Sea Witch: Children of the Waves (5 page)

One summer, she’d been caught in a
riptide and dragged out deeper into the sea. She went so deep, she wasn’t sure
which way was up, but she hadn’t panicked, she realized she could breathe. Even
though she wasn’t taking in oxygen. Then a guy appeared out of nowhere, grabbed
her hand, pulling her to the surface and helped her to swim shore. What no one
realized, she didn’t need any help. It was when she first became aware she
could hold her breath underwater longer than most people—the deepest
parts of the ocean held no fear for her—only fascination.

In fact, the man who saved her shouldn’t
have even been able to do what he’d done. How did he even find her and he
didn’t wear a wet suit or oxygen tanks? She’d been underwater for a good ten
minutes already. He should’ve drowned. Yet, neither of them did. After he got
her to shore, her parents and the lifeguard surrounded her, but when she looked
around for him, he’d gone.

She dreamt of him ever since. Yes, he was
the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. The image she judged all others who’d
tried to enter her life by. None lived up to her hero. In her dreams, they swam
side by side, always going deeper into the water. Deeper than any one should’ve
been able to swim without the aid of oxygen, to a place that shouldn’t exist. A
city beneath the sea. At least, she thought it was a city, she could barely
make out structures in the distance, but that’s exactly what they were. Not a
natural occurrence. Something someone or something built.

Shawnah always felt this affinity with
the water, not just loving it, but being able to stay under longer than anyone
else she’d ever met. She’d since learned to scuba and found she didn’t need a
tank; a few times she’d even tried to find the city in the dreams. Something
deep inside her, telling her it was real.

As many people as she’d been able to
track down as a PI, there were two things she’d never been able to find, the
city in her dreams or the man. Although, he might have been in his early
twenties, it was twelve years ago, so he would be older now. Probably married
with two kids and a beer belly. Well, there was also a third thing, always
eluding her—the identity of her birth parents.

She’d been able to track down the church
where she was left and the priest who’d arranged for her adoption. Despite
this, the story he’d told her only led to dead ends. No one in the area was
aware of a young girl fitting the description the priest had given her, or
along the coastal cities, she’d also searched. Oh yes, she looked, but instinct
told her she wouldn’t find her answers there. Shawnah glanced toward the water
and saw the speedboats out in the bay. She loved the water, growing up she
spent hours there. Her place of solace.

“What secrets do you hide?” She’d asked
that question more than half of her life, and had yet to figure it out.

Shaking her head, she cleared it for the
moment. Opening another document, she pulled up her list of ongoing cases and
moved the Oceanus file over to her in-completed file folder, since she never
found the woman. Her stomach growled. No surprise, since she’d skipped
breakfast, opting for a latte and it was well after lunchtime. Grabbing her
purse, she left the office space she rented on the floor. There were several
other offices there like hers. Small sole-proprietor businesses. She took a few
steps to the door next to hers and knocked.

“Come in.”

Shawnah opened the door and spied her
friend, Olivier. Eating a salad and working while having her lunch. Her wedding
was in two months, and she was determined to lose five pounds. “I see you’ve
already gotten something to eat and you’re busy.”

“Sorry, hon. I need to finish preparing
for a case tomorrow and still have a ton of work to do. Raincheck?”

“You got it.” Shawnah closed the door and
walked down the hallway, past the receptionist desk, waving to Donny as she
passed by.

Donny acted as sort of a receptionist
slash concierge for all of the businesses on the floor. Signing packages in and
making sure no one wandered around the floor in and out of their offices.

Not having anything on her schedule until
later, she had a good hour to grab something to eat. Making her way down to the
marina, her condo was just on the other side of the channel, so this was a
favorite place in the neighborhood to dine. Since it was after the lunch crowd
left, the restaurant barely had anyone in it, so she decided to sit outside,
closer to the water.

Chapter Six

“Turn here, here! She’s close.”

Aaron did as Sienna asked and drove below
the speed limit down the road. It wasn’t very busy, so not much traffic behind
him. Good thing it was two lanes, so cars could also go around him. He had no
idea exactly what Sienna had in mind, once they found this person.

“Wait! Stop. We have gone too far.”
Sienna closed her eyes and laid her head back against the headrest.

Aaron wasn’t sure if she were in pain or
just in a trance. “Let me find a place to park.” He glanced around. “This is
the business district, lots of offices, shops and restaurants. It might be best
if we go on foot from here. Are you going to be okay?” He worried about her
being on land. Even with all of her powers, he knew this couldn’t be easy.

Her essence—her powers were drawn
directly from the waters of life.

While he found the world of the
landwalkers very beautiful and familiar, it must appear very alien to someone
bred of the sea. It didn’t matter to him though. He would be in whichever world
she needed to be. As the king’s personal guard, he had to spend much of his
time in the depths anyway, and he suspected that’s where his bride would need
to be.

She opened her eyes and stared at him. “I
will be fine. I tried focusing on our connection to help me find her.”

“Okay, hang on a second. I see a parking
spot.” He pulled into the space and then got out of the car, running around to
her side to help her out. Taking her hand, they stood on the sidewalk. “Which
way?”

A horn blasted at them and Sienna
flinched.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s
okay, just a car horn.”

“There is so much—noise here.” She
shook her head. “It is difficult with all of these energies I am picking up, to
separate hers entirely. Come, I think this way.”

Turning right, they walked back the way
they’d driven for about two blocks. Heading around the corner, they strolled
another couple of blocks over, until they came to the marina. After continuing
along the dock, they eventually ended up right back at the car.

“I am sorry. It is all a little hazy. I
know she is nearby.” She glanced up and down the street at the pedestrian
traffic. “I think I just need to rest for a while and then do a viewing, we can
try again later, or tomorrow to find her then.”

He wasn’t exactly sure what she needed to
do on land to have a viewing. His father explained it to him once, since he
sometimes had visions, but nothing as clear as what Sienna could do. She could
view future events as though it occurred right before her. Or so, he’d been
told by his sire. It is also why she was so respected and revered amongst their
people. When she spoke all listened. “All right. Do you need to return to the
sea?”

“No, it is not necessary. I only require
water and a mirror, but can we find a place to rest around here? A hotel
perhaps? I can sense her presence in this area, so I think it best we stay
here. It might make it easier for me to separate her from all the other
energies bombarding me.”

He opened up the car for her to sit in
the passenger seat while he leaned against the open door and checked a hotel
app to see what hotels were nearby. After he found one, he booked them a room
for one night. “I found a place we can stay for the rest of the day and
overnight, if necessary. It’s not too far, but best to drive, we should be able
to park at the hotel. It’s still in walking distance, so we can cover this area
on foot and hopefully, you can figure out exactly where she is.”

“Thank you, Aaron.” She gazed at him and
placed her hand over his.

Turning his palm up, he squeezed her
hand, bringing it up to his lips and pressing them to her palm. “You are my
bride. I will do everything in my power to see that you’re happy.”

“Soon, beloved. Soon.”

Unable to help himself, he leaned down,
but she was already leaning forward until their lips touched. She opened her
mouth, and he didn’t hesitate when he placed his tongue to tease against her
own. A moan escaped him and he pulled away from her, by sheer force of his
resolve. “I will hold you to that promise.” Getting in the car, he followed the
GPS and drove right to the hotel at the end of the pier overlooking the marina.
The valet took the car, and Aaron held one shopping bag, containing their
clothes.

Sienna had a satchel-type cloth beach bag
he’d gotten for her draped across her shoulder. She paused at the hotel
entrance, turning around while holding onto the strap. “I can feel her so
strongly. I know she’s near.”

He took her free hand. “Come. It’s late
and you haven’t eaten. Let’s sign in and get something to eat first, then you
can rest and try for a viewing.”

Aaron ordered room service, simply
because he thought it would be easier for her.

She adored him for being so considerate.
They got a room with a balcony overlooking the bay and ate on the bistro table
out there. Just being so near the water, the smell of the ocean helped to clear
her senses. Even with the scent of man woven into its fabric. To her it was
better than nothing.

Sitting back, she stared at the empty
plates in surprise. She tried dishes she had never had before, beef from a cow
for one thing. Steak it was called. She loved it. There was much the land had
to offer and she knew Aaron loved it. Could he give it up for her? Because her
life belonged to the Children, which meant living in the water. Even if she
lost her viewing powers, she still had plenty to offer their people, and she
needed to be near Shawnah to help guide her.

Someday, she would be able to stop being
the Sea Witch of the Children, Shawnah was fated to be her heir. Then, if Aaron
wanted to move to the land. Well, she would go wherever her mate wanted to be.
He had sacrificed enough for her already, it would be her turn.

“Did you like the steak?” Aaron asked. “I
ordered it medium rare. I thought you’d enjoy the texture better.”

“Yes, I love it. As well as the wasabi
mashed potatoes. I like the spice.”

“I thought you might, and I see you
finished it all,” he said with a slight smile on his face.

She picked up the glass of wine he had
also ordered and took a sip of the red elixir. She’d actually had wine before
from the land. A commodity the king enjoyed and he’d gifted her a few bottles
he returned from land with. “Very nice,” she said. “May we take a bottle back
with us when we return to the depths? Two. I would like to give one to the
king.”

He smiled. “Anything you want. But I
think you might like this next thing even better.” He removed the covered dish
he’d kept beside him.

“Chocolate?” she asked.

“Yes. Have you had it before?”

“Once. One of our people had visited the
land and she brought back an entire case of it. She gifted me some.”

Aaron picked up the spoon and filled it
with the dessert. “This is chocolate bread pudding soaked in brandy. Trust me.
You’re going to love this.” He held his offering in front of her mouth.

Leaning forward she parted her plump red
lips, wide enough to enclose the spoon. “Mmmm…goddess.” When she sat back, the
spoon was empty. “That is ambrosia.”

He made a sound a cross between a groan
and a chuckle. “You are so lovely. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” He held out
the spoon to her again.

They finished dessert, and he put the
tray out in front of their door. Placing the do not disturb sign on the knob,
so they’d have no interruptions. He turned and saw her standing next to the
king sized bed.

He’d noticed it as soon as they’d entered
the room. His dick had been straining against the shorts he wore. Good thing,
they were on the baggy side, making it easier for him to hide his erection.
Never, had it hurt so good, it’d had been all her doing.

“I’d like to try to do a viewing,” she
said.

This proximity to her was making him
harder by the hour.

“Did you hear me?”

He shook his head to try to clear it. His
dick however, was still hard. “Yes, a viewing. You need water.”

“Yes.”

“How about a bath? There’s a soaking tub
here.” He’d seen it when he checked the bathroom earlier. He pushed the door to
the bathroom opened.

Sienna came in behind him. Moving past
him, she stood at the side of the tub and turned around to look at the mirror
running along most of one of the walls. “Yes. This will do.”

He stepped around her to turn on the
faucets and plug the tub. “It will take a minute to fill. Would you like any
bath gel in it?”

“Bath gel?” She frowned.

He grabbed one of the bottles on the
shelf and opened it, holding it out to her. “It’s a fragrance. It’s used to
scent the water. To wash and soften the skin.”

She sniffed the bottle. “Oh, very nice. I
like that. Yes, please. This scent will help me focus and has a nice calming
effect. Can we get more to take back with us?”

“Of course.” Something told him he would
be carrying an even bigger backpack by the time they returned to the depths. He
dumped the entire bottle of gel into the fast rising water from the four
sprouts around the tub.

“While the water rises, I will prepare.”

Before he realized what she was doing,
she raised her arms and pulled the t-shirt he’d gotten for her off. She’d kept
her bikini top on, it served as a bra, but this she pulled off too, until she stood
before him naked from the waist up.

Their people did not have the same
reaction to nudity as landwalkers. The only exception was with a mate. He
groaned at the sight of her full breasts and the berry-colored nipples
hardening under his stare.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he managed to croak out.
“I—I’ll leave you to your bath and—viewing.” He took a step back,
either that or step forward and take her into his arms, put her nipple into his
mouth and he wouldn’t stop there. Spinning on his heels, he got out of the
bathroom and closed the door. He walked past the bed and back out to the
balcony.

Inhaling, he allowed the smell of the
nearby sea to infuse his senses. It wasn’t the pure scent he was used to in the
depths, but it would suffice. He stood at the railing and watched the water,
allowing its presence to calm his ragging libido coming to life. Only his bride
could bring him to orgasm. He felt hard as fuck. How was he supposed to be
around her like this and not claim her?