Free Waterlocked: An Elemental World Novella by Elizabeth Hunter Page B

hesitated.
    He gave her a warning look. “Gemma…”
    “Fine.” She pulled at her bikini top. Wherever they were sailing, the nights had slowly become balmy, so the air temperature was more than comfortable. Still, Terry eyed her breasts and they came to attention. Infuriating man. Her body always had a mind of its own when it came to him.
    “You know, on second thought—”
    She cut him off by diving into the water, surfacing to see him watching her with hungry eyes.
    “Is there anything good to eat in here? I’m getting sick of the preserved blood.” She slicked the hair back from her face and deliberately kept from squirming at the overwhelming sensation of emptiness that surrounded her. Plus, the air may have been warm, but the water was still the Atlantic. It was more than a little chilly.
    “Sharks.” Terry dove in, swimming underneath her, then sliding up her back and letting his hands run over every curve on the way up. Suddenly, the feeling of emptiness was gone and he was there; his amnis wrapped around her like a blanket as his mouth kissed the curve of her neck. “But then I tend to find the most vicious things delicious.”

    He hadn’t let go of her hand once. Gemma swam through the dark sea, finally becoming accustomed to the water that filled her unmoving lungs. Once she had overcome her initial panic, she discovered Terry was right. Allowing the water to fill her airways was far more comfortable than trying to hold breath that didn’t need to be held. First they were under for only a few minutes. Then a few more, but the longer Gemma stayed beneath the surface, holding Terry’s hand, the more comfortable she became. He didn’t push her, allowing her to swim at her own pace as they slowly moved farther away from the boat.
    Despite the cold Northern waters, life was everywhere. The ocean teemed with it. Fish darted away from them in massive silver schools. Sharks, which panicked her at first, fled from them instinctually. Terry had only smiled. From one predator to another, it seemed that the sharks knew what was best for them.
    Finally, she pulled him up to the surface and coughed the water from her throat, trying not to gag.
    “What—” Cough. “—were you trying to surprise me with again?”
    He ran gentle fingers through her hair, tucking the wet strands back behind her ears as he looked around. “They’ve moved off. I suppose it was odd to see them here anyway. They’re usually much deeper.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Just then, a tiny light caught her eye. Then another. And another. The moon was full, but the seas were completely dark, except for the tiny rainbow flashes. She looked to her husband, who was grinning.
    “Moonjellys.”
    “What?” She pulled him closer. “Jellyfish?”
    “Not exactly. No stingers on these little beauties. They’re not jellyfish, just called moonjellys.” His hand passed near one, which lit up with tiny lights and moved away. “These fellows are usually drifting far deeper. Caught them earlier tonight and I wanted to show you.” He continued to move through the water, pulling her behind him and every nudge of the water lit up more of the tiny creatures. They rippled and pulsed in the water, flowing around them in glowing currents.
    “They’re beautiful. Like stars in the water.”
    “They light up if you get close, spread your hand out.”
    She did and laughed when she saw the tiny riots of color.
    “I’ve never seen a mass of them like this,” he said. “No idea what’s going on. Maybe they just wanted to say hello.”
    Gemma looked down till her nose was almost in the water. “Hello back, ocean.”
    Without warning, she was enveloped in a tight embrace. Terry wrapped his arms around her and she felt his amnis call to the water around them, holding their bodies buoyant as he swept her into a joyful kiss. She could feel the smile on his lips when he pressed them to her lips, her cheeks, her forehead. He was boyish in his