A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1 of Salt Kiss series)

><> Chapter Twenty-Eight <><

"Are you sure?" said Llyr as we kissed under the stars.

I nodded, "definitely."

I now truly felt like I could trust him, and after a day like ours I didn't want to wait a minute longer.

He kissed my neck and tugged at one of the strings on my bikini. I lay back and sighed, an amazing feeling washing over me.

Suddenly a man's voice filled the air. At first I was confused and wondered if I was hearing things, I sat up slowly and then I screamed. A dozen big men stood in the waves.

Llyr put his arms around me.

"It's okay," he said. "It's Ri."

I felt my cheeks redden. Omg, his father? How long have they been standing there whilst we've been making out? This is so cringe and embarrasing!

Fortunately they seemed preoccupied with other affairs. Ri, who stood at the forefront, shouted to Llyr in their language and Llyr answered him in what I could only assume was the same tongue.

Now that Ri had transformed to man and stood out of the water, I could see that his dark, wet hair was as long as his waist, and he wore big metal bands around his wrists and neck. He was terrifyingly tall, and most certainly not somebody you would want to rub up the wrong way.

While they spoke, I peered at the rest of the congregation. To Ri's right was Spirit. His blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail tonight,and he was watching me intensely, arms crossed in front of his chest.

The rest of the men were just like Ri, Spirit,and Llyr; muscular and inked-up. I squinted in the moonlight and could see that some of them had small, light-coloured dots painted on their skin. They wore cloths round their waists, which looked as though they were made of nets but it was hard to see such details in the dark. 

Llyr and Ri continued to exchange words but I did not have a clue what they were saying.  I wondered why they were here.

Llyr turned to me. "Crystal, there is another boat leaving the harbour full of poison."

"Oh, Shhh...oot," I said, narrowly avoiding a swear word. Great, this'll make life at home all the better.

"Yes, but they need me to go with them and stop it," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

I looked at him and nodded. "Its okay, but how will I get home?" 

"Bright will take you," said Llyr, nodding towards one of the smaller tribesmen who stood on the edges of the gathering. "I will introduce you. He will get you home safely, I promise."

"Okay," I said, reaching for my dress. I looked at the mermen and then back at Llyr. "They're staring," I whispered.

Llyr turned. "Spare us a moment?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

Ri nodded silently, and they turned their backs on us so that they faced the sea.

Llyr helped me to my feet, and I buttoned up my dress. He picked up my sunglasses and scarf and handed them to me.

"I wish so much that I didn't have to go," he said kissing me on the cheek.

I hugged him. "Me too, but it's okay. I understand."

"I will come to you tomorrow, sundown," he said looking down at me. "But I won't be able to stay very long; I have to go on a journey."

I looked down disappointed but forced myself to nod and smile. He took my hand, and we walked down to the sea. The mermen turned back to face us again, and I felt around twelve sets of eyes fix themselves curiously to my face.

"Hi," I said awkwardly.

"May the spirit of the night reach out and bless you under its moon and stars, Miss White," said Ri with a friendly but boundaried smile.

"Oh... yes lovely,  thank you," I replied, feeling kind of foolish.

"This is Bright," said Llyr. Bright had short, scruffy hair and was of a more slender build than the other men. He smiled with a genuine warmth and I relaxed a little.

Llyr squeezed my hand before joining the other men behind Ri.

"We need to take Llyr," said Ri. "I'm sorry for that."

"Sure... no worries," I said, with a small smile.

Spirit threw back his head and laughed. "No worries," he mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

I was suddenly overcome by rage and I felt a dizzy sensation. Is he really taking the piss out of my voice now? What a loser.

"Um.. So, Spirit?" I heard myself say, voice somehow cool and collected.