Tempest turned her attention to the streaming water instead. She slipped out of her clothes and into the shower, sighing happily.Mmmm, she thought.This is all I need. A hot shower to warm my bones.
Working out the tangles in her hair took a while, but eventually she was able to work some shampoo into her tresses. She stood facing the water, her face turned up to the shower head, the warm water pelting her face gently.
Finally, she rinsed off and turned off the faucet, stepping out onto her plush bath mat.
Surely she could manage to give Reed a tour of her house and maybe something to eat without making a total fool of herself again. Tempest towel dried her hair, humming to herself as she removed the excess water.
That was the moment she realized she hadn’t brought dry clothes into the bathroom to change into. Habit from living alone, she knew, but that didn’t help her with the immediate problem. Would he even be paying attention?
Reed himself was barely clothed. Perhaps mermaids didn’t worry about things like that. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to decide how best to handle the situation. Maybe he wouldn’t even notice, if she hurried past him to her bedroom. She had to try, at any rate.
Hugging the towel to her chest, Tempest slowly eased open the bathroom door. She peeked out to see where the merman had gone—and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found him standing in the hall.
“There you are,” Reed flashed her a brilliant smile. “All warmed up and washed off now?”
“Y-yes, thank you,” she mumbled nervously.
Why did being naked in his presence suddenly feel incredibly dangerous? No, not dangerous.Tempting. Up close like this, him in only those little white swim shorts, those hazel eyes watching her intently. It was nearly more than Tempest could bear.
“If you could just…go out to the living room while I get dressed,” she gestured with one arm to the other side of the house. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“You’re sure you’re okay now, Tempest? I would feel more comfortable if I stayed by your side to be sure,” Reed said, his face entirely earnest.
“This is also private, Reed. I need to get dressed,” she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sight of him. After a few long, tense moments of silence, she heard him shuffle off down the hall and out into the living room. A deep sigh escaped her as she hurried to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Did he know what he was doing to her? Tempest leaned her forehead against the closed door and tried to compose herself.
You are Magic
REED
T
he look on Tempest’s face confused Reed. She grimaced, as if in pain, and closed her eyes, refusing to look at him. Though he didn’t understand what the problem was, he decided to do as she said. He took a few halting steps, padding into the other room where most of her things were kept.
Curious, he inspected the large flat black box hanging on the wall, then the small, low table with strange items spread across it. A black stick with little square knobs and a clear glass cup sat atop the wooden table. He picked them up carefully one at a time. It looked like sea glass with all the color removed.
Reed had told the truth when he’d said he knew very little about the human world. These things were as strange and unfamiliar to him as the legs he now walked on. The black box on the wall lit up, emitting loud sounds and music he’d never heard before. Startled, he stumbled backward and his knees hit the couch, which he sank down onto.
“Oh!” he huffed, catching his breath. “A magical portal.”
The video changed, a deep voice announcing a documentary about deep sea fish and unusual creatures. Thrilled, Reed stared at the screen, attention completely drawn in. The
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moving pictures looked as real as fish he had swam with, close enough to touch as they raced across the box.
He watched as the image changed to show a human in the same type of clothing that Tempest had worn when he first saw her. The full-body fitted suit and a bubble around his head, pretend flippers attached to his feet as the man swam down, down, down. Then the screen shifted and he could see what the human was seeing: the great expanse of the ocean nearest to this landmass.
From the human perspective, and the music swelling in the background, Reed realized this was a rare sight and special for land dwellers. He had never considered they could not appreciate the beauty of the sea in all its glory the way he and his pod did. A pair of mako sharks came into view and he reached out to touch them, they were so close.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” said Tempest, appearing behind him.
“This is what you do?” he asked, excited.
“Not exactly. But close,” she said slowly. “I rescue marine animals who are in trouble. Nets and spills and trash, things like that.”
“But you can swim beneath the waves, like me?” Reed caught her sea-green eyes as he spoke.
“Well, yes. For a little while,” Tempest replied, looking confused.
