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“Zosi, my love,” Kye whispered gently. “My friends are worried, I need to go to them. I don’t want to this dream to end, but this may be my call to wake up.” He pulled himself from my slick folds. Our bodies were still aroused, and the friction sent a shudder through both of us.
What did he want to wake up from? He wasn’t asleep. I focused and his thoughts swirled in my mind. There were memories that seemed to come from a dream—mating with a mermaid, our bodies moving together like an erotic dream, moments when he thought of waking. It was confusing, and the thoughts blended into each other.
“You are not asleep. Stay with me.” I could barely hear my own words.
“Oh, how I wish I could, my love. I know a day will never pass without me thinking of this perfect dream, and my incredible dream girl.” His lips pressed against my hair, and he inhaled in my scent. He was trying to commit everything about me to memory.
My eyes burned, but I did not cry. I had never heard of anyone leaving their mate the day they had consummated the bond. These hours were important, but I would not force Kye to remain with me. I would take him to the others; I would do anything for him. He carried a piece of my soul now.
“I will take you,” I said. “Even with equipment, a human would struggle to navigate this tunnel. You must breathe slowly and lower your heart rate. When you need air, expel your air fully and seal your lips against mine.”
Curiosity stirred in Kye’s eyes when he looked back at me. “Don’t you need that air? I don’t want you to pass out!”
Laughter tried to bubble up inside me, but the barriers continued to force it back. I was surprised to find that I wanted to remember what it felt like to laugh. “I breathe beneath the water. Now, get dressed. if you are truly leaving, we need to go soon.”
Kye struggled into his clothes, snagging them. Once he was ready, he turned to look at me.
“Focus your breathing,” I told him as I moved toward him.
Nodding his head, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. I did the same. I had not told him the challenge this would pose for me. I needed to allow one lung to fill with water, while letting the other remain full of air. If I were human, that level of control wouldn’t be possible. However, just because I could do it, didn’t mean it was easy. I had practiced this only a few times and each time it was painful, not unlike drowning. But Kye didn’t need to know that this was the only way to get him safely from the cave without alerting outsiders to my hidden home.
Propelling myself higher in the water, I captured Kye’s lips in my own. I poured what emotions I was capable of into those precious seconds.
“Breath deep.” I watched him pack air into his lungs. With a small dip of his chin, he signaled that he was ready.
“Θα σε αγαπ?ω για π?ντα.”
His eyes widened but I didn’t give him time to respond before dragging him into the obsidian waters of the tunnel. I had traveled this route many times before, and I avoided the jagged rocks that jutted from the walls with ease. My scales pulsed their blue-green light, casting a soft glow around us. The tunnel went deep into the earth before taking a sharp curve up and opening into waters near mouth of the bay. The boat was not far from my cave if you had the wings of a bird, but the maze beneath the ocean took longer to navigate.
We were nearing the steep bend when Kye released a curtain of bubbles and pressed his lip against mine. For a moment, I wanted to pause and savor his lips, but I did not have enough air in my lung for long delays. I opened my mouth against his, my muscles constricting painfully as I sealed the water-filled lung and opened the pipe to my air-filled lung. He drew in what he needed, and then pulled away. His lips lingered against mine for mere second. I reversed the process in my chest, gritting my teeth against the discomfort.
Our surroundings were little more than a blur as my powerful fluke propelled us forward. We streaked into the ocean, and I turned and headed straight for the vessel. The shouts of the men could be heard even beneath the waves. Large spotlights shined on the water; they were using everything they could to locate Kye. I slowed to dodge the blinding lights. Kye’s lips pressed against my lips once more, and again I gave him air. This time, I allowed both lungs to fill with water. That first long breath of cool saltwater eased the burn in my chest. I took several breaths in a row, moving faster now that I was no longer functioning on a single lung.
Kye’s arms tightened painfully around my waist when I swam deeper. I would not risk being seen. Once we were directly beneath the boat, I began our ascent to the surface. The outline of the back of the boat came into view. When we were six feet from the surface, I halted our forward motion. Kye’s questioning look made it clear that he expected me to surface alongside him.
Shaking my head, I wiggled free of his snug embrace. He had already begun to float toward the surface, and I used my newly discovered water abilities to move him the last few feet to the surface. He struggled to reach for me, but I turned and sank into the depths. I lurked beneath the boat until I saw his legs disappear as his friends pulled him from the dark sea. Once he was safe, I made my escape.
I headed straight for the ocean. The shallow water surrounding the bay wasn’t going to be safe with the humans looking for me. I needed to hide from them, but I also wanted to escape my hurt. For a beautiful moment, I had thought I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.
Swimming into the black depths of the sea, I realized I had never felt so alone in my entire existence.
