by Lora Edwards
“All right small fry, now that we can communicate, what do you want to do?”
A picture formed in his mind: waves lapping the shore and mermaids jumping out of the water.
“You want to swim, huh? Well boy do I have a surprise for you.” Flynn looked around the apartment. He hadn’t asked Delphine which door it was that led to her ocean room.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Esme pointed to a door on the other side of the room.
“Let’s go check it out,” he said, snuggling the baby closer. She laid her head on his shoulder and Flynn felt a surge of happiness and longing. He had always wanted a family, and being with Esme intensified that desire.
He carried her across the room and opened the door, stepping from the elegant apartment onto a sandy beach. “Those mages really know what they’re doing.” He stared at the scene before him, eyes wide. Sugary white sand crunched underneath his shoes, the sun warm on his skin but not stifling. The water rushed in and out, making a soft swishing sound, and stretched as far as the eye could see. The waves were the clear crystal blue of the Caribbean.
Flynn set Esme down on the sand so he could shuck off his shoes. “You need to sit right here and behave. This will only take a minute.” Esme sat with a serious look on her face again, making her look much older than her two years.
Flynn took off his shirt. He had come prepared, wearing board shorts, as he’d assumed the baby would want to play in the water.
Picking her up once more, he moved to the shore. He waded into the warm water, stopping when he heard a whimper from Esme. Her little face was scrunched, and he snuggled her tight against the pain he knew she was feeling as her chubby little legs turned into the scales of her tail.
“All right little one, my turn.” He had never shifted while holding a baby before, and he had never attempted a mermaid. Esme beamed a picture of him with a tail into his brain. “I know, just gimme a minute. This mermaid thing is new to me.”
Flynn closed his eyes and brought the image of a merman into his mind; he had seen other men change while he was on Siren island during his last mission. Turning into the infamous pirate Blackbeard was much easier than turning into this mythical creature.
Esme wiggled in his arms, breaking his concentration. She showed him a picture of her swimming next to him. He tentatively let her go. It wasn’t like she could drown…right?
The baby giggled and floated next to him in the water, perfectly comfortable in this environment.
Flynn laughed and closed his eyes again, concentrating on the change. He felt the fiery pain as his bones twisted and popped. He had changed into other animals before, and part of the gift was that it came with the innate knowledge of how to interact with the environment in the form he chose. He had changed into a wolf and felt the freedom of running on four legs instead of two. He always took on the characteristics of the thing he was shifting into.
As the pain ended, he opened his eyes to see a smiling Esme floating in front of him. He looked down and grinned. Under the water where his legs had been before was a tail the same sapphire as Esme’s. She floated over and hugged his waist before disappearing below the waves. Flynn dived in behind her, joining her under the crystal blue water.
“Flynn?” Delphine came out of the bedroom feeling herself again. The three women had decided to keep it casual that night by going out to a bistro close to the institute. Delphine had chosen a long silk ombre sundress in the colors of the ocean, paired with sparkly strappy sandals and earrings made of polished sea glass, crafted by a dear friend from home.
Delphine looked around the apartment—there was no sign of Flynn or Esme. Frowning, she walked toward the kitchen, stopping when she caught the sound of the deep chuckle of a man and the high-pitched giggle of a baby. Of course Esme had wanted to go back into the water.
Slipping off her shoes, Delphine opened the door to her ocean room and walked out, gently shutting the door behind her. She sighed in pleasure as she wiggled her toes in the warm sand. She loved this room. It was like being home, and it was only a few steps away from her life at the institute.
Delphine looked into the water, smiling at the sight of Flynn and Esme floating happily. They both jumped in the air, knifing back into the water, and Delphine felt her jaw drop. She knew Flynn was a shifter, but it hadn’t occurred to her that he could or would shift into the form of a merman. It made sense as he would be much more agile in the water and would be able to keep a better eye on Esme. The sight of his sapphire tail as he jumped high then slipped back into the water had her mouth watering and her pulse jumping.
He looked delicious, and she fell over the proverbial cliff. Any man who would change forms—a painful process, she was sure, having gone through it her entire life—just to make the baby more comfortable was the one for her. They would get this mess with the society figured out and then she would see if he wanted to explore a relationship. She sighed. She supposed she had made her decision; she would take a permanent position at the institute. She just hoped her father understood.
“Hey guys, are you having fun,” Delphine asked as she watched them play in the water.
“Yes, this is so much fun! I can’t believe I’ve never tried this form before—I love it,” Flynn called out as he did another jump into the water, splashing Esme and making her giggle. “Too bad you look fabulous and can’t come join us,” he said, winking at her. She felt a blush heat her cheeks at the compliment.
She moved closer to the edge of the water, watching as they played for a few more minutes, and then, as if she had been doing it her entire life, Esme swam up to Flynn and crawled into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder while letting out a huge yawn.
“I think someone is ready for a nap,” he said.
“Bring her out of the water. Her hair and skin will dry quickly,” Delphine explained.
Flynn floated closer to shore to meet Delphine. As the baby’s tail came out of the water, she whimpered as she changed back into her human form, the water evaporating off of her in the process. Flynn handed Delphine the dry baby, who snuggled right up.
Flynn then closed his eyes, and as she had seen when they were in England, a glow surrounded him, almost too bright to look at. When it faded, he stood in board shorts.
“You, on the other hand, will not dry. Let me grab you a towel,” she said, heading back toward the apartment.
Delphine quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom and brought it back to him.
“Thanks. Do you mind if I use your bathroom to change,” he asked.
“Of course. I will get Esme dressed.” Delphine headed into the bedroom as Flynn went into the bathroom with the satchel he had brought with him.
Armand had given Delphine an allowance to pick things up for the child, and it was a good thing she had followed Teagan’s advice and got things in several sizes as the infant clothing was much too small. There was a pair of fuzzy footie pajamas that fit just right, and she thought maybe she could take the other clothes to Mrs. Bloom and have her use her magic to make them a bigger size.
As she came out of the bedroom, she heard a knock at the door. Crossing the room, she opened it to Teagan and Ovidia.
“Hey guys, come on in,” she said, opening the door wider. Ovidia looked at the baby with a bit of trepidation in her eyes. Teagan’s eyes were glued to her.
“Can I hold her,” Teagan asked softly.
“Sure.” Delphine handed the sleepy child over to Teagan. Esme frowned for a moment, looking at Teagan, and then she smiled.
A strange look came over Teagan’s face. In her mind rose a picture of the small girl with a mermaid tail playing in the water with two other children. As Teagan saw the scene unfold in her mind’s eye, one of the children toddled to the beach and a glow surrounded her. A little dragon sat on the beach while the mermaid baby laughed and clapped. The other child, not to be outdone, climbed on the beach and soon there were two little dragons sitting side by side. They then clambered back
into the water and the three children continued playing.
Teagan felt her eyes fill with tears as she felt the baby in her arms sigh and snuggle closer into her arms. She blinked and saw the two women in front of her eyeing her strangely. Then Delphine’s face cleared and she smiled knowingly.
“Sorry about that, Teag. At this age, the little ones haven’t learned their manners yet, and she just wanted to make sure you were safe,” Delphine said, leaving Ovidia looking lost.
“What are you two talking about?” The tall Valkyrie frowned, placing a hand on her hip.
“Esme can project thoughts into your mind. Mermaid and Siren children have the ability to project images and scenes into the minds of others. It is their way of communicating. All mermaids and Sirens can do it when in water, but we lose the ability to do so on land when we reach the age of about four. There are a few special cases of those of our kind who continue to be able to project thoughts on land afterward, but it is rare, and it normally only happens in the most powerful of families,” Delphine explained.
“Can you still do it on land,” Ovidia asked.
“Yes, almost all royal children have that ability. I promise I have not been peeking into your minds. We are taught to block others’ thoughts at a very early age. It would have to be a very strong emotion for it to break through the shields,” Delphine said, giving Teagan a gentle look.
“Keep that kid away from me—I don’t think I want her poking around in my brain,” Ovidia said, giving the sleepy Esme another wary look.
Teagan just rolled her eyes.
“Well this is a sight: three beautiful women and only one of me,” Flynn said from behind them.
“Flynn, what are you doing here,” Ovidia asked, giving Delphine the side eye.
“Delphine and I are splitting Esme duty. It was easier for me to come here as Delphine has that wicked ocean room and Esme really likes to be in the water.”
Ovidia asked him another question about some piece of institute business and while they were busy talking, Delphine walked over to Teagan. Under the cover of taking the baby from her, she squeezed her arm and whispered, “Your secret is safe with me until you are ready to reveal it.”
Teagan teared up again and nodded.
“Seriously Teag, what is with all the weeping lately,” Ovidia said exasperatedly as she turned to her friend.
“Babies will do that to you,” Delphine said, smoothly handing Esme to Flynn, her heart melting a bit as the baby snuggled into his muscular chest. “All right ladies, let’s get this show on the road,” she announced, herding her two friends out the door. “Thank you, Flynn, for all your help with Esme. We shouldn’t be too long.”
“Take all the time you need. We will be here when you get back.” He grinned at her, and the sight of him holding the baby while flashing his killer smile almost had her spilling her feelings right then and there.
“You two quit making googly eyes at each other, I am starving,” Ovidia said, grabbing Delphine’s arm and dragging her out of the room.
“Okay Delphine, spill it—what is going on between you and Flynn?” Ovidia pounced as soon as they were seated at the nearby bistro.
“Ovidia, leave her alone. She does not have to submit to one of your interrogations—she is not a criminal.” Teagan sighed and readjusted in the seat beside Delphine.
Delphine discretely reached over to her, putting her hand on her leg. Opening up her healing powers, she saw that Teagan was desperately nauseous. Delphine closed her eyes for a split second, sending a healing energy to her friend. Next to her in the booth, Teagan let out a little sigh of relief and leaned back.
“Okay, then let’s talk about you and the fact that you look like you have lost weight and have dark circles underneath your eyes but in some aspects still appear to glow with good health?” Ovidia arched an eyebrow.
“Vid, I told you—I’ve just been working too hard trying to find any scrap of evidence in the historical record of where the society might have moved to,” Teagan replied, taking a sip of her tea.
Ovidia’s eyes narrowed. It was clear Teagan was not ready to reveal her news to the world just yet, and Delphine was sure she had her reasons. If they continued on that track, Ovidia would figure it out, and Teagan did not need any extra stress right now.
“There is nothing going on with Flynn and me, Ovidia. He bonded with the baby while we were on the mission and he has simply agreed to help me with her care until we can find her parents.” Delphine watched the gears in Ovidia’s mind work, and as she had known it would, talk of the mission turned her head.
“How was your first solo mission,” Ovidia asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“It was fantastic. I can see why you do what you do. Saving Esme felt so good. Of course there wasn’t any fighting, just a simple rescue mission, but for the first time in my life I felt I was actually doing something worthwhile, helping someone who really needed it.” Delphine sat back in the booth. She hadn’t realized she really felt that way until the words left her lips, hadn’t realized her life on Siren isle had been so unsatisfying.
“She is a beautiful baby,” Teagan said. “What will you do with her if we find the society and have to leave? What if her parents can’t be found?”
“There is a water sprite here at the institute who will keep her for us while we are on the mission. The baby showed me the scene of what happened to her parents and I am reasonably sure they were captured by the society, but if we cannot find them, there are Siren families on the isle that are willing to adopt her and treat her like one of their own.”
“First of all, that baby is creepy. She can read your mind. Second of all, why would a family not treat her right,” Ovidia asked.
Delphine laughed. “She isn’t creepy—as I told you before all mermaid-Siren babies can read minds. As to your second point, because she is half mermaid and half Siren, some of the clans of each are purists and believe their species should not mate with other species. They would either treat her badly or sacrifice her to the ocean.”
Teagan shook her head sadly and Ovidia snorted. “That is just ridiculous.”
Delphine nodded in agreement. “It is, but it is the way of the world, not just in our clans but in other supernaturals and humans as well.”
Teagan then turned the topic to other more trivial subjects, and the women spent the next hour laughing, eating good food, and ribbing each other a bit here and there. Delphine felt she had finally found her place with these women, in this place, and no matter how hard it would be to tell her father she would be staying and not returning to the Siren isle, she would do it, because it was here that she belonged.
Ovidia walked through the door of her apartment and smiled. It wasn’t just her apartment; it was their apartment. She and Erik had fallen into a comfortable routine since moving in together. Now that they were settled and happily married, Ovidia could look back on the time they’d spent apart and know it had been for the best. They were a better couple, a stronger couple because of it. They had grown up and learned about themselves, solidifying what they wanted out of life. In the end, it had turned out well.
“Hello, gorgeous. How was your dinner with the girls?” Erik came up behind her, sliding his arms around her.
She closed her eyes and leaned back against him, enjoying the feeling of being in his embrace. “It was good. Teagan and Delphine jabbered on about some library at an institute installation in 1718. Delphine insists Teagan has to visit this secret library. Oh, and I think there is something brewing between Delphine and Flynn—they are taking care of the baby together.”
“That would not surprise me with the smolder those two have when they are around each other.” Erik kissed his way down her neck, causing Ovidia to shiver.
“I am worried about Teagan. This illness she has doesn’t seem to be going away, and she looked tired and sick tonight.”
“I am sure Bran is taking good care of her, love. She is a witch and she has been seeing t
he healer here regularly. They will put her to rights,” Erik reassured her.
Ovidia was still worried about her friend, but her worries soon dissolved into Erik’s attempts to distract her. Ovidia would talk to Teagan about it and get a straight answer the next day. For the moment, she would enjoy Erik’s diversion.
Delphine walked into her apartment, quietly shutting the door. It had been good to spend time with her girlfriends, and she was delighted for Teagan and Bran. She would have to get Teagan alone and offer to use her healing energy to help her if she had more morning sickness. It was a small thing she could do after Teagan had done so much for her.
Delphine put her keys in the bowl on the table in the entryway, coming to dead stop at the scene in her living room.
Flynn was sprawled out on the couch, his head tipped back, Esme curled up on his chest, both sound asleep. Delphine stood watching them for a few minutes, feeling her heart swell. She hoped one day she would come home from a night out with the girls and find Flynn in just that position with one of their own children.
He stirred and opened one sleepy eye, looking up at her. “Hey, did you have a good time,” he asked, shifting a little on the couch, one large hand anchoring the sleeping baby on his chest.
“Yes, it was good. How did the two of you do?”
“I am telling you, this kid has a ton of energy. We went swimming again, had some dinner—your kitchen is scary, don’t go in there—and she played on the floor with her doll then got a bit fussy. I told her a story and she racked out. Then I did the same,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“I never realized how one little person could wear you out so fast,” Delphine said, agreeing with him. They smiled at each other in mutual sympathy then the sound of chimes interrupted the moment.
