The Island Curse

A Bright Future

After much coaxing, Kieran convinced me to return to my family manor. My decision to go back had less to do with the livability of the cottage I'd chosen, and more to do with the fact that Kieran admitted it had been Lorelei's when she lived as a human on the Island. Broken windows and walls I could handle, but living among the ghosts of dreams and heartbreaks was too much to handle right now.

    We swam around the Island rather than walking through it, and for the first time, I felt a spark of excitement about being Merrow. Kieran moved as though he'd been born with a tail, darting between coral and fish with grace and ease. From time to time, sunlight would break between the clouds and pierce the water. When it struck our tails, the scales blazed a dappled streak of green and silver across the sand. With my enhanced vision, the light was almost blinding- turning us into aquatic stars.

    There was so much beauty in this life. Something I hadn't let myself consider when I was fighting against this fate, and maybe if I was trapped here, I wouldn't appreciate it so much. But I knew what a gift it was to move between both worlds, and the more time I spent in the sea, the more I ached to go out further, dive deeper until the world turned to sapphire.

    We chose Shipwreck Cove as our point of return. I unfurled the wet sheet and wrapped it around my body as I shifted back. Kieran waited for me on the shore, his broad chest damp and gleaming in the afternoon light. Basketball shorts hung low on his hips.

    "And just where did those come from?" I pouted.

    "Old Merrow Trick," he answered, pointing at his bicep. I'd missed the black band wound around it. "You can't carry more than a single item, but it's enough to make sure you don't shock anyone when you come out of the water. Yer not the only prude."

The teasing in his tone was refreshing. How long had it been since I'd heard it?

"Yes, well the prudes appreciate it greatly."

He smiled and took my hand as we walked across the field between the beach and my house. My steps were as sure as his as we navigated around the rocks and briers, and I relished the warmth of his skin against mine.

"Kieran, wait," I said, pulling him to a stop.

My eyes darted to the towering stone mansion before us. The clouds were heavy over the building, but the sun peeked between cracks, back lighting it so that it was darkness rimmed by a ring of gold.

"What's wrong?"

I put my hands around his neck and drew him to my lips. He didn't show surprise, and he didn't resist. We met one another with equal fervor, teeth and tongues tangling with the force of our passion. There were no attempts at finesse or delicacy. It was as if we were trying to consume the other, to destroy the space where he began and I ended.

"Wow," he breathed against my mouth before returning for another taste.

He was slower this time, and I shivered as he lowered his hands to the dip in my back and pressed me against him. I went up on tiptoe and slid my around his neck so that my hands touched his shoulders. He sucked on my lower lip, scraping his teeth over it before breaking contact.

"Wow," I agreed, wondering why he stopped. In a few minutes I might have dragged him to the ground and proved I wasn't as much of a prude as he thought.

I kissed him again, urging him to resume the previous pace. A zing of electricity jolted between us. Not the metaphorical kind, either. I touched my lip and looked at him in horror.

"That happened before. What the heck?"

"It's a trait most female Merrow share. You have an electrical current, kind of like an eel. I should probably warn you that your hormones are in overdrive right now." Kieran said the words with a hint of irritation. "Yer part animal now, and sometimes it gets the better of you."