by Vivian Arend
He sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. Joshua sat beside them and lifted her feet onto him so she lay covering them both.
“If you want to make it official that we’re your chosen consorts, you need to announce it in public before the pod,” Anthony said.
“I simply call a meeting and tell everyone I’m the new leader and I’m sleeping with both of you?” Alexia dropped her head on Anthony’s chest and Joshua marveled at how quickly she could relax after getting upset.
“Almost. You’ll need to prove you can change as well.” Joshua scratched his chin. “Anthony, how long does she have until she has to make an open call?”
“An open call? Is that what you blocked the first time I went to the ocean with the medallion?” Alexia asked.
Joshua nodded. “You go in the water under the moonlight, and the unpartnered men of the pod will arrive hoping that you’ll select them as a lover, if not your consort.” She wiggled uncomfortably and Joshua soothed her. “They’ll show up but all you have to do is select us. It’s that simple and it will be enough to claim us as well. Not everyone eligible will even come since you’ve shown a preference for Anthony and me. Only those who want to challenge us.”
She grunted in disgust. “Michael.”
Anthony nodded. “Probably, but being shut down in front of the rest of them will be the final time you have to worry about him. Once you deny him publicly, the rest of the pod will defend you and ostracize him if he even breathes wrong in your direction.”
“What about the attack the other day? How in the hell did he get away with that one?” Alexia asked.
Joshua sighed and rose to his feet. Work commitments were finally forcing him to the shop for a few hours to finish packaging and shipping some orders. “He said it was a misunderstanding and an accident. In fact he accused Thomas of trying to hurt you and said that he was coming to your defense. Since you’re not officially matriarch yet, it’s one of those ‘he said she said’ situations. ”
“Thomas? The one who pulled me out of the way so Michael couldn’t hurt me? What a bunch of crap,” Alexia snapped. “I am bloody sick of Michael and his plotting. Fine, I’ll let it go this time, but I mean it, the sooner we take care of him the better.”
*
Anthony parked in front of Joshua’s shop, hurrying to open the door for Alexia. She slid past him, her sweet scent making his mouth water as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Hey, Teach.”
Anthony turned to see one of his students leaning against a post outside the shop, his hand wrapped in a light bandage. The youth approached and dipped his head respectfully to them both. “Lady Alexia. Good to see you weren’t hurt the other day.”
“You’re Thomas, aren’t you?” Alexia asked. “Thank you. If it weren’t for your quick thinking, I would have been badly hurt.” Anthony smiled as he heard the same tones of authority in Alexia’s voice that had always been present in Victoria’s. It was becoming clearer and clearer Alexia was ready to lead.
Thomas smiled and bowed slightly, then turned to Anthony. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?”
Alexia squeezed his hand and winked before disappearing into Joshua’s shop. Anthony watched her hips sway as she left, his body aching to take her home and bury himself in her again. He turned to see Thomas grinning from ear to ear.
“So it’s true. You’ve got the hots for her, don’t you?” the youth asked.
“Shut up.” Anthony thumped him good-naturedly on the arm and pointed down the boardwalk. They walked as he asked, “What’s the news?”
Thomas cleared his throat. “Two things. Did you know Mr. Marley, the big-shot lawyer, is spreading the rumor Alexia is unable to change and unfit to be matriarch?”
Anthony cursed under his breath. “Where in the hell did you hear that?”
“I work at the Pub and Grub as a dishwasher, and no one notices who’s clearing tables. A bunch of the old farts were debating if Alexia had enough merfolk blood, what with being half human and her mother never able to change. Then someone wondered if the fact she grew up away from Jaffrey’s Cove and the rest of the pod would affect her ability to gain what she needs. One old-timer brought up the rumor you had to live at the shore for ten years straight before absorbing enough of the chemicals. You know how those men gossip like grannies. Soon the whole place was discussing it, and Marley happens to mention that without the strongest consort possible he feared Alexia will never transform and the whole pod will end up in chaos.” Thomas kicked a shell from the side of the boardwalk. “He’s such an asshole.”
“He’s still your elder. Don’t call him that in public,” Anthony corrected, although he agreed one hundred percent with the sentiment. Michael was nothing but a dick and Anthony was getting thoroughly sick of him.
Thomas sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, sir. Anyway, we wanted to let you know we don’t think it’s going to be an issue. All the kids who changed for the first time this summer, they say Lady Alexia is nearly ready to transform. When we tracked you the other day, she was definitely showing signs, and they’re pretty observant about that kind of thing since they just went through it.”
Anthony nodded. “I thought Alexia was nearly ready, but it’s good to know others see it as well. Anything else?”
Thomas grinned. “We all think she rocks. It’s going to be great to have a new matriarch who’s not a fossil. Not that Lady Victoria wasn’t cool, but with Alexia and you and Joshua as consorts, things will be sweet around here.”
As much as he knew he should reprimand the youth, Anthony couldn’t find it in him to lay down the law, especially when he agreed with every word. “She hasn’t accepted us publicly yet, you know.”
“She will.” They were back at the shop and Thomas stared in the window where they saw Joshua and Alexia snuggling close. “Crap, she’s a babe. I wish I was old enough—”
“But you’re not, Thomas, so chill, or whatever the current lingo is. Keep your eyes in your head and your wits about you. You’ve done a couple of good things for her now, and she won’t forget it.” Anthony moved in closer to the youth and let his possessive feelings for Alexia rise to the surface. “Don’t push it any further or I’ll give you reason to regret it.”
Thomas swallowed hard for a minute. He backed away, dropping his eyes respectfully.
“Is your hand okay?” Anthony pointed to the bandage, letting the youth off the hook. Heck, he remembered what it felt like to be seventeen and around Alexia.
The youth’s chin flipped up and he grinned maliciously. “This? Just a scratch. Got it when a bunch of us decided to knife Marley’s tires.”
Holy shit, the kid was a handful. Anthony snorted. “I never heard that, Thomas. Never heard a word of it. Hey, you keep your eyes and ears open for me, okay?”
Thomas flicked a salute, and with one last quick glance at Alexia, he jogged off down the boardwalk.
Chapter Twelve
The warm night air blew around her body as Alexia stood on the deck staring at the ocean. Less than a week since she’d arrived to “help” her Gram. Less than a week to have her whole life turned upside down and sideways, to fall in love with two men and a whole race of people she hadn’t known existed. She wrapped the robe a little tighter around her body, the silky smoothness caressing her skin even as she longed to throw off the garment and stride naked into the water.
She laughed at herself. More things had changed than she’d realized. The shy little girl had become a wanton exhibitionist.
A pair of strong arms surrounded her and she turned, nestling in tightly to Joshua’s embrace. His kisses bathed her neck and she hummed with pleasure.
“Are you ready?” He touched her forehead with a final kiss.
Was she ready? She thought so. Anthony had reassured her she would be able to transform soon. She was showing all the signs and simply needed the catalyst of the call to push her over the edge. Alexia shivered at the thought of being surrounded by the
men of the pod.
“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll be there, Anthony and I. We’re never going to leave you.” Joshua leaned back and looked at her with such tenderness in his eyes her heart ached. “I have to make a confession. You know how we told you we follow the dolphins in our mating habits? How some merfolk don’t have life mates?”
Alexia nodded. Her skin felt tight and tingly over a heart already stretched to the breaking point. Joshua’s emotions covered her like hot molten lava.
“I lied. You’re mine and I’m never giving you up. We’re meant to be together. We were always meant to be together.” Joshua dropped to his knees and held her hand. “Alexia Colten, will you marry me?”
Her throat was choked tight with emotion as she stared at him. She wanted this, wanted it badly. But… “What about Anthony?” she whispered. He was in her heart as well and she couldn’t give him up. Not even for Joshua.
Joshua snorted. “Since he says he’s so good with words he can ask you himself.”
“You mean marry both of you? That’s not possible. It’s not legal.” Alexia tugged on his hand, trying to pull him up.
He refused to budge. “You don’t want to marry me? Is that what you’re saying?”
Now he was being frustrating. What did it matter what she wanted if she couldn’t have it? “Of course I want to marry you—”
Joshua leapt up and swept her into his arms, covering her with kisses. She giggled and returned his embrace, her mouth rejoicing as the taste of him poured through her system.
A soft cough interrupted them and Alexia pulled back with a grin to face Anthony. He held a single red rose in his hands and he smiled sweetly as he approached.
“I see I’m late for the party. Joshua, you ass. You said you’d wait for me.” Anthony punched his cousin lightly on the arm before facing Alexia and dipping his head respectfully. “My lady. For you.” He handed her the rose as he dropped to his knee.
Alexia’s heart swelled and overflowed, tears rising in her eyes as Anthony kissed her fingers. His expression showed his longing and the heat hidden deep within him that rocked her to the core. It couldn’t be true and yet it was.
“Will you marry me, Alexia? Let us stay together forever and raise a family? Let me support you as you lead our pod into the future? I’m lost without you.”
Joshua muttered in the background, “Now you know why I wanted to go first. Damn poetic English teacher…”
Alexia waved a hand at Joshua and sniffed back tears of joy. She dropped to her knees and threw herself into Anthony’s arms, kissing him and accepting his kisses.
One week. A whole new life.
Amazing.
The moonlight sparkled on the surface of the water as she approached the shoreline. Alexia was alone, for the moment. Joshua and Anthony had kissed her back at the house and left her to initiate the call on her own.
Her skin tingled harder than ever, and she stopped to stretch her arms and rotate her wrists, a pale blue shadow dancing over her skin. She longed for the water, but more than that she was excited beyond belief. Every step she took made her pussy throb as blood rushed to swell her labia, her breasts tight and aching for a touch. The whole situation would have been funny if it wasn’t so frustrating.
She needed a lover with every inch of her being.
Her robe slipped from her shoulders, and she dropped it to the sand above the tide line. Alexia stepped into the water, the cool caress on her feet and calves contrasting with the heat racing through her. She stopped when the water reached her thighs and held up the medallion. The weight seemed heavier on her palm than before and she squeezed it tightly, little bits of blue radiating from between her fingers. Whatever she had received from Anthony and Joshua seemed to have affected the medallion.
Hopefully it had been enough for her blood.
Turning to face the open ocean, Alexia stepped forward until the tide covered her chest. A bright blue light flashed as the medallion sank under the waves and she took a deep breath. Whatever needed to happen had begun.
The sexual tension in her body spiked and she gasped. The water cradled her like a lover, a fleeting brush against her tender and sensitive skin. The muscles in her back and her arms tightened in painful ripples. Flickers of light from the medallion shot out in flares, wrapping her torso in long fingers that glowed with the reflected light of the moon.
Alexia swayed in the pull of the current.
Waiting. Longing. Needing.
In the distance she saw them approach. Beautiful bodies leaping through the waves, like she’d seen so many years before. They came to her, to her side, and she held her chin high and watched with pride.
They all came. Every one of the men she’d seen on the dance floor, everyone she’d met over the years growing up, the boys of summer now grown men. Her body pulsed with desire as she rotated and watched them enclose her in their midst. Anthony had thought some of them might stay away, but she swore there were more than ever standing naked in a circle around her, hard bodies and smooth skin glistening in the moonlight.
A streak of blue raced over the water toward her, and she laughed as Joshua changed and joined the throng, his bright green eyes sparkling at her. It was so right that he arrived in his fire form, and she held out her arms and pulled him to her, the touch of his body easing the pain of arousal while he lit her heart on fire.
“Is he your choice, my lady?” a deep voice asked. She turned to see Braden step toward her. “There are others here who would serve you as well.”
She held up a hand to stop him from touching her, the thought of his caress turning her stomach until she felt his intent. His emotion swept out, no secrets kept. He was on her side and approved of both Joshua and Anthony, but he was concerned there was danger. He moved closer and she let him move into position as a guard beside them, trusting her instinct.
Joshua stiffened, and she smoothed a hand up his neck and reached to kiss him. She brushed her lips over his ear and whispered, “Trust me.”
She turned around the circle slowly, watching eyes, measuring emotions. Her heart grew lighter and lighter with every member she checked as their complete devotion became clearer. They hadn’t come to challenge Joshua and Anthony but to accept them.
Her survey at an end, Alexia frowned. One huge dilemma remained. “Where’s Anthony?”
Joshua moved forward and checked the group. “And where’s Michael? I can’t believe he’s not here.”
A shout rang out and all eyes spun to the ocean where a group of fins could be seen in the moonlight moving toward the shore. Alexia found herself in the middle of the group, protected by so many layers of bodies she could barely see.
A large dolphin was being herded toward them, harassed and prodded by at least twenty smaller bodies. Each time he tried to escape he was nipped or pushed until the group of them hovered off the shoreline.
The instant Michael resumed his human form, a gasp went up from the men around her. He sported a rather swollen black eye and various cuts and scrapes on his body. Another of the dolphins changed and Anthony appeared, his bright smile cutting through the fear that had risen in Alexia’s soul.
Anthony dragged Michael to the edge of the circle before releasing him. “You were called. Now witness and be silent.” He strode over to Alexia’s side and bowed. “My lady. My apologies for being late. It seems someone didn’t hear the call, and I didn’t want him to be able to claim a false choosing later on.”
Alexia closed her eyes. Everything was ready. Her pod was ready to accept her. Her lovers were there. She just needed to be able to change.
A shiver raced over her skin and she lifted her hands to the sky, stretching her arms to ease the pain in her back. The tingling sensation in her limbs increased, and even with her eyes shut she could see the bright blue glow that seemed to fill the circle surrounding her. Voices roared in her ears for a moment before falling silent.
It was time.
She lowered her arms and took a deep brea
th. She needed to be brave and finish this to the best of her ability. Slowly she exhaled and opened her eyes to see Anthony and Joshua watching her closely, and she smiled. She held out a hand to each of them and they surrounded her, holding her tightly.
She kissed Joshua first. It was only right since he’d been the first to kiss her so long ago. The first to bind her heart and soul to the merfolk. His mouth was soft under hers, an echo of the hesitant caress of the youth, and she nipped his lower lip lightly before drawing away.
Then she kissed Anthony, a hot, possessive kiss that thawed the last of the fear from her that had snuck in when he’d been absent from the circle. He was her fire and passion, her wildness set free, and she let him know how much she loved that side of him as she offered herself.
Finally breaking away, she was breathless as she whispered to Anthony. “Do I need to say anything special?”
He laughed and twirled her in his arms, water spraying in the air around them. “Look around, love. Who are you going to speak to?”
Alexia’s head swung back and forth, but the shore and water were empty except for her, Anthony and Joshua.
“You chose, sweetheart,” Joshua said. “In front of all of them, including Michael. Thank you, Anthony, I never thought he might try to pull a fast one.”
Anthony wrapped Alexia tight in his arms and stroked her skin. “I tried to make sure we had all the bases covered. Thomas was keeping an eye on Michael for us. That boy is a little too precocious. He felt the call and wondered why Michael remained sitting on the beach, grinning. I don’t know how he was planning on explaining how everyone else heard the call but I didn’t want to give him any opportunity to plan mischief in the future.”