They looked like they were starting to walk down, so I yelled up, “Stop, I’m coming up.”
When I reached the top, Kyle and Deb were smiling at me and Marcus looked pissed.
“Did you seriously just go down into the water again?” he asked incredulously. “I thought you were fucking with us before, but now I’m beginning to think that you really believe in this mermaid bullshit. Look, Josh, it’s a good tale. I mean, who wouldn’t love to see a naked chick every time they went near the water, but that’s all it is . . . A bloody fairytale.”
“I saw her again, Marcus,” I admitted.
“Je-sus,” was his reply. He shook his head angrily. “I’m starting to think that you’re going to need to see a shrink when you get home.”
“I don’t know if I’m going home.”
“What are you talking about, Josh?” Kyle asked, his hand reaching out to grasp my shoulder.
“The legend is true,” I said slowly, begging them silently to believe me. “I have to figure out what I want to do.”
Suddenly they were all talking at once.
“You’re out of your fucking mind, mate.”
“Josh, honey, you can’t give up your life.”
“Brother, I know you’ve been lonely since your parents passed. Forget going back to the states, move to England and be closer to us.”
I smiled broadly at them, more grateful for their friendship in that moment than ever before. I held up my hands to get them to be quiet for a minute.
“I know its nuts, guys, but I need to figure it out on my own. I love you, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.” With that said, I turned and walked in the opposite direction of the cliffs as they shouted my name after me. I needed time alone to figure out if I could throw away everything that I had worked for in my life up until that point, for a chance at a little magic.
***
I stayed awake all night, randomly walking, sitting, and thinking, and I still didn’t have it all figured out.
I walked into the Bed & Breakfast as dawn started to break, and was surprised to see everyone awake and at the breakfast table, waiting for me to return.
“Hey,” I said as I looked around the table at the people who were the closest thing I had to family.
They all murmured their greetings to me, watching me carefully as I sat.
I nodded my thanks when Mrs. O placed a cup of coffee in front of me, and turned to face the entryway when I heard Mr. O say gruffly, “So, ye snagged yerself a mermaid, ay, laddie. It’s been a number of years since we’ve had a mating around these parts.” With that said he nodded, kissed his wife on the cheek, and headed back out the way he’d came.
I turned slowly back to face my friends, who were staring in shock at the empty doorway.
Mrs. O just chuckled and went back into the kitchen.
“What are you going to do?” Kyle asked cautiously.
“I’m going to go out to the water to see Muirin. I think once I do, I’ll know what the right decision is.”
“Muirin?” Deb asked.
“That’s the name I gave her,” I replied.
Oh, she mouthed back.
“I’m going with you,” Marcus said sternly, as if expecting an argument.
“Okay,” I replied, causing him to look at me suspiciously.
I shrugged, “If you go with me, and we both see her, then I’ll know for sure I haven’t lost my mind, right?”
They all nodded at me, a little uncertainly.
“Let’s eat then, we have to pack, and then Marcus and I have a trip in a boat to take.”
The rest of the meal was silent. It felt almost as if a sadness had taken over the room. Almost like a funeral. Like they were worried they would never see me again once I went out on the boat. I guess I was worried about the same thing.
I packed my bags and left them in the hallway. Either I’d be back to get them and catch my plane, or I wouldn’t need them anymore. I gave Mrs. O a hug, then turned to say goodbye to Kyle and Deb.
“Hey guys, thanks for being understanding about all of this. I know what it seems like, but your support means the world to me. If I don’t come back, I want you two to take care of each other.”
Deb nodded sadly as she gave me a hug and tried to hide the fact that she was crying.
I pulled Kyle into a hug as well, emotion filling me, and said, “I love you, man.”
“Me, too,” he replied gruffly.
“Let’s get this over, lover boy, we’ve got to get back and catch a cab to the airport,” Marcus said from behind me. “See you two in a bit.”
Marcus and I walked out to the boat, neither of us saying a word as we pushed off the shore. We rowed out swiftly, and when we rounded the corner, I heard Marcus’s swift intake of breath. I turned to see what was behind me, and was met with a brilliant pair of green eyes, and a smile that would light up all of Ireland.
“Ho-ly Shit!” Marcus said under his breath.
Muirin was in the water ahead of us, her breasts buoyant in the water, with her red hair slicked back and trailing out behind her. She was a vision, and as soon as our eyes locked, I knew what my decision was. What it had been from the moment I’d laid eyes on her.
I stood up slowly and started peeling my clothes off. When I dropped my underwear on the bottom of the boat, Marcus tore his gaze away from Muirin and looked at me.
“Jesus, mate. I could have gone my whole life without seeing that.”
I turned to look at him, my heart pounding and my face serious.
“Come back and see me?” I pleaded, then looked out into the cold ass water and back at him. “If I make it through this, that is.”
“I will . . . Often,” Marcus said with a smile.
I gave him one last nod before turning back towards my future and taking a leap of faith.
IN THE ARMS OF AN ENEMY
Bethany Shaw
CHAPTER ONE
Astrid smiled at her date, Blake, praying he didn’t try to kiss her. He was handsome with a European accent. His cobalt eyes and blonde hair suited his masculine physique, but she just wasn’t in to him. Frankly, his personality sucked. Not to mention, getting involved with a human was dangerous. As a werewolf, she didn’t age at the same rate he did. Yep, she was the ripe old age of eighty-six. Thankfully, she only looked like she was in her early twenties. Werewolves cold live upwards of a thousand years. But that wasn’t the only problem. Her ex fiancé was tracking her. She could never settle down in one place for too long. And entering into a relationship, especially with a non-werewolf, would be disastrous.
And why exactly did you accept this date again? Her wolf bristled beneath the surface. Right, she wanted to find a mate. Like that was an easy task given her past.
“Do you want to go back to my place?” Blake smiled as he wagged his brows at her suggestively.
Ugh. Could he be anymore obnoxious? It’s a first date for crying out loud. Presumptuous much. “I work in the morning, but maybe next time,” she said. There wouldn’t be a next time, but he didn’t need to know that. His smile faded, and he glanced away from her as he sat back in his chair. “But this was nice,” she added trying to soften the blow. Jeez Astrid, you’re such a softy sometimes.
“Can I call you?” he asked perking up.
“Sure,” Astrid agreed, and then mentally berated herself. Just tell him no. “But I’m really busy at work, so I don’t have much time,” she went on, hoping he would take the hint. Why couldn’t she just flat out tell him she’d had a nice time, but they didn’t mesh. It certainly would make her life easier.
“I’m sure we can find time to hook up,” he flirted. His hand lifted up, tucking one of her long chocolate locks behind her ear. Astrid flustered as his hand lingered, and then his finger trailed down her cheek. As his face inched toward hers, she dodged out of the way, and mustered up an awkward smile. Please don’t kiss me. She didn’t feel a spark with him and she wasn’t the type of girl who hooked up with just anyone
. “I should probably get going. I’ll see you around,” she said turning, and hurrying quickly to her car.
Astrid fumbled through her purse for her car keys, thankfully extracting them without issue. She unlocked her door and quickly hopped in. Thank God that’s over.
Once settled, she dug out her cell phone and looked through her contacts finding her best friend, Marcia’s number. It was late at night in Tuscany, but it was much earlier in the states. Her best friend was an event coordinator in New York City. Dialing her friend, she looked around the empty parking lot before turning on the car and easing her way onto the road.
“How was your date?” Marcia answered cheerfully.
“Don’t even get me started,” Astrid groaned, checking her rearview mirror as she sighed in frustration into her phone.
“Oh, come on, Astrid, you’re in Tuscany. There have to be some hot men,” Marcia said animatedly. Astrid could practically see her friend’s eyes roll as she said it.
“It’s not the way they look that is the problem, Marcia,” Astrid stated. The last few dates she’d been on, the men had only been interested in one thing. And to think, she’d complained about how horny weremen were. It seemed that it didn’t matter whether they were human or were, they only had one thing on the brain. Sex. When she was younger it hadn’t been a big deal, but things were different now. She was ready to settle down to find a mate.
Fat chance at that, Astrid. If you wanted a mate, you should have stayed in the pack, and mated to Killian as planned. She shuddered at the thought.
“Well, maybe, we should both accept the fact that men are just pigs,” Marcia said a tinge of anger in her voice.
“What happened?” Astrid asked. Marcia had been having as much bad luck in the relationship department as she was.
“I broke up with Dean,” Marcia sighed. “We were talking about your failed date. Not my failed love life. What happened?”
“I don’t know, something about him just didn’t set well. He kind of gave me the creeps,” Astrid said as she turned onto her street. She flipped her signal on and went to maneuver into her regular spot. “Great,” she yelled out frustrated. “Some idiot in a BMW is in my parking spot. Looks like whoever my neighbor is, they finally decided to come home.”
Marcia snorted into the phone. “You’ve lived there for months Astrid; you’ve never ran into your neighbor?”
“No, the place is practically abandoned,” Astrid said. Finding another parking spot, she pulled in and shut off her car.
“Well, who knows maybe he’s some hot guy, and you two will really hit it off,” Marcia said.
“Maybe,” Astrid sighed, clamboring out of her car. “It’d be great if he didn’t take my parking spot though, not the best way to get on my good side,” she said jokingly.
***
Astrid sprinted through her house like a mad woman. She was running late, of course, when wasn’t she running late? She overslept all the time. It was the insomnia. Wolves were nocturnal and no matter how much her human half wanted to go to bed, the animal within almost always refused. Hence why she was running late for the third day in a row.
Frazzled, she pulled her long hair up into a messy bun. Satisfied she no longer looked like she’d just rolled out of bed, she pulled on her cardigan. Grabbing her car keys, she rushed out the door. Her boss was nice and not too strict, but she still liked to be on time. The quaint little café she worked at was a tourist hot spot, and she met all sorts of interesting people. By no means was it a glamorous job, but it paid the bills and she enjoyed it.
Rushing out to her car, she fumbled through her keys for the unlock button. She was so caught up that she didn’t see the approaching man until it was too late. Astrid ducked to the right, but not fast enough. Her chest collided with something solid. The breath whooshed out of her as she connected against a firm hard torso. Her car keys flew out of her hands falling a few feet away on the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry,” she gasped as she bent down to retrieve her keys.
“My apologies too. It’s not every day I get the pleasure of running into such a…” he trailed off as she stood up and their gazes met.
“Oh my God,” Astrid muttered as she stared into Kendrick Johnson’s brown eyes. Horror filled her as a million questions raced through her mind. The most important one being, what the hell was he doing here? While Kendrick had never personally done anything to her, it was his brother she was running from.
“Well this is an interesting development,” Kendrick smirked at her. He winked at her. “Oh and most people call me Kendrick, but I could be your God.”
“What are you doing here?” Astrid glared. Why was he here? At her flat? It couldn’t be a coincidence could it? Of course not. He was here on his brother’s behalf. Here to bring her back kicking and screaming to Killian. No. That didn’t seem right. Kendrick and Killian weren’t exactly close. Or they hadn’t been when she’d left. Had something changed? If memory served, Kendrick wasn’t too popular with anyone in his family. Maybe her cover wasn’t blown after all. She could only hope.
“Well as a matter of fact I am staying in my flat,” Kendrick said indicating her absent neighbors home.
“That is yours?” she stammered as she stared up at the large flat. Impossible. How was she living next to Killian’s brother and not known it?
“It is,” Kendrick beamed. His amber eyes danced with mirth. He’s enjoying this. “It looks like you and I are going to be neighbors. This little trip is getting better by the minute,” he continued excitedly.
“Well this is just perfect. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m running late for work,” Astrid flustered, glaring at him for a long moment before darting towards her little blue car.
“I suppose I’ll be seeing you around,” Kendrick called after her.
“I’d really prefer if we didn’t,” Astrid hollered back over her shoulder. She climbed into her car and quickly locked the doors. Jamming her key into the ignition, she shifted into drive, and mashed her foot down on the accelerator. What was she going to do now? Was Kendrick here for her? Or did he have his own agenda? Damn it, she was just starting to like Tuscany too.
She chanced a glance in her rearview mirror. No one was there. Gripping the wheel tighter, she took in her surroundings. Everything appeared to be normal. Maybe running into Kendrick was a freak occurrence. Maybe she didn’t have to leave. Astrid turned down the road to work. The first thing she saw out of the ordinary, she was hightailing it out of Tuscany.
***
Astrid took the long way home. The day had been uneventful. There were no signs of Kendrick—or any other wolves. If they were here, they would’ve already made their move against her. Glad that she didn’t have to worry about that, she focused on her other problem.
What was she going to do about Kendrick? Would he leave her be, or would he make her life a living hell? Should she move out of Tuscany anyway? No. She wasn’t going to run. She liked it here, and Kendrick probably didn’t want to be found anymore than she did. That’s a risky gamble. But it was most likely true. I’m not running away from this. I want to stay.
If Kendrick chose to pester her, she would figure out how to make his life a living hell as well. You can do this. You are in complete control of your life. She liked her life here in Tuscany, and could safely stay on here for several more years, before anyone noticed she was no longer aging. Astrid Mason did not run away from anything--except crazy fiancé’s who were hell bent on forcing her to mate, but that was beside the point. Her mind made up, she made her way home. This was her home and she would not be forced to flee. Who knew, maybe Kendrick had turned tail and ran after they’d parted this morning.
Or maybe not. Luck was not on her side. A black BMW pulled out onto the road behind her. She grumbled under her breath, watching in the mirror as the vehicle followed her onto her street. A quick glance in the rear view mirror told her it was Kendrick. In a bold move, she reclaimed her parking spot and turned the car off. Closing her eyes, an
d taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to see him again.
As Kendrick drove past her, she caught his eye and he actually had the nerve to smirk at her. Humor danced in his brown eyes as he gave her a friendly wave. What is his deal? Astrid rolled her eyes and got out of her car.
“We must be on the same work schedule,” Kendrick commented jogging to catch up to her.
Astrid wrapped her cardigan around her as she turned to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his. God he’s gorgeous. Wait. What? Where did that come from? I mean he is cute, but he’s my enemy. She shook her head, hoping the traitorous thoughts stayed away. Kendrick was attractive, but so was Killian. Still, there was something different about Kendrick. He was built and muscular like Killian, but his face was rounder, his lips fuller. Kendrick’s eyes were a beautiful amber and his short brown hair was mussed perfectly. I bet he rolls out of bed like that too. Ugh. Focus, Astrid. ”I don’t know what it is exactly that you do, but I would appreciate you not doing something that is going to draw your brother’s or the packs attention,” she said raising her eyebrow.
“I’ll have you know Mrs. Mason, that we have similar interests when it comes to my family. I assure you, I don’t want to do anything to draw them here anymore than you do,” he replied sincerely.
Astrid studied him for a long moment. Releasing a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, she met his gaze. “Good. Now that we’ve agreed on that let’s stay out of each other’s way. Good night, Kendrick.”
“You know it’s still early, maybe we could—”
“No,” she cut him off. “I have no interest in doing anything with you,” Astrid stated as she headed to her flat.
She could feel his eyes on her as she retreated to her house. Smiling to herself, she swayed her hips a little more than usual. What are you doing Astrid? To hell if I know.
CHAPTER TWO
It had been a week since Kendrick had moved in next to her, and thankfully, she had successfully avoided him since that first day. The more days that passed, the more she was sure Killian wasn’t going to show up at her door.
Angels & Sinners: The Motor City Edition Page 6