Mermen of Ea: Book One
It's no secret that I love to read fantasy and Shira Anthony's new Mermen of Ea series is right up my... er, alley. Nothing short of imagination candy, Shira Anthony weaves a rich, multi-layered, sexy tale of fancy, mystery, and legend on the high seas that will steal your breath away! Wonderful and full of intrigue, Stealing the Wind tells the poignant tale of a young man’s capture and self-discovery in the mysteries of himself and the deep blue sea. Even if you're not into fantasy, this story is a fantastic read! I can't recommend it highly enough!
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Taren Laxley has never known anything but life as a slave. When a lusty pirate kidnaps him and holds him prisoner on his ship, Taren embraces the chance to realize his dream of a seagoing life. Not only does the pirate captain offer him freedom in exchange for three years of labor and sexual servitude, but the pleasures Taren finds when he joins the captain and first mate in bed far surpass his greatest fantasies.
Then, during a storm, Taren dives overboard to save another sailor and is lost at sea. He’s rescued by Ian Dunaidh, the enigmatic and seemingly ageless captain of a rival ship, the Phantom, and Taren feels an overwhelming attraction to Ian that Ian appears to share. Soon Taren learns a secret that will change his life forever: Ian and his people are Ea, shape-shifting merfolk… and Taren is one of them too. Bound to each other by a fierce passion neither can explain or deny, Taren and Ian are soon embroiled in a war and forced to fight for a future—not only for themselves but for all their kind.
Read an excerpt:
THE men who dragged Taren from the ship’s hold shoved him so
hard into the captain’s quarters that he nearly fell face-first on the floor.
His hands were tied behind his back. He’d been given water, although his throat
was still parched. His belly growled. How long had it been since he’d awoken on
the deck of the ship? He’d been locked away since he’d regained consciousness.
He feared for the Sea Witch and her crew more than for his own safety.
He prayed his shipmates had made it through the tempest unharmed.
In spite of his pathetic state, the ship and the men who
manned her felt oddly familiar to Taren. He knew he hadn’t met them before, of
course, but the sensation was strong. Regardless, the sense of familiarity had
not improved the conditions in which he’d been kept since his capture. He felt
relieved to be freed from the darkness of the ship’s hold, if only temporarily.
Through the large windows at the back of the room, Taren could
see it was nighttime. He’d lost track of the days in the darkness. A nearly
full moon illuminated the room, enabling Taren to make out a desk of carved
wood, a simple table covered with maps, and several chairs. In the corner of
the room was a large bed, also carved. The quarters were spartan, immaculate,
and revealed nothing about their occupant.
“Leave us. And unbind him.”
By the dim light, Taren struggled
to make out the features of the man to whom the rough, commanding voice
belonged.
“But Captain,” one of Taren’s captors protested. “The Council
will want to know why he’s—”
“Leave us, Seria,” the captain snapped with
obvious irritation. “The Council has no jurisdiction here. My men and I can
handle him without your help.”
“As you wish.” From the tone of his voice, Taren judged the
man none too pleased to be dismissed.
The leather strap around his wrists removed, Taren brought his
numb hands together and massaged them as the men left. “Do not think that you
can run,” the captain warned, perhaps sensing Taren’s thoughts. “My men are
stationed outside the door, and I am more than capable of killing you without
their help.”
The captain drew closer, and Taren could make out his features
at last. What he saw surprised him. He had thought the man far older, when in
fact he appeared to be only a few years Taren’s senior. The same age, perhaps,
as Bastian, although his body was far broader and he stood even taller than
Taren himself. Taren could not help but marvel at the bright green of the man’s
eyes and the handsome edge of his strong jaw. For a moment he wondered if he’d
seen Ian before. There was something familiar in the intensity of his gaze,
something that stirred not only Taren’s loins but also his heart.
Fool! He holds the power to kill you, and yet all you can
do is admire his appearance? Bastian was right. You’re a wanton, insatiable
creature.
“What is your name, man, and how do you come to be here?” the
captain demanded, his expression hard with impatience.
“I am Taren. Taren Laxley. I know not how I came to be here.”
He still remembered nothing after he had lashed the rope about Fiall’s waist.
The edge of the captain’s mouth turned upward in a sneer.
“Taren?”
Taren said nothing but met the other man’s gaze and held it,
unafraid.
“I am Ian Dunaidh, captain of the Phantom.” He spoke
the words with little emotion, but Taren thought he saw a flash of pride in
Ian’s eyes.
Ian Dunaidh? Again that name. Taren struggled to remember
where he’d heard it before. Then it came back to him—the conversation he’d had
with Bastian, not long before Taren had been lost at sea. He remembered the
hatred in Bastian’s eyes when he’d spoken of Ian. What had Bastian said? Rider
and this man had been schoolboys together, but Ian had betrayed Rider or
perhaps broken his heart? But how could that be? Rider was a man well into his
forties, but this man appeared far younger. Still, knowing they were bitter
rivals, Taren became even more determined to keep secret his connection to the Witch
and her crew.
“Where did you come from?” Ian asked when Taren did not speak.
“I… I don’t know.” Taren knew Ian wouldn’t believe it. He
didn’t care. He would not endanger the crew of the Sea Witch, even if it
meant his life.
Ian laughed. “You lie.”
The ship lurched with a strong gust of wind and Taren,
weakened from lack of food and thirst, stumbled back against the bulkhead and
slipped down. Ian moved to steady Taren, pulling him up with a strong arm
around Taren’s waist. This close, Taren could smell the captain’s musk and feel
his breath upon his cheek. He responded to the rough contact in spite of himself,
his cock filling and pressing against Ian’s muscled thigh.
Their eyes met. Ian appeared momentarily at a loss, Taren’s
touch seeming to burn him. Taren knew he should attempt to free himself from
Ian’s grasp, but—to his shame and dismay—he didn’t want the contact to end.
Ian turned to Taren and parted his lips but seemed unable to
speak.
Without thinking, Taren leaned into Ian until their mouths
touched. For an instant Ian seemed to hesitate, then took Taren’s lips with
obvious hunger, kissing Taren hard as he probed the warmth of Taren’s mouth
with his tongue. Ian’s breaths came in stutters and Taren moaned. His tongue
danced around Ian’s with equal fervor. Gods, how he wanted this man!
When Ian finally pulled away, Taren was left gasping for
breath, dizzy. Even Bastian had not aroused him thus. Ian seemed to hold some
power over him that he was incapable of fighting. He couldn’t understand it—Ian
Dunaidh was his captor and Rider’s enemy. Even so, Taren felt naked before him.
The remnants of his tattered clothes did nothing to cover his body from Ian’s
piercing gaze. He also felt a sudden pang of guilt at the thought of Rider and
Bastian. Not that they’d ever spoken of what might happen if Taren stayed with
them after his three years of service were complete, but didn’t he owe them his
body, for at least that long?
Ian too appeared taken aback by what had transpired between
them. His face appeared flushed, his brow dotted with sweat. “What…?” He
stepped backward, leaving Taren barely able to stand but for the cabin wall
supporting him.
“Who are you?” This time Ian’s voice was softer, any anger
seemingly replaced by something approaching wonder.
“I-I told you who I am.” Taren wished he sounded more
confident, but Ian left him ill at ease. In spite of the venom he’d heard in
Bastian’s words when he’d spoken of the Phantom’s captain, Taren wanted
to tell Ian everything, if only to feel his body once more pressed against his
own and taste his mouth again.
“Who were your parents?” Ian appeared to have regained his
self-control. He straightened up to his full height and did not move to touch
Taren again.
“I don’t know. I never knew them.” Taren touched his lips,
which still felt warm from Ian’s kiss. Then Taren added, almost without
thinking, “What do you care?”
Ian appeared to consider the question. “Just curious,” he said
at last, his tone dismissive.
Someone knocked on the door and one of the men peered inside.
“Everything all right, Captain?”
“Everything’s fine.” Ian barely looked at the man.
“Shall I return the prisoner to the hold?”
“No.” Ian did not hesitate. “He will stay here with me.”
“Sir?” The sailor appeared shocked.
“He will stay with me. Have the cabin boy prepare a bed for
him. Post a guard at my door.”
“Yes, sir!” The man turned and left, sparing a frown for
Taren.
“Do you intend to keep me here as your slave?” In truth, the
idea of submitting to Ian held more than a little appeal for Taren, although he
was far too proud to admit it.
“No.” It was not the answer Taren had expected. “You will
sleep here. That is all.”
Taren felt shame to realize this answer disappointed him. On
the other hand, being in the captain’s cabin might prove useful. Here, he’d
have better access to the upper decks of the ship. With a little luck, he might
be able to escape.
Ian narrowed his eyes as he said, “If you attempt to escape, I
will lock you in the hold once more.”
Taren averted his gaze. Can he read my thoughts?
Several men entered a few moments later with a bedroll and a
few extra blankets.
“Bind him. See that he’s bathed,” Ian said. “If he fights you,
return him to the hold.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And see that he gets some food. Nothing too heavy. Gruel or
soup.”
“Aye, sir.”
Ian nodded, then quickly left the cabin and a very surprised
Taren behind.
IAN stood at the bow of the ship, focused on the water. The
moon had set and taken with it the last traces of purple and red that had
colored the clouds. He had been standing here for nearly an hour, lost in
thought. Only now did he take heed of his surroundings.
Taren. The name was foreign to his lips. Not a name
given to those of his people. And yet he’d repeated it now more times than he
cared to admit. He couldn’t deny what he had sensed when they’d kissed. He
is one of us. Was it possible Taren did not know? Ian had sensed no lie
when he’d claimed not to know his parents, although Ian sensed deceit when
Taren claimed not to know where he’d come from.
He doesn’t remember how he got here. That was also the
truth. The nearest ship had been days away—they had received no reports of
other vessels in the area—and if by some chance Taren had survived a shipwreck
as a result of the great storm, surely there would have been debris to
accompany him. The crew said he’d been found on the surface of the waves. With
nothing to keep him afloat. A normal man would have perished. Much as Ian
wished there were another explanation, there wasn’t. Taren was no normal man.
But why had he sensed the truth of Taren’s birthright only when he’d touched
him?
Ian also couldn’t deny the way his body responded to the boy,
couldn’t deny that for a moment he’d been tempted to do more than kiss him.
What the devil was wrong with him? All Ea were dual-natured, animal and man,
but only adolescents new to their Ea form lacked self-control.
Why did you kiss him? Ian stroked his hand over his
lips, recalling the feel of Taren’s mouth, his taste. Like the ocean, wild and
vast. Something in Taren’s kiss had stirred Ian’s other nature. Even now, Ian
felt the need to dominate the boy. And yet, along with the primal hunger, there
was something more—something strange and equally as wonderful as the powerful
attraction. Familiarity.
About Shira:
Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in su operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.
Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Shira’s Blue Notes Series of classical music themed gay romances was named one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Word’s “Best Series of 2012,” and The Melody Thief was named one of the “Best Novels in a Series of 2012.” The Melody Thief also received an honorable mention, “One Perfect Score” at the 2012 Rainbow Awards.
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