Her Fae Lovers

“Merrow, Merrow.” She softly called his name, he looked up smiling at her. She always looked so beautiful when the sun shone through her hair like that.

It looked like white, silken webs. Her face glowed as she smiled down at him, her fingers brushing over his face. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I you, deartháir.” She whispered as she pushed his hair away from his face and he moved, pressing his ear against her swollen stomach. Feeling the soft flutters of the life that grew within her.

“I just want to hear his heart.”

“You can’t though, it’s time to go back now.” The woman said, as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll miss you.”

“And I you, dearthair.” She whispered as she leaned down, kissing his forehead.

***

“Merrow, Merrow. Please wake up.” Lola cried as she pressed her hands to his chest, trying to remember every television medical drama she’d ever seen as she started doing compressions. “Please,” she pleaded as she pressed her mouth to his and pinched his nose before blowing.

Merrow gasped, tangling his fingers into her hair. Holding her in place as he snaked his tongue into her mouth.

Slapping him on the chest, Lola pushed him away. “I thought you were dead.” She sobbed, sitting back on her heels, the sand scratching her knees as she brought her hands to her eyes.

“Nay, the sea could never kill me.” He said moving to sit, his hands moving to Lola’s pulling them away from her face. He watched her shoulders shake as she watched him with bloodshot, tear-filled eyes.

“Then what happened?”

“That was all you,” Merrow whispered, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. His thumb wiping away a tear.

“What? I couldn’t, I wouldn’t hurt you.” Lola sobbed harder as he moved closer, pressing his lips to hers.

“I had my suspicions before, but this confirmed it.” He whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

“What are you talking about? You passed out after we…” Lola said, trying to shake the image from her mind of the way her body had gripped him. The experience had been earth shattering and then he had fallen forward. Pulling her underwater, trapping her under his weight as she struggled to find her footing. Struggling to pull him up with her.

Lola had clutched his body to her chest, breathing hard as she tried to get him into the sand. She hadn’t been sure that CPR would work on a merman, but she had to do something.

Merrow hadn’t been breathing and his skin had a greenish tint, as she had slipped her way onto the beach. Dragging him along.

“After we had sex.”

“I’d call it more than that.” Merrow said as he traced his thumb over her lips, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks as she hiccuped.

“I don’t get it, what would you call it then? Besides laying together?” A few things came to her mind besides sex, but she was curious to see what Merrow would say.

“Lola, you are fae.”

“No, I’m not, I’m just Lola. Plan boring, human Lola.” She said, shaking her head as she placed a hand on his bare thigh.

“No, you’re fae.” He said pressing his lips to hers between each word.

Shaking her head, Lola pulled away from him. His hands on her wrist kept her from moving away from him. “Merrow, please.”

“Lola, I don’t know how I could have missed it before.” His words were so soft and tender that she looked up at him.

“What am I?”

“Lola, you’re a-”

***

“Korrigan.”

“Nay, she is not.” Lu said, shaking his head and pressing his lips together as they looked at the carvings on the inside of the box.

“Hard to deny the truth, the lines are written here.” Bodach traced his fingers along her name. It wasn’t written in the text like the books he’d seen on Lola’s book shelf. The language of man, this was fae. His eyes grew wide as the design lit up with a bright swirling color beneath his touch. “What’s this?”

“Seems to be a lock of some sorts.” Puca said, leaning forward to get a feel for the magic of the box. He opened the lid, peeking inside, not finding anything of interest.

“Aye, wonder what is opens.” Bodach said continuing to trace the designs, watching bright colors flare to like.

“Perhaps a false bottom?” Puca stuck his hand in, sifting through all the odds and ends. Tapping on the bottom of the box. “Or not.”

“Don’t you feel it?” Bodach said as his finger moved.

“Feel what?”

“It feels like being underwater.” Bodach muttered, his red eyes unmoving from the box.

Frowning, Puca looked over at his friend, he’d never seen eye to eye with the other man. Boredom and time could bring two people together, and they had been brought together more times than he could count. “Best to leave it be.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” Lu asked, his eyes flicking back and forth between Puca, Bodach, and the box.

“I think it’s enchanted.” His finger still moved over the designs, he knew that he should pull his hand away. Something kept him from being able to do it. It was like his hand had a will of its own, as if it were being guided. His body pulsed with the magic slowly spilling out.

***

Lola stomped over to her clothing, well as best as she could through the sand. She tugged her skirt on and pulled her shirt over her head before snatching up her bra and panties and tossing them into her jeep. Turning, she looked over at Merrow as he calmly got dressed.

Leaning against the jeep, she let out a deep sigh. Her brows knit together as she pressed her lips into a thin line. From what the merman had told her, she was some sort of fae creature, or at least a watered-down version of one.

Snickering to herself, she looked up into the sky, watching as the sun dipped lower. How had the day turned into this?

It had started off normal, well as normal as it could with four fae men living in her house. Tea had been nice with Annwn. It left her with more questions than answers. Who was Hyster, and why had he looked at her like she was breaking his heart?

The pain had been clear to her. She didn’t understand how Annwn could dismiss him away so easily.

Then what she and Merrow had shared in the water. Her heart beat faster as she thought about it. The sex had felt more right than anything she had ever felt before.

She hoped that it was because of Merrow. Not what he had suggested, that she was at home in the water, just like he was.

“Want to talk about it, ghra?” Merrow asked as he stepped closer to her, his hands coming to rest on her hips and the butterflies fluttered to life in her stomach.

“It’s a lot to take in.”

“Only because you were not raised with your kind.” Merrow said, his fingertips moving over her hipbone as he gave her half smirk. “You won’t be without us.”

“You don’t know that.” Lola said, glancing down as she leaned forward to lay her head against his chest.

Merrow arms wrapped around her and he kissed the top of her head, breathing in her scent mixed with the sea. It was the most comforting thing he had ever smelled before. “Yes, I do.”