Captive of the Deep (11 page)

“Knew.” Rigel stiffened beneath her fingers. “I knew him long ago, before he was lost in the ocean, when he was like me, a Merr. He left our world in search of a better existence. Instead, he found the nothingness of the ocean.”

“That is why you feel obligated to hunt them. They’re your own people.” Lyra pushed up from the bed, succeeding in putting more space between them as she tried to comprehend what had happened. Her legs wobbled as her feet touched the floor. “I feel him inside my head.” She grabbed her hair, pulling it away from her scalp as if doing so would end the torment of the cold, watery existence in her dreams. “He was so lonely and lost. He just wanted to find something to hold on to, but he couldn’t. He kept reaching for the ship, trying to grab hold of it, but every time he crashed into it his body would fall apart and he’d have to try again. He didn’t know what he was doing. I understand that, but then I see my family. I see those people sliding off the ship…” She couldn’t continue as her voice cracked.

Lyra breathed heavily. She wanted to hate the creature, but she understood it too well. It was nothing more than a force of nature. Her family wasn’t murdered. They were victims of a natural disaster. Knowing didn’t make it easier to deal with the loss, but it did take away her hatred for the creatures of the ocean.

“There is more I should tell you,” Rigel said. She heard the hesitance in him. When she turned to the sound of his voice, she saw a soft glow where his eyes were. It was the same glow that had guided them in the water on the dive down. “Nemus was my brother. I’ve been looking for him for centuries. It was my brother who wrecked your ship.”

Lyra took a deep breath. Then another. And then another. Finally, after careful thought, she said, “Then you have lost someone to the ocean as well. I am sorry you lost a brother, Rigel. I suppose we both understand what each other is feeling, huh? It’s not easy to lose family.”

The bed shifted as he moved. “You do not sound as if you hate me.”

“Hate you?” she repeated in surprise. “Rigel, how could you think I hated you?”

“You blame my people for your family.”

“I blamed everyone and everything for my family—you, your people, my god, your gods, the ocean, nature, the scylla, myself, my family for being sailors, my mother for not insisting they all stay landlocked. None of the blame was fair. I was just so lost and hurt. Please, understand, I’m trying. I miss them so much. Sometimes, it’s like they’re not even dead. It’s like their gone to sea and I can imagine that they’re out there, safe on some boat.”

“Perhaps they are. We pushed many of the people toward the surface and tried to direct the current toward land. Perhaps they were saved.”

“Perhaps,” she repeated, liking the idea. In truth, she had no proof they weren’t saved. “Two boats did go down that night. Someone would have to notice neither boat checked in. The guy who commissioned us had a lot of money. Surely his company sent someone out to investigate. They have satellite tracking and the other ship was a science vessel.” She glanced upward, thinking of the surface world. “Yes, perhaps.”

“I promise you, if there is a way to learn the truth, I will do it.” Rigel didn’t sound convinced that he ever would, but she knew he would try.

“Rigel. Aidan was saying something about my becoming Merr once I acclimated to the underwater. Does that mean I’ll be able to swim in the ocean? I mean, will I swim like you? Like a mermaid?”

She saw the glow of his eyes nod in affirmation.

“Then I think I know of a way I can contact them. When we were little, we would play a game where we’d send out messages in a bottle and see if they’d get an answer. Sometimes, they’d come back. If I can get to the coastline where we used to play then maybe I could get a message to my brothers. If they’re alive, they will find it. And, maybe, they can get a message to me. I can tell them to hide the letter in the ocean where we can find it.”

“Lyra, wait, to become Merr you must first drown. I am told it is painful and—”

“Will you be down there with me?”

“Yes,” he said.

“And you won’t leave me alone?” she insisted.

“Never,” he said.

“Then I will do it. As soon as we get back to the palace, I will—”

“But we just got here,” he protested. Rigel moved towards her. She leaned forward so he could find her more easily in the dark. His hand touched her hip and she shivered.

Oh, I love your touch,
she thought.

“And I love touching you,” he answered.

She smiled before stiffening. “What are you talking about? I didn’t say that out loud.”

“Didn’t you?”

“No, I thought it.” She frowned.
Just like I’m thinking this now… I really miss hot dogs.

“What is a hot dog?”

She gasped. “How long have you been in my head? I mean, oh…” Suddenly, she thought of all the wickedly delightful things she’d imagined of him during their time together. Then she tried not to think of all those wickedly delightful things, but in doing so, she thought of more.

“I love you, too, Lyra. And yes, I would be honored to be joined with you as your husband.”

“I didn’t think that!” she said in protest. Though the words gave her pleasure, she couldn’t understand what was happening.

The fact I can hear you and you me is proof enough that it is what you want. We are joined, Lyra. You are mine and I am yours.

“Did you think that or say that?” She asked, confused. Then, shaking her head, she added, “No, don’t answer. Don’t think of anything. Don’t say anything. Just sit there.”

The image of her own naked body flashed through her and she felt a strong stirring of desire. She couldn’t tell if it was his or hers. The force of it caused her to let loose a light sigh of pleasure and need. Instantly, she pushed onto the bed, searching for him. He was already naked and she took full advantage. Her hands moved along his flesh. She loved the feel of him, the smell, the heat, the tingling sensations that erupted wherever they touched. His hands were at a disadvantage as they met with her clothing. He tugged at them impatiently, ripping the delicate material in his haste to part her from it.

He rolled her onto her back, pinning her with his weight. His hands massaged her breasts, peaking the nipples as he worked his way downward. Her legs parted naturally so he could slip between them. Already she was wet, ready for his claiming. Rigel’s thoughts entered her in a series of random sensations—soft breasts, sweet smell, hard cock ready to be sheathed.

 
“I do love you,” she whispered, as his cock found entrance along her sex. “I do want to be with you. Forever, Rigel.”

“I know.” He thrust forward, filling her completely. She moaned, closing her eyes tight. “For you have no other choice. If you said otherwise, I would simply spend forever convincing you.”

Before she could answer, he pulled back and thrust again. Their bodies became a frenzy of movement. She gripped his shoulders. His hands pinned her into place as he pressed into the mattress at her sides. His lips molded to hers, kissing her deeply. Hips propelled forward, taking her hard and deep and fast. Their bodies bounced. Her breasts bobbed, the nipples brushing to his chest. He took her leg, hooking it with his elbow to lift it onto his shoulder. He must have heard the thought because it was exactly the position she wanted.

The pleasure was too intense to resist. Tremors erupted like geyser, spurting over her in hot waves as he came into her body. Their climax joined, intensified by their connection. She was still trembling when he finished. He slid his cock from her and rolled to the side in blissful exhaustion.

“Wow,” she whispered. “That was… wow.”

“Give me a moment. As soon as I recover I will wow you again.” He touched her thigh close to her sex. His finger lifted to trace a light line over her pussy. Her hips jerked in response and he chuckled.

“Perhaps we can wait a few days before going back to the palace,” she said. “There is no need to rush out of bed so fast.”

“A few days?”

“Perhaps more. We’ll see how long you can last, hunter.” She reached for his semi-erect cock and began to rub it as he rubbed her. Then, pushing up, she moved to straddle his waist while facing his feet. She slid her pussy along his chest until she was leaning over his cock. She took the shaft in her mouth and began to suck gently. It stirred to life between her lips. He gasped and began to squirm beneath her. She pushed her sex toward his face, hoping he’d take advantage. He did, gripping her ass and pulling her pussy tight to his mouth as he began to lick and suck her clit.

His cock grew in her mouth to full capacity as she sucked it. She drew her teeth along the shaft, nibbling at the tip. She teased the length of him before fisting her hands around the base and balls. With a moan, she began to suck harder, pulling at him as if he were a stubborn straw refusing to give her the drink she wanted.

Tension built in her stomach. Suddenly, he exploded between her lips. Lyra drank his essence as she came against his mouth.

“Wow,” he whispered as she collapsed next to him. She lightly nipped at his leg next to her head. His hand wrapped around her calf, holding her leg close to his chest. “I enjoyed that very much.”

“I know,” she chuckled, closing her eyes. Her body was relaxed and she did not fight the haze of sleep that came for her. And, as the final remnants of wakefulness left her, she heard his thought whispering in her head,
I love you, Lyra, only you, forever…

Two years later…

Lyra’s hands trembled as she looked at the air-tight metal chest. It had been sunk into the water exactly where she had specified in her letter to her family. Over a year had passed since she’d thrown the bottle onto shore, hoping one of her brothers would find it. She had almost not dared to hope that this day would come.

“Would you like me to open it for you?” Rigel asked. He sat down next to her on the couch in their palace apartment.

Lyra’s hands shook too badly and she nodded.

Rigel leaned over and began to unlatch the sides. He’d hauled it in from his last hunt, carrying it directly to her. In fact, he was so fresh from the ocean his hair was still wet and he smelled of salt. It took some doing, but finally the seal gave on the lid and he was able to lift the heavy piece of metal. Poking a finger inside the chest, he hooked a rolled paper and pulled out a letter. Without trying to read it, he handed it to her.

Lyra glanced into the chest. Thick plastic wrapped several everyday surface items. She slowly unrolled the message and let out a deep breath. “It’s from Jackson. He’s alive.”

Rigel leaned into her, lifting his arm behind her back. She naturally cuddled against his side.

As she scanned the letter for news of her family, she said, “A ship picked him up three days after the wreck. He was afloat with Kristopher on a piece of driftwood. Rocky and Winston were rescued about a week later. Rocky spent a year in the hospital because of some injuries and Winston lost part of his leg, but they’re both still alive. My father has retired from the sea. He lives on a beach in the Northwest United States. After sun exposure on the waves, he’s had some trouble due to the severe dehydration, but he never complains.” Lyra glanced up from the letter. “I can’t believe they all made it. I hoped that one of them… but all?”

“This is very good news. The hunters will celebrate the good fortune.” Suddenly, Rigel’s smile fell. “Do you wish I would have left you at the surface with the others? You would have been rescued with your family. You would be on the surface world.”

Lyra lowered the letter. “I do miss my family, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear that they are all right, but I can never regret my coming down to be with you, Rigel. I love you. That hasn’t changed. You are as much a part of me as my own soul. We are fated. I don’t know if it was the gods, or some mystical force, or even a miraculous accident that brought me down here to you, but I know that it is as it should be. You are my heart, Rigel. Never forget it.”

“And you are mine,” he said.

“Besides, Bridget has been busy working on analyzing that seaweed she found. She thinks she is close to discovering how the Olympians rise to the surface and breathe the air. Perhaps someday, I will see them again.” She lightly touched her leg. “They will not believe my fins.”

“I wonder if the surface world would welcome us,” he mused, looking up.

Lyra didn’t have the heart to tell him what the surface world would most likely do to a Merr man if they caught one.

“So it would be that bad for my kind, would it?” he asked.

“Stay out of my thoughts, husband. We’ve had this talk.”

“And yet, I seem to recall seeing naked images of my wife sent to me while I was swimming back.” He chuckled.

Lyra reached inside the chest and pulled out one of the packages. They were magazines. She handed them to Rigel. “Aidan will enjoy these.”

Rigel slid them aside, moving to put his hands on her waist. “I’m afflicted. Now that we know your family is safe, can we first attend to—”

“Ah! He sent me a vacuumed sealed pack of hotdogs!” Lyra exclaimed, teasing. She pulled out the food and grinned.