Page 6 of Rock of Stages
We headed toward the ship and he angled down. “Get ready to land.”
I braced myself but as soon as my feet hit the deck, I teetered.
“Whoa!” I flailed my arms as I tried to keep my balance.
He swooped me back to him, steadying me against his stone wall of a chest.
I blinked up at him and gave a sheepish grin. “Not used to land legs. They’re, um…wobbly.”
He huffed a soft laugh. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
He seemed even more massive standing upright, looming a head or two above me. I stared up at him—the chiseled jawline, stone-gray eyes and skin—and my heart resumed its frantic beat. But not from the unsteady landing.
From him.
From this.
And this enigmatic thrum of energy between us.
I didn’t want to step away from him, but I had to. Although my legs still wavered like sea kelp, I stepped back. He straightened and his wings folded behind him in a graceful sweep, then disappeared.
“Caleb! Caleb!” voices shouted. “You okay?”
I glanced toward them. Three men rushed over to us.
“Yeah. Thanks to this mermaid.” He motioned to me, his eyes glistening with gratitude. “Wait, what’s your name?”
“Naiya.”
“Naiya,” he repeated, his lips spreading into an enigmatic smile. The way he said it in his baritone sparked a little thrill inside me. “I’m Caleb.”
“Whathappened?” the man with long, dark hair asked.
“Angus.” Caleb snarled. “Damn selkie always causes trouble, then slinks off.” He exhaled and turned to me. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling steadier on my legs.
“These are my bandmates. We play on the ship as Luna Blue Shadows.” Caleb pointed out the man. “Our guitarist, Van.” He gestured at the blond guy beside him. “Our lead singer Damien.” And then to the burly man with a dark beard. “And our bassist Rex.” Pointing at each of them in turn, he added, “Jaguar shifter, vampire, and wolf shifter.”
“Been a while since we had a mermaid onboard,” Van said. “Last time, it was a pod for a wild bachelorette party.”
“No, those were sirens,” Damien corrected.
I stared at each of them as I followed the conversation, and then we exchanged greetings. His bandmates thanked me for my help.
“Better than having us try to haul your heavy granite ass out of the ocean,” Van teased Caleb.
Caleb grunted. “Do something useful and grab us towels, will ya?”
Van chuckled. He headed down the stairwell and returned with two fluffy towels. When he handed one to me, Caleb reached forward and grabbed them both.
“Got it, thanks.” He opened it up and wrapped the towel around my shoulders.
My nerves fluttered as Caleb ensured I was warm.
“Thank you,” I murmured and glanced around. What was I doing here on this floating ship? I should be below the water, not cruising along above it. “Now that I know you’re okay, I should probably head back in.” I motioned with my head toward the waves cascading by.
“Wait… I have to find a way to thank you,” Caleb insisted. “At least let me…” He let out a low whoosh. “Do you want to come to my cabin to dry off? Are you hungry?”
