Flukes (23 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

- Meena -

As soon as the workers were gone, I wasted no time changing. I hadn’t been able to attend any of the other births in mer-form, and I really wanted to be able to assist Jallia.

Jacen and Mireille had changed to their mer-forms, too, which had been an interesting experience. I felt like a pervert, but I couldn’t help but watch as they shifted. They didn’t seem to have any nudity hang-ups, but Mireille left her bikini top on. I was pretty sure that was for my family’s sake.

There really wasn’t much to do for the actual birth. I mainly swam with Jallia and Mitch around the enclosure, offering soothing thoughts. Jacen and Mireille took turns swimming with us, offering support and love. I surfaced at one point, floating next to her as she rested, and realized that Blake was sitting on the dock. He was watching me with a smile, his feet dangling in the water. I swam over to where he was sitting and propped my chin on his knee.

“Hey.”

“How’s she doing?” He reached a hand out and traced my jaw.

“Good. Jallia’s a pro.” I reached up and tugged at his hand. “Come in with me.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Meena!” Jacen called. “The flukes are out.”

“C’mon! I want you to be part of this.” I tugged at him again and he caved.

“Okay.” His eyes were warm as he watched me. He pulled his shirt off and slid into the water. The stitches along his shoulder and arm made me wince, but the wound was looking even less angry and red than it had earlier that day. I took his hand and crossed the water quickly, careful to keep my flukes from slapping into his shoulder. Jallia was in the shallows now, so Blake would be able to stand. I kissed his cheek quickly and let go of his hand so I could check on her progress. Mitch swam around us, nudging Blake to make sure that he was okay. I could feel her giving him grief for getting hurt and then turning around to make sure he really was okay.

Jallia was moving back and forth in the shallows. Once the baby’s flukes are out, it isn’t long to the full birth.

“Hey, lady.” I ran a hand over her back, checking her progress and how the baby was handling it. She twisted in the water, her body trying to expel the baby. I hummed quietly, wanting to offer her some kind of support.

Blake moved closer to me and ran a hand over Jallia’s back. “That’s pretty amazing.”

“The tail comes out first so that the baby can swim to the surface as soon as it’s free.” As Jallia twisted again, the baby slid out a bit more.

“Looks painful.” Blake winced.

“Good things are often painful.” I kept my eyes on Jallia, her body working through the labor process. “But worth it.”

Jacen and Mireille were in the pen, but had swum away to allow us some room. I liked having them here, but I also felt like this was a very important moment for Jallia. Mitch dipped down under the water, checking the progress. She surfaced next to Blake and urged him to move closer.

“Geez, Mitch! I don’t want to step on her!” Blake tripped on a rock and reached out to steady himself and brushed along my tail.

“Are you blushing?” I turned to look at him surprised.

“No. Why would I blush?” His eyes were opened a little wider than they should have been and I started laughing.

“Blake, I’ll explain mermaid anatomy later!” Jacen cupped his hands to his mouth and mock-whispered across the water from where he was floating next to the dock. It was my turn to blush because my parents were sitting less than twenty feet away. Jacen tilted his head back and laughed while Mireille smacked his shoulder. Thankfully, neither of my parents acted like they had heard him.

Jallia twisted again, and the baby slid down some more. I felt Blake lean forward, his excitement mounting. He knelt down a little, trying to see the baby as Jallia twisted and swam in a small circle. He was willing the baby out, his thoughts intent on the little one.

I could feel Jallia’s body tensing and she made a few hard strokes with her tail. Mitch stayed a little ways behind her and I took the other side. When Jallia twisted through the water, her body gave a little and the baby dolphin swam free. Mitch was there immediately, helping the little one to the surface while Jallia spun in the water. I backed away a little, giving them a moment to meet. I bumped into Blake and looked back at him.

“You’re crying.” He brushed my cheek with his thumb.

“Oh, I’m just happy.” Jallia swam in circles with her new little boy, trying to let him get control of his fins. After a few laps, she herded him toward us and the little guy went straight for Blake.

“Hey, fella.” Softly, Blake reached out and stroked his fingers on the newborn’s melon. Mitch squealed happily and a soft sense of happiness filled my heart. As I watched Blake with the new baby, Jallia and Mitch nosed at my sides. I ran my hands over them, praising them for a job well done.

The infant swam happily around with his mother and sister. We went to the other side of the pen so I could change and climb out. Blake helped clean up around the sanctuary while Jacen and Mireille told us things they thought might be important to know.

“I think we might stay for a little longer than we had planned.” Mireille looked at me with wide eyes. “Would that be okay?”

“You’re welcome here as long as you like,” Mom said. She patted Mireille on the shoulder as she walked by. “Just don’t be surprised if Ben puts you to work.”

“Thank you,” Mireille said.

“I figured you might need backup when Mom gets here.” Jacen smiled and it was infectious. “She hasn’t answered her phone in hours, so I’m thinking she’s on her way.”

I was excited and scared, nervous and ready to jump out of my skin. The thought of meeting more blood relatives made my brain a jumbled mess. Blake seemed to understand that, because he was never far from my side. Even when Dad demanded to see the markings on our wrists. It was awkward but special at the same time. Mireille made a fuss over the pattern, saying that she hadn’t seen one so intricate before.

Jacen and Mireille left not long after that, wanting baths and their beds. They were staying at an extended family member’s vacation home not far away. Apparently, it was pretty normal to stay at other merfolks’ homes when doing your swimabout. I took a shower and slipped into a little cotton dress. I wanted to show Blake what I had talked to Mom about.

He had showered while I was dressing, and I realized that he had a bag stuck just inside my door. There were clothes and things for him to stay, and I felt my heartbeat pick up. I knew I should get used to it, to the fact that he was mine and we would live together, but it was still so new it made me nervous. I went to the kitchen and poured some orange juice. The natural sugar made me feel so much better.

Mom and Dad had gone out for dinner and I was pretty sure it was just to give Blake and me some time alone. When he came out of the shower, he had a towel wrapped around his hips and water dripping from his hair. He winked at me as he sauntered into my room and didn’t bother to close the door. I rolled my eyes. Did he think I was going to stand there and watch him dress? I started to turn away but thought again. He was mine, right? And I liked seeing him naked.

The towel dropped to the ground and my stomach followed it. He was gorgeous. There were little dimples just above each butt cheek and I found that I couldn’t look away from them.

Once he had pulled his clothes on, I was able to breathe again. And hoped I wasn’t blushing too much.

“So where are we going?” He held his hand out for me and I smiled. I hadn’t told him anything yet.

“You’ll see.” I led him down to my beach but didn’t stop. We walked all the way to the opposite end and I could see his curious expression in the moonlight. We made our way through one of the small paths that cut through the dunes. Just past the dunes was a small rise with a cottage. I bit my lip, worrying that he wouldn’t like it. It needed work, but you couldn’t beat the view.

“I thought since we’re going to move in together, that we could start looking at places tonight.” I looked up at him to see what he thought. “It needs work, but that could be fun, right? Make it our own.”

I looked back at the little house and remembered all the times I had planned on moving there. It probably wouldn’t work forever, not if we wanted a family, but it would be perfect for now. I wasn’t in a rush to have kids or to even get married. I just wanted to spend time with Blake.

“This is the little cottage you were talking about.” He looked at me and smiled. “It’s great.”

“Really?” I pulled on his hand, wanting him to go inside and take a look around. “You have to see the inside. It’s adorable. It’s all open, like a big flat.”

He laughed at my enthusiasm and let me pull him up the old steps and over the wide wraparound porch. The inside was dirty, but livable after a good cleaning. We peeked in the cabinets, checked the plumbing, and fiddled with the fuse box. After a while, we collapsed on the floor, talking about what we would do to spruce it up. Blake pulled one of the old blankets out of the chest at the end of the old bed and laid it out on the floor while I opened the windows to air out the house.

He lay back on the floor and held out his good arm. I tucked myself against him, my head on his shoulder. I traced the lines on his shirt with my fingers and smiled up at him.

“You really like it?”

“I do. It’s perfect. Close enough so we can walk to Flukes, but far enough away from your parents that we still have some privacy.” He frowned. “I guess I should look into a real job.” He ran his fingers through my hair absentmindedly.

“You don’t want to work at Flukes?” I frowned. I thought he was starting to love the place as much as I did. “And you wanted to travel.”

“It didn’t want to just assume that I was needed there.”

“Are you kidding? Mom and Dad love you! Jallia, Mitch, and Stormy love you. Not to mention the baby. He took to you immediately.” I shook my head. “Besides, if you get a
real
job, then you won’t be able to travel. You’d be stuck in some boring place you’d hate.” Honestly, I couldn’t imagine him working an office job. There was something wild and free about Blake. He needed to be outside or in a studio, dreaming up pictures.

“All right,” he said. “If you’re okay with it, I’m more than okay with it. But you get to decide where we go first. I want you to see the world, too. We’ll plan it out and make sure you see everything that you want to.”

I leaned up on my elbow and kissed his lips softly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He pulled my face back down to his again and I lazily kissed him, enjoying the way our breath mingled. His stomach rumbled and I laughed against his mouth.

“What do you want to do for dinner?” I pulled back and looked at him.

“Why don’t we start with dessert?” He rolled me over and hovered over my body.

“Oh.” His hand slid under my dress and tugged my panties off. His head moved down my body, trailing kisses as he went. When he got to my waist, he lifted my skirt so that I could feel the cool night air curl across my hips. I bit my lip, not sure what to expect. His breath slid across my skin, his stubble tickling me as he moved.

When he spread my legs, my hands curled into fists and I sucked in as much air as my lungs would hold. His mouth moved over me as he placed soft, delicate kisses on my sensitive skin. When he opened his mouth and traced his tongue along my contours, I moaned, making him chuckle. I looked down at him through my eyelashes and tried to not moan again as he stared at me while moving his tongue slowly in places that had never been seen before.

When my hips began to move, he picked up his pace, licking and stroking while my mind went blank. I reached down and fisted my hand in his hair, holding him in place when my peak neared. He didn’t stop until my body was finished shaking. Unhurriedly, he crawled over me and positioned himself between my legs. He cupped one of my breasts and kissed my neck as he gently entered me. He was slow and careful, taking his time until he filled me completely.

I reached around him, running my hands over his back and tracing those dimples that had teased me earlier. When he began to move inside of me, I was more than ready. My hips met him for each thrust, and I devoured each of his moans with my lips. He whispered in my ear, French words I didn’t understand. We reached the finish line at the same time, and I couldn’t help my loud moan of pleasure.

I’d never been this happy, this content. I couldn’t think of a better way to have celebrated the decision. This was our new home.

This was the beginning of our new life together.

This was my mate.

My Blake.