“This is a closet. It’s where we keep our clothes.” Liam leans against the door.
“Why do you have so many?” The guys only had one outfit each on the island, until I retrieved Jude’s duffel bag from the boat. There were a few extra outfits in there that they shared.
I don’t quite understand the need for clothing. Merfolk don’t wear any at all, except for the chest covering that married mermaids wear to hide their breasts. I can see why humans prefer to cover their genitalia since it’s so exposed, but why do they feel the need to hide the rest of their skin? On the island, the guys wore very little most of the time. I liked it better when I could feel their flesh touching mine.
Liam grins. “It is excessive, I suppose. But most humans like to put on clean clothes every day, and clothing is a status symbol. It sends a message about what kind of person you are.”
His words plant another seed of worry in my mind. What kind of message will I send about my status if I don’t have any idea what clothing is appropriate? I don’t even have a status here. Back in the shoal, I was royalty; here, I’m nothing — a commoner. I suppose that’s for the best, since I want to blend in, not stand out. What will humans think of me? I have to trust that Avery will help me pick the right things.
I walk out of the closet and make my way over to the bed, curious to see what it feels like. In the shoal, merfolk sleep in the sea grass or make beds out of sea sponges, but this doesn’t look anything like those. When I sit down on the edge, the soft cushion gives some but still supports me. I run my fingers up and down the cover, exploring the texture.
“Go ahead, lie down.” Liam encourages.
I scoot up and lay my head on one of the fluffy pillows that matches the burgundy bed covering. It’s so soft, my head sinks down into it. When Liam lays down beside me, the bed doesn’t wobble and make me roll towards him like the life raft did.
He turns onto his side and props his head on one hand so he can look at me then reaches out to touch me with the other hand. A lock of black hair falls between his green eyes, and the light from the window shines on his face, making them sparkle. I turn towards him, mimicking his pose. His fingers lightly trace the curves of my body, igniting the embers left smoldering from that one night together on the island. He leans closer to take my lips between his, nipping and sucking as he scoots closer till his body is pressed against mine.
“This is where I wanted our first time to be, but I can’t say I wish we’d waited.” His voice is a rumbly whisper.
“We can mate here, too,” I whisper back.
Liam swallows hard and closes his eyes, his fingers pressing into my side.
A thudding sound interrupts us. Liam jumps up and moves towards the open door. “Gio, are you okay?”
“Yeah, just gotta piss.”
Liam looks longingly at me. “Maybe tonight when he’s asleep.”
I nod and climb from the bed.
“Are you getting hungry, Coral?”
At his words, my stomach grumbles. He smiles and waves me back into the hallway. I follow him over to the place where he got the bottles.
“This is the kitchen. If you want something to eat or drink, the dishes are up here, in this cupboard.” He opens one of the doors to reveal a collection of vessels. Then he tugs the handle on the large, silver box. I peek into the space, but it’s mostly empty.
“The refrigerator keeps food cold, which makes it last longer. There’s not much in here; I cleaned everything out before we left on the trip, so I’ll need to go shopping.”
“Can’t we just go back to the water to get some fish?”
Liam chuckles. “Yes, I suppose we could. But humans usually buy their food at the grocery store. It’s probably easier to show you than to explain. We’ll go out tomorrow when Jude and Avery come back. We can have something delivered tonight.”
Gio comes out of the bathroom and lumbers down the hallway, groaning. “I dug some Tylenol out of your bathroom drawer. Hope that’s okay.”
“What would you like for dinner, Gio? Coral is getting hungry.”
Gio rubs his head then drags his hands down his face. His skin looks sallow. “I’d like a giant steak and a baked potato, but I doubt I can stomach much more than chicken soup.”
Liam opens a drawer and pulls out several different colored papers, thumbing through them, eventually discarding all but the bright pink one. “Here, Marcy’s Diner. They have soup, salads, baked potatoes, chicken. I’ll get us a variety.”
He pats his pockets and frowns. “Damn, no phone. Let me go next door and borrow theirs.”
Liam takes off with the paper, and Gio limps back over to the couch. “Hey Coral, come here. I want to show you something.”
I hurry over and sit down beside him. Gio picks up a small, black rectangle covered in colorful, raised bumps. He holds it up in the air and presses one. Suddenly, loud voices fill the air. I jump and then yelp when I see huge faces appear on the wall.
Chapter 5
I tiptoe cautiously over to the wall, but the faces disappear. Gio pushes another button, and the voice gets quieter. Several different pictures flash in front of me, making my head spin.
“Hello?” I say when another face appears, but the person keeps talking and doesn’t look at me. When I get closer, I see that the face is inside a black rectangle, and a flat surface separates me from the person behind it. It looks like a window, but there’s a window beside it, and the view is totally different.
“They can’t see you, Coral. It’s not a window. It’s a television screen. A TV.”
“TV?” I reach out to touch the cool glass.
Gio tries to explain it, but I don’t know the meaning of most of the words — recording, camera, studio, broadcast, signal, entertainment. None of it makes any sense. I’m so caught up in what he’s saying, I don’t notice when Liam returns until he sits down next to Gio.
“Think of it this way, Coral. You like to hear stories about our lives, right?” Liam asks, and I nod.
“Well, everyone likes stories. So humans make up stories and act them out for other people to watch. Then they show them on the TV.”
“Here, let’s find something you’ll like.” Gio presses buttons again, and the pictures on the TV change rapidly. Eventually, he stops on a story that looks different from the others.
“The people don’t look real.” I peer at the brightly-colored images.
“They’re not. Someone drew these pictures. It’s called a cartoon,” Liam explains.
I gasp when a mermaid flashes on the screen and rush over to the television. My fingers trace her tail as she swims.
“This story is about a mermaid who falls in love with a human. She makes a deal with a sea witch so she can go on land. She trades her voice for legs.”
Chills race up and down my body. This story is eerily similar to mine. “I thought humans didn’t believe in mermaids.”
“They don’t. They think it’s just a myth, a story that people like to tell. A long time ago, people used to say that they’d seen mermaids, but no one has ever caught one, as far as we know.”
I nod, not surprised. It’s been many years since my mother’s desertion motivated my grandfather to curse the mermaids so they couldn’t stay on land for more than five days. At least, that’s what we were led to believe. No one before me was willing to risk not coming back. I wonder what would happen if they knew the curse was a lie? Would other mermaids choose to abandon the sea in favor of life on land?
I can understand why Grandfather doesn’t want that, but deceiving the merfolk doesn’t seem like the right answer, either. There’s got to be a better way to ensure the continuation of our species without stealing our freedom.
I jump when several hard knocks pound on the door.
“That should be the food.” Liam hurries to the door.
A man in a bright pink shirt with the word Marcy’s printed on the breast holds out two white bags. Liam pulls something from his pocket and exchanges i
t for the bags. “Thanks. Keep the change.”
The man nods, and Liam closes the door, stirring the air and sending a waft of something delicious floating towards me.
“Man, that smells good,” Gio croaks as Liam carries the food over to the couch.
Liam encourages me to try everything, and I’m curious but wary. The roasted chicken reminds me of the birds we ate on the island sometimes, and the baked potato is simple but satisfying. But Gio’s soup looks too strange to be appetizing.
“Go on, try it, Coral. It’s really good.” Gio holds out a spoonful of the steaming liquid. Different colored chunks float in it, along with something they call a noodle that looks like a worm. I smash my lips together and shake my head.
Gio laughs at me. “You’re brave enough to leave the sea and pretend to be a human, but chicken soup is too much for you, huh?”
“Maybe she’s just reached her limit for now. It’s been a pretty traumatic few days. We have to remember how new all this is to her.” Liam strokes my upper arm. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Coral. Don’t be afraid to say no if we’re pushing you too hard.”
I nod and curl up, putting my arms around my knees. I want to be brave and adventurous, but I’m exhausted from the stress even though I haven’t done much today. Gio reaches out and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry, Coral. I didn’t mean to pick on you.”
I give him a forgiving smile and cuddle up against him. We watch the story about the mermaid till the movie ends and Gio falls asleep again.
“I liked that, Liam. Do humans have any other stories about mermaids?”
“Yes, lots of countries have legends about mermaids. Let’s see…” He gets up and walks over to a corner of the room then pulls something off a shelf.
“What’s that?” I head over, curious.
“This is a book about mythology. I think there’s a section on mermaids in here.”
“A book?” I remember seeing books in the guys’ memories about school. I peek over Liam’s shoulder and gasp at all the images of mermaids on the page.
“Here, listen to this.” Liam starts to read to me about the different mermaid legends — the marrow, the finfolk, the selkie, the iara.
I try to follow along, but there are too many tiny words packed together in large groups, and so many I don’t know. The guys taught me the alphabet, and I’ve been learning how to spell a lot of words, but when I try to decipher what the book says, it makes my head roll like I’m caught in a tidal wave.
“Stop!” I slap my hand on top of the book, overwhelmed by all the words and the terrifying stories. Liam flinches and looks up at me.
“None of these stories are true. They all make mermaids sound bad, dangerous. We’re not like that, Liam.”
He shuts the book and puts it back on the shelf then turns and slides his hands around my hips. “I know, Coral. You’re incredible. I wish everyone could know the truth about you. The world would be fascinated.”
My eyes get wide, and I dig my fingers into his arms, terrified of humans discovering our kind. It’s a secret we’ve tried very hard to keep hidden. And as dangerous as human legends make us out to be, I doubt their intentions would be good.
He shakes his head, a sad smile on his face. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone. I know that’s not what you want. But you have no idea how hard it is to keep it to myself. For that reason alone, I’m glad the others know about you, too. But yet, I also wish I didn’t have to share you.”
He leans in to kiss me, sliding his hands up my back. His lips tease mine, and the heat builds between our bodies, but I long to feel his flesh against mine. I pull away for a moment and scratch my nails against his stiff shirt.
“Do we have to wear so many clothes when we’re not out where others can see us?”
Liam’s eyes get dark, and he shakes his head. I pull off my shirt and start working on the buttons on Liam’s. Liam’s eyes get wide as he stares at my breasts for a moment, then his hands jump into action, helping me unbutton his shirt. He pulls it out of his pants to get the last couple buttons then lets it drop to the floor.
My hands reach for his chest, stroking the smooth skin. He’s paler than the others, but he’s no longer the same pinkish white as the inside of a shell like he was when we first met. His chest is still the smallest of them all, but his taut muscles are firm. I trace the emerging lines with my fingers.
Liam’s hands quiver as I do. He slowly moves them from my waist to my breasts, cupping me. I can’t resist pressing my flesh to his, my nipples pebbling against his palms. His fingers slide down my sides.
On the couch, Gio murmurs and rolls over, distracting us both. When he settles into sleep again, Liam whispers, “Coral, do you want to go to my bedroom so we don’t disturb Gio?”
When I nod, Liam grabs our shirts off the floor and takes my hand, leading me to his room. He closes the door behind us. The sun is setting, spilling red and orange light across the bed, making it look like it’s on fire and reminding me of the heat that burned between us when we mated.
Liam pulls off the rest of his clothes then slides his fingers into the waistband of my pants, pushing them over the curve of my hips till they drop to my feet. I step out of them, feeling free again. I miss the weightlessness of living under the water. Humans are bound to the land and have to make an effort to move, unlike mermaids who float on the currents. The clothing makes my body feel even heavier.
Liam takes a step back, letting his eyes rove up and down my body. “So beautiful.”
He pulls me towards the bed, and we lay down in the warm pool of light. Liam leans over me, running a hand down my chest and belly and over my hip, burning a trail on my skin.
“I can’t believe I’m back here, in my own home, with you in my bed. Living on that island was like being in another world, but now that I’m home, it’s hard to believe I was ever there. But I know it was real because you’re here with me. You’re a fantasy come to life.”
I know exactly how he feels. I reach for him to prove to both of us that this is real.
Chapter 6
Voices jolt me awake. My eyes fly open, and my hands flail out beside me, trying to get my bearings. My fingers land on warm skin.
Liam mumbles beside me. “Sounds like the others are back.”
He climbs out of bed then pulls a pair of shorts out of a drawer and yanks them on. He picks up my tee shirt off the floor and tosses it to me. I pull it on but ignore the pants I wore yesterday. The shirt covers my private parts, anyway.
When Liam opens the bedroom door, Avery is standing there. A frown wrinkles his brow, and my own face mimics it. I hate it when the guys are upset with each other. “We brought donuts for breakfast.”
Avery doesn’t move out of the way, so Liam pushes past him and heads down the hallway.
“Morning, Avery.” I smile and press against him, giving him a peck on the lips, hoping to ease his annoyance. He grabs me and pulls me tight, taking several more kisses before releasing me. He smells fresh yet musky, a curious blend of scents I don’t recognize. He’s wearing jeans again, only these fit him better, and a blue shirt that matches his eyes and looks great against his messy, blond hair and golden skin.
“I missed you,” I say once he lets go.
“I’m gonna get some time alone with you even if I have to rent a hotel to do it. Liam’s had more than his fair share,” Avery mutters.
“Are you going to take me shopping today?” I know he’s been looking forward to doing that.
His scowl softens. “Yeah, would you like that?”
“I’d like to be with you.” I have no idea what shopping is like, but I want to experience the things that Avery enjoys, and I want to make sure I spend time with each of them so they don’t get too jealous of each other. Keeping them all happy is my number one goal.
Avery strokes my hair and gives me another kiss before leading me to the kitchen. The others are standing around, eating something
soft and round.
“Hey, there’s our princess!” Jude grabs me and lifts me up in a giant hug then twirls me around before setting me down. I squeeze him back as hard as I can, pressing my body against his soft flesh.
“You gotta try this, Coral. These are donuts, the most delicious junk food you’ll ever eat.”
“Junk food?”
“Yep, no nutritional value, but tasty as hell.”
He grabs a donut from the orange and pink box and hands it to me. It’s covered in something brown, and a dab of yellow is squirting from a hole in the side. I tentatively lick the brown and yellow parts then take a small bite. My teeth sink into the squishy pastry, and overwhelming sweetness explodes in my mouth, coating my tongue.
“Amazing, huh?”
I nod and choke down the chewy glob then force myself to take another bite out of courtesy.
“So, what are we doing today?” Jude grabs another donut and takes a huge bite.
“I need to go see my parents, let them know I’m alive. Can one of you stay here with Gio and Coral?” Liam looks at Jude and Avery.
Avery pouts. “I want to take Coral shopping. She needs some clothes, and I want some time with her.”
Jude shrugs, wiping yellow goo from the corner of his lips. “I can hang out here with Gio. I’m not into shopping, anyway.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Liam nods.
“Aren’t you going to finish your donut, Coral?” Jude glances at my half-eaten breakfast.
“It’s really sweet.” I wince, hoping I’m not hurting his feelings.
To my relief, Jude laughs. “Yeah, I suppose since you’ve never had sugar before, it probably is. Here, wash it down with some milk.”
He pours white liquid from a large container into a glass. I sniff it, but the odor is mild, so I take a sip. It’s cool and creamy, but something about it curdles my stomach. I can’t help the grimace that twists my face.
“You don’t like milk, either, huh? Guess that’s pretty foreign, too.”
“She got grossed out by my chicken noodle soup last night.” Gio smirks. He’s leaning on the counter for support, but he looks healthier today.
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