I’m putting the finishing touches on the first draft of “Stealing the Wind” and getting ready to send it on to my wonderful beta readers. I’m already working on the sequel. There’s just something about mermen I find particularly appealing (sexy as hell!). That, and Taren and Eoin’s story isn’t easily told in just one book.
The mermen in “Stealing the Wind” are shape shifters. They exist in two forms: human and merfolk. They can survive indefinitely on land or in the water, but they cannot survive away from water for long periods of time. If merfolk can live indefinitely under the water, then it stands to reason that they can also mate in their merfolk forms. Which led me to the question (because I love sexy stories): how would merman have sex? To answer that question, I had to ask myself a few others.
Question #1: What do mermen look like and how are their bodies (and parts of their bodies) put together? I loved this question, because the answer was that I could do whatever I liked. It’s my imagination, right? Of course, I wanted to base my mermen on merfolk lore, and I needed them to have certain “human”…er…attributes. So I started by looking at marine animals, and especially at marine mammals. Whales are a bit too big, so I naturally chose dolphin as my “template” for the beast half of my mermen.
In “Stealing the Wind,” Taren of Laxley
has known nothing but slavery all his life. He doesn’t remember his parents–all he knows is that he was sold as a baby. Boy is he in for a surprise when he learns that when his owners called him “special,” they weren’t talking about his brain! Taren discovers his dual nature after he’s taken prisoner aboard the merfolk ship, Phantom, and her captain (Eoin Dunaidh) shows him what his body has hidden. Suddenly, he is half-man, half-beast, with a powerful tail, a dorsal fin between his shoulders, webbed fingers, and has fins with sharp tines on his hands and wrists. Then he realizes that his plumbing appears to be internal.
Dolphin sex organs are internal (makes sense – don’t want them getting all shriveled in the water). They have “folds” – two each. The male penis is hidden inside, so the fold acts as a sheath (similar to dogs). Which led me to question #2.
Question #2: How do mermen have sex? I had no doubt that I wanted the mermen in the story to have sex in their merfolk form, so I needed to figure out what kind of sex organs they have when they transform. “Thank the goddess,” as Eoin would say, for the internet. Did you know there are tons of dolphin sex vids? No joke. Apparently dolphin are very sexual (not monogamous) and tend to “perform” at aquariums (to the delight of children and the mortification of their parents!).
I watched several videos to get a sense of how dolphin sex works. They’re very playful, nipping and rubbing against each other. And yes, dolphins get erections, exposing the hidden penis for sex. Only problem I saw: dolphin penises are pretty small. Smaller than human penises. Enter my imagination. How about dolphin anatomy, but a human sized penis? No need for foreskins, either, in this form. And what if certain other orifices are a bit more sensitive even, than in humans? (I think I had much too much fun figuring this all out!)
One other logistical question I had to deal with: how do merfolk communicate under the water? The answer? Telepathy or thought-reading. As you’ll see, they do make some sounds, but their speech becomes thought when they are in their merfolk form.
Want to see how all this works out on paper? Read down for an excerpt from the mermen sex scene about halfway through the book (not the entire scene, but enough that you’ll get the general idea). “Stealing the Wind” is set for tentative publication this summer. I’ll be posting sneak peeks at the story from time to time, so stay tuned for more! I welcome your comments and ideas, of course! How did I do? -Shira
PS: Love the amazing art? That’s by http://chrisgiz12.deviantart.com/ from DeviantArt!
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Summary: Taren has never known anything but life as a slave, but when he’s kidnapped by the captain of a pirate ship, his lifelong dream of going to sea is realized. The pirate captain offers Taren his freedom in exchange for three years of his life and sexual servitude. Not a bad trade, Taren decides, given that the pleasures he finds in the captain’s bed far surpass his greatest fantasies.
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Excerpt (18+, NSFW):
Taren pushed past Eoin, brushing his slippery skin and emerging on the other side, only to feel Eoin grab him around the waist. Still weak from his time in the prison, Taren struggled to escape Eoin’s grasp, only to give up and lay his head on Eoin’s shoulder. Eoin stroked his hair, calming him. For the longest time, Taren allowed Eoin to hold him. Then he reached up and kissed Eoin.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected of the kiss. Surely he’d never kissed anyone under the water. Eoin’s mouth felt hotter than before. The saltwater caused Taren’s mouth to vibrate with sensation, as if Taren could taste Eoin’s desire. Eoin’s scent was powerful and primal, more like that of the other creatures Taren had smelled beneath the waves. No longer human. Taren’s body responded to the scent even more strongly than Eoin’s touch. The stirring inside his body felt both strange and wonderful. They floated, swimming side by side a few feet above the sand.
Taren heart raced and his body heated under Eoin’s intensely possessive gaze. There was something primal and demanding in Eoin’s eyes, urging him to submit, body and soul. Eoin flicked his tail and moved to nuzzle Taren, brushing against Taren’s skin in a sensual and dizzying dance. Around and around they swam, spiraling, their bodies always in contact. Without really thinking, Taren nipped at Eoin’s neck as they tumbled about. Eoin swam on his back, exposing his neck to Taren’s mouth and teeth. Taren continued to bite and lick until Eoin hissed in reply. The sound was like a soft whistle, audible through the water.
“Goddess!” Eoin’s voice in Taren’s mind was a husky growl. “Where did you learn to do that?”
Taren had no answer except that his body knew this. He floated just above Eoin, their bellies now pressed together, tails propelling them in unison. They moved in a slow, languid line above the sand. Taren nearly laughed to feel Eoin’s cock, hard against his own, where before they’d been hidden inside their bodies. He stopped moving and reached down to clasp it, surprised at how human it felt: hard and veined. He wanted to taste it, to learn its secrets with his lips.
Eoin gazed down at Taren and stilled so that Taren might better explore his body. Taren wrapped his arms around Eoin’s tail and hooked his own tail around Eoin’s body so they now floated as one, their bodies rocked on the gentle current. With a quick glance upward at Eoin—Eoin’s expression was serene, even vulnerable—Taren took Eoin in his mouth.
Eoin’s cock was long and thick and without foreskin. He licked around the tip, flicking his tongue in tiny circles until he felt Eoin’s body shudder with pleasure, then swallowed Eoin’s erection until it tickled the back of his throat. Eoin moved his tail just a bit, sending them spinning again as Taren continued to explore with his tongue, reveling in Eoin’s sweetness. How strange it felt to hear the sound of the surf as he coaxed Eoin’s body to the brink. Stranger still, Taren’s mind filled with images from Eoin’s thoughts, as if by giving his body over to Taren’s attentions, Eoin had given all of himself to Taren, body and spirit.
Through Eoin’s eyes, Taren saw the waves buffet the Phantom and felt the joy stir in his heart as the mighty ship rode the crest of a wave and fell, the spray cool on his face. He saw himself asleep on Eoin’s bed, his head in Eoin’s lap as Eoin stroked his hair and spoke softly to him. He felt Eoin’s concern for his welfare, Eoin’s need to reassure himself of Taren’s well-being. He felt the freedom of Eoin’s transformation, the power of Eoin’s body as it cut through the water and chased dolphin in the surf. He felt his own lips on Eoin’s member, his mouth hot and hungry, and Eoin’s climax as it exploded through Eoin’s body. When Eoin finally spent himself in Taren’s hungry mouth, Taren too experienced Eoin’s climax as if it were his own. Taren’s own orgasm was like a strong wind, sending him over a cascade of emotion and physical sensation.
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