his gaze. “If I’d known you were here, all alone, I would have kept you company. Just sayin’.” He chuckled, ignoring the heat crawling up his neck over the confession he was about to make. “Every time I came here, I hoped to see you. To thank you.”

Tsunis regarded him for a moment, then turned their glare on the brook. Casey released them and reached for his notebook.

“Not the whole time,” Tsunis said, so softly Casey strained to hear over the rustle of pages. “I had a home.”

A crack fissured through Casey’s heart. No wonder they were struggling to enjoy their own music. He stayed silent but scooted closer, fingers itching to run through their hair, lips tingling with the need to kiss their temple. They were every bit as remarkable as he’d dreamed.

The moment passed with Casey miraculously managing to refrain from impulsive behavior. Tsunis’ scowl resurfaced, scorching enough to melt Casey’s underwear. “Sing.”

All right. A trademark of theirs then. Casey smiled and hoarded that knowledge away like a squirrel gathering nuts, if the nuts were precious gems about a mesmerizing mer-person from the fucking river.

As Casey performed, the sun slowly sank until its golden rays sparkled off his companion’s scales.

It was difficult to focus with Tsunis this close to him, electricity crackling between all the places their bodies didn’t quite touch.

His phone buzzed many times, but there was no fucking way he’d give this up.

Casey’s throat was sore by the time Tsunis allowed him to stop playing. They’d stared at the water the whole time, appearing deep in thought, and then glared Casey down like they might drown him whenever he stopped singing for a sip of water.

Casey packed his guitar and awaited judgment.

It never came. Tsunis nodded, scowl trained on the brook. “Tomorrow. Here. Same time.”

With that, they slipped into the stream and underwater.

“Wait!” Casey called, desperate not to watch them swim away again. Two glowing blue eyes peered from the shallow depths. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow, but only if you promise to tell me another thing about yourself.”

The glowing eyes narrowed.

“Please.” Casey gave a goofy grin that wobbled in the corners. “I want to know more about you.”

Victory flooded his veins when Tsunis nodded. They blinked, and then Casey was alone at the water’s edge.

Casey blew out a breath. He almost fucking pinched himself but didn’t want to run the risk that this was, in fact, a dream. Besides, would a dream have three missed messages from Sophie inviting him to come over and chill?

Raw voice and calloused fingers be damned, he eagerly agreed, swung by the party store for some canned cocktails, and headed over.

When he’d awoken that morning, he’d been trapped in an old version of his life.

No friends, no prospects, just two loving parents that physically couldn’t be disappointed in him.

By the end of the day, he was laughing and drinking with Sophie and her boyfriend, and he had plans to meet up with the creature he’d dreamed about for years.

In bed that night, Casey dreamed of sinking. He sank and sank, but he wasn’t drowning. He breathed easily, a pastel blue water dragon swirling around him. Occasionally, he’d reach out his hand, silken scales caressing his fingertips like luxury sheets.