Whispers of the Tide

Fate

The minute my eyes landed on him I couldn’t tear them away. 

The sun from the opening in the cave above, shone down on him making him glow like an angel. His defined stubbled jaw took my breath away. 

He had wavy dark golden hair tied in a messy knot at the nape of his neck, a loose fitting white shirt with only the bottom few buttons done up with dark tattoo lines visible on his chest and neck. He had a chain around his neck with a key hanging from it. He had several gold rings on his tattooed fingers, some gem encrusted, some plain gold.

My eyes traveled south to his tight fitting pants that hugged his perfect arse leading down to bare feet. 

I Looked back up at his face, I needed to see his eyes. As though sensing my gaze he turned and locked his deep green eyes straight on me. A spark ignited and it left me stunned. Heat seemed to explode in my chest and it made me gasp. He seemed to flinch, and like me, grasped his chest with his hand. We were frozen in each other's sight, neither one of us even breathing.

 “Connor you all good? Did you see something?” 

Another man asked him. My eyes widened, what was I doing?! I was pulled back to my senses and so apparently was “Connor,” his name made me want to sigh, his body stiffened and his hands balled into fists as something registered in his eyes and he turned towards his companion. I had to get out of here before he pointed me out. I quickly ducked below the water and hid behind a rock in the side of the cave.

  “Nah, Lee, I saw nothing. f**k knows what was going on down here with all those shockwaves. But I feel we are getting close. The fuckers must know we are on to em! Go back to the ship and tell the others it’s another dead end. I’ll be right behind ya.” 

Oh my! Even the sound of his voice did wild things to my body! Peaking over the rock I was hiding behind, I watched as the other man named Lee begin to scale a rope to the opening above. He appeared older than his sexy friend with a salt and pepper beard and hair and happy crinkles around his eyes. My gaze didn’t linger long on the retreating man, not when I was left alone with the most handsome being I had ever seen.  

“Come out, I know ya there. Do ya know where those fuckers have taken off to?” He called out to me. 

Who was he talking about? Could I trust him? He was human, he couldn’t know what I am. I looked down into the water to see my shark friend right below me. I looked back up towards the man and all rational thoughts went out the window. Once again our eyes met. I pulled myself up onto the rocky ledge hiding my lower body from view. I saw his breath leave him as his eyes trailed over my face, hair and breasts. 

“I knew I wasn’t f*****g crazy! How the f**k did ya get down here?!” He asked as he looked back up to meet my eyes. 

“Ya need to come with me, ya need to tell me everything ya f*****g know!” I instantly felt defensive.

 “I will be going nowhere with you. And you will not speak to me in such a way.”

 “The f**k?! She speaks, well what a f*****g relief. And yes ya are coming with me, even if I have to come in there and drag ya wee arse out. Besides, ya have A better option?!” 

 I rolled my eyes, 

“there is so much you do not know and so much you do not understand. I do not need rescuing. If it is information you require, why don’t you start by telling me what YOU are doing down here.” 

 “Ya got to be f*****g kidding me right? I don’t have to tell ya s**t. And if ya don’t need rescuing how did ya get down here? And how the f**k do ya

 plan on getting out?”

 “It really is not a matter up for discussion sir.” 

 “The f**k it’s not!”

 Wow this guy really had a temper but I couldn’t help but feel a little (or a lot) turned on. 

“Maybe change your approach and speak to me with respect so we can stop arguing and help each other out.”

 “Don’t tell me what to do! Who the f**k are ya?!” I just tilted my head and smirked. He rolled his eyes and then closed them and took a deep breath. I could tell this was hard for him. When he opened his eyes again they seemed to sparkle with humour.

 “Alright lass, I’m Captain Connor Drake of the Black Soul. Who might ya be?”  A pirate?! s**t! It was then that I noticed his captain's hat in his hand as he raised it and put it on his head. He grinned at me flashing a cheeky dimple. I almost fell on my rock with a swoon. 

 “Ummm, hello captain. I am Serene.” Why did I just tell him my name? I wanted to slap myself. Pirates were one of the few types of humans who knew about mermaids and our kind is constantly at war with them. Despite modern times, pirates pride themselves on the art of sailing and dealing and are not often spotted this close to holiday destinations.

 Their numbers have depleted over the years with Military ships and their more tech-savvy ships and navigation systems. Pirates are hunted and prosecuted for crimes the crimes of their fore-fathers and crimes they no longer commit. Don’t get me wrong, they are still known for stealing and causing mayhem in small coastal towns. 

This is not a group I need to get involved with. I really needed to get out of there but I couldn’t seem to pull myself away from him.

 “Come on over here will ya.” 

“No, I will not be coming over there. I have no clothes on.” 

“Oh well love, I can help ya there.” He removed his shirt and held it out for me. I couldn’t breath, his upper body now on full display.

Strong tanned muscles covered in black tattoos and littered with scars. A tattoo across his toned abdomen spelling the words “Black Soul”. But it was the tattoo on his chest, positioned right over his heart that caught my attention. It was of a mermaid with long hair floating around her face leaving her round perky breasts exposed. She was reaching up towards something, her tail curving below her. It’s weird but she looked just like me.

 “Come on now, I won’t bite. I have a feeling we are meant to help each other out.” He said. I couldn’t deny it, I felt the same way.

  “Turn around.” I instructed. He did what I asked which somewhat surprised me. Dropping myself back into the water, I swam toward him. Before I pulled myself out onto the sand, I checked to make sure his back was still turned. My fin quickly disappeared and I shrugged his shirt over nearly naked form. It came to my mid thigh and smelt like heaven. I could resist smelling it more deeply and I closed my eyes and pulled the fabric up to my face.

 As luck would have it, that was when he decided to turn around. When he saw what I was doing he just grinned a sexy but cheeky grin and I blushed in response. Humiliating, “get a grip woman!” I told myself in my thoughts. 

 “Come on, let’s get ya out of here and we can talk once we are on board my ship.” He gestured towards the rope, “Ladies first.” 

“Actually, no,I will go after you.”

 Before I could protest any further he had flung me over his shoulder, the sudden body to body contact sent a jolt of electricity through me. Winding me, and making me feel slightly flushed. I knew he felt it too because he paused for a brief moment before he started climbing up and out of the cave. I held on for dear life, as I watched the water below get further away and his firm behind clench as he climbed.

I felt surprisingly safe and content, despite being treated like a sack of potatoes. We made it out of the cave and he popped me back onto my feet. I looked around to find we were on an island. This was one of the islands the tour boat I was working on had visited. Oh crap! The tour boat!

 “I have to go!” I couldn’t leave my new life and friends without saying anything. What was I doing?! They probably think I’m lost at sea by now!

 “No honey, ya not going anywhere!” Once again he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and started making his way down through the forest towards the beach where his ship was most likely waiting.