The Mermaid Man and Me, His Mermaid Mate

The Merman and Me, His Mermaid Mate - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

"Do you know how long I have waited to gaze upon your face?" He questioned softly, stroking his finger down the line of my jaw, sending little electric impulses skittering across my face. "Oh, how I have wondered what you would look like after all of these years. I begged for this day to come far too often, pictured many different outcomes..." 

His voice became distant with the last sentance. It felt almost like he was talking to himself as a dreamy look caught his eyes, drinking in every small part of me. I became ensnared by his gaze. 

Those eyes. 

Emotions caught in my chest as I stared at this beautiful creature. A broken sob burned its way up my throat out out of my mouth before I could think of anything to say. 

All those times I had questions, millions of questions. How? What? Where? When? Why me? Why...? So many "Why's". 

Caught on pure instinct, I threw my arms around his neck, the cords of his neck muscles thick and bulky and manly, and sobbed. After all these years all I could do was cry. 

Roped arms banded around my bare skin and pressed my body more firmly to his.

"Little One, do not cry," The merman whispered, his voice soft and gentle as though he were trying to comfort a wounded animal. 

I sobbed harder, my grip tightening as he moved and shifted so that I was transported back almost twelve years when I was a little girl and he saved me. Only this time, I was a broken, grown up mermaid. 

A freak. 

"I'm sorry." I hiccuped through my hysterics. 

Calloused hands cupped my face and cradled my head in the crook of his arms, "Do not apologize, sweet Rylee."

I gripped him as though he were my only lifeline. Inhaling deeply, trying to catch a hold of myself, I breathed in his scent and a bubble of laughter escaped my lips unexpectedly. 

"Your hair still smells of salt," I hiccuped again, caught between a sob and laughter, so unsure of myself. 

Soft lips touched my hair, "And you still smell of sunshine, Little One."

My eyes glanced down and realization struck as I stared at the sea shell I gave him all those years ago hanging from his neck. The deep onyx of the black, so deep and true and pure. 

Mesmerized, my fingers wrapped around it and my thumb gently stroked it. "You kept it."

Softly he replied, "To remember you every moment of my life, Rylee. I carried you with me every day."

A wave of emotions passed by me. A chill of terror ran through my blood as I remembered him leaving all those years ago. 

"Please, don't leave me again." I whispered, my bottom lip wobbling uncontrollably. My arms locked around him again, this time my tail also entwined around his, the thick muscle of his tail felt safe and reassuring as he gave mine a reassuring squeeze. 

"Oh, Little One, this time I promise to take you with me." His voice solem and strong as I felt his arms tighten around me, accepting my embrace. Gently his arms crept up my own and untangled them from around his neck so that he could see me. His strong thumb stroked across my chin, "Our destanies have been entwined since that fateful day."

His words shivered over me in a sensual wave. The last time we met I was a little girl. Now as I bloomed into womanhood, this merman who saved my life had not aged a day. Every skin cell screamed immense power, his body bulky and broad. 

My palm pressed against his chest, a part of me reassuring myself that he was real and not a figment of my imagination. "Why did you leave me then?" My voice whispered against his skin. 

Without hesitation, my Merman replied, "It would not have been right to take you away from everything you knew. I sealed your fate that day and my only intention was to allow you to live as normal as possible, for I knew this day would come."

"And why is this day so special?" I sniffed, my tears drying as my emotions calmed down. 

"Because this is the day we make our promise to the sea." His thumb stroking my jaw had found its way to my bottom lip. "No more tears, Little One, for this is a day of joy. A day of great celebration carefully planned out for years."

"What day?" I questioned, my brows furrowing as my heart stuttered at his every sweep. 

"Rylee, today is our wedding day." He answered, matter of factly. 

Fog clouded my mind. Wedding day? 

"I'm not marrying you!" I burst out, my hands shoving him away from me, as I released myself from his hold and dived back into the water. 

A thick hand caught around my tail and dragged me back, his hands releasing my tail only to grab and anchor around my wrist and waist. 

"I have waited for you for near on twelve years, Little One, our betrothal has been cemented in the sand the day my magic made you. You were born to be my wife, Rylee."

"I don't care!" I hissed, emotions raging back up. "I'm not marrying somebody when I don't even know their name!"

"My name is Titus, Crown Prince of the Sea and Heart of the Killer Whales." My Merman boomed, pride in his voice as he rattled of his title. "And when you become my wife you will become my queen, Little One."

"I don't want to be queen!" I cried, fighting his grip on me. "I want to be normal!  You destroyed my life the day you saved me! I lost my mum and dad because I was a freak! My home and friends were ripped from me and its all your fault!" 

My breath ragged as I squirmed and screamed at him, his grip never relenting, not even an inch. My eyes glared into his own, "It would have been kinder to let me die that day."

Anger flared up in those jewel blue eyes in a nano-second, ice freezing his piercing stare. Titus jerked me against him in a deadly grip, those eyes glinting with danger. "Don't ever say that to me again, Little One."

I gasped as his face dipped closer to my own, his mouth a mere centermeter from my own. "Whether you like it or not, our fates have been entangled together for a reason. I was meant to save you that day and you were meant to become a mermaid. You will be my wife, Little One, for that I have no doubt."

"I don't even know you!" I whispered, breathless. 

"Give me a chance, Rylee. Come with me for a full moon and let me show you who I am. Let me show you the ocean, my Little One." His silken voice washed over me in a way that had my body losing all of the tenseness. 

I breathed, "Titus..."

His mouth lowered upon my own, my head falling back in surrender to him as he kept our bodies afloat. Silk lips brushed my own, his mouth seeking acceptance. With a breathy moan, my mouth opened for his allowing him to deepen the kiss. A kiss with such fire and promise it had my arms locking once again around his neck as our passion ignited the water surrounding us. 

His mouth plundered mine, seeking, attacking and conquering so hard that all I could do was hold on to him as I drowned in his kiss until my lips swelled from his plunder. 

A noise escaped my throat as his mouth left mine and stared down at me with expectance, his chest rising and falling as he held me. 

"Yes," I whispered, "I want you to show me the world, Titus." 

A crooked smile curved his beautiful mouth as his hand holding my wrist let go, only to crawl up to tangle in my hair as he pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. 

"Little One, come," Titus whispered softly against my temple. "The world awaits us."