by Angel Leya
Skye's Lure
Angel Leya
Published by Angel Leya, 2018.
Skye’s Lure
Copyright © 2015, 2017 and 2018 by Angel Leya
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact: www.angeleya.com
Cover design by Angel Leya
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Chapter 1: Sighted
Chapter 2: Encountered
Chapter 3: Intrigued
Bonus Scene: Vince
Chapter 4: Lured
Chapter 5: Caught
Chapter 6: Enamored
Chapter 7: Exposed
Chapter 8: Endangered
Chapter 9: Lost
Chapter 10: Discovered
Chapter 11: Indulged
Chapter 12: Astounded
Chapter 13: Unsettled
Chapter 14: Decided
Bonus Scene: Legend of the Mer, The Retelling
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About the Author
Further Reading: Running Toward Illumia
Also By Angel Leya
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I want to thank my family for their continual support and encouragement.
I also want to thank the many friends I have met through social media who have taken the time to help me grow as a writer.
I want to thank my editor, Sea Chapman, who has been patient, kind, and encouraging as I pursue my dreams of writing. Oh yeah, and for being an incredible editor, too. *wink*
I want to thank my critique partners, who have provided invaluable feedback. The story would not be the same without you!
Finally, thanks to YOU for reading this book. Without your eyes, these words would be little more than futile prose.
Chapter 1: Sighted
Surfacing when the fishing boats came around was intoxicating. The sights, the sounds, the danger; all of it heightened the thrill of the hunt. We followed them because of all the marine life they attracted, but we had to be extremely careful not to get caught in their nets or come close enough to the surface to get spotted.
This boat was different, though. Thousands of tiny lights lined the decks, and colors burst from its belly. It glowed like a jellyfish from the deep, but sparkled like the starry night sky. I had never seen such a boat, and I could hardly bring myself to look away.
I glanced at the Mer in my pod. They were all asleep, one eye open and the other closed. We learned the technique from the dolphins long ago. As mammals, we lacked the gills needed to convert water into oxygen, so falling fully asleep would result in drowning.
Tonight, though, I couldn’t sleep. I always had trouble sleeping after a Mer legend retelling. The story just didn’t seem right to me. Of course, if I had been asleep, I would’ve missed the boat.
I glanced around the pod one more time before deciding to surface. My eyes rose above the water a safe distance away, hair clinging to my head. The boat was full. Humans moved like a school of fish, nearly in sync with their thumping and thrashing. No one bothered to look at the water.
I dared to swim closer. The smell of salt water mixed with sweet and sour notes that tickled my nose. I could practically feel the heat emanating from the moving crowd, which pulsed to a deep, hypnotic rhythm. My heart thumped to the same beat. I wished I had feet so that I could join the humans in their celebration.
A brown bottle came hurtling towards me, and I dove to avoid it. My nose wrinkled as I let out a huff. Humans often threw things into the ocean. Why didn’t the Sea King change all humans into Mer, if he was so intent on teaching lessons? At least my people had respected the waters—until the end of our existence as humans, that is.
The bottle sank, and I considered retrieving it. What would the humans on board do if I threw it back on the deck? How would they feel if I littered on their boat? I couldn’t risk exposure, though, so I did nothing, watching as the bottle disappeared into the depths.
A commotion arose from the deck above, and I looked up just as one of the men fell backwards over the rail. He hit the water a short distance from where I floated. The impact pushed a small wave over my head. My eyes wide, I considered fleeing. It’s what a normal Mer would do, but I didn’t.
I had never been this close to a human.
I sank beneath the water to get a better view. The man’s clothes floated like a blooming coral. He clawed at the water, his legs twitching and jerking, but they couldn’t bring him back to the surface. Eyes bulged, cheeks inflating like a frightened puffer fish. His sandy hair swayed like a surreal halo.
Why couldn’t he surface?
The man went still, eyes focused on me. His mouth opened, a large bubble escaping. The calm didn’t last. Eyes went wild, hands grasping at his throat. He looked at me, pleading.
I hesitated. The retellings said that I should loath and fear this human, but he didn’t look so bad. No more splashes came from the boat. Would no one rescue him? In the glimmering light of the boat I could see the man’s eyes rolling back into his head, body going limp.
I darted to his side. Throwing my arms around his waist, I swam towards the surface. He was heavier than I expected, his body like an anchor trying to drag me down, but I fought back.
Our heads broke the surface, and I scanned the waters. A circular object floated nearby. It was bright orange, and a rope connected it to the boat. Peering up, I saw people running around, shouting at each other. I had to hurry if I didn’t want to be seen.
I heaved the man’s body onto the floating object, but he slid off. Grabbing him, I pulled the floating object over his head, but there was nothing to keep him there, and he began sinking again. I tried once more, pulling his arms through the object, and this time it stayed, hugging his chest.
The man slumped over, his lips blue, chest unmoving. Was I too late? After a tense moment, he sputtered, water gushing from his mouth. He was breathing. I breathed as well, as if by doing so I could help him recover.
Now that he was safe, I took in his face again. There was nothing comical about it now. A chiseled chin and squared jaw framed full lips that seemed curved in a perpetual smirk. The blue of his skin was fading, returning his tone to warm beige colors.
He raised his head, wiping the trickling water off his face. Once again, his green eyes focused on me, thick brows furrowing. Slowly, those brown brows crept up into his hairline.
My hand stretched out, as if it had a mind of its own. The elders would kill me if they found out, but in this moment, I didn’t care. Maybe the humans weren’t so bad. Maybe it was time to challenge everything I knew.
As my webbed fingers approached his face, the man thrust his hand towards mine, fingers outstretched. He lost his grip on the orange object around him, and he brought his hand back down to balance himself.
Shying back, I stared. He grinned sheepishly, and my lips curved upwards in response.
The commotion from the deck grew louder, and I looked up as shouting voices approached.
Words floated above the din. “We’re coming! Hang on.”
I raced for the safety of the depths. Sure I couldn’t be seen, I stopped and hovered below the boat. The man’s feet disappeared as he was hoisted from the water.
I waited there a long
time, staring at the golden bottom of the boat. How was the man doing? Had the party continued or were they done for the night? Lights continued to pulse and twinkle as the boat sailed away.
When I returned to the pod, I found my pod still sleeping. I swam beside them as I waited for rest to come, but I could not stop replaying what had just happened. The man’s eyes burned into my imagination. What would it have been like to touch him? What would his voice have sounded like? Would I ever see him again?
I was bursting to tell someone what happened, but that was impossible. It’s not like I had a death wish. It was foolish of me to go near that boat, but I had to admit, I wasn’t sorry.
To tell the truth, it left me wanting more.
Chapter 2: Encountered
The boat was back.
It had been weeks since that fateful night, and I had almost put the whole thing behind me. Today, however, it returned, its glossy golden bottom shining like a beacon. My duties and the need to keep any encounter a secret meant that I couldn’t go right to it, and I watched it all day, fearing it would leave. To my delight, twilight fell, the surface of the sea burning in the glow of the setting sun, and the boat remained.
I waited for the last of the Mer to fall asleep, imagining my next encounter to pass the time. Would the man I had saved be there? Would he have others with him? What did they want? Looking around, I noticed that I was the last one awake. I eased away from the pod and headed for the surface. A surge of nerves left me lightheaded.
The starry ship lights ship shone brightly again, but there was no colorful pulsing. At a safe distance, my head cleared the water half expecting the ship to be full of humans again. It appeared to be empty.
My brows creased. I swam closer, all of my senses on alert. My pulse quickened as my mind churned with the awful possibilities.
I was nearly ready to abandon my curiosity, when I heard a man’s voice. It came from the stern, and I followed it like a sailor drawn to a siren’s call. As the man came into view, his back to me, I recognized his crop of sandy hair. He sat on the floor of the rear deck, brown bottles strewn around.
“Where are you?” he shouted, voice harsh and unsteady. He took an empty bottle in his hand, turned it upside down, and then threw it into the ocean. It landed with a clunk and began sinking. I watched its descent for a moment, a mischievous grin crossing my face.
I darted downward, careful not to splash. Bottle retrieved, I resurfaced next to the deck, making sure the man didn’t see or hear me. I threw the bottle onto the deck, a soft giggle escaping my lips.
“What the . . .” The man jumped up, scrambling away from the bottle.
I bit my curving lips as I watched. The man bent over and picked up the wet bottle, jaw hanging open. His head shot up as he scanned the inky water.
“Heeeere mermaid, mermaid, mermaid.” The man’s words slurred as he spoke, eyes shining. Unable to contain myself any longer, laughter rang out in the brisk night air and I swam into view. He blinked, eyes focusing on my bobbing head, and a curious smile spread across his face.
“I knew you were real,” he whispered, the words carried across the water. He spoke again, louder this time, and with an awkward lilt. “My buddies said I was just drunk, but I knew better. I saw you. You saved me.” He pointed at me, punctuating his words with his extended finger.
The man approached, pausing here and there to get his balance. My heart beat so strongly that I imagined it created ripples. He rolled his pants up to his knees, and sat on the edge bare feet dangling in the water. I could touch him from here. Those beautiful feet were tempting.
“Sooo, now what?” the man asked, his feet churning the water. “I had hoped to find you again, but I didn’t really think about what I would do if I did.”
I pursed my lips as I watched. His eyes were drooping, head bobbing toward his chest. Was he going to sleep? Perhaps I had made a mistake in coming here.
I turned to leave when the man’s head jerked up. He erupted in laughter, but it stopped abruptly when his legs went stiff. He cursed, pounding on his thighs with frightening venom. I backed away, eyes wide.
One leg kicked, and the man fell off the edge of the deck. I gasped. Could he really be drowning again? If I let him this time, it would erase everything I’d done. I dismissed the thought and dove after him.
As I hauled him to the boat, his legs relaxed and stopped kicking. He grabbed the deck, wheezing. “Sorry,” he rasped between coughs. “It’s just my stupid legs. They don’t always cooperate.”
The man’s eyes were brighter now, no longer droopy or glassy. He looked away. I thought I saw tears welling, but it could have been the seawater dripping in his face.
The man hauled himself onto the deck, sitting on the edge again. He flipped his head back, hair slinging water. Wiping his face, he ran a hand over his hair, squeezing liquid from the dripping locks.
Finished, he sighed and focused on me again. Green eyes wore an almost wild expression, though still warm and inviting. It reminded me of the ocean. I held his gaze for a moment, then shied back again, looking at the water.
“Don’t go away,” he begged, eyes pleading as they had when he was drowning. I nodded, but stayed where I was.
“So, you do understand me.” A smile spread across the man’s face, and I smiled back, my head dipping to avoid his gaze. “Can you talk?”
I hesitated. Should I? The man had proved unpredictable so far. I was still curious, though, and if I wanted to know more, then I would need to talk. It wasn’t like I could get into any more trouble than I was already in, right?
“I’m Skye,” I announced, brassy tinkling bouncing off the waves and boat. It was my first time speaking outside the water, and the sound of my voice seemed foreign.
The young man’s eyebrows raised, head cocking to the side. Wet hair flopped in his face. “You can speak! Oh my gosh. I’m talking to a freaking mermaid. This is nuts!”
My brows knit. He was a strange human.
“Okay,” he continued, shaking his hands and rolling his head. “Let me start again. Hi, I’m Vince.”
Vince held out his hand, and I looked at it.
“It’s a way of greeting. You put your hands together like this.” Vince contorted his other arm in order to place his second hand in his first. He began awkwardly pumping his joined hands up and down. I giggled.
Vince smiled back at me. “Yeah. It’s called a handshake, but it works better if someone else is on the other end. Here. You try.” He held out his hand again. I approached cautiously, taking his hand in my own. His fingers wrapped around my palm, squishing some of the webbing. He was warm, and that warmth transferred up my arm and into my face. After a couple of short pumps, he let go.
“Do you talk to humans often?” Vince asked, swinging his legs in the water.
“No. It’s forbidden.” I stared at his feet, distorted by the ripples. I should leave now. Why wasn’t I leaving? “Are you sure you should be sitting on the edge? You seem bent on trying to drown.”
Vince chuckled. “Nah. The medicine I take suppresses the tremors most of the time. They still break through occasionally, but I should be good for a little while. Why is talking to humans forbidden?”
“To protect our people. Humans are foretold to be our ruin. I would be killed if anyone found out I was talking to you.” Just saying it out loud to a human made my stomach churn. I’m gonna die. Someone’s going to find me and tell the elders. I glanced around, but didn’t see any Mer. Not that I could see into the depths with the lights bouncing off the surface.
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? I mean, sure, some humans are idiots, but we’re not all bad. Not that you’d know that. So, why are you risking your life to talk to me?.
“I don’t know. I probably should have let you drown.”
Vince laughed. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Me too.”
We fell silent. The sound of waves gently beating against the boat echoed my own fra
ntic pulse. A thrill flew down my spine. I was talking to a human. If the pod could see me now . . . No, not the pod. I shook my head. I should have left, but he spoke again, his voice anchoring me.
“What do you think so far? About humans, I mean. Are we as terrible as you expected?”
“Not sure yet, but you don’t seem that bad—aside from using the ocean as a trash can.”
“Yeeeah.” Vince rubbed his neck. “Sorry about that. I guess I never thought there was anything down there that really cared.”
“Fish are important too, you know.”
“Maybe you should come on land and tell everyone about it.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No. I can’t reveal myself to other humans. I’ve gone too far just talking to you.”
“Do you want to go a little further and see my ship?”
“I do see it,” I replied head cocked to the side and brows furrowed.
“No, I mean the inside. I could take you for a ride—”
“Through the ocean?” I laughed. “I’m afraid I’ve seen that, too. Besides, I can’t stay out of the water too long. My skin would dry up, and I don’t really have any way to get around. No feet.”
“Hmmm, that is a problem. What if I had a tank built for you? One with wheels or something. You could come to shore with me. I bet you haven’t seen that.”
“No,” I sighed. “I haven’t seen land—at least, not up close.”
“Then say yes.”
My shoulders sagged. “I wish I could, but it’s impossible. No one has ever strayed from the pod before and lived to tell the tale. Besides, if the legends are true, then exposure to humans would be catastrophic. I can’t put my people at any more risk than I already have.”
“Well, what if you just came on the ship for a little while? I get TV and internet signals, and you could see land that way. No other humans involved.”
My brows creased. “You can see land from the middle of the ocean?”
“Well, the TV has moving pictures for entertainment, and the internet has pretty much anything you could want—from words to pictures to videos. It doesn’t exactly compare to being on land, but I think you’d like it.”