by Rinelle Grey
Her brow was furrowed, and the look she gave him had a hint of suspicion.
So they weren’t back to being just friends yet. He still had to earn that right. His heart sagged a little at the realisation.
But he was determined not to give up. He’d convince her that this friendship was worth fighting for, if it was the last thing he did. So he pasted a determinedly cheerful smile on his face, and said, “Ready to cast off?”
She nodded. “Sure. Which direction?”
Damrian focused on untying the ropes so he didn’t have to look at her. Best to put her on the spot as little as possible. “Where did you say you saw this mermaid?”
“I was out by Calm Water Cove.”
“Then we’ll start there.” Damrian coiled the last rope onto the deck, then let out the sails. They unfurled in the wind, straining against their ropes like they were eager to get started on this search.
Damrian began to feel a little excited in spite of himself. If they actually found proof that mermaids existed, well, it might take a little pressure off his clan, mightn’t it? Not to mention being pretty cool.
More than that though, he was excited to get to spend the whole day with Zara. It would be just like old times, two friends hanging out together. He’d convince her of that if it was the last thing he did.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. If mermaids were hiding here somewhere, then the chances they’d stumble over them on a normal sail around the island weren’t likely. But he couldn’t very well explain that to Zara. She had no idea of his true form, much less his underwater antics.
Damrian frowned. He should tell her. Should find some way to convince her that this wasn’t going to achieve anything. He felt a little like he was taking advantage of her desire in order to spend more time with her, and he didn’t like that idea.
He glanced over at her as she stared out over the rail, her expression determined, and shifted on his feet.
As if she would listen to him. Particularly not when he couldn’t tell her the truth.
She wanted to do this, and she’d seemed happy when he’d offered to help. She could have taken a boat and gone out by herself. She’d had basic sailing lessons as a kid. She could have managed just fine on her own, but she’d chosen to come with him.
He had nothing to feel bad about.
He made himself turn away from her, stopped staring at her, and adjusted the sails. Zara came across to help, and Damrian tried to relax his tense muscles and just enjoy this. She smiled at him, her expression a little more relaxed than it had been earlier, and Damrian felt some of this stress ebb away.
They didn’t say much as they travelled up the coast towards the cove Zara had indicated earlier. Damrian was happy with the silence. It felt more comfortable than talking did right now. Every time they spoke, that kiss seemed to come up and ruin everything.
When they were just sailing together like this, he could almost pretend that the time hadn’t passed. That they were still two teenagers, enjoying each other’s company without a care in the world.
Of course, there were some differences he couldn’t help noticing. Zara had changed while she’d been away. She’d grown up, filled out, her movements were more sure and certain. Yes, some of the impulsiveness was gone, the belief that she could do anything, but the maturity suited her.
It only served to make her more attractive.
He’d loved her as a teenager, with all the passion of youth.
Now that love had matured, as she had, into something even more powerful. He wanted her to have everything she wanted, even if that wasn’t him.
He turned away, pretending to adjust the ropes, as they sailed into the cove.
He needn’t have bothered. Zara’s eyes weren’t on him, she stared out over the waves, her expression intent. Damrian joined her at the rail and looked as well.
The cove was beautiful. A white sandy beach surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. The perfect place for a private getaway. He and Zara had played here often as kids, pretending they were shipwrecked on a desert island and had to survive on their own. Then, as teenagers, they’d lain on the sand and shared long talks about anything and everything.
It was good to be back, even if things weren’t as smooth as they could be.
Zara’s thoughts must have been heading in the same direction as his, because she turned to him, her expression intense, and said, “It’s been a while, hey?”
“It has.” Damrian nodded solemnly. “I wonder if our hut is still there?”
That earned him an unaffected grin from Zara. “Maybe we should check. We could just stay here for a week and not go back to the resort.”
That was what they’d always wanted to do as children, but they’d known their parents would never let them. Now, as adults, it was well within the realms of possibility. And the idea was tantalising, though not for quite the same reasons as when they’d been children.
It was an effort to let none of that show on his face. He knew that if he did, Zara would pull back again, and he didn’t want that.
She was already starting to. Her excited expression slipped a little, and she broke eye contact.
“Well, it would be a good chance to check this cove our thoroughly,” Damrian suggested. “Otherwise we’ll never know if the mermaids are just waiting for us to go before they come out to play.”
That idea obviously found merit, for her retreat halted. She stared at him, lips pursed, her forehead furrowed. “That might actually be a good idea. Do you think we could trek across the mountains, so that the boat wasn’t here for them to see? Then we could make a blind in the forest and watch the water at a distance.”
Damrian shook his head regretfully. “Those cliffs are impassable without proper climbing gear. We could get someone to drop us off though. I’m sure Hayden wouldn’t mind.”
Zara’s frown deepened at the mention of his brother’s name.
Or maybe it was about the cliffs being impassable, because he couldn’t think why she’d be annoyed at the mention of his brother.
“I talked to Hayden this morning,” Zara said. She turned away to stare at the cove as she spoke, increasing Damrian’s confusion. What on earth could Hayden have said to irritate her?
“He said…” She broke off and turned to stare at him.
Damrian felt his heart beating faster. Adrenaline flashed through his veins.
The expression in her eyes caught his attention and refused to let go. Hesitant, uncertain, intense. And was that a hint of something else. Curiosity, maybe interest.
Damien held his breath.
“He said you liked me.” She blushed a little as she spoke the words, the colour washing straight through his body, turning every cell to steam.
For the first time, she didn’t look freaked out.
That gave Damrian hope.
But not enough that he was going to push things. “You know I like you,” he said firmly, “you’re my best friend.”
Zara grinned but shook her head. “I don’t think that’s quite what he meant.”
“No, possibly not,” Damrian conceded. He stared at her for a moment, half afraid that if he admitted to anything, she’d be ready to bolt. But she was just looking at him curiously. So he took a deep breath, and took the biggest chance of his life.
“Look, I do like you. I can’t deny that if the situation were different, I’d like to see where things went. But I also value the friendship we have, and I’m not willing to risk that on the chance that a relationship would work. I’ve already seen how much just an innocent kiss messed things up. If we did date, and then it didn’t work out, I’d lose something far more valuable.”
Zara stared at him, and Damrian held his breath, waiting to see if his admission had helped, or if it had just ruined everything.
Chapter 7
Zara stared at Damien, a little lost for words.
She’d known it, deep down. He did care about her as more than just a friend. But she was
a little stunned to have him actually admit it.
This was why she’d still felt like something was wrong after their talk earlier. She’d known he wasn’t telling her the whole story, and so she hadn’t been able to believe his assertion that he just wanted to be friends.
Funnily enough though, him admitting it actually made her feel better. She’d far rather believe he kissed her because he felt something for her than because he wanted to stop her leaving the island.
Not only that, but it rang true.
It didn’t make things any easier. She still thought getting into a relationship when their lives were so far apart was a bad idea, but at least she didn’t feel that lingering suspicion anymore.
Now everything was out in the open, they could move on.
In what direction she wasn’t quite sure, but right now, that didn’t matter.
“Well, at least we’re finally being honest with each other,” she said, and gave him a small smile.
Damien smiled back. “I’m not good at keeping secrets, Zara. I’m happy to tell you how I really feel any time, but in return, you have to promise not to stop speaking to me again.”
That surprised a laugh out of her. “Seems like a fair enough deal.”
They both smiled at each other, and Zara felt herself relaxing. The warm sun shone, and the water sparkled. The whole world felt good, better than it had in a long time. In years, actually.
Now that he’d admitted the truth, that he wanted more but was concerned about losing their friendship, it felt like they were on the same page again.
In more ways than one. She gave Damien a wry smile, happy and sad at the same time, and he returned it. The moment was bittersweet. They didn’t need words, they both understood.
Damien was the first to break the silence. “Shall we go explore the cove, see what’s changed over the last few years?” he asked, holding out a hand to her.
Zara took it and marvelled at his warm, strong grip. Despite her uncertainty, this felt better. It didn’t matter if they were just friends, or something more, so long as they were doing this together, honestly.
“Let’s go.”
Damien led her to the railing and let go of her hand to strip down to his board shorts. Then he dived over the edge.
Zara hurried to pull of her shirt and shorts, revealing her bikini underneath, pausing only to grab a snorkel and mask from the box where they were kept, then followed him over the edge.
The water felt as wonderful as the sun had, the cool, silky depths contrasting with the warm air. She opened her eyes and stared around, seeing Damien’s strong body kicking just ahead of her, stirring up the water and sand.
Nothing to see here, not where the water was clouded, so instead she focused on catching up to him.
They reached the shore together and stepped out onto the sand.
It felt as though the whole cove zapped with magic. The sunlight shone in her eyes, the trees swayed in the breeze, and the sand was warm and soft under her feet. It felt like anything could happen. If a mermaid had popped her head up out of the ocean and said hello, Zara wouldn’t have been surprised.
But none did.
No one ever said this was going to be easy.
“So, how do we do this?” Damien asked, looking at her and waiting for instructions.
As if she knew. Zara took a deep breath. “Well, we’d better start with the water. You search the south end of the cove, and I’ll search the north.”
She’d given him the end where their boat was moored. The ship’s presence would most likely have scared off any mermaids, so he probably wouldn’t find much. But she desperately wanted to search the north, where she was more likely to find something, herself.
Damien didn’t protest, he just nodded and waded back into the water.
Zara let herself watch him for a moment, admiring his broad shoulders and strong back, not to mention the way his wet board shorts clung to his butt.
Then she gave herself a shake. She was here to search for mermaids, not admire sexy men, even if he did look like he could be a merman emerging from the sea.
She made herself turn away and wade into the water in the opposite direction, then dove under the gentle waves.
As always, she marvelled at the world that opened up to her under the surface. Schools of whiting ducked and darted out of her way. Sea grass waved in the current. A huge loggerhead turtle swam majestically over the green strands. Crabs inched sideways on the sand. For a while, she lost herself in the scene, forgetting that she had a purpose.
But the tail of something larger ahead caught her attention. She knew, even before she focused on it, that it wasn’t a mermaid. The tail was a murky brown, and the large cod lifting his way off the ocean floor was easily identifiable.
She kept a sharper eye out after that, but though she could identify dozens of fish and other marine species, there was nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing at all that resembled the creature she’d suspected was a mermaid.
She surfaced, some distance out and glanced back, searching for Damien. He hadn’t taken a mask or snorkel, he never did, so even though she couldn’t see him immediately, she knew he’d have to surface soon.
Still, it took a surprisingly long time. He could hold his breath far longer than she could. Sometimes an uncannily long time. If she didn’t know better, she might just suspect him of having a few mermaid genes.
He did surface eventually, flicking his hair back, then looking around, just as she had. She waved and then pointed to the shore. He nodded and headed in, so she followed.
They reached the sand nearly the same time. “Find anything?” Zara asked, but she wasn’t surprised when he shook his head.
“No mermaids anyway. I did see a school of dolphins.”
Zara was a little disappointed she’d chosen to go north. She loved seeing dolphins.
“Nothing on my end either.” She heaved a sigh. “I guess this isn’t going to be so easy after all.”
Damien clapped her on the back. “Don’t give up yet. We’ve barely started. There are lots more options we can explore. I can book some scuba diving equipment for us, and we can go deeper. Or we could camp out here for a few days and watch over a longer period of time.”
He was right. She hadn’t really expected to see anything on her first swim. If it was that easy to see a mermaid, then everyone would have seen one. “Right. Maybe we could try scuba diving tomorrow?”
Much as she was tempted by spending several days here alone with him and catching up, she couldn’t help thinking that it might put their ‘friends only’ pact at risk.
Damien grinned but shook his head. “You’re working tomorrow, remember? And so am I. How about Wednesday?”
Zara bit back a groan. Wednesday was three days away. She couldn’t possibly wait that long.
But she knew she couldn’t monopolise Damien’s time. He had a job to do, just as he always had.
So she nodded. “Wednesday then.”
Chapter 8
Damrian whistled as he headed up the path towards home. It had been a good day. Swimming in Calm Water Cover and having a picnic on the beach with Zara had been more wonderful than he could have expected. He felt like they were almost back where they’d been before she left.
The fact that he’d admitted that he liked her, and she hadn’t run screaming, was icing on the cake.
He wasn’t naive enough to think that meant she was ready to fall into his arms, but it was good to feel like he wasn’t lying to her anymore.
About that at least.
Damrian’s steps slowed, and his whistle died.
He couldn’t escape the fact that he was still lying to her, by omission at least. Sure, he hadn’t outright said he wasn’t a dragon, but that was because it hadn’t occurred to her to ask. It wasn’t exactly a question people went around asking each other now, was it?
His shoulders slumped, and some of the elation seeped away.
No matter how good it f
elt to admit his feelings for her, he wasn’t going to feel completely right until he’d told her the truth about who he was.
He was sure she wouldn’t tell anyone. She hadn’t told anyone about seeing a mermaid all these years, why would she tell anyone that he was a dragon?
Then again, people were already talking about dragons existing. Mermaids hadn’t come up yet.
His footsteps slowed even further as another unpleasant question occurred to him. Just what was Zara going to do when she realised that mermaids did exist? Was she going to keep the secret then, or was she going to share it with the world?
Damrian knew first-hand how unnerving having a fact like that revealed could be. No one even knew who, or what, he was. But they knew of the existence of his people. And he’d made the mistake of looking at some of the comments online.
The commenters who laughed and claimed that the photos and videos were fake didn’t bother him. In fact, he wished they were all like that. It was the ones who claimed that dragons had no place in Australia that bothered him. That the government should round them up and make them leave.
Those were the responses that made him want to come out of hiding and demand rights for his people.
Would it be any different if people discovered mermaids were real?
He winced. Maybe it would be. Mermaids were ethereal and magical, they tempted people’s fantasies. Most importantly, they didn’t have teeth or horns, and none of them could throw fire or lightning.
It didn’t matter that no dragon had actually threatened a human. Humans felt threatened anyway. He’d seen that in the few online comments he’d read before he banned himself from reading them.
And he couldn’t blame people, really. They knew nothing about dragons.
For all he knew, Zara might feel the same.
He walked up the steps and let himself into the house, still lost in thought, torn between wanting to tell her the truth, and knowing she could handle it, and knowing he had to keep his family’s secret.
And protecting his family’s existence meant he had to keep his distance from her. Even if she decided she did care about him and wanted a relationship, he couldn’t have one with her under these circumstances.