by Devyn Quinn
He cut the thought short with practiced precision. Why the hell was he even thinking that way? He hadn’t come here to propose to the woman, for God’s sake. He’d come to talk her into joining a vital mission that might well determine the way Mer and humans regarded each other in the future.
Mason coughed discreetly into his hand. “With all due respect, ma’am, I have to let you know I’m not interested in your, ah, finer attributes.”
The playful spark immediately left her eyes. Uncrossing her legs, she sat up straight. The air around her chilled more than a little. “Okay, cut the bullshit, shall we? What does the government want with us now? Except for that little slipup today, I haven’t done anything wrong. And thanks to the wonders of medical science, the victims who saw me today won’t even remember it once the docs get finished playing mad scientist.”
In lieu of an immediate answer, Mason indicated the chair across from her. “May I?”
She nodded. “Knock yourself out.”
Mason sat, placing the briefcase he carried within easy reach. “In order not to waste any more of your time, ma’am, I will let you know that acting on orders from the Secretary of the Navy, I have been sent to inquire about your availability to serve your country.”
Addison Lonike’s eyes widened. “Are you asking me to join the navy?”
Mason nodded. He opened his suitcase, pulling out the folder he’d been given. “The secretary is offering you a civilian’s position as an MTA, which would be Mer Tactical Adviser.” He handed over the folder. “The details are inside, along with the financial compensation and what your first assignment would entail.”
Addison eagerly accepted the folder. Flipping it open, she quickly scanned the few pages she’d been given. Her face darkened as she read. “Gee, you guys don’t pay very much,” she commented. “I make more as an EMT.”
Mason shrugged. “Budget cuts. And we are already fighting wars in two other countries. The Middle East is keeping us busy.”
Addison read a little more. “It says here I’m to be assigned to USET. Which is?”
“Undersea Search and Exploration Task Force,” Mason filled in. “Our present assignment is to scout out a location in the Mediterranean where we believe some of the rogue Mer have established their stronghold.”
A deep frown pressed her full lips together. “Is that what you consider the Mer to be?” she asked sarcastically. “Rogues? Or maybe you think of us more like terrorists.” She thrust the folder back at him. “My answer is no. The pay stinks. No matter what you humans might think of the Mer, we still have to put a roof over our heads when we aren’t in the water.”
Mason checked his sigh of exasperation. He decided to try another tactic. “Our mission will be more ambassadorial than military. If at all possible, we would like to make contact with Queen Magaera and her adviser.” It wasn’t precisely the truth, but at present Addison Lonike was only going to get the basic facts. If she didn’t need to know it, she wouldn’t be told—period.
Anger sparked in the depths of her eyes. “That would be Jake ‘the Jerk’ Massey,” she spat without hesitation. “The asshole who dumped my sister at the altar and took advantage of our heritage to further his own stupid archaeological career.”
Mason made a mental note of her emotional outburst. In a way, he didn’t want her to accept the position. Unless she could learn to conduct herself accordingly, she would make a piss-poor tactician. If she showed any sign of weakness, no one serving on the team would take her seriously at all. She’d be disrespected, an oddity who’d been consulted solely because of her alien status.
Still, he had his orders. “Which is why we would like you on our side,” he said. “You know how Massey thinks. And you know how the Mer think.”
She didn’t receive his words well. Her brow furrowed. “Despite what you may think, my sisters and I have very little in common with the Mer who have emerged from Ishaldi,” she said. “They were raised in a whole other society, one that doesn’t view human beings worthy to survive as more than slaves and vessels for breeding. They are a fierce warmongering race, and, unless their current queen is deposed, the Mer will fight to the death.” She snorted. “I am afraid you’re going to discover Queen Magaera isn’t of the mind to be diplomatic in any way.”
Her words didn’t seem to faze him. “I understand that you and your sisters are actually of royal lineage yourselves.”
Addison shrugged. “So I’ve been told.”
Mason searched his memory for details of the intelligence report gathered by researchers in the A51 division. “I understand that an ancestor of yours, a Queen Nyala, was actually one who made the decision to seal the sea-gate in order to prevent a war between humans and Mer.”
She nodded. “That’s what Magaera told Tessa. Of course, I’m sure Nyala didn’t intend for the Mer to become extinct in Earth’s waters. She didn’t leave Ishaldi alone. I’m sure the Mer who accompanied her simply integrated into the human population as the centuries passed.”
“We’re under the impression there are more out there,” he allowed. “It only makes sense that some of the Mer escaped before the wormhole closed.”
Addison let her head dip back toward the ceiling before releasing a long sigh. “It has felt that way sometimes.” Her head bobbed back into place. Humor sparked in the depths of her eyes. “Hey, I bet if you put out an advertisement, a few will answer.” Her grin was one of pure mischief. “Then you can recruit them.”
Mason was disinclined to be baited. He wasn’t here to indulge in shits and giggles. “I imagine they’re like your sister Gwen,” he chided her gently. “Afraid to come out for fear of being ridiculed.”
Her grin vanished. “It’s not an easy thing to do.” Her knowing gaze connected with his. “You have to trust the person you’re letting into your life before you roll out the tail. We’re pretty lucky, because the people who do know have always been supportive.”
“Not to mention it helps bring in the tourists. Port Rock is famous for its stories of mermaids living in the bay.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Seriously, if you were to estimate the numbers, how many Mer would you guess might be living among humans now?”
Addison nibbled her lip in thought. A few minutes ticked by in silence. “I couldn’t tell you,” she finally admitted. “It’s kind of complicated, but Mer aren’t born with the realization that they’re mermaids.” She tugged the uncut, unpolished stone hanging from a gold chain around her neck. “A Mer must be given a soul-stone in order to manifest her powers. My sisters and I all received ours at birth. It allows us to tap into our shifting abilities, as well as our psi-kinetic abilities. Without it, we’re just normal people. There may be hundreds of women out there who have no idea what they really are because they never received their stones. Their heritage has been lost to them over the centuries.”
A sliver of sympathy knifed Mason’s heart. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be like to go through life not knowing who or what you really were. The closest he could guess was that it would be like losing a limb. The loss of an arm or a leg was usually devastating to people; yet somehow the human spirit found a way to compensate and to survive. It must be the same with Mer who weren’t aware of their abilities. They would probably always feel pieces of themselves were missing.
For the first time he began to think the Mer might have more in common with human beings than he’d first allowed.
But it was time to steer things back around to his reason for coming to Port Rock. “One thing we’re pretty sure of is that the Mer aren’t going to go away.”
Addison allowed a small smile. “No shit, Sherlock.”
Mason ignored her attempt to prod him and continued. “We know it’s to our advantage to try and establish diplomatic relations with Queen Magaera. Our position isn’t to try and deny the Mer a place in Earth’s waters, but to help their, uh, nation through its growing pains as they hopefully come to embrace democracy. We feel our attempts to reach out will be met
with more seriousness with a mermaid on our side.”
Addison settled back in her chair. “Somehow I feel there’s more to the story than you’re letting on. Magaera’s got Atargatis’s scepter, which gives her a lot of power, from what I understand. I’m guessing she’s got you guys by the balls, and you don’t know how to handle her.”
Mason decided to cut through the bullshit. “If I said that was true, would it change your mind about joining USET?”
The buzzing of a cell phone interrupted Addison’s answer. Reaching into her back pocket to retrieve the phone, she read the text. “Shit,” she muttered. “It’s Tessa. I was supposed to meet her and Ken for lunch at the mall.” She glanced at the time. “I’m almost a half hour late.” She quickly flipped open the cover of her Sidekick and typed back a brief reply.
“So you’re blowing me off?” Mason asked as she tucked the phone away.
Addison shook her head. “Honestly, this is a decision I couldn’t make without talking to Tessa and Gwen, anyway. We’ve always stuck together, and if it affects one of us, it affects all of us.” She pushed to her feet. “Come to lunch. We’ll talk it over and see what shakes out.”
Mason tucked the folder back into his briefcase. “That’s fair,” he agreed. Despite Webber’s insistence, it wasn’t right to ask her to make such a life-changing decision on the spur of the moment.
And, truth be told, he was actually looking forward to spending a little more time with her. Although his mind wasn’t made up just yet, his opinion of the Mer was beginning to change.
There might be more to the species than met the eye.
Chapter 4
“What do you think of these two, honey?”
Pushing SEND on her cell phone, Tessa Randall raised her eyes from the screen. For the last ten minutes, she’d been tied up in a texting conversation with Addison. So astute in the business of saving lives, her little sister was one of those people who just couldn’t show up on time to save her own. “That girl will be late to her own funeral,” she muttered, tucking her phone back into her purse.
“Honey, look…”
Tessa sighed. She should have known better than to bring her husband to shop for baby clothes. Kenneth had practically taken to glowing since she’d shared the news that had surprised even her. She hadn’t expected to become pregnant immediately after going through the Mer ritual that would synchronize her body’s biological clock with that of her human mate. Apparently I’m a very fertile Myrtle. The ink on their marriage certificate wasn’t even dry; yet here she was, knocked up with twins.
Amazing.
She glanced at the cute pink pinafores Ken had clutched in his hands. “They’re very pretty, babe,” she said, “but they’re for toddlers. We’re shopping for infants.”
Her words didn’t deter Kenneth a bit. “They’ll grow,” he countered, flashing a cheery smile as he added them to the growing pile in their cart.
Tessa had to smile. Every time she looked at her rough-hewn husband, she wanted to pinch herself. She couldn’t believe how lucky she’d been to find Kenneth Randall. The love he’d offered her came with no strings attached. He adored her for who she was, not what she was. Discovering she was a Mer hadn’t deterred him one bit. In his eyes she was perfect, and he treated her like a princess.
She had to smile at his sensible nature. “Yes,” she agreed, “they will.”
Kenneth leaned over, offering her a quick peck on the cheek. “And how are all my girls today? You’re not too tired, are you?”
Tessa quickly shook her head. “I’m fine.” It was true she’d had a bit of an energy lag lately, but she attributed it to the morning sickness she’d recently begun to suffer. “I could use something to eat, though.”
She glanced down at her still-flat stomach and grimaced. She hadn’t yet begun to show, but that would soon change with two babies taking up space in their new rental. “Will you still love me when I’m bigger than a house and all moody from hormones?”
“Absolutely,” he insisted with all the enthusiasm of a man who’d never been through the process. Once the twins were born, he might change his mind about the miracle of birth.
Despite his reassurance, Tessa had her doubts. When she got agitated, she tended to be a little on the mean side. And, oh goddess! Soon there would be more than one baby to deal with. While she had no doubt that Kenneth would be a hands-on dad, the idea of actually giving birth to these babies was scaring the ever-loving daylights out of her. A true Mer didn’t have her babies in a sterile hospital room with a nice doctor in attendance and an epidural to kill the pain. Young mermaids were birthed in the water, where they’d be immediately acclimatized to their natural environment.
She’d already picked out the girl’s stones, as she and Kenneth had both decided they wanted their children to be aware of their natural heritage. Although she and her sisters—and so many other Mer—had hidden their true origins, Tessa had a feeling that was about to change. Slowly but surely, the Mer were beginning to emerge from the shadows of obscurity. The sea-gate was open again, and more Mer were eager to return to Earth’s waters.
Kenneth checked his watch. “It’s almost one, and I’m definitely ready to eat. Let’s get this paid for and head on down to the food court. Addison can find us there.”
Tessa nodded in agreement. Breakfast was long past, and it had been hours since she’d indulged her craving for caffeine and sugar. She was sure a root beer float with an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream was lurking somewhere in her immediate future.
They’d just begun to push their cart toward the checkout stand when a strange high-pitched whistle pierced the air. The whine got louder and louder until the air around them began to tremble from the intensity. The entire building began to shake. Screams and shouts mingled with the sound of stone tearing asunder.
Wincing in pain, Tessa slammed the palms of her hands against her eyes. So did everyone else shopping in the boutique.
“What the hell is that?” Kenneth shouted.
They were about to find out. The pitch grew louder, deafening. Seconds later, a massive explosion filled the air. And then, without any warning whatsoever, the rear of the building crumbled.
Tessa stood rooted in her place, stunned by the eerie sight of seeing an entire brick wall vanish right before her eyes. The screams of the shocked and wounded reverberated through the frightening scene. She stared in disbelief. One minute everything had been perfectly normal. And then the world exploded. It was like being picked up and thrown into the middle of a battlefield.
Tendrils of smoke rose from the remnants like ghostly fingers. Two figures swirled into sight amid the damage. They began to advance, their movements propelled by purpose. The first figure seemed to be a blond woman carrying a glowing stick. A taller man followed in her wake. They glided amid the debris and the wounded people as though taking a stroll through the park on a warm summer day.
The fine hairs at the nape of Tessa’s neck rose to attention. A gasp of recognition tore past her lips. Oh, shit! Speak of the devil, and here she comes, came the wild, disconnected thought.
Queen Magaera had returned, this time in person. And she had to rub it in by bringing Jake Massey along for the ride. The fucker—he would have to come along, just to rub it in.
Whether or not they wanted it to, round two was about to commence.
Adrenaline mixed with anticipation surged straight through Tessa’s veins. Her first instinct was to protect the two precious babies in her womb. But there was no way she could make a run for it—not when innocent people were still trapped amid the rubble. The wounded needed help. The plaintive whimpering of a child hurt in the detonation grated against her ears. Sirens wailed in the distance. Help was on the way, but it couldn’t arrive fast enough.
Suddenly Kenneth was there, placing himself between his wife and the advancing enemy. His hands were raised in a defensive stance. Except this time he wasn’t unarmed.
Tessa winced. Kenneth had recentl
y applied for, and received, a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He’d also undergone extensive training and was a dead-on shot.
Given that they’d been attacked and almost killed before, it seemed a wise decision. In the back of her mind, she wished the A51 division had returned her Ri’kah, which agents had confiscated when they’d taken her family into protective custody. With such a piece of Mer weaponry in her hands, she could do some serious damage. As it stood, she’d just have to do the best she could with her own Mercraft. And a little was all she had. Pregnancy had almost sapped her completely dry.
Kenneth thumbed back the safety on his pistol. “Stop right there,” he warned.
Jake Massey stepped forward. Tessa slowly came apart inside at the sight of him. That fucking bastard! Fury sizzled within her. He deserved to have his heart ripped out and fed back to him, piece by poisonous piece.
“Don’t even think about it, Randall,” Jake called across the smoldering ruins. “You haven’t got a chance.”
Kenneth kept his weapon level. “That’s what you think.”
“You know why we’re here. Just give us Tessa and we’ll go.” A wide grin crossed his face. “Otherwise my liege here might be inclined to do a little more redecorating. And humans, as you know, have little value to her.”
“Not going to happen, Massey,” Kenneth grated. “I’ll die before you’ll take my wife.”
Queen Magaera smirked. “That can be arranged, I am sure.” She raised the scepter she carried. The jewels embedded in its golden staff glittered with the intensity of a star gone nova. It was a breathtaking thing, frightening yet awesome at the same time.
It was also powerful enough to send Tessa’s hope of escape plunging to the pit of her stomach. Nothing they had on hand could match it. It was like trying to fight a wildfire with water balloons—ineffective and a little bit laughable.
Tessa reached out to put a hand on Kenneth’s arm. Resist and more people would be hurt. She couldn’t risk that. Too many people had already been injured or killed by the rogue Mer. “I’ll go.”