by Linda Kage
Jemma sent her a pleasant smile. “I do not copulate with humans, sorry, but I’ve a mer-friend who would be willing to tup you. Would you like to meet him? He’s a very generous lover. I’ve had him myself many times.”
“Um, hell yes,” Melaina started. “I would love to meet him.”
The mermaid sent her a benevolent smile and inclined her head regally. A moment later, the water swirled next to her and a blue-haired man rose from the depths. Jaw chiseled and muscles bulging, he immediately focused on Melaina and sent her a comely smirk.
She growled in pleasure and nodded. “Oh, yeah. He’ll do nicely.”
“This is Torrent,” Jemma introduced. “He’d be happy to help ease your suffering for a few hours.”
“Hours?” Melaina practically vibrated with excitement. “Damn. It is my lucky day.”
“Climb aboard, my lady,” he offered, reaching out a hand to help her into the water as he lifted his tail to the surface and laid it flat in front of him so she could step onto it. “I’d be happy to show you how the mers do it.”
“Ooh. Don’t mind if I do,” she cooed as she took his hand and scrambled into the water, straddling his lap and facing him so she could wrap her arms around his neck and give him a lusty, open-mouthed kiss. He curled his arms around her and kissed her back just as eagerly before slowly lowering them both into the water together.
Pulling away to glance toward me and Quilla just before her head went under, she waved goodbye to us, calling, “Taiki’s never going to believe this one.”
“Umm…” Quilla shifted forward, worry spiking through her and echoing into my mark the moment her aunt was completely submerged with the merman. “She doesn’t know how to swim.”
“She’ll be okay,” I assured. “If the merfolk invite you under the water with them, they’ll make sure you don’t drown.”
“You’ve gone under with them before?” she asked.
When I nodded, Jemma laughed. “We used to let Indy come down to visit our city all the time.” Patting my knee, she grinned at my mate. “He was the first—and only—human I ever kissed, you know.”
Quilla’s eyebrows arched before she looked at me and said, “Was he?”
Nodding in excitement, Jemma leaned closer. “If my father had ever found out about that, he would’ve filleted Indy on the spot and served him up on shore as a fish fry for the locals.”
“Hmm,” Quilla answered, turning back to the mermaid. “Interesting.”
“Jemma,” I groaned, closing my eyes briefly and hoping Quilla didn’t get too upset about this. “That was over a decade ago. I don’t think she cares to hear about—”
“No, no. She’s fine,” Quilla was quick to say, waving me silent. Then she turned back to the mermaid. “Please go on.”
So Jemma did. “I think I was the first girl he ever kissed too. He had the softest lips ever.”
“Mmm, yes, I know,” Quilla murmured sagely.
The mermaid must’ve finally realized my soulmate didn’t much like hearing about my past, so she quickly added, “That was all we ever did, though. As the princess of my people, I never would’ve fallen in love with a ground-walker.”
Her explanation didn’t seem to help matters though, because Quilla cooed, “Oh. So you’re a princess, too?” She turned wide eyes to me, not happy to learn that. “The first girl you ever kissed was a princess, huh?”
“Anyway…” I cleared my throat and turned my attention to the mermaid. “Jem, I was hoping we could speak with your father?”
But Jemma’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Oh, Indy, Daddy’s passed on now. He died nearly four years ago.”
“He did?” My lips parted. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard.”
She gave a dismissive shrug. “How could you have? We don’t come to the surface a lot to consort with ground-walkers. And you haven’t had a chance to visit. You were one of the very, very few we allowed to even know about us.”
“True,” I murmured. Then I nodded respectfully. “Thank you again for your trust in me.”
Nodding back, she folded her hands at her waist, just on the top of the water. “And thank you for your friendship. But maybe I can assist you with what you sought from my father, for I’m the leader of my people now.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Queen Jemma, huh? Congratulations.”
She shrugged. “It has its pros and cons. Now come, old friend. Tell me. How can I help you?”
I glanced at Quilla, then turned back to Jemma. “I wanted to ask about the jeweler in Tyler. If you know of him or—”
“Ack!” Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Jemma spat onto the bank and flailed her hand in aggravation, muttering, “Despicable creature. I’d stay away from that lying swindler if I were you. He steals our oyster families and farms their pearls, hurting and killing many when he does. There is no need to harm the oysters, not when they would have willingly given up some of their pearls to someone worthy. Like you. We curse his very name.”
“Oh,” I said, glancing uneasily toward Quilla, for I had a bad feeling this news wouldn’t sway her or her aunt from visiting the jeweler regardless.
Jemma’s eyebrows lifted at us. “Why do you ask? Are you seeking a string of pearls for your lady? Because we would gladly provide you with some.”
“I—no.” I shook my head. “Not that she wouldn’t look lovely in them, of course. And thank you for the offer.” My gaze slid questioningly to Quilla. “But…”
“We’re seeking a couple of amulets,” she announced, speaking freely to the mermaid. Then she even pulled up the one she hid under her chemise. “Two more to match this one.”
My lips parted in shock. Not only because she’d trusted Jemma with such a confidence but because she’d said two more. That meant she’d decided I could come along. She planned to claim me.
Holy shit. My true love wanted me back.
My head went light and dizzy as Jemma leaned forward and squinted at Quilla’s necklace.
“The transference amulets?” she said in surprise. “What purpose do you have with them?” Spinning to me in confused surprise, she accused, “You are not planning to leave the Outer Realms forever, are you, Indy? But what would we do without you?”
I blinked my vision back into focus and glanced toward Quilla, murmuring, “We can’t stay. My mate’s not safe here.”
The mermaid scoffed. “Well, none of you silly ground-walkers will ever truly be safe, not with that family curse of hers still as active as it is. You should just break it, you know.”
I blinked at her. “Yeah, great advice,” I finally murmured. “Do you have any idea how to do that, though?”
She shrugged. “Why don’t you just ask its creator? The curse maker would know. For, you realize, a curse cannot be created without a way to break it.”
No, I’d never known that. But…
“That woman’s long dead,” I explained.
Jemma furrowed her brow as if confused. “Why does that matter?”
Quilla snorted out a laugh, wondering, “When was the last time you spoke to the dead?”
“I speak with my father daily,” Jemma answered logically, gazing at Quilla with an odd, confused expression, as if she thought everyone did such things. “For I still have many questions about ruling my people.”
“So you’re suggesting necromancy?” Quilla countered on an incredulous tone. “Well, sorry, Your Majesty. But that doesn’t work up here on the surface. Not in this world.”
“What’s necromancy?” I asked, lowering my voice to keep the question confidential, even though Jemma could hear me clearly.
Quilla rolled her eyes. “It’s a mythical earthly practice that involves speaking to the dead to predict the future.”
“Ah, well, there is your problem,” Jemma interrupted, smiling broadly. “Seeking the future from the dead would be worthless. How are they to know what is to come? Their thoughts stop at the moment of death. They’re unable to say anything new and present, much less futur
istic.” She threw back her head and laughed over the mere idea, only to lift her finger and continue. “But you don’t wish to know the future, do you? You’re seeking answers from the past. You’re just trying to hear an echo of something they already said. And echoes are always bouncing around out there somewhere. You just need to know how to capture the one you’re seeking.”
“And how do we do that?” I asked.
“Why, it’s as simple as pressing a seashell to your ear and listening, sweet Indy. You find something the curse maker once owned and figure out how to listen to it. I recommend finding a magical interpreter to help you, though. Otherwise, it’d probably be impossible to decipher and understand what she’s saying.”
“Right…” I said slowly, kind of hoping for a little more detail than that. But when I opened my mouth to ask questions—a lot of them—Jemma lifted her face as if hearing something in the wind.
“Excuse me. I’m being summoned below and must go.” With a rueful shrug, she added, “A queen’s work is never done, I’m afraid.”
To Quilla, she nodded her head respectfully. “It was nice to meet you, mate of Indigo. If you stay anywhere near a water source, we’ll return your aunt to you when she’s finished with Torrent.”
And with that, she was gone, down into the water and out of sight.
Chapter 30
Indigo
Quilla and I rode quietly for nearly half an hour, following the stream that fed into the other end of the loch before we spoke. From atop my horse that Melaina had taken over, I glanced over, sensing a swirl of worry, contemplation, and sadness wafting off my true love.
“I’m sure Melaina will be fine. Jemma’s never given me a reason not to trust her.”
But Quilla shook her head. “I’m not worried about her,” she murmured, except I thought that was partly a lie. She couldn’t help but worry about her aunt when they were separated.
I sighed, trying to figure out what her main concern was. “So what do you think our next course of action should be? Melaina will still probably want to question the Tyler jeweler regardless, but after that? Should we look for something that belonged to Locasta Blayton instead of seeking more amulets?”
Quilla closed her eyes and rubbed the center of her forehead, shaking her head. “Even if we found something of hers, then we’d have to find someone to help us decipher what she was saying. And if we did figure that out and get an answer of how to break the curse, then we’d have to go about actually trying to break it. And if we broke it, would King Ignatius even drop his decree to hunt down all Graykeys then?”
Exhaustion blanketed my mark.
“So you’re saying it’d be easier to just find another amulet?” I concluded.
She sent me a cross look but didn’t answer. And I noticed she didn’t correct me, saying we needed two more amulets, either.
“Hey,” I murmured, slowing my horse in order to stop and dismount. Going to her, I held up my arms.
With a drained sigh, she swung her leg over the saddle and set her hands on my shoulders, letting me grip her waist and pull her down to the ground with me.
“What’s going on in this brain of yours?” I asked, slipping my arms around her and kissing her hair. “Something’s bothering you.”
She shook her head, denying it, even as she hugged me back and burrowed against my chest as if seeking safety.
Getting into the feel of her fingers gripping the back of my tunic and her breasts pressed against my chest, I breathed in the scent of her hair.
“So…” I smoothed my hand over her hip suggestively. “How long do you think Melaina will be gone?”
Maybe all my true love needed was a dose of Indigo to cheer her up again. But when my palm slipped over the base of her spine and then down to her bottom, she sniffed and pushed away, glaring up at me.
“Really?” she charged, brown eyes flaring with fury. “You just took me to meet your ex-girlfriend. With no warning at all. And now you think I’m in the mood to—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I cut in, lifting my hands to correct her. “Jemma was never my girlfriend.”
Quilla lifted a disbelieving eyebrow and jammed a hand to her hip. “So you just made out with her a few times, then, is that it?”
“I didn’t even make out with her,” I argued, scowling over how she’d twisted everything in her head. “It was one innocent peck between kids. Between friends. That’s it. I decided fishy kisses weren’t my thing, and she told me humans were too dry for her taste. Neither of us enjoyed it.”
“Oh, really?” she accused in disagreement. “Then why did she go on and on about how soft your fucking lips were?”
“She most certainly didn’t go on and on about that.” I rolled my eyes. “And besides, that was her way of assuring you she didn’t like my kiss. Because, newsflash, empress. Merpeople are weird; they actually prefer firm lips. She teased me mercilessly about having such a weak, spineless mouth for years after that damn kiss. It kind of made me feel shitty, in fact. I didn’t have the courage to kiss another girl again for—”
When her eyebrows arched in vexed curiosity, I swallowed my next words and decided to remain wisely mute.
“For how long?” she pressed, though, looking ready to strangle me.
I grinned suddenly. “You know what,” I decided as I held up a finger. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is how aroused your jealousy is beginning to make me.”
Rage flashed across her expression. “I am not—”
“Are too,” I murmured, snagging her around the waist and tugging her against me, so I could kiss her with my soft, soft lips and press my growing erection against her middle, just so she’d know exactly how worked up she was getting me. “And I like it,” I whispered against her mouth before playfully batting my nose across hers. “I like knowing you care. Makes me want to fuck you right here and now so I can prove to you just how much I’m yours and no one else’s.”
Lust flooded my mark, coming from her, even as she hissed, “Except I don’t care.” All the while, her eyes fluttered with temptation as she looked at my lips as if eager for another kiss while she ground her body back against my hard cock. “I don’t care at all.”
“Yes, you do.” I gripped her bottom and pressed back, helping her ride me through our clothes. “You crave me as much as I crave you. Admit it.”
“No,” she growled stubbornly, right before she whimpered and tossed her head back, grappling with the back of my trousers so she could steal her hands inside the cloth and grip my bare ass as she humped me.
I groaned and kissed her exposed throat. “I know I don’t come to you pure and untarnished,” I admitted between each press of my mouth to her flesh. “But I always refused to give my heart to anyone else. I saved back the very core of myself for you. For the mere hope of meeting you. And all that I am now is yours. If you want it.”
She sank her fingers into my hair and cupped my head so she could gaze into my eyes. Saying nothing, she looked straight into my soul. I couldn’t feel a single thing from her emotions through the mark until this undulating wave of longing spiked from her, and she pressed her brow to mine.
“I do,” she whispered brokenly as if it were the hardest thing for her to admit. “I want all of you.”
My eyes closed and muscles loosened with relief. When she slid her hands down to my cheeks and held them gently between her soft palms, I leaned in to meet my mouth with hers. Then I gripped her hair and backed her into a nearby tree.
Her nails bit into my shoulders and her tongue dueled with mine as I lifted her until her legs wound naturally around my waist. My throbbing hardness ground into her moist softness, both our clothes preventing any more traction than that.
“I want all of you,” she repeated, throwing her head back against the tree and arching her hips against me. “Right now. Inside me.”
“Yes,” I breathed, bobbing my head as I lowered her feet to the ground just long enough to gather volumes of her dress and pull her
skirts up past her knees. “Yes.”
She unfastened my trousers for me, her fingers working in such a rush, they fumbled, and she cursed, her brow wrinkling with adorable vexation and concentration. But then she released my cock from my pants and pulled it out into her eager hand to squeeze firmly, and I forgot about everything but thrusting into her.
I lifted her again, her thighs opened to receive me, and I sank deep, groaning as her inner walls gripped me.
“Christ.” My hips pumped against hers, surging with mighty, jarring plunges, over and over again.
She panted, desperate mewling sounds exiting her throat as her hips repeatedly met mine, grinding forward as if she couldn’t wait for the power of my next heave. Her nails scored my back through the cloth of my tunic and her breasts bobbed against the front of her dress.
I felt her come through the mark just before her pussy began to quiver against my cock and contract with each pull of her orgasm. Then, with an almost animalistic growl, I joined her, pressing her so hard against the damn tree as I jetted inside her that I feared I might have cut off her air for a few seconds there.
But then her breath fell against my neck, and I buried my face in her hair, holding her a little looser as our bodies started to come down from the high.
This was why I was here, I realized. Not because my mark had targeted and promised me a future with her, but this.
Her.
Being with Quilla, still connected with her body as her fingers gently stroked the short hair on the back of my neck, I knew my place. She was the reason for it all.
I would do anything for this woman.
I drew in a deep breath, inhaling her as I asked, “Starting to believe that there is no one else for me but you yet?” I asked, stroking her thigh before beginning to ease out of her. “No mermaid princess or anyone?”
Her fingers drifted over the side of my neck as she bit her lip and grinned. “I’m not sure,” she teased, her eyes lighting with mischief. “You might have to convince me in a similar fashion quite a lot. At least twice a day to begin with.”
