Breathless and weary, she seemed to thrum with grateful appreciation as he pulled her from the ocean's embrace, both of them fallen above the line of the ebbing tide against the cool, soft sand. Without quite knowing how, she found herself curled close under the warm wrap of his arm, heedless of the sand gathering in the cut on her shoulder, forcing her eyes open to look up at him in the moonlight. As what had happened truly began to sink in, absorbed deep in her mind, adoration found a place in her eyes as she gazed on him. "You saved us," she whispered in soft amazement. "Why didn't you tell me you were a hero?"

Now that they were out of the water, the cuts and bruises he'd sustained in the fight were making themselves known, the worst of which was a wounded left shoulder where the ball from a flintlock had grazed his flesh. Too sore and weary to move for the moment, he laid there on the sand with her curled up beneath his arm, looking at her in the moonlight, his heart aching with longing. "I'm not a hero, Leilani," he denied, his voice sounding dull and distant, even to himself. "If I was a true hero, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Her sweet, solemn face turned up toward his, the creep of her fingers finding a resting place against his damp cheek. "You're a hero to me." How could he not be? He had rescued her mother; he had saved her life. Surely that was heroic" Like him, she was too weak for now to move as skin and scale dried beneath the warmth of the breeze, barely shifting as her tail split into legs once again. If anything, she curled closer, captivated by the fathomless darkness of his eyes beneath the moonlight.

He wondered what would happen if he were to kiss her, his gaze lingering on her lips a moment before drifting to her eyes, emerald green meeting chestnut brown. He felt that old familiar longing again as she curled up against him. He had always wanted to be a hero, ever since he was a boy, but somehow, he didn't feel like a hero. He just felt like himself; he could be no one else. As their eyes met again, he felt himself drawn to her, and he dared to move closer. His heart beat a little faster as he searched her eyes, lifting a hand to push her hair away from her face, close enough that they shared breath.

The innocence he had thought he had shattered with words that needed to be said under the afternoon sun flared in her gaze in the moonlight, the small neatness of her human form set to trembling in a manner that could only be from unspoken, unfamiliar longing. The breath that passed between them, hot against warm skin, quickened in her chest, unconsciously nervous and wanting what instinct seemed to suggest he was offering to her. Something she couldn't truly predict, nor understand, but knew to be the cause of her stuttering heart. Her own eyes dropped to his lips, finding something fascinating there to hold her for long moments before she found his gaze once more.

Countless times he'd kissed those lips, the first offered to give him breath when he was in danger of drowning, and so on after that, but never had those same sweet lips been offered out of the water, where no sharing of breath was needed. Entranced by her beauty and the sweetness of her spirit, his heart ached with longing, and he chanced a kiss - a brief, soft brush of lips against hers, his heart fluttering with the first stirrings of affection, mingled with excitement, anxiety and trepidation.

The eyes that held his spirit in thrall watched him edge closer, ever closer, never even fluttering closed even as his lips touched hers. She didn't quite know what was happening, what this gift of touch was, much less what it meant. She only knew what she felt - a twisting coil of something wonderful deep inside that complimented the sudden breathless thump of her heart. Her mouth softened beneath the soft kiss, offering an echo of it even as he drew back, the longing in her deepened despite her naive confusion. "Do you need my breath, Cian?"

After a long moment, Cian reluctantly broke the kiss, his lips slowly parting from hers, sharing that breathless caress if only for a moment, the warm heat of desire coiling in his stomach. His eyelids fluttered open as the sound of her voice drew him back from his reverie. Her question surprised him, proof of just how naive and innocent she really was. "No," he answered quietly, a light touch of fingertips against her cheek. It wasn't her breath he needed or desired, but something else. He wondered if he should explain, but how"

It was strange to her that, after his protests and objections during the day, he could lie here with her on the cool sand without seeming to mind her naked skin covered only by the drying fall of her hair. But that was not foremost in her mind. Her cheek turned just a little, just enough to press into the touch of his hand, the slow flutter of her eyelids enough to prove without words her liking of that gentle caress. "I liked it," she heard herself murmur, her voice low against the sound of the surf, unwilling to speak any louder and break the enveloping warmth around them. "It felt ....it felt right."

"I liked it, too," he admitted quietly, his voice softer and gentler than he'd ever spoken to her before. It had felt right to him, too, though he didn't understand why, and too afraid of getting hurt or of hurting her, he drew his hand away and changed the subject. His eyes drifted to the slash on her shoulder, and he frowned in concern. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he told her sadly. "I should have gone alone."

Her lips curved in a sweetly sad smile of her own at the sound of his guilt. "You would never have got there," she pointed out in her lilting voice. "They would have killed you." It seemed to take a supreme effort to draw her eyes from his, her own gaze lowering to the blood seeping still from his shoulder. Her fingertips touched very gently beneath the wound, her face twisted with unhappy concern. "You're hurt."

He knew she was right. Had either of them gone alone, their venture probably would have ended in disaster. Despite the odds and the numbers being stacked against them, they had succeeded in rescuing her mother, and there was at least some satisfaction in that. He mirrored her smile, as tired and sore as he was. "We made a good team, didn't we?" he asked, changing the subject again, though his heart was heavy with the worry that they were in even more danger now that they'd stolen the queen from under their noses and killed some of their men. He knew from experience that the pirates would want revenge and that they wouldn't rest until they had what they wanted. He flinched just a little as her fingers brushed against his skin, as gentle as she was, glancing toward his wounded shoulder, as if in all the excitement, he'd forgotten. "It's not that bad. It just needs to be cleaned and dressed."

"I should do that." Leilani nodded firmly, daring the fragile renewal of her strength to pull herself onto her unsteady feet. Despite the stinging burn of her own little injury, she reached her hands down toward Cian, though it was likely that if he took her help to stand, she would just land back in the sand beside him. A snapping chitter of sound rang out across the quiet bay, her head snapping toward the water as fear flared on her face. "They're coming. The black ship is coming, looking for us!"

He held her there for a long moment, feeling her heart beating close and almost in time to his. If it wasn't for the danger of the moment, he'd have kissed her again. If they kept on the way they were going, instincts would tell her why soon enough without any explanation from him, but now was not the time, and despite his promise, he wasn't sure she should stay with him. She was safer with her mother and her sisters, he thought, than with him, especially now that he knew they weren't just any pirates, but pirates who he'd escaped from once before.

The heart that had only recently shattered was slowly starting to mend, slowly allowing itself to open back up, to feel something again for the sweet, innocent woman he held in his arms, fearful of falling in love again, only to lose her. He pulled slowly back and plucked up the gown that lay rumpled on the ground between them, slipping it carefully over her head so that she didn't get tangled in the cloth. "You should get dressed," he told her as he helped her into the chemise. It wasn't so much because he felt uncomfortable with her nakedness, but because if the pirates found them, she'd be safer that way.

The passing of the black frigate was audible even through the rustle of the trees around them. There were even voices audible - incoherent, but clearly belonging to the men who crewed the ship, calling to one another as they followed the line of the coast, sharp eyes trained upon the beaches. Safely hidden from those dangerous eyes, Leilani drew back with palpable reluctance from Cian's arms, offering no protest, no objection to the gentle way he drew the thin cloth of the chemise back over her head. Her arms rose through the sleeves at his instigation, and somehow found themselves curled lightly about his neck, her face close to his in the dappled shadow of the moonlight.

Her eyes, deep green and soft with the slow burn of her growing longing, flickered over his face, from the dark turn of his eyes to the warm heat of his lips, her hand turning to smooth down over the unshaven line of his cheek. But innocent though she was of any recourse to love or desire, something held her back from repeating the touch of his lips to hers - perhaps his own reluctance as it shone through to her. The gentle curl of her hand lowered once again to hover over the bloody split in his skin. "We need fresh water," she murmured softly as the skirt of the chemise pooled about her knees against the ground, heedless as ever of the open laces at her bosom. "I know a plant that heals."

Cian stiffened, falling silent as he heard the pirate ship pass through the water, skirting the coast, voices audible, though he couldn't catch what they were saying, nor did he have to. He knew they were looking for them and wouldn't rest til they found them. They were lucky it was dark or the cave would have been found out for sure, and Cian was worried by morning, they'd be back. It was time to find a different place to hide and to form a plan of attack. Ignoring her concern for his well being, though his shoulder felt like it was on fire, he reached for her hands, meeting her gaze. "Leilani, they're gone, but they'll be back. They're not going to give up. We can't hide here forever. We have to talk to your mother and sisters. We have to figure out how to get rid of them once and for all."

Her small hands folded into his, warm and clutching tight, green eyes focused entirely upon his gaze as he spoke to her. "I can take you to mother," she said quietly. "There is air you can breathe there, you won't always be under the water, but ..." Her gaze flickered to his bloodied shoulder, seeming to have forgotten her own wound now hidden beneath cloth that was slowly staining with her blood. "I can't take you past the guardians while you are bleeding. You're human; they know the taste of human blood. They'll eat you." They would eat her, too - her own blood was not purely that of a Syreni. She was as much a target as he trailing blood through the water.

He felt himself shudder at the thought of that, not knowing what the guardians were, but preferring death in battle over being eaten by some monster. They had no choice, it seemed, but to remain there, at least until their wounds were tended. He reluctantly nodded in ascent, rocking back onto his heels, feeling suddenly bone-weary. "All right," he agreed. "Can't say I relish the thought of being a snack." He shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face, even that small motion making his shoulder flare up in pain.

"I do not relish the thought of you being a snack," she agreed with him, rising on her clumsy feet to draw him up with her, wincing just a little at the renewed pain that rippled along the slice at her collarbone. "Come, there is a waterfall not far from here." Her hand slid down his arm, curling her fingers into his as she turned away, leading the way through the darkened undergrowth toward the increasing sound of falling water.

He climbed to his feet, moonlight rippling through the softly swaying branches over their heads softly lighting their way. He wrapped his fingers around hers, afraid if he lost contact, he might lose his way in the thicket that surrounded the beach. He could hear the sound of a waterfall growing closer as she led the way through the undergrowth, keeping his thoughts to himself for now, silent as the night. He knew he was going to have to tell her the truth about the pirates sooner or later and was worried she'd blame him for bringing them here.

The waterfall she brought him to was tall, seeming to burst from the leaves of the trees overhead into the narrow clearing that surrounded a blue freshwater pool, glinting in the moonlight from above. She waded to her knees into the pool without fear, displaying a uniqueness about herself that was unpredictable to most - fresh water did not urge her to change shape. In fresh water, she remained human, her bare feet hidden in the sway of underwater grasses beneath the cling of the wet hem that wrapped about her legs, as vulnerable as he. Leilani turned to draw Cian into the water beside her, urging him to sit back against the smooth boulders that lined the pool. "Does it hurt very much?"

Cian came to a halt as they came to the clearing. Even in pain and heartsick with worry, he couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the place. It wasn't just the waterfall he found beautiful, but the sea, the beach, the forest, the moonlight, and most of all, his companion. He had found beauty beneath the water, marveling at the wonders to be seen there, sights few humans had ever seen before. He understood why the mermaids loved this place so much - it was no only because it was home, but because it was beautiful and peaceful and unblemished, at least, until now.

"It's beautiful here," he told her quietly, sharing his thoughts. "Peaceful." He slowly took in his surroundings, once again, marveling at the wonders before him, his gaze falling lastly upon the woman who was knee-deep in water and showing no sign of changing. One arm was outstretched to her as she led him into the water, lowering himself into the water, as she indicated. He lifted his brows at her question, confused for a moment and unsure what she meant, his head feeling groggy and muddled, like it had when she'd first pulled him from the sea. "A little," he lied, watching her.

She lowered to kneel down, settling herself between his knees in the warm lap of the water, barely aware of the now transparent wrap of the dress about herself from the waist down, uncaring that the spray from the waterfall was slowly soaking them both to the skin once again. This water was fresh, sweet, warm to the touch. As she cupped her hands, lifting them to pour that water into his wound, washing away blood and dirt with gentle ease, her eyes turned a little sad. "Yes, it is beautiful," she agreed in a soft voice. "But it can be very lonely."

She didn't go far. Just far enough that when her eyes opened, the tenderness of undeniable, unrestrained affectionate wonder was clearly visible, painting her face with the sweet depth of devotion only a heart that has never been hurt could possibly muster. Her name on his lips was a joy to hear, sweeping away any memory of the frights and danger of the night on a wave of shivering heat the small Syreni did not yet have a name for ....but it was there for him to see, desire bleeding through the innocence in her gaze. Her fingers smoothed from his jaw, her hands coming to rest where shoulders joined neck, soft against his skin. "Did I do it right?"

Despite all his stories of adventure and his desire for romance, he wasn't very experienced with women, only having fallen in love twice before - a very long time ago and more recently, both times ending with a broken heart. He smiled at her question, all his own pain and fears washed away with the warm tenderness of her kiss. "Yes, you did it right," he assured her, pulling her against him, circling her in his embrace.

The delight that painted her face was a sweet explosion of light following the darkness that had been her sad confession of loneliness. Her lips parted in a smile that shone from the deep green of her eyes, her arms looping about his neck as she surged into his embrace. It was such a small thing, perhaps, but she knew that this moment, that kiss, would stay with her until the end of time, even after she watched him sail away. Suddenly remembering the reason she had urged him into the fresh water in the first place, she gasped, dropping her arms from about him, leaning back in abrupt concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"It's called a kiss," he told her quietly as he held her close, fingers sliding through her hair. "It's something two people share when..." He trailed off, searching for the right words to explain without confusing her. "When they care for one another," he finished, his voice quieting further as she looped her arms around his neck. Had he known what she was thinking, it would have saddened him, realizing he didn't belong in her world. He frowned as she dropped her arms and pulled away from him again, brows furrowing in confusion. "No, you didn't hurt me."

"But your shoulder ..." Confused curiosity touched her expression suddenly as she realised what it was she hadn't taken in as he spoke. Something two people share when they care for one another. He cared for her" Even innocent as she was, Leilani knew that he did not mean he cared in the way that her father had cared, nor the obtuse care her mother showed for her. His injury forgotten all over again, she curled her hands to his face once more, dipping close to touch foreheads and noses, intimate contact from a sweet child of a woman who did not truly know what intimacy was. "I care for you." She didn't know why, but it seemed vitally important that she say it, that he saw the truth in her eyes as she said it. He needed to hear and see the truth in her heart.

His wounded shoulder all but forgotten for the moment, he smiled warmly, hands sliding along her bare arms as she cupped his face and brushed her nose and forehead to his. Maybe he was giving his heart too soon, but it was his heart to give, his choice to make. Like any other heart, his yearned to love and be loved in return, ever searching for the one who would heal his heart and make him whole again. Was she the one" If he didn't take a chance, he'd never know. "I..." He hesitated a moment, fear taking a brief but not lasting hold on his heart. "I care for you, too," he told her finally.

Again, that soft, delighted smile creased her sweet features, his hesitant confession earning him another warm wrap of her arms about him as she leaned in close, tucking herself snug into his arms in an embrace that an observer might have called loving. But again, it did not last long, her tender heart unable to forget for long that he was hurt and needed tending, her own small injury forgotten in the face of his. Her hand curled protectively over the half-healed wound in his flesh, not seeing how different it seemed now. "I will find the herb," she told him softly. "Wait here."

Distracted by the wonder of her kiss and the feelings that accompanied it, he didn't notice that the wound in his shoulder was nearly healed or that the gash in his head no longer ached. If he had, he would have blamed the water, thinking it possessed healing powers of some sort, but as yet, he was still far too astonished by the emotions that simple kiss had awoken in him, banishing all fear and doubt.

Gently, concerned as much by his silence as by the wounds she had not yet tended fully, Leilani slipped back from him, wading back to the shore, the sodden skirt of her thin chemise almost useless in hiding the innocent form he was so wary of even looking at from the waist down. She didn't go far, not out of sight, murmuring to herself as she sought out the herb her father had taught her about in the years before he had left the island for good. Clever fingers caught a good sprig of the waving green, breaking the stem to pull it free and turn to wade back through the clear, fresh water.

Cian watched, gaze following her as she moved away from him, lost in his own thoughts for a moment before something clicked in his head, somethng he hadn't noticed before. His brows furrowed as he watched her wading through the water back toward shore. He gasped in surprise as he realized she was walking, not swimming, back toward shore and he shot to his feet, sloshing through the water after her, boots sodden and squishy. "Leilani!" he called, snapping out of his reverie, sounding excited as he hurried toward her.

She jumped in surprise at the sound of her name so close, the noise his splashing through the water made swallowed up by the roar of the waterfall. The little woman turned to look at him, her precious herb clutched in her fingers, green eyes wide with concern. "What is it?" she asked worriedly. "What has happened?"

"Your legs!" he exclaimed as he came to a splashing halt in front of her. "They're not....changing," he said, looking in wonder at the legs that were barely hidden beneath the thin, wet gauze of her chemise. "What..." he gaped, confused, wondering why she hadn't shifted. She was a mermaid, after all, wasn't she?

Relief spread through her at his exclamation, understanding making itself known in the small, shy smile that rose on her face as she looked down at herself. Her head tipped back once again to meet his gaze, one hand lifting from the wet transparency of her dress to rub the pad of her thumb over his brow, smoothing away the lines of that confused frown he wore. "I only change in the sea," she told him, her lilting voice soft beneath the spray of the waterfall. "Fresh water never brings my tail to me."

She took his heart into herself, wrapping it about with the sweet innocence of her untried, unbroken affections. She didn't know that out in the world people didn't fall in love within hours of meeting; she didn't know that people expected to be hurt by the one they finally trusted with their heart. All she knew was the outpouring of tender warmth that surged from her to him as his lips touched hers; that she had found a place to belong, wherever he may be. That even if he walked away from her and never returned, Cian would always hold her heart in the palm of his hand, to cherish or to crush at his whim.

He had no intentions of crushing her heart and had no words to express what he was feeling for her, though they'd only just met. A broken heart that was just starting to mend, he knew he was taking a chance in opening his heart to her, but if he played it safe and never took a chance, how would he ever hope to know love again? Without fear, he put all he was feeling into that kiss, all the hope and the blossoming affection, tenderness and caring, and even desire. It was all there in that kiss, as brief and as gentle as it was, warm with promise and hope for the future.

Caught up in the kiss, Leilani forgot that they were in the water, that she should keep kicking or risk a spluttering end to the affectionate moment. Her arms curled about Cian's shoulders as she eased into him further, pressing the kiss closer, deeper, for a few short moments before gentling once again, following her untrained instinct toward affection as the change in position dipped them both under the surface.

He held his breath as they slipped below the surface, unworried as she could easily breath for him, and with their lips already locked together, he felt he was in no danger of drowning. He trusted her with his life, just as he was starting to trust her with his heart. He followed her lead, sensing her innocence and having little experience of his own to share, a heart that was almost as innocent as hers, though it had known the joy of love and the sorrow of loss. He broke away from her lips, looking on her with longing and amazement, as he led her slowly back toward shore, the playfulness of a moment ago giving way to a deeper desire.

She was entirely his to lead where he would, softly submissive to his will though they both knew that she could be just as stubborn as he. After all, if she was obedient all the time, he would not be alive, and even if he had survived the storm and the encounter in the pirates' cave, she would not be with him at his instigation. Leilani couldn't say what it was that drove her to follow his lead, to swim with those unfamiliar motions of leg and arm in his wake until her feet found purchase on smooth rock and swaying water-grass, only that it could never have occurred to her not to follow. Tentative hands reached out to touch him, fingertips finding some new purpose in the sensation of sodden cloth turned transparent in its cling to his firm flesh.

His hands found hers as their feet found purchase on solid ground once again, water pooling around them near the shore. Slender, gentle fingers drew the thin, wet cloth away from her shoulder, frowning in concern at the slash that marked her collarbone, a reminder of the danger they'd encountered only a few hours ago. "You're hurt," he said softly, as if he'd only just noticed the mark of the blade that had come a little too close to her throat.

She had forgotten the neat, clean little slice that marred her skin, the stinging burn soothed away as much by the warm fresh water as his kisses. Those soulful emerald eyes blinked in slow realisation of his words, reluctantly turning from her contemplation of the darkness of his own gaze to flicker her vision down toward the insignificant little injury. "Not any more." And perhaps she was right; there was no more blood, the flesh already beginning to knit itself together. The pirate's blade had been sharp, a hidden blessing amid the shock and pain of that cut. Leilani lifted her eyes to Cian once again, soft in the stillness of the waterfall. "I don't feel it."

"I won't let them hurt you again, Leilani," he promised, eyes drifting back to the loveliness of her face as he drew the wet, clingy fabric back up over her shoulders, though it did little to hide what lay beneath. "I won't leave you," he found himself telling her, despite somehow knowing that he couldn't stay, that the mermaid queen wouldn't allow it. He wondered how she'd come to be, if she'd been born in love or in lust, if the mermaid queen had taken a man for a lover or been taken. Not yet comfortable enough to ask her such questions, to pry into her life, he pushed them aside once again, drawing her out of the water, back onto shore. Observant enough to have noticed which of the plants she'd plucked in her desire to soothe his own wounds, he tugged a leaf from a stem, arching his brows to her hesitantly. "Was this the one?" he asked, holding the leaf out to her in the palm of one hand.

The promise struck her deep - not that he would not let her be hurt, but that he would not leave. In all her lifetime, everyone she had loved had left her, one way or the other; from the father who had raised her in her first formative years before he was released into the world, to the sisters who had abandoned her once she had learned the ways of the sea, to the mother who left her out of a cold-blooded sense of protection. She didn't want to be left alone again, and just the suggestion that he didn't want to leave her was enough to touch the inexperienced heart beating in her chest. She followed his gaze down to the plant nestled in his fingers, her smile lifting as she nodded. "Yes, that one."

Unaware of what his promises stirred in her heart, and unable to predict whether or not he'd be able to fulfill them, it was the thought behind the promise that was important, the desire to keep her safe, at all costs, and the reluctance to leave her. "What-what do I do with it?" he asked, unsure of himself now that they were nearly back on land.

"Here." He'd offered them both a way out of that moment of awkward uncertainty with that unsure question. Leilani's hands folded over his, drawing him down onto the soft bed of green moss that lined the ground beneath the trees, out of the moon's glare. She took the leaves from him, sitting close to be sure he saw what she did. Taking just one of those thick leaves, she sliced it open with her fingernail, gathering the ooze of sap in the palm of her hand as it spilled forth. With the other hand, she drew the shoulder of his shirt down, and blinked in surprise at the wound she found there. "You're healing. How?"

The desire he was feeling softened a little, replaced by concern when he remembered the wound she'd endured at the hands of the pirates. He settled himself on the soft, cool ground beside her, watching as she sliced the leaves open and drew out the sap. Blinking out of his thoughts, he followed her gaze to his own shoulder, brows arching in mirrored surprise to find his own wound closed and nearly healed. "I-I don't know," he muttered, running a finger against the partially healed wound that would not even leave so much as a scar.

He sensed that need arise in her, that longing for more than mere kisses. As innocent as she was, she was a woman with a woman's needs and desires, the ember of longing set on fire in both their hearts and bodies, deepened by the sense of danger and fear of loss that could catch them off guard at any moment. No one knew what awaited them in the future, and there was no time like the present. He laid her carefully back against the cool, moss-covered ground as his lips plied hers, savoring the sweetness of her kisses and the warmth of her embrace.

Soft and sure in the deepest part of her that this held the same rightness as that first pivotal decision to venture into the storm that had almost taken his life, Lani was pliable sweetness in his arms, restless with the unknowing longing that painted her soul. The kisses he recalled from that death-filled night had given him life and breath when nothing else could; now his kisses stole her breath away, melting every part of her into him until she could not tell where he ended and she began. Her fingers clenched in the dripping swathe of his shirt, flexing tight and loose as finally her eyes closed, losing herself to the tenderness that enveloped her in his arms.

Cian continued to ply her with kisses, until his lips were swollen and he was out of breath. Ironic how kissing her could take his breath away when she was the one who had given him breath time and again. Without that first kisses, he would not have survived. He owed her his life, but it was his heart that he now offered. Leaning over her, caught there by the fingers that were gripping his shirt, his lips parted from hers as he gazed into her eyes, losing himself for a moment in those lovely depths of emerald green. "You should rest," he told her softly, resisting the temptation to take her then and there. She was a sweet flower to be plucked and savored slowly, not all at once. He brushed her hair back from her face, not because he needed to, but because it was an excuse to touch her, a gentle touch for one whose hands were sword-callused.

Very slowly, her grasp on his shirt loosened, releasing him from that instinctive, insistent hold as she gazed up into his eyes, trusting herself entirely to his decision. She couldn't put a name to the hot surge through her veins, the gentler warmth that accompanied it and set her heart to singing at even the faintest smile on his lips. So it was his decision to quench those feelings or to feed them, and Leilani would abide by it, despite her reluctance. "So should you," she answered in a quiet whisper, drawing her knuckles gently along his cheek. "You have had a long night."

His eyes drifted closed momentarily when she touched him, that gentle whisper of a caress setting his heart on fire. When his eyes slowly opened again, they were dark with longing and deepening feelings he dared not yet put into words. He had a feeling this might be the last few hours they had to themselves before they sought refuge with the mermaid queen, but he didn't want to rush or force the moment. His father had once told him that all good things were worth waiting for, and yet, time waited for no man, and he felt conflicted

Though his body felt the urgency of his desire, his heart was patient and kind, the longing of the heart outweighing the desire of the flesh. He withdrew her hand from his cheek, his fingers linking with hers. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, wanting to open his heart to her and tell her everything that was weighing so heavily on his mind, but he held himself in check. He turned his head away momentarily to gaze at the sky and the position of the moon. "It will be morning soon." Dreaded morning, when they'd have to leave this place for fear of being found.

"We could go now," the little woman suggested, unaware of the many things just on the tip of his tongue that he refused to let himself say, foolish in her desire to please him despite her weariness. It would be a dangerous journey to the seawater cenote where her mother held court, only accessible from the sea, through more wide caves that dwelt beneath the water, guarded by terrors of the deep. But to please Cian, Lani would risk exhausting herself gladly, even to the point of her life.

"No," he answered, too weary himself for a journey through unfamiliar waters and wanting to enjoy the solitude and serenity of the few hours they had left alone in this place. "You should rest first," he insisted, feeling something of a burden to her, knowing that if it not for him, she could easily traverse the waters and seek protection for herself. He sank down onto the cool, mossy ground, as soft a bed as he was likely to find for a while, and looked up at the star-filled sky. "It's peaceful here," he said, for the second time that night, tucking an arm back to pillow his head, his eyes growing heavy.

Ignoring the chill, damp cling of their clothes, Leilani shifted as he lay back, rolling to curl close against his side as she had done when they slept side by side before. Her arm draped over him, her ear finding a pillow over his heart. Warm and quiet and comforted by the closeness of the first man to have touched her heart, she let a low, contented sigh leave her lips, falling into easy, unhaunted sleep.

He eased an arm around her shoulders as she tucked herself close, his body warm against hers, despite the wet clothing that clung like a second skin, acutely aware of the closeness of her, the soft curve of her body against his lithely-muscled torso. As much as he tried to fight the weariness, he eventually lost the battle, surrendering himself to bone-weary exhaustion, his mind numb and too tired to think. He'd need his rest for the journey ahead, and he'd need a clear mind to formulate a plan of attack.

He would have that. For now, at least, the pirates had broken off their search, secure in the knowledge that the lone man who had stolen their prize from them had no means to get off the island himself. They would search the island when the sun was high, but for now, they returned to their cave to sleep off the excess of drink they had imbibed, never knowing that just a few short miles away, man and maid slept in the cool grasp of the forest, lulled into peace by the steady fall of water from above.

——-

((Thanks to anyone who may have actually read all that. Much more to come as the plot thickens and more danger and adventure await our hero and heroine. As always, HUGE thanks to my partner in crime and muse extraordinaire without whom there would be no story. Stay tuned for more, coming soon to a message board near you.))