by Anna Lowe
“Gotcha,” she murmured as she treaded water, looking at it.
When she opened her hand to peek, her jaw swung open. A pearl?
In the old days, pearls were harvested from the wild, the woman at the jewelry stand had said.
Her heart beat a little faster, and she swam forward until finally, her toes touched the rocky bottom. She looked down around her feet. Might there be more pearls down there?
She raised the pearl higher and rolled it over her palm, murmuring the whole time.
“Perfect.”
And she really meant perfect. The pearl was round, smooth, and black with an overtone of gold. The sun shone off its unblemished surface, making it wink. She grinned, imagining what Connor would say when she showed him. When she glanced up at the ledge that sheltered his home, she broke out in a smile because there he was, standing at the edge.
“Look at what I found!” she shouted, though he wouldn’t hear over the sound of the waves. The beach was calm except for the little bit of a ripple sneaking in around the collapsed edge of the fish pond, but his ledge stood above a nearby surf-washed cliff.
Connor waved back, and she half swam, half waded to shallower water, still admiring the pearl. Back at home, she’d come across the occasional discarded tire or shopping cart. But, wow — a pearl? Of course, this was Maui and not the densely populated California coast.
She marveled at her treasure, tuning in to the hum. A reassuring tune like a lullaby that came from the pearl, not the sea. She closed her eyes, listening hard. Warming inside, because it sounded like a lullaby her mother used to sing. A lullaby she’d completely forgotten until now. Which was probably a case of her mind filling in too many blanks — but still, bittersweet tears filled her eyes. She had so few memories of her mother, and to have one more emerge from the mists of her memories was a gift.
She cupped the pearl in both hands and let the tune play out in her mind. A song of love and comfort and goodness in the world, all coming from the pearl. As if that pearl were a friend — or maybe a guardian angel, or even a sign from heaven sent by her mom. When she held the pearl up to the light, it looked all gold — the color of love, life, and passion. But then something flickered, and a cloud slid in front of the sun.
When she looked up again, Connor was still waving, as excited as she was. Dragons must have incredible vision for him to have seen the pearl from so far away. Her mind fast-forwarded into rushing back to his house and showing it to him.
Coolest find ever, she’d say.
He’d ooh and ahh, and she’d make him listen for the tune, too. And that would top off the most amazing morning ever, because how often did you wake up from great sex to find a pearl in the open ocean?
The pearl shone as if it were happy too, but something itched at the back of her mind.
You found me! You found me! its bright shine seemed to cheer.
She grinned from cheek to cheek, imagining what her father would say.
She glanced up at the ledge again and, wow. Connor must have been really excited, because he kept right on waving to her. She held out the pearl, showing it to him.
“Wait a minute…”
Slowly, it dawned on her that Connor was waving with both arms. Gesturing. Slowly, she retracted her outstretched arm. Connor’s movements weren’t happy. They were frantic.
The itch swelled to a prickle, and the prickle exploded into full-blown alarm as the sixth sense dulled by her excitement kicked back on. Something was out there in the water. Something coming her way.
The peaceful tune in her mind broke off, and the lullaby became a scream.
Jenna whipped around and froze. A plume of white rushed through the water like a torpedo heading right for her.
Connor hadn’t been waving. He’d been warning her.
“No!”
She gasped and lurched back toward the beach. But the water fettered her legs like chains, and she felt mired in mud. She clawed at the water with her hands — one open, the other balled, holding the pearl.
“Jenna!” Connor’s bellow sounded over the splash of water and the pumping of blood in her ears.
She sprinted as an otherworldly scream filled her mind. Watch out! It’s coming! Get away!
But moving through the water was like running in a nightmare — she barely seemed to move. Her right foot struck a jagged rock, and she staggered, nearly falling in.
Get away!
Flailing, she found her footing and rushed on. But the sound of rushing water filled her ears, and she whirled. Was that a shark coming at her? An orca?
Whatever it was, it was big. Whale-big, and nowhere near as friendly. It rushed around the open corner of the fish pond, a tsunami aimed right at her. She saw jaws — huge, white jaws. Wide, greedy eyes. The flash of a fin—
“No!” She splashed at the creature with one helpless fist.
Then she yelped as something slippery wrapped around her leg.
“No—”
Her cry broke off as the creature yanked her under water and started dragging her away.
Jenna screamed a helpless message no one could possibly hear. Water splashed everywhere, filling her mouth and nose. Bubbles exploded from her lips, but no sound emerged. She punched blindly at the mystery beast, to no avail.
No! No!
Then a voice laced with evil and greed vibrated through the water, invading her ears. Yes, my pet. You will finally be mine.
It was the voice of her nightmares, and her muddled mind screamed. No! God, no!
Come with me, my pet. Come to me.
Like hell, she was coming. She reached for the knife strapped to her calf, but it was covered by the thing clutching her leg. At first, she thought it was a tentacle, but then she caught sight of a claw.
The deep voice chuckled and pulled her deeper. Come to me, my pet. It is time I made you mine.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Connor ran along the edge of the ledge, hollering at the top of his lungs. One minute, Jenna had been down there in the water, beaming and waving like she’d found pirate gold, and the next…
She was gone.
“Jenna!” he yelled.
He’d slept peacefully all night — the kind of soul-deep peace he hadn’t felt in years — until jolting awake with an out-of-nowhere sense of doom. Of some terrible enemy not just lurking, but rushing in to attack. And when he looked down—
“Jenna!” he screamed at the sight of a huge something barreling at her from the depths. It was too deep to see clearly, but the line of white trailing behind showed how fast it was.
“Get out!” he yelled. “Get out!”
God, hadn’t Jenna sensed that creature coming? Hadn’t she seen him waving her away?
He stared as the long line of froth zipped along, just breaking the surface, making a beeline for Jenna. A horrifying look of realization had come over her too late. Then there was a huge splash and a muffled cry he felt more than heard.
“Jenna!” he bellowed.
It came out deep and throaty, because his dragon was already struggling to emerge. But he was so rushed and frantic that his two sides tangled, and he couldn’t shift.
Damn it, hurry! he ordered his dragon. That monster was dragging Jenna away.
You hurry! it shot back.
Connor’s anger mounted higher and higher until he very nearly gave in to it, exactly as he’d done so many other times in his life. It was only when he pictured Jenna touching his arm that the fury cooled enough to let him think.
Stop, he barked at his dragon. Think!
Every time he’d messed up in his life — and Lord knew there’d been plenty — it had been at a time like this, when anger or frustration led the way.
No time for that! his dragon roared back, because dragons acted. They didn’t hang around thinking. Not at times like these.
A dozen competing voices filled his mind. His mother. Commanding officers he’d served under. Even his father, the few times he’d come around.
Look before you leap.
You’d make a great officer if only you used your head.
What the hell were you thinking?
He closed his eyes. Precious seconds were slipping away.
Fly! We must fly! his dragon roared.
Connor shook his head and looked straight down. The swell crashed into the base of the cliff under his feet, churning and frothing.
You could dive right in from here, Jenna had said. If you hit that spot just right…
He stared. That spot between two rocks?
You mean, if you were nuts, he’d said.
Well, he was out of his mind with fear. Maybe that counted.
The old Hawaiian kings jumped off cliffs, you know. To prove themselves.
Connor stared at the water. It would be so, so easy to launch into the air and fly, but that wouldn’t help Jenna. She was underwater, and with the sun glinting off the surface, he wouldn’t be able to see a thing from above. Which meant…
He took a deep breath. He had to get down there to help her. Now. And down that cliff was the fastest way.
No, a little voice cried in his head. His own voice, but from way back when he was a little kid. Please, no.
The water swirled and splashed, taunting him. Scared, are you?
Yeah, he was scared. Coming close to drowning as a little kid could do that to you. And it wasn’t just him. Most dragons hated water. They hated diving. Why struggle through the water when you could soar through the air?
Because Jenna is down there, he barked at his dragon, pushing off from the cliff at the same time.
He’d launched off that cliff dozens of times, but launching wasn’t diving, because one ended in flying, while the other ended in…
Certain death, his dragon yelped.
The wind whipped his eyes, making his vision blur as he plummeted toward the rocks.
Fly, his dragon screamed.
His shoulders stretched as his wings began to emerge, too late to catch any air. He was falling too quickly, and he knew it. If he opened his wings, they’d be stretched at their widest — and most vulnerable — when he struck the surface. They’d be twisted and broken, and even rapid shifter healing wouldn’t be fast enough to help.
So he clenched his jaw and folded his wings along his sides for a smooth entry, sticking with his suicidal plan. But, crap. Was he aiming at the right place?
He squinted as he dropped, keeping his nose on target. His tail stretched out behind, and he kept it ramrod straight, trying to line up for a streamlined dive.
Jenna, he wanted to scream. Hang on.
The surf spun and foamed beneath him like a rabid animal waiting for its prey.
Jen—
The surface of the water was a brick wall that knocked the air out of him. Everything was a white, foamy blur. Salt water filled his mouth and nose, and his eyes burned, making forgotten memories flood back in. Memories of gulping water, crying for help. Getting swept deeper no matter what he tried.
Damn it, keep it together, his dragon ordered. Jenna needs us.
He flicked his tail, desperate to gain some control in that muted tangle of bubbles. His tail didn’t have half the effect it did in the air, but a sense of balance rushed back to his inner ear.
Swim, damn it. Swim!
The surf was pulling him toward the rocks. He had to get out into the clear.
So he kicked and beat his wings, battling the current that tugged him toward the rocks. Inch by inch, he clawed forward until he emerged into blue water instead of white.
Jenna! he roared in a muffled underwater cry. Where was she?
The ocean stretched out in front of him. An endless blue universe pierced by rays of sunshine that filtered in from above, making depth and distance impossible to judge. It was all eerily void of sound other than faint, taunting laughter.
He jerked his head left and right, growing desperate. How would he ever find Jenna this way?
Then something moved in the corner of his eye, and he saw Jenna being dragged along by her leg. She was bent at the waist, flailing and pounding at her attacker.
Jenna!
He kicked madly and beat his wings, taking off in pursuit. Discovering that childhood demons weren’t so hard to overcome, at least when the woman he loved was at risk. But, shit. Dragons commanded the skies, not the oceans, and the distance to Jenna took an eternity to close. It was a miracle she was still conscious, having been under that long. How much longer could she hold out? His lungs were already burning, and it was hard to imagine Jenna hanging on much longer before blacking out.
By the time Connor swam within fire-spitting range — not that that weapon did him much good underwater — he was dizzy for lack of oxygen. His lungs screamed, and no matter how hard he clenched his teeth, he couldn’t fight instinct any more. So he rushed to the surface, gulped a couple of lungfuls of air, then dove again.
The creature that was making off with Jenna was much faster than him, but she was doing a damn good job slowing it down. Which shouldn’t have been possible, considering how long she’d been underwater, but hell. Her hair fanned out around her head and shone in the eerie ocean light, exactly like a mermaid’s. A warrior mermaid who refused to give in.
Connor powered forward, determined to free her this time. That shark or squid or whatever it was had targeted the wrong woman, and it would pay with its life.
Inch by inch, he closed in on the beast, intent on figuring out what it was. It was too big for a shark, too small for a whale. Its movements were quick and strangely elegant. A long, pointed appendage flicked in and out of his view — a tentacle? Or was that a tail?
His frantic mind couldn’t make sense of it. What kind of sea creature had a long, thin tail?
Jenna twisted in another attempt to get free, and her eyes went wide when she caught sight of him.
Connor! He could hear her cry in his head.
Hang on! He pushed the thought toward her mind, hoping she could hear him.
The creature who had her in its grip twisted around for a look, and Connor froze in recognition. That wasn’t a shark, a squid, or some kind of high-tech submarine. The powerful body did taper off into a tail, but what he’d taken to be fins were wings.
Wings?
It was a dragon, yet nothing like him. The wings were stubby. The tail longer. The body armor an ugly, seaweed brown.
Mr. Hoving, it spat in disdain. The words thundered through the water and into his mind.
Draig?
The arrogant tone and haughty eyes gave the shifter away, but Connor’s mind still spun. What did Draig want with Jenna?
What does every sea dragon want? Draig chuckled, reading his mind.
Sea dragon? Connor did a double take. Jesus. Did he have to learn everything the hard way?
He glared at the bearded sea dragon and flexed his claws. What the hell do I know about what you want? His words were part vibration, part garbled sound, but like Draig’s, every word made sense to his dragon mind.
I’m an old man, the sea dragon sighed. Ready to retire. All I need is a comfortable lair at the bottom of the sea and a nice little female to amuse myself with.
Jenna fluttered and flailed. Connor exploded with fury and darted forward. But Draig maneuvered away with a quick flap of his stunted wings, pulling Jenna out of reach.
Oh, no. This fine prize is mine, Draig crooned. I claimed her first, so she is mine.
Connor snapped at him, but Draig avoided him with another lightning-fast lurch. The bastard might be centuries old, but water was his element, and it showed.
Imagine my surprise when rumors first started of a mermaid that had survived to this dreary day and age, Draig said.
A part-blood mermaid, Connor wanted to say. But, hell. She sure seemed to be able to survive underwater a long time, and thank goodness for that.
I’ve had my eye on her for quite some time, Draig chuckled, swaying from side to side, daring Connor to attack.
Then the aging dragon’s voice dripped with malice. But she didn’t accept my invitation, which left me no choice but to come after her myself. One of his wings wrapped around Jenna. She is lovely, isn’t she? Not a redhead, but the next best thing.
Connor felt sick. Then he nearly cheered, because Jenna wound up for a punch and landed it right on Draig’s snout. The old dragon shook in surprise, letting her go.
Connor would have loved to savor the moment, but he didn’t have time. He powered forward and battered Draig in the chest with the thickest part of his skull. Then he opened his jaws wide for a crushing bite and—
Connor reeled from an out-of-nowhere blow, and Draig roared in triumph.
You think you can best me, boy?
Stars filled Connor’s vision, and his head spun. He’d failed to see Draig’s spiked tail whipping at him and had paid the price.
You think you can best the mightiest sea dragon of the Draig clan? The sea dragon cackled. You’re a nobody, a nothing.
Connor’s nostrils flared, and his dragon snarled.
Jenna, meanwhile, kicked toward the surface, getting away.
Draig sighed and went on. Of course, these days, many of the old bloodlines have allowed themselves to be diluted. Even the Llewellyns have claimed common brides. But I shall take the ultimate prize — a mermaid. Who better to carry the next generation of sea dragon blood?
Connor snapped at Draig’s neck, missing by a hair. Then he slashed at Draig’s chest, but the armor plates were so thick, his claws raked along the surface and bounced off.
Try me, boy. Try again and again. No one can defeat me, the king of the sea. And no one shall steal my queen from me.
Suddenly, it all made sense — Draig’s Neptune looks. The aquarium on his yacht. The mysterious sea creature splashing around the vessel that night.
I like the occasional swim when the water is warm enough, Draig had once said. But sadly, these old bones are not up to flying any more…
You bastard, Connor’s dragon roared.
But Draig just went on in the same victorious tone. I am a rich man, and now I shall have my final treasure. A mate — a very special one. She shall bear me the heir I’ve always wished for. Not a relative’s son, like that lazy Anton. No. My queen shall bear me a son of my own flesh and blood. And he will be a mighty dragon — a sea dragon to carry on my line.