Selene ran, pushing her way through the crowd that gathered by the entrance to a hall.
I pushed my way in after her.
Tension filled the air.
As I made it to the front of the crowd, I saw what all the commotion was about. There, on the pristine white floor, was a corpse.
Chapter Five
Selene
Pale green skin, long black hair, and the boyish softness of youth—I recognized the man lying still in the hall though I didn’t know him personally. His name was Kyril, a shy new recruit who had only been with the ministry a few weeks.
Kneeling beside him, I laid my palm on his arm. His skin was still warm.
His shirt was soaked in blood.
I looked up at the faces of those around me.
There were whispers, signs of shock, anger—nothing unexpected, nothing telling.
The soldiers drew their staves, expanding them into lethal tridents. The metal on metal sounds of twenty weapons sliding into place in unison was the sound of war.
Ligeia pushed her way to the front of the crowd. “How dare the Tribunal come here, to Thalassapolis, under the pretense of friendship, only to murder one of our own during the very reception we hold to welcome them.”
Her eyes sparkled with blood thirst. I knew the look well.
Agents of the surface drew small black weapons that must have been guns of some sort. Others began to strip off their clothing.
Perhaps nudity was a ritual of battle.
I watched their skin bubble and stretch—strange magic indeed—and I gripped the hilt of my staff. Thick hair sprouted over their skin and their faces changed.
None of them spoke.
It was like the transformation of a mermaid from legs to tail, or that of a siren from a humanlike form to one of scales and webbed feet as she glided through the water. But there was no smooth skin, no scales, only fur and fangs, claws and mass.
This was why their weapons were so few and so puny—their bodies were their weapons.
I rose to my feet and readied my staff—always the soldier. And I looked to Agent Keating beside me. Was he the same as the rest of them?
He didn’t appear to have a weapon or to be preparing to transform. Instead, he looked at me, sadness in his brown eyes.
And as he did, there was a pang of emotion inside of me, sadness as well. Strange.
“This is a grave betrayal.” Those gathered stepped back to make way for Balthasar. “Retribution? After we had an agreement.”
My father snapped his weapon into place.
“Stand down, Aegaeon,” Rose commanded.
He had no authority here.
I stepped up beside Balthasar. I would defend my commander with my life.
“You do not give me orders, beast,” my father said.
Rose’s eyes shot open and his lips flattened into a line, but he kept his composure. “We didn’t come here for revenge,” he said. “We didn’t do this.”
“Your kind, your problem.” Balthasar used Rose’s own words. “Perhaps this is what you meant.”
“No.” Rose balled his fists, and hair began to sprout on his knuckles.
He meant to become a beast. I turned my trident on him.
“Enough lies. We will have blood for blood.” Ligeia stamped the butt of her trident on the floor.
Others followed, the rhythm of war, a battle song. But no one would make a move until Balthasar gave the order.
The men and beasts behind Rose made clicking sounds with their weapons, and deep growls echoed through the passageway.
“Let’s all take a breather.” Keating held his hands up, as if in submission.
He moved between Rose and me, allowing the tip of my trident press into his shirt. One small movement and I could pierce his heart.
He gave me a smile and a wink. A flash of heat crossed my skin. Heat and confusion. I pulled my weapon back enough to let him move.
Keating turned to my father.
“My Lord,” he said, changing his voice in a robotic fashion. “Permission to approach?”
Why was he talking like that?
“What?” Balthasar asked. He was as confused as I was, but weapons lowered and some of the beasts stopped baring their fangs. Keating’s absurdity seemed to take a little bit of the tension off.
“Can I look at the body?”
“Very well.”
Keating bent down next to Kyril.
“No disrespect,” he said, and tore the dead man’s tunic open.
There, on Kyril’s green chest, were three circular wounds running from his belly to his ribs.
I didn’t have to measure the distance between them to know that the wound had been inflicted by a trident.
“My god,” Keating said. “This man is dead.”
Was he stating the obvious as a joke?
My father glared at him.
“Tough crowd.” Keating looked again to me. “Seriously though, look at these markings. They’re too big for bullet holes, unless the killer had a real hand-cannon. And I don’t smell any gunpowder. They do look an awful lot like they could have been made by those big salad forks you guys are carrying,” he said, pointing around at our tridents.
“That proves nothing,” my father said. “You could have easily obtained a similar weapon to cast the blame on us.”
“Not me, chief,” Keating said. “Your daughter and I were having a quiet, private conversation in the corner.”
My father scowled at me, accusation in his eyes.
My cheeks flushed and I averted my gaze.
Keating was making our conversation sound like something it wasn’t.
“Sounds like the Tribunal should be in charge of this investigation,” Rose said. “We will uncover which of your people is responsible for this man’s death.”
Balthasar laughed, a humorless, joyless sound. “No.”
“We’ll do it,” Keating said.
How was that any different than what his boss just said? I realized the little respect that I’d felt for him was given prematurely.
“I just said no.” Balthasar scowled at him.
“Not the Tribunal.” Keating rose to his feet and took my hand. “Me and Selene.”
I pulled away, surprised by his touch.
Both Rose and Balthasar stared at Keating.
“Then it’ll be a fair investigation,” he said. “Both teams working hand in hand.”
I sucked in a deep breath and waited for the verdict.
But the truth was, I knew what they would say. It was the best solution, one without bloodshed. I just didn’t know how we were going to spend time together. He was so unlike the men of the Thalassapolis. So unlike anyone I’d ever met. And he made me uncomfortable.
“That works for the Tribunal,” Rose said.
Balthasar frowned. “It will be so.”
“The Defense Ministry will examine the body.” Balthasar gestured to two of the soldiers.
They lifted Kyril’s body and carried him away down the hall.
Ministry soldiers retracted their weapons, while Tribunal beasts returned to their human forms and put their clothes back on.
My father walked away, Ligeia by his side.
Gentle music played in the reception hall, and it was almost as if the confrontation hadn’t happened at all. But it had, and everything had changed—I had to work with an agent of the surface.
As the crowd began to dissipate, I realized I couldn’t let anyone walk away.
“Everyone remain in the hall,” I announced. “We’ll need statements from all of you.”
“Good thinking.” Keating elbowed my arm. “I’ve got a pen and paper ready. Funny I brought it along, given I figured everything down here would be water. Paper would have been a soggy mess, huh?”
“You didn’t know about the Thalassapolis?” I hadn’t expected that.
“Not a thing. I didn’t even know about…” He looked at me as if he wasn’t sure what word was appropriate.
“Merpeople?” I offered.
“Yep. I didn’t know merpeople existed until I saw the one up on the yacht.”
I studied his face. It was very square. Handsome for a surface dweller. His hair was a shade of sandy yellow, as was the hair on his jaw, and his brown eyes appeared free of deceit.
If that was so, the Tribunal was an organization of secrets, secrets they did not share with their own men. It also meant it was possible that my new partner could be trusted.
I wasn’t ready to jump to that conclusion yet, even if my gut told me it was true.
“If you expected only sea, how did you expect to breathe? You don’t have gills, do you?” I examined his neck, but the flesh appeared smooth.
“Uh, no. No gills,” he said. “I expected Rose would have something in mind, magic or tech or something.”
“Magic like that coin?” I asked.
“No, real magic.”
He smiled at me, and it twisted my insides. I didn’t care for the effect he seemed to have on me. It would make being close to him uncomfortable. Better to get this over with as soon as possible.
“Let’s begin our questioning,” I said, and approached the first of the witnesses.
Keating followed and scribbled on his paper as I spoke to one of the Tribunal agents who had been closest to the body when we’d arrived. Keating appropriately added questions of his own.
Then we spoke to the next and the next, until we’d spoken to everyone. Hours had passed, and the entirety of guards and agents in the hall had been excused. All weapons were clear of blood, but lab testing would be required to know anything for sure.
And we’d learned nothing of value.
What were we supposed to do next?
“Well, I’m exhausted.” Keating yawned and stretched his arms up over his head. His chest was broad, his shirt tight over his muscles as he flexed.
I looked away.
“The murderer has not been identified,” I said.
“I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” He smiled and put his arms down. “As far as I’m concerned, we have two murders to solve.”
“Oh?”
“One of your people and one of ours. We might as well find all the answers while we’re at it, right, partner?”
“I suppose if the evidence presents itself.”
“All right then, let’s start by checking quarters. Yours and mine.”
Again, his words implied a more personal arrangement than I was comfortable with. I decided to take it as a cultural disconnect, and that he intended to imply the quarters of the Ministry’s soldiers and those of the Tribunal on their vessel.
“Sure,” I said. “Let’s start with your vessel.”
A young merman came running up the hall behind us. “Selene, a pod has been stolen from the docks.”
“What is its heading?”
“Unknown, ma’am. The tracking system was disabled. But we do know it was registered to Kyril Anastas.”
The deceased.
“Sounds like a lead,” Keating said.
“There’s more, ma’am. Security cross-checked the Therion Tribunal’s manifest with those still in the building. One man is missing.”
“Who?”
“Joseph Wafflick.”
Chapter Six
Vaughn
No fucking way.
There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
Waffles couldn’t have killed a man, stolen a sub, shut down the navigation, and disappeared without a trace. I had a hard time believing he was capable of doing a single one of those things.
He was probably hiding out on the Harpoon, warming up a burrito on one of the control panels. That’s a story I’d believe.
“Hmm, this Waff Lick must be a formidable warrior,” Selene said.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing.
Her brows furrowed and she turned to me. Clearly, she hadn’t had the pleasure of speaking to the man yet.
“I know Waffles well enough to be sure he couldn’t have done it.”
She just looked at me.
I added, “He’s the little guy from before, you know, the scrawny beanpole that was standing on the other side of Rose when we met.”
Selene’s eyes sparkled with recognition. Then she turned to the merdude who had delivered the news. “Let the commander know, and tell him I’ll handle it.”
The soldier nodded and turned to go.
“We,” I said. “We are going to handle it.”
Selene studied my face. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Maybe she thought I was as much of an idiot as Waffles, or maybe she was glad to have a partner. I hoped for the latter, but if she didn’t appreciate me yet, I’d just have to work harder to prove my worth.
“Show me Waffles Lick’s quarters.”
“Can do.”
We went down the hall and into the elevator. She pushed the button. This time, I didn’t hesitate climbing in. This time I wasn’t nervous about the water.
The doors closed and I debated what to say to her. She kept her attention forward and seemed not to feel the same awkwardness that I did when we were standing together but not saying anything.
Did she feel this electricity between us? Did she want anything to do with me at all?
The doors opened. We stepped out and walked side-by-side down the hall.
When we reached the Harpoon, I was glad to be at least in part on my turf. Sure, land would have been better, but the sub was a start.
“Right this way.” I smiled and bowed, gesturing for her to step inside.
She did, and turned her head, taking in the sights. If she was impressed, she showed no sign of it. But I couldn’t blame her, not after seeing a glimpse of Thalassapolis. The Harpoon probably seemed like an amateurish knock-off when compared to her people’s tech.
“Bunks are this way,” I said.
Selene followed beside me, and a step behind.
“What is that stench?” Selene cringed and shook her head as we stepped into the bunk area.
“That’s our guy.” It really did stink. Seemed like the bag of sandwiches Waffles had brought along had already begun to sour.
I followed the scent to a bunk at the far end of the room and reached under the metal bed.
“What are you doing?” Selene asked.
“This would be the only belongings Waffles brought along for the trip.” I pulled out a canvas bag filled with subs wrapped in grease-soaked white paper.
“Does he not have other belongings?” Her nose was still wrinkled, but she didn’t stay back. Instead she tore apart the bedding and ripped open the mattress with her trident. There wasn’t going to be anything to find, but if she was set on destroying things, it didn’t hurt me to let her.
“Not here,” I said.
“Then where?”
“His house, I’d imagine.” Visiting Waffles’ place was the natural next step to clearing his name.
Selene looked down at the floor and dropped the mattress. “You mean on the surface?”
“Of course on the surface,” I said. “We can’t live down here.”
She nodded slowly and didn’t look up. In fact, she seemed to be a little pale—paler. “We’ll have to go to the surface, then.”
Maybe she was worried that I’d be afraid of her when I saw her fish monster form up on land. Even seeing her with bug eyes and needle fangs, I couldn’t imagine it would change a damned thing about the way I felt. Hell or seawater, Selene was my mate.
Apparently, merperson travel meant sitting in a tiny glass bubble with knees smashed into the dash. If not for the discomfort, it might have been like swimming, but with glass all around us.
Selene had called it a pod, and climbing inside had made me nervous as hell. Worse was when it started moving through dark tunnels.
The only good part about it was being with Selene.
Sitting next to each other, we were so close that any movement meant our
elbows would brush together. And while I didn’t mind, she seemed nervous enough without me touching her.
Her brows were furrowed as she kept her eyes forward, and she pushed the occasional button on the dash.
It was nice to be the one who was calm and collected for a change.
Most of the ride was in dark silence, until I couldn’t take it anymore.
“If you’re worried about me seeing you all green and scaly, it’s okay. I promise I’ll still be nice.”
She shot me a look. “What are you talking about?”
Proceed with caution… “When I saw the merperson before...I saw the shifted version of what your people look like on land.”
She just stared at me. She was going to make me say it.
“The long teeth...and big eyes...it’s just different. No judgment or anything,” I said.
“You’re describing a siren, not a mermaid.”
“Oh.”
That meant Selene did not turn into a fish monster. But then, what was she worried about?
“The assailant from your yacht was a siren.” Her eyes narrowed and she balled her fists on her lap.
“Does that mean something?” I asked.
“Only that the most likely suspect is from the katopolis.”
She looked at me, and my confusion must have shown, because her lips lifted the slightest bit of a smile.
“The lower city,” she said. “Most inhabitants of the towers are merpeople. There is a divide, one I’ve never quite understood.”
“That’s not just down here,” I said. “It’s universal.”
“Is your culture structured by beast? The large ones with the brown fur versus the smaller ones with gray?”
It took me a moment to understand. She must have meant bears and wolves. “Types of shifters? No, not really. There isn’t equal representation for everyone in the Tribunal, but bears and wolves are equals.”
“And you?” she asked. “Which are you?”
“Tiger.”
“Tiger…” She looked forward through the glass, where light was breaking through the water more and more.
We’d almost reached the surface.
“Are you not familiar with land animals?” I asked.
The Ocean's Roar: A Tiger Shifter and Mermaid Romance (The Protectors Quick Bites Book 3) Page 5