Page 4 of Rock of Stages (Moonlight Siren #4)

NAIYA

W hat was I doing? Agreeing to join a strange gargoyle shifter on an even stranger ship was ludicrous. My pod would scold me from one shore to the next.

But something about him called to me. His intense slate-gray eyes. His deep, gravelly voice. That mysterious tethering sensation. When he opened his massive arms, I swam over without hesitation. He wrapped them around me, and I softened against his solid chest. A tremor of heat rushed through me.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice rough but steady.

I gulped. “Ready.” I nodded, trying to convince myself.

“I need my wings.” His breath tickled my ear. “Don’t be afraid of how I shift.”

His body reformed as if magic rippled through him. He grew broader, heavier, and his skin turned back to gray. Behind him, massive wings unfurled with a whoosh, slicing through the water.

His arms tightened around me. “Hold on,” he directed.

I grasped him tightly. Before I could second-guess my rash decision, he pushed upward with a powerful thrust of his wings. The water broke around us, spraying in silver arcs.

Then—we soared.

The air rushed past and I gasped, dangling in his arms as my tail hung below. The world tilted around us as we rose. I clung to him, heart racing. Was it from fear? Exhilaration? Being in this massive gargoyle’s arms, our bodies touching in such an intimate embrace? Likely all of them.

The air rustled my hair and the sea below sparkled beneath the moonlight. As we flew closer to the ship, its lights grew larger.

I needed legs before we reached it. If I landed on my tail, I’d flop around like a drunken walrus. I initiated the shift from tail to legs, from scales to skin, as my fins slipped away. The transition was disorienting enough, as well as the adjustment to breathing out of the ocean.

Thank the tides for my magic so I wouldn’t flounder around nude while embraced in the gargoyle’s embrace.

A sea witch who’d fallen in love with a merman in our pod generations ago had blessed us with a spell that allowed us to weave clothing.

As I completed the transition, the silvery threads of a dress flowed over my body.

I slipped in his grasp and yelped.

“I’ve got you,” he declared in a panicked voice and gripped me more tightly.

I held on to him and pressed my head on his shoulder. Both our hearts raced, almost touching.

“Sorry, I should’ve waited to shift,” I managed through raspy breaths.

Two more pounding heartbeats followed. “Ah. Warn me next time?” he said in a gentler tone.

Next time? Would there be another? No, I wasn’t going to worry about that now. I’d set out on this adventure with a gargoyle and was far too curious not to see where it would lead.

We headed toward the ship and he angled down. “Get ready to land.”

I braced myself but as soon as my feet hit the deck, I teetered.

“Whoa!” I flailed my arms as I tried to keep my balance.

He swooped me back to him, steadying me against his stone wall of a chest.

I blinked up at him and gave a sheepish grin. “Not used to land legs. They’re, um…wobbly.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “You’ll get the hang of it.”

He seemed even more massive standing upright, looming a head or two above me. I stared up at him—the chiseled jawline, stone-gray eyes and skin—and my heart resumed its frantic beat. But not from the unsteady landing.

From him.

From this.

And this enigmatic thrum of energy between us.

I didn’t want to step away from him, but I had to. Although my legs still wavered like sea kelp, I stepped back. He straightened and his wings folded behind him in a graceful sweep, then disappeared.

“Caleb! Caleb!” voices shouted. “You okay?”

I glanced toward them. Three men rushed over to us.

“Yeah. Thanks to this mermaid.” He motioned to me, his eyes glistening with gratitude. “Wait, what’s your name?”

“Naiya.”

“Naiya,” he repeated, his lips spreading into an enigmatic smile. The way he said it in his baritone sparked a little thrill inside me. “I’m Caleb.”

“What happened? ” the man with long, dark hair asked.

“Angus.” Caleb snarled. “Damn selkie always causes trouble, then slinks off.” He exhaled and turned to me. “You saved my life. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling steadier on my legs.

“These are my bandmates. We play on the ship as Luna Blue Shadows.” Caleb pointed out the man.

“Our guitarist, Van.” He gestured at the blond guy beside him.

“Our lead singer Damien.” And then to the burly man with a dark beard.

“And our bassist Rex.” Pointing at each of them in turn, he added, “Jaguar shifter, vampire, and wolf shifter.”

“Been a while since we had a mermaid onboard,” Van said. “Last time, it was a pod for a wild bachelorette party.”

“No, those were sirens,” Damien corrected.

I stared at each of them as I followed the conversation, and then we exchanged greetings. His bandmates thanked me for my help.

“Better than having us try to haul your heavy granite ass out of the ocean,” Van teased Caleb.

Caleb grunted. “Do something useful and grab us towels, will ya?”

Van chuckled. He headed down the stairwell and returned with two fluffy towels. When he handed one to me, Caleb reached forward and grabbed them both.

“Got it, thanks.” He opened it up and wrapped the towel around my shoulders.

My nerves fluttered as Caleb ensured I was warm.

“Thank you,” I murmured and glanced around. What was I doing here on this floating ship? I should be below the water, not cruising along above it. “Now that I know you’re okay, I should probably head back in.” I motioned with my head toward the waves cascading by.

“Wait… I have to find a way to thank you,” Caleb insisted. “At least let me…” He let out a low whoosh. “Do you want to come to my cabin to dry off? Are you hungry?”

Van smirked. “Boys, that’s our cue to leave.”

“Right,” Rex rumbled. “Nice to meet you, Naiya.”

“Thanks for saving our drummer,” Damien added, and the three of them walked away.

Drummer. The music had drawn me to the ship. And I didn’t want to leave just yet.

I wrapped the towel around me more tightly and took a cautious step forward, trying to adjust to the strange weight of two legs.

The deck felt so solid. And the fragrant air—full of scents of food and sound.

Music drifted faintly from a deck below, and laughter bubbled up.

People were enjoying themselves and I wanted to be a part of it.

My pod would call this foolish. Dangerous.

Yet when I glanced at Caleb, the tight line of his strong jaw, the flicker of protectiveness burning in his eyes—I didn’t want to leave.

Not yet.