“You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve been shipwrecked on a deserted island for the last three months. Just made it back to land a few days ago.” Jude grins and leans back in his chair, sipping his drink.
When the guys gape at him, he launches into the story about the diving expedition, the storm, his time on the island, and his eventual rescue. He doesn’t make any mention of me, though. I know it’s for my safety, but I still feel left out. I stay quiet and sip my drink while Jude regales them.
“So, where’d you meet Coral if you’ve only been back a few days?” Marcus asks, his eyes on me though he’s talking to Jude.
“Oh, uh, we’ve known each other for a long time,” Jude stammers a bit. He said we would make up a story to tell anyone who asked about me, but we haven’t yet, so I’m worried they might ask me things I don’t know how to answer. I suck the last of my drink nervously.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I whisper in Jude’s ear.
“It’s in the back. Come on, I’ll show you.” Jude stands up, acting eager to distract his friends from any more questions.
“I’m gonna show Coral to the ladies’ room then get another round.” Jude chugs the last of his drink then puts his arm around me and leads me away from the table.
We walk to the back of the bar then down a dark hallway. Jude stops in front of a door with a picture of a person wearing a dress. “This is the bathroom for girls, so I can’t go in there with you. You’ll be okay, though, right? I’m gonna refill my drink. Do you want another one?”
“Yes, please.” Sucking the sweet concoction made me feel calmer.
Jude nods and walks away, and I push through the door to the bathroom. I’m startled when I see a long mirror on the wall with several sinks under it and a few women standing in front of it. I stare at them for a moment, watching one rub something on her lips that turns them red and another turn her head upside down and shake her hair, mussing it with her fingers. One of them is wearing shoes like I saw at the store, with a long spike underneath. It makes the woman look very tall and confident. When they give me a strange look, I flick my eyes away.
Beyond them is a row of doors, most of them open. I don’t see any toilets, but maybe they’re behind the doors? The women stare at me through the mirror as I walk past them, curious thoughts running through their heads.
Sure enough, there’s a toilet visible behind the open door of the first stall, so I go into the tiny space and push the door closed, but it swings open again. Is it broken or do I just not know how to work it? I’m too embarrassed to try another stall, so I stretch my arm out to hold the door closed while I try to maneuver with just one hand.
I use the toilet, feeling self-conscious that the other women can hear me and blushing red when I see one of them pass by through the cracks around the door. I quickly finish and let the door swing open, surprised when a woman comes out of the next stall at the same time. I pull back to let her pass, following several steps behind her.
She heads straight for the sink and starts washing her hands. I didn’t get anything on my hands, and I’m nervous about burning myself with the water, but I notice another woman doing the same thing, so I move to an open sink, lift the faucet handle, and carefully test the water before sticking my hands in.
I take the opportunity to stare a little more at the other women, comparing myself. Their thoughts tell me they find me lacking, they don’t think I fit in with them at all — I should do something with my hair, my face could use some color, my legs are too hairy, my dress would look better with heels. My head droops as their condescending thoughts swirl around me. I thought I looked nice. At least, the guys seemed to think so.
In the shoal, merfolk block the thoughts they don’t want others to hear, but humans don’t seem to know how to block their thoughts or read others’. With the guys, I always enjoyed hearing their thoughts, especially the ones about me, but these women don’t seem to like anything about me, and their harsh words barrage me, even though they don’t say them out loud. I suddenly wonder if the mermaids in the shoal felt just as negatively about me.
As soon as I’m done, I rush out of the bathroom and into the hallway, colliding into the back of someone. When he whips around, I’m staring up into the penetrating eyes of Marcus. His mouth curls up when he realizes who bumped into him. His thoughts are a lot more positive.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I say.
“Were you looking for your boyfriend?”
I shake my head, hoping he doesn’t ask me why I wasn’t paying attention. “No.”
Marcus props his arm up on the wall beside us. “No, you weren’t looking for him, or he’s not your boyfriend? Jude said he’s known you for a while, but he never mentioned you. Are you two just friends?”
His large, looming body, deep, dark eyes, and sexy voice distract me. “No, he’s one of my boyfriends.”
Marcus raises the corner of his lip and an eyebrow. “One of them? So you two aren’t exclusive? Well then, maybe you and I could go out some time.” Marcus gives me a wide, leering smile.
Suddenly, Jude is there beside him, scowling. He hands a drink to me. “Are you hitting on my girlfriend, Marcus? Not cool, man.”
Marcus turns his head, the smile still plastered across his face. “She didn’t seem to mind.”
“Yeah, well, I do.” Jude pushes Marcus up against the wall with his free hand and presses himself against his chest, his beer sloshing. Jude is a lot bigger than Marcus, and the look on his face reminds me of Gio’s predatory scowl. I suck in a breath, worried when Jude imagines punching Marcus in the face; he did it once before, to Liam. But Jude controls himself, and Marcus holds up his hands in surrender till Jude backs away.
“Some other time, then.” Marcus winks at me and strolls away.
Jude runs a hand through his curls, mussing them, then leans against the wall next to me and takes a gulp of his drink. “Geez, Coral, I’m sorry he was bothering you. I didn’t expect that from my friends.”
“He wasn’t bothering me,” I say, trying to ease Jude’s worry, but it only seems to heighten it.
“He was flirting with you, trying to get you to go out with him.”
I shrug. “He didn’t do anything the rest of you don’t do.”
Jude’s face looks pained. “Yeah, but you’re here with me. It’s not cool to hit on another guy’s date.”
“Why not?”
“Well, because it makes most guys jealous! Guys don’t like it when someone else is interested in their girl.”
“But you, Gio, Liam, and Avery are all interested in me, right?”
Jude sighs. “Coral, the four of us all having a… relationship with you isn’t exactly normal. Most humans just date one person at a time. Guys don’t usually like to share. We only agreed to it because you were the only girl around, and we thought we’d be stuck on that island forever.”
Sharing a mate isn’t normal for merfolk, either, but when the guys suggested it on the island, I thought maybe it was common for humans. Since I was drawn to them all, their willingness to share my affections seemed like the easiest solution. Now, I see it was an act of desperation.
“But you’re not on the island anymore, and there are lot of other girls.” My voice is soft and a little shaky, and I drop my head, picturing all the women in the bathroom who thought so badly of me. Why would the guys want me when they could have someone else?
Jude grabs my arms, shaking me. “Coral, no! I didn’t mean it like that. You’re the only girl I want!”
“But, you don’t want to share anymore,” I say, trying to understand.
“I’m not willing to give you up, Coral, so I’m willing to share you if that’s what I have to do. I mean, not with Marcus, I think four is enough, but with the others, if that’s what they want.” He looks at me pathetically. “Unless… are you interested in Marcus? I guess we’ve taken it for granted that you’ll stay with us, but maybe you want something else
.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want anything to change.”
I don’t know anything about Marcus — maybe I would like him, too, but I don’t want to risk losing what I have, if it’s not already in jeopardy. My thoughts drift back to the appreciative thoughts the women at the mall had towards Avery. I’m sure all of the guys could get whatever woman they wanted.
“Do you think the others still want to share?” I bite my lip and peek up at Jude through my lashes.
“I don’t know; I think so. We’re all pretty attached to you. But who knows what’s going to happen now. We all want different things.”
I gulp as each of their desires flashes through my memory. How can we all be together when everyone wants to go a different way?
Avery wants to get his own place and open a salon, Gio wants to be with his sister, Liam wants to go back to school, and Jude… I’m not sure what he wants, but I doubt it’s any of those things.
“What do you want to do next, Jude?” I blurt out, suddenly needing to know.
The corner of his mouth lifts. He shakes his head and takes another drink. “You mean with my life? I have no idea. The fall semester will start soon, but I don’t think I want to go back to college. I went on that dive trip cuz I suck at school, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I got out, and it sounded like a cool adventure. Eighty grand is a nice payoff, but it won’t last long, so that means I’m back where I started, unless we go out again and find more. I guess that’s what I’ll do if Gio’s up for it.”
I like that idea, because it means at least two of the guys will stay together, and they need me to help them find the treasure, they said, so they’ll want to take me with them. Can we get Liam and Avery to go along with us?
My face must look worried, because Jude chucks me under the chin then plants a kiss on me. “That’s enough of this heavy stuff for one night. Let’s go have some fun, all right?”
I nod and let him pull me down the hallway and back into the crowded barroom. We avoid Marcus, and Jude keeps a firm grasp around my middle. We drink a couple more drinks, dance to the music, then Jude teaches me how to play pool. I’m not any good at it, but it’s fun, anyway. We’re laughing and having a good time, and all my worries seem to disappear. But by the time the game is over, my eyes and limbs feel heavy, and my body is swaying.
I close my eyes just for a second, and the next thing I know I’m falling.
Chapter 11
“What’s wrong with Coral?” Gio’s loud, pained voice startles me, and I blink and shake my head, trying to figure out where he came from and why he looks sideways.
I gasp when I realize Jude is carrying me. Gio reaches to take me from Jude’s arms, but Liam lays a hand on his chest to stop him. “You’ll tear your stitches.”
“She just had a little too much to drink, I think.” Jude carries me over to the sofa, swaying as he walks, and lays me down then plops down beside me.
“How much did she have?” Gio glares at him.
“Just a couple piña coladas, a shot of tequila, a couple sips of beer.”
“Holy shit, Jude! No wonder she’s knocked out. Why’d you let her drink so much?”
Jude shrugs. “It didn’t seem like that much to me. I had a lot more than that. I guess she’s a lightweight.”
Gio looms over him, glaring and breathing hard through flared nostrils, his massive arms flexed across his heaving chest. “She’s half your size and never had alcohol before! You didn’t think about that? And why the hell did you drive home if you had that much to drink? I ought to punch your face in.”
Liam grabs his arm when Gio shakes a fist at Jude. “I don’t think either of you are in any condition to fight.”
Jude slouches down on the couch and puts an arm over his face. “She’ll be fine once she sleeps it off. And I’m not drunk, just tired. Can you shut up so I can sleep?”
Liam sighs and rolls his eyes at Jude then scoops me up off the sofa. “I’m putting Coral in the bed.”
He carries me down the hall, and as soon as my head hits the pillow I’m asleep again.
When I wake up, my head throbs with every heartbeat, my mouth tastes like I’ve been eating sand, and my whole body feels like I’ve been pounded by the waves all night. The bright sun stings my eyes as soon as I open them. What’s wrong with me? I’ve never felt this sick before. What if the curse was real and it’s finally caught up to me? I’m not ready to die; I’m just starting to live! Fear floods my body, making me shake.
My hand scrambles for Liam, but his side of the bed is empty. I try to call his name, but I can barely squeak out a sound. All I want to do is close my eyes and let sleep take me again, but my bladder is about to burst. My stomach rolls and my head spins as I force myself to sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, wishing desperately that someone was here to help me.
I manage to stand up and shuffle to the door then into the bathroom. Once my bladder is empty, I feel a little better, but one look in the mirror has me gasping. My face is puffy, my eyes red with dark circles under them, and my skin looks as bad as Gio’s did after his surgery. My stomach churns again, and suddenly I’m on my knees, retching into the toilet, the acid stinging my throat and mouth.
“Coral, are you all right?” Liam’s voice is like a ray of sunshine warming my chilled body.
“Help me, Liam,” I whimper.
He pushes open the door and gapes when he sees me then drops to his knees and wraps his arms around me.
“I’m sick, Liam. I think I’m dying.” My voice quivers, and my body follows suit. I moan, wondering how long I’ll have to suffer like this before the curse takes me. Death will be a welcome relief compared to this agony.
Liam strokes my hair, pushing the lank strands away from my damp face. His normally-serious face is tender with sympathy. “You’re not dying, Coral. You have a hangover. It’s what happens when you drink too much alcohol. It won’t kill you, you’ll just wish it would. You’ll feel better tomorrow, but in the meantime, there’s a few things that will help.”
I sigh and grab him, hugging him tight, relief washing over me. His words are like cool water on the blazing fire of fear in my heart, instantly dousing it, but they do nothing for the pain in my body. Why would humans ever drink alcohol if they know it has this effect? Why did Jude give it to me? I’ve never been angry at one of the guys before, never had a reason to doubt their concern for me. But the thought of Jude intentionally causing me to suffer like this is a new agony.
Liam stands up and turns on the water in the bathtub, plugging the hole so the tub will fill. Then he opens a drawer and pulls out a bottle, shaking out two, small, white discs.
“I’ll be back in a second.” He slips out the door but returns a few moments later with a glass of water and a container of food.
He holds out the water and the white discs. “This is aspirin. It will help a little. It doesn’t taste good, so don’t chew it, just swallow it and wash it down with the water.”
I do what he says, choking a bit on the bitter, chalky lumps that want to stick in my throat.
“Let’s get you cleaned up. A warm bath will feel good, and it’ll get that stench off of you.” He gently pulls my dress over my head, unhooks my bra, and slides my panties down my legs. His eyes blaze as he looks at my body, but he doesn’t try to touch me other than to hold my hand while I climb into the tub.
The steamy water instantly warms me and soothes some of my achiness. I lean back, letting the water cover as much of me as it can. I splash a little on my face, and it feels so good, I slide my head under the water. The tub isn’t long enough for my whole body to be underwater, though, so my knees stick out.
It seems strange to be submerged but still have legs, and the warm water feels like liquid sunshine instead of the cool, salty waters of the sea. I pull myself up after a few moments, lifting my head out of the water so I can talk to Liam.
“You were right, this feels amazing.”
He gr
ins at me then holds out a piece of chicken leftover from the other night. “Here, a little food will make your stomach feel better.”
I take the chicken from his fingers with my mouth, feeling pampered. He feeds me bite after bite until I’ve had enough. I sigh and lean back against the tub again.
“Does everyone feel like this after they drink alcohol?”
Liam shakes his head. “Most people can have a few drinks without a problem, but your body isn’t used to it.”
“I didn’t have any idea this would happen.”
“I know, that’s why I could kill Jude for letting you drink so much. But at least he feels pretty miserable today, too.”
Liam smirks, but I frown. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, even the person who wished it on me.
“If alcohol is bad for you, why do people drink it?”
Liam shrugs. “People do a lot of things that aren’t good for them because they feel good in the beginning. Last night, did you have a good time? Did you feel happy and carefree?”
I nod, remembering the fun we had after I forgot about the women in the bathroom, forgot about Marcus, forgot about what would happen between me and the guys. “For a little while.”
“Well, that was the alcohol, making you relax. For someone like you, one drink was probably enough. You might want to keep that in mind for next time.”
I shake my head, curl my lip, and stick out my tongue. “I don’t think I ever want to drink again.”
Liam laughs, a rare, happy, light-hearted smile on his face. “I’m not a big fan of drinking, myself.”
His face gets serious again, but still tender, as he reaches out to cup my cheek. “I’m sorry, Coral. I should’ve thought to warn you. I wish I had been there.”
I nuzzle against his hand, and he leans in and places a gentle kiss on my lips.
“I thought you were going to get in here with me,” I murmur, longing for more of his touch.
His mind instantly replays the image of him, naked, cradling me in the tub, that he imagined when he first showed me the bathroom. “I can if you want me to.”
The Mermaid's Journey_A Reverse Harem Page 8
