“And three, after giving me the thing why in the hell did you not tell me you were pimping me out when you dragged me around town yesterday? It would have been nice to know I was going to have the sudden urge to throw myself at anyone with a…a penis and…screw them senseless.”
Anthony’s jaw dropped and Joshua bit back a laugh. Sweet little Alexia had sharp teeth and Victoria wasn’t used to being bitten. The older woman opened and closed her mouth a few times before deliberately taking a bite of her breakfast and chewing slowly. Victoria patted her mouth delicately with her napkin before smiling all around the table at them.
“Well, I guess I don’t have to mince words if you’re already swearing at me. I didn’t tell you about the merfolk because your mother asked me not to. Karyn’s a sport—unable to shift or take a change—and she felt there was no place for her in the pod. That wasn’t true but she decided to reject us completely. It took years to convince her to let you stay summers with me in the hopes you would someday come into your heritage and take over. Give you the opportunity to gain a few of the merfolk chemicals.”
“Mom knows about merfolk and she never told me?” Some of the color faded from Alexia’s face and Joshua reached for her hand, holding it under the edge of the table. She squeezed him tight, hanging on like he was anchoring her in place. “She sent me on the yearly vacation to you but when I went home, Mom never wanted to hear a word about what I did during my holidays. Everything else about our relationship is fine so I figured you two had some kind of falling out.” Alexia shook her head as understanding slowly spread over her face. “My dad wasn’t a merfolk, was he?”
“Your father was human. No merblood. Your mother accepted the medallion from me at one point and tried to transform but she never managed. Karyn returned the medallion and I had no choice but to resume leadership of the pod. Since then I’ve waited years for you to grow up enough to be able to take over.” Victoria poured herself more tea before calmly sipping it.
This version of the story was new to Joshua. There had been rumors floating around for a while when he was young, but he’d never really wondered about the situation. “Why was your daughter unable to change? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Victoria shrugged. “It’s very rare. She never desired to lead and I think that made a huge difference. Plus she had already been making eyes with Jeffrey, Alexia’s father, and with her heart committed, she couldn’t accept the way of the merfolk and enjoy more than one lover. I’d hoped when they got divorced she would return to Jaffrey’s Cove but she refused.”
Alexia’s hand jerked away from his. “More than one lover? You knew I’d…” She dropped her head into her hands. “Holy shit, I don’t believe I’m having this conversation with my grandmother.”
Another imperial wave of the hand followed. “Then stop thinking of me as your Gram and accept I led an amazing group of people and I have passed on the privilege to you. As the previous leader, I will advise and give you guidance about any area, including sex.” Victoria leaned forward, her gray eyes sparkling. “But, Ally, you know what you need to do. It’s built into you, I can tell. I need you to trust yourself because I am done. I stayed twenty more years than I planned. I loved being matriarch, but the past while I’ve lost many personal opportunities. Perhaps I’ve become selfish in wanting to move on. That’s why I gave you the medallion with no warning.”
The tension around the table ebbed and flowed as Alexia considered Victoria’s words, nodding slowly. “Then I ask you this, as past leader, can you tell me what I have to do to make sure I can transform? I do feel a connection to the dolphins and Jaffrey’s Cove. I have since my first summer here. It’s deeper than simply a love for the area and wonderful memories. I’ve dreamed about dancing in the waves, not as a human. I’ve dreamed about a beautiful cave and bright blue lights that turn into lovers—”
“The cavern?” Victoria sat straight and Joshua tensed. Perhaps he should have made sure to speak sooner to Alexia about their lovemaking. “You’ve seen the cavern already?”
“Often, but only in my dreams.” Alexia’s hand touched lightly on his shoulder. “The last time, the most vivid, was two nights ago and I met Joshua there. That was after you gave me the medallion.”
Victoria’s face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t understand. How could you see the cavern before I even gifted you? Even after you had the medallion, you would have had to drop it in the ocean at night, and Joshua would not have been the only male merfolk to respond.” She turned toward him and Joshua stilled.
Everyone stared at him.
He refused to feel guilty regarding the wonderful experience he had shared with Alexia. It had been right for them to be together, he was sure of it. “I stopped the call from going out. Alexia did dip the necklace but I didn’t let the others hear the summons.” It stuck in his throat to make the confession but it needed to be said. “The time will come when she will need to make an open call, but it wasn’t appropriate then. We’ve been so connected over the years, I decided we needed time alone.”
Victoria sat back in her chair, shaking her head. She stared at Joshua and he returned her gaze evenly. He would not apologize anymore for doing what he felt was right.
“Joshua, what are you talking about?” Alexia asked, her voice tinged with her confusion. He turned to face her, his hand reaching out for hers again. “What is this business about dipping the necklace and the cave? Did you have the same dream I had?”
He paused for a minute, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. “I’m not sure how, but I sensed when Victoria gave you the medallion, and I came to talk to you. You went to the beach and I watched you approach the water. I didn’t think you understood what would happen if you got the medallion wet in the moonlight, so I waited nearby in my fire form.
“The medallion has the power to call the unmated males of the pod to you, to let you select a consort. You set it off, Alexia, and I chose to block the call so you wouldn’t be surrounded before you even knew what was going on.”
Alexia’s expression shifted from confusion to something darker, and Joshua hurried to reassure her. It wasn’t how he wanted to have this conversation, but he had no choice to wait. “The cavern is real, Alexia. Two nights ago I carried you there and we made love.”
“It wasn’t a dream?” she whispered, withdrawing her hand from his, her eyes wide. “How did… No, never mind. It doesn’t matter right now.”
Alexia glanced uneasily around the room, her body tightening and growing rigid. Joshua’s stomach fell as he recognized the emotional turmoil flashing through her. She was ready to lay down the law and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“I’ve fallen into a fairy tale but no one is following their proper lines. ‘Your world is not what you think it is, Alexia, but I’m sure you’ll be fine with us ordering you around.’” She rubbed a hand over her neck, glaring at them. “My Gram is a manipulating tyrant, my lawyer date tried to force himself on me, and my dream lover is a liar. Of all of you, Anthony is the only one behaving like the gentle person I remember.”
“Calm down, dear,” Victoria soothed, her weathered hands fluttering in the air.
Alexia laughed, a harsh, ragged sound. She shook her head, “Calm down? I am calm, Gram. I’m so calm the boats are all sitting dead in the water right now. You have a lot of nerve sitting there and expecting me to be calm about having two lovers in my bed and you traipsing in like it’s normal.”