All That I Know #3
“No,” said Elliot with a confidence Reed wished he felt.
Across from him, Lady Serena looked contemplative. “I do not know if I believe you yet, sea lion. Perhaps some of my younger mermaids might accompany you two back to your… Crescent Cove. To see for ourselves.”
“Of course,” Elliot nodded. “I’ll take care of the arrangements. They can stay in town, or there’s a lovely moon pool near the edge of town, if they prefer to sleep underwater.”
“You would do that? For strangers?” his father asked.
“I do not consider you strangers,” the sea lion shifter smiled.
Reed nodded. “The shifters I spoke with in town say that we are all sea creatures with magic, the ability to come and go on land. Part of an extended family of sorts.”
“ I would be honored to escort anyone from your pod to our town and show them around,” Elliot added. “We would be honored to have your pod join us, if you so choose.”
“Very well, then,” said his mother, her tone more curious than resigned.
“We can go?” cried Celeste and Lumina at the same time. “To land?”
Lady Serena nodded. “You are to observe everything relevant to the pod and report back your findings, your thoughts on the safety and location of this land town.”
“We can do that!” giggled Lumina, flashing a smile at Elliot and Reed.
“As you wish, Lady Serena,” Celeste looked to their pod leader, speaking softly. “We will gather the information you seek and return home shortly.”
Reed noticed that the sea lion shifter had begun to look a bit uncomfortable. “It seems we need to get back to the surface, Mother. He requires air.”
“Shall we join you?” asked Lumina.
“How about we go back to Crescent Cove and prepare a place for you?” Elliot asked. “I will secure accommodations and clothes for when the mermaids choose to walk on land. If you’ll give us two days, we can have everything ready.”
Reed’s mother met his eyes. “Very well. You are responsible for their safety and well-being while they are on land, guppy. Take care of them.”
“I swear that I will,” the merman replied immediately.
Having come to an agreement, they were given permission to leave the pod’s caves and head back to town.
The sea lion shifter took a huge gulp of fresh air from the surface when they reached it, again and again until his breathing regulated.
Reed wondered what it must be like to be a creature of the sea that still required the air of the land above.
He hadn’t struggled too badly with his transition back and forth, but each form inhaled easily from the world around him.
Still, the pair dashed and raced back toward Crescent Cove, whooping in triumph.
He could see why his Tempest got along so well with the sea lion shifter.
The man had a fun-loving and outgoing personality and loved to play in the ocean.
Reed wondered if the two of them might even become friends, now that he was staying in Crescent Cove.
He certainly hoped that would be the case.
Little Storm
TEMPEST
W
hile Tempest waited for Reed and Elliot to meet with the Cascadia pod, the sun set in a spectacular riot of pink, orange, and purple.
She sat on her porch swing, rocking back and forth as she stared out at the sea, wondering how things were going for the boys.
The stunning sunset washed across the sky then faded away into a dark night.
The waves lapped at the shore as the horizon swallowed the sun. She took comfort in the predictable, reliable sea.
Her porch light offered little illumination against the dark sky and darker sea, but she remained waiting even as the temperature dropped. Tempest wanted to be right there when her sweet merman returned.
No amount of cold or dark would deter her from being there to greet him as soon as he arrived.
“We’re back!” called a voice out of the darkness.
“Tempest?” came another.
Her heart leapt. “I’m here! On the porch. Welcome home.”
“Home,” whispered Reed as he stepped onto the porch and reached for her. “I like the sound of that very much, Little Storm.”
Behind him, a chuckle gave away Elliot’s position before she
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could catch sight of him in the dark. “Is that your nickname for Tempest?”
“Of course. She controls the storms,” the merman said matter-of-factly.
“I think I’ll head home and get some rest,” the sea lion shifter said, patting her on the shoulder. “See you in the morning, Little Storm.”
He sauntered off back down the beach. His own house wasn’t far and he was in excellent shape on account of all the swimming and walking in town, so it would be a quick trip.
She would worry about his teasing tomorrow, when she got to work and had to deal with him for hours on end with no other company.
For now, all Tempest wanted to do was curl up against her handsome merman and hear what his family had said. She took his hand and pulled him into the house with her, rubbing her thumb over his knuckle in a soothing motion. Reassuring herself he was truly there, in the moment, beside her.
His hazel eyes were on her in a moment, and though she had a million questions, she found herself distracted. He glanced down at her lips, one hand reaching out to caress her cheek as they locked gazes. His dark hair stuck to his face, still damp, and his skin felt cold to the touch.
Tempest knew just how to warm him up. She led the way to the bathroom and started the shower, turning the water all the way up to the hottest setting.
“You’ve never taken a hot shower, have you?” she asked softly.
“Hot…water?” Reed sounded thoroughly confused.
“I’ll show you,” said Tempest with a mischievous little smile. “The hot water feels so good on your skin, especially when you’re cold.”
An hour later, as the last of the hot water ran out and the stream became more tepid than warm, she slipped out of the
STORMS AND SUNSHINE
shower and offered the merman a towel. She showed him how to dry off from head to toe, then tucked her towel around her chest and headed to the bedroom.
Reed followed, mimicking her, and she couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from her. “Not like that.”
Carefully, Tempest tugged the towel loose from his armpits and slid it down his stomach. She settled it against his hips and tucked the end in so it would stay put. Her merman said nothing as she touched him so casually, so familiarly.
His eyes had grown dark and his hands were suddenly wrapped around her lower back, pulling her to him. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned down to kiss her again. Somehow, impossibly, it was even more magical than the last time they had kissed.
Her whole body felt electric at his touch. As Tempest tangled her hands in his dark tresses, Reed changed the angle of their faces to deepen the kiss. She practically melted at his touch, her mind going pleasantly blank as he consumed every ounce of her attention.
When they slipped into bed together, she curled up against him like a satisfied cat and fell fast asleep. Nothing else mattered in that moment except him, here, by her side.
The next day passed in the blink of an eye.
Reed had explained the deal he and Elliot had made with his pod and what to expect when the mermaids arrived.
While Tempest didn’t love the idea of either of the mermaids his mother had deemed an acceptable match for him being around, she could admit that she was insanely curious about them.
She had helped prepare for their arrival, donating clothes that would hopefully fit the mermaids and inspecting the nearby moon pool. When Reed deemed it acceptable for sleeping, she had laid down fully clothed and crossed her arms behind her head.
“Is this how mermaids sleep, then?” Tempest asked with a giggle.
“Well, not usually. If we must sleep this close to shore, though, this would provide us shelter and plenty of water,” he informed her, playfully splashing her.
Her eyes met his as he pulled up beside her in the alcove. “Should we go for a little swim?”
“I wish we could,” Reed frowned. “Perhaps tomorrow, we can go diving? Elliot says you can bring air and stay underwater for hours!”
“Yes,” she confirmed, delighted.
“I will show you the ocean from my point of view,” her merman took both her hands as he spoke.
Tempest couldn’t help the smile that stretched from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to see your world.”
She stared dreamily into those sparkling hazel eyes, reaching out to gently swipe a few strands of his dark hair out of the way so she could see him clearly. In the water, with his powerful tail keeping them both upright as she leaned on him, Tempest wondered how she had ever gotten so lucky.
Perhaps all that she had struggled with growing up, feeling out of place, had led her to this moment. This merman. The kind of life she could never have dreamed of as a child. If she had known this wonderful person was waiting to find her, she just might do it all again.
Why change a single thing if it risked not finding him? Reed would more than make up for the loneliness of her past. Tempest had so much to look forward to with him by her side. It gave her a renewed sense of hope for the future.
Our Humble Town
REED
M
orning arrived in shades of honey, tangerine, and cherry blossom petals. Soft, gentle, beautiful pastels felt quite like the indescribable joy of waking up beside his Tempest once more. The comfortable, leisurely awakening he had only ever experienced here, with her.
Beside him, his pretty witch yawned, stretching both arms above her head as she shook the sleepiness from her body. Reed admired her quietly—the arch of her back, the dark lashes as her eyes fluttered shut, the rosy pink of her kissable lips.
“Good morning, Reed,” she spoke softly, her voice raspy with disuse.
“Good morning, my Little Storm,” he replied, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Did you sleep well?”
Her stormy blue eyes met his, crinkling at the corners as she bestowed a beaming smile upon him. “So well! I can’t believe what a difference it makes, having you here.”