Page 8 of Entangled

“Sit down and let me wrap up your foot.” He ripped a piece of cloth, using it to bind her wound.

“It was a portal,” she told him, reaching over and picking up his boar bristle brush from the table. Then she got up and walked over, sitting down on his bed. She ran the brush through her long hair.

“What?” His brain suddenly couldn’t think. He didn’t know what she meant.

“It was an underwater portal that opened up and sucked me and my s—I mean, sucked me through it, ending up here.”

She had started to say something else and stopped herself. She was hiding something from him and he thought he knew what. “Yes, we have had portals mysteriously opening and closing here on Mura for a while now.”

“Really?” The hairbrush stilled. “Has anyone like me every come through before now?”

“No. Not that I know of. Why?”

“No reason.” She slowly brushed her locks once again.

“How did you sprout legs?” he blurted out, not knowing how any of this worked. “And what happened to your tail and your sea clothes? Where did they go?”

“When an undine is wet, we grow a tail and other means to transport ourselves through the water. As well as sea clothes. When we’re dry that all disappears and we gain legs to walk on land. Like a human.”

“But you’re not. Human. Right?” He slowly walked over and picked up both goblets of wine, handing one to her.

“Nay, I’m not. You see, undines don’t have a soul.”

“They don’t?”

She put down the brush and reached for the goblet. When she did so, a shell that was woven into her hair fell out and to the ground.

“Oh!” she cried, startled, forgetting about the wine. “I lost my personal shell charm.” She started to reach for it, but he was faster than her.

“I’ll get it,” he offered, bending over and scooping it up in one hand. When he touched it, he felt a jolt go right through him. It was a cross between an orgasm and having all his senses explode at once. His eyes closed and he wavered back and forth. He wasn’t certain that he wouldn’t pass out.

“Give it to me. Give it back to me. Now!”

His eyes opened slowly. “Don’t be upset. I wasn’t stealing it from you.” He looked down to see the shell glowing in his hand. He caressed it with his thumb, realizing it wasn’t a shell at all. It held the form of one, but was soft. Spongey. It was also beautiful. It held an iridescent hue of green like sea water and brown like sand. It sparkled and felt warm to the touch. And every time he rubbed his thumb over it, it glowed brighter and brighter. “This is interesting. My touch seems to make it react by lighting up. Why is that?”

Sebastian looked down at the girl to see her eyes closed and her head thrown back. Her nipples were hard and poking up through his tunic that she wore. If he didn’t know better, he’d say the girl looked to be sexually aroused.

“Merrow?” he asked, causing her eyes to snap open. “What’s going on?”

“My shell charm.” Her open palm reached out for it. “Drop it into my hand. Hurry. Right now.”

“All right. Calm down.” He was about to give it to her, but something made him stop and rub his fingers over it one more time. Sure enough, the shell lit up again. When it did, Merrow let out a moan of desire. She fell back on the bed with her hand between her legs, rocking back and forth.

“Merrow!” he gasped in surprise by what she was doing. At the sound of his voice, she shot up in bed, holding herself up with her arms, looking around.

“I’m sorry.” She blinked several times in succession.

“You are acting this way because of this, aren’t you?” He held the shell-like object out in front of her but she did nothing to retrieve it.

Her aqua eyes looked up at him, drawing him in, making him want to couple with her for his own pleasure. “Give it to me,” she said in a breathy whisper. “Please. And I beg you not to stroke it again.”

“Take it,” he challenged her, still holding it out to her.

“I will.” She reached out for it, but was pushed away by some invisible force. She fell back on the bed and let out a deep sigh. “You need to give it to me. I cannot take it from you.” Her voice sounded sultry but weak.

“Why not?” he asked with a chuckle, sitting down with his goblet of wine still in his hand.

“I don’t want to tell you.” A little pout made her bottom lip stick out in the most alluring way. Without even thinking about it, he found himself reaching over and pressing his mouth up against hers. She tasted sweet and tangy at the same time. Her lips were full and ripe with sultry desire. Kissing a sea nymph was an experience like no other. It was so enlivening and exciting. What he felt in that simple kiss was something that he’d never forget as long as he lived. In her kiss he found not only erotic pleasure and passion, but he felt an energy come through her that almost made him feel connected to every living thing in the entire damned sea! Sebastian couldn’t explain it, but for some reason it was…euphoric. He’d kissed a lot of women in his time, but never before had a simple kiss made him feel like this!