With one inhalation, Dax had changed her life. What lie ahead she didn't know. Where he was taking her she couldn't even hazard a guess. But he'd asked her to trust him once, and opened up a new world for her. A world she hadn't imagined existed. She didn't know what kind of world it was, or even what would happen to her now that her very biology had changed.
But one thing she did know for certain. At this moment, she'd follow Dax to the ends of the earth and beyond.
Chapter Ten
Isabelle let the tears flow, the salty drops mixing invisibly with the water surrounding her. She was swimming along like a fish--like the golden mermaid Dax had called her. He held her hand, periodically turning his head and smiling that boyish grin that never failed to make her insides churn with need.
But her tears hadn't come from the awe-inspiring events she'd already witnessed. When a dolphin swam up beside her, and she swore it smiled at her, she'd lost it completely, breaking down into a weeping puddle of joy.
The grey creature still moved along beside her, keeping pace with them. It looked over at her the same way Dax did, as if studying her.
"That's Zeus," Dax said, nodding toward the bottlenose.
"I see. And you know his name, how?"
"Because I told him."
Isabelle stopped and pulled her hand from Dax's. Okay, now that dolphin had not just spoken to her. She turned to Dax. "Did he do what I think he just did?"
"Yeah. He talks. Everything has a voice down here, Isabelle. Most people just can't hear them."
"I don't talk to just anybody, either, but Dax tells me you're okay for a land creature," Zeus said, his smiling mouth moving open and closed with his words.
She knew her eyes must be bugging out of her head as she stared open mouthed at the dolphin. Her mind spun. This wasn't happening. This world could not be real. "I'm dreaming this, right? We actually completed the dive earlier and I'm dreaming this entire thing. Or maybe I died when I took off my mask and tanks and this is heaven?"
Dax's lips curled in a smile. "If that's what you want to believe, then sure. You're dreaming, my golden mermaid." He held out his hand again and she tentatively slipped her palm in his, allowing him to propel them rapidly through the water. Zeus followed along, whistling. Isabelle shook her head, completely awed by this new world.
They reached a ledge in the ocean's floor that seemed to stretch for miles in either direction. Dax moved forward but Isabelle stopped, tugging at his hand. Below the shelf appeared a crevice that fell into complete darkness below. "I can't."
He turned and frowned. "Why not?"
"The depth...I'll be crushed."
"No, you won't. Come on."
She chewed her bottom lip and shook her head, refusing to budge. "I'm not going, Dax. I know the maximum depth a human can travel and survive. We're practically at that depth now."
He tilted his head and said, "Can a human breathe water and live, like you're doing right now?"
"Well, no."
"Then trust me. I haven't killed you yet, have I?" He winked and held out his hand.
He did have a point. She'd survived all the miraculous changes so far. Chances were he knew what she was capable of withstanding. She reached for his hand and let him lead her down into the darkness. Each meter they descended propelled them further into the black depths, much further than any known or documented exploration.
Isabelle tried not to let fear overtake her, yet she couldn't help the trepidation shivering along her spine. This murky trek was the unknown. The dark, blind, unknown. More so than anything she'd ever experienced. Before, she could at least see. Now she was forced to trust that Dax knew where he was going. She felt him alongside her, and clung to his hand like a lifeline, surely hurting his fingers in her squeezing grip. But he didn't complain once, just held on tight, his firm grasp reassuring her.
With every meter their speed seemed to increase. Before long they were bulleting downward at such a fast pace the water pressed in against her skin.
After descending for nearly ten minutes, she expected to feel the pressure. But she didn't. Dax had told her she wouldn't, and yet she still had a hard time believing she could defy physics.
The darkness began to close in around her, a suffocating squeezing of her body as if invisible walls were crushing her. Further and further they traveled down at lightning speed. Nothing physical affected her, merely the claustrophobic sensation of not being able to see. The only sound she heard was the fast rush of water flowing past her ears. Adrenaline kicked in and she tugged at Dax's hand. She wanted to stop, to go back up. But he wouldn't let her go.
And he wasn't speaking to her, either. At least not to her mind as he had before. She couldn't even look over at him to gauge his expression since she couldn't see. The silence unnerved her.
No. She couldn't do this. Fear coursed through her. She wanted to go back up. Back to the surface, where there was light. Where was he taking her? She didn't want to be in this blackness, this complete void of sensation.
When she would have told him so, a flicker of light appeared below them. Faint at first, then growing as they drew closer. It was almost a glow now, spreading out before them, a golden light shooting out rays of colors.
Her anxiety forgotten, she propelled herself forward with renewed enthusiasm, wanting to reach the light, needing to know what was down here when nothing was supposed to live at this depth. Hell, she wasn't supposed to live at this depth.
They were almost there, the light revealing a building of sorts. A structure? Like a house? But how?
Dax led her to some kind of glass enclosure. Intricate carvings of mermaids and sea creatures were etched on the outside of the glass, architecture like she'd never seen before. She looked over to him, intent on questioning him, but he looked straight ahead, leading her to an archway with no door. But where she would have swum through it thinking it was an opening, Dax stopped, waved his hand across the center of the archway and a nearly invisible door slid open. He pulled her inside, the door closing with a swoosh behind her, and suddenly they weren't swimming any longer.
The water she'd been breathing completely disappeared and she sucked in a lungful of oxygen. Fresh, clean oxygen.
Despite the pressure of the ocean surrounding them, there was no water inside the structure. The place was a house of sorts. Although everything was glass, or at least appeared to be transparent. She walked over to what looked like a sofa, surprised to feel the give of its cushioned softness when she pressed on it.
"I don't understand," she said, turning to Dax.
"Ask your questions." He had his back turned to her, fiddling with some kind of console against the wall. Oddly enough, with everything nearly transparent she could still make out objects. There was a dimension to everything, almost as if it were varying colors of transparency, from the brightest white to a near black, and yet no color at all. How confusing--stark, and yet utterly beautiful.
"What is this place?"
"My laboratory. My sanctuary. And occasionally, my home."
"You live here?"
"Sometimes."
"Where do you live at other times?"
He was touching invisible buttons and dials when suddenly a color image appeared on the wall in front of him, almost as if projected onto television screens. She peered around him, startled to see their beach and bungalow on one screen. Three other images captured the ocean, although she couldn't pinpoint exactly where.
"How?" she asked.
"Advanced imagery. I couldn't explain it to you because the technology as you know it doesn't exist."
"Try me. I'm fairly intelligent."
He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. "I know. One of the things I...like about you."
She frowned, not sure what he originally started to say before he stumbled over his words.
"It's a mental imagery," he continued. "I can think of a specific area and it'll show up here."
"Any place you want?"
"Yes. For example, the hotel." Without turning to look at the screen, Paradise Resort appeared.
"Is it a real time image?"
"Yes."
"How are you able to do that?"
"I can't explain it."
"Like I said before, Dax, I'm smart enough to--"
"There are some things I can't explain to you right now, Isabelle. Trust me."
She supposed, given what he'd already revealed to her, that she'd have to be satisfied with that answer. At least for now.
"Look around, if you'd like. I have a little work to do here."
She nodded, grateful for the opportunity to get her mind around all that had happened in such a short time.
The place appeared to be like a regular house, with a living area complete with sofa and chairs, a kitchen and even a bedroom. She walked down a hallway, still giddy over traversing through a nearly transparent house, and entered a bedroom which contained a king-sized bed and a cover that felt like jelly. Yet it wasn't sticky, just warm. It contained a regular looking bathroom that she couldn't see through to the outside. She guessed even sea people like Dax wanted their privacy. Isabelle chuckled at the thought of taking a shower or a bath while surrounded by the ocean. How odd.
Everything was strange and different and yet in so many ways exactly the same as her house above the surface of the water. Her head pounded with the thoughts jackhammering her mind. She headed back towards Dax and found him still standing at the monitor screens. She heard his voice and looked around, expecting to find someone, but he was alone.
"Who are you talking to?" she asked.
Dax turned and smiled at her. "No one."
She crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare. "I heard you talking."
"I talk to myself sometimes. Make mental notes of things I need to do."
"Uh huh. And what are those things you need to do?"
"Work things."
"What kind of work is that, Dax?" But before he could answer, she hit him with another question, the one that had been burning inside her for days. "Wait. Don't answer that. First, who or what are you?"
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Opened it again, closed it again. Jammed his fingers through his hair. Finally he sighed and asked, "Are you hungry?"
That wasn't the answer she was looking for. But now that he'd mentioned it, her stomach growled. "As a matter of fact, I am."
He motioned her into the kitchen and pulled the lid on a box, setting out plates and filling them with shrimp and what she could only assume was vegetables.
"What do you eat?" she asked.
"Well, we don't have cows down here so there's no red meat," he said with a half-smile. "But we eat small shrimp and other fish, along with sea vegetables that won't be familiar to you."
He set a plate in front of her and joined her, watching as she took a bite of a long, green crispy substance. A tangy flavor burst into her mouth and she turned to him in surprise. "It's delicious! What is it?"
"It's like plankton. Loaded with vitamins."
Vegetables of varying colors, from purple to green to red, lined her plate. Some were round, some star-shaped, some flat like a piece of bread. All the flavors were different from sweet to salty. The shrimp, of course, tasted just like it did above the water. By the time she emptied her plate she was stuffed.
"That was fabulous. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He cleaned the plates at the sink and handed her a glass of blue liquid.
"What's this stuff?" she asked, swirling the liquid in the glass.
"Think of it as sea tea."
She sipped it, grinning at its sweet taste. "Yummy."
"Thought you might like that."
Satiated, at least as far as her hunger, she knew it was time. "Dax, about those questions I had..."
He lifted his shoulders and nodded. "Come with me and we'll talk."
She followed him to the sofa. It felt just like the one in her apartment back home in Texas. Dax turned to her and grabbed her hands.
"Okay, let's start with your first question, who or what am I. I can tell you I'm as human as you are."
"Not possible. You can breathe underwater."
His lips curled in a smile that took her breath away. "So can you."
"That's different. You did...something to me. How did you do that, anyway?"
Dax laughed. "One question at a time. I'm human, with an added capability for underwater survival."
"How?"
"Biology." He picked up a strand of her hair and let it slide slowly between his fingers. "You know about biology, right?"
Oh no. This time she wasn't going to let him distract her with sex, despite her body's response to the quickly heating look in his eyes. She gently slapped his hand away from her hair, rewarded with his soft chuckle. "Yes, I know plenty about biology. Now tell me about you. Are you a subspecies of humans? How long have you lived under the water? Are there more like you, and if so, where are they? And what is your purpose down here?"
He blinked, then smiled. "Damn, you're smart."
"Don't compliment me. Answer my questions."
"Kiss me first."
"Huh?"
"You heard me. Kiss me first and I'll answer a question."
"That's not fair."
His eyes widened. "I had no idea you thought my kisses were that bad."
"That's not what I meant at all and you know it. You...distract me."
The heat in his gaze melted and moistened her. Her body thrummed to life in anticipation of his mouth, his touch. Dax leaned in and ran his hand over her hair, his touch igniting the fire he'd started with just one look. "Distract you, do I? I like that. Now do I get that kiss?"
"No." Though she really wanted to. Her body was near demanding she lean forward and press her mouth against his. But she remained firm.
"Aw, c'mon, Isabelle. Just one little kiss?"
Oh, hell. "Fine," she said, intending to brush her lips against his and then hit him with more questions. But when she leaned toward him, he reached out and pulled her tight against him, fitting his mouth over hers in a kiss that surely raised the temperature of the water outside the glass enclosure.
His breath, tasting sweet from the blue tea they'd had, enticed her mouth. He swept his tongue inside and claimed hers, teasing with sensuous strokes until her heart pounded against her chest and her insides turned to complete liquid.
She was falling, spiraling down in the sensations of his mouth, his touch on her body. Her pussy moistened in anticipation, her breasts tingling as they brushed against the fine hairs of his chest.
The warning bells clanged. She had to stop or she'd never get her questions answered, and she wasn't going to let it happen. Not this time. She placed her palms on his chest and broke contact before she fell under his spell again.
"No, Dax. We have to talk."
"I was talking." He leaned forward and kissed her neck, sending shivers throughout her body. "Didn't you hear what I was telling you?"
Isabelle tried not to groan, but a whimper escaped as his lips seared her skin. "Umm, yes, but it wasn't in answer to any of my questions about your origin."
Oh, that felt nice. His lips moved down over her collarbone, his tongue leaving a moist trail of sizzling fire.
They shouldn't be doing this. But, frankly, right now she didn't care. All she knew was his mouth was heaven and she'd rather die than have him stop. Then she remembered, again, those burning questions that filled her mind, and realized Dax was once again stalling.
Isabelle pushed him away and stood, needing some distance between them to clear her head and calm the sensory overload caused by his kisses.
Dax arched a brow. Did he feel the same way that she did? Was his mind filled with passion and lovemaking rather than thoughts of explanations and revelations? Or was he purposely doing this to avoid answering her questions?
Chancing a glance at his shorts, she saw the evidence of his erection straining against the material.
Desire flooded between her legs and she wanted nothing more than to jerk his shorts down, stroke his hot, hard cock and suck him until he erupted.
Her desire must have shown on her face, because he stepped forward, grabbed the straps of her swimsuit and yanked them down to her waist. He leaned down, capturing one nipple in his mouth.
She cried out with the searing ecstasy of his mouth on her aching bud, forgetting her questions, forgetting her desire for any knowledge other than knowing what it felt like to have his hard shaft plunging between her legs in these indefinable depths.
She needed his possession of her. Like a ravenous shark she dropped to her knees, tearing at his shorts until they pooled at his feet. With a greedy hunger that shocked her, she took his length into her mouth, cupping his balls and feeling his life force pulsing against her throat. He threw his head back and groaned, threading his fingers into her hair and holding her still while he pumped his cock once, twice, three times in succession against the back of her mouth.
She looked up at him and experienced a sense of feminine power that thrilled her. His head was tilted slightly back, his eyes closed, his body coiled tight with tension, jerking slightly each time she took him in her mouth.
Isabelle dug her nails into the flesh of his naked buttocks. She pulled back slowly, licking the tip of his shaft, loving the salty taste of his fluid.
"Damn, Isabelle," he choked, then looked down and watched her suck him. The juices of her arousal coated her pussy as their eyes met and held. She took him deep, then quickly, using her mouth and her hands to pleasure him.
"Enough," he said.
Dax pulled her up and kissed her, his body quaking with tense passion. "I want to see your body, all of it." He quickly discarded her swimsuit and scooped her up in his arms, then effortlessly swam through the archway of his home and into the open sea. Water rushed into her lungs again and yet her breathing never missed a beat. If she hadn't been filled with the desire to make love with him, she'd have questioned how that could happen.
Where was he taking her? Why outside? Why not in his house where it was dry?
Oh, screw the questions. Isabelle had only one question on her mind right now. How long would it take before she could get Dax inside her?
Chapter Eleven
Isabelle's heart beat swiftly against Dax's chest as he carried her outside his lab. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck, her body tense with anticipation and an equal amount of the raging desire coursing through his body.