by Bianca D'Arc
Sirena dared greatly, putting her other hand on his other shoulder. It wouldn’t take much to slide her hands up around his neck. The motion of her tail kept her upright and floating, but he had to use his hands and feet.
“What if I like your infirmary?” She wasn’t very good at pouting or playing the ingénue, but she was giving at her best shot, and it seemed to be working, judging by the hungry look in his eyes. “Besides…where am I going to sleep tonight if you don’t let me come back? I don’t have a place yet in this town, and I’m not really up to staying in the water just yet.”
“What if I said you can stay at my place?” His voice had dropped down low, and there was a definite rumble of his bear in it. Sexy.
“Do you have a guest room, or would I have to share with you?” Oh, yeah. She would love to share his bed, and just in case he didn’t recognize her signals yet, she slipped her fingers up over his shoulders and around his neck. His thick golden hair was slick against her hands at his nape, and it felt divine.
“You can sleep wherever you like in my den, Sirena. I won’t quibble.” He stared down into her eyes, his expression suddenly serious. “And I need you to know that you don’t owe me any…favors…for helping you. My services come with absolutely no strings attached.”
She met his gaze, feeling bolder than she ever had. Something about Sven brought out the wild woman in her soul and gave her a confidence she’d never quite had with any other man. It was a heady feeling.
“Got it, doc. No strings. And you should know that my…uh…services are the same. I do what I want, when I want, with who I want—as long as the other party shares my interest.” She decided to stop beating around the bush. “Look, Sven. I like you. I appreciate what you did for me, but that’s about as far as it goes on that score. Anything else is strictly between you and me. Because I feel an…attraction. I mean, look at us.”
She removed one hand from his nape and trailed her fingers down over his shoulder and onto his chest. Wherever she touched, little sparks of magic glowed between them.
“Our magic likes each other. We’re different, but if this is anything to go by, we’re compatible,” she went on. “I’ve never sparked with anyone like this before. Don’t you feel it too?”
Sven seemed mesmerized, watching the progress of her fingers on his chest. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I wasn’t sure you recognized this…thing…drawing us together. I’ve felt it since the moment I first saw you, Sirena.” His gaze rose to meet hers, and she read the honesty and passion there. It was a mirror for her own feelings.
That was it. She reached upward and kissed him. He seemed surprised at first, but then took over, showing her all the pent-up passion within him. It was a match for hers…and then some. Then again, she’d been at such low energy since they first met, until now, that she was playing catch-up to him on the attraction front. Now that she was almost completely well, though, she found him almost completely irresistible.
His kiss set her on fire, and when they drew apart, she was surprised to find the waters of the cove hadn’t turned to steam around them.
“Shall we adjourn this ‘til we get back on terra firma?” Sven’s arched eyebrow and inviting smile made her want to jump him, but since he was a land dweller and she was still somewhat weak, that would best be accomplished out of the water.
“I would ask your place or mine, but I don’t have a place here yet,” she said, aiming for a joke, but hitting a bit of a raw nerve instead.
She hadn’t picked out a spot in the cove or found a real place of her own on land yet either. She was rootless and unsure where she belonged…except she knew one thing for certain. For the next few hours at least, she belonged wherever Sven was.
“Mi casa es su casa,” he intoned, his smile widening. “What do you say?”
“I say, what are we waiting for?” She laughed as she swam away from him, back toward the half-finished building on shore.
She kept looking back to see the long, lean, muscular lines of his human form swimming strongly in her wake. He was pretty devastating in both his forms and looked about as at home in the water as a land dweller could be. That was definitely a big point in his favor as far as she was concerned.
Chapter Eleven
Sven didn’t want to count his chickens before they hatched, or otherwise take anything for granted, but it sure sounded like he was about to get lucky with the beautiful mermaid who had been plaguing his thoughts since the moment he’d first seen her. Getting lucky, though, didn’t really cover it. That was a silly phrase he discarded almost as soon as it entered his mind. It wasn’t just lucky. It was more like blessed. Singled out by the Goddess for a special gift. Getting something he was almost afraid to want too much because it felt too important.
Oh, yeah…there was nothing light or lucky about this. If it happened. For, if Sirena agreed to share his bed, he knew deep down in his heart, he would never be the same. His world would shift on its axis, and he would look at everything with a new perspective.
Or so he believed. And feared. And anticipated. It was a heady feeling, this fizzing joy of hesitant anticipation bubbling through his veins. He hadn’t felt like this since he’d been a child—if then.
Something momentous was about to happen. Maybe. If she didn’t change her mind.
He cut through the water, stretching out his arms to keep up with his pretty mermaid. Her tail was just about the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, and she’d been right about the way their magic sparked. His bear had loved swimming with her, and the bear had felt nothing but attraction, care and protectiveness toward her. His bear side had wanted to play with her, not hunt, which was a relief. He’d been half afraid the first meeting of their shifter sides wouldn’t go quite this well, but he guessed he should have known.
After all, he was truly beginning to believe that—odd as it seemed—Sirena just might be his mate. Tonight would tell. He suspected he’d know for certain after they joined for the first time. If it was going to be as special as he suspected, he might just spend the rest of his life with this one woman…and count himself blessed to do so. If she agreed, that is.
And if she didn’t agree, he’d spend the rest of his life trying to convince her to be his and his alone. There were worse ways to spend one’s remaining decades. Of course, if she felt the same… Well, then. They could spend those decades making babies, playing in the surf, and generally living happily ever after.
Caught up in the daydream of what might be, he had to shake himself when they neared shore. His senses were sharper in his bear form, but he was still able to sniff out the presence of others in the boathouse. Concerned, he powered through the water, drawing even with, and then overtaking, Sirena.
She shot him a bemused look as he sped past her, and he knew she let him pass, because even tired, with that tail of hers, she could have easily outpaced him in the water. Perhaps she sensed something too. Or maybe not. He’d have to ask her later so he could better assess her abilities. If they were going to be mates, he’d have to know all her weaknesses and strengths, so as to protect her.
For now, though, he let that startling thought slide. Right now, he had to find out exactly who was waiting in the boathouse. If there was danger, he would face it. He would protect his mate no matter what.
The scents of the water and the life therein obscured the identifying markers that normally would have told him exactly who was waiting on shore. Plus, the breeze wasn’t cooperating. It was blowing in the opposite direction, in fact. Only a small contrary zephyr had brought him the hint of scent that had alerted him.
As he drew closer to shore, he was able to see that there was more than one figure near the stairs that led into the water from the shadows of the boathouse. A set of smaller bodies looked decidedly female in outline, while a much larger shape looming behind them seemed more familiar.
If Sven had to guess, he’d say it was most likely John, the Alpha, showing two of their mermaid guests the new
water entry that had only just been declared safe by the work crews that day. In fact, Sven and Sirena had probably been the first to use it without supervision.
Ratcheting down his sense of alarm, Sven tried to set himself into watch mode. He would still be hyperaware of any threat to Sirena, but having assessed the situation as peaceful, he could relax just the tiniest bit. Still, Sven went ashore first, using the stairs in a rapid approach as the two females waiting there moved back to make way for his powerful approach.
The Alpha stood his ground, of course. John and Sven had worked and fought together for many years. They knew each other well and understood most actions without need for explanation. John held up one hand, giving the military hand signal to reassure Sven that all was well and no danger lay in wait.
Sven nodded to John, then to the women before moving off to one side to speak in low tones with John. He kept an eye on Sirena’s slower rise out of the water, but she was immediately surrounded by her two friends, who seemed to want to make a friendly fuss over her. It was a good thing to have friends to count on, and Sven watched indulgently as the two females shielded Sirena from male eyes while she dried off and dressed on the other side of the large open room.
Sirena was a bit hesitant to rise out of the water with the Alpha bear looking on, but she saw her opportunity when Sven went on ahead and took the Alpha off to one side. Beth and Janice were waiting too and understood her modesty. Although they swam around in their scales all the time without clothing, the scales themselves were a sort of shield that hid most of what humans tried to hide with fabric.
Land shifters might be comfortable with nudity—and it was clear Sven had no real modesty when he leapt out of the water, giving Beth and Janice a full frontal view without even seeming to realize it—but mer were different. They shifted in private most of the time, and only when heading in and out of the water, which, for Sirena, wasn’t often. She’d decided a few years ago to make her home in the ocean, for now, and only left it a couple of times a year, to visit her folks.
It was too risky to go in and out of the water too frequently. With so many humans around, with their technology—satellites, surveillance cameras, and even recreational drones that could take damning photos—it was getting riskier to shift all the time. Even the dark of night couldn’t hide much anymore. Not with infrared cameras and commercially available night vision devices that turned dark to light.
That’s why this protected boathouse was such a good idea. Her people could go from land to sea without being observed, which was ideal. Still, the nudity would take some getting used to. Of course, from what she’d seen of the residents of Grizzly Cove, not one of them had any reason to be modest.
Muscled and lean, the men around here were a sight to behold when clothed. Seeing them in the nude was no hardship to women who’d been just a bit lonely living under the waves for so long. Most of the few mermen in their pod were all paired up with permanent mates and children, so there wasn’t a whole lot of dating action in their community.
Sirena sensed that was all about to change, now that they had the luxury of a batch of handsome male shifters so nearby. Two of her friends had already found their mates among the bears, and Sirena thought a few more might be so blessed in the months to come. And if they didn’t find their one true loves, they at least could date some hot guys and have a little fun while they waited to find their mates.
She dressed quickly with Beth and Janice providing a shield of sorts, but the Alpha bear was polite and turned his gaze away even before she rose from the water. He was newly mated and, from all evidence, deeply in love with his wife, so Sirena supposed he didn’t need to ogle other women. Oddly enough, Sirena didn’t mind Sven’s gaze so much. In fact, some little devil of intrigue wanted to show him what was on offer, even with the audience.
But maybe the presence of her friends was a good thing. It would keep her from throwing herself at the doctor—at least for a little while longer. If she was alone with Sven again, she didn’t think she’d be able to stop herself. She wanted him bad, and after their frolic in the sea where her mer side got to know his furry self, she would not be denied. Their magic sparked in sultry, seductive ways that must be explored. Soon.
“You’re looking so much better, Sirena,” Janice offered, holding out Sirena’s sweater. “How do you feel?”
“Much better. Still not up to full steam as far as my stamina goes, but the shift did wonders for my wounds,” Sirena admitted, bending down to put on her shoes.
Beth helped, crouching down in front of Sirena. “Are you sure you should be so chummy with the bear?” Beth whispered.
“Beth…” Sirena felt the undercurrents of concern tinged with suspicion in her friend’s voice.
Beth was a strange one. Youngest of the hunting party, Beth was shy and very needy for someone who had only joined the group the year before. Sometimes, Sirena wondered if Beth had ever known love, since the other woman seemed to find it so hard to express that emotion even in friendship. It was kind of sad, really, and Sirena was extra patient with Beth because she felt a bit sorry for her, but she found herself resenting Beth’s butting in where Sven was concerned.
“Look. He saved my life. I have absolutely no doubt about that. Without Sven, I’d have been dead weeks ago,” Sirena told her honestly, keeping her voice down to a whisper.
She didn’t want Sven to know that any of her friends had doubts about him. It was insulting, for one thing. Especially after all he’d done for her and her people.
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean—” Beth began, but Sirena cut her off.
“I like him, Beth. He’s a good man. End of story.”
Sirena ended the topic by finishing with her shoes and standing. Beth had to stand as well, and Sirena wouldn’t entertain any more questions or doubts about Sven. She effectively terminated the conversation by squaring her shoulders and striding over to where Sven and John stood, still talking in low tones.
She didn’t wait, but walked right up and joined the duo, greeting John with a friendly smile. Sven seemed to understand that there’d been some byplay among her and Beth and immediately made room for her, welcoming her into their circle.
“I’m glad to see you up and around, ma’am,” John said, nodding politely.
“Thank you, Alpha. I’m much better for having shifted, and it’s thanks to your doctor friend here that I got to this point at all. If Sven hadn’t kept me going until Mrs. Legine could work her magic, I never would have made it.” Sirena wanted the bear leader to know she was fully aware of how much the community of Grizzly Cove—and Sven, in particular—had done to keep her alive.
Sven ducked his head slightly, as if embarrassed by her praise, but John merely nodded. “I’m glad he could help you,” he said, giving her a look of understanding that said much more than his words. “And if there’s anything else we can help you with as you complete your recovery, be sure to let one of us know. You were injured protecting your people, and that’s something we can not only understand, but respect.” The bear leader surprised her with his words. “This town was founded around our old military unit. We’re all soldiers at heart, and I definitely recognize that warrior spirit in you, Sirena. When you’re up to it, I’d like to talk to you about improving security for the cove itself. We’ve got the land covered, but it’s clear we need to step up our monitoring of the water approaches. I’ve already begun talks with your leader on this, but I’d like to have you on the committee, if you’re willing.” Pleased by his offer, Sirena nodded in response. “You too, Sven,” John added, looking from Sirena to the doctor standing at her side, and back again, his eyes lighting with humor. “Nobody likes cold water swimming as much as our furry white friend here.”
Sirena giggled. That was the only word for the joyous sound that came straight from her chest…in the vicinity of her heart. These bears made her feel not only welcome, but part of something much bigger than her hunting party, or even her pod. They made her
feel part of the land-dwelling world in a way she never had, even if she’d been born and raised mostly on land.
“I’d be honored, Alpha. Thank you for asking,” she vocalized her agreement, just so he’d know for certain how she felt.
To be honest, she was a little overwhelmed by the emotion his offer inspired. She’d never expected to be so well received by this scary group of land shifters, but they’d all but rolled out the red carpet for her and her people. Maybe they weren’t quite as scary as they’d feared.
“I was just showing the sea stairs and slide to your friends,” John said, moving closer to the other two women who were watching them. “What do you think?”
“It’s a great idea,” Sirena said without hesitation. “And this private area in which to enter and leave the water is perfect.”
“It’s a little public,” Beth chimed in, joining the conversation, her forehead wrinkled in a frown.
“We’re not used to shifting in front of others,” Sirena explained when John seemed confused. “But it’s not that big a deal,” she added, willing her friends to play along. The bears were being so nice, and it was their town, after all. “Just being able to shift out view of satellites, airplanes, drones and tourists will be very welcome.”
John scratched his cheek. “I never really thought about it before, but most of the coastline is very exposed. Even if you shift upstream and swim down one of the tributaries, you’d still be exposed quite a bit. Must be more difficult for you folk than I realized.”
Sirena shrugged and smiled at the Alpha. “We manage. We just don’t shift as often as you bears do, since it’s tricky to get from land to sea and vice versa without risk of being seen. Even at night. Which is why this boathouse is ideal.”
The conversation drifted at that point, and Sirena began to feel the fatigue that was just starting to really catch up to her. She sort of tuned out the others, who kept talking about the boathouse and its attributes. Sven came to her side and put an arm around her waist, supporting her as she rested her head against his shoulder. It felt good to lean on someone—quite literally—for a change. Sven was tall and strong, and she felt like she fit against him like they were made to go together.
