Floating Alone Read online

  “Your colouration is striking, dearest. I am sure that your guests will approve.”

  She threw a quick glance over her shoulder at him and Toby. “Can you put those cameras in the office? I need to go for another swim.”

  Marina walked over to the first of the holding tanks and slipped into the water. She swam easily, and soon, her guests came to nibble at her hair as well as rub against her.

  She would have been afraid of the fourteen-foot creatures if she didn’t possess a form that was the same size. The gentle minds murmured softly to her, whispering of their approval of her newly shaded head and skin.

  To Marina’s surprise, her hands were marked with faded strips of the same silver. She smiled and looked at them, admiring their curves and the soft sweep of their healed skin.

  She lost track of time, enjoying rolling on the surface and returning to the depths as her guests nibbled at the grasses she had carefully cultivated at the edge of the holding area.

  When she had played enough, she turned and swam back to the entry point, boosting herself up and out of the water before Irdan helped her the rest of the way.

  “You do realise that I can and have gotten up and out of the water on my own.” She was wet and plastered against his body.

  He chuckled. “But, now that we are official as far as our people are concerned, there is no reason to remain at a distance.”

  She had to admit it felt good to be against him with his hands rubbing up and down her back.

  She exhaled and smiled against his chest. “Now I have to go and show the fellas. I have no doubt that they will be impressed.”

  “I am coming with you. If any of them get out of hand, I want to be nearby.”

  She laughed. “Whatever. I am in too good a mood to put up a fight.”

  She unravelled herself from him and led him to the bachelor quarters.

  “Don’t they stay with their mates?” He glanced toward the other tank.

  “No. Males and females enjoy floating alone. They only get together every five years when the females go into season.”

  He frowned. “That isn’t going to work for me.”

  She chuckled. “It is not my style either. Even with casual lovers, it is more frequent than once every five years.”

  Irdan let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness.”

  She laughed, and the huge heads of the manatee popped up as they greeted her. She stepped down into the tank and let them explore the changes in her form.

  They were discreetly admiring. They liked the changes in her colouration. She checked on how they felt, and they were enjoying the safety of the tank, but the scent of females who were coming into heat were coming to them in the water.

  She swam around them, checking on their wounds, and she let them know that she would be setting them free at dawn the next day.

  The frolicking that she was subjected to was a little violent, but she made it out of the water in one piece.

  Irdan smiled. “Is there anything you need to do here?”

  “Yeah, I need to get that footage and my laptop.” She nodded. “So, that only leaves one question once I have what I need.”

  “What is the question?”

  “My place or yours?”

  Chapter Six

  In Irdan’s bedroom, Marina stood still as he measured her for her new sizes. She generally wore the same thing, day in, day out.

  “I can make what you need. It is one of the reasons that the fey are always complimented on their fashion sense. They literally make it before their evening events.” Irdan paused and noted the length of her legs on the notepad.

  “I want to know what size I am so I can order stuff online. I love shopping online, and since I am constantly in and out of the water, it is a good idea to know what size I am.”

  She paused as he measured her inseam; his knuckles nested against her groin.

  Her voice was an octave higher when she said, “So, what do you do normally?”

  “I have a few mining interests that have paid off, as well as some long-term investments. Like most fey, I planned for a fairly unending future.”

  He wrote the inseam number down next to the word inseam and smiled up at her.

  “There. All measured.” He ran his hand up her calf and caressed the back of her knee.

  She blushed. “So, you were planning for a future until I came along?”

  “A fey life is a long, straight line. You are a branch that I never imagined, but I am happy to be out on that limb.”

  Marina cocked her head and put her hands on the hips of her wetsuit. “Which limb were you interested in, and can it have a shower first?”

  He laughed. “Of course. The window has been repaired.”

  Her cheeks heated. “Sorry about that. It was an impulse.”

  “Well, it gave you time to think, and time was something I did not offer you. I would say I was sorry, but I am delighted in the way things have turned out.”

  She unzipped her suit and headed for the bathroom and the shower that her entire body wanted before she tangled with Irdan again.

  Marina twisted from side to side, working out of the neoprene.

  She started the shower and rinsed out her suit before hanging it up. With her suit taken care of, she scrubbed at her own skin and shampooed her hair into a lather with a lemony liquid. She used the same stuff on the rest of her body.

  When she felt squeaky clean and fresh, she noted that she was no longer alone.

  She turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower. Irdan was wearing a towel around his waist and nothing else.

  “So, you have more than one shower.” She grinned as she reached for a towel.

  “I do. I see you didn’t make a dash through the window again.”

  She wrapped the towel around her torso and grabbed another to work on her hair.

  “You haven’t looked at yourself yet, have you?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “No. I am putting it off.”

  “You look amazing. You can pass for elemental fey without a doubt.” He smiled. “Look.”

  She sighed and looked at her face in the rapidly clearing mirror.

  Silvery skin had crept in a wedge between her eyes, curled in a lash of colour on her cheeks and glided in waves down her neck. It coated her shoulders and spread in a soft spray down her arms. She dropped the towel and took in the soft wedges of colour that highlighted her more sensitive areas while her human skin was now the minority.

  Even her lips were a dark silver. “Well, this is definitely a new look.” She tilted her head from side to side. “Can I pierce these ears?”

  He blinked. “Of course. Your existing piercings will be fine.”

  “No, I meant a cartilage piercing up near the tip. Something with a small link of chain to the lobe.”

  He shuddered. “I wouldn’t recommend it. It is akin to a genital piercing.”

  She touched the tip of her left ear and stroked her finger down. Her nipples immediately rose up, and her skin felt a pulse from deep inside. “Oh. I see your point.”

  He smiled. “Would you like to speak with your father?”

  She paused. “Way to kill the mood, Irdan.”

  “Apologies. For the most part, the fey and their parents have good relationships. Children are treasured and valued.”

  “I was an abandoned accident.”

  “And are now a valued treasure.”

  She sighed. “If I had been born a manatee, I would be halfway through my lifespan and have had two or more calves by now. I would have loved my children, raised them and let them go. My partner would not have entered into it after the mating. I have been stuck between a culture of shame and a culture of instinct, and I belong in neither.”

  He crossed to her. “Are you willing to start your life again for a third time?”

  She smiled and traced the tattoo. “If you tell me why you are a giant alligator.”
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  “It is a long story.”

  “Apparently, time is something we need to take.” She pressed a kiss to his neck, moving her lips against his skin and tasting him as she went.

  He sighed and leaned toward her as she used her lips to tease the pulse in his neck.

  He stroked his hands down her back and the parts of her skin that had been silvered sprang into awareness at his touch.

  She ran her hands up his body and whispered, “So, why that form?”

  He exhaled. “It was the best way to make an impression on the locals when we first arrived. The size is a factor of my age.”

  “How large are you?” She giggled at the loaded questions.

  “I am guessing that I am over eighteen feet long. Without someone to measure me, I am as clueless as you are.”

  She chuckled and worked her hands down his chest to the towel. She tugged and released it from the tuck he had it in, and it dropped to the ground. “I think I can help you with the measuring. I do it with my guests all the time.”

  He groaned when she wrapped her fingers around his cock and stroked slowly.

  She moved her hand slowly on the hot bar under her fingers while she continued to lick and suck at his neck.

  Marina bit at him gently and that snapped him into motion. He walked backward, carefully leading her with his cock as their connection.

  She grinned at the trust that it indicated and followed him without letting go. He backed all the way into the bedroom, and only when they were next to the bed did he remove her hand from him.

  Marina looked up at him, and her smirk faded as he leaned in and kissed her. His mouth took hers slowly, and he moved against her until she was squirming against him with his cock trapped between them.

  She undulated her hips against his and shivered wildly as his hands stroked over her newly sensitized skin. It was bizarre that the magic had changed her erogenous zone to all shaded sections of skin, but she had never come this close to orgasming from someone stroking her back before.

  His hand cupped the back of her skull, under her hair. As she shifted against him, he tightened his grip and held her head still. Her breath was catching in her lungs, and she could feel her wet invitation between her thighs.

  When she was shaking wildly in his grip, he let her go, whirling her, bending her forward and nudging her feet apart. She moved into position, and when she felt the hot nudging at her opening, she relaxed and pushed back to take him into her wet channel.

  He groaned, she grunted, and he thrust into her while he drew his nails down her back.

  She dug her claws into the bedding and pushed back against each inward jolt. She jerked as the slide inside her stroked her g-spot, and she continued to twitch with every contact.

  He struck release before she did. He grunted and pumped into her in short, pounding thrusts. He leaned forward and bit down on her shoulder. The pain mixed with pleasure, and she let out a low, moaning grunt as her body clenched around him.

  She slowly collapsed on the bed, and he followed her down, kissing at the wound on her neck before he licked at it.

  The tingle of magic was on his tongue.

  She groaned and moved her hands out from under her. He was still inside her.

  She waited until she had calmed her breathing, and then, she whispered, “So, I am assuming that you have something planned for dinner?”

  He chuckled. “I do if you are willing to wear something that I alter for you.”

  She wrinkled her nose and flexed her fingers into the bedding. “If you insist but nothing fancy.”

  He kissed her neck and smoothed her hair away. “I think we can manage something appropriate.”

  She pushed up, he slid out of her, and she looked at him. His shock was apparent.

  “How did you do that?”

  “I am really good at moving a lot of weight.”

  He blinked. “Noted. By the way, I love your fused form.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I am going to have to take a look at the footage. I am pretty sure that Toby got plenty of shots of my boobs. It is his favourite part of any woman he meets.”

  “I will have to have a chat with him.”

  She smacked Irdan’s shoulder. “He is strictly a looky loo. Don’t worry about it.”

  “If he tries to touch, he will lose a hand.”

  “Yes, but I will be the one to take the limb. Did you see those claws? I looked like I was part platypus.”

  He laughed. “I saw the claws. They are gator equipment. As are your teeth in that form. You looked very deadly, and I was amazed that you didn’t have a lisp.”

  “I have excellent lip and tongue control, but unless you let me keep going with the foreplay, you will not find that out. She smiled at his heavy-lidded look. “And now is not the time. I am hungry.”

  “Yes, my lady. I will make sure you are satisfied.”

  She smirked and stroked her fingers over his abs. “You had better.”

  He caught her fingers, brought them to his lips and kissed each one. “First things first.”

  He got up, pulled her to her feet and went to his wardrobe. He pulled out a black button-down shirt, and when he finished with it, it was a light spring dress with swags and a few frills at the hemline.

  He grabbed a t-shirt and passed her a bra and panties in super-soft cotton.

  She slipped on the underwear and let the dress fall around her thighs. “The fit is good, but should it be this short?”

  He took a shoe, and with a bit of focus, he had two shoes for her. “Yes. We are attending a fundraiser this evening. You look perfectly appropriate.”

  She rolled her eyes and watched as he pulled on a pair of briefs before putting on dress slacks and a matching black shirt. His dark-green tie matched his hair. With a few smooth moves, he brushed out his hair, tied it in a thick tail that reduced the visibility of his ears and he was ready.

  “Shit. My hair.” She headed for the bathroom and found a brush, pulling it through the thick stuff until she had a mane of heavy silver waves that ran from her scalp to just under her breasts.

  When she came out, he smiled. “You look amazing.”

  “Good. Feed me.”

  He walked up to her in his finery and wrapped her in his arms. “Hold on.”

  Chapter Seven

  Being out for dinner with a fey while appearing to be fey herself was a new experience. They were seated at the small restaurant immediately, but instead of a private table, they were placed centrally so everyone could watch them.

  Marina was a little self-conscious as she was fawned over and the human server stared at her ears.

  Irdan smiled at her when the server was gone. “You will have to get used to it. You aren’t the same woman that you used to be.”

  “I still feel like me.”

  “You still are, inside. I am fairly sure that you acknowledge that your exterior has experienced a massive overhaul.”

  “Do you think this will help or hinder my fundraising when I resume it?”

  He grinned. “Well, if we get to the point of courtship where we are wedded, you will receive half of everything I own, and that will be enough to support your efforts for a few centuries.”

  She made a face. “We still have to do that?”

  “Yes. It has been suggested that it will make the eventual acceptance of the balanced shifters easier if they can be seen to be courted by the fey. We have a larger public stance than you do. You have to be accepted as companions to your mates before you can be wives or husbands.”

  “And it has to be done in public?”

  “It does. The first few popped up without any buildup, and it was a little peculiar for their communities. You have a presence in this community, so they need a chance to get used to your new face. Only you and I and those closest to us know that you have changed. Everyone else will just believe you were hidden in plain sight.”

  A cutting b
oard with bread, a knife and a bowl of whipped butterballs was brought to them. Marina didn’t waste time; she attacked.

  It was a nice Italian restaurant that Marina had wanted to visit, but she never had the occasion to go. It wasn’t the kind of place you could go on your own. It called out for friends or, at least, a designated driver.

  They ordered, and she ate while being stared at and whispered about in tones that should have been quieter.

  “You are handling it well, Marina.” Irdan sat back with his wine.

  “Thank you. I wanted to start flicking my food at some of the gossips, but I decided that it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  She made a face and sat with her wine, sipping at it and really looking at Irdan. His hair was charming and the same colour as his gator. His eyes flicked from green-brown to the golden-red animal gaze that she was getting used to.

  “What are we doing next?”

  “Well, there is a fundraiser going on right now for wetlands protection. I have promised my mother that I would attend.”

  She made a face. “Fine.”

  “I will take that as enthusiasm. My car is waiting outside, so we can be on our way.” He pulled out a billfold and set the cash on the table. He rose to his feet and held his hand out to her.

  She slid her hand into his and frowned. “How did it get here?”

  He smiled and helped her to her feet. He tucked her hand around his arm and led her out of the restaurant with several people actually pausing with their forks in front of their mouths to watch them pass.

  She smiled when she saw the car and their driver. “Hello again, Maweel.”

  He stared at her as Irdan tucked her into the rear passenger seat before closing the door and taking the front passenger seat.

  Maweel had turned in his seat, and he was staring. “That is... quite the change.”

  She smiled. “I am going to have to start charging when folks stare.”

  Irdan chuckled. “I will show you how to do a glamour. You can make yourself look mostly like yourself again.”

  She nodded. “I will put it on the list.”

  Maweel started driving, and they cruised through the early-evening light. They pulled up to an observatory, and the line of expensive cars with their drivers leaning against them indicated the type of folks who were inside.