Ross threw his mask and fins up to Nathan before he clumsily climbed up the ladder attached to the side of the boat. The moment he was on the deck, he turned and scanned the area around him. He undid the clasps on his buoyancy compensator, better known as a BC, when he felt Nathan lift the tank behind him.

“You weren’t down very long this last time,” Nathan said in surprise. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Ross cast an impatient look at Nathan as he shrugged out of the vest. Ripping the hood of his dry suit off, he tossed it onto the pile of other equipment he had handed to Nathan. Refusing to answer, he climbed along the side of the trawler and up to the bow. Standing on the higher platform allowed him to see further.

“Where are the binoculars?” Ross called out over his shoulder.

Nathan disappeared into the bridge before reappearing with a battered black case in his hands. He climbed up and handed the case to Ross before standing beside him in confused silence. Ross yanked the binoculars out of the case and raised them to his eyes.

He saw the familiar shape of Gabe Lightcloud’s boat as he turned in a circle with the binoculars, and was on his second full turn when he caught the spray of a group of whales near Gabe. He muttered a curse under his breath when he realized that they were too far away for him to see what was happening.

Lowering the binoculars, he stood still for a moment before making up his mind. He looked grimly at Nathan, who was staring out at the water trying to figure out what was going on. He grabbed the case that had fallen to the deck and began climbing back down to the lower level.

“Secure the gear,” Ross ordered, unzipping the dry suit and stepping out of it.

“Where are we going? You never did say if you found what you were looking for,” Nathan complained. “Hannibal said I could only use the metal detector for one day. He’s got a job up in Poulsbo so he needs it for tomorrow.”

Ross threw another impatient look at Nathan. “I won’t need it anymore,” he replied in a curt tone. “Now pack up the gear. I don’t want it rolling all over the place.”

“It’s a good thing you’re paying me,” Nathan grumbled under his breath. “I should have asked for more money, though, if you’re going to be bossing me around so much. ‘Nathan, do this. Nathan, do that.’ Man, didn’t your mother ever teach you to ask or say please?”

Ross ignored Nathan’s grumbling and started the engines. He pushed down on the throttle as he made a wide turn. He needed to get closer. Something told him that whatever in the hell he’d seen down there had something to do with Lightcloud. He could feel it in his bones.

The image of the tantalizing female flashed through his memory. There was no doubt in his mind that she wasn’t human. She had appeared out of nowhere. He couldn’t wait to check the underwater camera that had been mounted to the side of his mask. He hoped that it had still been working. Whoever, or whatever, that girl had been, she was real and the key to him getting out of Yachats.

“Get the camera off my mask,” Ross yelled over the sound of the engine.

Nathan sighed and turned back to the locker where he had just stored everything. “You told me to put everything away,” he snapped.

Ross threw Nathan a heated look, then returned his attention to the boat ahead of him. He pulled back on the throttle as they drew closer. He nodded to Nathan when he held out the tiny camera sealed in the clear plastic case. Opening the outer casing, Ross plucked the camera out of it and slid it into his pocket.

This was one thing he didn’t want anyone else to know about, especially Nathan. He knew Nathan would tell his older brother if he even had an inkling of what might be on the camera, and not just his brother. Nathan was one of the town’s loudmouths, especially after a few beers.

“Grab the dock line and put out a couple of bumpers,” Ross ordered. Then as he turned away, he grabbed Nathan’s arm. “Don’t say a word about what I was doing. Now, keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking.”

“Sure, Ross,” Nathan mumbled. “I don’t like Gabe that much. He’s the only guy I know that’s meaner than Hannibal.”

Ross nodded. “Good,” he said before turning his attention to where Gabe Lightcloud stood near the stern of his boat scowling at them. “Hey, Gabe. Everything okay?”

Gabe watched as Ross Galloway idled toward him. His gaze flickered to the pod of whales before returning to the boat. A wave of impatience, irritation, and fear washed through him. He hoped that Magna realized that they had company and was smart enough to remain hidden from view.

“Ross, what’s up?” Gabe responded, catching the line that Nathan threw at him. “I’m working.”

“Are you counting whales now, Gabe?” Nathan joked before clamping his lips together when Ross cast him a nasty warning look.

“What were you diving for?” Gabe asked, ignoring Nathan.

Ross shrugged and leaned against the side of the boat. “I thought something had caught in the prop,” he replied before looking beyond Gabe to where the whales were hovering. “Unusual for them to just hang out like this,” he observed. “Are they sick?”

Gabe glanced over his shoulder. His mouth tightened at the searching look in Ross’s eyes. The man had a reputation for being hard. He really couldn’t blame him, though. Ross’s father hadn’t been much better than his own. The only thing Ross had in his favor was that his mom had stuck around, something that Gabe’s hadn’t bothered to do.

“I’m waiting for some help,” Gabe lied. “Some asswipe cut his net and left it. The calf is tangled in it.”

Ross’s lips tightened, and he looked away. Gabe narrowed his eyes, and casually turned his head to look at Ross’s empty net.

“Looks like you’re missing one,” Gabe commented as he met Ross’s gaze.

Ross looked back at the winch and shrugged. “It’s at the house. I tore it and needed to repair it before I used it again. I thought I’d check out some new areas while the weather was good,” he said. “So, who’s coming to help you?”

“Ross could do it,” Nathan suddenly said. “He’s got the equipment.”

“No!” Ross and Gabe both said at the same time.

Nathan blanched and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I was just suggesting, is all,” he complained, looking away from the two men glaring at him.

“I have it under control,” Gabe reassured Nathan before turning in irritation when his cell phone rang. “Listen, why don’t you guys take off? Too many boats around might spook the pod. I’ve got help… coming,” he added as he threw the dock line back to Nathan and turned away to grab his phone off the shelf near the ladder leading up to the roof of the bridge. “Speak.”

Ross nodded to Nathan, but didn’t move away as the other man pulled the bumpers back into the boat. Instead, he focused on listening to Gabe’s conversation for as long as he could. A tight smile curved his lips when he heard him mention Kane’s name and the softly hissed words ‘she’s in the water’. He had heard the rumors that the two men liked to share a woman. He wondered if the good doctor and Gabe had found something a little more interesting to share between themselves.

He lifted his hand and waved to Gabe when the other man turned and glared at him. Turning, he walked back to the bridge and started the engine again. His hand moved briefly to the front pocket of his jeans. The reassuring feel of the camera told him that he would soon know if he had been seeing things or not.

Magna gingerly sawed through the heavy line, freeing the calf one slice at a time. She worked on his entangled tail first, knowing that he would need it to help keep himself afloat and afraid of the damage it was already doing. She paused and focused a wave of healing energy into one particularly deep cut. It felt good to be helping other creatures instead of killing or enslaving them. She worked her way from tail to nose, paying close attention around his fins and mouth. She trailed her hand along its side, whispering to it as she worked. The two adults that had remained close watched her with attentive, curious expressions. A soft giggle escaped her when the calf tossed its head, shaking free of the netting that covered part of its mouth.

Swimming downward, Magna maneuvered the rest of the netting away as the calf jerked and pushed down with its tail. She knew the adults were interested in her, but they were also eager to move away from the danger. She held on to one end of the net with her left hand as she turned to watch the three whales join their pod. Soon, she could sense them moving farther out to sea.

Releasing a sigh, she tightened her grip on the net and checked to make sure that the other boat that had come up a short while ago was far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to see her if she surfaced. Satisfied that it was, she kicked her feet and rose upward. She watched as Gabe talked into the strange device that he had pressed against his ear. A smile lit her face when he froze the moment he saw her and quickly pocketed the device.

Several minutes later, he had pulled the boat close to her and was retrieving the discarded net with the winch. Magna waited until it was completely out of the water before calling a surge to lift her to the side of boat. Stepping onto the side, she gasped when she felt Gabe’s hands wrap around her waist and lower her to the deck.

“Thank you,” Gabe whispered as he pulled her closer.

Magna frowned as she stared up at him. “For what?” she asked, puzzled.

“For coming back to us,” he said before capturing her lips in a kiss that heated her blood.