“Change you into a merman? There is no such thing.”
“I know that! She explained it to me. We did talk. Quite a bit, for your information.”
“Then you know mermaids are only female.”
“Yes. And they get named after their mothers and their grandmothers and they do that thing with the fish eggs. I was quite interested in Aliya’s life.”
“And you want us to change you into one of them.”
“Yes.”
“A mermaid? A female?”
Well, this wasn’t something he’d thought of before. Could the fairy do that? Could he let Devin stay with Aliya as a mermaid? That would take a little getting used to. Running Sandstrom Industries with flippers might be a little difficult. And driving a car? Hell, clearly there were a few things he’d simply have to give up in favor of a drastically new life. And, hell, just how much of him from the waist down would be different? Would he really be giving all that up, too?
Could he?
The fairy laughed. “I thought so. Staying with your lover isn’t so appealing when you know you won’t be able to have your carnal way with her six times a day.”
“You’ve got a thing against people, don’t you?” Devin asked.
Damn this stupid fairy. What did he know about truly caring for someone, really feeling love so powerful you realize you could give up everything for them? By God, he could give it all up. And he would.
“And my answer is yes,” Devin continued. “Yes, I want you to change me into a mermaid, and yes, I could live with Aliya that way.”
The fairy practically laughed at him. “You could not.”
“I could. She needs me! When the child comes…”
Oops. He hadn’t meant to say that.
“When the what comes?”
“Nothing. I suppose those butterfly wings work, don’t they? Why don’t you fly yourself to hell. Or farther.”
“You said child! By the Skies, is there to be a child?”
“It’s none of your damn business! Now get out of here. If you care so much, go see how Aliya’s doing. She wasn’t looking too good.”
“You wore her out.”
“Shut up, you orange bastard!”
He was furious, but the fairy didn’t seem to care. He just flapped those ridiculous wings and frowned.
“So Aliya is with child, and I assume it is from you. That will not be an easy thing for a mermaid, you know.”
“I know. That’s why she needs me. So, that’s what I want. When we get out to the open, I’ll anchor the boat. We’ll get Aliya into the water first to make sure she’s all right, then you and your girlfriend can turn me into a mermaid. I’ll be able to take care of her.”
The fairy stared at him. They was unnerving, those golden eyes. So human, but so obviously not.
“You would do that?”
It was killing him to know he would never again be able to feel Aliya roll under him in waves of glorious passion, to feel the heat of her core as he drove himself into her, but by God if it meant saving her life, it would be worth it.
“Yes. I would do that.”
“And there is to be a child?”
“Yes. My child.”
The fairy considered this. For a long time, as a matter of fact. Why was this such a hard thing for him to comprehend? Who knew. Obviously the guy was not normal; peeping on other people’s love making, expecting him to just abandon Aliya out here, being amazingly rude. Devin didn’t know what other fairies were like, but if this guy was an example of them, he was darn glad they usually kept to themselves.
“Go check on Aliya,” Devin said. It was killing him that this boat couldn’t go any faster. He sure hoped she could hold out long enough to get just a little bit farther out into the lake.
“You say you love her,” the fairy said.
“Yeah, I said that.” Huh, love must be an unusual concept for fairies, to guess by the confused look on the guy’s face. “And I’m worried about her. Please go check on her and tell her we’ll be in a safe spot in just a few more minutes.”
“Yeah. Okay. I will.”
Oddly enough, the fairy agreed. He left the deck without any complaint and headed down into the cabin. Good. Now maybe Devin could concentrate on getting them out there and anchored. Jeez, Aliya must be incredibly uncomfortable by now. Would this whole transformation harm her in her condition? And what about the child? Damn.
He’d only just found out about the little thing and already his gut twisted at the thought of losing her. He thought that whole part of him had been permanently dormant, set aside when he and Judith decided to pursue their business before family, then lost forever when Judith was gone. He thought he didn’t want it, didn’t need it. He’d been one hundred percent wrong.
It took all of this for him to finally realize that those dreams he used to chase after weren’t really his. This is what he wanted, someone to care for and sacrifice for—not money or power or prestige. He’d had those and they’d left him numb. As long as Judith was alive she’d convinced him it all had some meaning, but it didn’t. Without someone to share himself with, he was empty. Nothing in his life mattered now except Aliya and their child. Without them, he really would just cease to exist.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kyne heard the soft voices in the bedroom before he got there. Good. That meant Aliya was still all right. He knocked softly on the door frame before going in.
Raea looked up and smiled. She was running a wet cloth across Aliya’s forehead. The bedsheets were damp, too. Good idea.
“The human is concerned for Aliya’s health,” he said.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“I’ve been keeping her skin wet, and that seems to help,” Raea explained. “But she needs to be back in the lake soon.”
Kyne nodded. “The human says just a few more minutes now. And it’s growing dark, so we can be sure no other humans will see.”
“That’s good,” Raea said and smiled at Aliya. “We’ll have you back home, safe and sound, in no time.”
“Fine,” Aliya said. She didn’t sound quite as enthusiastic about going home as she should have. “And how is Devin?”
“The human?” Kyne asked, caught off guard. Why should she be worried about the human? He wasn’t out of his element, struggling to stay alive.
“He expected me to stay with him forever,” Aliya said. “I’m breaking my promise. He’s probably upset.”
“Shhh, don’t get yourself all worked up again,” Raea advised. She was right, too. No sense getting the mermaid nicely hydrated only to have her cry it all back out again.
“He is upset,” Kyne said, amending his statement before Aliya could tear up. “But he’s determined not to leave you. He says he loves you.”
“He does,” Aliya said simply. She glanced up at Raea. “It isn’t just a case of the Old Revenge, or a simple obsession. It’s not like that at all! Devin loves me, and I love him.”
Raea didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Kyne would have expected her to brush Aliya’s comments aside and assure her that this would all go away and they’d be better after a couple days. But she didn’t. Maybe she was finally getting the idea that this was serious and everything wouldn’t all be better. Maybe she knew about the child Aliya was carrying.
“He told me about the child,” Kyne said. He watched Aliya’s face. She didn’t seem concerned that he knew. She just smiled.
“It was quite a shock to him, you can understand,” she said.
“He wants to go with you.”
This did get a dramatic response from Aliya. She sat up, her eyes growing wide with concern. “No! He’s got to stay on the boat. Please, you won’t let him try to do anything foolish, will you?”
“He wants us to turn him into a mermaid.”
Now this got a dramatic response from Raea.
“A mermaid? As in, a mermaid? He does know what that means, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, but he’s determined
that Aliya needs him. And he is concerned for the child. He wants to be with them.”
“But, Kyne…a mermaid?”
Aliya was just smiling sweetly at the thought. “Oh, only Devin could even suggest such a thing. But, of course, you can’t change him.”
“No, of course not,” Raea agreed.
“Why not?” Kyne asked.
Raea gave him a look that was supposed to silence him, but he ignored it.
“After all, you were able to turn her into a human. Surely you could do that backward for him. And it would be a lot easier to do it that way than to take Aliya out of the lake.”
“No, it wouldn’t, Kyne,” Raea said firmly. “How can you even suggest this? You know all the problems that would cause! We can’t just go around creating Veiled creatures. What’s going on? What did that human say to make you forget everything like this?”
“He is willing to give up everything to be with Aliya! Even so much as becoming a female.”
Raea frowned. “It’s not like being female is any great hardship, you know.”
But the mermaid smiled tenderly. “Oh, Devin. How sweet. Kyne, you’ve got to tell him it wouldn’t work. We’ll just have to make some other arrangements. He can come out here on the boat sometimes and we can…visit.”
“Why wouldn’t it work?” Kyne asked.
Devin had come up with the only possible solution to the problem. He’d been willing to give up everything…including the sex. His concern for Aliya was real and honest. He did love her, and he wanted to be there for his child. Kyne could have never expected such a thing from a human. It went against everything he knew to be true of them. Still, he couldn’t doubt the sincerity he’d heard in Devin’s voice. Why wouldn’t this work?
“You know we can’t do it,” Raea said. “Even if we wanted to. It would take too much. That’s more than just a simple wish, Kyne. No, it’s impossible.”
“It is not!” Kyne insisted. “He wants to be with her, to care for his child! We’ve got to help them. They should be together, Raea.”
Raea narrowed her eyes at him. “Is this about Devin and Aliya, or about your mother, Kyne?” she asked.
That left him speechless. He hadn’t even thought about that, but of course the correlation was undeniable. Aliya was very much in the position his own mother had been in. With one difference: Aliya’s human cared.
“If there’s any way they can be together, Raea, we’ve got to help them. That child is going to need all the support she can get.”
Raea just raised one eyebrow and gave a half smile. “He,” she said. “Aliya says the child is a male. Telepathy, you know.”
“A male mermaid?”
“Yeah.”
Kyne glanced down at Aliya. She smiled sheepishly. “I could be wrong,” she said. “The child is still so very tiny…”
Of course she wasn’t wrong. Her telepathic bond with the child would be infallible.
“By the Skies…a male mermaid.” Kyne sighed.
He just had to find a way to convince Raea to change Devin into a mermaid. Once that child was born, Devin might be the only other mermaid besides Aliya to care for him. No telling how the rest of Aliya’s clan would react to such an oddity. And Kyne knew all about being the family oddity.
Devin’s footsteps clomped down the stairway and toward them. Kyne stepped aside to let him enter the small bedroom. His eyes were dark and they settled only on Aliya.
“How’re you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” Aliya said, smiling brightly. “Raea has brought me water, and it’s very refreshing.”
“Well, we’re safely away from everyone out here and it’s getting dark. I’m pretty sure we can get you in the water now.”
“That would be nice,” she said. “I’m just so sorry to have to put everyone to all this trouble.”
“Hush,” Devin said.
He sat beside Aliya and stroked her long hair. Kyne tried not to be aware of the tender way they looked at each other, but it was too obvious. This human cared deeply for Aliya. He didn’t care that she was a mermaid or that so many things separated them. He loved her.
At once it was tragic, and at the same time it filled Kyne with a contentment he’d never felt before. Maybe humans weren’t all bad. Maybe there was good in them. Maybe that meant he himself wasn’t quite as bad as he knew down deep inside that he was.
Devin continued his soothing words to his lover. “Now, let me carry you up top. I’ll lower you into the water and you’ll be good as new.”
“Better than new,” Aliya said, smiling bravely. “I’ve been with you now, Devin.”
“And once we’ve got you back in the water,” Kyne said, “Raea and I are going to change Devin into a mermaid. Then he will be with you and can help you with…whatever you need.”
It was a bold step, but he hoped he could force Raea’s hand on this. Raea glared at him. Aliya shook her head quickly. Devin smiled.
“That’s right. Now, I know it’ll take a little adjusting to…Hell, that’s an understatement. It’ll take a lot of adjusting to. But we’ll be all right. We’ll make it work, Aliya.”
“Oh, Devin…” She sighed. “You’d really do that for me, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would. I love you.”
But Raea interrupted. “No! No, we can’t do this.” She paced the small room, and her wings buzzed with anxiety. “It won’t work. You’ll never be happy that way, Devin. Humans aren’t made for living with Veiled creatures. And if anyone finds out! Oh, you have no idea how much trouble…”
“Stop worrying about yourself, Raea,” Kyne interrupted. “This is a lot more important than just keeping yourself out of an inquiry. There’s going to be a child now, and…”
“And what sort of life will that child have, Kyne?” Raea asked. “We don’t even know what the child will be, more human or mermaid. Be realistic! What if this child is more human? How will he live underwater? What will he do with two mermaid parents? No, if you’re really concerned about this child, then you need to think about that. Devin needs to stay the way he is…just in case.”
Devin frowned and looked to Aliya. “She has a point, unfortunately. We don’t know much about this child, do we? Can you tell if we’re expecting a little mermaid, or a two-legged human who’s going to need to breathe air?”
“Or maybe some combination of both,” Raea added, unhelpfully.
Aliya was noticeably upset. “No, I don’t know! The child is too young, too new in the world. What if he…oh, but if he can’t live underwater what will we do? Devin, we would lose him! I know he is aware of me, so he must have some of the mermaid communication abilities, but what if…oh, I just don’t know!”
“So what are we going to do?” Kyne demanded, glaring at Raea. “Just send Aliya off on her own to figure it all out for herself?”
“No! We’re not doing that,” Devin replied.
“I guess you could build a place for her to live at your house…” Kyne suggested to the man. “Although that would take time that we don’t have right now.”
“I’m not putting the woman I love in a fish tank!” Devin growled. “God, this is insane.”
“Then what?” Kyne asked. “Raea? What are we going to do?”
“I’m thinking,” she replied grumpily. “There’s got to be something.”
“You got everyone into this mess,” Kyne reminded her.
“Shut up. I’m thinking.”
“Not very fast, I’ve noticed.”
“I could think a lot faster if you would shut up!”
“If I shut up then there’d be nobody making any suggestions.”
“You’re not making suggestions,” Raea shot at him. “You’re harassing me.”
“I’m harassing you? No, in the field this morning I was harassing you. You seemed to like that then, if I recall, though.”
“There was absolutely nothing likable about that.”
“Nothing?”
“Abso
lutely nothing.”
“Oh, yeah? Not even when I…”
“Shut up! I can’t think when you keep talking about…that.”
It was perversely satisfying to know his stolen kisses where a source of great distraction to Raea. Then he noticed the way Aliya was watching their interaction and realized Raea was right; he’d better shut up. All they needed to make this situation worse was for word to get out of Kyne’s unnatural desires amid all this.
Besides, he needed to use all his energy to come up with a way to help Aliya and her oddly devoted human.
“I think we need to ask Aliya for her opinion on all this,” the human was saying.
That sounded remarkably intelligent. They were all so concerned about helping Aliya, maybe they ought to find out just exactly what she really wanted them to do for her. Kyne figured he already knew, however. Hadn’t she made it perfectly clear what she wanted them to do? And Raea had refused.
But Raea got excited. “That’s exactly what we should do! Let Aliya decide!”
“I already told you what I wanted, and you said it couldn’t be done,” Aliya reminded her.
“No, I can’t make him a mermaid, and I can’t change you into a human permanently, but I can grant a wish,” Raea said.
“What are you talking about?” Kyne asked. “Making her human is her wish.”
Raea was still pacing and fanning her wings, deep in thought.
“That’s too big for me, Kyne. You know the Great Code. But a smaller wish, well, I could do that. Aliya will just have to make the right wish.”
Devin looked less than impressed, and Aliya just seemed confused.
“And just what kind of wish would that be?” Kyne asked. “Seems like the two main options are already off the table.”
Raea shrugged. “I don’t know. Just let me think…”
“She’s drying out here,” Devin said. “How can I help her?”
“You made me human for twenty-four hours, Raea,” Aliya said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Can’t you do that again?”
“You need to be human for longer than that,” Raea said. “There must be a way.”
“I don’t suppose we could take it before the Fairy Council?” Kyne asked, knowing the answer.
Kissed by the Wave: A Forbidden Realm Novel Page 18
