Lorai felt pity for the mage. It was a lonely life that she had been thrust into.
Juno lifted her head as if hearing something. “Derix is looking for me. I had better get going. Can we do this again?”
Lorai chuckled. “Of course. You know where to find me. Bring snacks and all will be well.”
Juno got to her feet and Lorai matched her, gathering the detritus of their breakfast and tidying up again. When she was finished, Juno was gone and the shop was hers alone again. It was a manufacturing day, so she pulled out the dummy and began to drape and pin silks and wispy cottons into layers that lifted and flowed like kelp.
It was fun to take portions of the sea and put them into her designs. Today it was kelp, other days it was anemones, other days it was seahorses and it went on. She chose an aspect of the sea and put it into her creations. It was a compulsion.
She heard the chime of the door and called out, “I will be with you in a minute.”
Heavy footfalls approached. “Don’t distract yourself on my account. I am looking for a mermaid.”
She grinned and kept working on the fluttering hem. “You have found one, but it is a weird fetish. Are you starting a collection?”
He paused. “Um, no. I met one yesterday, but I wasn’t able to remain under any longer. I am here to find a mate, and I needed to get over to the Crossed Star.”
She finished the hem and safely stowed all the pins. The folds were all in place, and all that was needed was for her to fuse them into their positions.
She pressed her hands to the dress and stroked down the fabric twice before she pulled all the pins out.
“That is amazing. It looks like kelp.”
She grinned and stabbed the pins into a cushion as she turned. “Oh.”
He was tall. He had the height of an elf but the build of a weightlifter. His power was in his shoulders, and his chest was wide and well developed. The t-shirt he was wearing outlined all of his muscles, and she had difficulty pulling her gaze up to assess his features.
Black hair with silver streaks throughout framed a tanned face with a square jaw, bold nose, curved lips and bright aqua eyes were pointed toward her but looking past her to admire her work.
“That is a truly remarkable creation.”
Lorai accepted the compliment with a smile. “Thank you. I don’t believe we have met.”
She extended her hand. “I’m Lorai.”
“Adam.” He smiled.
The moment that their hands connected, a spark of magic emerged and crackled up their arms. Lorai felt her nipples harden and skin sensitise for the smallest touch.
She shivered and ached, desperate not to lose the touch, but she knew that it couldn’t last.
She released his hand, and he gradually released hers.
His smile was slow. “It was you that I met yesterday.”
“You were the sunken ship?” She smiled and raised her brows.
He laughed. “No, the more mobile one.”
“Ah, the grey one. It is nice to meet you.” She inclined her head.
He looked around him and nodded. “You made all of these?”
She shrugged. “I have a knack for fibres. What brings you to the Crossroads?”
He cocked his head, “Would it be forward of me to ask you out for lunch so we could discuss it?”
She checked the position of the sun and winced at how much time had flown while she worked. “I am rather hungry. Would you like to eat here or at the main community?”
He grinned. “I believe there is a fish and chips shop nearby. I would love to try it with someone for company.”
She blinked in surprise. “Well, I am someone.”
“Excellent. Shall we?”
He extended his hand and she looked around. “Gimmee a second.”
She put all of her sewing implements away and tidied up. When everything was where it should be, she walked up to him and took the hand he was still extending. “Lead on, Flipper.”
He groaned. “I fucking hate that show.”
She laughed and flipped the sign on her shop to CLOSED as they exited, and she used her magic to lock up behind her.
It had been a while, but she was genuinely looking forward to spending time with Adam. There was something about him that resonated with her. She wanted to find out what it was.
Chapter Three
They sat in the chip shop, and each of them took turns with the salt and malt vinegar.
“Let’s see. What brought me to the Crossroads?” He speared a fry with his fork.
She nodded. “Aside from a transporter.”
He inclined his head. “Very well. I am a male.”
“Obviously.”
“And my species swims in family groups. Once I was an adult, I was sent out on my own and expected to join another family. That hasn’t happened.”
She wielded her own wooden two-pronged fork with ease. “Why not?”
“I spend too much time with humans. I swim as a human under water. It is a bit much for most shifters to accept.”
Lorai smiled at his despondency. “Do you enjoy it?”
He perked up immediately. “I do. I love showing the land walkers how find pieces of their past, for fun and profit.”
She grinned. “I like making them happy. Mind you, it turns out that I am definitely dependent on it.”
“What?” He paused with a piece of cod halfway to his lips.
She waved it away. “Nothing.”
He paused but continued with his meal. When he was nearly done, he sighed. “I prefer my fish cooked. This was very good.”
Lorai chuckled. “Me too. I will hunt it in the deep ocean if I have to, but I like it better covered in batter and crunchy.”
Adam laughed. “Me too.”
She cocked her head. “Where do you swim?”
He finished his food and folded his arms on the table. “I run a salvage company. We locate and haul in abandoned craft as well as the occasional treasure hunt.”
She perked up. “Treasure?”
“Sure. There have been lost cities, galleons, modern vessels, tons of lost items in the sea.”
She waved her fork in the air. “I am definitely aware of that. What do you find?”
“Lost weapons, gold, jewels, icons and racing vessels that took on too much water.” He shrugged.
Lorai smiled. “They are not lost; they are where the ocean wanted them. Why didn’t you ask the local merfolk to help you?”
He shook his head. “There are none in our vicinity. The sea is nearly a desert under the surface.”
She was intrigued. There were few areas that were empty. Her giant blood wanted to run and explore. Her mer blood wanted to see that ocean.
She cleared her throat. “Do you slip away from your human cohorts and shift?”
“Whenever I can. I end up swimming at night.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That sucks.”
“It does. The moonlight has its charms, but I need to remain near the surface. Sharks are rather plentiful in the area.” His smile was rueful.
At the mention of sharks, she stiffened. As a single dolphin, he would be a tempting target.
“But you still frequent the area?”
“That is where the finds are.”
She scowled. “That is a lot of risk.”
“No more than a mermaid who chooses the land as her home. You are susceptible to dehydration, sun and lung issues.”
Lorai’s mouth nearly hung open. “How do you know all that?”
“You are not the first merfolk I have met.”
She leaned forward. “Who was it?”
Adam shook his head. “That is a question that I will answer over dinner.”
Lorai leaned back. “Dinner?”
“Yes. I will speak frankly. I have never been as drawn to another being as I am to you. I would like the opportunity to have another meal with you where we can discuss the other merfolk I have met.”
She q
uirked her lips. “A negotiation?”
Adam grinned. “Extortion.”
She laughed. “Fine. Where shall I meet you?”
“At the tower? Where do you usually stay?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Either at my home or under the water. I like to anchor myself to the wreck to sleep.”
“You don’t sleep in a bed?”
“It depends. When I am agitated, I go to the sea; as for my house, I use it to make meals and keep my clothing.”
“What has agitated you?”
She smiled. “It is not a comfortable thing to be outside your own community and society.”
He nodded. “I understand. It is difficult, and sometimes the salt water is the only thing that eases the tension.”
Lorai smiled. “Precisely.”
Conversation came to a halt as they both looked out over the rippling blue water visible through the posts of the wide deck.
The sunlight caressed the surface, sending shattered ripples along the water. Lorai could look at it forever.
Dinner at Al’s restaurant was a quiet and relaxing affair. Lorai enjoyed that Adam didn’t press her for information about her age or origins. All he asked her was where she held her citizenship, and as she had a fey passport, he was satisfied that they could spend time together in the human world.
She was amused at the thought, but she had just gotten her shop the way she liked it. Spending time in the human world was fine, but she wanted to make the Crossroads her home.
They opted to walk back to the Isthmus instead of using the portal, and it was on their way back that she drew her line in the sand.
“I want to stay at the Crossroads. I have just gotten settled in, and moving again is not my idea of fun.”
Adam nodded. “I can understand that. It is good to know before anything happens.”
She nodded. “I thought it was only fair.”
“It is very fair. It doesn’t change anything though.”
Lorai wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure?”
“I am positive. I believe we will get along exceptionally well. I would love for you to be my mate.”
She paused. “You are serious? You don’t know anything about me.”
He turned and took her hands. “I know that you are beautiful, that your skin and tail glow with iridescence in your other form, that you don’t like tartar sauce and have a penchant for fried potatoes. You laugh when sunbeams dance across your hands. I don’t know what your past is, but I want your future to be with me.”
Lorai stared at him. “Just like that?”
“I have been looking for over a decade. There is nothing about you that will send me running.”
She cocked her head and looked at him. “Bonding with me would change you. You might not just be a dolphin anymore. What would you do with having your beast changed?”
He paused. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You might want to give it some thought. The balance ceremony is permanent. I get half of you, you get half of me.”
“I want all of you.”
She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Be careful what you wish for.”
He caught her hand and kissed her palm. Against her skin he murmured, “Care for a swim?”
Lorai chuckled weakly. His determination was not hidden behind his boyish charm. “If you insist. Shall we enter the water from my dock?”
“I believe that would be appropriate.”
They turned and continued toward the Isthmus. In all of her centuries at sea and beneath it, she had never felt this nervous flip at the thought of getting into her natural form.
He definitely was something special, but he didn’t fit into her plans.
Knowing shifters like she did, she wasn’t surprised when he stripped without more than a moment’s hesitation.
She pulled off her cocktail dress and kicked off her shoes. Her bra released with a snap, and she pushed the panties down, stepping out of them. A few short pulls and the pins holding her hair in place came out, leaving her hair to tumble down around her shoulders.
Adam looked even better naked than clothed. His body had the hard, compressed muscle that she was familiar with from being around professional divers.
Her fingers itched to touch the curls on his chest, wanted to trace the trail that led to the curve of his cock. Instead, she turned to the water and jumped.
She treaded water until he splashed in beside her. They faced each other for a moment, naked and grinning, and then, they dove under the dark water and shifted.
Lorai felt her skin swell and stretch, using the water around her to expand her body into its tailed form.
She felt the change of the shifter next to her and watched as Adam was encased in tough, shiny grey skin.
The first flick of his tail sent him soaring into the currents, and she followed.
Her webbed hands were held near her waist, and she used them to steer as her tail propelled her into the darkness that embraced her and pulled her in.
The water magnified the energy around them as they played in the sparse light of the distant moon.
When she held his dorsal fin, he pulled her through the waves, and her tail moved them faster than either of them could have gone alone.
After hours that felt like minutes, they returned to her home and shifted back into human at the dock.
She laughed. “You are very fast.”
He inclined his head. “You are very powerful. We make a good team.”
Lorai sighed. “You are in for a load of trouble if you insist on this.”
“Tell me that you don’t feel the same and I will leave right now.” He coasted closer but didn’t touch her.
She thought a thousand answers, but she looked into his eyes and saw the moon reflected there. “I am not going to lie.”
His smile was soft, and he eased toward her until he could kiss her. Sparks flew between them. She used her tongue to escalate the contact, and soon, they were slipping under the surface, their limbs unable to untangle in order to keep them above the water.
He wrapped his arm around her and kicked upward. They shot out of the water, and he landed on his feet with her still against him.
She leaned back and laughed. “Very nice. Do you practice that?”
He gave her a serious look. “Do you really want to discuss my technique?”
She smirked. “Not that one.”
“Is your door locked?”
“Nope. You can let yourself in.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
He held her against him and crossed the deck to open her door. Whispered instructions told him where to go after that.
It was time to test for compatibility.
Chapter Four
The mermaid cover quilt was thrown back, and he settled her against the sheets.
She looked up at him and stifled the grin that wanted to well up. Dolphins mated belly to belly, so it was no surprise that he wanted to start with the traditional positions.
Adam parted her thighs and knelt between them.
Lorai watched as he stroked the skin of her inner thigh with no hurry in his touch. She raised her knees in invitation, planting her feet flat on the mattress.
She shivered and enjoyed the building arousal as Adam’s fingers drew closer and closer to her wet slit. Each touch of contrasting magic sent sparks rioting between them. It was delicious.
Just when she was lifting her hips to meet his fingers, he reversed his path and moved down to stroke the backs of her knees.
“This form is lovely. Your skin is so soft.” There was wonder in his tone.
She chuckled. “Thank you. I moisturize.”
He dragged his fingers through her honey. “You certainly do.”
It took a lot to make her blush, but his touch against her made her feel like a young woman again. The centuries of loneliness fell away.
She watched him as he lifted his fingers to his lips and tasted her. He closed his eyes and l
eaned back on his heels. It looked like he was memorizing her flavour.
Lorai felt a surge of wetness at the image he was giving her. His muscles were tense, the cords of his neck distended and her juices were gleaming on his lips. His tongue darted out to clean away the remnants, and when he opened his eyes, they were glowing with intensity.
He returned his hand to her slit and eased two fingers into her.
He leaned over her and braced himself on his left arm while his right delved into her. He nuzzled her breast before sucking on one nipple then the other.
Lightning shocks of pleasure ran between them, carried on the clash of magic.
She stroked her hands over his arms, caressed his chest and ran her fingers down his abdomen, wrapping her hand around his cock and stroking him.
His hips jerked forward and moisture seeped out of his erection as she smoothed her fingers along the length of him.
He groaned in the valley of her breasts. “Oh, god, that feels good.”
Lorai chuckled. “That is the idea.”
He lifted his head, and they resumed their kiss, but this time, it took on a growling and passionate tone as she released his cock, gripped his hair and raised her hips into his hand.
He thumbed her clit, and her moaning turned to whimpers as her body tensed in anticipation. Her inner muscles clenched on his fingers, and she mewled in disappointment when he pulled his hand away.
He settled in the cradle of her thighs, and she tensed as he pushed the head of his cock against her.
He moved in, and she waited until he was inside her before she rocked her hips upward to take him deep.
Adam groaned against her mouth and rocked his hips in an undulation that stroked every internal inch of her.
Lorai let herself get lost in the moment, the feel of his heat inside her as he thrust and retreated in a slow and steady pulse that mimicked the rhythm of the ocean.
She released his hair and moved her hands feverishly over his neck, shoulders, and finally, she slid them down his back, digging her fingers into the groove of his spine and pressing to increase his pace.
He lifted his head from hers, his eyes still glowing. Power was still moving between them, around them, but it was another stimulation, another touch to overload their senses.
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