A Fine Cauldron Of Fish (3 page)

“
I thought I was seducing
you.” Andrew spasmed against her, his breath came in a hard
rush.

Margaid’s pulse fluttered wildly. Her
moist inner walls clenched hard and her body shuddered. She’d
seduced him like she was supposed to. Although she knew this wasn’t
what the sea god had in mind.

With each fast gasp of breath she let
out a shriek of ecstasy. Margaid was engulfed by the sensation of
fire shooting through her as if she was the volcano on the Isle of
Man in full eruption. Just when she felt fully spent, Andrew’s body
went still. He pulled out of her.

“
Can you untie my hands
now?” She could hear the strain and breathiness in her
voice.

He undid the knot and she tossed the
rope belt onto the floor.

Once again she had her chance to save
herself from transformation into a water horse. As she leaned into
his sweat covered body, her breasts tingled, pressing against his
chest.

She was a
lhiannan shee
. They
seduced men, drained them of blood, and filled their red cauldrons
with it. That was who she was and that was what she had to do. She
had no choice, kill him or spend the rest of her life as a water
horse.

With her body molded to his, she
stepped forward leading him backwards, toward the cauldron.
Finally, she had him where she needed him.

It is who I am, what I do. But what of
his mother with the two carry-ons? She won’t have her son or his
luggage. No, no, I must. I cannot let Mannan beg mac y Leir down
again. Perfect. I’m ready.

She leaned tighter against his body,
but before she could transform her nails and raise her hands to
attack him, he tumbled backwards, into the cauldron. Lying on his
back at the bottom of the great pot, his two legs dangled in the
air.

She couldn’t help but
laugh.

“
I’m glad this was empty.
What do you usually keep in here anyway?”

“
Usually nothing. I’m
supposed to keep blood in it.”

“
Oh...I know that’s a joke,
but I don’t really get it.” The large iron cauldron caused his
voice to echo.

She grabbed his hand, and pulled him
up and out of the huge pot.

“
Don’t worry. I’m not going
to get you.” When his face screwed into a confused expression, she
added, “I mean, I don’t think you should die. I can’t go through
with it.”

“
I thought you just did go
through with it.” He laughed. “I’m not sure what you’re talking
about but I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

“
I don’t plan on it either,
though I’ll probably be turned into a cabyll-ushtey.”

“
I don’t think what we were
doing will turn you into whatever you said.”

“
A water horse. And it
will. Mannan beg mac y Leir won’t abide me any longer. I’m a
bad
lhiannan shee
.”

“
Is that like a bad
girl?”

“
It’s a
lhiannan shee
that can’t seduce a man
and drain his blood, like I’m supposed to.”

He drew back from her. “You’re getting
weird.”

“
I don’t think you should
die without your luggage or your contacts. You should be able to at
least see what’s around you in the last moments of your life. Don’t
you think so?”

“
Yes,” he said with a
sideways glance.

Plus, I like you too much
to kill you. “But Mannan beg mac y Leir won’t agree with that. I’m
supposed to do what a
lhiannan shee
does. Yet, I don’t. I can’t, I really tried this
time. I am a failure as a
lhiannan
shee
, so I’ll soon be a
cabyll-ushtey
instead.”

“
What is a
cabyll-ushtey
and what
are you talking about?

“
Oh, they look like a horse
and they swim in the sea. I’m talking about this.” She held up her
hand to show him how her nails had transformed when she was ready
to take his blood.

He screamed and jumped back. “Those
are claws and they look even sharper than my pocket knife. Someone
at the club must have spiked my drink with something that’s making
me crazy.”

“
No, they’re real. You’re
in an underwater cave beneath the sea with a large red cauldron in
it. What did you think this was all about? If you lived on the Isle
of Man, you would know about the
lhiannan
shee
and Mannan beg mac y Leir.”

“
Gods and underwater
vampire women aren’t real, just myths. If you believe any of this
you’re insane.”

“
No Andrew, you can see it
all yourself. Look, my nails are changing back, now that I’m not
draining your blood.” Holding her hands up, she watched as her
nails returned to their normal length. “See?” She pointed to the
pot. “That is the red cauldron of a
lhiannan shee
. We fill them with the
blood of our victims. We wander the Isle of Man at night to find
men, seduce them, bring them to our underwater cave and fill the
red cauldron with their blood.”

“
So you’re going to kill
me.”

“
No, it’s too late. When we
cannot seduce and drain a man of blood, we become his slave. You
are my master now. I must serve you until you die, then Mannan beg
mac y Leir will most likely turn me into a
cabyll-ushtey
.”

“
No, no.” He shook his head
violently. “See, I’m an American. I can’t have a slave.” He glanced
toward the stairs leading out of her cave. “People go to jail over
stuff like that.”

“
You mean you don’t even
want me as a slave?”

“
All I want right now is to
get out of here.” He ran to the stairs.

“
It doesn’t matter where
you go, I’m enslaved to you now. I’ll instantly appear wherever you
are, though only you can see me.”

“
This can’t be real. I’ve
had fun, but it’s time to go.” He rushed up the steps, forced the
hatch open, shoved the boulder aside and swam from the bottom of
the sea back to shore.

Every time he glanced back he saw
Margay behind him. The freaky woman meant to kill him with her
nails, but that couldn’t be true. He must have imagined it. And
this slave stuff, the last thing he needed was a Manx woman
following him around saying he was her master. That would cause all
kinds of trouble.

Why did he always get mixed up with
crazy girls? He didn’t even know what Margay really looked like.
Damn he needed his contacts.

The water cut through his skin like
ice and Andrew trembled when he climbed onto shore.

Margay pulled herself out of the
water. She tilted her head to the side and shrugged. “I told you,
I’m still here.”

“
Go away.”

He’d just wanted a little fun. Party
with a mutual one night fuck buddy. He’ d heard of this sort of
thing happening to girls, after a one night stand the guy would
stalk them, but he didn’t know it happened to men. Why him? He had
to be the one guy who went on vacation and partied with a stalker
freak.

“
Andrew, I can’t leave you,
I’m your slave no matter what. It’s not my choice.”

“
You can’t follow me
around. And don’t tell anyone you’re my slave. Now get away from
me.”

Mentally insane women weren't part of
his vacation plans. Even though her skin was the softest he’d ever
felt, her luscious breasts overflowed from his hands when he cupped
them, and when he sheathed her, how sweet, the perfect fit, so
tight and wet. His balls swelled, his sack tightened and his cock
twitched at the thought. Hard already, apparently his treacherous
dick didn’t care if the girl was a nut, but his mind did. After
all, some part of his body had to look out for him.

Coo coo was not good. Sure the
girls-gone-wild kind of crazy was all right, but not the
drain-your-blood kind. That was a whole different set of crazy. Not
what he needed in a girlfriend.

“
I can’t leave. It’s fey
lore, there are rules. Think about how you swam to and from the
bottom of the sea without breathing. You did it because of fey
magic. Just like the cows, the pigs, even the children the fey
steal are taken Underhill, places mortal creatures shouldn’t be
able to live.” She raised her hands to the side of her face, they
trembled with frustration. “When a fey creature wants a mortal to
come with them, the human accompanies them by the rules of fey
lore, which override the laws of nature.” Her features tightened
like she was about to cry. “I wouldn’t make this up. I’m your slave
because when you tied my hands it interrupted my seduction, what I
was supposed to do. It’s the same as if you resisted my charms. So
by fey law, I’m your slave. I can’t change it. I go where you go,
no matter what.” She rubbed the side of her head with her hand and
her plump, wet lips formed a scowl.

He had to get rid of her. What kind of
person lived in a cave at the bottom of the sea? The girl was
clearly off her rocker, thinking she had to fill a giant cauldron
with his blood. She hears the god Mannan, telling her he’s going to
turn her into a water horse.

Still no woman had ever made him feel
like she did. Even now just seeing her, his cock hardened and
swelled. “Look, you’re not making any sense. You’ve got to be
schizo.” That’s it. Schizophrenia’s a disease. “You’re confused and
that’s not my fault.” Hospitals, mental wards, that’s where people
like her go. “Margaid, if you want to come with me you can. I just
have to make a stop before I go back to the hotel.”

He’d like to take her to the hotel,
sleep with her again, but she was too batty. He’d passed a hospital
when he left the club. They would help her, hold her. “I wish I
could get out of these wet clothes first. They’re kind of hard to
explain.”

Glancing back, he saw Margaid walk up
to a man standing alone. She reached up and pulled the guy’s shirt
off him.

Andrew ran to her. “Stop
it!”

“
No!” The shirtless man
turned to him. “You have the wrong idea. It’s not me. I’m not doing
it. Something’s happening to me!” His face was red with
embarrassment and his eyes were large with shock.

“
No, of course it’s not
you. It’s her.” Andrew pointed at the
lhiannan shee
. “Don’t, stop it.”
Andrew grabbed her arm as she held the poor guy’s shirt. “You can’t
run up to a strange man and start taking off his
clothes.”

Before Margaid could answer, the guy
shook his head at Andrew. “It’s okay. You can keep my shirt.
Although I don’t know how you're holding it when your arm’s about
four inches away from it, but hey, I’m sure I simply had too much
to drink. Keep it, that’s fine.”

“
What? No, I don’t want
your shirt. Margaid, well she thought I wanted it, but−”

“
No, don’t let him go.”
Margaid shook her head. “You do want his shirt. And you need his
pants, too.”

Before Andrew knew what was happening,
she shoved the shirt into his arms. Then she turned back to the
quaking man and grabbed hold of his waist.

“
Oh, no, don’t do it.” The
moment Andrew yelled out, he knew she wasn’t going to
listen.

Andrew watched in utter horror as
Margaid unsnapped the poor man’s jeans, yanked down his zipper, and
slid his pants all the way to his ankles.

“
Damn, I’m glad he’s
wearing underwear.” Black boxers with writing all over them. “What
does that say?” Andrew read aloud, “B is for big.”

“
You don’t say?” Margaid
flashed a sheepish grin at the fairly respectable bulge underneath
the man’s boxers.

Andrew held his palm up in a stop
gesture. “I’m warning you, don’t touch his underwear.”

“
But don’t you need a dry
pair?”

Andrew shook his head. “I don’t wear
them.”

The man gasped. Fear glittered in his
eyes. “Please don’t touch me. You can have my clothes.
Okay?”

“
I don’t want your clothes.
I’m not going to hurt you or touch you. Margaid misunderstood.
She’s not quite right.” Andrew whipped his head toward her. “Give
him his clothes.”

“
No, no, it’s okay. I don’t
know what’s going on here. But I’m going to leave. Keep the
clothes.” The man bolted down the street at a breakneck
pace.

“
You’re lucky he didn’t
call the cops on you.” He shook his head at Margaid.

“
He’s not going to call the
police on me.” She cupped the side of her face. “He might on
you.”

“
What? You sound like him.
He blamed me instead of you. He let you take his clothes off him
just because you’re a woman.”

“
That’s not it.” Her tone
was curt, as if she was losing her patience. “He can’t see or hear
me. No one can, except you, because I’m your slave.”

“
That’s nuts. I can’t
believe you stole the guy’s clothes.”

She leaned her head down and rubbed
her forehead. “I thought you needed them.”

“
No, not like that.” She
looked so downcast and confused. “Look, it’s okay, don’t cry.” He
pointed to the jeans Margaid still held.