Chapter 6 – Don't Like You Tone

Arias' breathing was fast; her heart thudded at her ribcage as she spun in a quick circle, eyes searching the darkness for the animal following her. She could hear his growl echoing through the darkened waters. How stupid could she have been to get herself trapped here? How did she even get here and why did she think that a sunken oil rig would have hidden her from him? She spun again as a tingling went up her lateral line, but still, she was faced with darkness. It was when she realised that she was facing the wrong way, Aria knew it was over. In once last ditch effort, she spun round as fast as she could but she felt his teeth drive in her neck and skull, crushing all life from her, the grey eye of her assailant bore into her and then everything blazed white...

Aria sat up with a scream that a banshee would have been proud of. She whipped out of bed, breathing hard like she had just swum a marathon, her eyes searching around for any sign of her attacker. She swallowed and checked herself over, her gills were intact and no teeth her embedded in her neck. She was about to heave a sigh of relief when Lino, Lenny and two other sharks burst into her room, making her jump. The look on Linos face was thunderous and Lenny looked concerned whilst the other two sharks searched her room, by swinging their heads from side to side, ready for a fight. Aria partially focused on Lino whose' teeth were partially bared and shoulders tensed.

She flinched when she felt the water disturbance behind her and was wary when Lenny circled round. Her whole body was trembling as they younger shark floated by her. She lowered her head in shame and embarrassment as Lenny hugged her, trying to still her shaking form. With her eyes tightly shut, she relived the last seconds of her nightmare. They grey eyes of her assailant, the weight of their bite; the single eye staring down at her transparent, grey, bright and full of fury. Arias' own eyes snapped open and she went rigid with shock and looked around to Lino who was watching her out of the corner of his eye and her mouth fell open. It was Lino! In her dream, Lino had ended her life! She instinctively shrunk back when Lino slowly turned around. In her fear, she didn't see him hesitate and the other three sharks in the room double check what they were doing. All she saw was Lino angle his head towards the door sharply and Lenny and the other two sharks departed and then she was face to face with her "killer".

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Lino bulled into the Arias' room head first, in front of the other sharks, ready to rip someone limb from limb for disturbing his sleep. The room was searched and when the all clear was given, he turned his attention back to Aria. He let out a low growl and signalled for everyone to clear the room when Aria flinched and stayed in his neutral position for a few heartbeats before cruising slowly closer, his confusion showing on his face as he kept her distance, since her fear-scent was almost overwhelming. What he done? Tilting his head, he ventured to call her name in a soft voice:

"Aria?"

When she full blown threw herself at him and collapsed in a shaking sobbing ball, Lino could only hold her to him in growing confusion. He could only think that she must have had some sort of dream. What about, he had no idea. He hushed her gently as she sobbed on him, uncurling herself and pressing her weight against him. Lino didn't protest and placed his head over her shoulder and nuzzled her tenderly whilst she let her fear out, lightly interlocking their tails together. Lino held her for as long as she shook and then pulled back and looked at her, straight in the eye and raised one eyebrow, holding up one fin before she could say anything and motioned for her to come with him.

Lino wasn't surprised to feel her snout nudge behind his fin and scrape under his belly just a tad, and her weight pressing against him slightly. Again, Lino only glanced back. Her fearful behaviour was natural. He knew if she had been small enough, she would have tried to swim under him, a natural protective instinct was to get as close to the biggest creature that could protect you, and right now, that was him. With a neutral expression, Lino drifted out of Arias' room and swum to his own, holding back a yawn, his movements merely even noticeable, even when he curved around to his room. He partially lifted the fin Aria was nestled under to give her a cue to swim ahead and to his gratification, she did so. Lino swum behind her, pulling the door closed with his tail.

He moved towards his bed which was a large king-sized monstrosity of a bed, enough to house two large sharks quite nicely. He hovered above it for a moment before sinking back into the soft material with a sigh and watched Aria dither just slightly above him before she come to rest on the mattress. Lino's half closed eyes slid over her, just taking in her expression and her body language as she settled next to him, her back facing him, dorsal fin limp against his side. It couldn't be comfortable for her to be laying like that so he waited patiently with eyes closed for her to shift her position.

Arias' change in position came in an almost explosive movement and she was belly to belly with him, her underside just brushing his. Lino kept his expression impassive, even though he was watching her carefully. Her body was tense next to him and was a stark contrast to his own relaxed posture. When she spoke, her voice was husky:

"Lino..."

"We'll speak about it in the morning, Aria." He replied in a low voice, knowing she was going to try and bring up the subject of her vocal outburst. Lino waited until she had relaxed until pulling her to him, his fin curving around her back and reeling her closer so that her head was underneath his. As expected, her muscles became taut; her body rigid. Lino didn't let up.

"Relax..." he purred in her ear before dropping his head back down on the pillow and breathing out deeply. He felt Aria shudder and then soften against him; her body steadily going limp as sleep claimed her. Lino smirked and closed his eyes as well, drifting off into the realms of darkness.

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The next morning, late that morning, Aria lifted her head from the pillow, not all too surprised to find the bed vacant. She allowed her head to crash back onto the pillows as she realised what an idiot she had probably looked last night, in front of both Lino and his son. Her eyes clenched shut as the dream and the memories came flooding back. She bared her teeth and ran her tongue round them, her mouth felt like sand paper and she snapped her jaws shut and flexed them to get the feeling back and then yawned hugely. Stretching herself out, she unwound the tense muscles that hadn't quite got the message to relax last night, her neck in particular. She circled her head and shoulder then rolled on her back and just twisted around for a while, praying that Lino wouldn't come in and find her in that position.

She stopped and rolled to her side again as she thought about him. In her mind, she sighed. What did he think of her now, if anything at all...she still couldn't get that dream out of her head, and the look in his eye that he held when he killed her. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, but that didn't help, his scent wafted into her nose, intensifying the image in her brain of him. She snarled and thrashed upwards, frustrated at herself. Why did she have to be so insecure all the time? She needed to get out.

Once outside the Titanic wreck, Aria headed straight for the eel hunting grounds. She was hungry and hunting was a second nature to her. Sitting in restaurants wasn't quite her thing and she doubted she'd ever get used to it. Sure it was a luxury, but it seemed...tame to her. Maybe it was because she had always lived on her fins, having to hunt to survive and maybe going to the odd bar to get a prepared snack once or twice, but mainly, she hunted for herself.

Her breakfast was made out of sand eels and sand crabs and she ate for around 20 minutes solid before the thought of going back to the Titanic crossed her mind. Ice blue orbs closed momentarily as thoughts of her past back began to trickle into her mind. She didn't have to be back by any time, she didn't have a curfew, she wasn't a prisoner. Aria had to keep reminding herself of these things, so used to kindness was she that sometimes it felt over powering. Turning slowly, dipping her pectoral fin and therefore turning on a dime, she came face to face with...Don Lino.

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Lino didn't do pussy-finning around people if he felt there was a matter of any sort of urgency to be addressed. In this case, there was. He considered Aria as a friend and the fact that she had woken up screaming last night disturbed and fascinated him. He knew there was a lot of history behind the young female and he was naturally curious, but also, he could have most of him mob being woken up at stupid-o-clock because someone had a nightmare.

That morning, he had risen before her, checking her quickly just before her swam out and then had left silently to do his daily work.

It was much later that morning that any thought of Aria drifted into his mind. Today had been busy and productive as well. The borders had been reworked and two new challengers to the title of 'Don' had been seen too soundly; A tail whack in one direction and around 5 seconds of circling and quick snap in the challengers direction had set them both scuttling for their lives. Lino had been a little be less than amused after such a trivial waste of energy and with his lowered adrenaline levels, his mind had been cleared enough for him to start thinking about past goings on.

He quickly came to the conclusion that he was going to have to confront Aria about what was troubling her. Last night was a strange night to be sure and in his mind, he couldn't quite think what would have scared her so much to have made her cry out like that. He quickly went through the places that she could be in his territory and he came to a quick decision; the eel hunting ground. Lino was gone almost as soon as he had thought about it.

He didn't exactly take his time swimming there, but it wasn't his fastest pace, he needed time to consider exactly how to approach Aria and how to bring up the events of last night.

Deep in thought, Lino reached the eel hunting grounds before he knew it but it was clear Aria was here, her scent was strong, if not all over the place. It was clear to his nose that she had done some half-hearted hunting, but not eaten anything, not even killed anything for that matter. His eyes narrowed somewhat and his lip crinkled and lifted at the corner slightly before pressing on with an explosive sweep of his tail fin, slicing through the water easily, using his sight and powerful sense of smell to locate the freshest scent, his head swinging left and right, scouring the water for the strongest hint of her.

He found it in minutes, and followed it, almost like he was hunting. Steel eyes searching the clear waters and haze ahead for any sign of another living creature and a puff of sand to the left of him told him exactly where Aria was.

When he arrived, it was clear she had gotten her appetite back as sand eels scattered in a vain attempt to preserve their own lives. Lino turned down food and took advantage of this little panic and shot in amongst the eels, his own jaws adding to the havoc.

The dust cleared and Lino turned coolly round, munching the last of the eels and swallowing them, his movements deliberately slow; his expression neutral yet stern, body in a streamlined arc before he straightened up. Lino wasn't all about appearances in casual situations, but in this case, he knew it would help. He came almost nose to nose with Aria and her expression of shock, horror and surprise told him one thing over anything else, she hadn't been using her lateral line to sense anything around her. One eyebrow raised as she back-paddled and then spun round, rearing up above him, which he then surged up to meet with an amused smirk and pushed her back down again, exerting gentle pressure just before her dorsal fin with the side of his head before swimming around to her other side and backing off somewhat.

The scream that would have burst from her throat just didn't come as Aria spun face to face with Lino. She reared up in embarrassment only to be gently countered and pushed back down to the sea bed and circled by Lino. Aria's jaws were clamped shut in nervous fear but her nerves settled as she looked into his eyes even more and her jaws unclentched and she spoke to him in a husky, un-used yet nervous voice, which got stronger as she went on.

"Lino? I take it you're here to talk about..."

"About last night, yes, I am." He interrupted her with ease.

Aria merely nodded and then turned away slowly and motioned with her caudal fin.

"Swim with me." She murmured. Lino complied silently, surging upside of her and settling next to her, his silence all Aria needed as a hint to continue.

" It was just a dream, but in this dream Lino, you killed me." She looked up and into his face, he had now swung his head to look at her fully so she could see the muted shock in his expression but also confusion creeping in.

"I know exactly why it happened though, so listen. It's happened twice before, finally when I find a place to settle, the old boss of my waters will show up, him or his cronies, they'll find me and drive me away. The dreams have happened twice before, almost like a sign to leave, obviously in different places. But the one killing me was always the killer whale who rules my old home...I can only think that he was replaced with you because I was so desperate to stay, and wanted you to approve and..."

Aria was stopped my Lino's fin pressed to her lips and a low, soothing growl. She looked up into his face, his expression something she had never seen before. True concern and care.

"Hush now." He growled softly. "I understand that perfectly, but you are also completely safe in these waters, I promise you that."

"But what if he...he turns up?" Aria stuttered, and now a devilish tint came to Lino eyes.

"He's a Killer Whale, you say?" Aria nodded mutely.

"Then he has to surface to breathe...I...do not." And his teeth were exposed in a dangerous cryptic smile that Aria immediately took comfort in.

Lino purred low as Aria shoved her head under his once again and pulled her into an embrace as he flicked his hind under him and curved upwards and backwards, holding the femme the whole time and he came out of the loop with Aria underneath him. Gently, he pinned her and swam down to the sea bed and exerted some weight on her, trapping her completely.

He looked down at her, his expression smug, grey eyes blazed with an unknown emotion.

"If you get my drift..." he finished, pushing away from her.

Aria huffed and got up, cruising alongside Lino as they made their way back to the ship wreck, her head firmly underneath his.

"That I do, Lino. That I do." She murmured.

Both sharks were swallowed up in to the gloom of the ocean accompanied by Lino deep, reverberating chuckle.

.END.

AN: Indeed this is the end of Seduction of a Mob Boss. Sorry it's taken so long and if the ending isn't what people wanted, but I have no more muse for this story, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

~ Pibble