Mistress of Siren Cove Ch. 16-18

This is a romance/fantasy about women who have the power of the siren and use it to control and take pleasure from men. It is set in the real world of today. It focuses on one of these women, who seeks to find a man who can see past her siren allure and love the real woman he finds inside. It is an allegory of modern love, which often focuses too much on the superficial. There is sexual activity in this story, but none of it is explicit. The story is being published in chapters as it is being written. Everyone is over 18.

Chapter 16: A Different kind of man

The six-passenger plane landed at 1 a.m. at the little airfield on the heights above Siren Cove. The darkest part of the night was the normal arrival time for flights to and from the little country, owing to the need to keep the existence of the island secret. The airfield would see between fifteen and twenty flights this night. The lights on the strip were turned on for only ten minutes or so each time a plane approached, also helping to keep it hidden.

The plane was full and included Elysia Palmara, Connor Bechner, a male and a female doctor, and two sirens. The pilot and co-pilot were both non-siren women, which was policy for these planes. Sirens frequently flew on and off the island, and male pilots could be distracted by them, even when the sirens were not intentionally setting their lures. Siren women did not work as pilots, because the presence of male passengers could easily make them forget they were trying to fly the plane.

As it was, before the plane landed, the male doctor was practically enthralled by the two young sirens seated in the row behind him. Elysia was pretty sure the male doctor would be visiting the beds of one or both of these women, which was not unusual. The female doctor was not particularly disturbed by the sirens' antics. This was just the way life was on the island. It made it difficult for a woman on the island to keep a husband at home, but only in rare cases did it create serious problems. Non-siren women who chose to come to the island generally knew what they were getting into and accepted the situation as part of the cost of living in such a beautiful place.

The two sirens also tried laying their snares for Connor during the hour-long flight and were shocked to see no reaction at all. When the flight ended and they were chatting with Elysia, they were fascinated to learn he was immune to their charms. They still had fun teasing Connor, and he did not seem to mind the attention. Elysia did not know the two, who were young and pretty, but they were sweet, and she liked them.

Deciding to have a little fun herself, she said in a semi-serious tone to the women, "You know, ladies, this is my boyfriend you're trying to seduce." This shut them up. They recognized Elysia as the woman who might someday be the Mistress of the island and showed respectful faces. Then Elysia laughed and kissed them both, saying, "My song doesn't work on him either, maybe yours will." Relieved, the women both launched into songs that further enticed the doctor but fell on Connor's deaf ears. Through all this, Connor fully enjoyed himself and decided that he was going to like this place.

Elysia loved the nighttime feel of the heavy tropical breezes and the night sounds of the trees and plants that bordered the landing strip. Elysia and Connor had small bags with them and rolled them over to a coffee and tea stand, which operated at night while the flights were coming and going. The shop was run by an older siren, whom Elysia knew to be Kira. Elysia had been off the island for over a month, and Kira was a good source for gossip. The shuttle to the Cove was twenty minutes away, and the couple sipped coffee while Elysia and Kira chatted.

"They say a hurricane is coming, ma'am," said Kira. "I hope this old shack doesn't blow away."

"Kira, you know this is not like the old one. The old one was just plywood, and any old breeze could knock it down. We rebuilt this with concrete and steel, like everything else here. Just make sure the storm shutters are down and you'll be OK. Anyway, what's my husband been up to while I was gone?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is organizing a tennis tournament. Better than last year, he says. He makes the women work hard when he teaches but, of course, they make him work hard for them as well... uh, sorry, ma'am."

Elysia laughed, "Don't be sorry, I know what he gets up to with his students. I'll make him work, too, now that I'm back." Then she glanced over at Connor, who smiled nervously.

Connor had never been to the Caribbean and had spent the last seven years in a lab in Switzerland. For him, this was a completely new experience, which was on top of Elysia's revelations of who she was and what her life was like on the island. He understood that Elysia was a powerful siren and deputy to the Mistress of this island, but he had only seen the results of her power, such as the enthrallment of his former top scientists. He was both fascinated and nervous about seeing her use her powers on another man.

The shuttle finally came, collected them all, and carried them down to the town, dropping people off on the way. By the time they got to the Palace, the couple were the only ones left.

They were let off at the front doors of the Palace and were admitted to the Palace by the night door person. The Palace was very old, with newer touches, such as electricity and running water, added as they became available. Another modernization was concrete and steel reinforcement, done without disturbing the ancient facade, to protect from the growing power of the region's hurricanes. It was a sprawling place that included both offices and residences for Palace officials.

With the addition of Connor, Elysia had a new suite that included separate bedrooms for Antoinette and Elysia, and a large nursery, where a nanny slept. There was also a sitting/dining area with a large welcoming fireplace. Its bank of windows looked east, over the bay, and from her bedroom, Elysia could see the sun rise. There was no cooking area, so meals were brought to them from one of the three large Palace kitchens.

Everyone knew they were coming and were looking forward to seeing them, but not until the morning. The couple would try not to wake either Antoinette, Elysia's friend and mate, or Lorelei, her daughter. Elysia and Connor crept into their bedroom, undressed and washed, crawled into bed, and immediately fell asleep.

Elysia woke up to find Lorelei curled up next to her, asleep. She drew the child to her and held her, hoping she would not have to go away from the island again. Her trip this time had been necessary, and perhaps only she could have done it, but she found it painful to leave her child. Of course, the trip brought her to Connor, so this time it was worth it.

She lay next to the sleeping child for another hour or so and then got up. She was hungry. She and Lorelei found that only the nanny was there, an older siren, Marina, who sat reading a book in the nursery.

"Hello, Elysia, I hope you do not mind that I let Lorelei go to you. She knew you were coming home and could not wait. I told her not to wake you."

"She didn't wake me, Marina, and thank you for sending her to me. It was the best way possible to wake up."

Elysia called down to the kitchen, asking for breakfast for two, ordering a little extra for Lorelei and Marina, who had already eaten breakfast. While waiting, she followed Lorelei into the nursery to say hello to her dolls. They both sat on the floor, and her daughter told her a story about one of the baby dolls. The story sounded familiar to Elysia but seemed to be told from the little girl's point of view and was set on the island instead of in a castle. The story did not end but came to a pause when breakfast arrived. When she went back to the sitting room, she found Connor, with a cup of coffee, introducing himself to Marina.

"The island is very beautiful," said Connor, looking up at Elysia. "And you say we're hidden here? How is that possible? Can't it be seen from space? After all these years, someone would have found and mapped it."

"This was another gift of the Mother Goddess, Connor, after the breaking of Atlantis. I don't understand it, but I think it exists in a different dimension or something. The islanders take its invisibility for granted, but I've spent time studying our ancient records. The ancients were very vague about this. People stumble onto the island occasionally, and we send them on their way, after erasing their memories of the island; but ships, planes, and satellites mostly go right by and don't see us. Only those from the island, or those who somehow belong to the island, can find it. Like our siren power, our secrecy comes from some other reality."

"This, Connor, is my daughter, Lorelei. Lorelei, this is my friend, Connor."

Connor held out his hand to shake, but Lorelei ignored it and crawled into his lap. She sat there staring up at him, then showed him her doll and began telling the story again, with variations, as he smiled down at her, drank his coffee, and tried to eat. This, thought Elysia, was a good start. He likes children. She idly thought of having more children with him, but immediately dismissed the thought as something for later. The Mistress wanted more daughters from her to safeguard the lineage, but she was not in a hurry for that.

She left the room to get ready for the day. She was taking Connor for a tour of the island, but first, she had to visit her mother for a few minutes. When Elysia was ready to go, Connor said goodbye and headed to the bedroom to wash and dress, and Lorelei was handed over to Marina.

The Mistress looked the same as usual and was very busy that morning. Another problem, this time in Japan, had come to their attention, and her mother was meeting with a number of people about organizing a team to go there and neutralize it. Antoinette was in the room, and they hugged and kissed each other in greeting.

"You are well, daughter?" said her mother, pulling her into a corner of the meeting room.

"Of course, mother. I had a good rest on the beach and am ready to get back to work. Connor is here, and I want you to meet him, but I see you are very busy. He and I will tour the island, and then he'll meet with some of our scientists. I suppose he's going to talk about his research with them and look into establishing a laboratory. He'll be a great addition to our science team."

"I look forward to meeting him. From what we know, he is a brilliant man. Also, I have never in my life met a man who is immune to our power, and I am eager to know more about what such a man is like."

"You'll meet him soon, tonight, in fact. Remember, we're coming to dine with you; that is, assuming you have our response to this problem organized."

"Tonight, daughter."

Elysia left and went back to her room, where she found Connor in deep conversation once again with Lorelei but ready to go on their tour. They got into a two-person electric vehicle that was waiting for them in front of the Palace and started out, with Elysia driving. The town surrounding Siren Cove was small. Houses and buildings of different eras covered most of the square mile surrounding the cove. This was the island's main population center, of more than a thousand people. Other villages were scattered around the island, which was less than five square miles in size. All its roads were paved. Some were two lanes, but most were only one lane. There were also paved and unpaved paths that would accommodate vehicles of the type they were using, but nothing bigger.

There were no beaches on the island, except the ones that surrounded the cove. Around the rest of the island, the sea crashed against low cliffs. They walked along these cliffs, gazing out over the sea, and at one of Elysia's favorite spots they stopped for lunch. After eating, they gazed out, holding hands, and they kissed each other. This was a secluded spot on the far end of the island, and Elysia had chosen this spot more than once as a place for lovemaking.

As they kissed, Elysia began removing her clothes. Taking her lead, Connor undressed as well, and soon they were joined in the gentle play of lovers with no place to be and only themselves to please. Afterwards, they held each other under the cloud-dappled sky, as the afternoon wore on.

On the way back, they stopped by the tennis courts and watched Andrew giving lessons. He had a mix of male and female students, some of whom took his lessons quite seriously. The younger sirens, however, giggled with each other and could not help but try to distract their coach with their obvious attempts to lure him. Elysia knew that one or more would ultimately be successful, and that was fine with her. He loved teaching and he loved submitting to their siren charms. For him, it was the perfect job.

During a break, Elysia and Connor met him under the cover of an awning. Elysia and Andrew kissed like old lovers, then she said, "Andrew, this is my friend Connor. I told you about him."

Andrew smiled broadly, hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello, my friend, I'm so happy you're here. You appear to make Elysia happy and that makes me very happy. Do you play tennis?"

"Uh, no. I've never played any kind of sport in my life. I swim, for exercise, but that's about it. I've been watching you, and you seem like a great teacher. I hear you're organizing a tournament. I'd love to watch."

"Fine, then, Elysia, be sure to bring him. Elysia plays tennis but has no passion for it. Books and such are her passion."

"I know," said Connor, "and mine also; just different books."

"And you're going to be setting up some kind of lab here?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, I study environmental science, looking for ways to reverse the climate trends."

"Good, these hurricanes are getting worse and worse. Makes a huge mess of my tennis courts."

"So, you're going to visit us soon, Andrew?" asked Elysia. "I do miss you, you know."

"But you have a boyfriend, Elysia."

"I know," then she poked him in his broad chest, "but I also have a husband, and this little siren girl misses him."

"OK, once you settle in and Connor gets used to things. Probably best not to overload him with our island ways too quickly."

"OK, Andrew, just remember. Now you better get back to those little siren-ettes, I think they're lonely." Andrew grinned and jogged back to the courts.

"So, a visit from your husband soon? I'm still getting used to the idea you have a husband. How would that work?"

"I'm not sure."

"So many things to learn about on this island," he said with a sigh, "I guess that's one of them."

Elysia dropped Connor off at the science center, in the low hills west of the town, and returned to the Palace. In her suite, she met Antoinette. They missed each other and kissed tenderly. Antoinette led her to the bedroom and drew her down onto the bed, where they continued to kiss and caress each other.

"I missed you so much," said Antoinette. "I missed sleeping with you, and I missed waking up with you in the morning. You know that I love you so much."

"Oh Antoinette, I'm sorry I stayed away. It's Connor. We love each other. He's the only man in my life that has ever really loved me, and that I have ever been able to really get close to. But I love you too, and I'm afraid I don't know how to make any of this work."

While they talked, they continued to caress each other, and they needed to touch each other. It had been so long since they lay with each other, and Elysia found that she ached for the special bond that existed between them. They talked quietly to each other, and eventually fell asleep. This is how Connor found them when he returned from meeting the scientists.

"Hello Connor," they both said. Antoinette had already met Connor once or twice, back in Switzerland.

"I think Antoinette will be sleeping with us tonight. Is that OK? We talked about this, but I want to make sure you are going to be comfortable."

"This is all new for me, Elysia, but you love Antoinette, so let me learn to love her as well."

Antoinette smiled and got up, then sat beside Connor and kissed him lightly. "I hope we can learn to love each other."

The dinner that evening was with Elysia, Connor, Antoinette, and the Mistress. This was the first time Connor talked to her in person.

"I am pleased to meet you, Connor. My daughter tells me you love each other, and that makes me very happy. A siren woman is seldom able to have a truly loving relationship with a man."

"Thank you, Mistress. I believe we do love each other. And thank you for letting me come to your island. I've met with some of your scientists, and I think we can do some good work here."

"I am so glad. Our island exists to help the people of this world live and prosper in peace. If you can help us, you are more than welcome here. Remember, money will never be a problem here, and if you need something, just ask."

Elysia turned to speak to Antoinette but stopped when she saw the odd look on her face. Antoinette had been strangely quiet since they got there. "Is something wrong, Annie?"

This seemed to shake Antoinette out of a bit of reverie. Then she said, in a bemused kind of way, very quietly, "I just found out that I am five weeks pregnant."

"Oh, Annie, that's wonderful. Who's the father?"

"Andrew, I am pretty sure. Lorelei is going to have a sister."

The talk for the rest of that evening was about pregnancy and babies. Connor had nothing to contribute except good wishes, but he was happy listening to the three women, and as he sat there, he imagined him and Elysia having a baby together.

That night Connor experienced the pure magic of enjoying the bodies, minds, and energies of two siren women. The pleasure was something he could not have imagined, and he decided right there that he would never leave this place.

Chapter 17: A new family

Elysia's life was almost that of a typical Chicago woman with a husband and child. She was truly in love with Connor, and he with her. She went to work every day in her large Palace office, a few paces from her mother's. In contrast to the off-island adventures during her first years on the island, her days were remarkably quiet. She was still in charge of Palace administration and had little to do directly with off-island missions, which were mainly the neutralization of off-island threats to the peace of the world.

In addition to administration, Elysia had other, more broad-ranging duties, formerly performed by her mother. As she took over more and more of her mother's work, the Mistress had free time to relax with a longtime friend, who then became her lover and mate. Elysia was very happy for her mother, who had neglected that side of her life. The Mistress had the final say in everything, but it was Elysia who did the day-to-day work.

In acknowledgment of her growing responsibilities, Elysia underwent an anointing ceremony, which spiritually named her as her mother's successor. This was a necessary ceremony because certain of her mother's powers would not pass to her daughter without this ritual. This ceremonial naming was created as part of the gift of the Mother Goddess to allow a Mistress to select among her daughters the one she wished to be her successor. Only one of her daughters could have the full powers of the Mistress. Now all of the gifts of the Mistress could pass to Elysia, if her mother died or voluntarily relinquished those powers.

Elysia was gratified as she stood on a Palace balcony and received the applause of the assembled crowd. She was well-liked on the island and more and more respected. She had grown to love these people, and as she spoke to them, she pledged that she would do everything she could for them, to make them happy as they all worked toward their combined mission. That evening her little family celebrated her new status with a very fine wine for the adults and a special dessert for Lorelei.