She pouted comically, “Okay, but I’ll be staring at your sexy ass all day, picturing how delectable it looks right now.”
I turned and winked at her. “I’ll be thinking of your pussy wrapped around my cock all day. I’m sure we can take a little break for activities around lunch time.”
She jumped up out of the sleeping bag and pulled her clothes out of her pack, quickly throwing them on. “I’m going to get us breakfast so we can be on our way. I can’t wait for lunch.”
Her enthusiasm made me laugh and I was so happy to have her back. The work of tearing down camp was easier than putting it up, and after eating a quick breakfast we were back to hiking through the forest. This time, the mood was light and comfortable, both of us able to enjoy the scenery and the scuttling small animals that crossed our path.
Before long, the terrain became harder as the hills rose out of the ground. I tried to keep us between the rising earth but many times there was no choice. Both of us were out of breath by the time we crested another large hill and we stopped for a rest.
“This is so beautiful,” Lorelei managed to say with awe, even with her heavy breaths. “Will you paint me a picture of this so that I never forget this time with you?”
“Anything for you,” I promised before my heart plummeted at the sight at the bottom. I could just make out the flowing water through the canopy of trees. I couldn’t see an end or a beginning since the forest was so thick here, yet, I had a feeling it was a river that I didn’t remember from the past.
I craned my neck as I looked for the source and Lorelei asked what I was doing. “It seems there is a river down there and I’m looking to see if there’s a way around it. I’m not sure how deep it is, and I’d rather not swim through it with our packs.”
She bit her bottom lip and helped me look, but it was of no use. The foliage was just too thick. “We’ll have to go down and see it for ourselves,” I said with trepidation.
“I wouldn’t mind getting some of this sweat cleaned off anyway,” she replied happily, not knowing how much danger there was for her with the rivers of Germany. “It’s warm enough that we can take our clothes off and have our lunch activities.”
Not knowing what else to do, I nodded. I didn’t want her anywhere near the water, especially one that I didn’t know if it were connected to the Rhine. The maps of the Black Forest were rudimentary at best. There were many features that were hidden by the thick pine trees that covered the land and soared high above our heads.
After drinking water, we continued down the large hill and I kept my eyes ahead as I scanned for any sign of a beginning or end to the water. The closer we got, the more I could hear the running waters and I hoped that it was just a fast-moving creek instead of a deep river.
I tried to come up with a plan for crossing as we trekked downhill, managing to avoid tripping over the roots that stuck up from the forest floor. There were much less at this angle of the hill, but they were still there and probably more dangerous as they were harder to spot. The last thing we needed at that moment was for either of us to get injured.
My mind hadn’t come up with a plan as we approached, and I saw that it was, in fact, a river. I stopped far enough away to be able to check it out but not so close that King Nix would feel Lorelei’s presence. “Why don’t you sit down and start getting our food together while I walk down and see if there are any low spots to cross?”
I pointed to the area that was far enough away and mentioned the fallen tree trunk was the perfect place for her to set things up for us. She agreed, and I only hoped the look of longing in her eyes wouldn’t cause her to go near the water. I gave her a slow, sensual kiss and lingered for a bit. “Please don’t go near the water. We don’t know what it’s like and I couldn’t live with myself if you drowned while I’m away. Just wait for me to get back, and it’s safer.”
“Okay. You stay safe too, and come back to me in one piece,” she said, as she hugged me quickly, before letting me go on my way.
The river looked very deep at the point we were and I followed the bank of it, as I searched for a tree that may have fallen, or something that would help us cross safely. I grabbed a fallen stick and pushed it in the water finding that it was at least neck high at that point. I groaned as I realized that the middle was most likely even deeper.
I kept going, stopping every now and then to check the depth with my stick. I fell to my knees and thanked the fates when I came upon the area where the rocks had piled up making a natural bridge of sorts. It was only ankle deep or so, and we would be able to take our shoes off, pull our pants up, and cross without worry.
Now, I just had to make sure that I could get Lorelei across without too much trouble. I had much experience with the call of the water to her in our past lives. She couldn’t go anywhere without being drawn to it in an almost unstoppable way. The other times there were lakes that we had no reason to fear and she had her memories by then, yet it was as if she was in a trance each time as she walked to the water fully dressed.
I rushed back to Lorelei and was thankful she stayed put. “I found a path for us to take!” I exclaimed, before giving her a wet kiss on her lips.
She giggled at me and pretended to swoon. “My hero!” Turning serious as she handed me my beef jerky, nuts, and dehydrated fruit, she questioned, “Is it safe enough for me to wash off in this spot you found?”
I chewed slowly to give myself more time to answer without having to lie. “I’m not sure it’s safe. The water runs very quickly, and I don’t know what the depth is on each side of the path. I didn’t want to take more time checking and just wanted to get back to you.” It was the truth, I just neglected to tell her that I wouldn’t allow for her to linger in a river anyway.
“Well, we can check it anyway. Once we eat, we can head out. Our activities can wait until afterwards. I’d like to be clean for you anyway.” She winked at me and took the last bite of her beef jerky.
I didn’t answer as dread filled me. I could only hope that she stayed away far enough that her father couldn’t feel her, or that he wasn’t able to get to this river. I did need to refill our water bottles since they were running low. I wasn’t sure how many natural springs we would come across and wanted to be sure we didn’t run out of the most important survival item.
We stayed within the forest as we followed the river to the spot I found. Lorelei questioned me as to why we stayed so far away, and I used the excuse that there were too many places where it dropped off to walk closer. Thankfully, she took that answer without question and again, it wasn’t a lie exactly. There were parts where the banks rose high above the river and a long drop awaited anyone that dared to get too close.
Finally, we reached the bridge of rocks and my nerves flared up. I instructed Lorelei to rest for a bit and watch my back as I used the filter to fill up our canteens with fresh water. She pouted a bit about not being able to bathe, but understood the unknown dangers.
I smiled over at her as I bent over and carefully filled the canteens. It was a forced smile and I felt the tension in every inch of my body. The faster we got across and away from this river, the better. I couldn’t rush the filtering process though, and just hoped that the entire path wasn’t too treacherous, so we could rush across it.
I closed the caps and brought the filter back to where Lorelei was leaning back against a tree staring at the river. I could see that she hadn’t been completely overtaken by the call of the water and I hoped that it was because she didn’t have her memories. Maybe this would work out and it would be easy to get her across without incident.
I helped her up and pulled her to me, pressing her head against my chest. “We have to be careful but go quickly. It seems the water is very powerful, and I would hate for either one of us to get hurt. I’m sorry you won’t be able to bathe here but I promise we will find a spring that you can use.”
She sighed into my chest but didn’t argue. I appreciated that, especially with the fear that flooded m
y system. If this trip weren’t so damn important to our future, I would have turned back around at the first sight of the river.
We hefted our packs on our backs, our boots tied to our pants instead of our packs, just in case something happened and we lost the backpacks. I gripped her hand as we stepped into the river and swept my eyes around the water to watch for any sign of her father. I knew it wouldn’t happen so quickly if he were to come, yet every part of me tensed.
The water was cool and refreshing and Lorelei giggled as she splashed around in the ankle-deep water. No matter how stressed I was about this crossing, I couldn’t help but feel glee with the way she relished the water. So much of it was a part of her that I had fallen in love with centuries ago.
“Play with me, Klaus,” she laughed, as she tried to pull away from my hand. “I want to swim.”
“We can’t, my love. It would be terrible to hike with wet clothes. And I don’t think you want to sleep in a wet blanket tonight.” I knew she felt that pull and I hoped my reasoning would be enough to keep her from what her instincts told her to do.
We were only halfway across and the opposite bank felt like it was miles away as she stopped and huffed, “Dr. Hoffman, you are quite the killjoy.”
“You won’t think of me as that tonight,” I laughed, as I tugged on her hand. “Come on. Let’s get going so we can find a campsite for tonight. I want to devour every inch of your beautiful body.” I hoped the promise of sexual gratification would pull her since it was the second thing that the Nix couldn’t resist.
It seemed to work, and she started walking again, though she did grumble about not being clean for me. I kept our banter sexual since it worked to keep her moving. We were getting closer to the other side but still so far away when I heard a splash in the water. Lorelei stopped and turned to investigate. She laughed as she saw a large fish jump out of the water and make the same large splash. “It’s just a fish. I don’t remember ever seeing anything other than salmon jumping out of the water like that,” she mused, as another one did the same.
I knew exactly what caused the fish to act that way, and it wasn’t good. “Lorelei, you need to trust me right now. Go quickly to the other side. I’ll be right behind you, but you need to go as fast as you can without falling in,” my voice was stern, and she looked shocked before she turned to follow my instructions that came too late.
.
I started to follow Klaus’ instruction, but I was stopped by a booming voice. “Lorelei,” his voice thundered, and instantly filled me with fear. “You will come back to your home and take your rightful place. You know I will not hesitate to end this human’s life if you refuse.”
My eyes grew large as the man I recognized from my dreams, the one with the long white hair and beard, stood in the middle of the river, not far from where we were. I could only see a part of his bare chest, but it seemed odd with how deep Klaus claimed the river was in this area.
I couldn’t explain how, but I seemed to know that he was right about the deepness and the danger of the river’s strong current as if it were instinct.
I didn’t know what he was talking about. I had very few recollections of this man, who was my father in my dreams. I wasn’t even sure how he knew Klaus and was even more confused on his reference to him being human. Did that make me and this strange man something else? My head spun with everything that was happening and I leaned against Klaus for support.
“King Nix,” Klaus addressed him coolly. “She has no recollection of you or anything else for that matter. She is human and will never be able to serve you as you want. This isn’t the same daughter you killed three hundred years ago.” Klaus turned to me and whispered, “You need to run, and don’t look back. I will be right behind you.”
What the fuck? That was the only thing that went through my mind as I fought against leaving Klaus with this angry being. Something in me feared him, even though he felt more familiar than just a man I had dreamt about.
I refused to go and stood stubbornly next to Klaus as I spoke for myself. “Look, I don’t know what kind of drugs you are taking or what you are talking about, but I don’t know you. I have never met you in my life. I’m not going to leave my friend and follow a stranger to do something I know nothing about. We will be on our way and I expect that you will stay far away from us.”
The man scoffed, “You don’t know your own father? The king of your people? Do you think me a fool?”
Crossing my arms, I retorted, “My father is in America living with my mother. I was raised by them until I came here to work. Americans don’t have kings. I’m done with this nonsense. Let’s go, Klaus.” I tugged on his arm and he started walking with me, his eyes never leaving those of the old man’s.
I walked quickly, but with sure steps as I kept my head held high. I didn’t want this man to know how much he affected me and made me fear him. I paid attention to my surroundings and it wasn’t until the water began to swirl that I realized it had stopped flowing when he showed up. How was that possible?
“Run!” Klaus demanded, and this time I didn’t hesitate. I sprinted across the rocks as they bit into my feet, but fear kept me from stopping. It was all so strange, and I wasn’t about to wait around to find out why.
The banks of the river were just in sight when a wave of water came crashing over me and knocked me to the side. I would have ended up in the water if it weren’t for Klaus’ quick action of grabbing my pack. He hefted me up as if I weighed nothing and I didn’t hesitate to sprint again.
I could hear the voice of the man yelling after me, “You can run, but I will find you again. You will come back to me, daughter!”
As I hit the solid ground of the forest, I didn’t stop. I kept running until we were far away, and Klaus shouted for me to stop. I bent over with my hands on my thighs as I tried to catch my breath. Both of us were panting hard from the run and the fear of the strange encounter we had.
I guzzled some of my water and dropped my pack to the ground before doing so myself, relieved to be off my feet. My body shook as the adrenaline left me. I could feel Klaus trembling as well, as he settled himself behind me and I sunk into his chest. His arms wrapped around me tightly, to the point where I almost couldn’t breathe. I didn’t care because I needed the comfort that only he could provide me.
My mind reeled with all that happened. Not only did I see the same stranger that assaulted my dreams, but he also confirmed that he believed me to be his daughter just as I felt he was my father in the dreams.
Now that I had a chance to think about the way he looked and stood in the water as if he were ten meters tall. I wondered what he hid under the dark churning waters. Did he have a tail as he did in all of my visions of him?
I couldn’t believe that I was considering that mermaids, or mermen, existed or that I might have just had an encounter with one. It didn’t seem real, yet it felt so right. I was never one to enjoy magical creatures, preferring the proven over fantasy. I always felt there was a logical explanation to the things that people claimed were miracles or magic and usually I could find the truth that others couldn’t see.
This experience changed me in more ways than one. I couldn’t find any explanation for what I witnessed or my dreams that plagued me night after night. I couldn’t figure out what caused me to suddenly fall asleep and have vivid dreams that I saw come to life today.
Klaus insisted that there was so much I needed to know, and I hoped that whatever it was it would put my mind at peace. I needed a logical explanation from him, but I had a feeling that it would be completely the opposite. Whatever was happening was beyond reason and I would have to find a way to come to terms with it all.
After a long silence, I finally spoke, “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who that was and what the hell happened?” It came out as a statement rather than a question because I knew that it was a part of whatever he needed to hide from me.
“I’m sorry,” he replied sadly, as he shook his head
.
“Will I discover the truth soon?” I asked hopefully.
He sighed heavily, “I hope so. For both of our sakes, I hope that the people we are visiting can help us.”
“I really hate not having all the answers, you know.” I said to him lightly, before I took another drink of my water.
“I do know. You have such a curious mind and like to know everything. It’s one of the things I love about you.” He kissed the top of my head before turning serious again, “We should clean up our feet. I’ll get the first aid kit. We can’t risk any infections and we do need to find a place to stay for the night that’s as far away from the river as possible.”
He took care of the many cuts on my feet as best he could. Luckily, they weren’t deep, and he had plenty of ointment and bandages to keep them from getting wet. I hissed as the sting of the cleansing wipe touched a particularly sensitive spot.
As he was checking to make sure that no pebbles or dirt embedded into my skin, I reluctantly admitted, “I’ve seen that man before in my dreams. A girl, that I felt was my sister, talked about him, also. I can’t wrap my head around this whole situation. It makes me wonder if my parents adopted me. If that were the case, I’d be happy not to have lived with such an uncaring father, especially when mine is so wonderful and giving. That man is scary and quite frankly, an asshole.”
Klaus just made a sound of agreement as he finished up with me and started on his own. I tried again to get something from him. “And what was that whole thing about his daughter dying three hundred years ago? There’s no way he could be that old. You must have been mistaken in your time. Plus, how do you know each other? It’s so strange that he came out of the river in the middle of the Black Forest and just happens to know you. None of it makes sense to me, Klaus,” I rattled off all of my thoughts and questions, without pausing to give him a chance to answer.
He must have seen the anger on my face for his lack of communication. “Lorelei, I wish I could say something to make it better, but I can’t. Please know that I support you and you can talk to me about anything. I just may not be able to give you an answer. I’d prefer not to lie to you.”
Lorelei Page 14