by Rinelle Grey
“Go,” she said. “I’ll be right here waiting.”
Rowan took one more look at her, searching her face, but what he saw there must have reassured him because he patted her shoulder before turning and diving into the water.
Cari watched him go, even more impressed at his swimming skills than she had been earlier. Before she’d been comparing him to a mermaid, and though he’d had obvious skill, he’d still come up lacking. But now that she had some inkling of how hard it was for a human to swim, she could admire his grace and speed without reservation.
Perhaps a little too much so. When she found herself swaying in time with his stroke, she suspected she might be more infatuated than she’d thought. But she couldn’t help it. When Rowan had been an image of a man walking on a beach, she’d already been half in love with him. Now that he was a living, breathing, kind, caring man, she had no hope.
And she couldn’t help thinking, again, maybe this was some kind of fate. What if she were meant to come here, to become human, to fall in love with him? It wasn’t outside of the realm of believability. There were stories about mermaids who saw someone and fell instantly in love. They were always other mermaids, true, but that could have more to do with their lack of knowledge about humans than anything else.
Would the mermaid mating magic work with a human?
When she’d been standing in front of her father, the thought of changing had scared her, but for some reason, when she was contemplating mating Rowan, it didn’t bother her at all. She already liked and admired him. She wasn’t in the least bit afraid of becoming more like him.
She was sure that nothing about Rowan could ever scare her. Even contemplating the possibility of being stuck as a human for the rest of her life wasn’t anywhere near as scary if she was with him.
Cari knew her father would never consider Rowan a suitable choice at all, even if the only thing that made him ineligible was his human genes.
But her father wasn’t here. And even if he was, he wouldn’t be able to help her.
The funny thing was, if she ever had any chance of getting home and seeing her father again, she was going to have to rely on Rowan to help her.
Right now she had no choice but to depend on him for everything.
And as she attempted to walk back to the sandbar to wait for him, it only emphasized that fact. For a short distance the buoyancy of the water helped her keep her balance, but as soon as she entered shallow water, she couldn’t remain upright, and she had to crawl the last bit on her hands and knees, grateful no one was nearby to see her.
She needed to do something about this. Like it or not, she had legs now. Wriggling around on her hands and knees was not proper behaviour for a mermaid princess, even one without a tail. Rowan would be a while, she should put this time to good use and learn how to walk while there was no one around to watch her.
How hard could it be?
Harder than Rowan made it look, Cari discovered as she tried balancing upright, and then taking a few steps. She fell down a lot, but she was determined to figure this out. Whenever she felt like giving up, she looked at the dragon’s tooth Rowan had given to her, that she’d tied around her neck, and she made herself try again.
She was a mermaid princess, damnit, and she could do this.
Chapter 5
Rowan swam as quickly as he could, feeling bad for leaving Cari behind. She’d clearly been unhappy with the situation, but he’d had no choice. The sooner he made it back to the boat, the sooner he could return to her.
What he was going to do with her then, he had no idea. Oh, he was certain his family would welcome her with open arms if he brought her home, especially Zara, who had been searching for a mermaid for weeks, but he somehow didn’t feel like sharing this adventure.
Damrian and Zara, Hayrian and Audrey, even Morian and Finn, they’d all had their adventures over the last few weeks as they’d met and mated their lifemates.
Rowan wanted his own adventure. It might not end in a mating ceremony, much as he liked the idea, but he’d been the one to catch this mermaid, and he didn’t intend to share her, not yet anyway.
By the time he pulled himself up the rope ladder and collapsed onto the deck of the boat, he wasn’t even thinking anymore. He was exhausted. The distance had been further than it had looked, and he’d not only swum out there and back, he’d also dived pretty deep and been chased by a shark. It wasn’t surprising it took him a few moments to catch his breath.
But he didn’t want to stop for too long. The fact that Cari was waiting for him to return propelled him into action sooner than he might normally have moved. He pulled up the anchor, set the sails, and headed back out to the edge of the reef.
He couldn’t sail all the way, of course, as the sailing ship drew too much for him to cross the coral, but he anchored as close as he could, and then lowered the lifeboat over the railing and into the water.
Before he climbed over the edge and into the lifeboat, he headed down into the cabin, and pulled out some of the spare clothes his family kept stashed there. His sister, Mora, didn’t like sailing, but now that Damrian and Zara were mated, Zara kept some of her clothes there too, so he didn’t have to offer Cari a pair of his oversized shorts. He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a towel as well.
He could see her watching from the shallows as he rowed his way across the shallow reef, standing and waving to him, and he was glad the trip wasn’t complicated because he found it hard to take his eyes off her. He was impressed she’d figured out the walking thing rather quickly… or standing anyway. For some reason the fact she’d made the effort to try made him unreasonably happy.
Rowan pulled the lifeboat into the shallows and jumped out. He gave Cari a big smile, trying to ignore the thumping of his heart caused by being near her. Perhaps Cari hadn’t been the only one worried someone might disappear. “See, no problem.”
She gave him a grateful smile back, though whether that was a reward for his effort or for not deserting her, he wasn’t sure, and wasn’t game to ask. Her half nakedness, more obvious when she was standing upright, did remind him though, and he returned to the boat and pulled out the shorts and towel he’d brought. “Here, these are for you.”
She stared at them for a moment, as though she wasn’t quite sure what they were. Which she probably wasn’t. Mermaids obviously didn’t wear shorts. Or use towels. The image of a mermaid trying to dry themselves with a towel underwater made him smile.
Cari smiled back, though she was still looking confused at the items he held.
Rowan pointed to his boardshorts. “The shorts are to wear, to cover up… uh… to cover up,” he finished lamely. There was no easy way to explain that to someone who’d never had legs before.
Cari seemed to catch on quickly. “Oh.” Her cheeks turned pink. Or rather, pinker. Rowan felt bad for not realising sooner that her pale skin would burn quickly in the sun. Not that he could have done much when they were stuck on the sandbar.
But he could now. “Here, this towel is so you don’t get burnt.” He slid the fabric around her shoulders as he spoke, wincing at how red they already looked. That was going to hurt.
That seemed to distract her. “Burnt? What do you mean?” She wrinkled her nose, and Rowan tried not to think about how cute the action was.
“You know, burnt. Like… if you get really hot.” He guessed they didn’t get burnt much under the water, from the sun or otherwise.
“You mean, like if I touch a lava tube?” Cari asked.
Lava? How deep under the ocean did the mermaids live? “Yeah, I guess so. But from the sun.” He gestured to the sun, high in the sky above them, shining down relentlessly.
Cari glanced up at it, then back to him. She didn’t look convinced. “But the sun is so far away, how could it burn me?”
That one wasn’t easy to explain. “It’s UV rays. They can burn at this distance if you’re out in the open for too long. Especially if you haven’t been out in the sun much bef
ore.”
Cari looked doubtful, but she didn’t object to the towel. Instead, she just stared at the shorts suspiciously. “How do I put these on?”
Yet another thing that was difficult to explain, especially without getting too close to her nakedness. Not that he’d mind being close, but for a different reason.
Rowan pushed those thoughts away, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “Uh, you put one leg in, then the other, then pull them up.”
Cari didn’t look any more certain than she had a few minutes ago. Rowan wasn’t quite sure how to explain it any further.
“Here, like this.” He took the shorts from her, held them out in front of him, then put one leg in to show her.
Unfortunately, his leg was rather larger than Zara’s, and it got stuck part way in. Rowan tried to pull it out, and lost his balance, falling over and landing on his butt in the sand.
Cari stared at him for a moment, then started to giggle. “Yes, I imagine that is exactly how it would go if I tried to do that.”
Rowan stared at her for a moment, then he started to laugh too. “Maybe it’s better if you sit down to do it.”
As Cari nodded and sat down, Rowan deliberately turned away. Best not to even look. He could hear the shuffling of clothes. It seemed to take quite a while, but finally Cari said, “You can turn around now.”
When he turned back, to his relief, Cari had done a good job of covering up. He was glad he no longer had to avert his eyes constantly. It had been getting tricky to do it subtly.
Apparently he hadn’t been subtle enough though, because Cari asked, “Is it wrong for me to not wear clothes on my legs?”
“Um… Uh…” Rowan stammered. “Well, you wouldn’t… you wouldn’t take your top off…” he waved to the bright orange bikini top she wore, “Just anywhere, would you?”
Cari shook her head. “No, not unless I was with someone I intended to mate.” The look she gave him was hot, intense, like she might consider him someone she intended to mate. It took Rowan’s breath away for a few moments.
“Um, no, of course not,” Rowan stammered. “Humans don’t either, top or bottom.”
“Are human legs like breasts?” Cari looked down at his own legs, as though searching for something.
Rowan’s cheeks heated again. “Kind of, yes. Not the legs, but…”
He wasn’t normally a prude. He could talk about sex matter-of-factly with the women he’d been with, but this was different. For one, he wasn’t in a relationship with Cari. Yeah, that was why it was difficult.
Rowan suspected it had more to do with the fact he’d really like to be.
“Look, we can talk about that later,” he said quickly. “Right now, we need to get back to the boat and get home.”
Cari’s face fell. “I can’t go home, not while I have legs.”
Rowan berated himself. He’d succeeded in distracting her from the uncomfortable conversation, but reminding her she was stuck a long way from home and didn’t know how to get back wasn’t the way he’d intended to do it.
Of course she wanted to get to her home, not his. She had family there. Probably a lot of people who adored her and missed her if she was a princess. Maybe even someone who wanted to be her mate. Maybe that was who she was thinking of, not him.
Rowan pushed away that thought, and the jealousy that it inspired.
Her home was familiar and safe. She was probably scared of how different everything was here. And he didn’t blame her. It wasn’t fair for him to wish she’d want to stay.
He knew that deep in his heart, no matter how much he wanted it not to be true. He ached to ask her to stay, just for a while, but that wouldn’t be fair either. Maybe, just maybe, if he helped her solve this problem, she might visit him again in the future. That was the best outcome he could hope for.
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” he promised, hoping against hope he’d find a way to fulfil that promise. “Until then, you can stay with me.”
“Are you sure?” Cari asked doubtfully. “That wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for you?” The look she gave him had plenty of heat and indicated she understood more than enough about sex in general.
And it definitely indicated she didn’t already have a mate, didn’t it?
Rowan swallowed. “I can manage,” he said. “I promise I’ll be the perfect gentleman and keep my distance, even if you aren’t wearing clothes.”
Cari blushed, and Rowan felt his cheeks burning too. Now where had that come from? He hadn’t intended to flirt, but that sounded an awful lot like flirting.
“I’ll make sure I dress appropriately now I know what to do,” Cari assured him. She paused for a moment, then said, “Mermaids take mating very seriously since it has long term consequences for us.”
Was that directed at him? Was it a hint or a warning?
Either way, he wasn’t surprised at the statement. “Mating has long term consequences for dragons, too, so I understand,” he assured her.
But Cari looked confused. “But… you aren’t a dragon, are you?”
Rowan shook his head. “No, I’m not, but my stepfather and my three half-siblings are. When dragons mate, they form a magical bond that ties them together for life, so they want to be very sure they’ve chosen the right person before they take that step.”
Cari nodded solemnly. “It’s kind of like that for mermaids too.”
She stared into his eyes, and this time he didn’t miss the heat in her stare. Against all logic, and despite the problems and risks it obviously posed, he had no doubt she was as interested as he was.
Rowan’s heart thumped loudly in the silence.
Chapter 6
Cari could almost feel the sexual tension in the air. It flowed over both of them, filling her with a delicious warmth. She was a little shocked by how tempted she was. She’d always felt mating was a serious business, not something to do on impulse.
But right now, she felt a very strong urge to mate with Rowan. And explaining how serious the repercussions could be had only made her want it more.
She shouldn’t be surprised. She’d been dreaming about Rowan for years. And now that she was a human, there was a very real chance they could actually be together. Her biggest dream was standing right in front of her, and all she had to do to have it was give up being a mermaid forever.
For a moment, she let herself believe it was possible, let herself think she could settle down with him and maybe have a family. Men didn’t seem to be lacking up here on the surface, so they might not worry if she mated one of theirs.
If she was with Rowan, maybe she’d be okay with never going home or visiting Laquaria or seeing her father or her sisters? Maybe she’d learn to live without her tail?
Rowan cleared his throat, interrupting her dream and bringing her back to reality. “Are you ready to go?” The heat was gone, though his kindness wasn’t. He smiled at her and indicated the boat.
He was right. They needed to get off this sandbar and out of the sun. Now that he’d mentioned the sun’s ability to burn, Cari could feel the heat in her skin, even through the towel around her shoulders. It was as hot as any lava tube she’d ever been near, maybe hotter. Suddenly being up here on the surface didn’t seem quite so benign if even the warm, welcoming sun could burn.
Cari followed Rowan back to the little boat and climbed into it awkwardly while he held it. Rowan climbed in behind her, the boat rocking at his presence, and pushed off.
It wasn’t far back to the bigger boat, but the ride was long enough for Cari to question why she’d ever thought being a human might have advantages. She began to regret how much she’d revealed to Rowan. Why had she mentioned mating? Why had she told him how seriously mermaids took it? Why was she even letting herself dream about mating him?
She didn’t know anything about the human world. There were dangers here she couldn’t even see. Her lack of understanding about their clothes and what was appropriate clearly demonstrated that. How could she possibly
consider mating and remaining here?
Then there was her place as queen back in Laquaria. A few hours ago she would have thought nothing about abandoning the position and giving it to one of her sisters, but perversely, now that she was stuck as a human, she suddenly felt like she was losing something she wanted.
Something she might even have been good at.
Cari hesitated, torn between two possibilities. She felt, for the first time, like she had a destiny to be queen. Why was she suddenly feeling this now when it almost appeared impossible?
She could hardly be queen of Laquaria if she were a human.
But as they came alongside the sailing boat, she realised she had a more immediate problem.
“How am I supposed to get up there?” She stared up at the deck looming above them.”
“The ladder.” Rowan waved to a rope and some sticks that hung down the side of the boat.
Cari looked at it doubtfully. “How is that supposed to help?”
Rowan’s smile was calm and reassuring. “I’ll show you. Don’t worry.”
He pulled alongside the ladder, then reached out to grab it. He held it steady and waved to Cari. “You just pull with your hands and push with your feet. I’ll be right behind you, I promise. I won’t let you fall.”
His words comforted Cari. His presence was the one thing that made being a human even vaguely appealing, and made her feel better about attempting to climb the strange ladder thing. If he said he wouldn’t let her fall, then she knew he wouldn’t. He had, after all, done everything he’d said he would so far. So she took a deep breath, and used the ladder to pull herself to her feet.
The boat swayed in the water as she moved.
“Careful,” Rowan said, holding out a hand to grab her as though he thought she might fall.
But the swaying of the boat didn’t bother Cari. In fact, it was reassuring. She’d lived all her life with the swell of the waves around her. “I’m okay,” she told Rowan as she grasped the next stick in the ladder and tentatively put one foot up.