Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

of a man. They’d been in training together when they were in their teens. Even then, Petr had displayed an inability to connect with anyone. His trainers had capitalized on that, keeping him emotionally disconnected from everyone. He was used to clean up messes. It didn’t matter who the mark was, man, woman or child. No matter the age or circumstances. He never questioned, he just did the job.
    Of course they would send Petr. Who else? He wouldn’t fear finding Lev. He was a machine. He wouldn’t kill unnecessarily or with passion. He would hunt until he was satisfied that Lev Prakenskii was dead, and until then, he’d keep digging until he found answers. There was satisfaction in knowing he had been right. He’d expected Ivanov to be the one they sent after him. Knowing his enemy was half the battle.
    He turned the seagull toward the harbor, needing to see if the processing company had already sent their truck for picking up the day’s catch. The bird flew over the dock and no one was yet on the platform, which meant Petr Ivanov hadn’t yet met up with Ralph. Ivanov was in the beginning stages of his investigation, assuming different characters. He’d go to the authorities with an official inquiry, but he would visit local bars and hangouts, looking for anyone who worked along the docks and in fishing boats that might provide clues to any survivors.
    Lev disengaged from the bird and sank down in the boat, shaken.
    Taking possession of another creature’s sight was disorienting and weakened him. The use of any psychic gift always took a toll, but that particular one seemed to use up the most energy for him. It seemed to be different for those who were elements like Rikki. She never displayed weakness after using her gift. She seemed to manipulate the energy effortlessly.
    He drank coffee and waited, lighter somehow, now that Ivanov was actually here and the waiting was over. This was a world he could get used to, the peace of it, the wildness. He was a man who would always live outside of society, but here, in this unique place, maybe there was room for him—with Rikki.
    He sighed again. Rikki . The miracle of Rikki. Did he have the right to stay and expose her to danger just because he wanted a life with her? How selfish was that? He wanted to protect her, but the danger from a man like Ivanov was far worse than her stalker. Ivanov was a cold-blooded killer, capable of wiping out her entire family to get to him. So what did a man do?
    227

    He loved her. He’d never thought to experience love, and maybe that in itself had been all the gift he was supposed to keep. He blinked up at the sky, as if looking for an answer, but the fog had rolled in and covered the bright blue with a gray, smoky mist.
    The net surfaced and Lev pulled it in slowly, helping to assist Rikki to the top. He was a little surprised how relieved he actually was when he saw her head above the waterline. He trusted in her skills, he’d seen her in action, yet now he worried about her. He found himself smiling—worrying was such a domesticated thing to do.
    He had to admire the way she used the anchor chain to pull herself over to the boat, so the strong current didn’t have a chance to push her away.
    She’d obviously done it often and came aboard with ease. He hauled in the net and covered the sea urchins with the silver tarp, careful to keep from touching the spines. His hands performed all the right tasks, but he was watching her, observing every movement.
    She was exhausted. He could see that instantly. She flashed him one quick smile, but it was a greeting, no more. She stripped, right there on the boat, rinsing off, smearing a lotion over her skin before she shimmied back into her jeans. He could tell sex and flirtation hadn’t even entered her mind, but it was an erotic sight, maybe because of her complete lack of awareness, almost as if he were a voyeur, catching a glimpse of a sensual woman through a window.
    He handed her the water bottle and watched her drink it down.
    He felt her peace, her serenity. She found something to sustain her, there in the water, in that other world. He could feel those dark eyes on him, watching him as intently as he was studying her.
    “What is it?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her arm.
    “Something’s different. What happened while I was down there?”
    He reached out slowly and touched her face. He needed the contact with her. Dread filled him, a weight in his heart, in his