Chapter Twenty
B roccoli eyebrows.
Shaking my head at the absurdity, but unable to hold back the smile as I pluck one of the green tree-like vegetables off my plate and pop it into my mouth. We’re quiet as we eat our lunch and I find myself appreciating that we can enjoy each other’s company, without the silence stretching between us feeling awkward.
I’m also grateful that my amazingly talented grandmother was able to encourage my eyebrows to regrow quickly. I may not be a vain person, but I do appreciate a good eyebrow expression.
Also, if you ever want someone to not take your angry face seriously, try shaving off your eyebrows suddenly. They become too busy laughing to take your threats to heart.
Cordelia has been doing some research while I was training Sythia today. While she and my father have always theorized that a blade coated with my blood will kill the Creatori, we aren’t completely sure that will do the trick. However, the information she found today does warrant some discussion with my new hunting partner.
As we leave the house, I begin gently approaching the subject. “So, if you are going to help me with the Creatori, I think we need to discuss some strategies.”
Sythia nods and asks, “What did you have in mind? I will admit, even though I was able to trap the monster last time, this isn’t exactly my area of expertise.”
“That’s ok. Not as many people know what I know. That’s why I’m the one hunting it.” I add the last statement with a wink, and she rolls her eyes at me. An idea hits me, and I place my hand on her shoulder to get her to stop walking. “Hey, why don’t we actively try this whole transport magick thing? Now that would be a really useful tool, but without being able to purposefully do it, it’s completely unreliable.”
Excitement shows on her face, but she quickly scrunches her eyebrows. “Are you sure? I mean I wasn’t the one who passed out last time, and the time before that we both got pretty sick.” She bites the inside of her cheek exposing her nerves and apprehension.
I take a deep breath and steel myself. “Look, not all of your training is going to be pleasant. I’m prepared to face some of the shitty parts as well. Especially if it means we have some serious magicks in our arsenal for when it really counts.”
“Ok. Only if you are sure.” When I nod to give her some encouragement, she rubs her hands together. Suddenly I am second-guessing this. She seems far too excited. “Alright then,” she starts as she thrusts her left hand out to grasp my right. I try not to react to the instant tingle that fills my hand, and I hear my own thoughts mirrored by her murmur, ‘why does it always do that?’
Hmm... that’s very interesting...
She looks at me and points to our hands. “Every time it worked, we were touching. I figured that was how I was able to bring you with me.” I raise a shoulder in a half-shrug, happy to let her feel her way through this one. Mostly because I also have no fucking clue how it works. She continues with her re-creation attempt, and I watch her closely as she closes her eyes and starts walking forward.
“I wish we were in the training clearing,” She says very loudly and then holds her breath while scrunching her eyes closed hard.
Nothing happens.
I try really hard not to look at her weird, but she kinda looks like she needs to shit and it’s stuck if I am being totally honest here. You know what? After the singed eyebrows I think I get some leeway on poking fun at her face.
“Umm, I’m no expert here, but I don’t think you have to say ‘I wish’. And you probably shouldn’t hold your breath like that. It might intensify any dizziness.” Just to be an ass, I have to add on to it. “Plus you kinda look like you are trying to take a shit. Did you need the bathroom before we continue? No shame here. Everyone poops and all that.“ I nearly lose my composure at the last part.
She doesn’t look amused with my bullshit. Too bad for her I don’t plan on changing any time soon. Instead of commenting, she blows out the breath she was holding in an audible huff. “Ok fine. Let’s try this again.”
Steadying her breath, she switches tactics by opening her eyes and walking forward at a slow pace. I squeeze her hand lightly in reassurance. A lot of magick is all about confidence and intent.
Something she could use in heaps.
Her strides take on more assurance and her heartbeat steadies as she holds her hand in front of her and I only have a moment to notice the change in front of her hand. It’s as if she touched the top of still water, and there are instantly millions of ripples. The visual lasts only a second before our next step has us in the training area.
Well, she steps. My legs go limp and I fall flat on my face. I’m feeling dizzy, but I don’t think I’m going to get sick or pass out, so I will take that as a win. If only my face weren’t the unlucky victim yet again .
“I did it!” she squeals. “Oh crap! Please don’t pass out again.” She falls to her knees and starts helping me turn over. I can’t resist the urge to fuck with her a little, so I close my eyes and let my body go limp.
It takes her a little tugging, but once she has me rolled over I strike. Reaching out and grabbing her arms yelling “Gotcha!”
She screams, but instead of landing on her ass like I expected, she floats up.
Wait, no…
What. The. Fuck.
My mouth is hanging open and my eyes are nearly falling out of my head. I seriously can’t believe what I’m seeing. Sythia, who clearly has no clue what is going on right now, crosses her arms across her chest and scowls at me.
“You’re an asshole. I thought you were hurt.” She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion when I don’t answer right away. “Umm, hello? What the fuck are you looking at me like that for?”
I finally manage to respond, but all that comes out is a breathy “Wow” filled with the awe I’m currently feeling in palpable waves. Oh, I also manage to point at her like a weirdo.
I’m just on top of this whole communication thing.
Sythia finally looks around herself and realizes what is going on. “Oh my Gods, Blake! I have wings! Do you see this? WINGS?” She spins around a little trying to get a good look at them. As soon as her back is to me, I notice that the wings aren’t all she is sporting. My eyes go wide and I look away quickly.
“You have a tail too!” I manage to yell, thankfully hiding my blush.
Seriously, what kind of badass manly hunter blushes ?
My reactions—bodily and otherwise—to this woman are more confusing and irritating by the day.
“A what?!” she runs her hands down her back and inhales sharply when she touches it. “I do! I have a tail! Why do I have a tail? And wings? What is going on with me?” Her face quickly morphs to humiliation when she discovers what else I saw. “Oh my Gods, my tail ripped my pants!” She grabs the ripped bits of fabric that are no longer covering her plump ass...
Hey! I got a pulse and two good eyes. And a nice set of teeth that would give anything to bite right into the juicy apple while I–
Gods dammit! Glancing down at my pants, I mentally curse at my dick hoping that will get it to deflate.
Forsythia descends back to the ground quickly and her new appendages are gone in a blink. Replaced by an insanely bright flush filling her cheeks.
She holds her hand in front of her and I manage to grab her ankle before we are transported into the bedroom of my Grandmother’s house. Thankfully, I’m on the ground already, but I don’t feel as dizzy or weak this time either.
Sythia wastes no time bustling to her pack and pulling out a new pair of pants. I sit up and turn around to give her some privacy as she changes.
“Blake, can you come look at this please?” she asks after a few seconds.
She was just getting naked. Why does this eerily feel like a trap?
Standing up, I cautiously turn around. Once I face her, I’m hit with a wave of vertigo.
Not from the transport magick, but because she is standing there in only her underwear and a bra. I may have seen her naked in the shower last night, but attraction was the farthest thing from my mind at the time.
Now though?
Is she trying to kill me here?
“Uhmm, you were supposed to put clothes on, not take more off.” I try to say it in a cocky tone, but the last part comes out as a bit of a squeak. What is wrong with me? I have seen loads of naked women and I’m normally so suave. Around this female though? I’m like a teenager, ejaculating for the first time and panicking about it.
She just rolls her eyes at me. “I’m serious. Come here.” She sounds a little concerned, so I come closer without any fuss. This is the first time I’m getting a good look at that large scar that wraps around her body. She lifts her arm out of the way when she sees me inspecting it. It’s so deep and wide, reminding me of a large snake. With all of the healing abilities at our disposal, I can’t imagine how a wound that left that kind of mark behind hadn’t hurt tremendously.
I gulp hard as another thought presses in my mind. How did an injury like this not kill her?
Without even realizing it, my fingertips lightly trace the scar. It starts right below her left breast and wraps back around her waist before extending down her spine. She makes no move to stop me, and I try to ignore the slight purring sound she makes as my fingers continue their inspection. I slowly pull down the top of her panties, and my finger traces the scar to its endpoint at her tailbone. However, once my fingers reach that spot, she gasps and jumps forward.
I put my hands out in front of me in defense. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you or make you uncomfortable!” Uhmm... I also didn’t mean to scream that at you?
She doesn’t say anything, but a faint flush touches her cheeks.
Hmm... I don’t think it was discomfort she was feeling.
I feel the twitch in my pants but swallow the growl. My ridiculous hormones need to just chill the fuck out. Forsythia and I have bigger things to worry about than how badly I want to run my tongue across her silky skin. Dammit! Not again!
Forcing my focus, I ask her the question that has been niggling at the back of my mind since I saw it at her house. “How did you get that scar?” I ask her, pointing to the mark I was examining.
“That’s the thing. I don’t really remember getting it. I think it was always there, but it was a lot more faded and just got darker over time. I think… ok I know this sounds crazy but... I think it’s my tail.”
“I have never seen physical manifestations of changed forms, but you are a whole new territory. It is certainly a possibility. I don’t have any marks for my tail but—“
“Oh my Gods! You have a tail too?!” She squeals and is on me faster than I can blink. She lifts up the back of my shirt, then hooks a finger in the back of my pants, but before she can do whatever the fuck she plans to do next, I hop out of reach and spin to face her. My eyes are wide and my breath is ragged. Her touch. It’s just too much. Especially in such an intimate setting.
“Yeah, but like I said, I have no marks on my non-changed form. My tail comes when I change in the water. I don’t lose my legs in exchange like my father and his people do. I just get the extra appendage. Well, and a few other changes too, I guess.”
“Oh ok,” she says, wringing her hands in front of her. I know she is excited and I didn’t mean to make her feel bad, but her touch does something to me. I’d rather not explore that reaction right now, thank you.
I can see it in her eyes. The curiosity as she looks me up and down slowly. She’s imagining what my changed form looks like. Everyone is always interested in seeing merfolk in their changed form. That’s why my father’s people are so, well… popular among the other magickal factions.
However, not many others get to see my changed form. I have had to hide my nature for so long. If anyone discovered what I was, they would know my true name. The one given by my mother at birth. If I value my life, no one can find out who she is… or was.
The curiosity lighting her eyes sparks an idea. Sythia may be one of the few people in my life that I actually can show my changed form to, and that thought brings a little excitement. I wonder what she will think of my other form? It isn’t quite the legendary version of a “mermaid” that others dream to see.
The changed form of my father’s people shares similar traits to the fantasy portrayals of mermaids. They don’t hold as much control over their change once it starts, so they have to get into the water quickly. That’s why most of their homes have docks. So they can easily dive into the water and not have to endure a weird floppy walk from the shallows. Once changed, their eyes are completely black, holding none of the color found in their land-walker forms.
The other big difference from the fantasies—and the one that they don’t like to talk about—has to do with the females. This is probably where my deep love for boobs comes from. In their water forms, merfolk females have no breasts. They just disappear. I have no clue where they go, which to be honest kind of weirds me out, but basically, the males and females all look the same. Especially since their tailfins cover any evidence of their sex.
My water form is much different than all of that though, and it has been quite a bit since I had the opportunity to shift. This might be a good chance for a fun little game.
“So, let’s make a deal,” I start, pulling my attention back to Sythia’s training. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” I add in a little wink. “If you can successfully call on your changed form, without struggling, I will show you mine. It would be beneficial for us to learn the strengths of each other’s changed forms so that we can utilize all the tools we have at our disposal.”
I smile at her.
She frowns at me.
“But you already got to see mine, and I really don’t want to be bare-assed anymore, thank you.” She looks down at herself and her frown deepens. “As a matter of fact, would you mind giving me a little space to put some clothes on?”
I turn around, but make no move to leave while I continue talking. “I can understand that. We can design something better for the long term with your wardrobe, but for now, maybe you should try a dress?”
I hear her shuffling fabric around a minute before she answers. “I have one dress. It’s kind of nice though, and I would rather not get it dirty or ripped while we train.” Her voice has a sad note to it, so I don’t press the issue.
I snap my fingers as the idea hits me. “I’ve got it. Stay here just a second. I will be right back.” Leaving the room quickly before Sythia can protest, I track down Cordelia. She is eager to help and quickly finds what I’m searching for. I make it back to Sythia and enter the room again, before remembering she isn’t fully clothed and end up dropping the fabrics in my hand. I spin around quickly. Hiding my pink cheeks and semi-hard-on.
“Umm, sorry. I forgot you weren’t dressed.” I clear my throat from the sudden dryness. “Cordelia gave me these for you. They are darker fabrics and will hide stains well. They are also cut differently on the top in a way I thought may help give your wings some space.”
“Oh! Well, that was very kind of her.” I hear her shuffle closer and scoop up the fabrics from where I dropped them. In a matter of minutes she joins me by the door.
When I glance at her, my gaze instantly snaps to her body. And that’s when I realize that this was a horrible idea. The fabric is flowy but slightly clings to her frame and outlines all of her glorious curves. Not to mention how much thinner the fabric seems to be, or maybe her nipples are just that hard because they are staring right at me. My grandmother is also much shorter than she is, so this dress is cut very high. Mouthwateringly high.
She must notice me staring because she rolls her eyes, then lifts the hem, and exposes tiny brown shorts. “I put my swimsuit on underneath so that I will be ready when I win our bet,” she says with a wink. “Also, so that hopefully I don’t flash you again. That’s quite enough embarrassment for one day.”
It’s too late though…
The short dress, that conforms so nicely to her curvy frame. The nearly thigh-high boots, highlighting her long legs. The image of her nakedness pops back into the forefront of my mind and my mouth is very suddenly not dry.
I notice the heaviness of our breathing and wonder if her demon genes make her exude pheromones when she is aroused.
I smile wickedly as I let go of the control I keep from letting mine run wild.
Let’s see how flustered we can make each other, because there is no way that my attraction to her is simply from my lack of bed partners lately.
And with the way she keeps licking her lips, there’s no way it’s all one-sided either.