Rain continues to assault the sea, and waves threaten the tiny dinghy, but the men are too spent to react. I need to get them to land. Another surge of adrenaline spurs me, and I dive under the water and grab ahold of the strap that’s dangling from the life raft. I wrap it around my waist and swim harder than I’ve even swam before, but the sea is fighting me, and the weight of the raft is too much for my already exhausted body.
I can’t do this on my own. I need someone to help me, but the sea has never felt so empty. I have no idea how far away I am from the shoal or if any merfolk can hear me, but I open my mouth and bellow out a cry for help, repeating the message over and over again.
A euphoric laugh bubbles out of me as the calvary arrives a few moments later — two bottlenose dolphins with bright eyes, sleek, powerful bodies, and eager grins. It doesn’t really surprise me. Dolphins have been known to come to the aid of all kinds of creatures, and merfolk consider them allies and friends.
I tell the dolphins what I need, and they jump to action, snagging the strap on their dorsal fins. They have no problem towing the raft, and I struggle to keep pace with them.
When they reach the shallow water, they unhook themselves from the raft and chatter a gleeful goodbye before taking off into the depths. My injured head is pounding, and my body trembles as the adrenaline dissipates, but I manage to pull the raft far enough out of the water to prevent it from floating off before finally collapsing on the sand.
Chapter 3
When I open my eyes, four pairs are staring back at me, and my whole body stiffens.
“Holy shit,” the largest one bellows, rubbing a hand over the dark fuzz on his head. I don’t understand the words he says, but his menacing, black eyes and the scowl on his hard face send shivers up and down my body.
He stands with his feet spread wide and his hands fisted at his waist, and thick muscles bulge up and down his arms and legs. Black designs swirl across much of his tan skin. He’s the largest of the group, and the most intimidating. His jaw tenses as he stares at me.
“Who the hell are you, and how did you get here?”
I tremble under his intense gaze. I recognize him as the first man I found floating in the water. Do I still have a tail? I suddenly worry. I give a little flick and sigh in relief as I realize my legs have returned.
“I think we found the treasure, guys,” one of the other men says, this one gentler, kinder, with floppy, brown curls and matching colored eyes. His skin is tanned but lighter than the first man’s, his body large but his flesh soft and undefined. Again, the meaning of his words eludes me, but his smile and laugh ease some of my tension.
Longer, blond locks hang loosely around the brilliant blue eyes and chiseled face of the third man, and he runs his fingers through the messy strands as his eyes roam up and down my body. “She’s Botticelli’s Venus,” his musical voice whispers.
He’s the shortest, but his body is fit and firm with golden skin.
The fourth man is tall and thin with pale skin tinged pink like the inside of a shell. Bright green eyes that shine with inquisitiveness peek out from underneath black hair. He tilts his head as he examines me. “I’m Liam. What’s your name?”
I open my mouth, but I know they won’t understand me any better than I understand them. I’m not sure I can even make the same kinds of sounds. The sound of my voice is freakish out of water, along with everything else. Their words soothe me, though, and I sense no danger from them, not even the largest one with the gruff tone.
Merfolk communicate more with their minds than their voices, broadcasting their thoughts telepathically. His thoughts are loud, unfiltered, and although I don’t understand the words he’s thinking, I get the gist of them from the pictures in his mind. I know he wonders what I’m called. Instead of speaking, I picture the coral reef in my mind and project my thoughts, but he stares at me like I’ve said nothing.
“She must be the one who rescued us yesterday,” the blond one says. “My life vest was caught on the railing, and she helped me get free. Then she pulled you out of the cabin.”
Liam frowns at him then looks curiously at me again. “Where did you come from?”
I say nothing, but project an image of the water as the four men stare at me.
The large man kneels beside me and grabs my arm, inspecting it. “What’s wrong with you? Are you hurt?”
He runs his rough fingers up and down my skin, searching for injury. When his hand grazes the lump on my head, I wince, and he jerks his hand away. “Shit! I’m sorry! You’ve got a hell of a goose egg.”
His hot breath caresses my face as he carefully probes the skin around my wound. I stare at the muscles in his arm since I can’t see anything else with his large body in front of me. Sweat glistens on the tan skin, and his masculine scent fills my nostrils. My fingers reach to trace the designs on his arm, but he flinches as soon as I touch him.
“You got a thing for tats, baby? Go ahead, you can touch them if you want.” He chuckles, and the deep rumble goes straight to my center.
He holds out his arm for me and turns it slowly so I can admire the artwork. I don’t recognize most of the symbols, but they’re beautiful. I gingerly reach out a finger and trace a line of swirling loops, wondering what it means.
“Vincente and Angelina, my parents. God rest their souls.” He quickly touches his forehead, his sternum, then each side of his chest before kissing his fingers. Sadness softens his black eyes, and a pang of empathy spears my own chest. “I’m Giovanni — Gio.”
I gaze up at him, trying to express my feelings, and he scowls. “Washed up on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, and now we got an injured, mute chick to deal with? What the hell are we going to do with you?”
I flinch at his anger.
“She rescued us, Gio. Have a little respect,” the blond one says, his eyes flicking to my lower body. “Maybe I should give her my shirt.”
Liam’s emerald eyes scrutinize the shells that cover my breasts. “She doesn’t seem uncomfortable with her nudity. Why are you? That looks like some kind of tribal costume. She must be native to the island. And look at the pearls braided into her hair. ” His long, pale fingers reach to touch them. “Anthropologists estimate that there are over 100 isolated, indigenous tribes as of yet uncontacted. Perhaps we’ve stumbled across one of them.”
“If they all look as good as her, I’m going Tom Hanks on this island and getting me a hot aborigine.” The husky guy with brown curls winks and smiles at me, and I smile tentatively back.
“See, she likes me best already! Hey baby, I’m Jude.” He takes my hand and places it on his chest. “Jude.”
The golden-skinned blond rolls his eyes and elbows him. “Show some manners, Jude. Just because she won’t speak doesn’t mean she can’t understand us.”
He kneels behind me and strokes my hair, his fingers gently teasing out some of the knots. “This had to have taken hours. It must’ve been for a special occasion or something.”
“I agree,” Liam says. “Maybe it was a debut of some kind, or her wedding day.”
“You’re beautiful, Princess. Thank you for saving us. What should we call you? I’m Avery.”
How does he know I’m a princess? I didn’t tell him that. I think about coral again, but he doesn’t respond. Can humans not read thoughts?
“Well, if she lives here, her people can take care of her. We’ve got enough problems of our own to worry about.” The others frown at Gio’s words, but no one rebuts him.
He reaches down and takes my hand, engulfing it in his own as he pulls me to my feet. “Can you walk?”
I stand, a little wobbly after my ordeal, but I’m used to my legs now. I notice they look just like the men’s legs, but less hairy. There’s a patch of hair between my legs, and I wonder if they have that as well, but they all wear clothing that covers much of their bodies. I stare at them, and they stare back, their eyes glancing down between my legs then darting back to my face. Merfolk sexua
l organs are hidden behind our scales, but my human parts are much more exposed, and self-consciousness flames in my cheeks. Should I be covered up, as well?
“You can go home now, honey.” Gio waves me away, and I turn towards the trees in confusion. Does he want me to leave?
“We can follow her, see where she goes, find out what’s here.”
I scrunch my brows but take a tentative step, and he nods in approval, so I keep going, glancing back every few feet. The men wait in expectation when I reach the tree line, but I don’t understand what they want from me. I don’t want to go back into the trees, so instead, I sit down and watch them.
Why do they want me to go away? I thought mermaids were irresistible to humans? I can feel their desire, an undercurrent to every thought, so I know they’re interested. Am I giving them some kind of signal that’s telling them to back off? Back in the shoal, lots of mermen wanted me, but they knew I was off-limits. Do these humans think the same thing? I think about singing to them; I know a mermaid’s voice is mesmerizing to humans, but I’m still not comfortable using my voice above water.
Gio frowns at me and rubs his face. The stubble on his chin is about the same length as the hair on his head. “Hell, she’s like a little, lost puppy.”
Avery’s face purses with concern. “Maybe she doesn’t know how to get home.”
Liam shakes his head. “She probably leery about leading us to her tribe. Perhaps after she watches us for a while and sees we’re not a threat she’ll sneak back home.” The others nod.
“So, what do we do now, Gio?” Jude asks.
“We wait for rescue, unless you want to try to paddle the life raft home. The emergency beacon will send out a distress signal for 24 hours. The Coast Guard should be able to find us by then.”
“Cool. 24 hours. I can handle that. Like a day at the beach.” Jude laughs nervously, running his fingers through his curls. “We got any food? I’m starving.”
Gio rolls his eyes and shakes his head then smacks Jude in the gut with his hand, grinning. “I think you can survive a day or two even if we don’t, but the survival kit on the life raft should have a few rations. Let’s go check it out.”
Gio kneels down by the life raft and pulls something out, but when he opens it, his body goes as still as a stonefish.
“What’d ya find, Gio? Anything tasty?” Jude saunters over to the raft, and Gio hurries to close the survival kit then shoves it back in the boat.
Gio jumps up and puts his hands on his hips, grinding his jaw. “The kit seems to be a little lacking, but we’ll be fine. We’ll just have to make do till help arrives.”
Liam wrinkles his brow and heads towards Gio. “Aren’t the contents of those kits mandated by maritime regulations? They’re supposed to contain everything a crew would need to survive for several days — food, water, a desalination kit, first aid supplies, a radio.”
Gio gives a terse nod. “The previous owner must have scavenged a few things from it.”
“Like what?” Liam tilts his head and cocks an eyebrow.
Gio sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “Like everything.”
Liam’s sunburnt skin flames even redder. “What the hell, Gio! You mean you didn’t even check it before we left port? We’re stuck on an island in the middle of the ocean with no survival kit?”
Jude and Avery swivel their heads back and forth between Liam and Gio, mouths gaping open like they’re trying to catch dinner. Gio hangs his head, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.
Liam curls his lip in a scowl, and his voice softens but still seethes with anger. “You’re the captain, Gio. We trusted you to be in charge of the ship! None of us know anything about sea boats; we’re just here for the dive. How could you be so careless?”
“I screwed up, all right?” Gio bellows, his face twisting with rage, guilt blazing in his eyes.
“This is my first expedition. The boat was supposed to be fully equipped. I spent my entire life’s savings on it! It never crossed my mind that someone might have looted the kit. And now the whole thing is at the bottom of the ocean, along with hundreds of dollars of diving equipment.”
Gio is so enraged, no one dares to do any more complaining.
“We’ll have to search for fresh water. Our bodies will dehydrate quickly in this heat. There must be a source if the island is inhabited,” Liam says, trying to diffuse the tension.
“I agree. Let’s do a little exploring before it gets any hotter. Can you three manage not to get lost?” Gio growls.
“We should have a signal of some kind, in case one of us gets hurt or lost. The survival kit should’ve had whistles, but —” Liam stops talking when Gio glares at him.
“If you need help or you find water, just whistle as loud as you can every few minutes and we’ll come find you,” Gio suggests. “Try not to do anything stupid.”
The others roll their eyes at him and head off into the trees. I don’t understand exactly what the problem is — something is missing that they need? But they’re clearly agitated. They seem to have forgotten me. I watch curiously, then decide to follow.
Chapter 4
Gio is the closest, so I trail behind him quietly since he doesn’t seem to want me around. The thick muscles of his back and legs flex as he thrashes through the trees, scaring off the winged creatures who squawk and fly away. I’m mesmerized by the way he moves.
I’m so distracted that I don’t notice the animal right in front of me until my foot touches something long and slick. I squeal, and Gio whips his head around at the sound. He frowns and bounds over to me. His eyes widen as he catches sight of the eel-like creature that slithers away.
“What are you doing, Princess? Are you following me? You gotta watch out for snakes.”
Eels can be dangerous; is this creature, too? Gio seems worried for me.
He shakes his head at me and sighs. “Come on, baby. If you’re going to follow me, stay by my side so I can look out for you.” He takes my hand, and the small gesture makes me smile.
“You don’t know where fresh water is, do you? Cuz that would help a lot.”
His mind fills with images of himself pouring water into his mouth from a clear vessel, but I don’t understand. The sea is the other direction, unless he’s heading for the other side, which will take most of the day to reach. Maybe he’s looking for that strange water I found yesterday. I would lead him there, but I don’t know where it is from here.
Instead, I let him lead me through the trees, silently absorbing the thoughts flitting through his mind. Merfolk shield their thoughts unless they want to communicate with someone, but these humans don’t even seem aware that they’re broadcasting, and they don’t seem to understand my thoughts at all.
I struggle to keep up with Gio’s long strides as we tromp through the endless, dense, green growth, but he keeps a tight grip on my hand, even as our skin grows slick from the heat. Every once in a while, he rubs his thumb along the top of mine, sending a shiver of pleasure up my arm. His touch is addictive, and I can understand why mermaids are so drawn to humans.
Panic tightens my chest when I suddenly realize that this is my third day on land. But I’ve only just found the humans! Do I want to try to mate with one of them? I didn’t really think about that when I left the shoal, I just wanted to get away, but I have to go back soon or I will die. This is my only chance to mate with one of them.
But which one should I try to mate with? I don’t know anything about these men. Are their families in high standing? Are any of them royal? I don’t know anything about human rank. Gio seems to be the leader of the group which must mean his family rank is higher, so perhaps I should focus on him, although his gruff manner intimidates me. But the others each have their own appeal, as well.
I laugh darkly at my own presumptuousness. So far, none of them have even tried to mate with me. Are they not interested in me? Gio’s thoughts tell me he is, but his actions give me mixed signals. Maybe he thinks he’s not h
igh-ranking enough for me? I need to find a way to let him know I’m interested, especially since he can’t seem to hear my thoughts. Maybe there’s something I’m supposed to do to entice them that I don’t know about. Once again, I chastise myself for my ignorance.
Grandfather believes the intermingling has weakened our kind, and he wants to put a stop to it altogether. He will be livid if I come back carrying a human’s child. Is that what I even want? All I know is, my body craves their touch. I wasn’t expecting that. I knew that humans would be drawn to me, but I didn’t realize how strongly I would feel drawn to them.
“It’s getting late, and if we go much further, we’re likely to get lost in there, Princess. I think we better head back. Maybe one of the others had better luck.” Gio plops down on a fallen tree and sighs, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Droplets glisten in his closely-cropped hair and trickle down his face.
I sit next to him, happy for the break, and rub my sore feet.
“Do your feet hurt, Princess?” His brain imagines the pain, and I nod.
Gio gawks at me. “Did you understand me?”
I don’t know how to explain, so I just stare at him. He frowns and pinches his brows. His eyes catch a glimpse of my feet, and he grabs hold of one, caressing the tender flesh of my sole with his thumb. The sensation goes straight to my center, and desire swirls in my belly. The skin on my feet is red and raw under a layer of dirt, and pale, round bubbles full of liquid have formed in several spots. Scratches crisscross the flesh, and I wince as his fingers knead it.
“Your feet are a wreck. There’s no way you’re used to walking around this island barefoot. Where did you come from? What happened to your shoes? And the rest of your clothes?”
The images in his mind draw my eye to his feet, and I realize that they’re shod in some kind of protective covering.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’d give you my shoes, but they’d be way too big. You’d never be able to keep them on your feet.”
The Mermaid's Escape Page 3
