Call of the Mermaid [M]

[Celegwen]

A warmth spread through her, as his whole body pressed against hers. Her chest heaved from the rapid breathing, and she didn't move from where they were for the moment, running her hand over his arm.

"Holy shit," she breathed with a light chuckle.

Raina gradually turned around to face him, her hands gently touching his chest, as she leaned up to meet his lips once again. "You're amazing," she whispered telepathically with a small grin.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Holy shit is right," he laughed breathlessly before meeting her lips again. When the kiss ended, he let his forehead rest on hers for a few moments with a warm smile curled into his lips and his breathing slowing to regular speed. "You are," he said quietly before placing his chin on top of her head and gently wrapping his arms around her.

[Celegwen]

When he put his arms around her, Raina's grin softened to a small smile. She closed her eyes, cheek resting against his chest, as she felt his heart begin to steady. Something about that moment made her want to hold on. The warmth of their bodies, the smell of his skin; it was all just so surreal, and she held onto it as though it was the last time.

Part of her wanted to ask 'what now,' while the other part of her didn't want to even remotely think about what the days following held. For once, she actually lost herself in the moment.

Gently pulling away from him, she took his hand - rather, barely guided it with her fingertips to his - and nodded her head towards his bed wordlessly.

[Lowen Thorn]

Raina felt... right.

He couldn't help but smile, and even laugh a little bit, when she motioned toward the bed. Nothing like a wild fuck to really put you in the mood to just fall asleep, though seeing it from someone as majestic and confident as Raina was... adorable. He continued to smile warmly and wordlessly at her for another few moments, and he almost found it hard to believe this was the same woman that tried to kill him not too long ago.

"Okay," he said softly before leading her back to his bed.

[Celegwen]

The dim light of early morning woke her, and it took just a moment to get her bearings. Raina glanced over at the man sleeping next to her with a soft smile, gently kissing his shoulder. She carefully slid off of the bed, quietly dressing herself with her boots in her hand. With brief hesitation, she stared at her hand on the door before shaking her head and leaving.

Oddly enough, the morning had a slight chill, but it was welcomed as she briskly walked back towards the docks. The closer she got, the stronger the breeze blew, and a smirk tugged at her lips.

Finally making it to the shore, Raina stepped over the small rocks and sand to where the water touched the land. She stepped into the shallow water, her bare feet submerged with the water lapping at her clothed shins. Though it was supposed to hold a welcoming feeling, the mermaid found herself almost being pushed away from the water.

"What the hell..." she whispered to herself. Raina tossed her boots aside, lowering to her knees with her feet underneath her. The water then splashed at her hips while covering most of her legs, and she closed her eyes, feeling the salty air and slowly turning his necklace over in her fingers.

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas arms involuntarily stretched out as he stirred awake, eyes heavy for a moment as the early morning sunlight peaked through the window. "What a night," he muttered to himself while rubbing the fatigue out of his eyes. And it was truly a wonderful night, he thought, and his entire body still felt so relaxed from what occurred between them.

He rolled to his side to drape an arm over Raina only for it to be met with an empty section of mattress. "...Raina?" he croaked, his eyes peaking up to see no one there.

Oh no.

Gone already?

Sitting upright, he glanced around the rest of his small home to see she wasn't there either. Shit. He was really starting to get use to her being around, as short of a time it was. Sure, there was the lingering feeling that it wouldn't last, knowing who she was, but that didn't mean he didn't want it to.

Getting out of bed, he dressed and headed out the door.

---

Found her.

She looked more beautiful every day he had the privilege of seeing her, and despite the level of intimacy they shared the night before, his heart still raced out of control when he saw her.

"Good morning," he called out to her as he approached the water. "Going for a swim, are we?"

[Celegwen]

She tuned out most of her surroundings, just listening to the winds and the waves. Try as she may, Raina couldn't quiet the telepathic calls coming from her sisters. It felt as though her soul was being torn in different directions.

Then, his voice cut through it all.

Raina opened her eyes, not completely looking over her left shoulder towards the man. Her hand hovered over the water's surface, creating a whirlpool the size of her palm for a purpose she wasn't aware of.

"That was the plan," she said.

Raina didn't move from her kneeling position in the water. She felt trapped: if she stood, she was choosing him, but if she swam out, she was choosing her old life. It was as though she was frozen where she sat.

"They think I've been captured." She turned a little further to look up at him with an unsure expression. "They're calling out for me; my sisters. And yet, I'm still here. Care to explain that to me? Because I'm at a loss."

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas didn't answer right away. Instead, he kicked off his boots after a moment of thought and made his way into the water. His bare feet splashed into the water and calm waves began to rise above his pant legs as he moved closer to Raina.

He kneeled next to her, submerging the lower half of his body into the water as he positioned himself next to her. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" he asked, ignoring the woman's question. "There's something so mesmerizing about the sea.. I've always felt it more my home than the actual land I sleep on."

He tossed her a soft grin before letting his hand find hers, his fingers slipping into hers. "I'd miss you too," he said after a few more silent moments, deciding that was as good of an answer as he could give. "I don't want you to have to choose... but... I don't want to lose you, either."

[Celegwen]

"You humans really are as thick as I thought," she said, a breathy laugh escaping her lips, as she looked down at their fingers laced together.

She heard some grumbling from the early fisherman nearby pulling in nearly empty nets, but paid it no mind. Raina knew what felt right, but she was terrified of what came next. With stability and control was the way she lived her life for years, and now, it was being taken from her.

Her eyes drifted to the raised ship that was anchored further out in the harbor. "I don't have to choose between my tail and my legs; I have to choose you or them." She took her hand out of his and touched the necklace he was wearing with a soft grin. "When I let you keep this, that was the moment I chose you."

[Lowen Thorn]

"We're not the only things that are thick," he smirked as his free hand made its way up her thighs. He moved in to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "And I chose you the moment you stranded me on that island," he jokingly teased.

His lips found hers for a moment, and his eyes closed in pure surrender of his feelings for her. Once they parted, he took his hands off of her and stood tall. "Go for a swim?" he asked as he took a few steps deeper into the ocean. "Or am I not allowed?"

[Celegwen]

She rolled her eyes with pursed lips at his comment. Standing smoothly, the mermaid shrugged. "No one's stopping you," she said simply. "Though I would enjoy watching everyone in a panic trying to go after the fool who disappeared beneath the ocean's surface."

Raina gave him a slightly condescending grin and folded her arms over her chest, as she walked out of the water. The girl slipped her boots on, grimacing at the new feeling of sand getting in her shoes.

Huffing briefly, she looked at Silas and nodded her head to the right. "If you don't want your boots stolen, I suggest you put them on. Come on. There's a spot around the bend where no one goes. They think it's haunted."

Whoops, she thought to herself, remembering a few years before when she scared a few kids into thinking there were ghosts.

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas let out an amused chuckle. "Gee, and just why do folks think it's haunted?" he asked, though already knowing the answer. He shrugged and made his way out of the water, scooping up his boots in the process as he joined her.

"So around the bend, huh?" he asked, slipping into one of his boots. "And here I thought I was banished from the sea forever." He tossed a playful grin before putting his other boot on.

[Celegwen]

"Don't get smart," Raina said over her shoulder, not waiting for him before she started off. "I am still in control of that magic, after all."

She had no plans to take it away from him, but he would do well to remember just why he was allowed to keep it! The mermaid slipped between a few trees that hid a small cavern with dark water flowing into it.

Smoothly, she slid down the side of the small hill and took a few steps at the bottom to keep her balance. The water was deeper than it looked, so it was easy to fall in when you were expecting to just step into it ankle-deep. Glancing up, Raina made sure she didn't lose Silas in the short walk.

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas wasn't far behind her as she lead the way down to the water. There was a genuine smile on his face as he held up the rear, exciting and pure joy circulating through him and guiding him through each step. 'What a woman,' he thought to himself as he hurried to catch up.

Uh oh.

Perhaps he got a little too excited. Losing his balance down the hill, his body flung forward and was suspended in the air for what felt like an embarrassingly long amount of time.

Splash!

[Celegwen]

The mermaid took a quick step to the left, as the man rushed down the hill and lost his balance. She folded her arms and looked at him almost condescendingly. How did he ever survive at sea? Raina thought to herself, watching him fall into the water.

"Watch your step," she said after the fact with a smirk, looking into the water. "The hill's a little steep."

She took a step into the water, then one more and hit the drop. As her body disappeared beneath the surface, her legs her replaced by her fin. The mermaid smiled, glancing down at her tail through her glow in the dark water. After the brief hesitation, Raina surfaced again, watching for Silas to get his bearings.

Sure, she could've warned him about the hill and the water's drop, but this was far more entertaining.

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas surfaced with a gasp for air and followed it up with an embarrassed chuckle. "Thanks for the warning," he said before swimming over to her reach, subconsciously transforming to mermaid form the moment his body slapped itself into the water. "Hey," he started as he floated across from her, "have I told you lately how perfect you are?"

[Celegwen]

"Yes," she said with a grin. "You were mumbling it in your sleep."

The mermaid submerged herself, one hand extended in front of her as she swam. "Try to keep up this time?" She teased him, speaking telepathically before suddenly pushing herself forward. "I like a challenge!"

[Lowen Thorn]

The man couldn't help but return a grin with her own, and excitement rang out in his chest at her challenge. "You're on," was his reply before he let himself be submerged in the ocean waves.