by Vivian Arend
“Can you show me your other two forms?” Alexia asked. “The dolphin and the merman?”
“I have three other forms, remember? The merfolk one is hard to show—the changes aren’t very visible, we pretty much look like our human forms—but I’ll try. Trust me?” He did a back float, pulling her on top of him.
“Of course.” How could she not? A constant stream of emotions flowed from him. Anthony’s confidence in the water rested on her like a warm blanket. His pleasure in being able to teach her about her pod swirled around them, sweet like a favorite dessert. His desire for her was there as well, present in every move he made.
He ran his hands down her sides and dragged her even higher, their mouths inches apart.
“Kiss me,” he said.
Mouths touched, his passion flowing over her as he slanted her mouth to the side and sealed them together. He stopped kicking and let them drop beneath the waves, the blue light of St. Elmo’s fire meshing together with the new blue tones of the sky as seen from underwater. Her vision was hazy as she looked past Anthony’s cheek, the sandy bottom blurred as she blinked in the salt water. His kiss distracted her for a moment but she needed to breathe soon and tightness began to bind her chest as she waited for Anthony to release her to the surface.
Alexia delayed as long as she could before struggling, pushing away to reach the air she needed as stars appeared in front of her eyes. A tinge of fear shivered up her spine. Why was Anthony not helping her? His hand cupped her neck, keeping her mouth open on his and suddenly her cheeks puffed out like a balloon.
If it were possible she would have laughed. It took a few tries to coordinate the timing, but eventually she realized if she breathed normally, her mouth sealed to Anthony’s, his body provided the oxygen for them both.
They dropped to the ocean floor, the current wiggling them back and forth gently. It was awkward to look around plastered to Anthony, so she took a deep breath and pulled away. Her fingers clung to his arm to keep him near enough that as soon as she needed more air it was simple to touch mouths and breathe in.
Alexia wished she had a pair of goggles. The blur of the water continued and her eyes stung from the salt. Suddenly she blinked and the watery world around them turned crystal clear. She faced Anthony and carefully examined him. His eyes twinkled back at her from behind a thin membrane, like a set of clear eyelids and she realized her body had changed.
Shit, it was true. She was going to be able to turn into something not human. She pointed toward the surface and Anthony nodded. He gave her a final breath of air and swam them upward with an easy dolphin kick, his strong body holding her close.
As their heads broke the surface Alexia let out a shriek, threw her arms in the air and splashed the water around them like a little child in a puddle.
“Holy fuck, I could see you! As clearly as if I were above water. I could see you!” She hugged him hard and they both submerged under the next wave as it broke over their heads. Alexia surfaced sputtering and spitting. Anthony supported her to let her catch her breath. “You asshole, stop laughing at me.”
He brushed a hand against her cheek. “I’m thrilled for you, Alexia, but it seems you still need to work on the breathing-water bit.”
She stuck out her tongue before lying back on the surface, her heart pounding. It was really true. Her mind spun with excitement. She pulled up to tread water again, grabbing Anthony’s arm. “Show me your dolphin.” He raised a brow and she bit her lip. That must have come across like a bossy child, and that’s not what she intended. “Please?”
He nodded. “Remember, the best way to ride is to hang onto my dorsal fin. And don’t go sticking your fingers in my blowhole—that’s kind of like sticking your finger up my nose and it’s not very polite.”
Alexia splashed water at him.
“Be careful, sweetheart. I have a bigger water pistol than you do.” He kissed her one last time, his lips clinging to her mouth before he backed up to tread water from a short distance away.
She watched closely, but she missed the actual moment of his change. One minute she stared at his sparkling green eyes and beautiful smile, the next—he was a sleek gray dolphin, his head hovering at the surface of the water. His smile had changed appearance but still warmed her heart.
He moved forward, bumping carefully into her side. Alexia slid her hands over his skin, marveling at how soft he was. She took a slow swim around him as he bobbed up and down in the water, her hands brushing his wide torso, rubbing his fins. She treaded water in front of him and stroked his nose and up his sloped forehead, all the while marveling that this was Anthony. She swam to the side to look into one eye, seeing there the intelligence and patience she’d seen in the man.
He lifted his head and dropped under the waves, returning to her side slowly. Alexia reached for his dorsal fin and hung on. The smoothness of his swimming made it easy to cling to him as he kept her head above the water.
Together they flew.
Minutes passed as they swam together. Occasionally Alexia let go and Anthony would circle around and rejoin her, stopping to jump high over her head or flip beside her, splashing her hard with the spray.
Alexia laughed every time he showed her something new. It was like Christmas and every birthday she’d ever had all rolled into one, satisfaction and joy filling her heart.
Suddenly there were more dolphins around her, all dancing in the waves. Anthony shifted back and together they floated, watching the pod play.
“It’s the youth. I teach them at the high school, and there are a few of the younger students here as well. For some it’s their first summer to be able to transform to their dolphin form and they’re pretty excited.” Alexia watched in fascination as the sleek bodies wove around them in circles, chasing and leaping over each other in play.
“They’re so beautiful. Are they part of the pod?” Alexia stroked the flank of one of the dolphins that swam by slowly on its side, showing off with one fin waving in the air.
Anthony snorted and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Part of your pod, you mean? Yes, we’re territorial so any dolphins you find in these waters belong to Victoria’s pod. Now yours.” He kissed her again, more possessively this time and she was gasping for air when he released her. “He was too young for you.”
Alexia frowned. She must have missed something. “Who?”
He turned her in his arms and snuggled her butt to his groin, letting her feel his erection along the crack of her ass. He rocked his hips and fire shot through her veins. Damn it felt good.
“The dolphin you were rubbing. He’s just a teenager,” Anthony said, his voice deep and dark.
Alexia hid a smile and snuggled closer. Anthony was jealous. “I didn’t even know he was a boy, you silly man.”
She lay back into his arms letting him support her. There must be changes occurring in her body. She didn’t feel cold, even after being in the water for over an hour. Her fingers were still smooth and unwrinkled. In fact her skin was very slick, like there was a protective coat covering her.
Alexia rubbed a hand along Anthony’s thigh and felt the same texture on her fingers.
“Lubricant. We have a higher oil content on our skin to stop the salt water from damaging the tissues.” His fingers slipped along the edge of her bikini bottom, briefly brushing her mound. “Another adaptation is an increase in body fluids. We can safely make love in the water. Full humans have troubles with lubrication and also with the danger of air and water pressure. Our merfolk bodies don’t have those same issues.” His fingers stroked her belly, rubbed lightly up her arms. His body supported her as they floated together on the water’s surface. Alexia closed her eyes to enjoy the massage when a splash soaked them and tossed them underwater. They rose to the surface and she coughed a few times to clear her mouth and nose of the stinging liquid.
“Alexia, come here,” Anthony warned, his hand snaking out to pull her close.
She looked around warily. “What’s wrong?�
�� The teens circled them, a tight protective ring. One of them raised his head above the water and made a series of clicks and chatters, clearly warning of danger.
“Could be a shark, it’s not usual in these waters, although I don’t sense anything close by but the pod. Let me change and go see, I can swim faster that way.” He kissed her quickly. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. If it is a shark, they’re afraid of a dolphin pod. I’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
He dropped under the water, transformed, and Alexia lost sight of him as he swam from the circle. The motions of the youth grew more frantic, more concerned, if Alexia read them right. She tried peering underwater while she held her breath. The longer she practiced the more easily her clear eyelids flipped into place. A couple of the dolphins opened the circle and through the gap a larger body shot toward her. She reached out with her awareness to see what his intent was, what his emotions told her.
Before she could register more than a blur of anger and bitterness, the young male she’d touched before dashed in and she grabbed his fin, letting him drag her away from the path of the new arrival.
A wild chase ensued. Alexia held on for dear life as her ride darted from side to side, trying to avoid the pursuing male. In the flying bodies and splashing waves, she lost sight of details. There was nothing but brief flashes of images, bursts of emotion that brushed her mind. The youth she clung to was determined to keep her away from the larger, older male, driven less fear by for Alexia’s life than a deep sense of commitment to Anthony. Whoever the newcomer was, the youth sensed he wasn’t trying to kill her.
Recognition hit as she caught a stronger trail of emotion. It was Michael who chased them, routing through the pod like a demon-possessed entity. A shock of fear raced through her and she fought down the urge to scream. Her mind suddenly recognized the fact the emotion wasn’t hers. It was a projection from Michael, a false emotion he was sending her way.
She gasped for air each time her protector rose high enough for her to breathe. Her legs and arms were wrapped as far around him as possible to avoid being thrown apart. Anthony reappeared, his sleek body racing toward them. How she recognized him in the group of similar shapes and colors she didn’t know, but she rejoiced he had returned. He slammed into Michael hard, forcing his cousin away. Alexia attempted to watch the action, to reassure Anthony she was all right.
A sharp pain hit her side and arm, and the youth beneath her fell away. She tumbled through the water, a brilliant light surrounding her, cradling her as they drifted toward the bottom. She held her breath, her body shuddering with pain from the hit. Looking upward she watched the pod surround Michael, their interplay clear against the sparkle of the water’s surface and reflected sky.
She needed air but the surface grew farther away, the familiar blue of St. Elmo’s fire pulling her instead to a large outcropping of rocks on the ocean floor. Then she was in Joshua’s arms and he touched their mouths together, passing her life-giving air as he held her close and hid them in a cleft in the rocks.
It took a long time for her heart rate to drop to anywhere near normal, pain and fear shaking her body as she thought through the attack. The adventure had been so wonderful and then so terrifying. She was tempted to throw the medallion back at her Gram as soon as she reached the safety of the surface.
Then the reality of what she was truly experiencing broke over her. She was underwater, breathing air from a merfolk, her body warm and safe in his arms. She knew that Michael had deliberately tried to frighten her. It was another attempt to turn her from the path she needed to follow, manipulating her situation to make her fear the world she was being introduced to.
It was dangerous in the water, especially with her being so new to the experience. Michael wasn’t lying about that, even if he was a bastard for trying to scare her away. What he didn’t realize was that she knew the air world was a dangerous place too. Car wrecks, lost jobs, broken hearts and broken families. There was no guarantee rejecting the world of the merfolk would mean she was safe.
A dolphin approached and she slid behind Joshua, farther into the protection he offered. How he had been able to appear right when she needed him was a miracle. That was another thing she’d throw away if she rejected the position her Gram offered. She and Joshua were bound together in some magical fashion. She peered around his shoulder to see Anthony resume his merfolk form and join them, taking her into his arms and kissing her softly.
He began to pull her to the surface but Joshua protested, his hands pointing to a hidden path behind them in the rocks. Taking air as she needed from them, the three passed from the sunlight into a tunnel lit with glowing blue phosphorus.
Chapter Ten
When their heads broke the surface of the water Joshua waited for a response from Alexia. It didn’t take long.
“My God, this is the cave. This is the place I’ve dreamed about for so many years.” Her voice rasped from a throat that must have been salt scorched.
Anthony reached for the large bath sheets hanging on the wall at the far side of the cavern, and Joshua stripped off her swimsuit before wrapping Alexia tightly in the warm fabric. He held her close until the shivers rocking her body stilled. Tucking his chin into her neck, he inhaled her scent, letting her nearness calm him until he could give back what she needed.
Seeing her attacked had shaken him to the core, and the anger under his fear burned in his belly like hot coals. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. So sorry I wasn’t there for you the whole time.” Alexia whimpered when he touched her arm, her breath coming in little shaky spurts. “Damn it, he hurt you.”
“No, I’m fine,” she denied, even as she shifted away from his touch. He pulled the towel aside and cursed at the blue rising on her arm and waist.
“I’ll kill him,” Joshua swore under his breath, his hand skimming her body as he checked the extent of the bruising. The blow must have glanced sideways off her torso, luckily for them all or it would have been a lot more serious. Dolphins could kill with a direct hit to the right spot on a human body.
“Get in line,” Anthony spat out. “I’m going to take the bastard apart with my bare hands the next time I see him.”
Alexia shook her head and stepped away from them. “Stop it, both of you. Michael won’t try anything like that again. He’s not going to stop me from taking my place as the matriarch, which I plan to assume without his help.”
Joshua caught Anthony’s eyes and the shock he felt reflected back at him. Had she just said what he thought she said? “Alexia, are you sure? Are you really accepting the position?”
She twisted her neck from side to side, massaging it with her good hand. “Why do you sound so surprised? I thought that’s what you wanted all along.”
Anthony pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the low trunk serving as a table. He tugged at the towel until it loosened and used it to dry her hair. “It’s what we knew you were meant for, but we’ve thrown a lot of new information at you in a short time. If you needed longer to come to terms with it, everyone would understand.” Placing the towel aside, his hands smoothed her skin intimately, his thumbs pressing hard on the muscles. Joshua watched his cousin drop a kiss on Alexia’s spine, his tongue flicking her skin.
“Does it look like I need more time? Shit, Anthony, I’m sitting in your lap in a room I’ve seen in dream, both of us naked, while another naked man watches us, and I’m not in the least embarrassed. I got attacked by a lawyer in dolphin form, and I spent more than an hour underwater sucking air from one or the other of you.” She glanced over her shoulder and snorted. “Either I come to terms with it quick or you need to call the little men with the white coats to come and take me away. Ouch, that hurt.”
Another shiver raced along her skin and Joshua dropped to his knees in front of them, pressing his body to hers to warm her. “You need to get dressed, you’re shaking with cold and shock.” Her arms surrounded him, trapping him when he would have pulled back.
“It’s not cold tha
t’s making me shiver, it’s need.” Alexia’s hands cupped his face and she drew his mouth to hers, licking his lips. Her sweet flavor stole into him again, setting his heart pounding and his body tightening with desire. She tangled her legs around his hips, opening her body farther, and the aroma from her pussy rose into the air. Behind them Anthony choked back a groan but continued to massage her back.
Softly, gently, Joshua kissed her, trying to let her know what he felt in his heart with his tongue and lips and teeth. His whole world narrowed to the slide of their tongues together, her hands running into his hair, anchoring their mouths in place. Kisses and nips, strokes and caresses, her sweet body melting under his. Alexia moaned and he inhaled the sound, the small hairs on the back of his neck standing erect.
She was all he needed. All he’d ever need, and he’d been a fool not to be honest with her from the start. No matter that his intentions were good, no matter he’d been blinded by his own panting desire.
He pulled back enough to rest their foreheads together. “I love you, Alexia. How or why it happened, all I know is that it’s real. I never want to be sent away from you again, wondering if you’ll forgive me. God, I felt like such a fool, but I’d gladly have suffered more to have been able to stay with you and keep you from harm.” He dropped kisses on her eyelids, stroking away the tears hovering there. His heart ached the longer she remained silent, even though her eyes sparkled at him.
She kissed him. On the forehead. On the nose. On his lips. She dropped her mouth to his throat and her warm mouth suckled at his skin. The blue of St. Elmo’s fire flashed over them, igniting his passion higher, and it was all he could do to restrain from lining up his cock and driving into her until there was nothing separating them ever again.
She let her lips caress up his neck until she whispered against his ear, her voice soft and intimate, just for him. He was aware of Anthony mere inches away behind them but it felt like they were all alone. “Joshua, I was angry this morning, but more with Gram than with you. We may never understand why we’re connected but the truth is we belong together. That’s why it hurt to know you weren’t honest with me.”
