Instead of continuing to fight her feelings, she balled her fists at her side and stood up abruptly. Tempest stomped to the front door and threw it open, crossing the porch swiftly. When her toes touched the damp sand, she took a shuddering breath. Her feet kept moving of their own accord, stepping right into the waves that gently lapped at the shore.
The hem of her skirt dragged as the seawater soaked it, weighing her down. Thunder crashed in the distance, growing louder with every passing minute. Tempest stood there, the rain pouring down until she was soaked through, feeling everything too much.
The wind whipped at her hair and clothes. Lightning flashed. In the brief brightness, she caught sight of the Crescent Cove Lighthouse, its white brick facade stark against the deep blue and black of the storming sea and sky.
Tempest had spent many weekends holed up at the top of the lighthouse, looking out to sea, wishing she could leave CrescentCove and her family behind. Alas, she had never found the courage to do so.
Being a witch with unpredictable powers in a human town would surely lead to disaster. Moving to another magical town had been tempting, but she could never decide where she wanted to go.
Instead, she had remained here. In the place where she grew up, with no one like her and no one that understood her. Always wishing for someone who could see past her tumultuous nature and love her for who she was.
She tipped her head back and screamed. “Why? Why me?”
Worth the Risk
REED
R
eed stared after the beautiful woman with the seacolored eyes as she disappeared down the beach, around the bend, and out of sight. Reed was certain he’d never met such a stunning creature in all of his life. Seeing her from afar, watching the joy on her face as she splashed in the sea, had been one thing.
But this…seeing her up close, touching her hand, feeling the warmth of her body so close to his. He could think of nothing else. The look on her face as she stared down at him on the sand, confusion and frustration giving way to attraction. Yes, Reed would relive the moment for the rest of his days.
The clear appreciation in her eyes as she looked him over was as good as any adrenaline rush from surfing the waves. Better, in fact. He needed to see her again. There had to be a way to return to this place, to charm her into spending time with him.
“Until we meet again, Tempest,” Reed whispered to the shore. “I shall look forward to it.”
Dreamy-eyed and lost in his thoughts, the merman hurried back to the busy town center at the water’s edge. His fish and
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sea treasures would return with him, but he knew enough the flimsy paper money from the jeweler wouldn’t survive the seas. Reed scouted out a spot far enough from the fingers of the tide where he might bury his treasure for safekeeping until he returned.
The delicious-smelling array of fish had cost most of his earnings from the pearls, but he would need more if he wished to keep his pod well-fed. Land money secured, he cast one last longing look down the beach to where the lovely maiden had disappeared. After sunrise, he would search the open waters for her and her little boat.
For now, though, he needed to return home. A stormfront had rolled in, dark clouds blocking out the moon and spitting rain. Rain never bothered a merman, but the promise of strong winds and rough seas pushed Reed to get home before the worst of it hit.
His feet hit the cold water of the ocean and a shiver crawled up his spine. How strange, to think of the sea as cold. Had land truly been warmer, even after the setting of the sun? It seemed unlikely. Reed took a few more careful steps, splashing seawater all over his legs, as he waited for the transformation to take him.
The tingling started in his toes, creeping up his calves and past the knees he had barely adjusted to in his short time on land. In moments, he found himself wobbling on those unsteady human legs. Then Reed toppled into the water, his hands braced to catch his body as he tumbled from his upright position.
His tail returned in all its turquoise glory, the scales and muscles as familiar to him as breathing under the sea. Submerged once more, his body responded as it always did—a deep inhalethrough his gills, his mouth and nostrils closed. His eyes adjusted to the deep darkness of the depths as he propelled himself through the waves.
Exhilarating. To feel so strong, so steady, after his time on land. Reed loved the feel of his powerful tail navigating the waters, doing exactly as he wanted. Human legs had allowed him the chance to do something new, but could never compare to feeling so at home in his own skin.
High above, lightning flashed and thunder echoed across the sky. Hints of the storm were perceptible to the mer from down here, but not the way the rain had alerted him on the beach. It felt far away, hardly relevant. The increased tossing and turning of the water around him made Reed uncomfortable.
Something had caused this sudden shift, the rapid increase of the storm above. He wondered what could be responsible for such a thing—such powerful, dangerous magic.
Realizing he wouldn’t be able to make it all the way back to the caves where his pod slept, Reed found an underwater cave to shelter in for the night. He tucked his surplus of fish into the sandy floor and weighed it down with rocks. For all he’d gone through to acquire this bounty of food for his family, he could not risk losing it while he slept through the storm.
By morning, the seas had calmed. Reed swam home with his incredible haul, excited to show his family all the fish he’d purchased. Perhaps it was even more food than they could finish, but he’d rather no one go hungry. It had been entirely too long since the last time they had eaten so well. Pride swelled in him as he approached their home.
The grey stone had been smoothed by years of moving waters. Sand and plants that thrived under the sea grew lush around the cave mouth, soaking up what sunlight could be found at these depths. They created a sort of curtain through which Reed must pass to access his pod’s private space.
The high arched cave rooms were connected by a set of tunnels, tucked into an undersea mountain. A scattering of sea anemone clung to the walls, illuminating the space with their soft glowing bodies. Their light shone in shades of yellow and orange most of the time, but certain additional proteins could cause them to turn a bright green that Reed thoroughly enjoyed.
Kelp from a nearby forest created curtains that separated the rooms for privacy, easily moved aside if preferred. There were two large sleeping chambers off to the right, one for the mermaids and one for the mermen. Just down the hall and to the left, the communal area took up most of the available space in the large cave.
