Merlicious 1 Read online

  "I will look for you in a few days on the shore near the inlet. You must have time to heal,” Hansen told her.

  The kiss they shared sealed the pact.

  * * * *

  Hansen rode out with a small carriage as the sky lightened the early morning clouds. Just in case some of the advisors his father employed were watching him, he rode west along the most visible hillside until he cleared the plateau and traveled north to the inlet.

  The packs carried enough breads and vegetables to last several days, but he loved to hunt, and the small snakes hiding on the shore rocks were a delicacy when roasted in a fire. The coastline also held acres of berries and fruit trees.

  Hansen thought only of Mariah as he rode. Would these few days have been enough for her to heal? He counted on daylight hours to set up a camp along the ridge with a tent protecting a small cave.

  The legends have to be true.

  He would enjoy the time walking the shoreline. The main roads passed to the west and ship traffic couldn't come close. The tiny inlet would give them a sanctuary from his father's prying staff and anyone else that might try to follow.

  The memory of her kiss lingered. After hours of working to keep her alive during the storm, he wanted to jump and yell when she spun about in the waters of the cove near the lighthouse. Her glorious fins floated around her and the shredded clothes binding her wounds held.

  He waded out with her into the waters. He lowered himself into the water to get a better glimpse, only to feel her soft skin along his body. Her hand on his cock immediately stirred his desire to possess the beauty, but seeing fresh blood cooled his drive.

  Her touch amazed him, but she also held allure to his other senses. During the time they were trapped on the rocks, she could answer his statements with a single glance. When he used the large shell to scoop water to her mouth, she would give one word and her meanings were clear.

  The colors of her fins radiated in deep blues and greens, balanced by the dark hues of her red hair. He scooped water for her and could have done so endlessly as he watched the feathery fins near her gills. She held each gulp of water as if it would be her last. Each time he raised the shell to her mouth, the water she held escaped while she took in a fresh breath.

  Hansen was so close to cutting the net as the crest of the large wave appeared. He could see his belt pack on the shore, carelessly cast off when he didn't think to bring any tools. The strong net resisted all of his attempts to tear and break it, even when he pounded the strands between the rocks. If the netting resisted all of his efforts to break, he could use the offending strands as an anchor when he spread his wings around their helpless bodies.

  Her hands clung to him and his arms and feet clung to the rocks. He could feel her gulping in water while she had the opportunity to refresh, but his own lungs felt like bursting until his head finally broke the water's surface.

  An eternity passed between them in the fragments of time where they could both breathe comfortably. He knew, within the fraction of a heartbeat, he would give his own life to save her, and that knowledge made him stronger as he worked to free her.

  As he tied the strips of his clothing over her leg wound, he worried that sharks might look for her from the trail of blood. Did she make it to her home safely? Could the healers bind her wounds? Would the bruises heal?

  Now, he approached the shore with the sun high over his head. He had time to set up the tent at the cavern entrance. The white tent was his signal to her. He begged the Gods for the patience to wait until sunset so she could travel to the waters of the cove sanctuary.

  * * * *

  Mariah traveled to the lighthouse where she had been trapped. There were no currents to drag her away. She looked on the shore and saw the walls of the castle. In the darkness of the storm, she hadn't realized how close the structure had been. Hansen must be one of the strongest guards of such a remarkable castle to have heard her and come out to rescue her.

  On the rocky shore, she found the netting that trapped her on the night of the storm. Now tattered and mostly dry, the flimsy bits of string once felt like chains that bound her to these rocks.

  In the sand at the base of the jagged prison, she found the most unusual treasure—the shell Hansen used to scoop water up when he couldn't free her from the net. She ran her fingers over the deep recess. Shimmering pearly shades looked like the gentle hues of the feathers in his wings. He handled it so easily on the night of the storm, but now she needed both hands.

  She pushed the shell into the pouch around her waist. She would need to use care as she swam over the reef, but it was a treasure worth carrying back to Hansen.

  Would she find Hansen? Would he keep his word to watch for her at the inlet? He told her to look for a white tent—a small building made of cloth like the sails of a ship.

  She went back to the edge of the reef. The corals pulsed when she tickled them with her fins and retracted when she touched them with her fingers. The eels watched her warily. The schools of tiny fish didn't pay any attention as she floated through the eddy with them. Pretty shells, abandoned, became small treasures that she could take to preserve the memory of her last swim in these waters.

  * * * *

  The cliffs surrounding the tiny cove provided shade in the last hours before sunset. The bright day afforded him an opportunity to establish his camp in the cavern with three white tents and several brightly colored panels creating additional shade in the trees. The bed he used could comfortably sleep two, providing Mariah would be able to come out of the water.

  Hansen scanned the horizon and then carefully checked the ridge for anyone that might have followed. He didn't hear any sounds other than birds and a few small animals. His lack of clothing made him edgy but he beat his wings and lifted into the air, swooping low over the ridges where watchers could snoop on the sanctuary. Inspired, he swooped out over the water for a chance to see her near the reef.

  The shallow reef area already held long shadows in the afternoon sun. He wouldn't see Mariah if she lingered in the shade. The heat, added to the exertion of flying over the water, made him warm and sweaty, so he returned to the inlet, landing in the sandy pool.

  He kept looking for signs of her, but she may not yet be ready to travel. He had seven days to relax, swim, fly, eat and watch for her.

  His imagination filled in the images of what she would look like with him, here in the pool. Her curves were perfect. The frills of her fins and the muscles that worked them gave her a line on her back and sides that he wanted to explore with his fingers. Her full breasts bobbed in the water, and he hadn't been able to resist looking down her body over her hips, thighs and back to the juncture of her legs.

  One brief thought of the ways they would fit together gave him an instant erection that nagged him in the warm waters of the cove.

  Another glance on the shore didn't reveal her yet, and the anxious feelings pulsing in his loins would not let him rest. He lowered into the water, giving careful thought about how he could hold her close and still enable them both to breathe.

  His hand gripped his cock, but in his heart, he wanted her smooth arms and legs surrounding his body while her sheath worked magic on his rod. She might not be very experienced, but time would soon tell them what the other liked.

  If the legends were true, they should make love on a clear night in the light of the moon. He would have to make sure she came to her peak when he lifted her from the waters and held her close as his seed surged into her.

  The ideas made the head of his cock swell. He rubbed gently and worked to delay the eruption he knew would come. He watched fish in the water, trees and birds, and even scanned the surf for signs of Mariah. He loved the sensations of different pulses on his cock, but he also knew when to change the sensations to keep from erupting.

  Would it be possible to have her float on her back and let him raise her hips to the surface of the water so he could lick the tender folds of skin?

  Would her breasts
be as sensitive to the touch of his tongue?

  He hoped that at the right time he would be in a position to raise her from the water and let their passion peak under the moonlight. If the legends were true, she would become like him.

  His balls tightened, and Hansen raised himself from the water. His hand pumped over the end of his cock, but in his mind he was buried to the hilt inside the beautiful creature while her hips pumped and squeezed against him.

  His pulse pounded in his chest when he took in deep breaths and used both hands against the length of his penis. The last squeezes brought the greatest satisfaction and he let his pulsing rod erupt the thick jets of his cream onto the surface of the water.

  His heart beat like a drum inside his chest while his hands squeezed the last drops from his pulsing rod. He'd never known one orgasm to drain him, but just the thought of this beautiful woman stirred him into a passionate frenzy. Even after his ardor had cooled, his penis jutted out in front of his body like a cannon on a ship.

  He rinsed off in the pool and then walked back up to the shore. He stretched his wings wide and let the breezes ruffle the feathers and the warm air-dry his skin.

  * * * *

  She saw the tents and a man with white wings walking out onto the sands. When he looked up, she knew by the way he stood and carried himself it could only be Hansen.

  Beautiful.

  She watched as Hansen beat his wings and then jumped into the air. Each of his wings spread out to the length of his body or more at the very tips as he flew in broad circles along the shore. The end feathers spread out and curved in the air like dainty fingers to catch the winds. The air didn't hurt her skin, but if she got it in her nose it could hurt.

  She started swimming to the inlet, and the excitement built until the ends of her fins were quivering, even as she tried to swim. Her mother insisted that she not swim past the reef, but it was imperative that she go. She knew in her heart he'd be here.

  Brilliant wings, shining with flashes of color reflecting from the light, circled the inlet and outward to the reef. At times it seemed he was playing in the currents of air, just the way she would swim in the currents of water in the ocean.

  Now that she could see him, she knew the answers to all the other questions in her heart. During the storm, he put his life on the line to protect her. Now, if the Gods were willing, she would give her life to join him.

  Hansen dipped a wing and circled around until he flew directly over the area where she swam.

  He circled again and flew back, only to come in low along the surface of the water.

  She saw his smile. Yes, he saw her!

  Mariah swam even harder into the inlet. She could get to the clearing in the reef that would let her pass into the protected cove in minutes.

  Hansen continued to circle her before flying slowly to the cove. He flew up into the air, tucked his wings along his body, and fell head first into the water.

  Mariah heard his laughter. He wasn't injured by his plunge into the water. He stood on one of the large rocks, fluffing his wings in the air and making waterfall around like rain.

  She watched him play, one part of his body in the water and the other half in the air.

  Hansen soon stopped and moved closer to her, slowly. Lowering himself into the water, he stood with only his head in the air. “I was worried about you,” she heard him say before he kissed her.

  "The doctor fixed my wounds. I will heal. It wasn't bad. I saw you go back to the castle, so I knew you were safe."

  "The storm was finished by then. My father was angry that I went into the storm.” Hansen led her closer to shore while they talked.

  "My mother was angry. She said I cannot swim near the reef. I didn't tell her the full story. Only that a man with wings took me off the rocks. She screamed that I can never come here again. I wanted to see you."

  "I wanted to see you, too,” Hansen answered. He dipped down into the water and came forward to kiss her again. He lifted her chin with his fingers, and sweetly, his mouth touched hers, causing the same thrills they shared on the night of the storm. “Would you like to come to the shore with me?"

  "I must stay in the water,” she reminded him.

  "I know, but I have food prepared."

  "Do you eat little fish?"

  "Sometimes. We cook them when we get them. I found little snakes that are good when cooked."

  "What is ... cooked?"

  "I guess it's different for you. We make fires and put the food in it in pans or on sticks. When the food is hot, we eat it."

  "Hot isn't good for me."

  "You can still have cooked food, if it's not hot.” Hansen held up his hand and ran to the table under the tent. He pulled out a tray of foods and brought it to her in the water.

  "This is a type of snake, and I cooked it earlier. It's cold now, but it still tastes good.” He held a piece of the cooked meat to her at the surface of the water.

  She pulled it into her mouth, her lips brushing his fingers. With a few quick motions of her jaw, she chewed, the look on her face showing her appreciation for the meat. She took a last gulp of water and finished the morsel. “No bones."

  "No, I removed them when I cooked it."

  He held the plate high and served her some of his favorite foods. He filled the tray with broiled snake, breads and fruit for both of them, and they ate well.

  She gulped in another bit of water, but as her gills expanded, little air bubbles came to the surface. “Oops, excuse me."

  When the last of the foods on the tray were gone, Hansen flung the tray at the shore and watched the metal disc dig into the sand near the tent.

  "The cooked food was excellent, fit for a king!” Mariah declared.

  Hansen snickered. “My father has to make sure I eat well. I also enjoy some of the foods I catch and cook."

  Mariah swam closer to him, running her fingers over the skin of his leg. “Have you heard about the people who come up from the sea to live with the people who fly in the air?"

  "I have heard of the people like them, yes. The old sailors told me that a man had to love a sea woman under the light of the moon and draw her up into the moonlight with all the love he could show her to give her wings and let her live on land."

  "We have the same legend."

  "I want to see if the legend is true. I would make you my Queen, but we would live on the surface."

  "My mother believes it is just a tale that the family is told for consolation. She says only the foolish girls swim in dangerous places on the reef and they die with their body dashed upon the rocks. I would love to tell her it isn't true."

  "Your mother will be upset."

  Mariah nodded. “I couldn't bear my own sadness if I didn't come here. You risked your life for me. You could have broken your wing or your leg. The net could have tangled you and killed us both."

  "We were very lucky that we both survived."

  "You were strong for both of us.” Mariah reached up and touched his chest but didn't stop there. She raised her head out of the water to kiss his cheek then lowered herself under the water again.

  Gently, he touched her skin and fins with his fingertips. His fingers ran along the ridge of skin supporting the fin, and the tingles he gave her made the entire frilly fin stand up at his touch.

  When the gale raged around them on the night of the storm, Hansen's touch eased away any fear. He pressed himself so close to her body when a wave came that his penis brushed her leg. The next wave came and she only said, 'Yes.' He was so close, one tiny wiggle of a fin or leg and she could have pulled him inside her body. But, as the storm raged on, he only said, ‘When you are free, we can meet again.'

  That time is now, and I still want it. Hansen motioned for her to swim closer and he stayed low in the water.

  Her hands reached out to him, pulling him closer. His head dipped below the water and his mouth sought hers. His body felt warm and inviting.

  Her legs and arms knew instinctively to dr
aw him closer. She would work to satiate the need to feel him, all of him, along her skin and even inside her body.

  In the water, they balanced with their mouths at the surface of the water. If they were careful in the gentle waves, she could take in water, and Hansen could still breathe the air, but they would still enjoy the pleasures between their mouths.

  Her heart pounded with excitement when she became bolder with her hands, letting her fingers play over the muscles of his chest where he should have had gills. Instead, his ribs expanded and contracted as he breathed in the air. All of his muscles were firm and strong and his penis rose to meet the touch of her body.

  Hansen barely moved as he cradled her. He used his wings for gentle sweeping motions to keep afloat but his feet held them in place in the water and his hands pulled her close to him.

  Her nipples brushed against his chest and she pulled him closer to savor the feelings on her tender skin. His cock pressed against her belly and she felt the need to complete the connection fully.

  The air and water surrounding them shimmered with the hints of moonlight magic.

  With her legs, she pulled him closer. The inner folds of her body tingled to the lightest touch of his rod, but she pressed closer and the head of his penis parted the protective hair at her entrance. She pushed toward him again but couldn't bring her hips further against him, and the overwhelming desires simply made her tremble in desperation.

  "Easy, it's okay."

  The pinch came when she pushed again. She felt the resistance ease and pleasure spread through her hips as his rod became buried inside her body. She looked up to his closed eyes, and then back down to guide her hips as she thrust over the rod, forcing her clit to beat against him as she rode him.

  Hansen moaned with the long pleasure call of the whales.

  She couldn't resist an almost frantic pumping with her hips. He held her close but didn't force any movement on her. It was her desire that fueled her thrusts. She held her arms around his chest tightly and made sure to push down so that the tip of his rod reached as far inside her body as it could.