Thawing

"Welcome home!" Strong slender arms embrace me, pulling me into my mother's warmth. "How was the expedition?" Releasing me, Nary brushed her long dark hair out of her face, her violet eyes bright, and sun kissed skin luminescent. She'd spent time in the ocean before returning home.

"Cold, but we pulled great data for our paper." Stepping back, I indicated the ten years of research findings piled on my desk. "I've nearly finished the write up, then I'll send it to Janie for finalising."

"Have you spent your entire first two weeks back home working?"

"No, I've been thawing, and chasing off the male suitors you keep sending around to drop off something for you."

Rolling her eyes, Nary moved past me and sat on my bed. The beach house I lived in was hers, but she regularly travelled for work. Since I'd spent eighty percent of the last ten years in the South Pole, I'd not seen the point of getting my own place, plus, tradition dictates a maid lives with her pod until she takes a mate. Something it seems I was not likely to do anytime soon. "I see your heart still hasn't thawed."

"I'm my father's daughter, I guess."

Watching my face fall, Nary cupped my cheek. "You are like the Ice Mer in that your sex drive wont ignite until you meet the Mer who can flame your desire. That's not a bad thing, Shadow. As a sun Mer, it was unusual that I too waited, and didn't court my suitors. My mistake was confusing my friendship with Rai, for a mutual love. It took meeting your father to realise what I'd truly been waiting to feel."

"I'm only young according to the Mer standards. It could be decades before I meet a Mer who ignites my desire. Can we give the parcel drop offs a break for a few weeks?"

"If you were out socialising with the other Mer, I wouldn't need to go to the extra lengths to have you meet potential mates, but you hide away in the ice with humans, and research, and when you come home, you divide your time between the lagoon and the house. You don't even swim in the ocean."

"The water in the lagoon is from the ocean."

"Yes, a safe place to swim to avoid available Mer looking for a maid."

Huffing, I dropped onto the bed beside my mother. "Most of those Mer are no different to human men looking for fun with no commitment."

"How would you know?" Nary scoffed playfully.

"I'm not a child, mother. Since I came of age Mer have tried to couple with me. I've entertained a few far enough to realise that their touch did nothing for me. It would be unfair to take things beyond that point and leave him disappointed."

"So, you've never rubbed yourself on a Mer's barnacle?"

The barnacle was a hard patch of skin an inch or two above their bull horn, which helped stimulate a maid's pearl to help her reach rapture. When a Mer was turned on, not only did his horn harden, but the barnacle swelled and became itchy with need. The bigger it swelled, the more stimulation it provided the maid, the better the rapture. Of course, a Mer could only reach rapture if the maid did, so having sex without the desire, left both parties frustrated and disappointed.

My mother's phone ringing saved me from answering. Taking the mobile from her pocket, Nary stepped out through the open French doors and the sheer curtains, to take the call out on the patio. "Yes?"

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and remembered my dream from last night. The touch of a lover flaming my desire, rubbing his body against mine in the water, waking to find myself sweaty and needy before my body cooled and all desire for such things sucked back into the ice of my soul. The dreams had become more intense since leaving the research base where they started. My mother told me she dreamed of my father for months before they finally met. Could it mean the Mer I would love would find me soon? I didn't dare hope. More than likely, it was just my craving for the heat and sun of the tropics.

"Really? And how long ago did these Sun Mer visit the King?" Nary pacing outside my window caught my interest. She started laughing. "His influence? Surely, the young one was taught better?" The answer to her question left Nary sighing in exasperation. "They asked for her by name?" Her feet stopped pacing. "That's a pretty good description. Did someone give them directions? No, it's okay. Perhaps they were sent this way for a reason. Can you put some feelers out to the south and find out if that's the case? The sooner the better."

Hanging up, Nary stepped back through the gauze curtains, face contemplative. "A royal envoy of Sun Mer may drop by over the next few weeks. The rules of first interactions will apply, even if the leader introduces himself as King Rai himself, understood?"

"Will it be King Rai himself?"

"Unlikely."

"Then I will abide by clan rules."

Happy with that answer, my mother's gaze shifted back out to the ocean, searching, then she returned to the present and smiled towards me. "It's good to have you home, Shadow. When will you leave again."

"Keen to have me gone already?"

Laughing, she wrapped me in her arms. "Never. I'd have you stay forever, but I know how much you love diving in the ice caves."

Clearing my throat, I stepped back. "Well, actually, I think the appeal has worn off."

Studying me, Nary blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Nodding, I sagged back to my bed. "I've done ten years. I think I'm done with the ice."

Sitting beside me, Nary took my hand. "Sweetheart?" Waiting for me to tell her the why, I struggled to find the words. The truth was, this last trip had left me heartbroken just like every trip before it, and after a decade of heartache, I felt I'd been masochistic enough. The doorbell ringing, snapped the moment. Looking at her watch, Nary sighed. "Grocery delivery. Why don't you go for a swim. You are still frozen, and the midday sun will thaw you faster than the morning."

Happy with the suggestion, I tugged the band in my hair out as nary walked out to answer the door. Midnight blue silk fell around my shoulders. It looked dark enough to be black on land, but in salt water, the vibrant multihued blues were unmissable. Much like the purples of Nary's hair became visible underwater, or the pale blues of my father's.

Sunlight filtered through the water, fingertips of warmth caressing along my back and limbs, easing the two years of cold from my bones, coaxing my inner sun Mer to surface as I swam. It was good to be home.

Reaching the end of our saltwater lagoon pool, I stepped up under the waterfall and washed my hair back from my face, the length tickling across the upper curve of my backside.

The presence of another was a caress across my skin. Only the one, so not likely to be the royal envoy Nary was warned about. Ignoring the observer, I stepped out of the water and squeezed the excess from my hair before moving to the Balinese style cabana, and lying face first on the sun lounge. As the visitor stepped onto the bottom step of the cabana, continuing their purveying, and entering my peripheral field of vision, I picked up my phone.

You have a visitor by the lagoon.

Setting the phone back down, I almost sighed with the heat the gaze of my watcher caused up my spine. The Mer was tall with the dark hair still throwing hues of green as it dried, and the sun drenched skin of the Sun Mer, with the violet eyes of the Indigo shore. By the lack of shirt and shoes, just loose hanging wet boardshorts, he'd come straight in from the beach on the other side of the lagoon. Resisting turning my head to perve on his body, I collected my drink to sip on while focusing on my book.

"Now you are actively ignoring me," violent masculinity accused, sweeping across my wet skin and instigating goosebumps.

"By clan rules, she's meant to," my mother's melodious voice cut across the water. "You are not known to her, and any Mer coming here for the first time must address me first."

The Mer turned to address my mother, her breath catching slightly when he did. "How do you know it's my first time here?"

"Because you failed to follow protocol. Who are you?"

"I am King Rai's heir, prince of the ocean."

"That title was lost when Rai's queen destroyed the treaty of clans. It still doesn't tell me who you are."

"You use my father's name without title?" The pretentious prince snapped, causing me to chuckle.

"I suppose since you grew up during the divide, you wouldn't know that royals do not use each other's titles. It's pretentious."

"The queen insists on titles."

"Your mother is not my queen, nor anyone else's away from your island anymore. Further more, your parents hold their title at the patience of the indigo clan, and if the king of that clan so decided, your clanless family would find themselves, titleless and homeless. So, if you plan to visit other clans, best you check protocol before you turn up at their doors acting entitled. For sure, you will receive a cold welcome if you do not. Now, you can either tell me your name or you can walk back across the beach and swim back to your mothers teet until you are mature enough to be away from it."

The rigidness of the Mer's shoulders could support the roof of this cabana. "I am Prince Bolt of the King's Isle. May I enquire your name, Queen?"

The side of my mother's lip lifted. "Welcome to my home, Bolt. I am Nary of the Australis Clan. Come inside. I'll make you a drink and you can explain to me why the prince of the ocean has travelled so far." Without waiting, Nary turned on her heel and went inside via the open lounge doors.

Glancing my way, the prince bowed his head slightly, despite my resolute lack of attention, then he walked toward the house. Free to finally look, I perved on the way his back muscles shifted under his skin as he walked. The Mer was gorgeous from behind. As he reached the door, he turned his face to his shoulder enough to let me see the lift of the side of his mouth. He'd felt my gaze just as much as I'd felt his. "Damn!'

Closing my book, I dropped my face to the sun bed and exhaled, the dreams of lust filled exploration playing over in my head on rapid replay. This was not a good sign. Leaving my mother to her business, I went back to reading my book, but no matter how much I tried to concentrate, I couldn't help wondering if the prince was a new client of my mother.

Was he exiled for some heinous crime? Perhaps the royal family was overthrown and he alone escaped and came to my mother for shelter. Had the queen died and the king wanted his best friend to take her place to help mend the rift between clans. Certain Nary would tell me whatever it be once the prince left, I gave up reading and went back to the water to clear my head.