Page 39 of Riding the Tide

“Wow, gills. Talk about a mind fuck. These gills… Obviously they can’t be seen all the time or people like Brett wouldn’t be able to carry on a reasonable normal life on land.”

“Right. The gills are always there but there are these things called skinfolds which hide them when not in use. You can still swim around humans and keep them hidden if you wished.”

That actually made a lot of sense. “Water doesn’t make them automatically—I don’t know what the right word is here—activate, or something like that?”

“No, water has nothing to do with it. It takes a conscious decision to use them. When you need to breathe underwater you’ll have to make a concentrated effort to open them until it becomes second nature to you.”

“Okay, good. Last thing I need is for them to be popping out in an inopportune moment.”

Marcus snorted. “None of us want that.”

Blair could only imagine. He stared at the table trying to make sense of everything Marcus told him. It all sounded so outrageously unbelievable, but then when he actually thought about it, it did sort of make sense.

He knew before he met Marcus there were other creatures who walked the earth. They had to have a way to hide, otherwise mass panic would ensue. Humans didn’t do well with things they didn’t understand.

“Are you okay?” Marcus finally asked after several minutes of quiet.

“I… yes. Just thinking. It’s, ah… a lot to take in.” Blair gulped his soda. “Tell me more about the transformation process.”

“Well, like I said, it takes two bites. After the second bite the transformation begins and your body changes. Kannon said while that happens, you’ll most likely pass out. I guess it makes it easier on you. Then, once you awaken, it’s a possibility you’ll have a headache and might even be nauseated.”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad, considering you’re basically changing my DNA.” It sounded unpleasant, yes, but at least he wouldn’t be flopping around like a fish out of water. Then he cringed mentally. Probably was a good thing he hadn’t said that out loud.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that,” Marcus continued. “After you have completed the transition I’ll take you to a private place—most likely my cave. Once we’re alone I’ll change into my merman form and teach you how to open and close your gills.”

“You’ll teach me how to breathe underwater.”

“Yes.” Marcus covered Blair’s hand with his own. “How are you doing so far?”

Wasn’t that the five-million-dollar question? “I won’t lie. It’s kind of scary. You’re talking about changing who and what I am. That’s hard to wrap your head around, you know? I’m guessing once this is done it can’t be undone.”

“I honestly don’t know.” Marcus threaded his fingers through Blair’s. “No one has ever wanted to go back to being human. If I had to guess, I’d say the process is permanent. You’ll be my mate, and you’ll live two lives: one on land and one in the ocean.”

He’d never admit it out loud to Marcus, but hearing he’d be spending time on land helped. “Fascinating. Scary, too, but utterly fascinating.”

“You also need to understand that while merfolk aren’t immortal, we do live longer than humans. Once we mate, your life expectancy will extend. You will live as long as me.”

“And how long is that?” Blair took several sips of his soda.

“It’s pretty much like how human’s age—some live to an old age and some die young. I’m sixty years old.”

“Holy shit!” Good thing he swallowed before Marcus told him that or he’d have spit Coke all over the table. “You look half of that.”

“Thank you.” Marcus winked at him. “Your aging will slow tremendously, too.”

“Good to know.” Then Blair sighed. “I’m all for hanging onto my youth, but this… this is really major. We hardly know each other and we’re talking about a commitment that’ll transcend anything I’m familiar with. I don’t see how I can do that.”

The air chilled between them as Marcus slowly spoke. “Are… are you rejecting me?”

“No! Oh God, no.” Blair squeezed Marcus’ hand. “I didnotmean that. I’m saying I think we need to spend some time together. I mean, come on Marcus, wejustmet each other. I know absolutely nothing about you as a person, and you know nothing about me. I’m not saying no.”

Marcus pried his hand away from Blair’s and scooted around the other side of the settee. He stood and walked over to one of the port windows. “Whatareyou saying?”

“I’m asking for time. I want to eat meals with you, watch TV, spend time goofing off, go to bed together, and get up together. I want to sit across the breakfast table from you in the mornings and brush my teeth next to you at night. I want to explore your world as best I can since I am still human, and I want to spend time with you in my world, too.”

“So, what?” Marcus turned to face Blair. “Are you suggesting we… live together?”

“Yes!” Blair nodded frantically. He stood and quickly made his way over to Marcus. He grabbed both his hands. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

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