Cresting Tide (2 page)

Peter tried to calm his racing heart but every time the creature touched him, he practically jumped out of his skin. He just wished the aqua-man would come back to the surface.
Well, if he won't come up, I will just have to go down,
Peter thought. Peter took a deep breath and let himself sink beneath the waves. Immediately he sought the creature. Salt water stung his eyes but he fought the pain as he searched the expanse of blue-green water around him. Movement caught his eye and he spun to find his quarry. It took all of Peter's control to not gasp in the sea water around him.

The creature, the aqua-man, before him was stunning. Hair longer than any woman's flared out around the creature's body. He blended almost perfectly into the surrounding water and had it not been for that hair, Peter may not have spotted him at all. The creature was small and lithe as he silently and effortlessly floated before Peter but what caught Peter's eye was the flaring of skin along the aqua-man's ribs. Like the gill slits on a fish, they flared in and out steadily. The aqua-man was naked and still clearly aroused but Peter drug his eyes from the creature's organ to the trident that was somehow strapped to its back. Peter had only seen tridents in the books of lore and legend but they never looked as deadly as the weapon poking up from the creature's back. He watched as the aqua-man floated in front of him like some watery version of an angel from the heavens until he had no choice but to surface for air or drown.

Cuke stared back at the human trying to be as nonthreatening as possible before the human had to resurface to breathe. Once more he swam closer but resisted the urge to touch. Instead, he broke the surface himself a few feet away. He could tell the man was tiring again but did not want to wait for his mistress that was the sea to claim him. Slowly, he reached out his hand.

Peter stared into the mesmerizing eyes of the creature before his eyes shifted to the outstretched hand that broke the water's surface. Sunlight reflected off the pale blue-green scales that covered the aqua-man's hand and arm. Long thin fingers that ended in claw like fingernails reached out slowly toward him. Peter was sure those claws could tear and shred his flesh but he did not feel threatened. Before he knew what he was doing, Peter raised his own water-pruned hand. He was not sure which one of them moved but when their hands touched a shot of pure pleasure crashed like a wave over him and he gasped. Fingers interlocked and it was then that Peter noticed the webbing.

"Let me take you to shore," Cuke said but knew the human would not understand.

Peter heard the creature make noises similar to those of a dolphin and knew it was trying to communicate. "I don't understand," Peter replied though it hurt his dry throat.

Cuke nodded his head toward the distant land without breaking his gaze from the human. Just as slowly as he reached for the human, he moved toward the distant land.

Peter thought he knew the creature's intent and let himself be tugged along but soon his legs became too exhausted to keep up with the aqua-man swimming at his side.

Cuke stopped when he noticed the human was struggling to keep swimming at his side. When he looked at the man, it was clear he could go no further under his own power even with Cuke's help. If the human had not fought him off earlier they would have reached the island by now. He held the human's stare as he pulled him closer and tried to turn him around.

"Relax," Cuke said to the man. "I have you and will get you to shore. Trust me."

Peter blinked his salt encrusted eyes at the aqua-man as the creature pulled him closer and spoke in his strange language. He was too tired to fight whatever the aqua-man was going to do so he let himself be pulled forward.

Cuke was relieved when the human did not fight him and let him pull him close enough so he could float the man on his chest and swim them to shore. The moment he stretched the human out above him his body reacted. Just holding the beautiful man to keep his head above the water while he swam them to shore made him hard. There was no way to avoid rubbing his groin against the human and the friction only hitched his desire to an almost unbearable level. Cuke felt every inch of the smooth pale skin against the scales of his arms and chest as he held the human while swimming beneath him. The man's long hair brushed against his face and reminded him of the gentle touches of sea urchins but smelled like nothing he knew in his watery home. His own kelp like hair floated around him and over them as he swam backwards. The human did not seem to mind and Cuke liked the contrast of his dark green hair against the human's reddened skin. The sight of all that smooth skin made him wonder what it would taste like. Cuke glanced over his shoulder to the land behind them and knew that with the human as relaxed in his arms as he was that it would not be long before they reached their destination.

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Chapter Two

Peter must have slept or maybe he had passed out because when he finally awoke it was to the feel of damp gritty sand against his cheek and the sound of water splashing gently. Warm water lapped up his legs teasingly as if to entice him back into the sea. Slowly, Peter sat up and blinked the salt from his eyes. He sat for several moments trying to remember how he arrived at the island as he took in his surroundings.

Sand blacker than coal went for miles in both directions up and down the beach making the water foam of the gently lapping waves look a startling white. Surprisingly, there were no shells or pieces of driftwood to litter the obsidian beauty. The warm breeze brought the scent of palm and citrus laced with the underlying hint of salt. Seagulls flew above or landed upon the beach in the distance as they squawked to one another.

Peter turned his gaze back out to the sea as the memory of the strange aqua-man returned to him. As he searched the blue-green glass like surface that undulated to and fro, he saw no sign of the creature that had saved his life.
Maybe it was all a dream,
Peter thought and felt the crush of disappointment as it settled upon his chest.

With a sigh, Peter stood and took one last glance at the sea that almost claimed him. Fire and shelter were his first priorities and by the level of the sun in the sky, he would not have much time to accomplish both before the dark of night consumed him.

Cuke watched the human wake from the safety of the water offshore. He knew he blended in with his watery home well enough not be easily seen and even if he hadn't, he was far enough away that if the human spotted him, chances were the human would think his head was just another gull on the surface of the waves.  Until the sun set, Cuke observed the man as he gathered palm fronds and other items from within the trees. As the first stars appeared like luminescent scales in the sky above, Cuke swam closer to the shore. He used his hands to crab-walk once the sandy bottom greeted him and only stopped when the water became shallow enough that he could not keep his body submerged. The caress of the tide moved his body back and forth while it stirred up silt. He knew he could not remain this close to the shore for long because, even if his gills could filter the water, eventually his breathing would become difficult.

Light flared from where the human had gathered the fronds and Cuke had to blink rapidly to clear his vision. When the man on the beach stood and looked out to sea once more, Cuke froze and stilled his gill slits, holding his breath.

Peter finally had the fire lit so he would not be in the total darkness of the night. The night air was warm enough not to need the blaze or even a shelter but he would need the light. He stood and gazed out at the reflection of stars that sprinkled the surface of the ebony glass that was the sea. What he saw froze him in place. Two golden eyes sat above the ebony glass that was now the Caribbean and they were close. Very close. Fear of what gazed at him from the water only a few feet away was not what kept him rooted in place. Instead excitement coursed through him and he forced himself to remain still so he would not scare the creature away. Slowly, Peter lifted a hand to wave the creature ashore. The moment he did, the creature turned and splashed through the black inky waters.

"Wait!" Peter yelled and was no longer frozen to his spot by the fire. He ran into the surf until he was knee deep but the creature did not reappear. "Come back!" he yelled out over the sea as he watched the water roll like black liquid glass.

Peter stood in the warm water until his racing heart returned to normal and tried not to let his disappointment return. When the soft pale glow of the moon cast its reflection like a long white stripe on the ocean, Peter searched in vain for another glimpse of the sea creature before he sighed once more and returned to his fire.

Cuke stared at the human from a few feet away underwater and waited. What he waited for he did not know but still he waited. He heard the strange sounds the man made and knew it was the language of humans. He wished he could understand and communicate with the man somehow. When the man returned to his light, Cuke began to get an idea of how to do just that.

Peter woke to the glint of the morning sun shining on his face through the lush green palms behind his almost dead fire. He stood and stretched before he made his way back to the waterline. Dreams of the aqua-man filtered through his mind but every time he tried to focus on them, they seemed to slip through his fingers like the mist off the bow of a ship.

Peter was just about to bend down to splash the warm water of the sea onto the tight skin of his face when he noticed the sand dollar. How he had not seen the striking white shell resting upon the glistening black sand as he approached the waterline, he did not know. But he saw it now and reached down to pick it up. It was flawless. Not a chip or crack graced the edges or the five small slits in the shell. The starfish like pattern was beautiful and held such detail that it was as if he could see every one of the small creature's fine petal like pores.

Peter lifted his eyes from the gift, for it had to be a gift, and searched the blue-green sea before him. He scanned the horizon, sweeping his eyes back and forth as he kept his body perfectly still, searching for the sea creature. Nothing but the vast ocean greeted his gaze and his pleasure from the gift began to turn to disappointment once more.

Peter was just turning his head back toward his fire when a splash in the distance caught his eye. He stared at the spot further down the shoreline with bated breath and hoped it was the creature he so desperately wanted to see again. The splash came a second time but he could still not see what caused the break in the surface.

Peter walked along the waterline toward where he had last seen the splash and had the disturbance been further out to sea; his eyes would not have spotted the second speck of white on the black sand. He ignored the white froth of foam that swirled around his feet as he walked to the spot in the sand. His eyes did not leave the water until he was forced to look down or miss the item that was placed on the beach for him.

Peter bent down and found an empty conch shell. Like the sand dollar, it was perfect. The exterior of the shell was striped with various shades of tan, orange, and gold underneath the creamy white spiked crown that made up the widest part of the shell. The interior of the shell made Peter feel like he was holding a stunning sunset in the palm of his hand. The palest hint of golden orange bled into pale pinks that grew into deeper fuchsia as the color seeped further into the shells spiral. Peter knew it was another gift and smiled. He was still smiling when another splash brought his eyes from the conch back to the sea. The disturbance was further down the beach and like before, Peter headed in the direction.

Four shells and 'splashes and seeks' later, Peter found himself staring at a cove that ended in a tall cliff. A small waterfall poured serenely from the ledge above, reminding Peter of his thirst. A closer look at the falls revealed a small cave that could just barely be seen behind the cascading water. He took another glance at where the mouth of the cove met the sea, but could see nothing but the rolling of the ocean. His thirst overrode his disappointment as he hurried toward the waterfall. Carefully he placed his gifts on a nearby rock before stripping out of his tattered pants and wading into the cool fresh water.