Sea Storm: Children of the Waves (6 page)

He narrowed the gap even more and kissed
her, just a press of his cool lips against her own.

She’d been kissed once before during a
party. They’d played spin the bottle, but it didn’t feel like this. Her entire
body shook from the impact of this kiss.

“I will find you again. This I swear. I
am yours now. When it is time, I will come for you and claim that which belongs
to me.”

She didn’t really understand his words,
but the emotion behind them reassured her, he would find her again, and he
somehow belonged to her now.

He held the necklace around his neck,
raised it to his lips and kissed it, then stood up. Twisting away from her, he
ran into the sea and dove under the waves.

When she didn’t see him resurface, she
stood up. By then, she saw people coming toward her on the beach. She’d taken
one step toward help but she must have been weaker than she thought. She fell
to the sand.

Then her father’s hands and others were
there helping her up. Although they looked for the boy she’d claimed saved her,
they never found him.

Yet, she knew she hadn’t imagined him,
because there were two sets of footprints where she’d been sitting before
they’d found her.

Chapter Six

“Mind if I join you?” He didn’t give Des
a chance to answer, Zek merely sat down beside her. He felt her gaze on him and
turned to look at her.

Des stared straight ahead, watching as
Aaron and Cyrus along with Jimmy steered the boat in the direction of the main
island. She sat with her knees drawn up against her chest with arms wrapped
around her ankles.

He stretched his legs out. He’d left his
sandals inside and dug his heels into the sand.

“You have a beautiful place here,” Des
observed, but continued to gaze at the water.

“Thank you, and yes it is.” He paused
listening to the sound of the ocean moving to and from land. Its music never
failed to soothe him. His gaze drifted in the direction of the boat until it
moved out of sight. He also gave silent thanks to the gods for returning Des to
him. Zek tilted his head back to stare at the night sky, clear but for the
speckling of lights. Usually, he loved the sight, but tonight its beauty didn’t
hold as much appeal.

He returned his gaze to the woman at his
left, who out shone the views. He recognized her profile from his memory. Only
now, it appeared less rounded more defined. The pretty child had become a
lovely woman. “It is you. I know it is and I think I know why you won’t admit
it.”

She glanced at him and narrowed her eyes,
then returned to looking at the water. “There’s nothing for me to admit. I
think you’ve just confused me with someone else.”

He pulled the necklace out of his shirt
and stared at it. “I saved a girl from drowning one day, after the boat she was
on exploded. She gave me this. I promised her I’d find her again.”

She gazed at the medallion and inhaled
sharply. “Cute story.” She swiftly turned her head away. Her reaction belied
the calmness of her claim.

“Here, take a closer look at this. Tell
me if you recognize it.” He offered the necklace for her scrutiny. He’d
promised or told her he’d find her again and wondered if she remembered what
else he’d pledged to her when they’d first met. He sure as Hades did.

She glanced at the jewelry again.
“Pretty. Just looks like a regular necklace with someone’s name on it.”

He noticed she didn’t touch it and
wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Yes, Hali.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t
recognize the necklace.”

“What about the name?” he pressed.

“I don’t know anyone who goes by that
name.” She couldn’t look at him when she spoke, but returned to staring at the
water.

Zek’s reaction to her told him who she
was, but still doubt crept into his thoughts. He’d waited for so long to find
his bride again. From the first, he immediately recognized her. He’d never been
so attracted to another woman since.

His brother and unmated friends thought
him a fool when he’d told them of the girl. At least until they began to find
their brides. Only then, did they understand.

He’d found his bride and he wanted no
other. His instantaneous attraction to Des should be enough. He wanted her, and
he could wait for the detective to find the missing pieces or…another way that
existed to find out for certain. Zek smiled thinking of the other way. The more
pleasurable and satisfying of the two. “You know the water is awfully warm.
It’s great for night swimming. I think I’ll go in.”

She frowned. “Really, don’t you have to
worry about, well sharks, and being able to see them?”

He laughed. Sharks wouldn’t dare attack
one of the Children. While he couldn’t communicate with sea creatures the way
his elder brother could, nothing of the ocean would harm him. Well…nothing but
the creatures from the dark depths, but his brother sat on Poseidon’s throne
and held dominion over them now, too. The king and the white witch controlled
those creatures. Things the white witch used to try and destroy their world.
Zek knew Xav being king would not stop the woman from continuing to plot or
attempting to overthrow his brother and wreak chaos beneath the waves.

Still, they were safe in the water. The
dolphins protected the island. “They stay farther out, we’ve never spotted them
this close to shore,” he replied in answer to her question. Standing up, he
stripped down to the tight black briefs he wore. He paused when he hooked his
thumbs inside the waistband to take them off. “Join me.”

Her gaze raked him from head to toe. The
dark amber in her eyes glowing at him.

His dick jerked at the attention. Her
gaze rested there, causing him to thicken and lengthen even more. His erection
pushed against the material of the tight briefs, leaving nothing to the
imagination. Zek would not conceal his desire for her. Thunder rumbled in the
distance, reflecting his emotions. Each child of Poseidon had a gift, stronger
in some…weaker in others. He commanded the power of thunder and lightning. He
wanted to hide nothing of himself from her. Revealing what he really was though
would have to wait. For now, he wanted, needed, her to know how much he desired
her. Ached to have her accept him.

“I’m—I’m not wearing a s-uit,” she
stuttered, and not looking down at his body.

“Neither am I.” He stood before her in
only his briefs, and would have taken that off too but sensed her hesitancy.
All the Children were comfortable in the form nature intended. She had a beautiful
body, and shouldn’t be shy about showing it. He always found it odd the way
landwalkers liked to shield themselves, their bodies, along with their minds.
The way they fooled themselves. They weren’t alone on this world. Many sentient
beings other than humans walked on land, and existed beneath the sea.

Des turned to glance back at the well-lit
house. It partially illuminated the area where they sat. “I guess I can go and
change into my bathing suit.”

“There’s no need.”

“I’m not wearing a bra,” she admitted
brushing her hair away from her face.

Zek raised an eyebrow at her, striving
not to move his gaze down to her ample chest. Her nipples pressed against the
sheer material, pointing at attention, affirming her statement.

“I know. Are you afraid? You don’t strike
me as someone who lets fear rule her.” She’d been so brave the day of the
explosion. His heartbeat continued to drum, vibrating into his skull.
His bride.

She blinked and met his gaze. “You know
nothing about me.”

“Ah, but I want to.” He smiled a small
smile and continued to stare at her, letting her see his admiration for her,
his raw desire. The fact his blood rushed to his dick, making it pulse, seemed
such an obvious indicator of his need for her.

Slowly, she stood up and pulled her dress
over her head, facing him proudly in nothing but her bikini-cut panty.

He made it a point no matter how much he
wanted to do otherwise, to keep his eyes on hers. He decided not to push her,
yet, and left his underwear on. He raised his palm, holding it out to her. She
placed her dainty hand in his and he felt like a king at having her trust.
Electricity surging back and forth between them fueled the fire already racing
within his blood.
Mine!
Resounded
through every cell. The energy and excitement coursing through him for a moment
caused his powers to flare and thunder rumbled again, this time directly
overhead.

Des glanced up at the sky, devoid of
clouds and frowned but didn’t pull away.

He reined in his powers and together,
they walked across the sand into the warm sea. Zek tugged her in until the
water reached her waist. The liquid surrounding him further calmed him.
Releasing her hand, he swam farther out. He heard her smooth slices through the
water behind him, slowing his pace, so she could catch up to him. Once they
were far enough out, he turned to her and treaded water. “How well can you hold
your breath underwater?”

She tilted her head to the side. “I don’t
know, average I guess.”

He nodded. “Trust me. Take a deep breath,
and follow me. I want to show you something.”

Des hesitated, but then nodded.

Zek opened his mouth and inhaled, so did
she, he bowed his body and dove. Des swam beside him. He took her hand; the
contact would also help her breathe and stay down as long as they touched. One
of many gifts Poseidon’s heirs possessed. He wondered briefly, if his younger
brother had it. They didn’t have to dive very deep, but he wanted to see really
how well she took to the water. Pleased to discover she could swim, the Hali he
knew couldn’t.

While he no longer made his home in the
depths, the sea made up a very large part of his life’s blood. He enjoyed
spending time in it almost every day. Des didn’t have to live in the sea, but
as his bride she did need to be comfortable there. Like his brothers, he too
had a medallion he would gift to her. It would allow her to survive in the
depths when he took her to visit his birthplace. Besides, she’d want to visit
Cori. Her friend as his brother’s bride would live in King’s City most of the time.
He wondered if Des would want to marry in her traditional way, too? He’d do
whatever she wanted.

       Des
held his hand and let him lead her.

Now, he truly felt pleased she trusted
him. A dozen feet from the surface, what he wanted to show her soon became
evident. The water beneath them glowed with jellyfish. They lit up the area
below, so it appeared as though stars floated in the water, but stars with
tentacles.

She jerked on his hand, pulling him to a
stop, her expression showed fear but also wonder.

He grinned and pointed at the jellyfish.

Des turned then squeezed his hand as they
treaded water.

Zek took it to mean she understood he’d
wanted her to see them. He knew immediately when Des realized perhaps they’d
been down a little too long.

A look of panic flashed across her
features and she gazed up.

Taking the hint and still holding her
hand, he propelled them both upward. When they broke the surface, the full moon
sat directly above them in the sky, illuminating the water around them, giving
it a false appearance of day.

Des gazed at him and grinned. “That
was—that was, amazing!”

He smiled again. He couldn’t help it. Her
brown eyes sparkled at him. Happiness infused him since he could show her
something she enjoyed. But he also wondered if she understood how long they’d
truly been underwater without the use of oxygen tanks. It could be why she
became uncomfortable underwater a few moments ago.

“Thank you,” she said and wrapped her
arms around his neck. “I’m sorry we had to leave. I can dive, so do you have
tanks? Maybe we can go back and this time, stay down longer.” She clung to his
neck in her excitement.

Zek didn’t think she realized her
actions. His chest expanded, his breaths came faster and not because he needed
air. He needed her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he drew her closer.
They stared into each other’s eyes, and as though a veil lifted, she gazed at
him the way she had long ago. Recognition flared between them. He lowered his
head and covered her mouth with his.
Magic.

Her lips parted and his tongue followed
into her warmth, finding and connecting with her. The moment he did, some part
of him heard the lightning crackle across the sky and plunder into the ocean
around them. The electricity within the air, only added fuel to the fire
already raging within him for his mate.

Thank Poseidon her eyes were closed, she
seemed too far gone in her passion to notice what had just happened. He would
explain everything to her.
Later.
Now, he drew her to him even more, her legs twined around his waist. Unsure how
he’d done it, but he made his way to the beach, and without breaking contact.
He lowered her to the clothes pile they’d left spread out on the sand. Covering
her with his body, he groaned into her mouth. Their bodies curved perfectly into
each other. Her chest pressed against his and still, they couldn’t get close
enough for him.