The Mermaid's Journey_A Reverse Harem

by Kellie McAllen

  I hope they’re not disappointed in me. I’m trying to fit in, trying to like what they like, but some of it is just too strange.

  “Avery, you better get this girl some sushi for lunch. Seems like she doesn’t appreciate fine American cuisine.” Jude chucks me under the chin with a smile.

  I wrap my arms around his side and trace my fingers over the letters on his shirt. It says, “0 days without sarcasm.”

  “What’s sarcasm, Jude?”

  “The lowest form of wit,” Liam answers at the same time Gio says, “Pretty much everything Jude says.” Jude laughs along with them.

  “I need some water; my mouth feels sticky,” I say when my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

  Liam grabs a glass from the cupboard and presses it to a spot on the fridge. I gape when it magically fills with water, but Liam hands it to me like it was nothing. “Would you like to brush your teeth, Coral?”

  I’ve heard the guys talk about that, so I agree out of curiosity. I follow Liam to the bathroom where he grabs something out of the drawer and then tears it open, pulling out a thin, red stick. He takes a tube and squirts a thick, blue substance onto the bristly, white tip then hands it to me.

  “Scrub your teeth with this, and it will make your mouth feel cleaner, especially after all that sugar.”

  I eye it cautiously but bare my teeth and press it to them, moving it back and forth while Liam loads up his own brush. As soon as the toothpaste hits my tongue, my mouth falls open and my eyes go wide. The flavor is so strong it stings my tongue. My breath feels cold against my lips. I spit out the paste and grab the cup sitting next to the sink, guzzling down the water.

  “Too strong for you?” Liam grins at me.

  I look up at him through watering eyes and nod my head, wiping the foam from my lips.

  When I come back out, Avery has a chair set out in the middle of the living room. “Coral, come sit. I want to cut your hair.”

  I stand still and pull a lock of hair over my shoulder, twisting it. Mermaids don’t cut their hair, but most of the women I’ve seen do have shorter hair than mine. Is that how humans prefer their hair? “Why do you want to cut it off? Don’t you like it?”

  His face crinkles in a wide smile. “I love it, Coral. I’m not going to cut it all off, I’m just going to cut a little bit so it looks even prettier. I promise you’ll like it. Will you trust me?”

  It’s true that my hair looks very different here on land than it does in the sea. And I do trust Avery. I slowly tiptoe over to the chair and sit down, staring up at him with wide eyes.

  “I’d take you to the salon I worked at before, but they’ve probably rented my booth to someone else, so this will have to do for now.”

  He pulls something out of his pocket and holds it up. “I want to take before and after pics. Smile!”

  I smile at him, and a bright light flashes, blinding me for a moment.

  Avery drapes a cloth around me, fastening it at my neck, then takes a comb and runs it through my hair, smoothing out the knots. Hair gets tangled a lot more easily on land than it does under water, I’ve noticed.

  Avery picks up a lock of hair and shows it to me. “See how the ends of your hair are a lot thinner and more scraggly than the rest of it? I’m just going to clean those up a bit and put in a few layers so it lays nicely.”

  The others are standing around, watching. They don’t seem concerned. They must’ve all had this done at one point, since their hair is so short. I guess if they think it’s worth it, I can handle the pain.

  I nod and grab the arms of the chair, squeezing my eyes shut, my heart thumping so wildly I’m sure they can see it through the thin cape.

  Chapter 7

  I hear a soft snick then another and another, but the pain never comes. Eventually, my eyes pop open. “I don’t feel anything, Avery.”

  He stops cutting and looks at me. “Huh?”

  “Why can’t I feel anything? Shouldn’t it hurt?”

  Avery’s face crumples and he covers his mouth to stifle his laugh. “You thought it would hurt? Oh Coral, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that’s what you were afraid of. No, it doesn’t hurt at all. And it grows back, too, in case you don’t like it.”

  I give a small sigh, letting out a breath, and Avery picks up where he left off. I should’ve known he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. He told me I could trust him, and I do. A few snips of hair fall on my lap, and I pick them up and examine them before letting them flutter to the ground.

  A few minutes later, Avery combs my hair again then pulls off the cape. “All done, Coral. Go have a look.”

  I bend my head, noticing that my hair doesn’t fall as far down my chest as it used to, but the ends look thicker and neater. When I look up, all the guys are smiling.

  Liam touches my hair. “You look great, Coral. Even more beautiful than before.”

  “Smokin’ hot, babe.” Jude winks at me.

  “Go look in the mirror,” Avery prods.

  I walk to the bathroom and hold my breath as I flick on the light. The girl in the mirror looks like me, only better. Her dark hair swoops across her forehead and drapes softly around her shoulders, hanging in pretty layers over her breasts. I run my fingers through it with a smile.

  Avery pokes his head around the door. “What do you think?”

  “I love it, Avery. Thank you.” I throw my arms out and hug him, knocking him backwards a step and squeezing an oomph out of him.

  “You’re welcome, Princess. Thanks for trusting me.” He pulls back so I can see his smile then flashes me again with the bright light.

  “What are you doing?” I ask once the stars disappear.

  “I’m taking your picture. See?” He turns the device towards me. I gasp when I see my face on the screen. He swipes a finger across it, and another picture appears, this one from before the haircut.

  “Now I can look at you whenever I want, even if you’re not around.” Avery grins. I kind of want to ask him if I can get one of those gadgets so I can take pictures of all the guys, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to work it, so I don’t bother.

  When we come out, Liam is running a hand through his own hair. “Think you can do mine, too? I could really use a trim.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Avery holds his hand out towards the chair, and Liam sits down.

  Liam’s hair isn’t very long, so I watch with interest as Avery pulls small sections of hair through a comb and snips off the ends, moving methodically around Liam’s head. He’s concentrating, but the smile on his face and the bounce in his step tells me he loves this.

  When Avery’s done, Liam looks like he did the first day I met him, his black hair trimmed neatly around his ears and the back of his neck. The top part is still longer, but it no longer flops in between his eyes. I kind of miss that, even though he looks very handsome like this.

  “Anybody else?” Avery shakes the hair off the cape. “Jude? Those curls are getting a little out of control.”

  Jude smirks and shakes his floppy curls, sitting down in the chair. “Yeah, I suppose. Just don’t make me look like orphan Annie, okay dude?”

  Avery chuckles and goes to work snipping. A few minutes later, Jude’s brown curls hang casually around his head instead of sticking up like bushy coral. Avery digs in the bag he brought and pulls out a thin packet, handing it to Jude.

  “Here, this is a deep conditioning treatment I brought for Coral. I think you need it more than she does. I’ll get another one for her.”

  Jude rolls his eyes but sticks it in his pocket.

  “How about you, Gio? Want a buzz? I brought my clippers, just in case.”

  “No!” I squeak out before he has a chance to respond, remembering the coarse stubble that coated Gio’s head when he first showed up on the island. It made him look hard and mean. I like the bit of length he has now.

  “You don’t want me to cut my hair, Princess?” Gio quirks an eyebrow at me.

  “Not all of it. I like
to run my fingers through it.” I demonstrate, eliciting a soft moan.

  “I can just clean it up a bit but leave the length if you want,” Avery offers.

  Gio looks at me and shakes his head, grinning. “I suppose.”

  Avery helps Gio into the chair then shapes his overgrown hair into an attractive style. I can’t help smiling at how good the guys look now. Avery’s blond hair is still long, but it suits him.

  A bit later, Avery and I are ready to leave, but when I follow him to the door, he stops me. “Uh, you can’t go barefoot. You’re going to need some shoes.”

  He looks at everyone’s feet, coming to the same conclusion as me — mine are much smaller than everyone else’s.

  “I have an idea.” Liam walks towards his bedroom.

  “Flip flops. Yeah, that might work,” Avery says when Liam drops the shoes by my feet.

  “Here, Coral, just slide your feet under the straps making sure this part goes next to your big toe.” Avery lifts my foot and guides it into the shoe then helps me with the other one. A long flap sticks out behind my heel.

  Avery shakes his head and chuckles, glancing up and down my body. “Girl, we’ve got to work on this wardrobe. It’s a good thing you’re so cute, because this look is a hot mess.”

  I blush and wonder if he’s embarrassed to be seen with me, but then he takes my hand and kisses my cheek.

  Avery opens the door and starts to walk down the hallway, but as soon as I move my feet, I stumble and fall into him.

  “Whoa, you okay?” He catches me before I hit the ground. The shoes are laying behind me.

  “I guess you probably need a lesson in how to walk in these, huh?” He chuckles and slides the shoes back on me then wraps his arm around my waist.

  I pick one foot up off the floor, and the shoe flops down, dangling from my toes. When I put my foot down, it’s half off the shoe. When I lift the other foot, the shoe slides off completely. I growl. It’s like having a fin I can’t control.

  “Don’t lift your feet so high. Just take baby steps at first, okay?” Avery shows me how to shuffle my feet till I get the hang of it. Eventually, I’m able to walk almost normally, although my toes start to hurt from digging in to the sole of the shoe.

  We eventually make it to the parking garage where Avery’s car is parked. The black stripe down the side of the red car matches the black seats. It’s not as fancy as Liam’s, but the inside is clean and smells strongly like Avery does today. I take a deep whiff, trying to identify it.

  “What’s that smell?”

  Avery looks stricken. “It’s my cologne. Why? Don’t you like it?”

  I shake my head. “No, it’s really nice. What’s cologne?”

  Avery grins. “Its something you spray on yourself so you’ll smell better.”

  I lean over and stick my nose in the curve of Avery’s neck, breathing deeply. “It’s nice, but you always smelled just fine to me.”

  Avery laughs and shakes his head. “No showers, no deodorant, no toothpaste for months on end? I’m pretty sure I smelled the opposite of nice, but I’m glad you didn’t mind.”

  He reaches over to squeeze my knee, sliding his hand along my thigh. “I kind of wish we could’ve stayed on the island, but I’m so glad you came back with us, Coral. Everything will be better with you around.”

  “You’re not happy you’re home?”

  He sighs and gives me a small smile. “It’s hard to be a human sometimes. Life on the island was a lot easier. Here, you have to worry about family and jobs and money and fitting in.”

  I furrow my brow. I understand some of that, especially the family part. I have mixed feelings about my own. “Were you glad to see your family again?”

  Avery stares out the windshield and grits his jaw. “I love my parents, I just wish they could love me for who I am instead of wishing I was someone else. When I told them we found some treasure, my dad said, ‘Good, you can finally quit that sissy beauty shop job.’ They just don’t understand what’s important to me.”

  I mimic his actions, laying my hand on his leg. “I’m sorry, Avery. You’re very good at cutting hair. I wish they could see that. I think you’re perfect just the way you are. You make me feel… treasured.”

  It’s true. All four of the guys are so different from each other, but I wouldn’t have them any other way. Avery is kind and gentle, Jude makes me laugh, Liam is brilliant, and Gio is strong and protective. I love everything about them, and I can’t imagine one man being all those things.

  Avery’s face softens. “Thank you, Coral. That means a lot to me. I wish the rest of the world could see it the same way. And you are treasured. Even if we’d never found the gold, finding you was treasure enough.”

  Avery pulls into an area packed with cars, in front of a sprawling building. We park, and Avery takes my hand as we head inside.

  “What is this place, Avery?”

  “This a mall. It’s full of stores where you can buy the things you need.”

  “Like food?” I remember how Liam said he needed to go shopping.

  Avery quirks his lip. “No, not exactly. Although you can get some food here. But mainly this is where you buy clothes.”

  I gasp and swing my head from side to side when we step inside. The building is enormous, with stores up and down either side and a large area crammed with people in the middle. A thousand different colors, scents, and sounds assault my senses, overwhelming me, making it hard to breathe. It reminds me of the hospital with all the people going every which way.

  “Do you know all these people?” There are more humans in this building than there are merfolk in the entire shoal.

  Avery laughs. “No, I don’t know any of them. This is a really big city.”

  The crowd swallows us as Avery pulls me into it, dodging people and passing store after store. I crane my neck to look into them, amazed at the racks filled with clothes.

  “I’m thinking dresses are more your style, but casual ones. What do you think?”

  I widen my eyes and shrug my shoulders.

  “Oh, like that one!” Avery drags me into one of the stores and grabs a garment hanging from a rack. It’s red with small, white flowers on it. He holds it up to me and roves his eyes up and down.

  “Perfect. Red is definitely your color. Do you like it?”

  “It’s pretty,” I murmur, rubbing the soft material.

  “Let’s see, I think this medium will work, but let’s take a small, too, just in case.” He flicks through the row of identical dresses then pulls another one from the back.

  Then he heads deeper into the store, weaving between the racks, stopping occasionally to finger something. He picks out two more dresses, a pair of jeans, some shorts, and a couple shirts. He’s smiling and energetic like he’s having a great time, and his happiness and excitement rub off on me, even though I don’t really care much about clothes. There are other people in the store, but it’s not nearly as crowded as the hallway, so I don’t feel so overwhelmed. Soft music floats through the air, calming me.

  When we get to the back of the store, Avery asks a woman if we can use a dressing room. She nods and leads us down a short hallway then opens a door to a small space with a large mirror and a bench along one wall. Avery shuts the door, hangs the clothes on a hook on the wall, and plops down on the bench.

  “Okay, babe. Let’s see how you look when you’re dressed like a girl.”

  Chapter 8

  I yank my shirt over my head then slip my loose pants off my hips, leaving myself naked. Avery makes a noise in the back of his throat and gawks at me. “Damn, girl, that was hot. But we should probably get you some underwear. I’ll be right back.”

  He leaves me alone for a few moments, so I stare at myself in the full-length mirror, twisting and turning, checking out my human body. Is it normal? I’ve seen lots of people already, but I’ve been too distracted to examine them very closely. So far, their thoughts about me have centered on why I look so bedraggled, but
once I’m dressed like them, will I be able to blend in?

  I jump when Avery swings open the door. He has some tiny garments in his hands, and he helps me put the chest covering over my breasts. It’s softer than my shell bra, in a pretty, purple color with a design that swirls around the cups.

  “Do you like it? There are panties to match, but you’re not allowed to try those on.”

  “It’s pretty.” I run my fingers over the edges.

  “That’s lace,” Avery says.

  He pulls the red dress off the hanger and slips it over my head, tugging it down my body. Thin straps go over my shoulder, then the dress skims my chest and flares out around my hips.

  “What do you think, Coral?”

  “I like it. It’s light and I can move my arms and legs.” I twist my body, causing the skirt to swirl around my thighs.

  Avery chuckles. “Okay, but what about how it looks?”

  I glance in the mirror and don’t notice anything obviously wrong with it, but how should I know? I don’t know anything about clothes. Is this what people wear?

  I shrug. “Good? I don’t know. What do you think?”

  “I think you look amazing.” Avery stands up and moves behind me, his hands skimming along my sides, sending shivers up and down my body.

  “These straps show off your nice shoulders, this bodice makes your breasts look great, and the cut emphasizes your curves. Plus, this color is great on you.”

  He spins me around, his hands wrapping around my waist, then teases my lips with soft kisses. When I drape my arms over his shoulders, he pulls me closer till my body is pressed tight against his. Avery burrows his hands into my hair, tilting my head so his lips align with mine. He tastes faintly of the sweet donuts we ate for breakfast. I like it a lot better on his breath.

  He sits down on the bench and pulls me into his lap, stroking my back through my hair. “God, Coral. It’s nice to be alone with you for a while. I’ve got to get my own place so I can have more time with you.”