Dangerous Depths (The Sea Monster Memoirs)

by Karen Amanda Hooper

  Treygan stiffened. “No.”

  “No?”

  “As much as I don’t agree with it, Lloyd says Yara can’t know. She’ll fight tooth and talons to stop him from meddling.”

  Yara loved that man. Maybe even more than Treygan and I did. “What if he does die because of this?”

  “He said he’d rather die helping to save you and Vienna than live and watch you suffer.”

  I raked my fingers over my goatee. Lloyd couldn’t die. Not like this. Not because of me and my stupid mistakes. I couldn’t let that happen. “Sometimes I wish he’d just be the bastard father I accuse him of being.”

  “We both know that’s impossible.”

  The suns were dimmer as Rathe shifted to what would be considered nighttime. The mer side of Rathe didn’t get dark like the selkie side, just dimmer, similar to dusk. I stared at the sky through the opening in Treygan’s roof as we floated in his resting pool.

  “I can’t rest anymore.” I sat up, treading water. “Maybe Indrea and Caspian are awake and can answer some more questions I thought of.”

  Treygan turned his head and smiled at me. “You and I have plans elsewhere.”

  “We do? Where? What plans?”

  He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me close to him. “Remember when I said you smell like apple blossoms, and you told me you had never smelled them?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s time to change that.”

  “But we have to train, and—”

  Treygan silenced me with a kiss that made my fins flutter. He pulled back and lightly brushed his nose against mine. “Rownan will be asleep for hours. We shouldn’t train without him anyway.”

  “We could work on our combat skills.”

  Treygan looked away then sighed. He laced his fingers through mine and squeezed, bringing his eyes back to meet mine. “Please, let me have this one thing. There’s so much more I want to show you in Rathe, but we don’t have enough time. Give me this one thing before we go.” Worry lines creased his forehead. They silently spoke a truth he hadn’t wanted to say out loud. He was worried we would never return from Harte. “Take some time out to stop and smell the apple blossoms. For me.”

  The pleading way he looked at me dissolved all of my defenses. How could I say no to him? “Okay. I’ll take a break. For you.”

  He smiled and kissed the top of my head. Hands still locked together, we swam out of his house and away from the looming burdens of our dangerous trip to Harte, and all the pressures of me finding my place in this new world. I had to admit, the break was a welcomed reprieve.

  ~

  You ready? Treygan asked me.

  Ahead of us was an underwater forest. I glanced back and forth between him and the dense array of trees in front of us. We’re swimming in there? It looks like a scary maze we’ll never find our way out of.

  I know this place as well as the scales on my tail. It’s far from scary, and we won’t get lost. He winked mischievously. Unless you want to.

  I flicked him with my fins, sending bubbles floating up around us. Lead the way.

  He took off in front of me, darting around branches and swimming deeper into the labyrinth of trees. His muscular body propelled him through the water, strong and graceful. I kept reaching out, needing to touch him over and over—his tail, his side, his arm, wherever. He flashed me approving grins, but he kept swimming—until beams of sunlight illuminated a patch of trees in front of us.

  Treygan flipped over and looked at me. His bright silver skin and huge smile revealed how happy he was, but his face flushed with orange which meant he was super excited. Normally, I’d insist you go first, but I want to be up there when you break through the surface so I can see your reaction.

  Clearly, this place meant a lot to Treygan. I motioned upward. After you.

  He shot toward the circle of glowing water above us. I waited a few seconds, contemplating what might be up there. I couldn’t imagine anything being more beautiful than what I’d already seen in Rathe. No matter what awaited me, even if it wasn’t all that spectacular, I’d fake being impressed because it meant so much to Treygan.

  I took my time, swimming upward in figure eights until I saw Treygan’s tail swaying above me. I closed my eyes, propelled myself up the last few feet, and enjoyed the transition from cool water against my face to warm air.

  I opened my eyes, taking in the sparkling trees surrounding me. My mouth fell open, but I couldn’t make a sound. I stuck my face in the water again, rubbed my eyes, and did a double take. It was even more mesmerizing at second glance.

  “Forbidden Apple Lagoon,” Treygan whispered respectfully, as if we had entered a sacred temple.

  “It’s …” I spun around, taking in the acres of apple trees blooming with white and pink flowers. Twinkling flowers. Gold, silver, and white apples dangled from the branches. “It’s incredible.”

  Treygan smiled. “Poseidon’s handiwork.”

  Treygan educating me about Rathe and sea folk had become one of my favorite hobbies, but stories about Medusa and Poseidon’s love were my very favorite. “Tell me the story.”

  He positioned himself behind me and held on to my hips, slowly spinning us in a circle to give us a panoramic view as he spoke. “Medusa loved flowers. In the formative years of Rathe, she hinted to Poseidon about how much she missed them. Like most males, he didn’t take the hint, so after a few years of no flowers, Medusa became furious and refused to see him. Stheno and Euryale told Poseidon why their sister was so upset, and he made it up to Medusa by creating this place.”

  “The flowers are gorgeous, but why the apples?”

  “There’s an ancient belief among gods and goddesses that the offering of an apple is the declaration of one’s love. Poseidon told Medusa one apple could never be sufficient, so he gave her an eternal orchard. Of course, it’s also fitting that the apple was the forbidden fruit, and Poseidon and Medusa’s love was forbidden by many.”

  “What makes the flowers sparkle like that?”

  Treygan pressed his chest against my back and rested his chin on my shoulder. “That’s the best part. Poseidon took fragments of stars from all of Medusa’s favorite constellations and placed them inside each flower.”

  I spun to face him, zeroing in on Treygan’s freckles that formed the Canis Major constellation. I loved those freckles. They had helped me remember who I was and kept me tied to the living world when I was being tempted in the Inbetween.

  “They never stop shining,” Treygan continued. “I could never decide if this place was prettier at night or in the full light of the suns.”

  The star-flowers blossomed everywhere. I glided toward a thick, curved branch that dipped below the surface. “Can I touch them?”

  “Sure. The stardust in the center is warm, but not enough to burn.” He plucked one and held it between us.

  I touched its silky petals while inhaling. “They smell so good.”

  “I pictured this place every time I smelled you.” He tucked the flower behind my ear and it warmed the side of my head. “You always reminded me of here—of home, and star-flowers that smell like heaven.”

  He looked gorgeous, with his wet hair all slicked back and his intense eyes staring at me with a million beautiful twinkling flowers behind him. I wanted to tell him how deeply in love with him I had fallen, how I couldn’t stand the thought of ever being without him, and how scared I was about what might happen to us in Harte. But those thoughts felt too heavy for such a magical place. Instead, I teased him. “You’ve become a total sap.”

  He laughed. “It’s disturbing. I toss and turn every night, wondering how I let myself get this bad. I finally understand what it’s like to lose sleep because you can’t stop thinking about someone.”

  I mocked the words he had told me just weeks ago when I first became a mermaid. “Merfolk don’t sleep.”

  “Touché.” He pulled me against him. “But we do rest, and even when I’m resting, I never stop thinkin
g about you.”

  The tingling in my fins spread through my entire body. If I didn’t lighten the mood, I’d end up losing all rational thoughts. I climbed onto the cascading branch and sat in its curve. I could hardly see my tail because of all the twinkling flowers surrounding me. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Medusa couldn’t leave the grotto, so she would’ve never been able to come here and see this beautiful place.”

  “True, but she could use the all-seeing mirror.” Treygan draped his arms over the branch, lifting himself halfway out of the water. His wet, rippling muscles were distracting and much too enticing. “The stories say this was one of her favorite places to gaze at for days on end.”

  “Mm, yes, I can see why.”

  Sage purred, forcing me to hone in on the topic of the mirror. Treygan had mentioned the gorgon’s mirror before, and I remembered reading about it in the history books. “I don’t think that mirror still exists. I haven’t seen it anywhere in the grotto.”

  “Well, it was a very long time ago. Legend says it stopped working when Medusa was killed. Maybe Stheno and Euryale destroyed it out of anger or frustration.”

  Stheno and Euryale destroying anything wouldn’t surprise me. I was pretty sure they wanted to destroy me.

  “So, was the trip worth it?” Treygan maneuvered himself onto the branch so he was sitting beside me. “To see this place?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve never seen anything in Earth this breathtaking.”

  “Considering you didn’t travel much beyond your island and some parts of Florida, you don’t have much to compare it to, but based on my extensive traveling, you’re right. Nowhere else do stars shine all the time—or inside flowers.”

  “Am I the first girl you’ve ever brought here?”

  He laughed. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever taken anywhere in any sort of romantic sense.”

  I blushed.

  “Also,” he added, “only gorgons can enter this place.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I’m not sure. I tried bringing Delmar and Kimber here when we were kids, but they couldn’t enter the forest. They said it was like an invisible brick wall stopped them from swimming forward. They tried a few more times throughout the years, but always with the same result. I could only let them see it through my memories.”

  “So, no one else has been here except for you?”

  “I’m sure some of the gorgon kin have been here at some point. And Rownan came here with me when we were kids.”

  “Rownan came here?” I couldn’t picture it. “Doesn’t seem like his type of place.”

  Treygan grinned, scanning the area around us like he was watching memories play out in front of him. “We used to play Treasure Hunting.”

  “Treasure Hunting?”

  “A children’s game. Rownan always won.”

  I wanted to bask in the moment and enjoy our alone time. I wanted to hear more stories about Treygan as a child, but the mention of Rownan had me distracted and worried again. “Treygan, I want to know what Vienna is like.”

  A short huff escaped his lips. I had ruined the moment he had created for us. I felt awful that I couldn’t give him my undivided attention, but he quickly recovered before I could apologize. “Vienna was a true—”

  “Is.” I corrected him.

  “Is?”

  “She is a true … whatever you were about to say. You said was. Like she doesn’t exist anymore.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just been so long since I last saw her.”

  I shifted my weight. The tree branch wasn’t the most comfortable seat. “We should speak about her as if she’s alive and well. That will help us be more confident about our mission.”

  “You’re right. Okay, Vienna is a true romantic. She and Rownan had the best relationship I’ve ever witnessed. They always put each other first and made selfless displays of affection and appreciation for each other.”

  “It’s hard to picture Rownan that way.”

  Treygan looked vexed. “Really? He never faked being romantic those couple of weeks you dated?”

  “Whoa. Let’s clear this up so there’s no more confusion. Rownan and I never really dated. You know that. He mysted me into thinking we were a couple. None of our so-called relationship was based on truth or real feelings.”

  “You never felt anything for him?”

  “During those weeks we fake-dated, I don’t know what I felt because none of it was real. But after the fact, there were many times I wanted to throw Rownan into a tank of killer jellyfish and let them sting the stupid out of him. I don’t think anyone would describe that as lovey-dovey feelings.”

  Treygan smiled. “Point taken.” He fidgeted with some flowers beside him. “I’ve been worried that maybe you would have had feelings for him if circumstances were different.”

  What circumstances? Did he mean if Rownan wasn’t married? Or if I had been turned selkie instead of mer? My feelings for Treygan would have been the same no matter what, I was sure of that. “It doesn’t matter what the circumstances might have been. Like it or not, you are stuck with me and my hodgepodge sea monster craziness. You are my destiny, Treygan.”

  His eyes lit up. “Destiny? Now who’s talking romantic?” His fingers traced the vines of hallmarks where my tail melded into skin.

  My fins curled in response to his touch. I closed my eyes, relishing the way his fingertips stirred my insides. My reply came out breathless. “We’re romantics. We need to accept our shame and carry on.”

  He kissed along my collarbone. “You make me proud to be a romantic.”

  His closeness to my ear made me realize Sage was gone. Her absence reminded me that Vienna was gone too. Guilt sucker-punched me back into the severity of our situation. Hard as it was, I pulled away from Treygan’s kisses. “We strayed off track. Let’s get back to Vienna.”

  “Vienna who?” he whispered.

  I playfully splashed water on him. “Stop it! We need to focus.”

  “Fine,” he sighed, wiping water from his face. “Let’s see. More about Vienna. I have so many memories of her and Rownan.”

  “Perfect! Why didn’t we think of that earlier?” One of the most amazing gifts merfolk had was the ability to share memories with other merfolk. Treygan and I had linked souls and lived each other’s memories several times, and every time it strengthened our bond. “Share some memories of her with me.”

  “Let me think of one or two good ones.” His eyes shifted to the sky. “I have one.”

  His cobalt eyes focused on mine. Water lapped gently between us. We both held our breath. The calm before the storm was my favorite part of the soul sharing process. So much could be said in the silence between two people. Treygan and I had some of our most meaningful conversations in complete silence. He knew how much I loved the build-up, so he took his time, but eventually clouds passed over his eyes. My soul connected with his as I was pulled out of the present and into Treygan’s past.

  I became him, Treygan in a time and place long ago.

  For the first time ever, I saw Vienna. With Rownan. And if I had any traces of doubt about them before, they vanished the moment I witnessed them together.

  I had a new understanding and appreciation for who, and what, we were saving.

  Treygan and Yara were determined to return home. I would come back with Vienna. I had never been surer of anything in my life.

  Schools of fish circled nearby. And a pod of dolphins. And a few sea turtles. Everywhere we went, Rathe’s creatures were all trying to meet Yara, or at least watch what she was doing. The crowds were annoying, especially when we were trying to work.

  Once we’re in Harte, I explained to Yara and Treygan, we’ll shadow Vienna. I’m sure she’ll be easy for me to find since our connection is so strong.

  Yara waved away two curious manatees. I agree. Your relationship was like something from a fairy tale.

  I snickered. You have no idea.

  Yes, I
do. I’ve lived several of Treygan’s memories of her and witnessed you two together. I sort of feel like I know her now.

  My body tensed from my forehead to my fins. Treygan’s eyes met mine and he squared his shoulders. I wanted to body slam him. My teeth were clenched so hard I thought they might crack. You shared memories of Vienna with her?

  She needs to know what Vienna looks like. She’s helping us find her.

  I lurched forward. You had no right!

  Why are you so upset? Yara asked. Me knowing what she looks like can only help us.

  Look, Treygan said, swimming closer to me. I’m sure it’s infuriating that you can’t relive memories of her, but I thought it—

  You didn’t think anything! I shouted. Even if you two did do something so violating behind my back, I pointed at Yara, you should have been smart enough not to tell me about it.

  She flinched. I’m sorry, Rownan. I didn’t mean to—

  I don’t want to hear another word from either of you. I swam away, angry and hurt, but then turned back. I felt emotionally out of control. I grabbed Yara by her upper arms. I changed my mind. What memories did he share with you? What was she doing?

  Treygan grabbed my forearm and pulled me off Yara. Calm down. And don’t ever grab her like that again.

  Don’t tell me to calm down. I wriggled out of his grip. Was I there? Was I in the memories?

  Treygan’s eyes were still narrowed, but I saw sympathy seep in. Of course you were.

  Was she … happy? The water around me felt heavier, like it was trying to crush me from the outside. Were we happy?

  Treygan’s tone was much calmer. You already know the answer to that.

  Of course we were happy. I sank to the bottom of the shallow ocean and sat in the sand. Yara and Treygan both swam down after me. I caught a snippet of Treygan’s mental conversation with Yara as he asked her to give us a minute alone.

  Treygan hovered in front of me. I’m sorry. I should have realized how upsetting that would be for you. I’d give you my ability if I could. I swear it.

  A throbbing pain burned in my chest. I closed my eyes, not wanting Treygan invading my thoughts. I didn’t need Treygan’s ability. I relived my memories of Vienna all day, every day. Intimate moments that no one else could ever re-experience. What had me so upset was knowing I might have ruined everything. Our powerful love, and Vienna’s soul and life, had been jeopardized because of my stupid decisions. Memories were all I had left. And they weren’t nearly enough. I opened my eyes. I miss her so much.