"You're not just some random pregnant bearer who fell in a river," he said slowly. "You're something special. Something rare."
His aqua eyes glinted with something Alex couldn't quite identify. "The ocean sent you to me for a reason."
[OH NO. OH NO NO NO. HOST, HE'S GETTING THAT LOOK. THE 'FATE SENT YOU TO ME' LOOK.]
"The ocean didn't send me," Alex said quickly.
"Gravity and river current sent me. Very different forces."
Zale laughed—a sound like bells chiming underwater.
"You have humor even when exhausted and stranded. I like that." He swam closer still, now within arm's reach of the raft. "How far along are you?"
"I might give birth in two-three weeks," Alex said. "Six hatchlings."
"Six hatchlings!" Zale's expression transformed into something almost reverent. "The ocean truly blessed you. We mer-people rarely have twins— let alone six of them—it's considered a sign of exceptional favor from the tides."
