Sins Against the Sea (19 page)

Do you like that?

Oh, aye. Very much.

Letting him go, she moved lower, tugging down his jeans as she went. As his member popped free, she bent over him and took him into her mouth. His smooth skin tasted of saltwater. As she teased him with her mouth, her own arousal increased in step with his.

Stop, Cordelia.

She immediately let go and sat up. She took a moment to admire him. He really was an impressive specimen.

He seized her by the waist and dragged her closer before pushing his long, webbed fingers under her sweater. His hands felt surprisingly soft and warm. Taking hold of both her breasts, he ran his thumbs over the nipples, provoking an onrush of moisture between her legs.

After he’d teased her into a state of desperation, he told her to raise her arms, which she did. Off came her sweater, exposing her bra to his view. He reclined, taking her with him. Her hair tumbled around his head in a wild mass of auburn tendrils. His hands were on her ass, kneading and squeezing. She was sitting directly atop his sex, which pressed deliciously against her own. Bearing down, she circled her hips. Climbing off him and the bed, she peeled off her jeans and stripped off his before throwing a leg over him. The feeling of fulfillment she experienced when she took him into her was nothing short of divine.

You feel good, Kew-in.

As do you, Cordelia.

Placing his hands on her hips, he held her there and pushed up, burying himself still deeper. Sublime sensation radiated through every nerve in her body.

Do that again.

He grinned lazily as he obliged.

Moaning, she threw back her head, her hair tumbling down her back, and very slowly rose off him, stopping when they remained connected by only the merest measure. Then, she plunged downward, taking all of him into her again.

She held out her hands and he gave her his. Gripping them as tightly as his webbing allowed, she began to move, up, down. Up, down. His eyes burned with passion, his breathing grew ragged, and he started thrusting up to meet her when she reached the bottom, giving her a boost. They picked up speed. Up, down. Up, down. Damn, this felt good.

Their gazes were locked, their breathing equally heavy and labored. They were a team, working together in blissful harmony. When he seemed to be close, he freed one of his hands and pressed a finger against her clit. The finger stayed with her, circling and flicking, as she rode him like a seahorse. Someone had trained this merman very well, and she was grateful to whoever it was.

As they both drew nearer to their climaxes, she studied his face, overwhelmed by a sense of wonder. This was magical. He was magical. And he was hers. The elation the thought inspired pushed her to the breaking point. She cried out as pleasure exploded through her body. Grasping her hips, he held her down and drove into her again and again and again, before finally lifting her off of him. As he spilled himself with an unearthly cry, she fell down on him and peppered the sweat-salted skin of his face and neck with grateful kisses.

Chapter Eleven

Cuan awoke with a jolt, relieved to find Cordelia was still in his arms with her beautiful auburn hair fanned out across his chest. In the dream he’d been having, she had disappeared and he was searching for her in unknown waters, where he met a full-blooded Finmaid who was about to tell him how to counteract Finfolk vanishing magic. The dream had seemed very real, and he was almost sure it was another premonition.

He pulled her closer and sniffed her hair, smelling the sea. Soon, she would be his home. He only needed to find a spae-woman who could provide the magic weed to keep his tail from growing back. Then, he could stay with her in that cottage by the sea they’d talked about.

Perhaps this cottage would do. He liked Ronay well enough. Once the oil was cleaned up, there would be plenty to eat and no people around. Only his half-human wife and their children, if she gave him any. He hoped she would in time, but, if they should have sons, he’d have to give them some of the same magic weed he’d taken or lose them to the clan.

Cordelia.

She moved atop his chest and made a small, sleepy sound.

Please, wake up. There are things I must say to you before we set off for Lochmaddy.

She rolled her head against his chest and made a smacking noise.
What time is it?

He did not know the hour, only that the sun had not yet risen. A glance at the clock on the bedside table told him it was just after four o’clock, which he, in turn, told her.

She yawned and rubbed his chest, which felt nice. “Do we have time to fool around before we get up?”

“Aye, but first I need to tell you the story of Gille-Gorm and Kerling, so you will know how to call me from the sea.”

She pushed up on her arms and kissed his mouth, kindling the desire to be inside her again. That, however, could wait. If the dream was a premonition, her knowing how to call him from the sea was more important.

“Their story took place in Kintail on the Black Isle in the fourteenth century. Kerling was the daughter of the Laird of Lovat, who ruled the clan of that land. Kerling was beautiful, independent, and, as a priestess to the mother goddess, was well-schooled in magic. Owing to her beauty, many men wanted Kerling, but she took up with a barn man who, though handsome, was beneath her station. When her father forbade them to marry, Kerling hid her heart and bided her time. When she came of age, she married her lover, estranging herself from all of her friends and relations. Soon enough, she came to learn she had made the sacrifice in vain. For the barn man, who cared only for Kerling’s money, treated her like a servant. Dissatisfied by her husband’s neglect, she decided to take a lover—only she wanted a merrow warrior instead of a human man to fill the role.”

She kissed his chest and teased his nipple between her fingers. “I can see why.”

Though her affection both pleased and tempted him, he needed to finish the story. “Early one morning, Kerling went down to the shore by the Sound of Sleat and climbed a rock at the high-tide mark, whereupon she shed seven tears into the sea and said these words:

“Hear me, Blue Man, hear my call!

Seven tears I have let fall.

Salty ocean, salty tears,

Come to me, I have no fears!

Stormy ocean, stormy hearts

We shall play our destined parts!”

He licked his lips before asking, “Are you awake enough to remember that?”

“I think so.”

“It’s important, Cordelia. If we ever become separated, you must know how to summon me so that I can find you. You must cry exactly seven tears into the sea and say the words that Kerling said, substituting my name for Blue Man in the first line. If you do not address your summons directly to me, any of my kind within hearing will answer the call. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I must cry seven tears, say the words, and address the summons specifically to you.”

“Exactly.”

“And you will know where I am and come to me, even if I’m on the other side of the world?”

“Aye, but let us hope you are not on the other side of the world or it will take me a very long time to answer your call, if I am able to do so at all. For without a tail, I will have to travel as humans do, which will require money, documentation, and skills I do not have.”

“We can take care of those things in time, Kew-in. I have my dad’s money, which will last us a few years, and I will teach you about planes, trains, cars, and anything else you might need to know to navigate the human world.” She stroked his chest. “Now, finish your story so we can make love again.”

Through a luminous smile, he said, “When the first light of dawn turned the waters gray, Gille-Gorm emerged from the waves and swam toward her. When he reached her rock, she told him she wanted him for her lover. He was amenable to the idea and promised to return on Ostara, when he took on human form. True to his word, he came that first springtide and many thereafter.”

“Mrs. MacLeod said he left the sea for her.”

“He did, eventually, and within a few years was made constable of
Eilean Donnan,
a Highland castle,
and over-chief of the Allies of the West—the sworn enemies of Kerling’s father, who never forgave his daughter’s defiance. One day, Lord Lovat’s clan attacked the ridge where Gille-Gorm had camped for the night, slaying all his men and mortally wounding their leader. Kerling, who was heavy with his child by then, tried to save her lover with her magic petals, but before she could succeed, the Frasers took her prisoner. Gille-Gorm died of his wounds and, when their child was born, the Frasers broke the baby’s back, turning him into a cripple.”

“My God. How despicable.”

“Aye, it was,” he agreed. “Though no more despicable than what my mother’s husband did to her…or what the MacLeod’s of Skye did to the MacDonalds…or what the MacDonalds of Uist did to get their revenge…or what humans do to the ocean on a daily basis.”

* * * *

A knock on the door downstairs brought Corey’s head off Kew-in’s chest. Assuming it must be MacInnes come to collect them for the trip to the cove, she climbed out of bed, pulled on her robe, and bounded downstairs. When she pulled open the door, the hard fist of fear punched her in the stomach. There stood Finlay Trowbridge, looking displeased.

“There you are.”

Still tingling from the shock, she scowled at him. “Where did you expect me to be?”

“I expected you to answer your bloody phone, as does Mr. Blackwell. Or, to at least check your goddamned voicemail once in a while.”

Corey licked her lips. “How am I supposed to do that when there’s no signal here?”

“You’re supposed to be resourceful and find a way.”

Fighting the urge to tender her resignation on the spot, she said, “Can you please get to the point and tell me why Peter is trying to reach me?”

“The captain of
Ketos
is awake and Mr. Blackwell has called a press conference at the command center. He wants you there to handle things and conduct the briefing.”

Stunned, Corey gaped at him for a moment before saying, “I thought he was the spokesperson now.”

“Only when it suits him, lass, which this doesn’t.” Trowbridge grinned, a disturbing prospect. “So, get your clothes on and get yourself to Benbecula lickity-split.”

Insides aflame, Corey slammed the door in his face before hurrying into the kitchen, where she’d left her phone on the charger. Her already pounding blood pressure escalated as she listened to her message from Peter. He started by telling her what she already knew—that Captain Armstrong was awake and carrying on like a madman about mermen being the cause of the accident.

“I need you to get here a.s.a.p.,” he continued. “Armstrong’s crazy story is the ticket we need to draw media attention away from our culpability. If we can show that he’s a raving lunatic, we can pin this whole thing on him.”

Corey was astonished and appalled, but probably shouldn’t have been. This was no more than another game of Chinese fire drill atop a rollercoaster. Little did he know, Captain Armstrong’s rantings were true. Blue mermen
had
driven
Ketos
into the rocks. Not that she was about to disclose that fascinating little tidbit to anyone.

Shit. What
was
she going to do?

She wasn’t quite ready to either fold her hand or put her cards on the table—and wouldn’t be until they found a way to counteract the magic concealing the unlawful drilling platform.

Her thoughts skimmed from her job to Kew-in to MacInnes. Delaying the trip to the cove would be easy. Once MacInnes learned there was to be a press conference, he’d high-tail it to Benbecula without a moment’s hesitation.

What to do about the merman in her bed was tougher to solve. She could neither take Kew-in with her nor leave him at the cottage. As much as she hated the idea of sending him back to the cave, it seemed her only option. There was no telling how long she’d be stuck at the command center, and Mrs. McLeod was sure to return with provisions. What might the poor woman think or do if she found Kew-in alone at the cottage? Especially if he asked her about the herb he needed to stay on land.

Besieged by competing worries, Corey checked the signal on her phone. Miraculously, there were three bars. She called Peter first and told him she’d get there as soon as she could. Then, she got dressed and went to find MacInnes, who was waiting for her on the beach.

“There’s been a slight change of plans,” she told him. “I’ve been asked to hold a press conference—to paint the captain as a lunatic and lay the blame for this whole mess at his door.”

The journalist’s eyes narrowed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Unless I quit, I’ll have to play along.”

“Do, to avert suspicion,” he said. “You can set the record straight when we have the means to expose them.”

“My thoughts exactly,” she said, relieved. “Do you want to come along?”

“Are you kidding?” He laughed. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Good. We can share a cab. Why don’t you call one and meet me at the cottage in half an hour?”

After he agreed to the plan, she returned to the cottage and filled Kew-in in on the change of plans. She felt like she was caught in a riptide, being pulled in two directions at once. Lying to the press went against everything she stood for, but what else could she do? If Peter still trusted her, he might tell her things. Yes, it was a long-shot, but crappy odds sometimes paid off.