Sea Bride- Children of the Waves

by Thompson, LaVerne

  “Really? But I thought you said you were an American.”

  “I said I was born in American waters. So by that I am, but I live elsewhere.”

  “Well, right now, we’re in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, miles from any land, so where exactly is home to you?”

  “It’s not far from St. John.”

  “Oh, is it one of those private islands I’m told make up the Virgin Islands?”

  “Around there.” He gestured to the sandwich she held in her hand. “Go on and eat. You must be starving, I know I am.” He opened up the other sandwich and took it out. When the delicious juicy scent of the beef hit her senses, her stomach grumbled even louder. She took a bite of the bread in her hand and moaned. “This is fabulous.” Grabbing one of the water bottles, she took a big gulp.

  Together, they polished off the sandwiches in no time. When they were done, he shook out the blanket and invited her to lie back down on his clothes. She did and he lay next to her. He only wore his undershorts and she was only partially dressed. He covered them both with the blanket.

  She lay facing him, and could actually feel the electricity arching between them. Did she want to get to know this man more? He held secrets. “Who are you, Xavior?” she asked, combing his hair back away from his handsome face. “Who are you really?”

  “I’m the man that’s going to kiss you, again.”

  She smiled. “Only, if I let you.”

  Chapter Four

  Those toasted brown eyes sparkling at him held him mesmerized, drawing him to her, not that he didn’t want to get closer, but she tugged at his soul. How he managed to pull away from her before, without making love to her again, could only be explained as a miracle. His body must have been created to respond to her, especially after having experienced an orgasm for the first time ever in his existence.

  Xavior wanted, no— he needed more. So far, the sea witch was right: Cori was his bride. His body understood what his brain still marveled at. He shifted closer to her, and she moved to meet him. When their lips touched, his eyes drifted shut and his life flashed before him in brilliant, vivid color. The tales got it wrong. You didn’t see your life flash before you when you’re about to die. You see your future spread out before you when for the first time, you felt truly alive and joined to another person.

  A world of endless possibilities opened up, all centering on the woman wrapped in his arms. A woman he would never let go. First, he needed to be honest with her, to tell her the truth. He would even pray to his first father, Poseidon, if he thought it might help. However, he hadn’t answered a prayer in centuries, certainly not for any of his sons or daughters.

  She pulled away from him. “What’s really going on Xavior?”

  He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. Soft, like the rest of the woman beside him. “What if I told you there’s another world that lives alongside the one you know? What if I told you, I’m part of that other world?”

  She shook her head. “What world? What are you talking about?”

  “Cori, my people—I—we come from a world that exists below the waves, as you come from the world that exists above it.”

  “What?” She tried to pull away from him.

  He held her around the waist to keep her near him. “I’m of the sea.”

  She stilled and frowned.

  He could feel her heart rate increasing, and not from pleasure.

  “Like a mermaid, or, er—merman?” she asked hesitantly.

  He grinned. “Something like that.”

  “I see.”

  Xavior knew she didn’t. He would have to show her. She tried wiggling out of his embrace again, but he held her fast. He read the doubt and fear flashing in her eyes, clouding her mind. He needed to make her believe. “I can prove it to you.”

  “Ah—right. Sure. So, you’re gonna grow fins? Well, let me get out of your way.” This time she pushed against his chest.

  He laughed and caught her hands, holding them together. “Please. Don’t be afraid of me. And sorry, no fins. That’s a human invention. We can simply exist under the water. Our lungs and a few other organs are designed differently, allowing us to dwell at great depths.”

  She nodded. “Whatever you say. But—you were also on the boat. Aren’t you supposed to stay in the water?” She turned her head to glance at the sea “Don’t let me stop you from diving back in.”

  He smiled at her. “Actually, we can survive on land and in the sea, but we must remain near large bodies of water. We have to spend some time in the life-giving waters or we lose our ability to forever enter the depths.”

  “Sure, sure.” She nodded but not because she really believed and agreed with him.

  “Not yet, but you will be. Trust me.” He didn’t give her a chance to panic or deny him. “Just hold onto me, as long as we’re touching you’re safe.” Then he kissed her, entwining his legs with hers and maintaining his hold on her, he rolled them into the water. Releasing her, but holding her hand, he swam with her out of the cave.

  At first, she tugged against his hold. She kept kicking and twisting, her movements becoming more frantic as she tried to pull them in the other direction, back toward the cave.

  It’s okay. Don’t be scared. As long as you’re with me, you can breathe underwater. Just relax. You asked for proof.

  He knew exactly, the moment she registered his words in her head.

  Her eyes grew round and wide. She opened her mouth in shock, then closed it, realization dawning about how she was breathing underwater. “How?” she mouthed to him, bubbles bursting from her mouth.

  He spoke his reply in her mind, “Just think your words and I will hear you. Just the way you hear mine.”

  “Oh, my God. Can you read my mind?”

  “No, not exactly, just those thoughts you project toward me. Same with me. This is the way my people normally communicate. We don’t read thoughts, only the things you’re actually saying. Your private thoughts, the things in your subconscious, remain your own.” He didn’t add that, after they were mated, they would be able to read each other’s thoughts. That might be too much information for her…too soon. “I like you. I want you. Again.” He let her see the heat in his gaze and found pleasure at the answering glow in her eyes. “Spend some time with me; let me introduce you to my world.”

  She treaded water in front of him near the bottom of the ocean floor. She peered downward and he followed her gaze to try to see his world the way she might in the dim lighting. He squinted and toward the bottom, he could make out colorful fish swimming by. There were shadows of weed like plants that grew above ground but their leaves were swaying with the current. He gazed up, nothing but water surrounded them and a thin filter of daylight reached where they were.

  “This is freaking unbelievable. Do I have a choice?” she asked.

  “You always have a choice. You do not have to come home with me. I can take you to the surface and get you to the next stop. But, I can’t take you back to the ship. By now, we’ve both been reported missing. There would be too many questions I can’t answer.”

  “All right, so your world isn’t something you want made known, got it. I can just see the six o’clock news. Mermen are real, save stupid tourists from drowning. But where does that leave me?”

  “When I get you to the next stop, we’ll claim we were picked up by a fishing vessel.”

  “The next stop is another two days away. How exactly did you plan on getting me there? Swim? Just ’cause I can breathe underwater, I’m not sure if I can swim two days to get there.”

  Xavior grinned. “That’s because you’re thinking in terms of landwalkers.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him.

  It pleased him to see the fear gone from her gaze. Only curiosity remained. And attraction, oh yes—that, too.

  “If that means a person who walks on the land, then that is indeed what I am.” She shook her head. “Yep, that’s me.”

  “Well, the children of t
he waves can cover great distances in much less time, than it would take you to walk it. The sea is our home and parts its ways for us. You’ll see.”

  “How long in, uh—landwalker terms, would it take to get to port?”

  “A few hours, and we can rest in between.”

  Cori thought she might just be certifiable for even thinking this was all real, maybe that hit on her head did more damage than she thought. How could she be miles underwater calmly talking, okay well—thinking to this magnificent man after making incredible love with him? Then again, did she? It could all be part of a dream, and she feared asking him only to find out…it might really have been. He said they’d been together, but could she take the chance that it was true, or make it come true if it wasn’t? She glanced around. Amazed, at how she could see for what seemed liked miles just like on land.

  The undersea world appeared spectacular, just like the underwater shows she’d watched as a kid. A bright red and gold fish about a foot long, swam past them. The colors of life below seemed even more vivid. How could she pass up the chance to see more and learn more about this incredible world and the beings who inhabited it? She turned to gaze at Xavior—okay maybe her interest really lay in learning more about one being in particular. “How about I stay with you a couple of days and you show me your world? I think I’d like to see it.”

  “Good, I would like that, too.”

  She followed him through the waters, but the deeper they swam, the darker it got, until all she could see really were shadows. Fear crept into her thoughts.

  He must have picked up on something, perhaps by the way she clung to his hand. He stopped and tread water. “I’m sorry,” he spoke into her mind. “I forgot you would need this.” He took the necklace he wore from around his neck and placed it around hers.

  She blinked. She already noticed the medallion before, when they’d first met. A memory had sparked then and again now. She’d seen it once before, but couldn’t remember where. “Wow! I can see again.” It seemed like someone just turned on a light in a dark room. She peered up but couldn’t see all the way to the surface anymore. They’d gone deeper and the water seemed to be an endless blue green. She could see all sorts of undersea life. Most of it she couldn’t even begin to identify. Cori raised the necklace, so she could get a better look at it. A round flat disk, about the size of a dime, and made of—maybe black pearl, carved into it the shape of a wave, reaching toward the sun. “This is beautiful. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. The necklace is a sea charm. It allows you sight underwater, and to breathe even when I’m not holding you. It has been in my family for generations.”

  Cori tried then, to take it off. “Oh no, then I can’t wear this.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “What about you?”

  “I can see quite well under the sea.”

  “All right. Then, I’ll just borrow it and return it to you when you take me back topside.”

  “Come on.” He pushed his powerful thighs against the water and propelled them forward.

  Cori truly walked or rather…swam right into another world. The necklace did help her see more clearly. It looked like daylight underwater, she could see for miles. She had no idea how long they continued swimming, passing all manner of underwater life. She saw sea creatures she felt sure, no other human had ever seen. She never realized how colorful and dazzling sea life could be. Neon yellow, purple, green and red…all stunning to the eyes. None of the creatures shied away from them, and as long as they didn’t meet any sharks, she was fine.

  Finally, in the distance, even further down on what she thought must be the sea floor, appeared the outline of buildings. Like a city, but like none she’d ever seen before. “Oh, my God!” she thought to Xavior. “You really do come from another world!”

  He turned to her and hugged her closer to his side. “Welcome, to my home, Cori.” He kissed her, bubbles floating from their joining. Their bodies wrapped around each other, and they slowly spiraled downward toward the city.

  Cori never experienced anything like his kisses in her life. His tongue filled her mouth and she feasted upon it. What was happening? He pulled away, but continued to hold her hand. She immediately felt bereft, craving his closeness, but enjoying the feel of her hand enclosed in his.

  As they neared the city, she saw buildings made out of some type of beach-colored rocks. The building material had a textured look, almost like stucco. There were even windows just like in buildings on land, but she would bet the translucent coverings on the windows wasn’t glass as she knew it. The tallest looked about ten stories high and the lowest maybe three. She saw quite a few teenagers swimming around or traveling on the sea floor in some sort of boat-like vehicle, but it skimmed the bottom, churning up sand as it passed by. Everywhere she looked, there was life, and people. People who lived in the sea, all with legs.

  “We are children of the waves,” Xavior explained in her mind. “Sea people, if you prefer.” He swam right down the middle of two towers, standing about a hundred feet from the bottom. The image of a man, twice the size of a normal human, was carved into the side of the towers. It might have been Poseidon, without a fish tail. He stood naked but for a wrap around his waist, on two legs like a man who walked on the land, but he held a trident in his hand. “This is our capitol city. It is called King’s City, seat of the sea throne.”

  There were a couple of adult men swimming near the entrance, and both wore colorful swim shorts. Thank goodness, what she wore didn’t seem so out of place. At least she had a top on. She wondered what the women wore. When the men glanced up and saw Xavior, they stopped talking, placed closed fists over their hearts, bowing their heads to him as they swam by. “Is that the way you all normally greet each other?” she asked.

  “Sometimes. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take you to my place first. From there, I’ll contact my companion who’s still on the ship and find out if they remained on schedule. Afterward, I will show you around.”

  They continued to swim past tall buildings, spread out on both sides of them. There were no streets but clear paths. “Oh God, Des! She’s going to be frantic. Will I be able to call her and let her know I’m all right? Although, I’m not sure she’ll believe me if I tell her what happened and where I am.”

  “We don’t have phone service down here. But from the pal—uh, my home, I can contact Aaron, my friend who’s still on board, and have him get a message to Des for you, so she’ll know you’re okay and will catch up with her at the ship’s next stop.”

  “But what will you say?”

  “I’m sorry but I’m not going to be able to tell her the truth.”

  “That’s what I figured.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something, so she won’t be alarmed.”

  They swam through an archway into what looked like an underwater garden. Colorful flowers crowded either side of the walkway they swam over, and equally colorful fish swam among the flowers that swayed with the water’s ebb. She’d never seen anything like it. Some of the fish had long thin faces and ate from the center of the flowers, like hummingbirds.

  Beyond the garden was a building that looked different from the others. For one, it seemed to be one of the largest buildings she’d seen and perhaps one of the tallest. They came to a set of double doors twice the height of Xavior and they opened at their approach. It took Cori a moment to realize two men stood on the other side of the door and had opened it. They greeted Xavior the same way the others had greeted him. The other thing she noticed was all she’d seen were adult men and teenage boys. Where are the women and young girls? “Do you not have females?” she asked.

  The sound of his laughter echoed in her head. “Yes, we have female sea people. They are out and about also. I saw a few on our way here, but you might not have noticed them. Look, there are a few now.”

  She swung her head in the direction he faced and sure enough, there were two women heading straight for them. On
e seemed in her mid-twenties, and the other a teenage girl anywhere from thirteen to sixteen. Both were stunning, and at least wore strips of matching clothes, instead of going topless like some myths involving sea people described. There was one piece wrapped around their breasts and another short sari-like wrap around their bottoms. Their almost translucent skin seemed to have different colored tints: one blue, the other pink. One had jet black hair floating around her like a cloud, the younger one possessed hair the color of pearl and their faces were flawless.

  The women stopped in front of them. Something in their eyes…even the younger one had the look of ageless wisdom. It made them seem far older than they looked. They greeted Xavior the same way the other men did. But this time they spoke, “Your Highness.”

  “What?”

  Chapter Five

  Xavior wanted to groan. He’d hoped to avoid having anyone speak to him, but no such luck. He intended to explain to Cori who he was, and who she was to him. Judging by the shock in her voice, he had lots of explaining to do. But first, he needed to get rid of his sisters. “Ladies, this is Cori. Cori, these are my sisters, Aurora and Serine. We’ve had a long journey. I’m going to take our guest to my quarters and later…we’ll talk.”

  He felt surprised when he swam past them and Cori continued to swim at his side without protest. Although, he could hear the thoughts at the surface of her mind. He sighed. “Just wait until we get to my quarters and I’ll explain everything. I promise.” He took her hand and they continued to swim along the main corridor.

  “You bet your sweet ass you will.”

  They met a few of the other palace residents on the way, but no one else spoke to them. However, the bowing as he passed was enough to set his teeth on edge. While his warriors placed their hand to their hearts in greeting, most of the population bowed slightly or inclined their heads when he passed.

  Each time it happened, Cori mentally screeched, Oh shit, royalty.