Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

Jesse

It took a few tries to get out of the cave’s tunnel system, so absolute was the dark. In the end, Merrick and I had to keep our hands entwined so we didn’t lose each other. But the fresh current won out eventually, and we were able to find our way toward the light of the sun.

I had so many questions for Merrick, as I’m sure he had for me, but we swam in silence. Fear and tension radiated from him, and I didn’t know what to do to make it better. I was still reeling from my own shock. I was a fucking mermaid , though they didn’t seem to call them that here.

Sirens .

The ocean was beautiful from my new perspective; the sunlight filtered down into the shallow edges of coral reefs and rocky cliffs, throwing light into dancing geometric patterns that swayed with the tide.

Merrick guided me into a tangle of tall, black weeds, and stopped. “Stay hidden in the weeds. I’ll be right back. I need to get something.”

He zipped away before I could protest, skimming along the bottom of the seabed with a steely determination.

My anxiety skyrocketed as he swam out of sight and didn’t return. I tried to tell myself to take a few deep breaths, but I ended up accidentally inhaling water down my throat, and spent a few minutes hacking and coughing it out.

Right, gills.

I focused on my surroundings, calming a bit as I went still, and small schools of fish started to dart around me, nibbling bits of food off the nearby coral and the long strands of seaweed. A large crab scuttled across the sand, leaving a small trail in its wake.

Then abruptly the fish scattered, and Mr. Crab scrambled away, leaving a swirling trail of sand in his wake. I glanced up as a large shadow fell over me.

Shark .

I grabbed at the roots of the kelp and lowered my body to the sandy bottom, curling my tail so it hid the iridescent, shining bits.

Some help that would be; sharks worked off scent, not their piss-poor eyesight. Where the fuck is Merrick? I was both glad he wasn’t here and cursing him for leaving me alone.

The drama was short lived as the shark continued on its way, clearing my patch of seaweed by several feet and swimming off.

I guess he wasn’t hungry.

My hands shook as I peeked my head over the kelp. My tail twitched and jerked as if the new muscles there wanted nothing more than to be able to shoot through the water and get us away.

The shadow returned, and I ducked again on instinct.

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck.

“Jesse? Are you all right?”

Adrenaline warred with relief in my body. The shark hadn’t returned; it was just Merrick.

“What am I supposed to do if a shark attacks me?” I blurted out, needing to know.

Merrick blinked. “Swim fast toward the surface and keep swimming until you lose it. We are faster than them, and they can’t stay swimming near the surface for long.” His face went thoughtful. “Unless you have a spear, and it feels like a fight. Then aim for the gills.”

He nonchalantly went to the satchel at his waist, which I saw was full of dead jellyfish. He pulled one out and thrust it toward me. “Come here.”

I wrinkled my nose but didn’t resist as he squeezed jellyfish goo all over the back of my neck.

“This will hide your scent from the mers. But …” Merrick frowned at the tattered remnants of the black dress I’d been wearing for work when everything had gone down. Scraps floated around my body gently.

“Your human garments stink like … well, human. They have to go.”

My eyes bulged out of my head. “Excuse me?”

Merrick grabbed the neckline and ripped hard. The fabric gave out immediately, andan odd, distressed warble came from my throat as my hands immediately went to my chest, ensuring he couldn’t tug my bra off as well.

Merrick froze, his eyes taking on a feral gleam for a half second before he shook his head and they cleared.

“What was the sound you made?” he demanded. “Don’t … don’t do it again. It made me feel … violent.”

OK … that’s normal. I wished again the sea witch hadn’t be en so … sea witchy. She probably would know what the sound was.

“Maybe a distress call of some kind?” I offered up, still clutching my arms to my chest.

Merrick noticed, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “Are you hurt? Why are you covering yourself?”

He sounded so utterly confused I loosened my arms.

“I … human women don’t show their … er …” How could I explain?

“But why?” Merrick asked. “We do not swim with clothes.” He was trying to sneak peeks at my chest even as he said it, his eyes a mixture of heat and curiosity.

I exhaled heavily (through my gills this time). Clothes would only hamper me down here, wouldn’t they? Especially if he was right about the scent thing.

Even so, I turned my back to him as I ripped my bra off, watching it slowly float in the water in front of me. I couldn’t just leave it here like litter.

“I will hold onto it for you, if you need to surface.” He snatched my bra and stuffed it away in his little satchel. Merrick slathered more jellyfish on my back, the goo cold and slimy. The goo was surprisingly sticky, clinging to my skin even underwater. That made sense if they used it for injuries like Merrick had shown me. He moved on to cover my arms and lower back, and his hands slid around over my stomach. Slowly they moved up as he slathered my ribs.

Then higher.

Merrick’s hands froze as they encountered my breasts for only the second time. He’d groped them once before, but through my bra and my shirt.

Never like this.

He pumped his tail once so his body was flush behind me, his hands smearing the goo over my breasts but also slowly, methodically exploring them. An odd pulsing started in my core, but in a slightly different place than I was used to as a human.

His fingers rubbed into my nipples, lingering as he gently circled around and over, then skating his palms over the tips. I leaned back into him as he pressed forward against me. A familiar shape was pressing into my bottom from behind, so I assumed the mechanics would be pretty similar to humans.

The very thought jerked me out of the moment, and I spun around in his arms. He stared unabashedly at me, his hands still covered in luminescent goo. I looked down at his tail, but saw nothing that could have been responsible for what I felt just a moment ago.

“Am I covered? Is this fine?” I asked, trying to snap him out of it.

Merrick closed his eyes, then sniffed. “I believe so.” He opened them again, those vibrant, turquoise eyes catching mine.

He was staring at me.

I fought the urge to cross my arms over my naked chest. I’d never been one to show a lot of skin, even when I hadn’t been heavier. To just have my girls floating around in the water in front of me wasn’t easy or natural. I gave an experimental twitch of my tail and zoomed a few feet away. It took my breasts a full second to stop after I did.

No, this wouldn’t work.

“I need my bra back. Can you slather it in goo too?”

Merrick definitely pouted as he dug it out of his satchel and handed it to me, and I fought to hide an inappropriate grin. I would need a better solution eventually (like a sports bra), but for now, the lavender, lacy undergarment was better than nothing. Merrick was a bit handsy as he slathered the straps and cups in goo, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

It did at least feel better not to have my dress scraps floating around me anymore.

“Come on. I don’t like lingering anywhere alone with you.” He shot off to the right, and I hurried to follow him.