She was still in shock from the volcanic blast and the stress of finding herself captured. Her body shook as everything started to compound and she held a hand out, finding her fingers trembled with the task. Even knowing it was a bad idea, she still settled along the bottom and drifted off to sleep. She needed to heal and gather as much strength as she could so she could plan her escape.
13
She was real and she was in his pool. He let her slip back into the water, his eyes tracking her shadowy form as it glided beneath the waterfall. He stepped around the body of water and paused at the edge to check on her and make sure she was comfortable.
Looking down into the pool, he noticed a small tear in her fin. He missed it when patching her up as it looked to be an older injury and didn’t need immediate attention.
She was obviously an adventurous soul. There was no proof in the world that mermaids existed, so he could only assume they were a cautious race. There was something unique about her, he could feel it. Like him, she yearned for more.
Work was another problem. He was off on the weekends, but he should call in for a few days. Medical supplies were another necessity. He used everything available to cover her wounds. Rowan was thankful she was unconscious when he found her since some of her wounds required stitches and his medical kit lacked anesthetics. Not that there was any guarantee such medicine would work on a mermaid.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he paced back and forth at the pool’s edge, working through a thought process.
Now she refused to let him touch her, so he couldn’t even check to see how the wounds were healing this morning. Would she let him redress them later? If not, she ran the risk of infection.
Wait. Could mermaids get infections?
They could get injured and didn’t magically heal, so if he had to guess, yes. Worry gnawed at his insides. Worry that she would hate him forever. Worry that she’d get an infection and die while in his care because she was too stubborn or scared to let him help.
Maybe if he talked some sense into her, she’d let him at least take a peek underneath those bandages to assess the damage. He knew she didn’t trust him, but maybe where she came from they didn’t have doctors.
First things first, he needed to run and get more medical supplies.
Afterward, he would figure out food. Mermaids weren’t exactly well-known creatures. Their diets were a mystery to him.
He ventured inside the house to take stock of his kitchen. Opening up cabinet after cabinet proved one thing; he needed to go to the store.
Mermaids didn’t exist on processed junk. Maybe she’d talk to him and tell him what kind of food she liked. The worry crept its way back up his body, niggling at his mind.
He snatched a notepad from the junk drawer and started making a list of essential supplies, both medical and grocery. His cabinets and fridge were looking a little bare. He’d get enough food for the both of them.
He strolled to the edge of the pool with a list in hand and stopped near the waterfall. He sighed in relief when he made out the outline of her body through the choppy waterfall. Could she climb a fence? Once again, no one knew what mermaids were capable of.
She never even told him her name. He offered up his, but she didn’t returned the favor.
“Hey,” he called down to the water. No movement. He couldn’t very well yell out “hey, mermaid”, but he needed to get her attention.
He bent down and put his hand in the water, splashing it around. “C’mon, don’t make me come down there.” He felt like he berated an errant child. Was this how his uncle felt raising him?
His mind veered in a different direction. Oh no, what if she needed help? She wasn’t moving. For all he knew, she’d slipped into a coma.
He quickly discarded all of his clothing except for his boxers. He snagged some snorkeling gear from an outdoor storage box near the fence before stepping into the shallow end.
He swam toward the waterfall, diving down toward her, looking her over. She appeared peaceful in her repose. No distress etched her face like it did when they faced off on land. He could watch her forever.
Forever didn’t happen.
One eyelid cracked open and pierced him to the core. She gave him little warning as her tail lashed out, accompanied by a primal scream. Scales made contact with his cheek, smacking his whole body against the tiled wall. His head bounced off the hard surface causing his vision to blur before blackness took hold.
14
Peaceful dreams floated through her head, surprising her after the recent events. Nightmares seemed more appropriate, but she wasn’t complaining. While sleeping, she felt no pain. She almost became accustomed to feeling her pulse throb through her tail with the numerous injuries covering her body. On top of that, an incessant pull reminded her of the need to return to the ocean. While asleep, she also couldn't feel the white squares pulling on her skin. They made her feel utterly hideous.
She was content to stay in her dream world until awareness washed over her. Her hearing was excellent and she knew someone breached the water. She kept her eyes closed and reached out with her other senses. The vibrations of the water told her it was the clumsy human.
He would pay for waking her from her restful sleep. With all of her senses alive, the pain pulsed even harder as if it’d welled up within her awaiting for consciousness. Her breath caught in her gills, still scratchy from the ash. She schooled her features, not giving away her wakeful state.
She detected his warmth from only a few feet away. She kept still, waiting for him to act, but nothing happened. Cracking one eye slightly, she found him staring at her. This human had to be crazy. What was he doing staring at her?
She blamed Rowan for trapping her. And it was his fault she was stuck here and couldn’t get back home. And this, this… pool with no comfortable place to rest and recuperate made her claustrophobic. On and on, a litany of negativity paraded through her mind. He had no right to keep her like a pet. Her parents warned her about humans and those accusations were being proven correct.
She opened her eyes the rest of the way, glared, and let her anger radiate outward. She had enough, and he was about to learn who was the stronger species. Her tail lashed out with hatred, smashing his body against the smooth tiled wall.
Shock registered on his face a split second before his eyes rolled back and he slumped in the water. Having protected herself, she bristled with pride.
Her mind began to race. She could see the ocean from the metal barrier surrounding her prison, and the one person standing between her and freedom would not be a problem at this point. How would she get to the beach and Her comforting waves?
She knew how uncomfortable the surface around the pool was, scratching at her wounds and even threatening to rip some of them open. What other surprises did these vile humans have out there? The realization didn’t take long to set in. He was her only means of escape. If she couldn’t get over the barrier, she’d never make it back to the ocean.
Oh no!
Like lightning, she shot toward him, hoisting his body to the surface. When they broke through the water, she pushed him onto the unrelenting ground with a hiss. She hated the stone encasing the pool.
With some effort, she pulled herself up beside him. She was weak from lack of food and her body’s need to heal. She paused for a moment, letting her vision clear before she set to the task of ripping off the contraption on his head. She cursed when the device around his eyes got hung up in his hair. Fumbling with the strap, she finally tugged it free, along with little remnants of hair.
Her body cried out in protest from all of the activity, another wave of dizziness washed over her.
She collected her wits and peered down at his chest willing it to rise and fall, but was disappointed. Humans couldn’t breathe water like mermaids could, that much she knew. She rolled him onto his side and patted his back, hoping it would dislodge any water trapped in his lungs.
Nothing happened.
She shook him.
Cursed at him.
Yelled at him.
“You can’t die on me! I need to know how to get out of here. Wake up, you… you… stupid human!” She picked up the goggles and chucked them across the yard, upset she couldn’t think of anything vulgar to call Rowan.
She rolled him onto his back and she smacked his chest, irritated he could die so easily. A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she refused to let it drop. She wasn't sure if the tear was from the fear of never getting out of the human world and seeing her family, or did it have something to do with looking down at his motionless body? Guilt weaseled its way in for killing someone who only wanted to help her.
She crossed her arms to sulk but startled when he began coughing up pool water. Liquid gurgled out of his mouth at first, then he turned to his side, wracked with coughs.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” she stated in a monotone voice.
He had the audacity to glare at her as he spit out the last remnants of the water trapped inside his lungs and scooted away from her.
Wiggling back as carefully as she could along the rough edge, she slipped her tail into the water, her arms coming to rest on the edge as she observed him. He was still breathing, so she assumed he would live. At least now, he knew how dangerous she was. Fear was a good thing to instill in one’s enemy. He continued to glare, while she chose to grin with a smug satisfaction knowing she’d taught him a lesson in dealing with creatures of the deep.
Her grin shrank as a memory of her father teaching her how vital fighting would be for her if she continued to take risks by visiting the shipwrecks. He made it very clear he didn’t condone her behavior, and her body ached for days from the brutal punishment of defensive training to prove it. Ultimately though, he wanted to ensure his daughter was able to make it home.
Rowan laid still on his back, but his chest rose and fell. She thought he should get up before he died again. Motion was life.
Her eyes drank in his build once again, her view unobstructed and unnoticed as he coughed up more water and turned to spit it out.
His hair wasn’t as long as the males in her kingdom, but it was still a beautiful shade of blonde. A few strands clung to his cheek and she held herself in check, resisting the urge to brush it away.
Nope, she wasn’t going down this path. She shook off the curiosity she felt, looking away.
“You–you drowned me,” he admonished softly.
“Drowning you was not my intention. You should never sneak up on a mermaid. Be fortunate you discovered me on the shore, and not a merman. You would have never surprised one of them with your clumsy human ways, nor would you have survived their wrath.” She tilted her head to the side, resting it on her arm, trying to play coy. “But you’re still alive. I saved you.”
He managed to push himself to a sitting position, but he still looked like a chewed-up piece of seaweed. All wet, limp, and frazzled looking. “But only after you tried to kill me.” His voice rose in pitch. "Wait, did you say merman? There are mermen?"
“Of course, there are mermen. What did you think, we were all women down there in the ocean? How would we procreate?" Shaking her head at the imagery of an all-female kingdom. The one positive to that, though, would be her escape from the betrothal with Cayson.
Rowan shrugged, but still appeared frazzled, staring at her with wide eyes. What was he waiting for? "I’m sorry?” Were those the words Rowan wanted to hear?
“You don’t sound sorry. You sound confused and a little prideful.” He slicked his hands over his hair, her eyes tracking the movement as he wrung out the water in the process. “I came out here to finish making a list of food to pick up from the grocery store for you.”
“Store?” Meriya scrunched her nose up at the odd word.
“Yes. Store. Maybe I should let you starve.” His lips set in a thin line.
Grabbing his foot, she pulled him toward her. “Food?” Her stomach rumbled, giving away her weakness. She scowled in response. “Wait, what is a grocery store?”
“It’s a place where you go to buy the things you want to eat or items you might need to use.” He pulled his foot out of her grasp cautiously.
His hair looked nice all smoothed back. She bit her tongue, breaking her concentration. “What kind of food can you obtain at this grocery store?” The words felt so foreign to her.
Rowan pulled his feet even farther away from her, flinching when her eyes noticed the movement. Was he worried she’d pull him back into the water and finish him off?
“Well?” she prompted.
Her stomach growled again and this time he heard it. Treacherous beast.
A sly grin painted itself across his full lips. He now held the upper hand in their face off.
“How about we settle on some ground rules first, then we’ll talk about food.” He stood up and swayed, throwing his hands out to balance himself. Her eyes followed his actions as he stepped over to a chair, proceeded to drag it closer to her, but not too close, and sat down with a squish of his shorts.
“What kind of rules?” She wasn’t going to like this.
“Rule number one. No killing your host.” He crossed his arms and glared daggers at her.
She merely nodded in reply, a blank expression on her face. If threatened, she’d definitely kill someone.
“Okay, good. Rule number two. No trying to escape.” He held up a hand to cut her off, her mouth hanging open silently. “I know, I know. You feel like a prisoner, but it’s for your own good. You’re not trapped here, but I’d feel better about putting you back in the ocean once your injuries are better.”
“Fine.” Meriya pouted her lips out. If given the chance, she’d be gone.
“Rule number three.” He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “No screaming. Oh, and make sure you stay out of sight. I have neighbors and I don’t need anyone discovering you here. You’ll end up being a science experiment in some lab. Do you want to be cut on and dissected?”
A shudder rippled down her body. “Oh, Gods no!”
“Rule number four. Well, I haven’t thought of rule number four, but don’t test my patience. I’d like to keep it to just those three.” Leaning forward in his chair, his tone became more serious, if possible. “You should be lucky I found you and not someone else.”
“Maybe if you’d left me on the beach, I could have gone back into the ocean and back to my home.” Her face skewed up as if she tasted something bitter.
“If I’d left you out there, someone would have found you. I barely missed a couple walking on the beach. I’m not entirely sure if they saw your tail or not.” He picked at his fingernails, hoping no one saw him carrying her to the truck.
“But—” Her face fell.
“No, no buts. You didn’t wake up until this morning.” He huffed, leaning back in his chair. “Without me, you would have woken up in some science lab as people studied you, poked you, or worse. You’re welcome.”
She remained silent, glaring at the water, unsure of what to say. Part of her wanted to be cocky about it, lash out, tell him she was right, and he was wrong. When she played the words in her head, they didn’t ring out with any truth.
“No snide remark?” His brow arched into his hairline.
“No.” She sighed in defeat and sank into the water. Above her, a hand splashed through the water and she popped back up to find him kneeling by the water.
“I still need to know what you eat. Also, I’d kind of like to know what to call you. Hey, you doesn’t sound nice when I’m trying to get your attention while my neighbors are outside staring at me like I’m crazy.”
The edge of the pool provided him a resting place as he sat, massaging his temples with two fingers, eyes closed. A bruise began to form on the right side of his head where he smacked into the pool wall.
“Well, I usually eat plants I find in the ocean. I do occasionally – wait, are you okay?” Placing a hand on his knee, she gave hi
m a closer look, rising out of the water.
He paused in his massaging, eyes opening, and looked at her hand as if it was a barracuda ready to bite him. She quickly withdrew her hand and backed away. Perhaps she deserved his scorn.
“I’m Meriya,” she added to break up the silence.
He dropped his hands into his lap. “It’s nice to meet you, Meriya.”
“Is your head going to be alright?” Her hand yearned to reach up and examine the bump on the side.
“I hope so. I can’t very well explain how I received my injuries.” A strong hand reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes. Meriya eyed him with fascination but trained her facial muscles into a neutral expression. Above the waist he looked like any other merman, but she couldn’t help but stare at his legs. Different muscles and sinew helped him to walk upright, but those legs made him clumsy in water.
“My head only aches a little… just, don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay.”
Drifting back into the water, she peered up at him as she swam around. With determination, she stretched out her limbs from inactivity. She worried about the pace at which she healed. The pain should be gone by now, but it still pulsed a rhythm in her ear. Perhaps volcano injuries healed slower. No matter the cause, she needed to make sure she stayed in shape.
Rowan stood up from the pool and waved. “Stay out of sight. I’ll be back soon with food and I’ll change your dressings when I get back.”
She stared at his back as he entered the house. A strange euphoric feeling bubbled up in her chest and she couldn’t explain it away. This human, despite her defensiveness, was kind to her. Could her people have been wrong?
15
With list in hand, Rowan scanned the aisles of the grocery store. He selected several different vegetables, a variety of bread, and three different types of fish from the seafood department. She never specified exactly what she ate, but he hoped this food was close enough to her natural diet. If she didn’t eat and keep up her strength, she wouldn’t heal.
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