A Mermaid's Ransom (Daughters of Arianne 3)

"Well, most daughters would be self-conscious to have their parents there when what the two of them were thinking about was--"

"Obvious." Jonah dropped down, crossing his legs Indian-style so he appeared to be sitting on the surface of the waves, though his body moved in rhythm with the current, staying with hers. Swimming to him, she curled her fingers over his calves and laid her head on his knee. He sighed, putting one large hand on her head. "I want her as far as possible from him. I want him dead. He deserves to be dead."

"I know." Shifting to human form, she pulled herself up and Jonah helped, catching her waist so she could straddle him. Wrapping her legs around his back, she seated herself in the vee of his lap. She grasped the sword harness across his broad shoulders to anchor herself. "We both know life demands a great deal from us all, especially those of us with gifts. Raphael has said for some time she's only tapped a portion of her abilities. As she gets older she'll be likely to trust herself more, let the filters down, increase her range."

"That I understand. But . . . damn it all." His arms tightened around her body as he pressed his face to her throat, breathed deep, nearly choking on his iron control.

"We can't stand in the way of this. We can only be here if it goes badly. You know that."

"Yes. I want to say the hell with all of it, but I do know." He made a low growl of frustration and lifted his head. "But cheerfully clearing out because he wants to ravish my daughter is going too far."

"You wouldn't have left for that. You left because it was what she wants." She cocked her head. "And you've never done anything cheerfully."

Jonah gave her a narrow look, but she switched topics. "Would you be willing to lead a delegation to talk to one of the vampires?"

"What are you thinking?"

"Mina thinks Dante is about sixty years old. Someone may remember his mother. He can't integrate into the human world, no matter how much he explores it. Like all of us who are something other than human, we need a base of support from those who know who we are." Anna tapped his shoulder thoughtfully. "From the things Mina told me about a vampire's nature, the strict rules of vampire society may help him cope here. And he won't be able to avoid them anyway. Those who try to exist outside Council structure aren't treated well. For that reason, we may want to initiate contact quickly."

"But he's as much Dark One as he is vampire."

"It's the vampire side that will matter here. Remember, Mina is Dark Spawn as well, and she conquered that part of herself."

"She manages it," Jonah corrected. "And David is key to that."

"Yes, he is." Anna held his gaze and Jonah swore.

"I don't even want to contemplate that."

"Neither do I. But you saw how she looked at him."

"Yes. She's infatuated with a handsome vampire with Dark One blood. At best, he breaks her heart. At worst . . ."

"Mina said that just because she is young, and expresses her feelings in a youthful way, we shouldn't mistake immature communication with immature feeling. Love isn't always limited by experience. We both know that."

His jaw tightened. "I can't bear this, Anna. I won't."

Brushing her knuckles against that set jaw, she drew his gaze back to her. "At best, she rescues his heart from darkness, and he embraces the life that should have been his in this world all along. He learns to cherish her for the gift she is, and they discover a love together that makes every sacrifice worth it. At worst, they go their own ways when their feelings for one another run their course. She herself sees that possibility, and that the most important thing is making sure he can survive here."

He shook his head. "You always see the best. You saw the bruises on her. The blood. The--"

"You saw more than that, and so did I. It's why he's still alive." Anna's chin firmed. "If I hadn't seen it, I would have killed him myself."

Jonah made another incoherent snarl. Grasping the back of her neck, he drew her to his chest. When she spoke again, she did so against his firm flesh. "If Mina can find someone among the vampires who will talk to us, are you willing to go?"

"Yes. But it will be a moot point if I murder him before then."

"Even so." She suppressed a smile and straightened. As she did she adjusted her legs around his waist so her heels slid across his buttocks. Leaning back, she arched to put her hair in the water again, fully aware of the upward tilt of her breasts, the jut of her nipples while the seawater waved her hair like fine sea grass across her cheeks beneath the surface. Her lips curved as his hand slid up her abdomen to her left breast, capturing it in a way that caught her breath. His desire for her was evident and reassuring in a way that wrenched her heart and tightened her lower belly. She lifted herself out of the water, came back to his arms as his hands slid over her wet, slick skin.

"You're trying to distract me."

"No." She sobered. "For all its frightening fire, passion often ignites from something deeper and more substantial. Something that doesn't make sense at first, but is undeniable, all the same. I know how you feel about this. I feel no differently. But we have to hope." And pray.

He brought her closer to him with that effortless power that made her muscles weaken. She loved surrendering to him, in all ways. He understood her soul as she understood his. In this moment, as with many others, she thanked the Goddess for it. When she told him so in her mind, he took her mouth in answer. A breath from her lips, though, he stopped. He studied her face in that intent way he had, as if she were always something new for him to learn. "I need you," he said.

The joy of it leaped inside of her. Anna remembered that she'd once lived with hope when there was no reason to have any. Now she had a wonderful mate and incomparable daughter, blessings she'd earned. It would be all right. It had to be. She wouldn't despair now. "I know. I need you, too. Particularly right now. I'm afraid, Jonah. So afraid for her, because I know we have to let her do this. Help me be less afraid."

It was the right request, for she knew he would do anything to give her happiness. As his heated mouth closed over hers, she melted into him, taking them both to a place where they could escape their worries, if only for a short while.

WHEN the door closed, Alexis stood there. Despite the yearning in her body, she found herself swept by uncertainty. She glanced toward the window and saw late afternoon waning toward evening.

"I believed I'd been tricked, until your sire came for me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"You've said that twice now. Your father feels you have nothing to . . . apologize for. I agree."

She looked back at him, met his eyes for the first time. The smile she'd been attempting failed before that crimson penetrating stare. "I went from being your prisoner, dying in your world, to pleading with them not to kill you, to this. Here we are, standing in a normal house, and I don't know what to say at all. Or how I should feel."

"Do you want me here?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Would it make a difference if I didn't?"

He studied her. "No. Because you would be lying. You fear your feelings more than you fear me."

"Great. A boyfriend who can literally read my mind. Every woman's dream come true." Pushing her hands through her hair, Alexis wished she'd stop feeling light-headed.

"You're very weak still. You defied the magic the witch set upon the portal." His mouth tightened. "I'm angry with you for doing that. You're lucky to have survived."

"You're here because I did it. Wasn't that what you wanted?"

He blinked. "Your answer . . . it strangely fits."

"Yes, no and you don't know?" She was able to smile now, though it was tremulous. "I think I understand that. Yes, because no one would want to be there. No, because it's all unfamiliar and you're out of control. And you don't know because you're torn between the two. Right?"

He lifted a shoulder, but frowned as if that wasn't all of it. "I was told that, while the blood may have hurt you, the mark itself may have helped you survive. Apparent