few flicks of her tail before grabbing her mother’s hand. The sooner they all got home, the better.
Ree grabbed Crystal’s other hand. All three faced the direction for home.
“Maya,” Meren said in a quiet voice.
She looked back at him. “Yes, Daddy?”
“I will be home in time to escort you to the rite. No one works that day.”
Crystal said, “Go hide in your cave, then. She’s not going.”
“What?” Meren swam over to her. “We’ve had this argument already.”
“Yeah, and your point is what? After today’s events, this is the last place Maya needs to be.”
“Crystal --”
“Daddy.” Maya put her hand on her father’s arm. “I don’t want to go. It’s partially because of this and partially because I just don’t feel like it. I started a new job, and I need to get moved into my new house.”
“You never planned to go. When were you going to tell me?”
She dropped his gaze. “Before the rite.”
“ When before the rite? The day before? An hour before we left? Or did you simply decide you wouldn’t show up?”
“I tried to tell you before but you wouldn’t listen.”
“You are both human and merman, Maya. You need to understand that.”
“I do. But right now, the human half is being a lot more accepting than the merman.”
“Only because the humans don’t know what you are.”
Maya hugged her arms. “Sometimes I don’t know, either. I do know that I don’t want to live in the ocean. I like my life. It may seem chaotic to you, but it makes sense to me. If I go to the rite and meet my mate, who’s to say he won’t make me stay here? I’m not ready for this. I want to be with myself for a while before I try being with someone else.”
“If the gods want you at the rite, nothing you feel or want will matter. Your mother can attest to that.”
Crystal snorted but didn’t add to the conversation.
Maya said, “If that’s the will of the gods, then that’s the way it’ll be. But, Daddy, what if all of this was the will of the gods so I wouldn’t attend this year’s rite?”
He sighed.
She’d won. She swam forward and kissed his cheek. “The rite is annual. If the gods agree, I’ll go next year.”
Meren nodded. He linked arms with her, and they joined Crystal and Ree. They all swam hand-in-hand back to their home. Maya would be happy to see the beach outside their house.
She planned to crawl into bed and deny this day had happened. It only proved having a merman lover would be more trouble than it was worth. While her mother agreed, her father would take a little more convincing.
She had a year. It shouldn’t be that hard.
* * *
“Hard. So. Hard. Gods.”
Tam grinned at his ability to render Aleo monosyllabic. She could only get out a single word with every thrust of his hips.
He leaned into her and licked her lips. “Don’t talk. You’ll bite your tongue.”
She grabbed his head. Her fingers clawed at his scalp, probably trying to grab at hair that wasn’t there. Tam had had too many lovers trying to pull his hair out while in the throes of passion. He kept his black hair close-shaven to avoid that pain.
With a frustrated sound, Aleo clamped her hands around his head and pulled him down to her lips. She didn’t have to be so rough. He wanted to kiss her.
Tam pressed his lips to hers and forced her to open her mouth wide so he could taste every bit of her. He dominated the kiss, plundering her deep for his enjoyment. Aleo wasn’t complaining and neither were the hundreds of mermen watching Tam’s performance. In fact, many cheered.
Their adulation only made Tam harder. He melded his front to Aleo’s, burying himself as deep as he could go. He snaked his navy blue tail from side to side, which pressed his exposed genital slit against hers. The woman screamed her pleasure. Several women in the crowd echoed the cry.
If he didn’t find his mate this rite, then Tam would not lack for female companions thanks to his exhibition this day.
Ree grabbed Crystal’s other hand. All three faced the direction for home.
“Maya,” Meren said in a quiet voice.
She looked back at him. “Yes, Daddy?”
“I will be home in time to escort you to the rite. No one works that day.”
Crystal said, “Go hide in your cave, then. She’s not going.”
“What?” Meren swam over to her. “We’ve had this argument already.”
“Yeah, and your point is what? After today’s events, this is the last place Maya needs to be.”
“Crystal --”
“Daddy.” Maya put her hand on her father’s arm. “I don’t want to go. It’s partially because of this and partially because I just don’t feel like it. I started a new job, and I need to get moved into my new house.”
“You never planned to go. When were you going to tell me?”
She dropped his gaze. “Before the rite.”
“ When before the rite? The day before? An hour before we left? Or did you simply decide you wouldn’t show up?”
“I tried to tell you before but you wouldn’t listen.”
“You are both human and merman, Maya. You need to understand that.”
“I do. But right now, the human half is being a lot more accepting than the merman.”
“Only because the humans don’t know what you are.”
Maya hugged her arms. “Sometimes I don’t know, either. I do know that I don’t want to live in the ocean. I like my life. It may seem chaotic to you, but it makes sense to me. If I go to the rite and meet my mate, who’s to say he won’t make me stay here? I’m not ready for this. I want to be with myself for a while before I try being with someone else.”
“If the gods want you at the rite, nothing you feel or want will matter. Your mother can attest to that.”
Crystal snorted but didn’t add to the conversation.
Maya said, “If that’s the will of the gods, then that’s the way it’ll be. But, Daddy, what if all of this was the will of the gods so I wouldn’t attend this year’s rite?”
He sighed.
She’d won. She swam forward and kissed his cheek. “The rite is annual. If the gods agree, I’ll go next year.”
Meren nodded. He linked arms with her, and they joined Crystal and Ree. They all swam hand-in-hand back to their home. Maya would be happy to see the beach outside their house.
She planned to crawl into bed and deny this day had happened. It only proved having a merman lover would be more trouble than it was worth. While her mother agreed, her father would take a little more convincing.
She had a year. It shouldn’t be that hard.
* * *
“Hard. So. Hard. Gods.”
Tam grinned at his ability to render Aleo monosyllabic. She could only get out a single word with every thrust of his hips.
He leaned into her and licked her lips. “Don’t talk. You’ll bite your tongue.”
She grabbed his head. Her fingers clawed at his scalp, probably trying to grab at hair that wasn’t there. Tam had had too many lovers trying to pull his hair out while in the throes of passion. He kept his black hair close-shaven to avoid that pain.
With a frustrated sound, Aleo clamped her hands around his head and pulled him down to her lips. She didn’t have to be so rough. He wanted to kiss her.
Tam pressed his lips to hers and forced her to open her mouth wide so he could taste every bit of her. He dominated the kiss, plundering her deep for his enjoyment. Aleo wasn’t complaining and neither were the hundreds of mermen watching Tam’s performance. In fact, many cheered.
Their adulation only made Tam harder. He melded his front to Aleo’s, burying himself as deep as he could go. He snaked his navy blue tail from side to side, which pressed his exposed genital slit against hers. The woman screamed her pleasure. Several women in the crowd echoed the cry.
If he didn’t find his mate this rite, then Tam would not lack for female companions thanks to his exhibition this day.
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