Father! You mess with everything else in my life, why have you abandoned me now?
Silence greeted her mental outburst. Last night, before Shedd took her in his arms and provided her with an earth-shattering orgasm, Poseidon had promised her that he was leaving, that he would not meddle in her relationship with Shedd any longer. Now, when she needed him, where was he?
Shedd would be here within the hour. They would travel on his boat, the Penelope, some ten miles off shore, where they would dive and explore. Correction, Shedd would dive. Iaha hadn't quite come up with an explanation as to why she wouldn't don SCUBA gear and join him.
She didn't think the truth would go over well.
"You see, Shedd, I sprout a tail when I'm in the water. Sure, I can control it, but being around you makes me forget about everything else. I'm afraid I would stop concentrating on the fact that I was supposed to stay human, turn into a mermaid and you would freak out. I could see the story now, ‘Mermaid spotted off Grecian shore ... film at eleven.'
"Father!” Iaha screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound bounced off the walls of her house and carried out the open French doors to the sea. No answer came and she yelled again.
"Am I interrupting something?” Shedd stepped onto the deck, a confused look on his face.
Iaha lifted her face to him and quickly schooled her eyes to hide her anxiety.
"Of course not.” I just received a strange message from my uncle, and I was yelling to let my anger out.
"Hum. Strange, though, to yell at someone when nobody's around."
"Moody. Told you” She held up her hands and shook her head.
"Right. May I come in?"
"Of course. Sorry, I'm just a little frazzled.” And expecting a lightning bolt to send my hair into permanent frizz mode.
"Hmm. Will this help bring you back to Earth?” He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks before he brought their lips together. His kiss was soft and gentle and Iaha felt it all the way down to the tips of her toes.
"I think it might. Hi."
"Hi.” He kissed her again, his tongue flicking out to trace her lips. “I knocked, but nobody answered the front door."
"Sorry.” I was too busy yelling for my father, and looking out for my angry uncle. You haven't met them yet. My father controls the seas, and my uncle, if angry enough, could set the house on fire with a flick of his wrist. I think he's pissed about what we're doing today. Maybe we should reconsider.
"That's OK. If I thought we had time, we'd make love before we left."
"Really? Maybe we should make time.” She cocked her head and grinned.
"Actually, I was thinking about turning you around and taking you from behind.” His fingers trailed over her spine, sending shivers of delight through Iaha's body. “I could pound you really hard that way. Would you like that, sweet Iaha? I can almost feel your wet pussy wrapped around me, warm and inviting. Can you feel me, Iaha? Can you feel my hands holding your sweet hips while my cock pounds in and out of you? I can. Damn, I knew coming in here was a bad idea. I should have just tooted the horn."
Iaha shivered and grasped his shoulders. “Let's stay here. We can dive some other time."
"We can't. The crew is waiting. Tonight, though.” He laughed and shook his head in a playful manner. “Be prepared."
He grabbed her ass and squeezed, then pulled away quickly. “Let's lock up. If we make the crew wait too much longer I'll be in the dog house."
Iaha's gaze turned to the thunderbolt she'd found that morning. She could feel the heat radiating from it. Obviously, Zeus wasn't happy about their little expedition.
She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Uncle? The same silence greeted her as when she tried to contact her father. This promised to be a very, very long day.
* * * *
Shedd tapped a gauge on his equipment and turned a frown on Iaha. Her beautiful black hair was unbound and caressed her body, and she was clad in a red one-piece swimsuit.
For the first time since last night he reconsidered his decision to tell her about his dreams, and to invite her to help on the dive. Just the sight of her made him hard. She was too much of a distraction, and there was too much at stake.
"I thought you knew how to dive."
"I do.” She smiled at him and he nodded. “I just don't want to go down today. I, well, I've had a bit of a cold..."
"Right. Your cold didn't bother you earlier."
"Please. I'll go tomorrow."
"OK. Listen, if you're reconsidering your decision to help me, just say so."
"No, that's not it at all. I promise, tomorrow, I'll go. You go down now and find something fun for me."
He nodded and turned toward the end of the boat. After his equipment was fastened into place, he plunged into the water. Two other divers, Blaine and Cody, were already down.
Shedd had made sure that the boat was in the exact same spot they were in when he'd found the artifact the day before. He aimed down and forced an image of a naked Iaha out of his mind. She was beautiful, that was for sure, but right now he didn't need the distraction. He needed to focus on the dive.
He loved being in the water. He always had, even as a child. His mother had long teased him about her son sprouting gills whenever they were near water. He forced that image away. She'd teased him, yes, but she'd also hidden things from him. Now that she was gone, he would never know the truth about his parentage.
Blaine appeared beside him and gave him a thumbs-up signal, pointing down toward an outcropping of rocks. Shedd turned his face toward the stones. Cody was already there, looking around and pointing his camera at different places.
As he usually did while in the ocean, Shedd felt the pull of the water, the wonderful sense of belonging that wrapped around his heart and squeezed gently, reminding him that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
And Yumani was close. He knew it. For years he'd searched for the long lost civilization. He'd been all around the Grecian coast, diving and coming up empty handed. But when he'd arrived here, he knew that he was close.
The artifact he'd found yesterday convinced him of that. Shedd put his fingers against the pouch that carried the stone, and the statue.
They felt warm, even in the cold water, almost as if they were radiating heat. But that couldn't be, he knew. Neither object had shown such ability yesterday. They were nothing more than stones.
He shook his head and swam around the outcropping of rocks, touching the porous material lightly in some spots, knocking on it in others as if willing it to open and reveal a gateway to Yumani.
After an hour in the water, with nothing catching his eye, he turned to Blaine and Cody and shook his head. They both nodded and pointed up. Shedd returned the nod, a feeling of failure filling his stomach as they started toward the surface.
Shedd turned toward the rock and gently caressed it. Tell me your secrets. Show me what I want to know.
Warmth filled the lower half of Shedd's body. Was it coming from the statue, or the aquamarine? He opened the pouch and touched the stone. The heat he'd felt earlier had intensified.
He tried to keep his breathing even. It wouldn't do for him to put himself in danger by breathing too quickly while diving. Iaha. He needed to talk to Iaha. Maybe he could convince her to come back down in an hour or so and see if she felt the same thing that he did.
He kicked his feet to start his ascent, and panic gripped his insides. Something had a hold of him. He kicked out again and the hold strengthened. He bent and ran his fingers over his ankles. Nothing was there, physically. Whatever was holding him in place didn't have a corporeal body.
Panic set in. His breathing, already more rapid than it should have been, quickened.
He shut his eyes and tried to calm down. Whatever kept him tethered to the spot tightened, and tugged on his body.
Iaha! Help me! Iaha, please, I need you.
The pressure on his calf moved to his thigh and Shedd gave in to total panic. Bl
aine and Cody were already gone. Whatever had been calling to him from Yumani was there, and it wanted him to stay.
* * * *
Iaha gripped the side of the ship. She could hear Shedd's call for help in her mind. Something had gone wrong. She ran to the stern, watching, her breath coming harder and harder as bubbles appeared.
Blaine appeared, with Cody behind him. They were helped on board and the area behind them remained silent. Shedd was still down there. The workers all stared at each other uneasily.
Iaha could hear his pleas for help, echoing in her mind. Something had a hold of him, and wasn't letting go.
Once the workers were all at the stern, looking down, Iaha moved toward the bow, shedding her bathing suit as quickly as possible and diving in. Her legs disappeared and her tail appeared as soon as she hit the water. She plunged downward, praying she was not too late.
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Chapter Five
The water grew colder the further she dived. She passed octopus after octopus, cuttlefish, jellyfish and sea urchins. She could feel Shedd's presence, but he was no longer calling for her. He'd either lost consciousness, or he didn't think she could come and help him and had stopped trying.
She flashed her tail quicker in an effort to reach him faster, her heart beating rapidly.
When he came into view, she stopped, her eyes widening.
Two mermen were on either side of him, their arms liked through his own. They were propelling Shedd through the water, heading out toward the sea. She swam toward them, yelling for them to stop.
When she drew closer to them, she could see that Shedd was unconscious, his head lolling down. She could see his chest moving, so she knew that he was still alive.
"In the name of Poseidon, stop at once!” She swam along side them but the men did not stop, nor did they answer her. They rounded a cove and she stopped dead, rearing back as two more mermen came toward her. One of them pulled in front of the other, his eyes narrowing at Iaha. He pointed a spear at her. The second man held one at his side. The other two men were moving further away, with Shedd still locked between them.
"I am the daughter Poseidon. I demand that you release the human, at once!"
"Do you think I care what you want? Your father, your uncle, and all the gods have forsaken us. We no longer follow laws they set down."
The merman was large, his top half muscular, his tail a brilliant green. His companion looked the same.
"My father is king of the seas. Do as I say or he will destroy..."
"Your father no longer holds power over us. Is your hearing infected? Go away. We have no fight with you, but if you choose to try and stop us, you will lose."
"Father!” Iaha screamed out.
Iaha received no answer and the man laughed as she yelled out again.
"It would seem, daughter of Poseidon, that your father has forsaken you, also. Either that, or you're lying."
He made to move toward her, the anger clear on his face.
"I have no problem harming a daughter of Poseidon. Perhaps you will regain consciousness before you hit the open air and live. If not...” He shrugged and advanced toward her, his spear pointed at her chest. He stopped suddenly when a harsh voice rang out.
"Gyles, stop."
Another merman swam into view; he was older than the others, his long hair graying. He studied Iaha and then nodded to the first man.
"Bring her."
"As you wish.” The one named Gyles swam toward her. His look was angry, almost as if with one flick of the wrist he could kill Iaha. “If you want to see your friend again you should come with us, without putting up a fight."
Iaha turned to the older man, who nodded his head at her.
"Daughter of Poseidon, you are welcome here."
Iaha wanted to run. She wanted to fight them, take one of their spears and go after Shedd, but she knew that would be futile. There was no way she would win a fight against these mermen.
She nodded to the leader, then swam after him as they moved off, praying they hadn't done damage to Shedd, wondering what they wanted with him.
* * * *
The water grew colder the deeper they swam. Fear invaded Iaha's mind, but she fought it back as best she could. If they had meant to hurt them, they would have done so already. Or would they?
And where were they taking them? She'd thought there were four mermen at first. Now, she counted eight. Some of them held spears, while others seemed to be watching around them as if expecting an attack.
Iaha swam closer to the older man who had rescued her from Gyles.
"Please, where are we going?"
The man didn't answer, just continued to flap his tail and move into the darkness.
"My father..."
"My name is Anstice. I have known your father for years, Iaha."
"You know my name?"
"Yes, and that of your two sisters, Aella and Adara. But surely you three don't think you are the only offspring of the great god?"
"Of course not. I know that my father..."
Iaha stopped short, rearing back so that her tail moved out in front of her. The darkness they had been swimming into had suddenly turned into light, a beautiful light. Stretched out before them, lying on the ocean floor was a city, surrounded by a globe.
She felt her stomach drop out. Anstice had continued swimming. The others, including the men who were holding Shedd, had already disappeared inside the bubble.
"Where are we?"
"Where do you think we are, Iaha?” Anstice turned and swam back to her. Gyles stood at the entrance, his spear at his side, an angry scowl on his face.
"Yumani?"
"Yumani,” Anstice continued. “A place where years ago your father kept a few of his many concubines. Now, there are some of us who still have Poseidon's blood flowing through our veins. But our world is dying, and your father has refused to help, fearing the wrath of his brother. So we have gone in search of our savior."
Iaha shook her head in confusion, and then understanding dawned.
"Shedd?"
"He holds the stone. He is the descendant of one of our more powerful citizens. He will marry, procreate, and hopefully, restore our energy and therefore, our lives.
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Chapter Six
When they were inside the bubble, Iaha was surprised to find that her tail had disappeared immediately, and she was standing on solid ground. She looked around her, gawking. Of course the people who were gathered were gawking at her, too.
One woman, who looked to be about twenty, brought a shimmering robe to her, and Iaha shrugged into it. She bit her lip, then her eyes trained on Shedd, who lay on the floor in the center of the room, a woman kneeling over him.
Iaha ran to them, her angry gaze focused on the beautiful woman.
"Get away.” She quickly removed Shedd's diving mask and checked his breathing. It was shallow, but still there.
"You are his mate?” The young woman's eyes were large as she studied Iaha.
"No.” But I want to be.
The woman nodded, her expression sad.
Anstice stepped forward. “Maki, Evander. Take our guest to my quarters. See that he is well cared for. Iaha. Come with me, we have things to discuss."
"No. I'm going with Shedd.” She kept her eyes on Shedd. The color seemed to be returning to his face.
"He is not yours to care for. You just said so."
"Well, I've changed my mind. We may not be married but we're together. I'm not leaving him. If you want to talk with me, they you will come with me."
Iaha turned an angry glare on Anstice, who laughed.
"You are definitely your father's daughter. Very well, we will have our discussion there. But I ask you to remember that you are a guest here."
Iaha didn't answer him. Instead, when the two men picked up Shedd she fell into step behind them. She wanted to run and explore this mythical place she'd found, but her first priority wa
s Shedd.
That, and trying to find a way out of here.
* * * *
Iaha wiped a wet cloth over Shedd's face. His eyes had fluttered a few times, but he had not woken.
"When he has adjusted to the pressure, he will waken,” Anstice said from behind her. “Come. My wife has prepared tea."
Tea? Iaha didn't know what she expected to drink here but it wasn't tea. Maybe kelp water?
"We will stay in the room with him. We mean him no harm."
"What do you mean for him, then?"
"I've already told you. The woman who knelt by him, Adelphia, is his mate. They will procreate and hopefully restore the power to our land."
"Your land? Maybe you should start at the beginning.” Iaha stood up and shook her head. “And Adelphia will not mate with him. I told you already, he is mine."
Anstice laughed. “It has been foreseen. The one who carries the stone will help restore our land. Your Shedd has the stone."
"What stone?” Iaha's voice had risen to a high pitch.
"Come and sit,” Anstice said, his voice low.
Iaha stood and walked to him. A beautiful woman was pouring tea into cups. Anstice sat at a table that was filled with various sweet treats.
"So, you have ovens and ways to bake?"
Anstice shook his head at her, a disappointed look on his face. He indicated the chair across from him as his wife took the one next to him. Iaha sat down, glancing back over her shoulder at Shedd. His chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm.
She sat at the table and folded her hands in her lap.
"OK. Talk."
"So like her father,” the woman said with a laugh. “I am Desma. Welcome, young Iaha."
Anstice took his wife's hand and gave it a affectionate squeeze.
"You will listen and not interrupt?” Anstice tipped his head at her. “It will be easier that way, if you just sit until I am finished."
Siren's Song [A Siren Sisters Anthology] Page 3