by Maira Dawn
Sonora's eyes grew wide. "Not usually a problem, like when you've kidnapped all the other girls?"
That irritated Ian, he stepped toward Sonora and barked, "I haven't-"
Sonora's gaze darted around the room, looking for somewhere to run. There was only the portal to the water. She threw her hand up as she stared dismally at it. She wouldn't last five minutes out there.
Ian shook his head and moved back to where he'd been. "I have kidnapped no other girls."
"Oh, so it's just me?" Sonora crossed her arms. "I mean, you had a regulator and tank which you clearly don't need so…"
Ian sighed. "Yes, it's just you."
"Why?"
Ian shook his head and clamped his jaw shut.
Sonora's voice trembled. "You could've just taken me to the surface. Instead, you dragged me all the way here. Wherever here is. So I ask again, why did you bring me here?"
"I did not mean to." Ian hesitated. "Not today. Not like this." He reached out a hand trying to bridge the space between them but dropped it when Sonora flinched away. She swiped at the tears threatening to fall. Ian turned to a large picture window that looked over the small city and the deep ocean. "I think that is something we should discuss later."
Sonora stiffened. "No, I want to know now. Why did you bring me here?"
Ian shot her an intense grey-eyed look over his shoulder. One meant to break her insistence. Sonora shuddered, sure that it had stopped more than one man in his tracks. She looked at the floor before glancing back up the man. His gaze softened as it lingered on her.
Sonora blushed. If he thought anything would happen between them, he was dead wrong.
Eyes still trained on Sonora, Ian said, "My people, unlike yours, do not lie. So I can tell you the answer, but you are not ready. And I do not think you will like it."
Sonora raised a hand to her stomach, her eyes still locked with his. The boldness of the man almost took her breath away. Ian returned his gaze to the ocean, and Sonora blew out a sigh of relief.
She'd read that it was good to tell your kidnapper about yourself. It seemed like he was eager to talk, so that's what she'd do. But for both their sake's she changed her line of questioning.
"This is your home. Are all those out there also homes?" Sonora took a couple steps to the side and pointed out the window where warm lamps lit up the streets and buildings.
Ian’s relief at the change of topic was clear as he eagerly answered her question. "Homes, government buildings, play areas for children, similar to what you have."
"Are you scientists then? Like a community of scientists?"
Ian chuckled. "No, not scientists."
Sonora moved to run her hand down the beautifully crafted wood desk. It was old, so old she had never seen anything like it other than the movies.
"Where did you get your beautiful furniture?"
"From your junk."
Sonora raised a brow, scanning the room. "All this?"
"Yes, all of this." Ian gestured to the other homes. "All of us. You throw out a lot. We salvage and take care of it. These furnishings can almost last forever if you take care of them."
Sonora frowned. "Why do you keep saying 'you' and 'us'?
"We aren't from the air."
"The air?"
"Up there. Land."
Sonora stumbled over her words. Did he mean what she thought he meant? "So you—all of you—have always lived here?"
"Yes, for generations."
Sonora put a hand to her cheek. "Are you... human?"
"Pretty much, though most hate to admit it."
"Pretty much? What does that mean? Do you have gills? Do you grow a tail?" Sonora's eyes roamed over him, looking for any signs she may have missed.
Ian looked offended. "Who do you think I am? The little mermaid?"
Sonora gasped, and she took two small steps toward him. "You know about the little mermaid?"
A small smile played on his lips. "Where do you think she came from?"
Sonora's mind reeled with the possibility that the little mermaid was real. For some reason, this gave her real joy. She started to ask another question but he interrupted, "How about food? I am always hungry."
Sonora looked up at him. A man that size, she bet he was. He probably never stopped eating.
He turned toward the dining room. "Are you hungry? I think you need something to eat."
Sonora sputtered, "No, I don't want something to eat. I have, like, a zillion questions. And I can decide for myself when I'm hungry."
He stopped and sent his eyes upward. "Two."
"Two what?" Her eyes wrinkled in confusion.
He folded his arms. "Two more questions, and then we eat."
"You're just hungry and want to eat. I'm fine. I want answers is what I want." Sonora huffed and took a couple of steps closer to him.
"You are quite insistent for such a small one," he said, taking a step of his own.
"I'm not that small! Not for—for Air people. You're just overgrown."
Ian laughed. "We do not call you Air people. We call you Humans."
Sonora put a hand on her hip and tipped her head. "Well, that seems rather strange as you just told me you are human too."
Ian scowled. "We are better than human."
"Better? Okay. Wow." It was hard to know what to say to such blatant prejudice.
Ian looked uncomfortable for a moment before grabbing her hand. "Come eat."
Sonora reeled back, pulling away from him. "Hey, no touching! Remember the no touching!"
Ian dropped her hand. Still unsure of him, Sonora backed up and returned to her original spot. "I'm not hungry, I want--" she stopped as her stomach gave a loud growl.
Tell Me About
Chapter Twelve
A smile lit up Ian's face. "Fine then, we eat now." He turned toward the kitchen. His stomach had been protesting since before they arrived home.
"Hey!" The girl rushed after Ian and stopped for a moment at the archway, scanning the room. Ian watched her. Much would seem familiar, but some were unique to his culture.
Her gaze zeroed in on him. "Two more questions!"
Ian sighed, he'd hoped she would forget. He looked longingly at the food-keeper. Having a woman would be an adjustment. Yet, Ian was happy, so happy, that her big blue eyes weren't still filled with tears. It had crushed him, knowing she must be terrified. Ian hadn't meant to steal her away today. His plan had been to somehow slowly woo her. But the rogue wave came, and the oxygen tank was there, and she needed it. Then somehow it was all done. The woman stayed strong through it all, and it warmed him to her. She belonged here. Ian smiled. "Two more."
She blinked, then asked, "So, you live here full time?"
"Full time? My entire life? Yes, I was born here." Maybe if he kept his answers short, this wouldn't take so long.
"Wow, born here." The woman peered out the window into the ocean. "But you have been above the water, right? You go up there too?"
"Yes, I have." Ian clapped his hands and moved further into the kitchen. There, that was done.
She protested. "Hey wait, I didn't mean for that to be my second question!"
Ian spun around, and she smacked into his chest. She gave a little squeak, then turned and ran back the way she'd come.
Concern overcame Ian. "I will not hurt you. I would never hurt you."
The young woman crossed her arms as she eyed him as if unsure that was the case, "Oh yeah, well, out there..."
Ian quickly considered the past few hours. Yes, she was delicate, but he had been careful with her. He looked her over. There were no bruises, but she was still afraid of him. "Did I hurt you out there?"
Her gaze drifted away, then back, her face full of suspicion. "No…"
Ian ignored the doubtful face, instead playing the dutiful host. "What would satisfy you? Lobster, swordfish?"
The girl’s face scrunched in horror. "You eat them? They are part of your, well—world!" She moved her hand in a circle.
"Don't you have a, I don't know, a kinship with them?"
Ian chuckled. She amused him. "You have some peculiar notions. Do you have a kinship with cows and chickens?"
"Oh, yeah. Uh, I get it." She turned away as her face pinked. "Well. I guess lobster?"
As Ian started cooking, the woman hovered. He had hoped by now she would offer her name, but he she was still far from being comfortable. Although intensely curious about what Ian did, she made sure to stay outside of his reach.
Ian continued cooking and watched from the corner of his eye as she became bolder, picking up and examining food and tools he'd set on the counter. A device for shelling crustaceans piqued the girl’s immense curiosity, but it was dangerous when not used properly. When she reached for the item, Ian blocked her and gently pushed her hand away. The contact startled her, and she withdrew back to hovering in the background.
Even though Ian gave her a demonstration on how to use the tool, she stayed away from him. Ian's chest tightened as he glanced at her. Clearly, the woman felt nothing for him yet. He pushed a hand through his hair before washing his hands to start the next dish. "How about a sea vegetable salad?"
That piqued her interest. The woman’s eyes brightened. "Sure."
Ian set new items on the counter, and she couldn't resist her curiosity. Soon, she stood right beside him again, and Ian chuckled.
She glanced at Ian. "Does everything I do amuse you?"
"Not everything, but you can be entertaining."
Ian handed her some sea lettuce and asked if she would like to prepare it. She nodded and took it from him, tearing it and adding it to each of their bowls.
Ian studied her, taken by his Jata Ara’s small feminine gestures as she went about her work. Her blond hair spilled down her back, swinging slightly with her movements. Though she still feared him, every so often she would turn her bright blue eyes toward his face. Ian almost forgot where he was when she did that.
Her beauty captivated Ian from the beginning, but now, talking with her, he could see why she was meant for him. Her personality brought out the better parts of his, as it should be. Ian let his gaze fall. Of course, she may not see it that way.
The young woman asked, "Do you want me to cut up the lobster?"
Ian looked from her to the knives and back. There were many reasons not to give her a weapon. One being her overeager stare at the little blade. Ian gave a wry smile. "I think not."
His Jata Ara’s mouth twisted in disappointment before she said, "So, tell me about her."
Ian raised an eyebrow. Her? There was only one her they had talked about. "The little mermaid?" He sighed, wondering at human's fascination with the story. "Not much of your story of the Little Mermaid is true. She was like me. Us. Here." He raised his hand and made a little circle with his knife, indicating his city. "The mermaid part of your story is not true, nor is much of the rest. But she did like to sing. She fell in love with a human and went to live with him on land. But where you see it as romantic, we see it as a cautionary tale."
"Oh," she said a bit deflated. "What do you call you, us, here?" She made the same circular motion with her finger.
"Atlantian. This is Atlantis." Ian's chest swelled with pride at the words.
The woman was silent for a moment before saying, "Atlantis is a myth."
"No, it is not. This is Atlantis." Ian watched her reaction. They had allowed him to tell a few humans their secret while on missions. The responses had always been interesting.
"Like the real Atlantis, the lost mystical city? The one that sunk into the sea?" The woman was first incredulous, then her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, though it is more like rebuilt."
"But how... how could that be? I mean..."
"Let us discuss it as we dine," Ian said, somewhat formally as he finished filling the bowls. His Jata Ara could ask all the questions she wanted as long as he was moving food from the plate into his mouth as she did it.
And Your Name Is?
Chapter Thirteen
Sonora took one last glance at the room. A pristine white kitchen, and a treat to explore. If only she weren't here under these circumstances. The repurposed cabinetry fit the left side of the room and looked magnificent. Each end of the wall boasted floor to ceiling cabinets, not so hard for a six-and-a-half-foot man to reach and in between laid a countertop. Real china plates and bowls sat on open shelves above the counter.
The colorful countertop looked crafted from small pieces of tile, but when she ran a finger over the surface, it felt smooth as silk. Ian chopped all over it with what seemed like a very sharp knife, though she wouldn't know because he wouldn't let her touch it. So, the surface was somehow resistant to cut marks.
Ian pulled all food out of a huge cold drawer under the countertop, and he heated dishes in a machine similar in looks and cooking time to a microwave except that heat came from it. Sonora made a note to explore those later.
Sonora's stomach growled again, and she slapped a hand against it. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
Ian glanced at her as he drizzled a light sauce over the steaming lobster he'd placed in a communal bowl. "I understand. We both need a meal."
He handed Sonora two mugs of ice water and gathered up the dishes himself before walking into the dining room.
Sonora rolled her eyes behind Ian's back. He expected her to follow him like an obedient captive, she supposed. But what else was she supposed to do? She was starving and stuck who knew how far down in this sea. She needed to eat.
Sonora stopped behind Ian as he laid out the bowls of salad and lobster. She scanned his body from his feet to the top of his head. Definitely a tall guy, he seemed even bigger than when in the water. Sonora was on the tall side for a woman at five-foot-seven-inches and he stood a foot taller than that. It intimidated her.
Ian turned and indicated she should set the mugs down while he went back into the kitchen for utensils. The ice clinked against the side of the decorated ceramic cups as she placed one by each of the salad bowls. The plate holding the lobster sat between them. Apparently, they shared.
Once Ian came back, he rushed to pull out a chair for Sonora, standing behind it as he waited for her to sit. Sonora had only been in this situation a few times in her life, and it seemed awkward. She moved to sit and hesitated until Ian gestured for her to continue.
His gentlemanly manners surprised and confused her, given how she got here. Where were those manners out there, in the sea, when he had literally dragged her from home? And she still had no answer as to why he had done that. She glanced out the big picture window as if it would give her answers. Instead, she saw an unfamiliar place, once she could only have dreamed of. How was this possible? A whole town here with beautiful houses and organized walkways, or perhaps swimways? There were people, lots of people, she thought as she noticed many moving through the water, and we never knew this existed?
Ian caught Sonora’s attention when he laid her silverware beside her. A spoon, a little bigger than she would've liked, and a fork. A handle just as long as she had at home but topped with only three prongs like a miniature triton. Sonora almost choked on her amusement as she glanced at Ian. Was it a joke? But the man seemed serious as he moved to his own seat.
Her gaze lingered. Polite, charming, and well, hot. If she'd met Ian somewhere else, in some different way, he was a man she would've wanted to get to know better. But now she couldn't. Sonora couldn't take away the considerably unnerving thought he had brought her here against her will. And the question of what he would do if she tried to make a run for it. No matter how mannerly he was now, he had a lot to answer for. Still, against her own better judgment, she found that while she continued to be on guard, for some reason, she was finding herself less and less afraid of him.
Sonora reminded herself that he'd creeped on her. He hadn't needed to bring her here. He could have been that cute guy that saved her butt and walked into the sunset. But he didn't do that, and he wasn't telling her why. So, she cou
ldn't trust him. He was scary, and that was the way it would stay.
Sonora wiggled herself a little straighter after her internal pep talk. The chair's silky material under her legs, reminded her that she still only wore her swimsuit. Shocked she just noticed, she hunched over and put an arm across her bare belly.
Instantly, Ian asked, "What is wrong?"
Sonora startled at Ian's deep voice. Should she tell him? But he was her only source of, well, anything. It was him she had to ask, even if it was just for a towel. "I feel… I need some clothes. I hadn't remembered I just had on my swimsuit."
"Oh, yes. I forgot you humans prefer more clothing than we do." Ian stood, utterly comfortable at dinner in his swimming trunks. Was she making too much out of this?
Ian bowed his head to her. "Excuse me for a moment."
Sonora caught herself in a smile. His manners sometimes seemed as antique as the furniture he collected. Was that the way with all Atlantians? The whole place was becoming more and more intriguing to her.
With the aroma of dinner literally in her face, Sonora's stomach almost burned. Was it considered poor manners if she took a quick bite of lobster? As Ian walked to the living room, Sonora peeled a bit away and popped it into her mouth. It deliciously melted away, leaving her uttering a low, "Yum!"
Unable to hold off, Sonora took another forkful of the tasty meal as she watched Ian. She eagerly chewed the lobster for a moment, then come to a complete stop, swallowing hard.
Ian tapped his cheek then spoke in a musical language that Sonora didn't understand. It was a reminder that English was not his native language. She narrowed her eyes. What was the man doing?
Ian turned back to the dining room but didn't make it before Sonora jumped from her chair and met him on his way back. Her pep talk forgotten, her eyes were alight with curiosity. Sonora grabbed Ian's hand and pulled it down, examining it. She put a hand to his jaw, running her lightly running her fingers over his cheek and jaw. "What did you do? What did you do there?"
Confusion covered Ian's face as he took her hand. "I did nothing--"