Poison and Potions: a Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by Erin Hayes

  “How did you know I would be there?” I asked Hal once my hands had stopped shaking.

  “The cecaelia is a trusted ally. She let me know you were coming. We suspected Creon’s plans for you and Manx.”

  “She survived, didn’t she? She disappeared out of sight.”

  “There are caves under the tavern. She escaped, as she always does.”

  “You’re taking a significant risk rescuing me. Creon will learn where I have gone. He may try to blame Manx’s death on you, probably on both of us.”

  “Creon wanted you dead. I couldn’t permit it.”

  It was all going to work so perfectly for Creon. With Manx and me dead at the hand of the suffocators, they would all turn to Creon to punish the killers of the young king and queen. Little would anyone know, Creon himself had set the death sentence on us.

  “I don’t know what to say. You have my deepest thanks,” I said, turning to him. His handsome face was dimly lit by the glowing street lamps.

  Hal smiled gently at me then reached out and took my hand, squeezing it lightly. “Why don’t you rest? We’ll be there in two hours.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Oceanus…Cocoa Beach, as it is called today. My home. Creon will come for you, but not tonight. Tonight you may sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Thank you, Hal.”

  He nodded.

  I curled my legs up into the seat sideways and lay my head against the headrest, gazing at Hal as he drove. His eyes glimmered inhumanly, soft green light sparkling in the glare of the dashboard lights.

  “You were at my exile ceremony,” I said then, my voice sounding hollow.

  Hal nodded.

  “And again in Miami. Why did you come?”

  “I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

  “Why?”

  He turned those flashing eyes on me. “Because my heart is lost to you…from the moment I set my eyes on you,” he said simply then turned back to the road again.

  I lifted his hand and pressed it against my lips. I then closed my eyes and prayed to the Great Mother Ocean. Against unfathomable odds, I had found my way back to the only person who’d ever sparked my heart to life.

  I woke when Hal’s car pulled into the driveway of a small house sitting alongside a river. The house was painted in hues of faded orange and was trimmed in blue, the side of the building covered with vining jasmine that perfumed the night. Old oak trees, thick Spanish moss hanging like beards from its branches, shadowed the road. The moon cast its light on the rippling river water. I could smell the tang of the brine in the air, the fresh and salt water mixing together.

  “Where are we?” I asked groggily.

  “Along the Indian River…at The Plaza Hotel,” Hal said.

  Puzzled, I raised an eyebrow at him.

  Hal smiled gently. “We are in Rockledge, just outside Cocoa Village. My people owned a hotel here in the 1920s. It perished in a hurricane, so they built the small community, Valencia, in its place. The nagual and the lagoon mers have inhabited this area since the 1800s. This is my home.”

  Hal got out and rounded the car, opening the door for me. Taking my hand, he led me to the door of his small house. Key jangling, he pushed open the door and switched on a light. The room was lit with a soft orange glow. The house was neatly arranged but filled with a number of curiosities: antique maps and illustrations of ships decorated the walls, odd little trinkets he’d fished from the deep sat on the mantel, and he had orchids growing everywhere.

  “I’m sorry,” Hal said. “I can’t remember the last time someone was in my home. I do my best, but I’m just an old alligator,” he added, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. In the dim light, his eyes glowed a warm green. He shifted uncomfortably like he wasn’t sure what to do next. I could see he was nervous, and I was sorry for it. Clearly, he was a very private creature.

  “Hal,” I said, taking his hand. “Thank you for rescuing me. And thank you for bringing me here. But I think I should go. I need to confront Creon. I don’t want…I don’t want you pulled into the middle of this. My being here endangers you. That’s the last thing I want.”

  “I owe your father my life. I owe you my life. And you,” he said, looking down at me. He reached out gently and touched my cheek with the side of his finger. “You.”

  Before I even knew what I was doing, I reached up and wrapped my arms around Hal’s neck, then pressed my lips against his. Every step I’d taken after I’d met Hal had been in the wrong direction. The fact that I was free, even if just for a moment, to follow where my heart wanted to go made me feel urgent to try. I wanted Hal to know just how much I wanted him. I only hoped he wanted me too.

  When I pressed my mouth against his, I felt something I’d never experienced before. I felt like I was melting into him. His mouth was soft and sweet. I loved the feel of his hot breath intermixing with mine. His strong hands clutched my waist, pulling me close to him. My skin prickled, and I felt a burning need inside me. In the midst of all this chaos, I found a soft refuge in Hal’s arms. This strong, soft-spoken creature was everything I needed. He was not one of us, that was certain, but it didn’t matter. All I knew was I wanted him.

  “Ink,” he whispered, pulling back.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, breathless. “I couldn’t help myself. I thought I would never see you again, would never be able to have you.”

  “I want you too,” he whispered, setting a soft kiss on my lips. “But you’ve seen so much this night. They’ve put you through so much.”

  “That’s why it must be tonight. Make it go away,” I whispered in reply.

  Hal lifted me and carried me through his house to a small bedroom in the back overlooking the river. Moonlight shimmered on the waves. Hal lay me down on his bed. The scent of jasmine filled the room. I pulled my aquamarine-colored gown, covered in Manx’s blood, over my head and dropped it on the floor. I sat, topless, in the dim light. Hal pulled off his shirt and slid out of his jeans. He then joined me on the bed, leaning over me to kiss my neck and face. With gentle hands, he carefully stroked my breasts. My body jerked, the sensation setting me on fire. Mers whispered that lovemaking on dry land was much more pleasing. I’d never been with anyone before, so I had no way to compare, but the sensation of Hal’s hands and lips on my body was pure bliss.

  He kissed down my chest and across my stomach, stopping when he reached the line above my panties. He sat up and looked at me, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “Are you certain?” he whispered. “I know the meaning of this…gift…is heavy among your kind.”

  I didn’t answer him with words. Instead, I exhaled deeply letting my desire for him travel on the invisible waves around us.

  “Siren song?” he whispered.

  I nodded.

  His hands slid down my sides. I reached out to touch him, stroking my hands across his firm chest. I reached up and touched his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. His expression moved me.

  “Ink,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He buried his head into the crook of my neck and kissed me while he gently touched and kissed my body. I breathed him in deeply, caressing his back and arms. He was covered with so many scars.

  “What happened to you?” I whispered.

  “Too much,” he said, lifting my hand and kissing it. “Battles…human, mer, nagual…always, there is fighting. I’m weary of such machinations. The desires of the few destroy the lives of the many.”

  “It will stop. It must.”

  “Yes,” he replied simply, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. “Let’s think about it no more. We may only have this night.”

  He was right. When Creon found me, he would try to kill me…us. We could be dead by the next eve. It didn’t pay to waste the little time we had worrying over the past or the future. I would have two choices come morning, fight or die. Perhaps Creon would negotiate, but I didn’t trust him. If it came to it, I would do what I had to in order to pro
tect my people, to protect Hal. But as Hal’s hands slid over my hips, his fingers hooking onto the sides of my panties, I realized I didn’t want to think about it anymore. That moment belonged only to Hal and me. And in that moment, my heart was in control.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I woke the next morning to the feel of soft lips brushing against my cheek. I opened my eyes to find the entire room bathed in glowing orange light. The sun was rising over the river. It cast its rosy hue across the room. Hal was lying beside me, his eyes glued to my face.

  He lifted my hand and kissed it.

  My life had been turned on its head. Just days before, I had been happily lost to the deep, bemoaning my upcoming year in exile. I had no way to know, at least not until I set my eyes on Hal, that a storm was brewing. It seemed like everything changed the moment I saw him.

  “I can let you sleep a bit more, but only a bit more,” he said.

  I shook my head. “No, I need to get up. The game is already afoot, and I’m a few moves behind Creon.”

  “But you are alive.”

  I closed my eyes and focused on the water lapping against the rocks outside. I felt the water flowing toward the ocean. And from the ocean, I felt an intense surge of energy. I could feel the pangs of war. For a moment, I thought about Pangi. It wounded me that she had betrayed me, but I’d understood her feelings toward Manx and the Gulfs. The peace between our people was hard to swallow. Now Manx was dead, murdered on dry land by an Atlantic. And me, his queen but scant few hours, had survived. Would they ever believe that I had not plotted his death? Would both the Atlantics and the Gulfs hunt me?

  “I need to connect with the Gulfs,” I said. “I need them to know what happened.”

  “The cecaelia is close to the Gulfs. She survived. She saw and knows what happened. The Gulfs will believe her.”

  “I hope you’re right. But still, Creon will learn where I am, and he will bring the war here. I am endangering your people.”

  “We will fight, as we always have.”

  “I don’t want that. You have suffered enough. I won’t let you fight for me.”

  “Creon and Manx started the war between our people and yours. Manx intended to slaughter us and move the Gulfs to Oceanus. The lagoon waters are ideal for their people. Creon and Manx made a deal. If Manx eradicated us, our land would be theirs.”

  I stared at Hal. “How do you know?”

  “The king sent his suffocators to kill us, but many of them refused. Instead, they gave their arms to protect us. Many of your people are already here.”

  “Roald?”

  “Yes, I have met this merman. He is a friend of yours.” I loved that Hal’s words had been a statement, not a jealous insinuation. And I was relieved to hear that I was not alone in finding the whole matter repugnant. Some of my people, at least, would already be behind me.

  “Then I must meet with them.”

  Hal nodded and offered me a hand, helping me out of bed. I realized then that he was dressed. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt. I, however, was still completely naked. In Hal’s presence, however, I didn’t mind. He inhaled sharply when he saw me but looked respectfully away.

  “I went out this morning,” he said then. “There was not much to choose from at this time of day, but I thought you would not want to wear that garb,” he said, motioning to the blood-splattered dress that lay on the floor. He turned and handed me a small stack of clothing: a teal-colored t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and cotton underwear.

  “Thank you.”

  “I…I had to guess at sizes. But I thought, maybe, I know your body now, a bit,” he said shyly.

  “Hal,” I said with a smile, setting the clothing down on the bed. I cupped his cheek in my hand. “My sweet nagual. I never felt for anyone as I feel for you. My heart belongs to you.”

  “And mine to you. I had resigned myself to the idea that I would never…love. My heart felt like it was made of stone.”

  “Then I’m glad that I was the one to make it beat,” I whispered and set my head on his chest. “Now, we just have to stay alive.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  I felt something inside me stiffen in resolve. “We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Ink, thank the Great Mother Ocean you’re alive,” Roald said with a relieved exhale as I entered the darkened pool hall of Space Coast Billiards. The small building, boasting bright pink paint, was nestled just off AIA along the Atlantic in Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach, lined with tourist shops, hotels, and pastel-colored houses, was starkly different from Miami. The small town, a bit past its prime, had a humble look and feel. I’d caught just a glimpse of the pier as we drove through the town. I loved being so close to the ocean, smelling the briny scent of the sea in the wind, tasting the salt in the air. Space Coast Billiards sat in a row of similarly painted shops that advertised hermit crab races, key lime pie, and buy-one-get-one-free bikini sales. Since it was early morning, the billiard hall, which doubled as a tavern, was shuttered. Apparently, Space Coast Billiards was a night spot. Inside, the décor, surfboards and taxidermied fish, was a far cry from the chic modern trappings of Club Blue in Miami, but it had its own charm. “Hal,” Roald said then, nodding to the nagual. “Many thanks for saving our princess.”

  I scanned the room. There were at least three dozen people assembled there, about a dozen of which were suffocators from my own tribe. I nodded respectfully to them. They returned the gesture. In the crowd, however, I saw others. The naguals were easy to notice, their eyes glimmering in the dim light. The others I did not recognize must have been the freshwater mers. They were a handsome-looking, dark-haired group with large, dark eyes.

  “She looks like her father,” a voice called from the back of the room. “Princess Ink,” an old man, one of the freshwater mers, said as he came toward to the front. He was a slip of a thing, bent and walking with a stick. His tanned face was deeply lined. “You are welcome here among us.”

  “This is Milne,” Hal introduced. “He is the eldest of the mers in the Indian River Lagoon.”

  “Well, we aren’t really in the lagoon much anymore, are we old friend,” the old man said cheerfully to Hal. “But at least we still have our home here in the brine waters. We have your father to thank for that, though it cost him his life.”

  I felt as if a fist had tightened around my heart. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Milne looked up at Hal. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Hal shook his head then took my hand. I could feel a soft vibration emanate from him as he tried to lend me his strength and comfort.

  Milne cast a glance from Hal to me. “In the midst of the war, your father negotiated an accord between our people. If the nagual and the freshwaters would lay down our arms and accept the rule of the Atlantics, not aligning ourselves with the Gulfs, we would be given control over the Indian River Lagoon and the Florida coastline from Oceanus north to Jacksonville.

  “We accepted. It was a fair agreement. Creon, however, cast a warrant for our death behind your father’s back. He wanted our lands. When your father stepped in to protect us, Creon’s men took your father to the heart of the deep and left him there to die. Your mother was easier to kill. They paid a human to execute her. She was lost in the Everglades. The mamiwata and her people loved your mother, searched for her, but they couldn’t recover her body. Creon then executed most of us until our last king bought us this small slice of land in exchange for his head. So much blood. This small girl is the only living descendant of our royal line. Come forward, Imogen,” Milne called.

  A young mermaid, perhaps no more than fourteen or so in age, stepped forward. She had a delicate face, dark eyes, and luxurious, flowing dark hair. “My Lady,” she said then, bowing politely to me.

  It is silent in the deep. Leagues below the surface, truth dies. My kin and I had lived blind under the waves. Secrets swam all around us. Hal was right when he said there was blood in the water. But, blood h
ad been in the water for many years. Creon had simply done a splendid job of concealing it.

  I bowed to Imogen then cast a glance at the collected crowd. What a ragtag group they were, the last of the naguals and freshwaters, murdered to the edge of extinction by my uncle who had just sentenced me to death. In my heart, I had always known Creon had killed my parents. I’d known it like I knew my own name. Now, more than ever, I yearned to end what Creon had started. Now that, finally, someone had confirmed what I’d known all along.

  Imogen looked at me. “What shall we do now?”

  I glanced up at Hal who nodded to me.

  “Now, we fight.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The moonlight glimmered on the waves. It was a cloudy night, wisps of gray covering the stars and fracturing the moon beams. Such haunting dark shapes in the sky added to the ominous feel in the air. The Atlantic waves crashed against the shoreline. The surf was heavy. It left a froth of sea foam all along the shore.

  Word had come from the Atlantic. Creon knew I had left the scene at The Drunken Mermaid with Hal. How, I didn’t know, but Creon knew I was in Cocoa Beach. He’d called up his suffocators to find me and deliver me to him that night. He would come to land and retrieve me himself. But Creon’s lack of emotion would be his undoing. He had not anticipated that his own people would stand against him. Empathy was an emotion Creon did not understand. He never would have guessed that Roald and the others had turned against him to protect the freshwaters. So, when Creon had called up his suffocators to find the renegade princess who’d murdered the king of the Gulfs and run off with her nagual lover, he couldn’t have guessed that some of those mermen would warn us.