Page 52 of Midnightsong
And before he could respond, she clamored to her feet and rushed inside.
The beach was empty, and Kaden took the time to breathe deep, trying to settle the ache in his chest, and tilting his head back to face the emerging sun. Traces of sand stuck to his triceps and upper back, and the wind swept his hair off to one side, out of his eyes.
In his peripheral vision, Angie stopped short beside him. She put her hands on his shoulders and whispered his name into his ear.
His shoulders jerked, and he whirled around. “What did you find?”
Triumphant, she pulled a strange looking contraption around to him. It had four thick wheels, a seat and handles. “This knee scooter used to belong to my friend Reesa when she hurt her leg and had to use this to get around. She got the one with the all-terrain wheels so she could still take it anywhere and everywhere.” She fiddled with something, making the seat even higher, and rested one knee on the pad. “You get on like this. But I guess for you, you could sit on it?”
Kaden straightened with interest, and hoisted himself into position on the knee pad, wiggling to get comfortable. He settled to sit off to the side, so he wasn’t squashing his dorsal fin. “And what do I do with this? How does it move?” Kaden gripped the handrests and squeezed the brakes, his fins and tip of his tail brushing the sand.
“You use your tail to move, and if it goes too fast, you squeeze the brakes,” she said.
Kaden nodded apprehensively, but he used the tip of his tail and tailfins to grip at the sandy ground, propelling the scooter. A push moved him forward, and a wheel ran over the tip of one tailfin. He yelped and pulled his tail toward him, but the fin was stuck.
“You, okay?” Angie rushed around to the front, worry shadowing her face.
“A moment.” Kaden pushed backward on the wheels, enough to dislodge his tail. “Wheel got caught on my tailfin. I’m okay.” He stretched his tail out, keeping his fins as far from the wheels as he could while keeping them grounded.
The thick wheels helped him get through the sand, smooth with occasional bumps, as if he were swimming undersea with rough currents. “This is amazing!” He laughed, temporarily burying the pain in his chest. When they were on the pavement, the scooter moved quicker, smoother, and filled with mirth, he followed her to the apartment building entrance.
The apartment loomed over him as she punched in a code, and they entered the building. She motioned for him to follow her to the end of the hallway, opening her door. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
Twenty-One
Angie
Two hours later, Angie had givenhim a poncho to stay warm, and a toothbrush, toothpaste, and saltwater rinses. The saltwater naturally kept the mer’s teeth clean, and she spent some time showing him how to brush and rinse his teeth.
It took much longer than she anticipated because the Mer-Prince asked questions about every last bit of her apartment, from her stove to the fridge and freezer, and the lights, but she imagined he was as in awe of land structures and life as she was about the sea.
She finished explaining to him where the water went in the tub when the plug was pulled, and then helped Kaden get in. He sighed and rested his head on the back of the tub, soaking in warm water with her bath salts. The end of his fins hung over the edge.
Lulu sat at the doorway, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth across the floor, and she hadn’t stopped staring at Kaden’s tail since he first rolled in behind Angie.
The glass of water she had offered him an hour ago still sat on the dining room table, untouched. Kaden was turning the faucet on and off, the water running, and then stopping. Running and stopping. “How does freshwater come out of this with the turn of a knob? It’s some strange human magic.” He turned the faucet on again and stuck his head under it to drink from it.
“Woah, wait.” She turned the faucet off. “It turns on from the wonders of plumbing. And that’s what this is for.” Angie left the washroom to cross her bedroom and handed a cup of water to him. He took it from her, a buzz of electricity shooting through her fingers when his hand grazed hers. “Drink it and you’ll feel better. Dehydration will get you.” She folded her arms over her chest and pulled her hair back with a clip, eyeing him as he drank the entire glass in two gulps.
“I’ll have to remember that.” He gave the glass back to her.
She placed it on the vanity. Her hands twisted around the knot of her bathrobe.
“You’ll join me, won’t you? It’s lonely here.” Kaden rested his chin in his arms, folded over the tub’s edge. His eyes were wide and bright, a seductive undercurrent lacing his words.
She gave him a coy smile as she walked to him, letting the bathrobe fall off her shoulders, and landing in a heap around her feet.
Hunger flickered in his eyes and he parted his lips when he saw her naked figure.
Angie hesitated before stepping toward him. She wanted to soak in his shark-like gaze, the way he looked at her like she was a goddess.
He watched her as she stepped in, slow and methodical, and straddled his tail. It felt warm, smooth, and slick between her thighs.
“You are perfection.” He set his hands on her waist, his breaths quickening. He placed two fingers under her chin, lifting it so that she looked at him. His amber irises glinted like the gems they resembled, and she let herself get lost in them, running the back of one finger over his velvety cheek. His high cheekbones were highlighted by the sunlight filtering in through her window.
“I think the same of you.” She dipped her fingers beneath the water, flicking a stream of water onto his cheek.
“Oh, is this the game you want to play?” A mischievous smile spread across his face, and he ducked beneath the water, rising to spit a stream of water at her sternum.
