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“It is kelp,” said Merletta, patting it. “It’s where I store my treasures.” She pulled out the round brown object she’d picked up last time, holding it up to show him. She’d brought it with her, not wanting to leave it at the barracks as potential evidence of her wanderings. “Like this. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m thinking it could have a lot of uses! It smells like it might be edible, and I wonder if it could even be used as a more practical covering than shells.”
“It’s a coconut,” said Heath, taking it from her with a smile.
His fingers brushed hers as he did so, leaving behind a tingling sensation. His skin was as warm as the sun on the sand, nothing like the cold smoothness of merpeople’s skin.
“It’s the fruit of a tree,” Heath continued, and she pulled her attention back to his words. He looked behind him, gesturing. “That tree, see? There are lots up there. They don’t grow where I live, but there are other parts of the coast where you can find them.” He turned the round object in his hand. “Coconuts have a kind of milk inside them that you can drink, and a part you can eat, as well. And the husk can be useful, too, like you said. But first you have to get into it.”
He grinned. “Normally it’s a real pain. You have to get a sharp rock, and it can take ages to get it right. But we can cheat.” He turned to the dragon, who’d wandered off a little way, sniffing the area of rocks where Merletta had almost dried herself out. “Oi, Reka! Could you help us out, please?”
The dragon reached out absently, slicing the coconut cleanly in half with one talon before returning to his explorations. Heath turned back to Merletta with a grin. He broke off some of the white substance inside, taking a bite out of it before offering the same piece to Merletta.
“Try some.”
She reached out a tentative hand to take it. She could still see where his teeth had marked it, and she nibbled a corner from the same place. It was like no flavor she’d ever tasted before. Everything she’d ever eaten was salty and heavy, but this was light, fresh, pleasant. It was delicious. She looked up at Heath, a lightness she’d never felt before sweeping over her, buoying her up in the water.
“What’s a tree?” she asked abruptly. “And what’s milk?”
Heath smiled, his eyes as warm as his skin as he leaned forward on his rock.
“Where should I begin?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The sun was again hanging low in the sky before Heath finally admitted that he needed to head home. If he’d been reluctant to leave last time, after only catching a glimpse of Merletta, it was nothing to how he felt now, after actually speaking with her.
She was a mermaid! An actual mermaid. He’d been talking with her for hours, and yet it still didn’t quite feel real. She’d stepped—or rather swum—right out of myth and into his reality, and it was going to take some getting used to.
She’d spent most of the day asking him questions about life on the land, and he’d been only too happy to answer, keen to keep her there and talking for as long as she was willing to stay. But he had so many questions of his own, and it would be maddening not to get the chance to ask them.
“Yes,” she said, when he finally admitted that he had to leave. “So do I.” She glanced at the position of the sun. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. I shouldn’t really be beyond the barrier after dark.” Her forehead creased slightly. “The sharks will be hunting soon.”
“Will you be all right?” Heath asked in alarm. “Is it safe for you to travel home alone?”
He cast his eyes out in the direction of the ocean, anxiety rising in him as he pictured Merletta being stalked by a shark. She was still almost a stranger, but somehow the thought of harm coming to her was distressing. Perhaps it was because of what had happened earlier, when she had almost dried herself out, or whatever it was called. Her blind panic had been hard to witness, like an animal thrashing in a snare, knowing the hunter was approaching.
But Merletta just smiled. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I know how to look after myself.”
Heath nodded, still uneasy, but sensing it would be a slight on her capability for him to protest further.
“Will I see you again?” he asked instead.
“If you want to,” Merletta said simply.
He gave her a friendly smile. “Of course I do. There are about a thousand questions I want to ask you.”
Merletta laughed. “I suppose I should give you a turn,” she acknowledged. She glanced over her shoulder toward the ocean. “They keep us pretty busy in my training program,” she swelled slightly with pride as she said it, and Heath made a mental note to ask her about the program next time, “but I get a rest day once a week. I can come back then.”
“I’ll be here,” Heath promised.
He hid his disappointment. A week felt like a long time to wait. But it might help with his family if his mysterious absences were spaced apart a little.
He twisted around, pulling one leg from the water and resting his elbow on his knee. “I wonder where Reka has gotten to.” The dragon had lost interest in their conversation hours before, wandering back toward the ruins.
Heath turned back to Merletta, noting how her eyes followed the change in his posture with fascination. He smiled to himself. It was easy to forget that she was as amazed by his legs as he was by her tail. He’d feel self-conscious about not being more muscled, like Percival, except that he knew Merletta had absolutely no one to compare him to. In her view, he was the epitome of humanity. The thought made him chuckle.
“Will you tell your people about me?” Merletta asked suddenly, a guarded expression in her eyes.
“Do you want me to?” Heath asked.
