Chapter 13 - |Fresh Water| Part 3

While still holding me, he softly kisses me from my lips to my neck. I moan, letting my body succumb to Assan’s touch. His mouth takes in my skin, sucking at my neck. He tightens the grip on my body, causing me to yelp in surprise. No one has ever held me like this before, so close and with passion.

He flickers his tongue against my flesh, causing a tingle to spread through me. I moan again, longing for more of this ecstasy. Slowly, he glides his hand down from my chest, hikes up my dress, and begins to spread my thighs.

My heart continues to thump in my chest, and out of fear, I inch away from him. “Assan. . .”

He cups my cheek with his hand and makes a trail of kisses to my ear. “I won’t hurt you, Elena, I give you my word,” he whispers, his voice soft and reassuring.

Putting my trust in him, I move closer to his body. His fingers crawl up my inner thigh, easing their way to the warmth between my legs. To his cool touch, I yelp, but Assan devours my mouth again, reducing my noise. His possessive digits move closer to my sensitive bud, and I shift, uncertain of what Assan is trying to do. He breaks the kiss between us and does soft kisses on my ear.

“After all the pain I have put you through, Elena, I want to pleasure you, to show you what I can do for you,” he mummers against my ear as his calloused, cold fingers twirl around my soft bud.

“Ah-ah.” My moans get louder as Assan rubs my now swollen flesh. His pace increases, and all these new sensations leave me breathless. Is this what pleasure is like? Overwhelming feelings of intensity course through my veins. Assan captures my lips again, slipping his tongue inside my mouth. As I thought before, Assan is experienced with relations. The way he touches my body is new to me, but for him, every touch and caresses of my form are in sync with his words.

The quicker his fingers move over my small hot flesh, the louder I moan. Assan groans. Our noises of pleasure echo through the empty cave; moans and groans mix together to make sounds of sweet ecstasy. Soon, like on instinct, I thrust against Assan’s fingers, acting a way so foreign to me. I am like another person, a woman, who is learning the pleasures of another’s touch. I continue jolting my hips, moving with Assan’s intense speed.

“Finish for me, Elena.” Assan’s voice is horse as he nips my neck.

As he rubs me harder, the bubbling seasions of pleasure course through every inch of my body. The feelings grow to the point where it’s too much. I jump, releasing a shuddering breath. These mysterious sensations of intoxication shot through every of inch me, intoxicating me. Between my legs is now a soaking mess, leaving me with heated cheeks and a thumping heart. Both of us pant for air, and Assan holds me close in his arms.

“How do you feel?” Assan asks me bluntly as he shifts my form in his arms. I muse over what happened; at least knowing what we did wasn’t penetration. If this is how pleasure feels, to be touched by a male, maybe that is why my mother is the whore she is.

I gaze into his multiple color eyes as more heat rises to my cheeks. What just happened between us—me feeling another’s touch for the first time—leaves me in a dream-like state, in disbelief.

I catch my breath, still taking in our previous actions. “I’m all right.” I avert my gaze from him, hiding the blush painting my cheeks.

Assan chuckles lightly, moving my gaze back to meet his. His lips twist into a satisfied smirk, and the fingers he used to touch me, to please me, are covered in my moistness. He licks one, seemingly enjoying the taste. His actions throw me off guard. I stare at him with surprise.

He gives me a demented grin and says, “You taste good, Elena.” To his words, my cheeks go aflame, burning with nervousness.

Quickly I avert my gaze from his, but Assan won’t let me. He then cups my cheeks with both hands and looks at me right in the eyes.

“Elena, I have to leave you now.”

I gasp, and for the first time, I worry for Assan, “Where are you going?”

“I have to go back. I cannot leave my people to fight alone. If I don’t return, Hass will come for you—”

“But—” With concern lacing my voice, Assan pulls me against his chest, holding me in his arms.

“Listen, stay here, and don’t leave, no matter what happens.”

Before I can protest, Assan releases me and then dives into the water. Before he swims away, he glances at me, then swims away, leaving me alone. Even though I shout his name, he won’t hear me out. I know Assan is still weak, still lacking energy from giving me some of his life force, but he won’t abandon the mermen—his people.

I watch helplessly as Assan dives in the water. My mind is a mix of emotions. I don’t understand, I can’t understand. For the first time, my heart aches for Assan. After everything, I slump to the ground, feeling utterly confused over my own emotions.

I sigh heavily, following the swimming fluorescent fish with my eyes.

“Assan . . . am I still nothing to you? . . . Seidon, Joe, please forgive me.” I shut my eyes closed, thinking of my betrayal. Instead of killing Assan, I let him touch me, kiss me, and take my body as his own.

I am still drowning in a sea of my own failures, and still, I am alive.

“Elena,” I hear a familiar voice whisper my name.

Snapping my eyes open, I search my eyes around the water. Before me, brown locks emerge from the liquid.

“Terza!” I jump to my feet.

“Hurry! We don’t have much time.”

I stare at her, confused.

“What do you mean?” I question.

She looks at me with a serious expression on her features. “Do you want to return home? To the surface?”

My mouth is agape to her words, “I . . .” I think about Assan, about the moment of intimacy we shared together. An image of Joe comes to mind—my little brother, with white skin and blonde locks. “I do,” I continue.

“Then, we must hurry!” She spins in the water, looking in the distance, “Come!” She calls.

I step back from the edge of the rocks until I see a giant seahorse appear next to me. Its color is yellow, mixed with blotches of brown.

As I stand here, I remember Assan’s words, telling me not to move. If Terza is working with Assan, then her actions confuse me.

“Why are you helping me?” I ask with distrust in my voice.

Terza arches an eyebrow at me, “Does it matter? You want to return to your home, to the human world? Then now is your chance. This opportunity will not happen again.” Her voice is harsh as if she is hiding something.

“How do I know you are not lying?” I stare at her with suspicion showing in my eyes.

“You don’t, but it’s your choice. I understand the pain you are going through . . . being separated from your family. Unlike Assan, I don’t agree; this is the way to save our people. Humans should stay in their own world, and us, in ours,” she says, with a serious tone in her voice.

I avert my gaze to her words and stare at the ground. “Assan told me not to leave here, and after what you said before . . .”

Terza sighs. “Assan is a stubborn merman, and won’t listen to reason. If you leave now, you will no longer have to worry about him. Forget everything you have seen, and speak of it to no one. If you value your life, you will leave now. I warn you, Elena, things will not end well if you stay.”

I look up at Terza, seeing the serious gleam in her eyes. The giant seahorse glances my way as if waiting for me to make a decision. Assan told me to stay, Terza said the mermaids want to kill me, but Joe needs me. If Seidon was right, then I know my mother is using Joe in my place. One of us must stay innocent, to not know the evils of the world.

It’s a risk trusting Terza, but either way, I end up dead, by Assan’s hands, or by hers. There is no winning for me.

I exhale a long breath and walk towards the seahorse.

“You made the right decision, Elena.”

“Either way, even if you are lying, if I stay here, I’ll be dead anyway. There is no risk for me.”

Terza laughs lightly. “Perhaps.” She shrugs. “Even if you would have stayed, there is no future for Assan and you. He would have used you,” she says, half smiling.

Listening to Terza leads me to confusion about why she is here, and if she is loyal to Assan, why would she go against him? “That may be, but are you not on Assan’s side?” I wonder.

Terza’s hues go cold, and she narrows her eyes to me. “My loyalty is not your concern. Now, I warn you this, Elena. I am sparing your life. Leave here, and don’t ever return. If I see you in this world again, I will kill you,” she warns me, with no remorse in her voice.

Both of us look at each other with firm eyes, understanding our agreement. “I understand.”

She smiles brightly, “Good, although, it is ashamed and even surprises me. I had never seen the prince act wild as I did when that blonde hair cutie came to save you. Assan may act foolish, but he doesn’t let his emotions go wild.” She shrugs again, “Ah, well, that’s in the past now.”

“Seidon,” I speak his name softly. Thinking about Siedon further grows my resolve. I continue walking towards the seahorse, until I get on, wrapping my arms around its neck.

Curiosity eating away at me, I ask, “Where will it take me?”

“To the ports!” She beams, seemingly happy I will be leaving here.

“The ports,” I whisper to myself, thinking about how close to my house it is.

The seahorse moves abruptly, causing me to yelp. He swims to the middle of the water, next to Terza.

She smiles at me, a devious grin I can’t understand. She may kill me, or trick me, but if I want to save Joe, I must risk my own life. This is my last chance.

“Goodbye, Elena, and don’t worry about the undersea world. Go back to your own kind, there is nothing for you here but death,” she says, with an ominous gleam in her eyes.

I purse my lips, unsure of what words to say. Death could be waiting for me or freedom. Whichever one it is, soon, I will know.

Before I can speak, the seahorse dives into the water, swimming rapidly. I close my eyes, tightening my grip around its neck. The force of the current pushes us along, gliding us through the water. After what feels like several minutes, we surface above the blue liquid. I quickly take in air for my lungs and open my eyes. In the distance, I see various ships of size at the port—the same ships I pass when I walk home. Tears of happiness flood down my cheeks as I realize, I am home.