Tidal Wave (8 page)

“Now, Alexia,” she said. “Today I thought we could—”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Alexia interrupted.

Joshua and Anthony froze at the tone of her voice. She sat far back in her chair, arms crossed, her plate ignored. Her whole body screamed with tension, and it was difficult for Joshua to not take her in his arms and comfort her.

“Tell you what, Ally?” Victoria stirred her tea and blinked innocently at them.

Alexia lifted her hand and ran it through her hair, messing the scramble of curls even further. “Don’t play games with me. Not anymore. ‘I have something I want you to have, Ally. It’s been in the family for generations.’ Ha! Does that give you a clue? Or do you need me to show you this?” She grabbed the medallion and held it up, a blue light sparkling noticeably around the silver.

“Ohhhhh!” Victoria clapped her hands with delight before squeezing Anthony’s arm. “You boys must be the right ones for the job. The fire didn’t show for me until at least four days after I—”

“Gram!” Alexia slammed her hands on the table. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before she turned to Joshua. Her dark eyes flashed with anger, and he placed a reassuring hand on her arm. The connection between them flared and Joshua’s heart leapt. Even furious she was beautiful.

“Perhaps this is a conversation I should have alone with my grandmother,” Alexia said.

“Nonsense.” Victoria snorted. “You slept with them, they can certainly listen to a little conversation about the merfolk. In fact they might be able to help me answer your questions.”

Alexia’s cheeks flushed red, but with embarrassment or anger Joshua couldn’t tell. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. Why did you not tell me about merfolk before now? You’ve had plenty of opportunities. That’s question one. Number two, why didn’t you at least tell me before you gave me the damn necklace what I was accepting instead of shanghaiing me into a position I might not want to take responsibility for?

“And three, after giving me the thing why in the
hell
did you not tell me you were pimping me out when you dragged me around town yesterday? It would have been nice to know I was going to have the sudden urge to throw myself at anyone with a…a penis and…screw them senseless.”

Anthony’s jaw dropped and Joshua bit back a laugh. Sweet little Alexia had sharp teeth and Victoria wasn’t used to being bitten. The older woman opened and closed her mouth a few times before deliberately taking a bite of her breakfast and chewing slowly. Victoria patted her mouth delicately with her napkin before smiling all around the table at them.

“Well, I guess I don’t have to mince words if you’re already swearing at me. I didn’t tell you about the merfolk because your mother asked me not to. Karyn’s a sport—unable to shift or take a change—and she felt there was no place for her in the pod. That wasn’t true but she decided to reject us completely. It took years to convince her to let you stay summers with me in the hopes you would someday come into your heritage and take over. Give you the opportunity to gain a few of the merfolk chemicals.”

“Mom knows about merfolk and she never told me?” Some of the color faded from Alexia’s face and Joshua reached for her hand, holding it under the edge of the table. She squeezed him tight, hanging on like he was anchoring her in place. “She sent me on the yearly vacation to you but when I went home, Mom never wanted to hear a word about what I did during my holidays. Everything else about our relationship is fine so I figured you two had some kind of falling out.” Alexia shook her head as understanding slowly spread over her face. “My dad wasn’t a merfolk, was he?”

“Your father was human. No merblood. Your mother accepted the medallion from me at one point and tried to transform but she never managed. Karyn returned the medallion and I had no choice but to resume leadership of the pod. Since then I’ve waited years for you to grow up enough to be able to take over.” Victoria poured herself more tea before calmly sipping it.

This version of the story was new to Joshua. There had been rumors floating around for a while when he was young, but he’d never really wondered about the situation. “Why was your daughter unable to change? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Victoria shrugged. “It’s very rare. She never desired to lead and I think that made a huge difference. Plus she had already been making eyes with Jeffrey, Alexia’s father, and with her heart committed, she couldn’t accept the way of the merfolk and enjoy more than one lover. I’d hoped when they got divorced she would return to Jaffrey’s Cove but she refused.”

Alexia’s hand jerked away from his. “More than one lover? You knew I’d…” She dropped her head into her hands. “Holy shit, I don’t believe I’m having this conversation with my grandmother.”

Another imperial wave of the hand followed. “Then stop thinking of me as your Gram and accept I led an amazing group of people and I have passed on the privilege to you. As the previous leader, I will advise and give you guidance about any area, including sex.” Victoria leaned forward, her gray eyes sparkling. “But, Ally, you
know
what you need to do. It’s built into you, I can tell. I need you to trust yourself because I
am
done. I stayed twenty more years than I planned. I loved being matriarch, but the past while I’ve lost many personal opportunities. Perhaps I’ve become selfish in wanting to move on. That’s why I gave you the medallion with no warning.”

The tension around the table ebbed and flowed as Alexia considered Victoria’s words, nodding slowly. “Then I ask you this, as past leader, can you tell me what I have to do to make sure I can transform? I do feel a connection to the dolphins and Jaffrey’s Cove. I have since my first summer here. It’s deeper than simply a love for the area and wonderful memories. I’ve dreamed about dancing in the waves, not as a human. I’ve dreamed about a beautiful cave and bright blue lights that turn into lovers—”

“The cavern?” Victoria sat straight and Joshua tensed. Perhaps he should have made sure to speak sooner to Alexia about their lovemaking. “You’ve seen the cavern already?”

“Often, but only in my dreams.” Alexia’s hand touched lightly on his shoulder. “The last time, the most vivid, was two nights ago and I met Joshua there. That was after you gave me the medallion.”

Victoria’s face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t understand. How could you see the cavern before I even gifted you? Even after you had the medallion, you would have had to drop it in the ocean at night, and Joshua would not have been the only male merfolk to respond.” She turned toward him and Joshua stilled.

Everyone stared at him.

He refused to feel guilty regarding the wonderful experience he had shared with Alexia. It had been right for them to be together, he was sure of it. “I stopped the call from going out. Alexia did dip the necklace but I didn’t let the others hear the summons.” It stuck in his throat to make the confession but it needed to be said. “The time will come when she will need to make an open call, but it wasn’t appropriate then. We’ve been so connected over the years, I decided we needed time alone.”

Victoria sat back in her chair, shaking her head. She stared at Joshua and he returned her gaze evenly. He would not apologize anymore for doing what he felt was right.

“Joshua, what are you talking about?” Alexia asked, her voice tinged with her confusion. He turned to face her, his hand reaching out for hers again. “What is this business about dipping the necklace and the cave? Did you have the same dream I had?”

He paused for a minute, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. “I’m not sure how, but I sensed when Victoria gave you the medallion, and I came to talk to you. You went to the beach and I watched you approach the water. I didn’t think you understood what would happen if you got the medallion wet in the moonlight, so I waited nearby in my fire form.

“The medallion has the power to call the unmated males of the pod to you, to let you select a consort. You set it off, Alexia, and I chose to block the call so you wouldn’t be surrounded before you even knew what was going on.”

Alexia’s expression shifted from confusion to something darker, and Joshua hurried to reassure her. It wasn’t how he wanted to have this conversation, but he had no choice to wait. “The cavern is real, Alexia. Two nights ago I carried you there and we made love.”

“It wasn’t a dream?” she whispered, withdrawing her hand from his, her eyes wide. “How did… No, never mind. It doesn’t matter right now.”

Alexia glanced uneasily around the room, her body tightening and growing rigid. Joshua’s stomach fell as he recognized the emotional turmoil flashing through her. She was ready to lay down the law and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“I’ve fallen into a fairy tale but no one is following their proper lines. ‘Your world is not what you think it is, Alexia, but I’m sure you’ll be fine with us ordering you around.’” She rubbed a hand over her neck, glaring at them. “My Gram is a manipulating tyrant, my lawyer date tried to force himself on me, and my dream lover is a liar. Of all of you, Anthony is the only one behaving like the gentle person I remember.”

“Calm down, dear,” Victoria soothed, her weathered hands fluttering in the air.

Alexia laughed, a harsh, ragged sound. She shook her head, “Calm down? I am calm, Gram. I’m so calm the boats are all sitting dead in the water right now. You have a lot of nerve sitting there and expecting me to be calm about having two lovers in my bed and you traipsing in like it’s normal.”

Joshua spoke softly, his guilt at adding to her burden making him attempt to be a peacemaker. “She’s not trying to upset you, Alexia. None of us did anything—”

“Shut up, Joshua.” Her head whipped around and her mouth tightened to a thin line. “What was all that shit you shouted at Michael last night? About it being my choice, not his? I seem to remember you saying something about the Keeper knowing what she needed.” Alexia pushed herself away from the table violently, her chair flying to the ground behind her.

“I didn’t do anything to hurt you. We’ve got this connection already and I thought it would make things easier. To have someone familiar come to you in the midst of —”

“Who gave you the right to organize my life?” Alexia demanded, cutting him off again. Her eyes flashed at him and his stomach clenched as she stomped from the dining area. “Bloody arrogant bastard.”

Alexia paced to the windows and stared at the water. “I’ve had to do a lot of things over the years to prove myself to people, but this is the strangest situation I’ve ever found myself involved in. I might accept the challenge of taking over leadership, if I have the ability. I need to think about it for a little while before making a decision.”

She turned back to face them, her fists on her hips as she glared at her grandmother. “But you were wrong to force this on me without asking, Gram.” She turned and pointed at Joshua. “We have been connected, in some strange way I can only begin to understand. What you did was lie to me, Joshua, and it was wrong. I have so many questions I want answered, but I can’t ask either of you because I don’t trust you.”

Alexia dragged her fingers through her hair, her body shaking with her frustration. She threw one last disappointed look at Joshua before rushing up the stairs and disappearing from their sight.

Anthony watched Victoria calmly finish her tea, placing the cup delicately back on its saucer before rising from her chair. She clicked her tongue a few times as she straightened her dress and checked her hair in the mirror.

“That girl has entirely too much on her mind. Come along, Joshua. You can take me to town and we’ll let Alexia get over her mad. She’s a nice girl, really. I’m sure she’ll forget all about this very soon and we’ll be back in her good books in no time.” She gathered her purse and held a hand to Joshua.

Joshua stared into the distance, his face reflecting his agony at receiving Alexia’s wrath. He reluctantly took Victoria by the arm and led her out the door, his haunted eyes taking one final glance up the stairs.

The quiet in the house echoed and Anthony wandered for few minutes, uncertain what to do. He’d never expected to be involved with the politics of the pod at this level. It was far outside his comfort zone.

He spotted the messy table and began clearing the half-eaten meal, the familiar task easing some of the strain. By the time his hands were buried in the soapy water, he felt better. It would work out in the long run. Alexia had every reason to be angry and she didn’t like being tricked, but she was a smart woman. She’d see the big picture shortly. Whether or not he was a part of it, it would be for the good of them all to have a strong leader like Alexia. Someone who wouldn’t be pushed around, even by well-meaning relatives or lovers.

He couldn’t help but wish he could continue to be a part of caring for her. He may have told Joshua he wasn’t set up to support leadership, but this had nothing to do with Alexia being the matriarch. Anthony closed his eyes and remembered what it felt like to touch her during the night. Her kisses were enough to make him hot and ready, the brush of her skin under his hand more erotic than sex with another woman. Yet he hadn’t made love with her. Joshua’s obvious attachment held Anthony back when what he wanted was to bury himself deep in her body and possess her as well.

He jerked as a soft pair of hands circled his waist and Alexia pressed into him. She rested her cheek against his back, her breath warming him. They stood like that for a few minutes, Anthony’s hands splashing in the soapy water, the low sounds of the ocean coming in the distant windows. He would have washed plates all day if she kept touching him.

“Such deep thoughts. Will you share with me?” Her voice stroked him and his body reacted, hardening in an instant.

Anthony paused. His desire would be an open book and he didn’t want to lie. Not after learning what a trigger that was. But he had no right to her permanently, nothing special to offer her. He took the easy way out and told her the safe truth. “You are going to be very good for us all, my lady.”

Alexia sighed, a long drawn-out sound that made his heart ache. “That’s not the answer I want. I don’t want to know what you think of me as the new leader of your pod.” She ducked under his arm to slip between him and the sink, sliding her belly against the erection pressed hard into the front of his jeans. Her hands rose along his body to clasp his neck, drawing them closer together. “I want to know what you think of
me
. Right now I need to know someone still wants Alexia just because I’m me.”

Anthony gave up the fight. He had to kiss her again. Their lips touched and her taste raced through him like a fine wine, going straight to his head and making it spin. Her body snuggled in tighter as she rubbed along his cock and his pulse rose. He lifted her, his wet hands soaking her blouse. Alexia wrapped her legs around him, the heat of her pussy burning him even through the layers of material separating them.

“I want you. Oh Lord, I want you,” he admitted, staring into her big eyes. An expression of delight crossed her face and hope rose within him.

“Then take me. Now.”

She rocked her hips and they both groaned at the sensation. Anthony set her on the island countertop, burying his head in her neck as he tried to control the lust raging through him. He’d never felt the urge to join with anyone hit so hot and insistently before. But this was Alexia, she deserved more than a rutting fuck in the kitchen. He clenched his teeth together and took a long, deep breath. Hands tugged on his hair, bringing them face to face. She kissed him, softly, then harder, her tongue slipping over his lips, teeth nibbling on him. He joined in, memorizing the feel of her under his hands, the taste sweeping through him. When they pulled back, they were both panting.

Alexia separated his T-shirt from his jeans and her warm hands roamed his body. Anthony let his head fall backward as the lightness of her teasing touch pushed him beyond his control. It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. He yanked off his shirt and reached for her buttons, his fingers shaking as he tried to undo the tiny fastenings. Frustrated, he ripped the sides of her blouse apart, the sound of the small pearls bouncing as they hit the floor, barely heard under the roar of blood in his ears.

Reaching behind her, he unsnapped her bra, brushed it from her body and fastened his mouth on one rigid nipple. Alexia cried as he suckled, his fingers rolling and pinching her other breast. Anthony couldn’t slow down, couldn’t temper his need to know her intimately. He scrambled at the button on her pants, and she laughed, her hands pushing his aside. They shed their remaining layers and finally touched, skin to skin. Anthony leaned over her, his cock hard against her curls. He dragged it up and down her clit again and again, and she shivered, leaning back on the counter, her breasts thrust at him.

His fingers dipped into her warmth, finding her already wet and ready for him. Dropping to his knees he covered her with his mouth, his tongue lapping her slit and the sweet taste of her cream sent another jolt of lust through him. The noises Alexia made drove him crazy and he ate at her hungrily, his hand squeezing the base of his erection to hold off exploding before he even slipped into her body.

“I’m ready. Oh please, for pity’s sake, now.” Alexia pulled his hair roughly, trying to bring him up to her level.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Rising he pushed her legs open wide and lined up his cock, the swollen head glistening wet against her opening. He cupped her head in his hand and stared into her eyes. “This is because you’re Alexia,” and he thrust into her body in one smooth stroke.

The tight squeeze of her muscles around him nearly set him off, his balls granite rocks pressed against her ass. He waited, enjoying the sensation of being in her body for the first time, watching the way her eyes sparkled at him. The room glowed with blue light, and he sent a trace of fire over her breasts. Her passage shivered around him and they both cried in delight. Anthony slid his cock out slowly, deliberately, until the tip hovered barely sheathed before inching back in even slower.

“No, not slow. Oh hell.” Alexia dragged at his shoulders, attempting to pump her hips faster over his erection. “Fuck me harder.”

Anthony laughed quietly, “But I’m the gentle type, don’t you know?” Her words had hit him hard before. She’d meant it as a compliment, but she didn’t know what was buried within him that he restrained.

She slapped his shoulders and swore, taking her own hands and lifting them to her breasts to tease and pinch as he watched. Anthony shook his head and took control of her wrists, binding her with his grasp so she couldn’t touch herself. A pulse beat rapidly in the hollow of her throat. He licked the spot, humming with approval as she squirmed under him.

“My choice. This is how I want you. Slowly, aching with desire. I want you so aroused you’re begging for me to let you finish.” Anthony dropped his mouth and nipped at her breasts, then laved the sting away with his tongue. He leaned back to watch his cock enter her body, moisture glistening from their combined juices on each stoke. Slow pumps of his hips followed, his fingers dropping to trace the apex of her mound. He circled the hard nub of her clitoris as it peeked from under the folds of skin. Alexia hummed with pleasure as the speed of his fingers rose, the entire length of his cock filling her on each plunge.

Her passage tightened around him, a feathery caress, and he froze, suspending himself in one spot in order to stop her from slipping into her climax. Alexia cursed and he leaned over to kiss her protesting lips. Whispered words followed, intermingled with more kisses until Alexia was shaking under him.

“Beautiful, wonderful Alexia, you make my heart sing. You make my body ache at the thought of holding you close. Your touch undoes me.” His cock was so hard he swore it had doubled in size. Fisted tightly in her sheath, he was a breath away from breaking himself. But she needed him to be in control and he was going to be.

Even if it killed him.

Anthony pressed in and clasped Alexia by the chin, forcing her to look at him. “You’re not begging yet, you must not need to come.” He rocked his hips, brushing his pelvis hard on her clit, and her eyes rolled back in her head.

“God, yes! I need to come. Please, damn it, don’t…” She dropped her head and let loose a long, low keen of need as Anthony resumed his slow assault. Forcing her legs to the side he penetrated a little farther on each stroke. She slipped a little further into his heart as well, the line between his body’s needs and his emotions blurring. He was never going to be the same after this.

The sounds rising from her throat drove him higher, hotter than before, and he knew he was lost.

Anthony lifted her in his arms, his cock settling even deeper into her passage as she tightened her legs around his body. Cradling the cheeks of her ass in his hands, he plunged her down on his shaft. She cried out, asking for more, begging for completion. It was too much to resist, he was too far gone to continue to torment her. Anthony swung around to face the wall and pressed her shoulders back into the solid support. He thrust into her body, his forehead dropping onto her shoulder as the room faded away and all he felt was the hot slick of his cock driving into her body. Faster and harder he fucked until she cried his name, her nails biting into his shoulders. One last thrust and he came, his cock jerking within her as her pussy squeezed him tightly in the continuing aftershocks of her orgasm.

It took him forever to be able to move again, to peel her off the wall and into his arms, their hands continuing to touch and caress, lips brushing skin that was hot and sweaty and satisfied. They cuddled together in the big armchair by the fire, naked and completely at ease.

Joshua stood impatiently beside Victoria as she chatted with a group of young women from the pod, dispersing advice and admiring the babies. The morning had been a particularly painful form of torture for him as his former leader seemed determined to completely ignore the issue of Alexia’s anger. Victoria made him drive her all over town, finally ordering him to stop so she could visit with the young mothers watching their children at the park.

There were plenty of things to occupy his mind as Joshua jiggled on the spot, cursing old women and young children who kept him from returning to Alexia and begging for forgiveness.

She was right, he should have at least told her it wasn’t a dream. It didn’t matter he’d had her best interests at heart, he’d behaved no better than Michael. And that was what stuck in his throat. For all his disdain over the way his family had treated him throughout the years, he had turned out to be no better than them when it came to making assumptions.

He felt the strange sensation that alerted him Alexia had entered the water. She and Anthony must have decided to go for a swim, and he swore at missing the opportunity to be with her the first time she entered the water aware of the merfolk.

He stilled his body and his mind, using the relaxation methods he’d learned over the years when things had gotten too difficult for him to ignore the need that filled him. His dreams of Alexia had been more than ordinary, more vivid and compulsive, ever since he’d touched her on the beach the very first time. They had been linked together since that moment.

“Come, Joshua. I want to go—”

“Enough, Victoria. I need to return to the house. Anything else you have to do can wait until later.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Aren’t you the demanding one all of a sudden? Don’t think I’ve forgotten you have some explaining to do, young man. You seem to know entirely too much about things that were supposed to be private matters.”

Joshua nodded politely to the ladies who stared curiously at him, wondering what he’d done to earn Victoria’s rebuke. He escorted her back to his truck a little forcefully. She might like discussing private things in public places, but that was not a mistake he was going to make twice. She could be curious but there were things she no longer needed to know. Not if she had relinquished leadership to Alexia.

He waited until she settled herself into the seat, all buckled and safe. Victoria waved goodbye to their watchers before turning her shrewd gaze on him.

“The cavern’s location is a secret known only to the matriarch and her consorts.”

Joshua paid attention to the road and waited.

“Well, young man?” she asked more imperially than before.

Joshua cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Lady Victoria. I didn’t realize you were asking a question. I thought you were making a statement and there’s not much I can add to what you said.”

Her gasp tickled him for a moment. She wasn’t used to anyone rocking her boat. Still, she was his lover’s grandmother and his former leader. He relented and took it down a notch.

“I
was
shown the cavern by one of the matriarch’s consorts. Back when I was eighteen, Unca took me aside and showed me both the water and human accesses. And before you ask, I don’t know why he did it.

“He knew I’d had dreams of the cave since meeting Alexia when we were teens, but I never sought the information until Unca volunteered it.”

There was an uneasy tingle in the back of his neck, and Joshua glanced toward the ocean. The sight of a man walking fully dressed into the water made him hesitate before swinging the vehicle around into the nearest parking spot. Something was wrong. The man disappeared from sight, and the uneasy feeling in his gut increased to the point he shut off the ignition and removed his seat belt.