Chapter Five

His Siren Needs no Song

"This is amazing!" Hay-Lin yelled as she ran ahead, big sunhat flopping with each step, dressed in a white and blue polka-dot bikini with a white wrap around her waist. Feet bare as she ran across the hot sand. As they all forwent sandals.

Taranee smiled, using a hair tie on her wrist to pull her braids back, wearing an orange bikini halter top with blue swim shorts and matching bangles. She pulled her large beach tote up higher on her bare shoulder. "It's nice," she agreed, pleased at the sight. "The water looks refreshing." Her glasses caught the hard rays of the beach sun as she adjusted them.

Irma grabbed Taranee's arm and pulled her after Hay-Lin. The water guardian wore a deep green two-piece, the bottoms high waisted with straps across the front, and the top more of a bustier style. "Wait up Hay-Lin!" she called, waving her free arm.

Cornelia smiled as she shook her head. She had on a blue monokini, accented with crystals around the bra, and cutouts on the side. She lopped her arm through Will's and pulled her along after the other three.

While Will was just in her rash guard, a long sleeve with a geometric image on it in black and white, and a black bikini top underneath for some extra support. She felt under dressed as her four friends had far flasher, and cuter, outfits. But Will had dressed knowing she was going to be spending a majority of her time in the water. The Heart had a few neat tricks, such as letting her access the four elements in small amounts. And accessing air let her breathe underwater without the need of clunky diving gear. The girls had given her vague promises to dive with her, more interested in the beach activities on the surface, as Elyon had done a marvelous job recreating the look of an Earth getaway.

A long wooden boardwalk surrounded the sandy beach with festive stalls set up along it, with food, ice cream, drinks, and simple carnival games. On the beach were a couple of volleyball nets, a large fire pit with logs around it for seating, dozens of beach chairs with large umbrellas, and blankets spread on the ground. There were tents set up as well, flaps currently curled up, providing privacy for changing when needed. The largest tent was Elyon's, her flag flying above it.

The people of Meridian's swimwear were more modest than the Earthlings, but not drastically so. They wore what she could only call a swim-tunic, with the men wearing thin breeches with a bare chest.

Elyon, toeing the middle, wore a high neck white one piece with a long, flowing lace cover up. Caleb and Matt wore normal men's swim trucks, and had given Drake and Aldarn pairs, which they all wore.

Raythor, Julian, Tynar, and Vathek were in light armor, staying on guard. As much as the Guardians argued that with them, Elyon, and Matt there, they could relax. The older men were not having it. Anything could happen, and they wanted to be ready.

Elyon, always thoughtful of her people's well-being, had brought enough servants so they could cycle out in three shifts in the day to enjoy the island as well.

Overall, though, the day would be long and fun.

"Oh, no, already!" Cornelia groaned, looking off to the side. "Why is he here again?"

Will turned to the line of open tents far back along near a grouping of dark rocks that oversaw a deeper section of ocean. At the one at the far end, spaced away from rest, stood a man. He was standing in the doorway of his tent, arms crossed, starting out at the sea, wearing a thin white cover and, most likely, a gift from Elyon, black swim trunks. His chest was bare. Pale skin soaking up the scorching sun, and his long hair pulled back into a thick braid that near brushed the sandy ground his toes curled into.

As if he could sense her, blue eyes turned to her, tracing her form.

Will wasn't sure why, but she suddenly wished she was both dressed flashy like Cornelia and modest like Elyon. Where, under his gaze, she was both too exposed but also too constricted by the confines of her skintight suit.

"Ew," Cornelia scoffed, recoiling at his stare. "Fucking creeper. We don't need him staring at us all day," she said as she turned Will away and pushed her towards their friends.

Unable not to, Will looked over her shoulder, finding unreadable blue eyes still on her. She flashed him a smile, happy he was taking steps to socialize, and turned back to her friends.

Things started out well. Will and Taranee formed an unbeatable volleyball duo that took no prisoners. Hay-Lin and Irma made sandcastles by hand, that some children of both servants and nobles joined. Cornelia and Elyon stayed near the royal tent for a while, talking and sunbathing. Matt, Caleb, Drake, and Aldarn did everything as a group. They had challenged Will and Taranee in teams of two. Matt, obviously going easy, until Will sent him a glare, sheepishly smiled before taking it seriously.

Eventually, the boys were the first group to enter the water, using surfboards she knew Caleb had brought over from Earth years ago. Caleb was always happy to share any Earth skills with his friends, so it did not surprise Will to see a lot of Meridians could surf.

Will was feeling hot, sweat beading at her hairline and streaking down her face. Seeing how no one seemed to care about the other Guardians outfits, she unzipped her front, planning to get in the cool water soon. She pulled the collar back, exposing more of her chest and the black bikini top, with the zipper side now pressing into the sides of her breast to keep the suit open.

Feeling a little cooler, she played a round against Taranee, frustrated to lose. While they were both active in sports, Taranee was more proficient in activities on land, while Will excelled in water.

Some electricity jumped from her hair as she blew it from her face, staring daggers at the fire guardian.

Taranee smiled and laughed. "Don't be such a sore loser!"

Will demanded a rematch, which Taranee declined, ready to move on to another activity. Will looked around, looking for another person to play with, only to spot Phobos, the only solo person, lounging near his tent, reading a book.

Maybe?

Would he?

Like always, Phobos seemed to know when he was being watched, or maybe he was just paranoid and checked often?

Or maybe he had a reason to look over at her spot regularly? Why did that thought make heat roll from her skin in waves?

Once he met her gaze, face neutral, Will felt herself smile, liking the idea of fighting Phobos in a volleyball match, of all things. She took a few steps towards him, with him sitting his book down, only for a tan, well-defined chest to block her view.

Startled, Will took a few uneasy steps back, only for powerful hands to help steady her.

"Sorry!" Matt chuckled, voice smooth and light. Messy, wet hair falling in his deep eyes. The Shagon form had influenced his human growth, and it filled him out with tone muscle. Making him taller than her by near a foot.

Overall, he looked good in his blue and white boxers. The tattoos he had gained over the years, dedicated to his music and his duty as an Earth Regent, suited him very well, coloring his skin alongside the warmth of the sun.

Seeing he was without his boys, Will panicked.

She really didn't want to hang out with him.

Too messy.

Too painful.

After all, she was the one who wanted to break-up, not him. She knew what he was going to say. It had all been said already by him and her four friends. Over and over.

"Hey, there Matt!" she forced out, voice higher than normal. "Oh, boy, look at that water! Think I'm take a dip, what you think Heart?" she said, holding up the rapidly dangling pendant, which flashed bright in agreement. "Haha, see, official guardian duties! See ya, Matt!"

Matt just shook his head. He knew her, inside and out, and her ramblings didn't distract him as he said, "Yeah, got it, Will. Have fun." He placed a warm hand on her shoulder and added, "Just don't spend the rest of the day alone? Your friends are here too."

Will turned red, feeling to exposed under his even stare. He saw so much. "Uh, yeah," she answered, looking away towards the waves. "See ya," Will repeated, running to the water, zipping up her suit, and diving in, embracing the soothing cold of the sea.

Now underwater, Will doubted she could keep her word to Matt.

It was beautiful, the beams of light creating curtains of white as they cascaded through the water. The way waves curled above, streaking shadows across her skin. How small everything was, compared to the vast water around her, where she floated, forgetting what waited for her on land, becoming just a speck. Her problems meaningless.

She moved to the deep section, along the rocks on the side of the beach, feeling a gentle pull from the Heart. The water was a little more lively there, but it only made her heart pound in excitement as she swam lower, seeing coral and ocean plants growing in the stillness of the deep. Fishes scattering as she swam.

Will found an opening to a cave system near the bottom. Normally, Will wouldn't have even considered entering it alone. But she wasn't sure who she wanted to accompany her right now. None of the girls were interested. They wanted group activities at the moment, and Will found she needed solitude.

Who did she even want to share this serene stillness with?

Blue eyes flashed before her, as cold as the sea, and she choked on ocean water. Quickly, she surfaced as she followed the Heart, pulling herself up along the rocks.

Breaching the water's surface, she coughed out the salty water. She had done this dozens of times and never swallowed water like that before. Wiping water and wet hair from her face, she looked up into bewildered blue eyes that stared down into hers.

Will was clutching wet rocks near his legs, as he was sitting with his feet in the cool water. He was only in his swim shorts, no book in hand.

Will was starting to understand.

The Heart pulled her this way for a reason.

Because, deep down, she asked to find him.

Someone who appreciated solitude.

There was some commotion behind Phobos, making him turn away from her, body tensing, and Will seized the moment, pulling herself up enough to grab his waist and push back off the rocks into the water.

He had enough time to take a deep breath as she dragging him under, like a siren.

They sank down, light rippling across his distrustful face, hand on her shoulder, keeping a space between them, Heart floating between. Eventually, their slow descent no longer bothered the wildlife, and colorful alien fish flickered by. They nibbled at Phobos' long braid as it trailed over them, like a cord that connected him to the surface. Fins tickling their skin as they passed, scales smooth and cold.

A bigger creature became emboldened, moving free of the undergrowth, and drifted closer, yellow eyes more intelligent than the simple fish. It looked at Will. Reading her mind and understanding now was not the time to feed its baser needs.

A long, iridescence sea dragon slithered over, the length of a fishing boat, and flicked its tongue across Phobos skin, unsure of the prince. The dragon opened its mouth, letting the surrounding water in, teeth white and sharp.

Phobos moved closer to Will, hand now loosely on her side, but didn't push the dragon off as it brushed its huge muzzled to his arm. Gently, Phobos placed a palm to the creature's head, between its slitted yellow eyes. It closed them, understanding, and released a torrent of hot water from its mouth, like a long sigh.

It swam away, but not far, twisting around to keep watching them. A few more dragons approached, far smaller than the first, different shades of blue, scales shimmering, and circled them. They read her mind, her presence giving them clarity to indulge in their youthful curiosity. A small one rubbed its narrow head against her flowing red hair, letting out a sonic mewl that echoed around them.

Will kept one arm on her companion and reached out to pet the soft scales of the baby sea dragon. It let out another cry, rubbing against her hand and squeezing between them, pressing against Phobos' chest. The prince pet the needy dragon, scraping his nails against its jaw.

Will smiled, the sight before her not one she could have ever predicted, but still filled her heart.

Phobos looked from the dragon to her, face less guarded, expression content.

The others surrounded them, each wanting a turn. They tried to pet each one, only for Phobos to show tell-tale signs of needing air. The dragons were having none of that, refusing to let either of them rise more than a few inches.

Having shared the borrowed power of air before, Will didn't worry as she touched the Heart, asking it to aid Phobos.

There was a violent shock of magic. It flared through the water, heating where it touched, panicking the dragons, making them cry out in fear. The surrounding water became a blur as bubbles clouded their vision and they were knocked aside.

There was a snarl. The largest dragon, the mother, baring its teeth at them, angry. Will gripped Phobos, seeing the yellow light emanate from him, drawing the dragon's fury.

Elyon's magic.

It must have blocked her attempt to share magic with him.

Above them swirled the other dragons, upset and snapping at each other. Before them was charging the mother, her jaw wide, eyes ablaze, all reason gone, just a need to protect her children.

Could she teleport away?

Would she just end up leaving Phobos behind if Elyon's magic blocked her again?

Deciding, Will yanked Phobos down to the opening she had found, blasting a ray of pink magic just to blind the dragon, as she didn't want to hurt or kill it. It snarled again, twisting away and bumping into a rocky wall, unharmed. Will pulled them deep into the opening, just hidden in the cave's darkness, light barely touching their face.

It was then Will realized Phobos still needed to surface.

He still needed to breathe.

Panic.

Pure panic drove her decision, as she felt genuine fear he would die before her because her rash behavior.

The Guardian of Infinity reached out and shoved her mouth to the prince's, sharing her magical air source in a more primal way.

He had panicked, not understanding, and she had to shove her tongue between his lips to get him to take a breath, accidentally brushing his warm tongue, teeth scraping.

Will knew her eyes were as wide as his as she pulled away, bodies finally apart.

The Heart released a glow in warning as the sea dragon's shadow blocked out their light. They glanced outside and then to the cave. Will asked the Heart for light, and it maintained a soft glow as they swam deeper in, away from danger.

It was narrow, where they had to swim single file, and deep, with the light of the Heart catching on brilliant crystals. It was beautiful, something Will would have loved to explore and memorize, but she was to on edge at the moment.

Will tensed as a hand reached for hers, stopping her and pulling her back. There wasn't much room as he squeezed his body along hers, coming face to face.

It confused her until he looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

Ah, right.

She was more careful the second time, only pressing air into his mouth, lips barely creating a seal. Vaguely, she felt his fingers ghost her hips, but, considering the small space, she thought nothing of it.

When he reached for her again, for a third shared breath, Will was aware it was a noticeably shorter amount of time since the last. Now his hand was lightly on her hip as her lips pressed to his, firmer with a bit of warmth noticeable even in the cold of the deep.

The fourth time was again shorter, hand fully on her bare hips, nimble fingers digging into her flesh, eyes still unable to meet hers.

The fifth was directly after the fourth. No more doubt, lips boldly seeking after hers as she pulled away, his hard chest rubbing against her soft breast. Air no longer his desire.

The sixth had his tongue in her mouth, blue eyes now on hers, more predatory than the dragon they fled from. Teeth on her lips.

The seventh had his hand tight in her short red hair, not letting her fully pull away. Hips pulled against him.

And the eighth had him in complete control, shoving her against the cave wall, stealing all the air from her lungs as he consumed her.