Taming their Tailfins: Howls Romance

by Marianne Morea

  A world she never believed existed did exist. An attraction stronger than the fiercest undertow was there for the taking. Another thing she never expected, yet Zale and Adrian were there, waiting for her verdict.

  Both realities threatened to pull her to depths she wasn’t sure she could withstand. Yet, the thought of turning away left her wordless and paralyzed. She wouldn’t choose between them and Hannah, and she wouldn’t get between her best friend and her mate. But turn away? It was futile to even argue the point.

  Valerie watched both men. She couldn’t fight the flood of strange emotion, so she held her breath and took the plunge. They wanted her, and she wanted them. There was no going back, even if she forced the issue.

  “Like it or not, I agreed to this trip to see Hannah and meet her mate, but like most things in my life, things didn’t go as planned.” She smiled softly. “And by things, I mean you two. I know I’ve been difficult and argumentative. I’m always going question and expect answers. It’s the way I’m wired. If the three of us are to move forward, you two are going to have to accept that. I can hardly believe what I’m about to say, but there’s no denying my feelings, and I can’t escape what I want with you both.”

  She had their complete attention. Even Zale stopped pacing.

  “If you truly want me,” she continued, “then you’re going to have to come to terms with my association to the Draakki. I’m outspoken and determined. I was before you met me. I live life on my own terms, and I will continue to do so. Good, bad or otherwise. Alone or with the two men I’ve fallen in love with.”

  Val leaned against the hotel room desk, facing them. “We’ve known each other two days. In my world, bonds don’t happen that quickly, so of course, I have reservations, but I can’t deny what I feel, or this attraction that seems to have a mind of its own. Aggie tried to explain. Maybe that’s part of what I’m feeling. I don’t know. You’re both marked. I’m not.

  “That doesn’t mean I won’t be, or that I don’t want to wear your mark. All I’m saying is Hannah is my family, and Soren is her mate. I won’t choose between you.” She lifted one shoulder halfway. “The ball is in your court.”

  Before either Zale or Adrian could reply, there was a knock on the door. Adrian went to answer, only to find Aggie standing in the hallway, her faced a mix of annoyance and concern. Worry changed almost immediately to pleased, and she gave them a shrewd smile.

  “Smells pretty cozy in here. I guess I don’t have to wonder what you three did to occupy yourselves since the airport.” She chuckled.

  Valerie got up from her chair to protest but tripped over one of the backpacks, stumbling headfirst toward the door. Zale jumped up to catch before she fell, but Valerie got her footing and their heads smacked together with a muffled thwack!

  “Ouch! Graceful, much?” Adrian laughed.

  “Shut up, Ace.” Valerie reached for the top of her head as she and Zale sank to the end of the bed.

  “What did you expect, Aggie?” Adrian laughed even harder. “This girl is insatiable. From the minute the elevator doors closed, she was all over us. Seriously. Just look. She can’t wait to fall into bed.”

  “Adrian!” Val smacked his arm, wincing at the pain in her head. “Fall is the operative word. I can’t help it if I’m clumsy.”

  Adrian grinned, moving the backpacks from the middle of the floor. “Don’t play coy. Zale and I could barely keep up.”

  Even Zale snickered, rubbing the top of his head with a wince.

  “You two suck! You know that?” Embarrassed, she pressed two hands to flushed cheeks.

  Zale waggled his eyebrows. “Yes, we did.”

  Valerie lobbed his backpack at him.

  “Okay, you three. Cut it out. The elevator smells like a bordello and you lot smell like cookies and sex. Either way, it sounds like you made a good start getting to know one another.”

  Chuckling, Aggie turned for the door. “Boat leaves at six am sharp. It’s a five and a half hour trip. Pack accordingly.”

  Valerie scowled, shooting Adrian a dirty look. So much for the quiet ones. “Is Hannah going to meet us?” she asked, ignoring him and his teasing grin.

  “Soren arranged everything so you can surprise her. She hasn’t got a clue.” Aggie stepped into the hallway, but then glanced back. “Sam and I are going out. We’ll meet you at the docks in the morning, but you’re on your own for the night. Do not be late.”

  She eyed both Zale and Adrian, saying something in Greek before closing the door.

  “That sounded an awful lot like the warning Sam gave you before we got in the taxi.” She looked at both men. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, really. Aggie is Draakki, yet Sam is Gorgóna, like us. Not a Gemini, but—” Zale trailed off.

  “Same tree, different branch. I get it. What’s going on?”

  “There’s a problem in the Gorgónes caves. They are the underwater caves the Gemini and the Gorgónes use to enter and exit Oloris at the ocean depths. Sam felt something was off for a while, but there was nothing any of us could do from the surface.

  “The closer we get to the drop off, the stronger the feeling. He wants us to be alert. After all this time in exile, there are some who aren’t happy about our return, and they’ll do whatever necessary to prevent us from claiming our rightful place.”

  “Okay,” she replied. “So we talk to your elders. What could they possibly do? You two are the Gemini rightful heirs, right?”

  “A triad makes our rule valid. A triad. Three.” By the look on his face, Adrian was clearly hoping she’d get the point.

  “We are three. I’m not marked, but I already agreed. Surely, that counts for something with your elders.” At the look on Adrian’s face, Valerie went quiet. “What you’re saying is they’ll try and come for me to break the triad. The same way they did with Zale’s mother.”

  Zale slipped his arm around her shoulder, while Adrian slid onto the bed on the opposite side. “They’ll have to go through the both of us first.”

  “So much for a friendly visit to check on my best friend.” She let her breath out slowly. “Here I thought I’d won the lottery. My best friend happy and living her wildest fantasy, and me with two hotties of my own. Win-win-win. I never expected my life would be in danger when I signed up for a trip down the rabbit hole.”

  “The only thing you’re in danger of is driving two Gemini shifters crazy with lust.” Adrian turned her face for a kiss. “We don’t want to waste a gorgeous Athens night worrying about something that hasn’t happened.”

  She sighed at the taste of him, and the teasing glint in Adrian’s eyes when he pulled back, but when they went yellow with flecks of green, her panties dampened at what they promised.

  “Athens offers so much to delight. To see and explore, starting right here. If memory serves, isn’t there something in the Alice and Wonderland story that says makes the trip down worthwhile?”

  Zale tucked her hair behind her ear. “Alice opened the box, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words EAT ME were beautifully marked in currants. `Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, `and if it makes me grow larger…’” he said, paraphrasing the classic book. “And you do make me grow larger, so—"

  Valerie watched Zale’s eyes darken, and her sex jumped at the clever innuendo. She slipped to her knees in front of the bed, both hands teasing over each man’s crotch.

  “Let’s see how big you both grow when I eat you.”

  Chapter Seven

  “That look tells me you’re a million miles away.” Aggie stood beside Valerie at the bow of the boat, the wind teasing her gray hair.

  “Not quite a million, but close. I can’t seem to quiet my head about everything that’s happened. I guess I’m a little nervous.”

  “A little.” Aggie laughed. “If I were in your shoes, I’d be catatonic.”

  Val smirked at the attempted humor, sliding her eyes to the old woman. “To be honest, I was thinking about the sunrise. How watch
ing it spread across the depths, turning inky black to a gorgeous blue in seconds. Reminded me of how quickly things change, but that change isn’t always bad.

  The old woman nodded, lifting her face to the soft wind. The boat bobbed in the crystal azure water, moored off the sharp cliffs ahead. There was no beach. Only a small pier at the base of the rocky face.

  “That’s uncharacteristically poetic.” Aggie raised an eyebrow, sliding her gaze to Zale and Adrian talking with Sam and the boat captain.

  “Being forced to keep an open mind when faced with surreal reality will do that to a gal.” She smiled. “It’s a good thing, Aggie. I’m not questioning it.”

  “Good, but don’t lose your edge, little girl. Your clever mind might be exactly what your triad needs to succeed.”

  Valerie’s eyed jerked to look at the old woman.

  “Don’t look at me like I’m the Amazing Kreskin. I told you, I get feelings about things and people. It doesn’t always come to pass, but with you and Sam’s boys, I had hope. To be honest, we sort of knew the moment your heart decided.” She covered Valerie’s hand on the rail with her own. “And I’m so glad. Three can be such fun.”

  “Those cliffs.” Valerie coughed, changing the subject. She pointed to the forbidding volcanic rock. “Is the island charted?”

  Aggie’s eyebrow rose again. “We’re here, aren’t we?”

  “Yes.” Val chuckled at the clever evasion. “What I meant was is it charmed or warded or whatever? In other words, can regular people find this place, or is it like Avalon in Fae mythology, or Themyscira in the Wonder Woman stories. Mists clearing only for their own.”

  “Such a smart cookie.”

  Aggie’s quick grin earned a laugh, cutting the earlier awkwardness. “So the boat’s captain. An exiled shifter that stays on the home front payroll, under the table?”

  “Something like that, but not quite as mafioso as you make it sound. Not all surface shifters are exiles, but there is a real need to keep Oloris obscured. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why. The captain is a Gorgona, so he understands the need for secrecy. He provides an invaluable service, and he is well compensated.”

  Valerie inhaled, lifting her face to the sun. “The deeper water is so indigo, but here in the shallows it shimmers in shades of aqua and green. I don’t know what it is about this place. The water. The air. It’s like there’s an energy infusing my body with…” she shook her head, at a loss. “I don’t know…life.”

  “Ley line energy. It makes everyone feel more alive.” Both women turned at Sam’s deep voice. “Same premise as the Tablets of Rah from Night at the Museum. Only these are real. Even people who will never find this island still feel the therapeutic effects. The lure of the Aegean.”

  The old man pressed a kiss to Aggie’s hair. “Captain said the tide is low enough for us to row straight in. No hiking.”

  It was Valerie’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Hiking?”

  “Normally the captain docks at the pier and hikes a narrow path close to the water’s edge in order to get to the mouth of the cave, but I asked him to bring a skiff, so we save ourselves the walk.”

  As if on cue, a loud crack jerked their attention to the cliffs. Huge fissures split the craggy face, sending large chunks of rock crashing to the water. Debris destroyed part of the trail, blocking the path.

  Zale and Adrian rushed to the bow.

  “Holy rockslide.” Val looked at the guys. “Lucky you asked the captain to bring that skiff or we’d be heading back to Athens.”

  “That wasn’t luck, dear.” Aggie exchanged a look with Sam.

  “Wait—” Val eyed them all. “Is this part of that feeling Sam had about the caves?” She crooked her fingers.

  “To skáfos anachoreí se déka leptá.” The captain stepped from the wheelhouse, speaking in rapid Greek. He held up ten fingers and then gestured to the skiff.

  “Captain says the skiff leaves in ten minutes. We’d better get ready.” Sam didn’t answer Valerie’s question.

  He took Aggie’s arm, and the two headed for their bags stowed in the wheelhouse. Val folded her arms, looking from Zale to Adrian and back again.

  “Isn’t anyone going to answer about the caves? We could have been crushed in that rockslide. Aggie said hiking to the caves is the traditional route, but she and Sam suspected something enough to change course. Aren’t either of you interested in the slightest?”

  “Of course, love. How we get to the caves is not as important as actually getting to the caves. Everything is under control. Once inside, we’re protected. You’re protected.”

  The captain whistled at that point, and Zale went to get their bags. Aggie and Sam were already in the skiff, and Adrian stepped into the small boat, holding his hand out for Valerie. Zale was the last, and the captain gave orders for the skiff to depart.

  The shallow water shimmered in shades of aquamarine as the small craft buzzed along the surface. The bottom was ten meters down at most, and the water crystal clear. The depth grew shallower as they approached the cave entrance, until the captain’s mate cut the outboard. The skiff bobbed in the surf, and Zale and Adrian jumped out to drag the small boat further onto the wet sand for Aggie and Val to safely disembark.

  When bags and people were unloaded, the captain’s mate nodded to Sam, saying something in Greek. Zale and Adrian pushed the skiff back into the water, and it turned to head back.

  Valerie stood in the wet silt with the waves from low tide crashing behind her. She slipped her backpack over her shoulder and turned an uneasy gaze to the guys.

  “We won’t let anything happen to you, Valerie. I hope you know that.” Zale’s eyes searched her face. “You’re our responsibility, but more than that, you’re our mate. Our love. Without you, there’s no point coming here.”

  Sam looked at his watch. “Tide has been out a while.” He motioned toward the mouth of the cave. “We’d better get moving.”

  Aggie took her place beside Sam, her expression pensive. Or maybe it was just focused on the task at hand.

  Val didn’t know much about tidal pull, but she did know it took six hours for the tides to shift, lowest to highest. Still, it was anyone’s guess how quickly the cave filled to the point of trapping them inside to drown.

  “I picked these up when Aggie and I went out last night.” He handed flashlights to Zale and Adrian, before clicking on his own.

  Soft swaths of yellow light shined into the cave depths. Water trickled from the ceiling and the walls, drip, drip, drip, as they made their way into the darkness.

  “Oh my God. This place is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Look at those carvings.” Valerie’s voice was almost reverent. “Hannah’s the bookworm about this stuff, but you don’t need a PhD to know this is otherworld level ancient.”

  Carved symbols lined the cave walls, winking in the swaths of light. A dull hum resonated from deeper in the cave, and the damp air seemed to buzz, making the hair on Valerie’s arm stand on end. “Definitely Indiana Jones meets Dr. Who.”

  The sound of trickling water rose, but instead of a steady drip, it was a soft rush, like a brook or stream. The cave opened to a wide flat circle, clear of rocks, where the damp sand settled in narrow ripples.

  Stalagmites and stalactites sprouted around the perimeter from above and below. Sam propped his flashlight against a stalagmite, shining the yellow light upward.

  The room exploded in light, and Valerie shielded her eyes. “What the hell did you do? Hit a solar flare?”

  “It’s the white lichen on the walls. This particular species is native to Oloris. A composite of fungus and algae, its unique biochemistry reacts with any light source, brightening the darkness.

  “Too bad this place has to stay a secret. Your lichen could solve the world’s energy problems.” Valerie moved to touch the moss-like organism on a stalagmite. “Wow, it looks so soft.”

  Adrian grabbed her arm, stopping her. “It’s not soft. It only looks that way to lur
e in its prey. One touch and it will drain your life force to a dry husk.”

  “On second thought, keep your creepy crawly vampire moss. Earth is doing just fine, duking it out. Kids are too curious and too immature not to touch.” She shivered at the thought of little dried husks all over the world.

  Aggie stepped in front of the carvings, running her palm over the full line as though reading braille. At the end, there was a symbol unlike the others. It was unusual in that it was large and embossed, rather than carved.

  “It’s time. Everyone, take your places.” She pressed her hand to its center, mumbling in Greek.

  The sand rippled likes snakes writhing below the surface. Valerie took an involuntary step back. Zale slid his arm around her waist as sand parted, revealing a stone circle in the cave’s bedrock.

  Aggie stepped toward the smooth stones, stopping on the edge of the ring. Sam joined her, and then reached in his pocket for a small knife. Aggie held out her hand, as Sam dragged the blade across her palm, mumbling words more ancient than any Valerie had ever heard.

  Wincing, Aggie closed her fingers into her palm as Sam sliced his own hand, as well. Together, they murmured in the ancient tongue, letting their joined blood drip into the remaining silt.

  The parted sand danced, moving and swirling counterclockwise in the circle, forming a funnel. Water rose from hidden depths, green and as iridescent as the shimmer in Zale’s skin that day. It spread across the flat circle but stayed inside the stone ring.

  “We’re swimming to Oloris?” Val asked, mesmerized.

  Adrian slipped to her side as well, gesturing toward the azure circle within a circle. “This is a transport. It may look like water, but it isn’t. Oloris elders planned it that way to disguise the portal’s true purpose.”

  “Do you get motion sickness, dear?” Aggie asked, opening her eyes.

  “No, not usually. Hannah’s the one who goes green around the gills.”

  “Funny you should say that.” Sam gave a chin pop to Adrian and Zale. “We’ll meet you at the hub.”

  “Take care of our girl,” Zale said, stepping to the edge of the stone. “Give her some happy juice, just in case.”