Laid Bare (5 page)

A faraway look came over her face and she bit her lip like she was unsure of what to say, then something inside her seemed to give. “I live in a beautiful kingdom beneath the water. Our society is run pretty much like it is here on land, but we’re aquatic creatures, who are able to breathe beneath the sea.”

Fascinated and documenting her response in his head, he pressed, “Tell me about your family, and what you do? What’s it like to be a mermaid?”

“Well we’re actually called Miengus. Human folklore gave us the name mermaid.”

He arched a brow, intrigued to hear more. “Go on.”

“I’m the youngest of three girls, and I’m an educator in charge of teaching the little ones all about the dangers of venturing on land.”

He looked at her, and his heart fell into his stomach as he digested her words, understanding exactly what she was saying. “You’ve put yourself at risk by coming here haven’t you?”

She nodded. “Yes, and I’ve also endangered my people.”

“How?”

“It’s our tails. They’re embedded with jewels and if we were ever discovered…”

As his mind raced, his throat tightened and the room began to spin before his eyes. “You’d be hunted,” he stated. While a part of him hoped humans would cherish mermaids, treating them as prized creatures, another part of him knew anything different might be hunted. Killed.

“Yes,” she whispered.

His thoughts immediately raced to his work, his colleagues, his research—and the years he spent trying to turn myth into reality. Having Ella here with him now was his chance to prove his theory, to make his mark on the scientific world. Something he’d spent his entire career trying to do. Over the years he’d ignored the jibes from his co-workers at the university, knowing full well that someday he’d prove mythical creatures existed. But what would that do to her? Her people?

When it occurred to him that the one thing he spent his life working for was the one thing that could destroy her kind, his stomach revolted. But how could he simply throw fifteen years away? Wouldn’t that raise suspicion among his peers and threaten his job? Then again if he didn’t, if he exposed her, it could prove deadly for her kind.

As he fought an internal battle, his mind raced with worry and it took effort to speak. “Why did you take a chance coming here, Ella?”

“You,” she murmured and the sadness returned to her face. “I needed to see you and I just couldn’t stay away any longer.”

As he pulled her in closer, he suddenly felt disoriented, the room fading in and out of existence. He angled his head to see her, and noted the way she was looking at him with careful regard.

“Ella,” he said, his throat suddenly dry, his mind woozy. “What’s happening?”

“It’s okay, Liam.” She placed her hand over his eyes and drew his lids down. “Sleep now.”

H
eart aching in a way it had never ached before, Ella climbed from his bed. The last thing she wanted to do was leave him and even though she felt they belonged together, she knew they were different species who came from different worlds. The truth was she had no choice but to leave. Even though her heart belonged here—had always belonged here—and she hated what was waiting for her at home, she knew she had to go.

Without looking back she snuck from his room, slipped out his door and hurried to the water, understanding that when he woke, he’d remember nothing about her.

Once she found sanctuary inside the boathouse, she buried her face in her hands and there was nothing she could do to keep the tears from flowing. She cried long and hard, until night bled into dawn.

Needing to rejuvenate, Ella climbed into the sea and morphed, but the crack in her tail was still evident, which meant she couldn’t return home just yet. She had no doubt if she didn’t soon make her way back, her best friend Jas, who was determined to prove herself as an enforcer, would come looking for her—and would undoubtedly force her to return. As much as she missed her family and friend, the thoughts of returning only to mate with another, held no appeal to her. She liked it here. She liked being with Liam.

With much effort she swam out past the dock, but not even the salt water could repair the damage done to her heart. A short while later she made her way back to the boat house and returned to her human form as she sat on the dock. Lowering her head she examined her ankle.

“Ella.”

Her heart missed a beat when she noticed Liam looking at her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Her mind began racing, wondering how? Why? She’d wiped his mind free of the evidence of the night. He shouldn’t be remembering her or her name. “Liam?”

“Yeah.”

“What…what are you doing out here?” she asked.

“When I woke up you were gone. I went searching for you. Then I heard a noise in here.”

“You…you remember?” she asked.

He arched a confused brow. “Remember what?” He dropped down beside her on the dock and studied her ankle. Unease danced in his eyes when he said, “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not nothing.” He gathered her leg into his hands and examined her, and she winced when he pressed gently against her bone. “I think you have a small fracture. If you don’t get this fixed it won’t heal right.”

She gave a quick shake of her head. “I can’t go to a hospital.”

Liam got quiet for a moment, then said, “I can wrap you.” When Ella gave him a perplexed frown he said, “My mother was a nurse, remember?” He gave a wry grin and added, “She wrapped me more times than I can remember.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, I was a real handful as a kid.”

“I’m sure you were,” she replied, remembering how he’d swum out too far and she’d had to rescue him.

Liam gathered her into his arms and carried her back inside his cabin. She didn’t object, knowing the sooner she healed the sooner she could head home and work on mending her heart. He deposited her on his bed, then returned with tape and a stretchy bandage. She watched him work, watched the way he took such care with her, and everything in the way he touched her spoke of compassion and empathy.

As she studied him, noting the way his deft hands securely wrapped the bandage, she wondered why her powers hadn’t work on him, why she hadn’t been able to wipe his mind. Perhaps it was because she’d been feeling too much emotion at the time, unable to keep the love she felt for him at bay. Or perhaps it was because some greater force was at work here and she really was meant to be with him, here on land.

There was real fear in his eyes when he said, “Don’t run off like that again, Ella. You scared me. I thought something might have happened to you.”

“I didn’t mean to worry you.”

His smile was soft, patient, completely nonthreatening and everything in the way he looked at her told her he’d never do anything to hurt her or her kind. As her gaze perused his face she understood what they both wanted, and for the first time she wondered if she really could stay with him here, near the ocean.

Would it be possible?

Or would an enforcer tear her from this world and take her back?

When Liam crawled in bed beside her she shelved her concerns for the time being because right now, as he looked at her with raw passion, she needed him inside her again.

“So my mere human, I take it your minute or two is up?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light as emotions overwhelmed her.

His edgy laugh turned into a heated moan when she widened her legs and offered herself up to him. “Yeah, baby, my minute or two is up and I’m all set for another round.”

Liam climbed atop her body and they both clung to each other as he entered her. Their mouths met and their hands touched eagerly as they spent the rest of the night making sweet glorious love that filled her heart and soul, and made her feel complete.

They both fell into a restful slumber as the sun rose higher in the sky, but Ella didn’t sleep long. A loud bird outside the window pulled her from her rest. She twisted sideways to see the man who’d taken up residency in her heart, and when she found him snoring lightly, she climbed from his bed, wanting to know more about his life.

Padding softly from the room she made her way downstairs and looked over his belongings. She picked a pillow up from his sofa and brought it to her nose, pulling his familiar scent into her lungs. She made her way into his small kitchen and gazed out the window to see the sun glistening on the ocean.

As warmth settled around her a seed of hope bloomed inside her. She knew what she wanted, what she’d always wanted, but she also knew what staying meant. Turning her back on her family. But everything in her heart told her Liam
was
her family. Even though they were from different worlds, he made her feel whole, complete and she wanted to stay here with him, to make a life with him by the sea.

She thought of her father, her mother, her relatives, her best friend Jas—the only Miengu she knew who didn’t distrust humans like the rest. Right now Jas was likely fighting for the chance to come to the surface to find her and her sisters.

Could she convince Jas she belonged here, or would her best friend force her back?

Her thoughts returned to her family. Since they had such a distrust of humans, they wouldn’t be happy about this turn of events. But if they knew Liam like she did, and understood how happy he made her, she was sure they’d eventually come to accept it. Deep down she knew they only wanted what was best for her.

As a war waged inside her, she moved away from the window and continued her exploration of his cottage, following the narrow hall into what looked like an office. The papers strewn over his desk gained her attention. As she briefed over his research notes, an uneasy feeling closed in on her and the seed of hope that had begun to blossom died a cold hard death.

As she rifled through more papers, years and years of research, it occurred to her that Liam had lied to her. Well he hadn’t exactly lied, he’d told her he worked at the university but he neglected to tell her about his research.

Panic invaded her stomach and she pinched her eyes shut. How could she have been so foolish to think there could have been more between them? That Liam could actually love her, the way she loved him? He’d only been looking for her all these years because he was a mythology professor and he wanted to expose her.

She made a move to turn, to run, but her breath caught when she came face to face with the man she had no right to love. He stood in the doorway, his arms braced on the doorjamb above his head, blocking her exit.

Knowing what she needed to do, she worked to calm herself, and as she proceeded to wipe his mind, he continued to stare at her, growing more and more perplexed.

His voice was soft, low. “What are you doing, Ella?”

Flustered, she gave a hard shake of her head and said, “I don’t understand.”

He angled his head, his eyes assessing her. “What don’t you understand?”

“You shouldn’t remember me,” she cried out. With ribbons of panic sailing through her blood, she glanced from left to right, looking for an escape route as she rambled on, desperately trying to sort things through. “I tried to wipe your mind last night but it didn’t work. And it’s still not working. It must be because I’m feeling emotional.”

He took a step closer and he sounded hurt when he asked, “Why are you trying to wipe my mind?”

“So you’ll forget about me and my kind.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because of this.” She pointed to his research papers. “You want to expose me.”

Liam frowned and when he didn’t deny her claim, her heart split into a million tiny pieces. She’d made such a terrible mistake staying here with him. She’d never forgive herself for putting her species in danger.

He reached for her but she stepped back. “Ella, I told you I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“
This
will hurt me,” she practically screamed and grabbed a fistful of his papers.

“Which is why I’m not going to show it to anyone.”

“If this research ever…” Ella’s head jerked up with a start. “Wait, what did you say?”

“I’m not going to show it to anyone. I plan to destroy it.”

She stared at him wanting to believe him but scared to do so. “You have a decade’s worth of research here, and you’re telling me you’re just going to forget about it.”

He pitched his voice low and a bevy of emotions passed over his eyes when he said, “For you, yes. I’m just going to forget it.”

Her throat tightened and tears threatened. “But what about making your mark in the world? Isn’t that what this is all about?”

He grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, “It’s not important to me anymore. I have a new mission in life, and that’s protecting you from the world, not exposing you to it.”

She tilted her head to see him, and there was nothing in his expression to suggest he was lying. An instant jolt of guilt ate at her for not believing in him. She knew they had something special. That he was special. She wanted to apologize, to say something but no words came. “Liam…” she choked out.

“Sweetheart, this is my fault not yours. You were right to jump to the conclusion you did. But from here on out if we’re going to make a life together we need to trust each other.”

She sniffed and looked up at him, her heart soaring. “You want to make a life with me?”

“Of course I do. Jesus, I spent the last fifteen years waiting for you to come back to me. Do you think I’m about to let you go now? But I think I need you to tell me more about these abilities of yours.” He brushed his thumb over her lips and she could tell he was trying to lighten the mood when he added, “You know, just so I know what I’m up against if you get pissed off at me.”

She laughed and lightly pounded his chest. “It’s a survival skill but it didn’t work with you. It has to be because I feel too much emotion where you’re concerned.”

“Maybe, or maybe it’s because we really are meant to be together, Ella.” His brow knit together when he added, “It’s not a coincidence that you found your way back to me.”