From the Depths

by S. J. Sanders

  Dawn came bright and clear; the cove would be safe to return to. I was feeling rather dry and would need to go for a swim soon, but I would not leave my female until I knew she was well and awake. I was very tired though.

  Chapter Eight

  Betsy

  The cawing of a bird outside my window woke me, scratching at my brain like an ice pick. I felt like I had the world’s worst hangover, but my sinuses were clear and the heavy congestion in my chest had vanished. Blinking at the light in the room, I looked around for Kano. Despite the drugging effect of the medicine he’d given me, he had been a perfect gentleman. Staying through the night to nurse me through my illness, his soothing touches and easy voice were a comfort and a welcome presence.

  Spying him slumped asleep in the corner, I eased carefully out of bed and headed for the bathroom to pee. Poor guy must have stayed up all night to keep an eye on me. I was happy to know he hadn’t completely stripped my clothes; I still wore my bra and underwear. Yay for dignity.

  Spying a flash of purple as I passed the mirror, I stopped short and backed up for a better look, headache forgotten. Streaks of crusty purple something covered my neck and upper body. A weird tightness to the skin of my back told me I was probably purple there too. What the hell? I thought, slightly alarmed.

  My heart? Are you well? Kano’s concerned tone told me I must have blurted that thought out loud. He quickly appeared in the doorway, looking worried. He was massive in the tiny bathroom.

  “What is this purple gook on my skin?” I demanded, scratching at what I could see in the mirror. He grinned, flashing a row of small, sharp teeth.

  I applied the paste of the hesh and roosk to your skin to aid in your healing. Do not fret my Betsy, it will wash off.

  “I sure as hell hope so! I don’t particularly like the idea of being purple,” I griped, scrubbing the dry streaks with my fingers. Kano smiled indulgently, reaching out to pet my hair.

  You would be beautiful in any color, my Betsy, he stated affectionately. I blushed, a flush of warm fuzzies settling in my abdomen. Suddenly feeling shy, I ducked my head. He chuckled. Sliding his hand down to the back of my neck, he gently pulled my closer. Slowly, each of his hands found a resting place on my bare skin. One cupped my shoulder, another softly alighted on my hip. The last hand spanned across my lower back, a hot brand that pulled me even deeper into his embrace. My hands flattened on the smooth skin of his chest.

  Looking up, I met his gaze. The heated look in his eyes was unmistakable. I’d seen it so many times before, on the faces of so many men. It was lust and desire, a hunger so strong it often made men act like fools. But on Kano it looked different. The hunger was there, but there was also a soft reverence that called to me. It was so tempting to fall into that desire, to give in to the hunger and revel in it with him. His head lowered fractionally, coming into easy reach, but waiting. Hovering over me. Telling me that the next move was my choice.

  Nervously, I licked my lips, watching his eyes track the movement. His hands tensed just a little and I felt the pinprick of his claws on my back. I shivered, but not from fear. Hesitantly, I lifted up and placed a tiny kiss on his lips. He made a hungry noise and his arms tightened as he branded my lips with his. Where my kiss had been tentative and shy, his was confident and demanding. Taking control, his every touch seared me.

  Gathering me against him, he felt so cool to my burning skin. His hand slid down, grasping my ass and grinding me against his groin. I gasped at the unexpected pressure and his tongue slid between my lips. He tasted like rainwater and the ocean, fresh and clean with a lightly salty tang.

  Tentatively, I pressed forward, tangling my tongue with his. He breathed and I shared it, heart racing with excitement. I felt his hands tremble on my back as I slid my hands up his chest to his shoulders. Another hand traveled lower, hooking behind my knee to pull my leg up and around his hip. He pressed closer, bending over me.

  A towel underfoot shifted, jerking me out of the spell of his kiss. I yelped as I lost my balance. Kano caught me easily, but the moment was lost and I suddenly felt unbelievably self-conscious. Ducking my head shyly, I pushed at his hands, silently asking him to let go. He did, but slowly, gently, his hands sliding reluctantly from my skin. I shivered, drawing in a shaky breath, before turning away and reaching for the sink.

  Kano’s presence was like a heated weight on my back. He waited, watching me quietly. Finally, he sighed and turned, dipping under the low door sill. I watched him in the mirror. His tail flipped up, catching my attention and I gasped at the sight of it.

  Whipping around, I grabbed his shoulder to stop him from turning. He had an ugly slice through the left half of it. It was red and irritated. The edges shredded by something ragged but sharp. The gash was at least six inches long and caused his fin to gape open between the ribs of bone that kept it stiff.

  “Oh my God, what happened? This wasn’t here before.” I demanded, dropping to my knees to examine it.

  A razor claw grabbed me while I gathered the roosk and hesh for you. It will heal. He assured me, reaching to lift me from the ground. I waved him off, leaning over to grab the med-kit from under the sink.

  “Its not going to heal properly like this! You’ll have a huge gap if we leave it the way it is,” I scolded, finally grabbing his hand to pull myself up.

  Shooing him out to the kitchenette, I pushed him down onto a stool and sat in the floor by his tail again. Dragging it into my lap, I used a hypo spray to numb the wounded tissue. Kano twitched at the cold spray, but didn’t pull away. Picking up a laser scalpel, I paused, looking up.

  “This might hurt a little bit, but I’ll try to be as quick as I can,” I said uncomfortably. Kano’s head tilted as he studied me.

  I trust you, he replied simply, asking no questions. I nodded, then took a deep breath.

  Working swiftly, I cut away the ragged, damaged edges, removing as little as possible. The thin tissue bled a little, but sluggishly. Its bright green hue was startling against my skin, reminding me just how alien he really was. Once the edges were clean and raw, I lined them up and began the painstaking process of repairing the delicate fan of his tail. The kit included a roll of medi-gel tape that would hold the pieces together and encourage the tissue to heal with as little scaring as possible. The tape had a bio compound that would regrow the damaged and missing tissue quickly and painlessly. It took a little concentration to make sure everything was properly flat and straight, but I was soon satisfied with my efforts.

  “There! Good as new,” I announced, smoothing the edges one last time before releasing his tail. Agilely, he flipped his tail front to back, examining both sides curiously.

  It will not come off in the water? He asked.

  “Nope, completely water proof. It will fall off on its own in three or four days,” I said brightly.

  Thank you, my heart. You are talented as well as beautiful. He stated, catching my hand and kissing the back. I blushed.

  “I, uh…I’m gonna go clean up now,” I stuttered, abandoning the med-kit and heading back to the bathroom. I heard him sigh again and stand. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him leaving. His shoulders were just a little low, like he had a weight on them. “Hey,” I called. He stopped, looking back at me. “Thanks. Thanks for taking care of me. I really appreciate it.”

  I will always take care of you, he replied, inclining his head.

  “I’ll…I’ll see you later then?” His eyes lit up and he smiled.

  Of course, my heart. I go only to hunt, then I shall return to you, he said with another dip of his head. His hair fell over one eye, lending him a rakish air to go with that boyish grin. My heart stuttered again and I felt a heat in my stomach that sent tingles through me. Blushing again, I retreated into the bathroom and closed the door. I needed a shower, a cold one…

  Kano

  My female continued to be skittish, but her response to my kiss was promising. It showed she was open to my advances, at least until she second gue
ssed herself. She was so soft, so warm in my arms. It took conscious effort to keep myself from extruding against her. Then she was the one pushing back, she was the one seeking more contact. The moment didn’t last, but for those few blissful seconds, I was in heaven. She would accept me; I was certain of it. For now, I must be patient.

  The cove waters stank of razor claws. More than one. My blood must have attracted the beasts during the night. The lack of trenches in the cove was a blessing. It meant there were no hiding places for the giant crustaceans and I could hunt freely until nightfall. I wouldn’t spend more time than necessary away from my female, but I would find her a gift as well.

  A large school of racers yielded a short lived, but successful hunt and I went looking for my next courting gift with a full stomach. The vika blossoms were too far away; after her illness, I didn’t want to leave my mate alone too long. She loved the colorful shells and twisty driftwood from before, but I wanted something new this time, something special. I knew just the thing.

  There was a growth of jenju nearby. The large shell bearing creatures were completely stationary and fed from the tiny particles in the water that passed through their gills as they breathed. Occasionally they pulled in sand or dirt from the water and it got caught in the soft folds of their bodies. When they couldn’t expel the irritating grit, they covered it in a viscous fluid that hardened, forming a rounded, shiny shell in various beautiful colors depending on the health and age of the animal. The most determined males harvested those orbs, called denla, as gifts for their potential mates. That’s where I was headed.

  The jenju bed was massive, ranging from the tiniest scale sized creatures on the outer edges to the enormous originators of the colony in the center. The biggest one had to be hundreds of years old. It was almost as wide as I was tall. I was sure it would have what I was looking for. The trick was getting it without hurting the animal or getting trapped by it myself. Move wrong and the shell would snap shut on me. If it did that, I would have to kill it to get free.

  The animal’s shell was open, its tube extended as it sucked water through its body. I would need to be fast before it closed on me. Hunting up a large rock, I approached the old jenju slowly. I didn’t want the change in the current to alert the animal before I got close enough. It tensed, sensing me, and the tube began to withdraw. Out of time, I darted in and jammed the rock in the hinge of its shell with one hand. The other three I shoved under the jenju’s body, searching for something hard and round.

  The jenju strained to close its shell and the rock shifted ominously. Finally, I brushed against a hard, loose object and closed my fingers around it. The rock cracked, forcing me to dart backwards. The shell snapped shut, just barely missing me. A fraction of the broken rock was trapped inside with the jenju’s body, destined to one day become another of the prizes my people sought.

  I inspected the orb I held. It was just a bit larger than my fist. The biggest I’d ever seen anyone collect. Surprisingly enough, it was black, a color no one had ever mentioned before. Shiny and dark, it had a gold sheen to the inky hue that glittered as I turned it over in my hands. The denla was a worthy gift for my mate. I was very proud of it.

  Satisfied, I turned and swam back to the cove, and my chosen mate. Eager to see the delight on her face as I presented her with the denla, I scarcely waited for the water to sluice from my skin as I hurried from the sea to my Betsy. My hair still dripped down my back.

  Betsy, I called excitedly. My Betsy, I have brought you something.

  “You said this would wash off!” Came her reply from the back of the den. I stopped short at the ire in her voice.

  My heart? She stormed out of the back room; a scrap of material clutched to her body. Her hair was wet and wild, she looked like a sea goddess in my eyes.

  “Don’t you my heart me! You said this would wash off! I have been scrubbing for an hour! I’m still purple!” She ranted, stalking towards me with a shaking finger. Looking down, I realized she did still have streaks of the purple hue covering what I could see of her chest and shoulders.

  I am sorry, I did not know. I have never used the paste on one of your kind before, I answered sadly, ashamed that I had inadvertently lied to my mate. Bowing my head, I closed my eyes in disgrace. I did not see her anger fade, but the small warm hand on my cheek made me flinch.

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry I got so mad. It’s no big deal. It’ll fade over time,” Betsy crooned comfortingly. Blinking at her miserably, I found I wasn’t very comforted. “It’s okay,” she said again, brushing her thumb back and forth.

  It is not, my Betsy. I told an untruth, I replied unhappily.

  “You didn’t know. Human skin is porous, it soaks up liquid and holds it in the tissue. That’s what happened here. My skin will eventually shed and the color will be gone,” she explained.

  Your people shed their skins! I exclaimed, astonished. Betsy laughed at my shock, delight shining in her eyes.

  “Not all at once silly,” she chortled. “Our skin is made up of cells that layer together almost like scales. As they age, they shluff off individually and are replaced from underneath.”

  That is still mildly alarming, I grumbled at her amusement. She snickered again.

  “Give me a moment to dry off and I’ll be back out,” she announced, unexpectedly striding back into the other room. I was frustrated at this turn of events, but found I couldn’t much care as my eyes caught sight of the pale curve of her rump under the edge of her covering.

  Betsy

  Who could possibly stay mad at that face? He was so upset over a such a silly thing. After a moment I wasn’t even all that mad about it. In fact, it was actually kind of funny. Sighing at the lavender patches on my skin, I pulled on some comfy clothes and swiped at my damp curls with a towel. Then, with a deep breath, I headed back out to see Kano again.

  Poor guy was sitting on the front step. Shoulders slumped, he stared at something in his hands. I plopped down next to him, glancing over at the object in his hands. My mouth dropped open in shock.

  “Oh wow,” I breathed. He looked up at my tone. “What is that?”

  It is a denla, he said, handing it to me. I got it for you.

  It was huge and heavy. My hands couldn’t even cover half of it. The jet black orb was silky soft on the surface, smooth and unblemished. It had a golden luster to it that sparkled as I turned it in my hands.

  “It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?”

  The denla grows in the belly of the jenju. He said that like it should explain everything. I grinned ruefully, shaking my head.

  “And what is a jenju?” I asked.

  A creature that lives in the sand on the sea floor. It has a shell that folds in half to open and close so that it may feed, he explained, curving two of his hands together like a book, he opened and closed them like a…

  “Wait…this is a pearl?” I said excitedly clutching the unexpected treasure. Kano looked at me curiously.

  I do not know what a pearl is, he said finally.

  “On my world there’s an animal called an oyster. It lives in the ocean and has two shells that open like you described,” I stated hurriedly. “If it gets sand in the shell, it coats it with a mucous that hardens and forms a smooth surface on whatever is irritating it, so that it doesn’t bother the animal anymore. Is that what this is?”

  Your world seems to have many creatures similar to mine, he stated calmly. Yes, I believe the denla and your pearl are the same object.

  “This is incredible. I’ve never seen a pearl this big before. I didn’t even know it was possible,” I gushed excitedly.

  You like it? Kano asked with a smile. I hoped you would.

  “You can’t possibly give this to me,” I protested.

  Why? You are my female, my heart. I would give you anything.

  “But this is too much.”

  It is never too much if it earns me your affections.

  “Are your females so shallow?” I asked.
His statement was disturbing. I didn’t want him thinking he needed to buy my love. He looked surprised.

  I do not understand, he admitted reluctantly.

  “You can’t make me like you by giving me gifts. I’m not like that. The pearl is beautiful and while I admit I love pearls; I won’t accept this. Not with that expectation attached to it,” I said, passing the gem back to Kano. He accepted it with a heart broken expression.

  I understand, he murmured. I will not bother you again. Standing, he started towards the water, walking like a broken man.

  “Wait! Kano, that’s not what I meant!” Jumping up, I grabbed his wrist. “I don’t want you buying my love, but you can earn it, if you still want to?”

  How am I to earn your love? He questioned, looking from me to the pearl and back.

  “Be yourself. Spend time with me. Taking care of me like that was a good start. Show me how serious you are, by being here with me and letting me get to know you. Then, maybe one day, I’ll take the pearl. How’s that sound?” I babbled quickly, startled at how much I wanted him to say yes.

  You are a strange female and I find myself confused by you, but nothing has changed in how I feel. I would very much like to give you this denla. After I have earned your love, he admitted, smiling happily again.

  “Good. Then would you like to go for a walk with me?”

  I would like that. Kano set the giant pearl on the ground by the steps and took my hand. Together, we headed for the beach and a long conversation about each other.

  Chapter Nine