by Marie Hall
A mermaid with bright-lavender hair and intense eyes so blue they were nearly white, General So and So—Sirenade had introduced them once, but Nimue was awful with names—was regaling those around her with her latest escapades against a seventeen-foot tiger shark.
“What did you do?” another mermaid asked with wide wondering eyes when the general said she’d been trapped inside a cave with the predator circling.
Smashing her fist down on the table and upending several goblets of sparkling cider, she laughed, exposing sharp white teeth.
This mermaid had to be part barracuda. Her tail was silvery blue and striped, but it was the markings along her arms and chest that made her seem much more mercenary than the rest of them.
“I took out my cutlass and hacked it into a thousand tiny pieces. Fed it to the dog fish.” She grinned then ripped into the shell of her lobster, using only her teeth.
Sirenade looked unimpressed by the display, but she did say, “Something really ought to be done about those damned tigers. They’ve grown far too bold for their own good, encroaching this far into the city.”
The general grunted her assent, shoving her mouth full of tender claw meat.
Nimue picked at hers. She’d never been much for lobster, scavengers of the sea. She preferred clams if she had to eat seafood at all.
Here, she sat at a table overflowing with roasted sea snail, fisherman’s stew, broiled lobster stuffed with fillet of fish, and razor clams soaked in wine, butter, and flakes of sea kelp. But all she wanted was a steak.
Someone was speaking, but the voice wasn’t talking to her. They never really talked to her, not here in the dining room. Sirenade was always kind, but these were her people, and Nimue could hardly expect the queen to ignore them all for her sake.
So she drank her cider and only gave the loud chattering room half an ear until she finally heard her name mentioned.
Frowning, she glanced up. “Huh?”
Stygia chortled, rolling her eyes.
Biting down on her tongue so that she didn’t say the word that had just popped into her head—which just so happened to rhyme with witch—she shook her head to try to clear the spiderwebs.
Sirenade gave her a soft smile. “I asked if you’d like to join Sircco tomorrow.”
Frowning even harder, confused as to why she’d be singled out this way, Nimue glanced at several faces that were suddenly silent and staring back at her.
“Um.” She looked to Sircco for some sort of clue as to what exactly she might have missed, but he was no help. He was looking at her just as intently as the rest of them were.
As if understanding that Nimue literally had no idea where she might be joining Sircco, Sirenade ushered a servant toward her to refill her goblet of wine. “You know, to check out the moors,” she said. “We’ve a band of tigers encroaching there.”
“Tigers? As in tiger sharks?” She had to fight to suppress a shudder. She still wasn’t used to Brutus or Sirius, the queen’s pet whites.
Stygia made a rude noise in the back of her throat. “I would be honored to travel with you, my king.” She dipped her head toward Sircco, and it was like magic the way her sea green hair cascaded like a waterfall so perfectly against her shoulders.
Nimue truly disliked that creature.
“Thank you, Stygia.” Sirenade inclined her head. “Nimue?”
It was an effort to not let her jaw hit the floor. The queen had just shamed Stygia in front of the entire court for a legger’s sake. Her heart beating harder than it should, Nimue took a fortifying sip from her goblet, praying to the Gods that no one noticed how quivery her hand was, and looked at Sircco. “Is that what you want?”
If he wanted out of it, then here was his chance. She wasn’t sure why her friend was making such an obvious effort to send Nimue off with him, but she had no desire to have him be prickly with her all over again.
His deep voice resonated like crystal shards through her veins as he said, “I would be pleased for the company.”
Stygia choked on her cider, coughing loudly, before turning a furious glare on Nimue.
Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks—not just because he’d finally acknowledged her out in public, but also because of the press of so many other bodies waiting on bated breath to hear her answer—she gave him a small dip of her head. Then she pretended to be fascinated by the pool of glistening butter on her mother-of-pearl plate.
Her nerves only eased when the chatter once again picked up and she knew she was no longer the center of attention.
“Hello.”
The unfamiliar and very male voice made her lift her head. Nimue had been so inside her own head that she’d failed to notice the human sitting beside her.
“Hi.” But the way she said it made it sound more like a question than an acknowledgement.
His smile was open and inviting, making her feel warm to the tips of her toes. It wasn’t that he was exactly the most attractive male she’d ever seen. He had a broad forehead, wide nose, and thin lips. But there was friendliness about him that made him more attractive than he had a right to be.
Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Daniel.”
She shook his hand, instantly warming to him. “Ah, another legger. How did I get to be so fortunate?”
He grinned again, and she decided she liked it a lot. “Well, I did sort of bribe my mate to swap seats with me.”
She glanced over at the maiden sitting beside him. She looked young, or rather, younger than the others. There was a freshness to her features that made Nimue suspect she wasn’t one of the nubile ancients like her great-mother or Sirenade.
The maiden glanced over at Nimue with a polite smile. Her eyes were blue, and her hair a rich-chestnut brown. She was passably pretty, but nowhere near the level of the exotic Sirenade or Stygia was.
“And how is married life treating you?”
“Married, no. We’re mated only until I provide her a fry, then I return to the above.”
She frowned. “And that arrangement doesn’t bother you?”
“What? Do you mean used for sex by a randy female with a voice that rings like an angel’s? It’s oh-so taxing.” He winked.
She snickered. “Well, when you put it that way.”
Laughing, he tipped his goblet toward her. “It’s not so bad here, and I’d heard of the female legger. I wanted to meet you. Have they begun tapping your knees yet?”
“What?” She gave a confused giggle.
“No. Ah, well, they will soon.” He winked again, openly flirting, with his mate sitting right beside him.
She thought she’d known everything there was to know about the merfolk, but she was quickly coming to realize how mistaken she’d been.
“A word of advice, fellow legger—guard your heart. For they never give theirs back. At least not with us.”
Her hand trembled when she brought the cup to her lips.
“Do you not care for the braised sole?” Sircco’s deep voice cut through her musings like a sharp blade.
The novelty of actually hearing him speak made her glance up, only to notice him looking directly at her.
Fish? When had they swapped out the lobster?
Grabbing a fork, she shoveled a bite into her mouth and nodded with a mmm sound. “Good.”
It actually was, but she’d lost her appetite a while ago.
It was crazy, but he actually seemed to be withholding a smile. And instead of lightning strikes in his eyes, there were calm waters.
And she couldn’t help it, even knowing what Daniel had told her, she fell headlong into that look. Sircco hadn’t looked at her since the day he’d snatched her off the rowboat.
They held gazes for so long that she was acutely aware of the fact that the mood around the table had grown suddenly tense. But then something hard and powerful slammed into her shin, and with a yelp, she dropped her fork, tears immediately springing to her eyes.
Stygia wore a smug look as she studied her nails.
The
bitch had tail-smacked her!
Upset, ready to cry or throw a punch, but knowing she could do neither, she stood, tossed her napkin onto the table and asked to be excused.
Sirenade didn’t seem to want to let her go. Her eyes kept shifting toward a still-smirking Stygia, but finally, she nodded. “Yes, little pirate. You may go.”
Refusing to glance back at Sircco, Nimue walked slowly out of the hall, wincing with every step she took. Her shins ached horribly, and she had no doubt they’d be covered in bruises.
The moment she crossed the threshold and was back within the relative safety of the hallway, she leaned against the wall and bit down on her finger, swallowing a scream of rage.
How dare that wench do that? What had Nimue ever done to her?
Taking two deep breaths, she tried to settle her mind. This wouldn’t keep happening if Sircco had allowed her to keep at least a dirk on hand. How was she to defend herself when she had half the strength of a mermaid?
“Are you well?”
Yelping, she twirled at the sound of Sircco’s voice. When had he crept up on her? Angry, and ashamed that she still had tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, she shoved her palms into his chest. But he was much too strong and didn’t budge.
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to creep up on others that way?” She turned her face to the side and tried to conspicuously knuckle the tears from her eyes.
“Did she hurt you, Nimue?”
She trembled at the way he said her name. Angry that he’d been nothing but a jerk to her for days on end, she still responded to him.
“I’m fine,” she hissed. “And please, I don’t know why Sirenade did that. I didn’t ask her to. I swear I won’t tell a soul if you want to go to the moors by yourself. I’ve got things to do anyway.”
“Have you?”
Why was he crowding her space? Why had he suddenly swum closer to her? And why did his heat feel like electricity on her skin?
“What plans?”
She glanced up at the way his words shivered with a thread of anger.
“Are you angry with me? Again? What in the world have I done this time?” She tried but couldn’t quite keep the hurt from creeping into her words.
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and this time, it was his turn to glance to the side. “Are you wishing to meet that male?”
“Who?” She frowned then realized he must have meant Daniel. “Daniel? No? What on Kingdom would give you that idea?”
The muscle relaxed, and he took a deep breath. “The moors are beautiful. Mystical. Dangerous to visit, unless you’re with one of us.”
“Yes, so?” she asked, confused by his sudden switch in topics. She had a pounding headache, her shins were still screaming, she wanted a bath, and she wanted her bed.
“Nimue, I am asking if you will join me,” he all but growled.
Her pulse thundered like hooves in her chest. “But I thought you didn’t—”
Lifting a hand, he palmed her cheek and, with his pinky, traced away the tear that’d slipped out. “I should not have treated you so, Nimue. As my sister is constantly reminding me, you are a guest. I made the trade—you did not ask for this. I am sorry for how I’ve been.”
Warm. He was so, so warm. And the way he touched her, as though he wanted to... she had to fight to remember Daniel’s warnings.
Wise words too.
He wasn’t the only one to tell her so. Father and Mother both had told her often enough that leggers and fish were incapable of falling in love one with the other. They could be sexually attracted to one another, but they could never develop a connection.
The only one who’d been capable of love had been Talia. But she’d been an anomaly, and it would never happen again.
Gods Above and Under, she couldn’t allow him to keep touching her this way. Regretfully, she took a giant step back, out of range of his arms, and hugged her own to her chest.
“What time, beluga whale?”
She hadn’t meant to say it, but he vexed her in ways she hated. The first time she’d called him that, he’d nearly come undone. This time, however, his lips twitched.
Twice in one day, she’d amused him. Would wonders never cease?
“Nine. Dress to ride.”
She shuddered, thinking about Brutus and Sirius. “Are we taking the sharks with us?”
“Do you wish to take anything else?”
“Dolphins would be nice.”
His smile made her lose her breath. The entire time she’d been with them, she’d never actually seen him do one of those. By the Gods, he was gorgeous.
“They bite, too, little pirate.”
“Yes, but they don’t look nearly as horrifying when they do.”
Shaking his head, he began to swim slowly back. “Rest well, Nimue.”
Frowning again, she nodded. “You, too, King of the Sea.”
Chapter 7
Nimue eyed the harnessed dolphins with wariness, leaning back on her heels.
“You said a dolphin,” he rumbled.
“Yes, but... but...” She waved a hand. “They are huge!”
“And as gentle as babes.”
Blue eyes grew wide in her pale face. “Gentle, you say. Okay, then why is mine grunting at me?”
The dolphin snorted, knocking his head into her chest and pushing her back on her heels. Leggers were as light as feathers in the under. Though to be fair, Thunder’s eyes were currently the color of sea magma, and there were definite jets of steam flowing through his blowhole.
“Thunder is wary of riders that aren’t me. If he’s going to take you around, he wants a sign of good faith.” At her blank stare, he continued, “A treat, Nimue. He wants a treat.” Sircco failed at hiding his smile.
For such a scrappy little legger, she could also be terribly skittish. She lifted a brow. “And that would be?”
Amused more than he’d been in a while, he reached into his side pouch and pulled out a nimatoad—cousin to the nematode, which resembled a worm more than the toad this one did.
It croaked loudly, blinking large bulbous eyes.
She curled her nose. “That thing is hideous.”
“Might be, but it’s Thunder’s favorite. Here.” He thrust the toad at her.
He half expected her to shriek and tell him to put it away, as Stygia often did. He never invited the maid to ride with him, and yet more often than not, she showed up as if by magic on the rare days he decided to take his beast out for a bit of exercise. What he found most vexing about her, though, was that she always claimed to prefer swimming to riding and yet, without fail, always managed to somehow worm her way into the outing.
Even this morning, when Stygia knew he’d invited the legger along, the stable hand had mentioned in passing that the pink-tailed shrew had shown up, demanding a steed.
Thankfully, Xavier had managed to distract her by casually hinting at a recent discovery of a sunken ship within the brain coral gardens, which just so happened to be on the outskirts of town. Stygia had never been one to pass up an opportunity to find treasure.
Lips thinned with obvious disgust, Nimue snatched the toad from him and shoved it at Thunder. “Here, you disgusting beastie, eat up.”
Thunder snapped open his jaw, chirping and squealing with delight as he swallowed the toad whole.
Shuddering, Nimue wiped her hands down her hunter-green riding skirt. “I hope I’ll never have to do that again.”
Chuckling, he swam up then sat in a saddle especially designed to accommodate a merfolk instead of a legger. One of the few delights Hook had introduced to them decades ago.
Few of his kind enjoyed the ride; Sircco was the exception.
Cinching a belt around his waist, he glanced over at Nimue. His valet had searched high and low to find a saddle made for a legger. It’d taken several hours, but he’d finally managed to secure one.
The thing was worn and looked to be decades old, but it seemed sturdy enough for the twenty-mile journey.
>
“Do you need a hand?” he offered.
“Beluga, when I need help, believe me, I’ll ask.” Then hooking her foot into the stirrup, she took a seat.
The movement caused her skirt to hike up, revealing a long expanse of calf and thigh. She quickly rearranged her clothing, casting an irritated glance in his direction. “If you say anything about my legs, I swear to the Gods, I’ll stab you.”
Swallowing, wondering why he’d found them so alien and yet fascinating all at the same time, he tried to focus on other things—the cooler-than-normal temperature of the water and the way the currents feathered across the sea kelp. But always, his mind returned to what he’d seen.
They were smooth, almost silky looking, and were quite shapely. They’d also been covered in a deep bruise.
“She did strike you yesterday.” He made an effort to hide the growl.
He didn’t even need to qualify of whom he’d spoken before she shook her head. “I’m fine.” Looking straight ahead, she stared at the cobbled trail they would follow for the first few miles before they cut away to enter the forbidden moors.
“I could lash her for you.”
“Why would you do that?” She genuinely seemed confused by his offer.
“Down here, we do not injure our leggers. She knows this.”
“So tooth for a tooth. That is what you’re telling me?”
The steeds grew restless, ready to begin the swim, but she’d not yet belted herself in. Dolphins moved like missiles through the waters; belting herself in was the only way to ride one safely.
He jerked his chin at her belt to get her to secure herself before saying, “Yes, it is.”
She rolled her eyes, her movements stiff and jerky as she strapped herself down.
“You are angry.” Why? What had he done? He thought he’d been pleasant so far.
“Angry?” She twirled on him, her cheeks a blazing scarlet. “Yes, you could say that.”
Try as he might to deny that he found her intriguing, he simply couldn’t convince himself. She was like a wild kitten whenever the red entered her cheeks. Cook had told him of Nimue’s adventure in the kitchens yesterday, tossing Stygia across her shoulders as though she weren’t twice the density of the tiny legger.