Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume VI Page 4

  Something from the sea…a beautiful mermaid come to rob him of his soul.

  She leaned in to cling to him, kissing him hungrily. He slid his fingers to her bottom, cupping her firmly, spreading her to deepen his strokes. She gasped, her mouth opening against his, her body stiffening except for the slick muscles surrounding him, which grasped him tightly as she climaxed.

  As he helplessly followed, one word claimed every available space in his brain: magic.

  * * *

  A LOUD BANGING, a ringing and a voice broke Kieran’s sleep…

  He tried to wake from the dream, but yet wanted to stay right where he was. So nice, so sexy, so warm…

  “Sir, you really need to get up now.”

  There was a nudge to the shoulder.

  Kieran finally cracked open his eyelids to find the room flooded with sunlight. It took him a moment to realize that the dream hadn’t been a dream at all, but reality.

  He jackknifed to a sitting position, searching the bed next to him. She was gone.

  “Sir?”

  He blinked until Samuel, his house manager, came into view. “Where is she?”

  “Sir?” Samuel said again. “I can’t say as I know to whom you’re referring. But your parents have arrived downstairs and are quite anxious to see you.”

  His parents…

  His parents!

  He sprang from the bed. Damn. He’d completely forgotten he was supposed to pick them up at the airport this morning. What time was it?

  He began to put his tux pants back on, thought better of it, then grabbed a pair of jeans from a drawer instead. He moved to get a shirt from the closet only to bump into Sam who held one out.

  “Thanks.”

  “Just part of the job.”

  Within thirty seconds he was down the stairs, an apology on his lips, to find his father bringing in luggage.

  “Here, let me get that,” he said.

  “No, no, it’s quite all right. As I told your houseman, I find it therapeutic to move around a bit after being cooped up on a plane for so bloody long.”

  Kieran hugged his dad, who always appeared uncomfortable with such displays of affection but smiled nonetheless.

  “And where’s the missus. I assume that’s why you slept in?” His dad’s eyes sparkled. “The two of you have a good night.”

  Hell.

  “Where’s Mom?” Kieran asked, dodging the topic and going to look through the open door.

  “She wandered off, in search of the loo…”

  Kieran could only hope she didn’t stumble across anything—or anyone—else…

  * * *

  DAPHNE COULDN’T HELP herself. When she’d awakened feeling such an all-encompassing sense of satisfaction, she’d decided a nice soak in a water-filled tub would be nice. Only, she hadn’t dared do it in Kieran’s master bath where he might come upon her. Instead, she’d chosen the ensuite in one of the nearby guest bedrooms that boasted a good-size Jacuzzi. She lay back, the nearby Bose radio tuned into a 50’s satellite station, her fins hanging over the far side of the tub. It was almost instinctual. If she was in water, her fins followed.

  Okay, she now understood why her mother might have chosen land over the sea. Last night…

  Last night had been so…

  She sighed and closed her eyes, leaving it there.

  She knew soon she’d have to get out of this tub, call a taxi and head back home, but right now she was content to stay where she was, basking in all that was…

  She smiled, realizing she was lazily drawing circles around her nipples.

  Every part of her felt wondrously, gloriously alive. Even her scales now looked somehow more iridescent to her. She ran her hands down them, reveling in the texture, slowly flapping her fins.

  The door opened… .

  At first Daphne was sure she was seeing things. Stuff like this didn’t happen in real life.

  She stared at the startled older woman with neat gray hair wearing a skirt suit, unsure what to say, unsure what to do.

  The woman took the decision out of her hands. She screamed…

  * * *

  KIERAN AND HIS father heard the high-pitched shriek coming from upstairs.

  “She probably spotted a spider,” his father said in his usual droll tone.

  Kieran had never heard a noise like that come from his mother, spider or no.

  “I think we’d better—”

  He didn’t get a chance to finish as his mother came rushing down the stairs, looking awkward in her high heels as she took the steps.

  “Careful!” he called, half afraid she’d fall.

  She reached them, out of breath, pointing up the stairs. “There’s a…”

  “Is everything okay, madam?” Samuel asked as he came in from the kitchen.

  “Of course, everything is not okay! There’s a…There’s a…”

  Kieran nodded, gesturing for her to finish her sentence.

  “Spider?” his dad offered.

  “No!” She glared at him. “In the guest bathroom…In the tub…”

  “A roach?”

  Again his father was rewarded with one of his mother’s icy stares.

  Then it occurred to Kieran what could have possibly been in his tub.

  As his parents argued back and forth, Kieran leaned closer to Sam. “Did you see a beautiful redhead leave this morning?”

  “No, sir. I did not.”

  Oh, hell…

  “Come on! If you don’t believe me, come have a look for yourself!”

  His mother began to lead the way back up the stairs.

  His father sighed. “Do you have some newspaper or something we can roll up?”

  “Right away, sir,” Sam said.

  Kieran dragged his feet as he followed his parents, his mind going over everything they might possibly see when they reached that bathroom door.

  “It’s a…” his mother continued, reaching the guest-bedroom door.

  She grasped the knob of the bathroom door, squared her shoulders and thrust it open.

  “Mermaid,” she finally finished her sentence.

  Kieran closed his eyes, half afraid to look.

  “It’s been confirmed. You are daft.”

  His father’s comment encouraged him to open an eyelid. There was nothing in the room.

  “But, I swear…”

  His mother stepped inside the bathroom, then pointed to the tub that was nearly done draining of water.

  “See! She was here!”

  Sam came into the room with the rolled up paper his father had requested. He shared a look with Kieran.

  “Ah, yes,” he said. “You must be referring to Master Kieran’s overnight guest… .”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “Miss Moore,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten.”

  “Overnight guest?” his mother asked. “You had a mermaid as an overnight guest?”

  His father heaved a sigh. “Will you please stop this nonsense? There’s no such thing as a mermaid.”

  Elizabeth ignored him and planted her hands on her hips. “Well, then, where is this guest now?”

  “I daresay you’ve frightened her away,” his father said. “If the spine scratching scream didn’t do it, I’m sure the following witch hunt did.”

  “I believe Miss Moore has left the premises,” Sam said.

  Kieran wondered if that was true. Or was she hiding somewhere, waiting for them all to leave?

  “Shall we retire to the front room?” Sam suggested. “You’ve just come from a long trip and I’ve prepared some refreshments.”

  Kieran made a mental note to give Sam a big bonus at month’s end.

  “That’s it,” his father said. “The trip must have made you daft.”

  “I’m not daft. I know what I saw.”

  “Well, then, maybe we should check one of the adjoining rooms. Perhaps we’ll see Poseidon. Or Aphrodite. Or maybe the Loch Ness monster will make herself visible… .”

&n
bsp; Kieran watched them leave, his parents’ fading bantering telling him when they’d reached the hall.

  He turned back toward the empty tub. He leaned closer, spotting something shiny in the bottom. He fingered the object, then picked it up. It looked like a…

  Scale.

  He looked around, but there was no other sign of Daphne.

  He slowly pocketed the scale, then followed on his parents’ heels, reminding himself to have Sam give them another room….

  6

  OKAY, TWO UNIQUE experiences within a twelve-hour time span would be enough to throw anyone a little off kilter. At least, that’s what Daphne told herself as the taxi dropped her off at her small house in Dolphin Way. The driver’s openly curious look as she got out of the car in her evening gown, and holding her sandals, was nothing compared to what she’d been through, so she merely tipped him generously, smiled and closed the door.

  She barely heard him drive away as she stood staring at the small, one-story bungalow that had been hers for the past eight years. Compared to the larger places on either side, it wasn’t anything spectacular, but that had been fine with her. She hadn’t needed anything big. She’d grown up in what she’d called The Hotel, finding little comfort in the cavernous areas and never-ending maze of rooms.

  Funny that she should find the vast expanse of the sea far more welcoming.

  She absently touched the For Sale sign bearing a Sold sticker on the front lawn and then walked to what was essentially the back door, since the front faced the beach and the Pacific. The title closing had taken place last week, and the new owners—a young couple with two kids—would be taking possession next week. Right after her rededication to the sea.

  She let herself inside the house, put her human possessions down, slipped out of her dress and put on one of the many swimsuits all in the same color and style that she kept near the back door. Then moments later, she was walking into the Pacific, barely breaking her stride.

  The instant she was immersed she dove deeper and kicked her legs together, more as one than two. By the third kick, scales fanned down from her waist, and by the fourth, fins gave her the speed she craved.

  She wasn’t sure how long she swam and was barely aware of where she was. All she knew was the desire for a change of scenery to allow her to process her emotions, put everything back into perspective.

  Kieran.

  Her scales instantly tingled and puffed out.

  Wow…

  The word caught and held in her mind. She could never have imagined feeling that…alive with anyone, much less a human.

  Or perhaps his being human had nothing to do with it. Maybe he was her soul mate, as her mother occasionally called her father.

  Speaking of parents, she winced as she remembered Kieran’s mother’s scream when she’d found her in the tub, indulging in a forbidden tail bath in a human household. She’d overheard his conversation with them in the foyer as she hurried down the back stairs, running into what she guessed was Kieran’s house manager in the kitchen. They’d stared at each other and then he’d simply taken a look at her attire and said, “I’ll have a taxi waiting for you around the east corner in five minutes. I’ll make sure you’re left alone back here until then.”

  She’d thanked him and then snuck from the house when she judged the time to be right.

  She could only imagine what Kieran’s mother thought of her. While his seeing her ranked as fantasy material, his mother was more inclined to think her part of a nightmare…

  She knew a sinking sensation. If they were to meet in the real world, she was certain the woman would recognize her and there would be no smiles. To the contrary, she was relatively certain she’d earn another scream.

  But Kieran…

  She found herself smiling again and gave a watery sigh.

  She slowed her speed, taking a look around. She wasn’t far from the reef and the nearby caves of Nalisha where many of her kind lived a humanlike, underwater existence. She hadn’t been consciously aware of her destination, but now that she was there…

  The oldest of the school was Magda, one time known as Magdalena. Time had not been kind to the old mermaid; her scales were ragged, her body bloated, and the human part of her didn’t look any better, so everyone called her Magda.

  Still, she was long considered the elder and it was she who oversaw all ceremonies. She would be officiating Daphne’s confirmation next week.

  Daphne headed in the direction of her dwelling, unsurprised when Magda swam to the opening as if anticipating her visit.

  “I’ve been expecting you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’ve been hearing rumors.”

  Daphne followed her inside when invited.

  “Is it true you’ve become involved with a human?”

  One of the many aspects of mermaid life that was very similar to human existence was the endless gossip. Until now, she’d managed to stay untangled in the sharp net. And while she could spend months trying to figure out who had seen her interaction with Kieran, what mattered in the end was someone had.

  And he was the reason she’d sought out the elder’s council.

  “Yes. Yes, it is.” She didn’t feel the need to share the deep level of their interaction, but she suspected it was obvious. It was probably all over her like an oil slick.

  She looked down at her gently waving fins. “I was hoping we might postpone my confirmation.”

  She hadn’t been aware that’s what she was going to request until she heard herself say the words.

  Magda pretended interest in an electric eel that had just entered her cave.

  Finally, she turned back toward Daphne, her gaze even. “No.”

  Daphne’s stomach hurt. The thought that she might not see Kieran again after next week inspired a sadness deeper than any she’d felt before.

  “Daphne, Fate’s wheels have already begun turning. The ceremony is nothing more than a formality. Your responsibility to mermaidhood has already been established.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “It’s quite easy, actually. You made your decision at sixteen. And since then, you have spent more time in the sea than on land…”

  She nodded solemnly.

  “As a result, you probably found it more difficult and uncomfortable to achieve and maintain human form.”

  Yesterday, her transformation before going to her parents’ had actually been painful. And she had recognized that changing had grown progressively harder over the past few months.

  “Next week, you will lose your ability to transfigure altogether… .”

  Daphne had been aware of that. And only twelve short hours ago, she had eagerly looked forward to making the commitment.

  Now, though…

  Well, now she felt compelled to explore what was happening between her and Kieran.

  And she couldn’t do that in the short time they had together.

  Nor could she do that as a mermaid.

  “So you’re saying that even if I chose not to go ahead with the ceremony, my fate is sealed.”

  “It’s not a death sentence, Daphne. It’s a privilege.”

  Why did she suddenly feel as if the former was closer to the truth?

  “But there is one way.”

  Hope.

  “You must marry this human before your confirmation.”

  She gasped. The mere prospect of wedding a man she had just met was more shocking than what she’d just learned about her fate. Mere hours ago, she’d been questioning what had been a steadfast, lifetime commitment. She couldn’t possibly consider making a completely different one in the time she had left…

  “I can’t do that.”

  Was that a smug smile on the old mermaid’s face?

  It was gone before she could be sure.

  “Then my suggestion would be for you stay away from this human,” Magda said.

  Daphne felt as if her heart had not merely cracked, but crumbled into dust. But that m
ade no sense. She’d shared only one night with Kieran. Surely what she was feeling couldn’t be true love. Not the kind her parents shared. Not the type that had compelled her mother to give up the sea for her father.

  “Good luck,” Magda said, effectively dismissing her.

  “Thank you.”

  As she swam out of the dark cave, she couldn’t help thinking she was going to need more than luck to see her through the hours and days ahead of her….

  7

  HIS PARENTS WERE NOT PLEASED.

  That was the understatement of the century.

  He could still hear his mother’s gasp when he’d given her the news that not only wasn’t Clarissa in the house, they were no longer married.

  “What do you mean you’re no longer married? You mean, you’re…”

  “What, Mother? Divorced?”

  “Good God, boy, are you trying to send her into cardiac arrest?”

  His father’s rebuke had hit its intended target and he’d apologized.

  Not that it helped anything. Elizabeth Morrison had taken the victim ball and run with it, making the next few hours a lesson in civility.

  Finally, Samuel had rescued him by telling him he had an urgent call from the company.

  He hadn’t, of course. There had been nothing urgent in connection with the company in years.

  But it had provided the excuse he needed to extricate himself from the insufferable situation and send his parents off on their own. Hopefully when he saw them later, his mother would have moved on to another topic…like how she always forgot how hot it was in Southern California and how could he stand it, anyway?

  A short time later, he’d found himself standing outside the small house bearing a SOLD Realtor’s sign. He’d had his attorney’s office track Daphne down to this address, and he was hoping they’d have a chance to talk about what was going on between them.

  Unfortunately, there had been no answer to his knocks. Not that he’d expected one. He understood last night had been a one-shot deal. For reasons he couldn’t quite define, there was a certain…limited urgency to their relations. Once she was gone, he’d sensed he’d never see her again.

  And seeing that Sold sign had merely driven that suspicion home.