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He knitted his eyebrows together before recognition flashed across his face. The
smile he gave her could have melted ice. "The next time I see you," he said, backing
deeper into the tide, "I'll let you know."
But what if we never meet again? The thought flickered in her mind before being
squelched by the surety in Danyl's tone. He knew they would meet again. Everything in
his voice said he counted on it.
"Until the next time then," she whispered. Still, her eyes burned while watching the
water rise the deeper he went. When at last the water hid his waist, Danyl did an
impressive backwards flip into the water to disappear from sight.
Her mouth fell open of its own accord before he'd completely submerged. Gone were
his lean, muscled legs that wrapped around hers as they lay on the beach. In their place, a
tail of blue-green hues extended. Its ends tapered into a flare tipped by delicate-looking
white. There were no scales to speak of, but the pattern swirled in a unique decoration
that could understandably be mistaken for individual scales. Her background in marine
biology and the play of burgeoning sunlight helped distinguish the outlines, however. She
also couldn't prevent herself from reflecting how the ventral portion of his tail now
lacked one very important, titillating detail.
Oh well. It showed up when it counted.
Amused by her own disturbing, sex-laced concerns, her heart lifted a fraction and a
smile threatened to form. She would see him again. She was sure of it, too.
It took only a few minutes to gather what gear she planned to take and locate the trail
leading to the private beach area for the local hotel. Once there, she'd borrow a phone and
make arrangements for her next moves. She'd need to replace her trusty steed as soon as
the insurance money arrived, speak with her university contact and then once everything
was settled, crawl into her bed for a month-long sleep.
After about a quarter mile of walking, she frowned. Lifting her head, she turned to
face the beach and scanned the horizon. Had she really heard&
"Aphrodite!"
The wetsuit tumbled from her hands, but she didn't care. As if in a dream, Di ran
toward the water, slowing once inside and only when the drag against her legs forced her
to do so.
"You have it, Aphrodite," Danyl called when he broke from the waves again, his
voice tremulous with excitement. A span of no more than ten feet separated them. "You
have the key I seek!"
*
It had been a hunch. Just a niggle in the back of his neck. But thank the gods, he'd
picked up the slate almost immediately upon locating it and tracked the key's location&
Right back to his goddess.
"We've got to put some clothes on you before someone sees," she muttered as they
waded ashore.
Danyl didn't know about that. He'd gotten used to the slow crawl of her gaze on his
body every time he approached her au natural. With every inch she took in, his body
warmed in gradual waves, stopping when just short of combustion. Now that he'd also
gotten used to this cock he'd been equipped with, he kind of liked its reaction too. The
pulse of need, the lengthening and gentle ascent. He had to fight every urge to throw her
down against the sand and plunge himself into her wetness again. What an amazing
sensation!
Reason took over and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter because I'm heading back
out as soon as you give the key to me. I'll be gone before anyone sees." She stiffened
beside him and he grimaced. In retrospect, that sounded bad the way it came out. "Di, I
need the key."
She guided them inland, stopping in between brush that would provide adequate
cover on three sides. "I don't have a key, Danyl. I don't know what you're talking about."
"I've tracked it to you more than once. I thought it was on the boat, but when I just
checked again, it tracks to you. Are you sure?"
She shifted her gaze away and asked softly, "What does it look like?"
Something about her look, her tone made him wary. "It's a flat disc. Etched with a
face on one side, writing on the other. It's old and& " The way she crossed her arms,
hugging herself, still unwilling to look him in the face was all too familiar. His goddess
edged away, a complete turnabout from earlier. His voice dropped low and even he heard
the anguish in it. "You know what I'm talking about now, don't you?"
"Why do you need it?" Challenge peppered every syllable in her question.
Before he could catch himself, he threw back, "Why do you?"
Her eyes shone when she looked at him at last. "The coin is all I have," her voice
grew bitter. "No job. No boat. No money. Just this coin."
"No family. No honor. No future. Just a key to regain a little bit just a hint of that
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