Of Poseidon

breath all the time.”
    “What does that mean? Hard to get?”
    “It means she’s trying to make you think she doesn’t like you, so that you end up liking her more. So you work harder to get her attention.”
    He nods. “Exactly. That’s exactly what she’s doing.”
    Pinching the bridge of my nose, I say, “I don’t think so. As we speak, she’s getting your mating seal dissolved. That’s not playing hard to get. That’s playing impossible to get.”
    “Even if she does get it dissolved, it’s not because she doesn’t care about me. She just likes to play games.”
    The pain in Toraf’s voice guts me like the catch of the day. She might like playing games, but his feelings are real. And can’t I relate to that? “There’s only one way to find out,” I say softly.
    “Find out?”
    “If all she wants is games.”
    “How?”
    “ You play hard to get. You know how they say, ‘If you love someone, set them free. If they return to you, it was meant to be?’”
    “I’ve never heard that.”
    “Right. No, you wouldn’t have.” I sigh. “Basically, what I’m trying to say is, you need to stop giving Rayna attention. Push her away. Treat her like she treats you.”
    He shakes his head. “I don’t think I can do that.”
    “You’ll get your answer that way,” I say, shrugging. “But it sounds like you don’t really want to know.”
    “I do want to know. But what if the answer isn’t good?” His face scrunches as if the words taste like lemon juice.
    “You’ve got to be ready to deal with it, no matter what.”
    Toraf nods, his jaw tight. The choices he has to consider will make this night long enough for him. I decide not to intrude on his time anymore. “I’m pretty tired, so I’m heading back. I’ll meet you at Galen’s in the morning. Maybe I can break thirty minutes tomorrow, huh?” I nudge his shoulder with my fist, but a weak smile is all I get in return.
    I’m surprised when he grabs my hand and starts pulling me through the water. At least it’s better than dragging me by the ankle. I can’t help but think how Galen could have done the same thing. Why does he wrap his arms around me instead?
    * * *
    By Saturday night, I can stay under for thirty-five minutes. By Sunday afternoon, I’m up to forty-seven. There’s something to be said about practice—even if I’m not actually practicing anything. Just hanging out in the water, holding my breath, withering my skin to grandma-like wrinkles.
    I pull off the flippers Toraf brought me and chuck them onto shore. I keep my back turned while he maneuvers his shorts into place. “Are you decent?” I call after a few seconds. No matter how many times I tell him I can’t see into the water yet, he insists I’m just trying to look at his “eel.” For crying out loud.
    “Oh, I’m more than decent. I’m actually quite a catch.”
    I couldn’t agree more. Toraf is good-looking, funny, and considerate—which makes me question Rayna’s attitude. I’m beginning to understand why Grom sealed her to him. Who could be better for her than Toraf ?
    But mentioning that to Toraf would break our silent pact not to talk about Rayna or Galen. Since Friday night, we’ve talked about everything but them. About Grom and Nalia. About the peace treaty General Triton and General Poseidon made after the Great War. About how seafood tastes—well, we argued about that one.
    But mostly we just practice, me holding my breath, Toraf timing me. He can’t explain any better than Galen how to change into a fish. He agrees it feels like an almost overwhelming need to stretch.
    Toraf wades to where I stand in the tide. “I can’t believe it’s already sunset,” I tell him.
    “I can. I’m starving.”
    “I am, too.” Must be all the extra calories I’m burning in the water.
    He shrugs. “All I know is—” His head jerks toward the water and back at me. He grabs my shoulders, pulls me close. And then he breaks our silent agreement. “Remember what you said about Rayna? About playing hard to get?” He darts a glance toward the open sea, whips his head back to me again. His eyebrows melt together as he scowls.
    I nod, startled by his about-face.
    “Well, I’ve been thinking about it. A lot. And I’m going to do it. But … but I need your help.”
    “Of course I’ll help you. Whatever you need,” I say. But something feels off when he pulls me closer.
    “Good,” he says, peeking again at the sunset. “Galen and Rayna are