Well, part of it was. It wasn’t all coming from inside of her, though. Part of it was from the water surrounding her. Pausing in consternation, she tried to think what might be causing it. Nothing came to mind, and she dismissed it after a moment, unable to focus on anything beyond the need to find someone, turning in a slow circle to see if she could catch a glimpse of any of the others.
Either they were a lot further away than she thought they should be, or the visibility was a lot poorer than it seemed.
She checked her gauges again, debating whether she actually wanted to move away from the only landmark she had.
She could see the closest figure pretty clearly, though. Shouldn’t she be able to spot the anchor chain if she could see that far?
Distances were really deceptive under water, though. She’d already discovered that.
Maybe she’d just take a quick look? Maybe, if she went over to the figure she could see the others?
Glancing down in search of something else to use to mark her bearings, she thought she saw a faint shimmy in the formations below her. But maybe it was just the odd waffling of the current? Or maybe it was just her? She was shivering, from the chill of the water now, not just nerves.
She’d come this far. She should at least make a push to find one of the others before giving up and returning alone, she decided.
She did not want to be stuck on that boat alone if the storm hit!
Trying to calm herself so that she wouldn’t be sucking up more oxygen than she could afford, she glanced down one last time, trying to imprint the image below her on her mind’s eye, and finally let go of the anchor chain.
She was afraid to stare down as she swam toward the image, afraid she’d lose the advantage of that one point of reference. It took longer to reach it than she’d expected and the realization slowly dawned on her that she hadn’t been mistaken. It was further away than it had seemed. As she neared it, though, she became more focused on the figure as she began to make out details she hadn’t been able to before. She’d more than half suspected that it was nothing but a formation of rock that appeared to have been formed in the shape of a man.
It wasn’t. It wasn’t even in the shape of a man.
It was a sculpture of a merman.
Intrigued despite the fear inspired adrenaline still pumping through her, she swam closer. As she drew nearer, she discovered it wasn’t just one sculpture. In the distance she could make out others. Awe began to supersede her fear.
David might have been stretching it to guess that they’d found Atlantis, but this was no illusion. It really was a sculpture, fashioned by the hand of man, not nature!
It was beautiful, she thought as she finally got close enough to see it really well!
It reminded her of Greek sculptures she’d seen in pictures and reproductions of those classic sculptures. She wasn’t certain why it did unless it was because it so faithfully depicted a man—a merman—with such accuracy of detail.
It was life-sized, too—or maybe larger than life? As she reached it at last, she discovered the figure dwarfed her. If the sculptor had used an actual living man as a model, he’d been a big man, and beautifully formed! God! She hadn’t seen a man built that impressive outside of bodybuilding magazines! His back was muscular! His arms, one of which was lifted to hold a lethal looking trident, were huge!
Surprise flickered through her as she allowed her gaze to follow the contours of his back down to the dolphin like tail. He had buttocks! Nice round ones! The fish part seemed to start around the tops of where his thighs would’ve been instead of at the waist as she would’ve expected.
That was odd! In every depiction she’d ever seen of merfolk, the upper torso was human and they were fish from the waist down.
It leapt into her mind to wonder what he looked like from the front.
Naughty, Cassie, she chided herself! But the thought had barely flashed through her mind when she pedaled forward to see if the statue was anatomically correct in every way.
Despite her suspicions, she was still startled when she discovered he was
anatomically correct—sort of. The genitalia definitely didn’t look Greek in origin. He might’ve been hung like a dolphin—she’d heard they were huge—but he definitely wasn’t hung like any human male she’d ever seen and she damned sure hadn’t ever seen a Greek statue with a dong like that!
Abruptly embarrassed at her focus, she jerked her head up and glanced around guilty. Unfortunately, she saw no sign of the other divers. Guilt gave way to consternation. She didn’t know where they were, but she wasn’t hanging around any longer! The urge to explore what looked to actually be the ruins of a city warred briefly with her chicken shit side, but the yellow streak won out. Almost with a sense of regret, she returned her attention to the statue again, allowing herself to briefly examine the beautifully sculpted torso and face.
She shouldn’t have been surprised to discover the face was as beautiful as the rest of the sculpture—angular and manly, but with features so classically perfect ‘beautiful’ came to mind before handsome did—but she was.
Greek, she thought again, definitely Greek, though how the sculpture had ended up in this area of the world was a mystery destined never to be resolved. Even the merman’s long hair seemed to be arranged in a style reminiscent of the height of the Greek era of enlightenment.
What she wouldn’t give to be able to lug this thing home and just admire it!
Even the stone that had been used to sculpt it was unusual, had an almost pink tinge to it that made it look like living flesh—except for the tail. That was a pale, grayish-bluish looking stone, very close to the same color as a dolphin and she thought it likely that was what the sculptor had used as a model—a dolphin.
Shrugging the thoughts off, she allowed her gaze to sweep over the statue one more time before she checked her gauges again, feeling real regret when she saw she’d been under as long as she dared stay.
She just wished she’d thought to bring a camera.
But then she’d been scared shitless. She hadn’t had anything on her mind but finding the others.
A shudder rippled through the water around her, this time far harder than anything she’d felt before. Her mind registered ‘quake’ even as she was pushed by the force of it against the statue. Pain shot through her as her face plate connected with the stone.
Panic followed the pain. Placing her hands on the sculpture, she shoved away from it, glancing at it to see if she’d damaged it when she’d been slammed against it.
Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw the eyes were open.
They’d been closed before, hadn’t they?
She would’ve noticed, she realized, if they’d been open.
The eyes, unfocused for a split second, abruptly focused and looked directly at her.
Cassie screamed. It emerged as a bubbling gurgle around her mouth piece and a cloud of bubbles.
Too panicked to even think about the anchor chain she’d followed down let alone to look for it, Cassie backstroked the closest approximation she could manage to a leap backwards and then shot toward the surface of the ocean, swimming for all she was worth.
She hadn’t gone far when something clamped around one of her ankles. She was so blind with panic it took her several heartbeats to realize she was no longer making any progress toward the surface of the water and several more before it dawned on her that she was tethered. The discovery when she glanced down to see what she was snagged on, however, that it was the merman she’d been admiring only succeeded in bringing her fight or flight instincts to the foreground. She was incapable of anything even approaching logical thought.
Whirling, she commenced to hammering on his head, shoulders, and arms, trying to kick him with her free leg at the same time. The drag of the water on her arms and legs not only made her blows completely ineffectual, however, it drained her of any ability to even try to fight within moments.
The panic cost her more t
han that, although she was in no state of mind to realize right away. Her swift, ragged breaths ate up her oxygen far more quickly than would’ve been the case if she hadn’t been panicked.
He released his grip on her ankle as the fight drained out of her. Shooting upwards with no more than a slight flick of his tail, he grabbed her around the waist with one arm. With his free hand, he grasped her mask and ripped it off, dropping it as soon as he’d removed it. Cassie grabbed for the mask frantically as she saw it drifting downward. She whirled to stare at him in wide eyed horror as the mask disappeared.
His expression was stern. There was a glint of curiosity in his eyes, as well, though Cassie was in no state to interpret that look at the moment. The harsh set of his features was enough to reinforce her certainty that her life was in danger—that and the fact that he’d pulled her mask off. More than half fearing he’d rip her mouth piece off next, she recommenced her struggles, this time shoving at him instead of swinging.
Ignoring her attempts to pry herself from his grip, he dove, carrying her through the water at a dizzying speed. Cassie’s terror hit a new peak as she dragged on the mouth piece and discovered she’d run out of air. Her fight this time was much more ferocious but of far shorter duration. As her lungs began to burn with the need to pull air into them, her struggles became weaker and weaker until she finally hung limply in his grip.
She still managed a half hearted attempt to fight him as he pulled her mouth piece from her mouth, but she didn’t even have enough strength left to try to fight him when he caught the back of her head with his free hand, fastened his mouth over hers, forced her lips apart and breathed into her mouth. She sucked in the air he gave her, wondering dimly if it was the shortage of air that sent a dizzying rush through her. She didn’t know or care at that moment, the only thing that mattered to her was breathing. She ceased struggling and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him, fighting now to recapture his mouth each time he lifted his head.
She didn’t have a thought to spare for anything beyond the precious breaths he gave her each time the panic of drowning swept over her again. She was dimly aware that they were moving deeper and deeper and that cold was creeping into the marrow of her bones, but there was only one focus in her life and that was getting air.
The darkness that had been steadily encroaching, growing deeper and more profound, began to lighten after a time. Cassie had no idea when that happened, only that she became aware that she wasn’t surrounded by darkness anymore. The merman slowed, paused for a few moments, and then moved forward again.
A great heaviness settled over her. Her skin, what was exposed, prickled with a sensation that seemed vaguely familiar—like air. Her mind refused to accept it, however, when it didn’t make sense to her.
She held her breath, refusing to give in to the desperate urge to breathe. Blindly, she sought the merman’s mouth again. She saw a gleam in his eyes as his head descended obligingly toward hers. When his mouth fastened over hers this time, however, it was far more than a sharing of air. His mouth clung to hers in a way that transformed it from resuscitation to kiss. Heat wafted through her as her body acknowledged the sensual nature of the touch before her brain caught on. She became acutely conscious of the taste of him even before he thrust his tongue into her mouth and raked it possessively over hers, exploring her mouth with a thoroughness that set her heart to hammering with something entirely different than fear.
She blinked up at him dizzily when he broke the contact and lifted his head to look down at her. Heat and amusement both gleamed in his pale blue eyes as he stared down at her. His hard mouth curled slowly into what was almost a smile.
Then he opened it and said something completely incomprehensible to her.
She blinked, thrown into more confusion.
Lifting his arms, he caught her legs and peeled them off. Gravity, unimpeded by the buoyancy of salt water, dragged her legs downward. The sensation finally penetrated, and she looked down to see a bright mosaic floor beneath her feet—which still hovered several inches above the surface. His hands settled on her waist as she loosened her death grip on his neck and she slid down his hard frame.
She was in a room, she realized blankly, wondering a little wildly if she’d died or was just hallucinating. How?
“Get your hands off of her, fishman!”
Mark’s voice snagged her attention, and Cassie’s head swiveled automatically in the direction of the sound. Carl, Ben, and David were struggling to hold him, she saw in dismay. A shaft of guilt went through her, and Cassie pushed the merman’s hands from her and moved away from him before it even occurred to her that she had no reason to feel guilty.
She glanced back at the merman when she’d put some distance between them, still too stunned by all that had happened to take everything in.
He was standing, though--on two legs.
Taking care not to allow her gaze to linger on his genitals, she swept her gaze upwards to his face again, puzzled. The face was the same. She’d imprinted that pretty solidly in her mind. But where was the merman’s tail?
Shaking her head to try to clear away her confusion, she retreated to the far side of the room where she saw that the diving crew was grouped. Mark snagged her as she reached him, wrapping his arms around her possessively and glaring at the merman—naked man—over the top of her head.
It didn’t occur to her to try to break his grip, but she twisted around to look at the man again.
Whatever amusement had been on his face, or that she’d thought she’d seen, was gone. His expression was hard now, his gaze speculative as it moved over Mark.
Without another word—not that she’d understood what he’d said before—he turned on his heel, strode to a doorway that looked like nothing so much as a wavering mirror—and stepped through.
Cassie felt her jaw slide to half mast.
He paused on the other side. As she watched, his legs merged, became the fish tail she’d seen before. Without glancing back, he flicked the tailfins and vanished from sight.
Slowly becoming aware that Mark was still holding her in a bruising grip, Cassie began to struggle to free herself. Reluctantly, he eased his hold on her, but he didn’t release her completely. She pushed at him until he let go, putting some distance between them before she stopped. “What’s going on here?”
Mark frowned at her. “That’s what I’d like to know. What the hell were you doing kissing that fish?”
* * * *
Raen moved to the video display when he reached the observation room. Jadin, who was already at the console studying the prisoners, glanced over at him and grinned.
What was that all about? I can not believe you, of all people, would deign to touch one of the primitives so intimately.
Raen turned to look at his long time friend, studied him for a moment, and finally shrugged. She is a land dweller. She needed air.
Jadin eyed his friend skeptically but finally decided Raen’s expression didn’t welcome teasing. They seem to have progressed quite a bit since I saw them last. How
long do you suppose we were in stasis?
Too long. I feel like hell. Do you know what brought us out?
You have not heard? Jadin asked in surprise, pleased to know he’d learned the news before his superior officer, a little puzzled, too, if it came to that. Raen wasn’t just his superior officer, he was the head of the garrison. He should’ve been informed first, but then again he appeared to have been a little preoccupied with his prisoner, he thought wryly.
Raen frowned. I assumed it was the breach in security, that they had tripped the
alert when they came in. When I came around the woman was right in front of me and all the lights were on, the alarms blaring ….
Jadin shrugged. Maybe, but everyone is awakening, not just the sentinels.
Raen dragged his attention from the woman with an effort and looked at Jadin, sensing he was bursting with excitement. They have come?
Jadin’s f
ace fell. Damn it to hell! Who told you?
Raen felt a smile tug at his lips. No one. It was just a wild guess, he retorted dryly, based upon your comment that everyone is awakening. You are certain that is
what it is?
I heard it from Kadar. He said when he roused, the communications were open and they were trying to hail us.
Raen’s expression turned wry. And there were those who doubted the Mother
world would send us succor in our hour of need!
Jadin frowned. You did not think they would? Why the hell did you agree to go
into stasis if you did not think they would send help?
Raen shrugged. I am a sentinel. It is my duty to guard the citizens of Atlantis, not
to question my superiors.
Chapter Three
Cassie felt her color fluctuate madly at the accusation in Mark’s voice. Guilt and resentment warred with embarrassment. “He’s not a fish!” she said indignantly.
Mark’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever the hell it is, it ain’t a human,” he said tightly.
Cassie had had time to wonder why her first impulse was to defend the merman.
She didn’t have time to analyze it, though, since Mark’s next comment put her on the defensive. “I ran out of air. He was breathing for me. I’d have drowned if he hadn’t.”
“You wouldn’t have nearly drowned if he hadn’t grabbed you,” Shelley pointed out.
Cassie turned to look at the woman huddled next to Linda against the wall.
“And that didn’t look like he was breathing for you … aside from the fact that he didn’t need to once you got here.”
Cassie turned a narrow eyed glare on Mark again, but she couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks. “I was still in a blind panic about not being able to breathe,” she admitted reluctantly. “I didn’t know he’d brought me to a place where I could breathe without his help.”
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