The Mermaid's Knight (23 page)

“But, my dear, you
are
an unnatural creature. Allow the man to be shocked.” She snapped her parasol shut and turned her face up to the sun. “We’ve got a little bit of time before the sun sets, so you might as well go over and get it done with.” She leaned down toward Leah.

“I know you’re scared, but take it from an old lady – the man’s been looking for you for three days. I think something more urgent is on his mind than whether or not your tail is repulsive.” Fear warred with regret and longing. She wanted to see him one last time, no matter how much it might hurt. Even if her last view of him was the disgust written on his face, she still wanted to look into those dark eyes one more time.

Without glancing back at Muffin, she began to swim toward the beach. As she moved through the water, she kept her eyes on the shoreline. Gradually, it came into focus, and she could see Royce standing on the shore. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze focused on the ocean. She knew he was looking for her, because when he noticed the top of her head as she swam in closer, his large body stiffened and he took a few steps forward.

Leah faltered, but forced herself to continue.
One hand in front of the other, flick your
tail, eyes forward. It’ll all be over soon, and then you’ll never see him again.

Never see him again.

Her throat closed and a fresh round of tears threatened. She didn’t want to leave him.

Even if he hated her, she’d gladly stay in his castle, all so she could look at him every day. Leah cursed the selfishness of the past three days – days that she had hidden from him and the world.

It was time she could have spent at his castle, with him, no matter how painful the end result would be. She’d cheated herself out of it, like a stupid fool.

The water became shallow enough that she had to pull herself forward with her arms across the sand, dragging her heavy tail onto the beach. She didn’t know why, but the water felt like a barrier between them.

She knew she’d come far enough in, because her gills seized up and began to burn, and her tail clenched. Leah collapsed on the ground as the transformation took over her body, her lungs forcing the water from them and her legs searing as they split apart once more. She hid her face from him. He’d be disgusted by her rough transformation.

Gentle hands slid under her waist, holding her as if she might break. Fingers brushed the hair off of her face, wet with salt-water and tears. “Leah,” Royce whispered, and her heart clenched in a completely different kind of pain. “Don’t cry. It’s all right, Leah.” The tears poured forth then, as if a dam had burst. She sobbed, turning her face against his chest so he couldn’t see the pain in her eyes. All the while he stroked her hair and cradled her body against his.

“Please don’t cry, Leah.” His thumb brushed away the tears under her eyes. “I can’t stand to see you cry.” She felt his lips brush against her forehead. “We don’t have to tell anyone about this.”

Leah tensed in his arms, not following his logic. What did he mean, not tell anyone? Not tell anyone about what? Curious, she opened her eyes and looked into his face.

Warm, dark eyes stared down into her face as if he were trying to memorize her features.

Royce looked exhausted, Leah realized. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and his face was drawn, his hair a tousled mess. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. More real than his exhaustion, however, was the tenderness with which he looked at her.

“I’ve sent Father Andrew away, Leah. Back to his monastery, where he can’t spill his secrets or use them against you.” He touched the edge of her jaw with gentle, reverent fingers.

“We won’t tell anyone about your secret, Leah. I’ll get a secret passage built in my chambers, so you can come to the ocean as often as you need to. You can do whatever you like. Just don’t run away again.”

Her face crumpled at his sweet words. He was being so kind and understanding – he didn’t hate her at all. Didn’t think she was a monster. She hated that she’d left him for the past three days, thinking that he’d been tainted by Father Andrew’s vicious lies and fear-mongering.

She could have spent three more days in his arms. And now it was too late. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the musky scent of him, awash in bitter regret.

He cradled her closer to him, as if sensing the tension rampant in her body. “At first I was angry you had kept the secret from me, Leah, but then Father Andrew kept going on about devil-spawn, and I realized you were afraid that I’d cast you aside, or worse.” His hands tightened around her body. “I’d never do that to you, Leah.” His fingers reached under her chin and he

tilted her head so she would look up at him. His eyes caressed her face, devouring her sad features. “It’s all right. You’ll come to trust me, eventually. We’ll get married, and you’ll be lady of my keep, and no one will force you to do anything you don’t want to ever again. My men will treat you with respect, and the servants already love you. And I know you can talk, but there must be a reason why you won’t talk to me. You’ll come to trust me, eventually, and then you can tell me everything. But I’ll wait until you’re ready.” Oh god. Her heart was breaking now. She couldn’t stop crying, even as she touched his face, bringing his lips down to hers for one last, bittersweet kiss. His lips touched hers softly, as if he were afraid of breaking her. “Leah, Leah. Stay with me forever.” But she couldn’t. Leah pulled away, shaking her head, and placed her fingers on his lips.

She couldn’t stay, and her gaze strayed out to the ocean again.

“I don’t understand,” he began, but his words died when a shadow fell over the two of them.

Muffin rapped him on the head with her parasol. “I’m afraid it’s time for us to go, young man.”

She felt him stiffen against her, felt him surge to his feet, still cradling her against his chest. “Who are you?” he demanded, his voice harsh with fear.

“Leah’s keeper,” Muffin said in a truculent voice. “She had a task to do, and she failed.

Now I’m afraid it’s time for her to go. Say your goodbyes.” His arms tightened around Leah. “You don’t have to go anywhere, sweetling. You can stay with me.” His whispered words brushed against her ear, making her heart swell with emotion.

She shook her head, pulling his arms away from her and stepping out of his grip, even though every fiber of her body was screaming for her to run back to his arms. Leah touched his cheek gently by apology, then bowed her head, turning to follow the waiting Muffin.

“Leah, wait!” Royce grabbed her arm. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” Anger rushed through his voice. “You’re just going to leave again?” She shook her head sadly, and pointed at the ocean. She wanted to tell him that she had no choice. Remembering Muffin’s presence, Leah cleared her throat and experimented. “I…” Her breath whooshed out of her lungs in relief that she could speak. “My voice. It’s back!”

“So you couldn’t speak?”

“No. Only around Muffin. Oh Royce, I’m so sorry. I can’t stay with you. It’s too late for that.” Her hand slid out of his and she continued to walk forward, her head bowed. Her vision blurred with hot tears, and she forced herself to keep walking forward.

“It’ll all be over soon,” Muffin soothed, putting an arm around her waist.

Inconsolable, Leah turned away and faced the ocean. Muffin’s little boat still bobbed out in the distance. She could swim out to it, she supposed, and then it would all end once she was out of Royce’s sight.

To Leah’s surprise, Muffin’s arm was ripped from her waist, and the fairy godmother was tossed aside. Warm hands grasped Leah, pulling her against a hard, familiar body, and she looked into Royce’s hard, unsmiling mouth and grim eyes.

“Tell me that you want this, and I’ll leave you be, Leah. Tell me that you don’t want to stay, and I’ll let this go.”

She touched his cheek gently, ignoring the sputtering of the fairy godmother behind them. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay, Royce,” she said, her voice husky with lack of use. “It’s that I don’t have a choice.”

His free hand slid behind her neck, and he pressed his forehead against hers in a gesture that brought new tears to her eyes. “Then know this before you leave.” He pressed a crumpled bit of thread and fabric into her hand, and Leah stared down at the mangled embroidery she’d left in his tent.
I always loved you
, the tearstained cloth read, mocking her.

“I always loved you as well,” Royce said, and kissed her once, then released her.

The world stilled around them.

“Oh crap,” Muffin said, with disgust. “Just under the wire, eh? Typical man.” She gave a huge sigh.

A hot flash of pain throbbed through Leah’s legs, a wholly unique sort of pain that she hadn’t felt before. Alarmed, Leah fell against Royce and clung to his tunic as her limbs stiffened in response.

The world began to roar around her, and darkness threatened to overcome her, but it wasn’t a painful sort of blackness – rather, it was like her body was building up, preparing for something huge.

And then it stopped, just as suddenly as it started.

Surprised, Leah opened one eye experimentally, and squinted at the world around her.

She could feel Royce’s arm under her legs, and the rest of her was cradled against his chest again. He must have hauled her up in his arms while she was nearly blacked out from pain. The look in his eyes as he stared down at her was as confused as her own. Both of them turned to Muffin.

The fairy godmother gave them a sweet smile. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to make other arrangements after all.” She waved her wand in Leah’s direction. “You’re free to go, my girl.”

“I am? I’m free of the fish tail?” Her hands clenched in the fabric of Royce’s tunic, unable to believe that her luck would turn so fast. “Really?”

“Indeed you are,” the fairy godmother crowed. “Did you want to go back to Seattle now?”

She felt Royce’s arms tighten protectively around her, and Leah clung to his neck, trying to back away from the fairy godmother and her horrible suggestion. “Oh no! I want to stay here!”

“That wasn’t part of the original deal.” She waved her wand at Leah chidingly.

“However, given that your young man looks ready to take my head off at the thought of you leaving again, I suppose we can leave things like they are, if that would make you happy.” Leah reached up and kissed Royce’s cheek, hardly daring to hope. “Nothing would make me happier,” she whispered.

The fairy godmother made a puking noise. “Spare me the sappy stuff, my dear. Very well. You can stay, but I don’t want to have to see your face again for another sixty years at least, do you hear me?”

She grinned. “Loud and clear.”

Muffin winked and gave her a quick salute with the wand. “That’s it then. I’m done here.

Have a nice life, kiddo.” And just like that, she winked out of existence. Far out in the distance, Leah saw the tiny white boat vanish.

Just like that, it was over. Leah turned to Royce, still feeling slightly shell-shocked. He wasn’t moving, just staring down at her with the same incredulous expression on his face, like he’d seen too much to digest in one sitting.

She pinched him.

That woke him up, and he quirked a dark eyebrow at her. “And what was that for, lady?” Leah lay her head against his shoulder. “Just making sure that you’re real, and that this is not a dream.”

“You have a sweet voice, my Leah. I’m glad you can talk now.” Laughter bubbled through her. “I’m glad too – that was the worst part of the mermaid thing. Not being able to tell you anything that was going on.” Impulsively, she hugged his neck and giggled against his hair. She felt as giddy with excitement. “I can’t believe I get to stay!” He set her down, gently, a troubled look on his familiar, dear face. “Won’t you miss your home? This ‘Seattle’ that she mentioned?”

Leah shook her head, slipping her hand into his and taking an experimental step forward.

None of the tingling associated with every step for the past month followed her. No reminder of her mermaid tail. It was as if it had never happened. “Seattle holds nothing for me, anymore,” she said happily. “My world is here with you.”

“We’ll get married within a fortnight,” he stated flatly, squeezing her hand tight. “The king will insist on being there, or I’d make it sooner. He told me he wanted to meet the woman that had saved my fortune from Baron Rutledge.” A gentle smile touched his lips. “I wasn’t sure he would get the chance.”

Nervous excitement shot through her. “I wasn’t either, but I’m glad.” A dark thought occurred to her and she frowned, her spirits drooping a little. “Will it matter very much that I’m not noble?”

“I’m the bastard son of an unimportant noble, so no, it does not matter.”

She brightened at that. “All right, then.” Feeling shy, Leah smiled up at him. “I’ll become your wife.”

He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her, twirling her around him as he spun, laughing.

“Leah of the kingdom of Seattle has agreed to become my wife.” He set her down and gave her a perplexed look. “Where is this ‘Seattle’? Normandy?”

That would be a harder explanation. “It’s in America. It’s a long, long story, and I’m not sure if you’ll believe me.”

“Is it more ridiculous than a woman cursed to have a fish-tail?”

“Only slightly.” Leah gave him a lopsided smile. “Will that change anything?” He shook his head, pulling her close for a long kiss. “Nothing could change my love for you, my Leah. Even if you told me that you were from the Heavens themselves.”

“Close,” Leah whispered against his mouth. “Very, very close.”

About JILL MYLES

JILL MYLES is the author of
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi
, the first novel featuring sexy succubus Jackie Brighton, her supernatural sidekicks, and a few all-too-tempting villains. Jill lives in Texas with her family and can’t write a bio, so she’s using the official Pocket Books one.

Visit her a
t www.jillmyles.com