by S. K Munt
Saraya’s eyes widened, and she looked genuinely guilty. ‘Sorry.’ She said softly. ‘It’s usually meant in jest.’
‘Well I’m losing my good humor. I don’t know if it’s the withdrawals, or the dead string of fiancees or broken engagements or murdered parents or insane ex best friend or the public displays of antagonism that’s doing it...but, something’s got to give before I fucking lose it.’
Lincoln’s heart went out to her. Even Tristan had the grace to look embarrassed. Or to try. Lincoln wasn’t fooled for a second. And he was absolutely disgusted by Tristan’s open-call auditions for a wife.
You’d think this was the Oprah Show and Tristan was one of her favorite things!
‘I’d marry him too.’ Adele’s eyes slid from the golden-haired merman to their queen, carefully avoiding Lincoln’s gaze. ‘You don’t want to hear it but it has to be said. I would give anything to have a man look at me, the way Tristan looks at you….your majesty.’
Traitorous bitch! Lincoln raged silently, trying his hardest not to look as hurt as he felt, all of his amicable feelings towards his ex dissolving as she sided with another man. I’ll show you exactly what you’re missing out on honey!
As though she could hear his silent tirade, Adele bit her lip and tried to look apologetic. ‘Sorry Link...but you dumped me for another woman, you know. And I was sort of blunt before I was gifted with a mermaid’s loose tongue.’
Lincoln looked away from her, disgusted. ‘Save it…’ he muttered.
Ivyanne’s face had almost gone purple. Her fingers were fiddling with her hair, braiding it and unbraiding it like she suffered from a nervous tic.
‘Thank you,’ Tristan said, his face impassive, his eyes conveying gratitude. ‘All of you.’
Price nudged Adele with his elbow. ‘Is he your only choice?’
Adele blinked, turning to the merman beside her, shocked. ‘What?’
Price motioned to Tristan. ‘Are you settled on him, or would you be open to breeding with someone who is constantly imagining breeding with you?’
Adele’s mouth formed an ‘O’ which Lincoln saw was mirrored on every other face in the room. Except Ivyanne-she was still glaring at Tristan hatefully.
‘W...what?’ This was only the third time Lincoln had ever seen Adele lost for words, and he wasn’t surprised. Price was such a silent, lethal looking creature! The idea of him with Adele was almost laughable!
Price smiled and tweaked the end of her hair. ‘You’re shiny. I notice often.’
Adele stared down at his fingers, clearly too tongue-tied to respond. Lincoln wanted to retch. He wouldn’t be surprised if at that moment, one of his high-school flings trotted through the door to ask Garridan on a date!
Bane cleared his throat. ‘Well... this is awkward….’
Lincoln saw Tristan’s focus-and energy-shift back to Ivyanne as he stepped toward her, and Lincoln knew he had to intercede.
‘Excuse me, but I fail to see the point you’re trying to make today, other than basically admitting that if Ivyanne chooses me, you’ll be fine.’ He gestured to the five women sitting at the table. ‘You’ve got five options, after all-two of which are Marked. I have none.’
‘Excuse me?!’ Grace demanded, reminding him of her presence with a haughty flip of her hair and narrowed dark eyes. ‘Write me off as a childish flirt all you want, but if Ivyanne passes you over, I’m going to be right there, ready to pounce.’
Lincoln’s mouth fell open. She still wanted him? She’d barely acknowledged his presence for five days!
Ivyanne’s eyes narrowed, more thoughtful then angry, though her lips curled in displeasure.
‘Grace Londeree!’ Bane exploded.
‘What?’ she demanded whirling on her brother. ‘I’m eighteen you know, and Marked. It’s hardly scandalous to announce my agenda when everyone else is!’
‘We all know about your crush Grace but you are in Australia for school-not to meddle in a possible royal union! If mom finds out that you’re trying to swipe the Queen’s fiancé-’
‘Former fiancé,’ Tristan corrected him.
‘Yeah well, whatever…. the point is, she’d have a fit.’
‘Not if I succeed,’ Grace pointed out, smiling smugly. ‘Besides if you can’t control your dirty dreams about Link, how am I supposed to?’
‘Okay...dreams? As in plural?’ Marcus frowned. ‘Now I’m getting a complex…’
Bane groaned and sank his head into his arms.
Lincoln’s head was spinning. ‘Grace, we’ve discussed this, remember? I thought you understood-’
Grace raised an eyebrow. ‘I understand it all, Link. I am not a child. I know I’m probably going to get hurt here-you’ve made that abundantly clear-but everything worth having is worth risking a bit of agony for. Or a royal cold-shoulder from a woman who doesn’t see what she’s got when she has her lips wrapped around it!’
Bane’s head lifted, his expression horrified.
‘Enough!’ Ivyanne threw her hands up, glaring at Grace with irritation before turning back to her uncle. ‘What point are you trying to make? Or were you just shooting for mutiny?’
‘Well you know how I love a scene…’ Tristan walked around the table, not taking his eyes off the queen. ‘But my point was, that these women don’t know me half as well as you do, and yet they have more faith in me than you. They see not only my reputation, but the proof to to the contrary.’
‘And it doesn’t help the fact that rumors have you hung like a-’ Bane cut in, who’d clearly snapped out of stupefaction and was back to his usual comic self. A self Lincoln wanted to slap.
‘Rumor?’ Adele giggled. ‘Hardly.’
Price looked from her to Tristan, and then frowned. ‘How do you-’
‘That too!’ Tristan cut them off, looking annoyed. Adele looked relieved and Lincoln gave her the finger with a ‘Now-he-knows-you’re-a-ho smile.’ She looked away.
Tristan came to a stop in front of Ivyanne. ‘You see it too, and you love me. The only reason why Lincoln’s allowed to kiss you, and I’m forbidden from laying a hand on you, is because you know that with me, you won’t be able to stop at one kiss.’
Lincoln wanted to punch him, but he felt rooted to the spot by the look on Ivyanne’s stricken face. Was Tristan right?
‘I’m not discussing this in a room full of people!’ Ivyanne snapped. ‘In fact, I’m not supposed to be thinking about this at all. Ardhi, remember? I have other things that I need to focus on that are a priority over your damn pride!’
But Tristan shook his head. ‘Leading a body of people demands that you be able to focus on more than one thing at a time, and I believe that you can do that, my queen. You’re just digging in your heels because you’re afraid to make a choice that will hurt somebody.’ He took her hand. ‘I’ll give you some more time to decide Ivyanne, because I want you to be clear about what you do. But if you can’t decide within the month that I’m the one you want-if you can’t be as certain of me as these women are…’ he shrugged. ‘Then you truly don’t deserve me, and I’m walking away.’
Don’t walk! Run! Lincoln jeered him silently. Now!
Ivyanne’s mouth fell open. ‘You’re seriously going to give me an ultimatum again? After what happened last time?’
‘A month.’ Tristan said quietly. ‘To say what you already know and are keeping from us all.’
‘Just to be clear, this is his bright idea, not mine,’ Lincoln said, needing to speak up, needing to defend her, and prove that he was willing to wait.
Tristan looked at him. ‘Fair enough friend,’ he said softly. ‘But it’s of little consequence what you do. It won’t change where I stand.’
Ivyanne’s brow furrowed. ‘Tristan if this is about what you saw last night-’
‘It’s about so much more than that,’ Tristan insisted. ‘If you only knew, your head would spin.’
‘Why? What did you see last night?’ Price piped up.
‘Lincoln and Ivya
nne, kissing,’ Garridan said quietly, entering the room at last. He looked up at Lincoln. ‘Which, as a guard was out of line young man. Tristan’s my flesh and blood, but I’ve given you an equal amount of faith. I’m disappointed to hear that you crossed that line while on duty.’
‘Well I’m sorry,’ Lincoln said to Garridan, feeling his cheeks heat up. ‘But loving her only makes me a better guard, because I’d lay down my life for her.’ He turned to Tristan. ‘Plus, you say this like you’re the only guy in this boat,’ Lincoln pointed out. ‘I’m suffering too, you know, but I’m dealing with it for her sake.’
Tristan’s eyes narrowed. ‘I saw just how you’re dealing with it,’ he snapped. ‘I should be so lucky!’
Lincoln frowned. ‘Calm down. I’m just saying that I know how you feel.’
‘You don’t,’ Tristan countered, looking back at Ivyanne. ‘But you will.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Lincoln demanded.
Tristan snatched Ivyanne into his arms and had his lips locked on hers before she’d let a cry of alarm escape. Lincoln saw her fight him off, but Tristan wrapped his bulging arms around her and crushed her against him, slanting his mouth against hers hungrily.
Lincoln had never seen Tristan with her before, and the sight was like a bucket of icy cold water dumped down his back. He went to step forward, to pry the merman off, but then he saw Ivyanne slacken in Tristan’s arms, melting against him, and his heart sank. He looked over at the other witnesses in the room, gob-smacked to see them watching in fascinated silence, like Tristan and Ivyanne were some steamy scene in a movie they couldn’t look away from.
But as soon as it had began, Tristan released her. Both of their faces were flushed, and Ivyanne looked stricken, one hand flying to her lips.
‘One month,’ Tristan repeated firmly. ‘But I start playing hard ball now.’ He turned to Garridan. ‘When I’m off duty, of course.’
‘That seems fair.’ Garridan said quietly.
‘Oh screw this!’ Lincoln went to barge off, but only got halfway to the front door before he realized there was nowhere to go-he was still on duty. He hesitated, in two minds about what to do, feeling trapped in a tortuous scenario.
‘Now you know how I feel,’ Tristan called after him. ‘I’m sorry if that hurt you, I actually am-but I needed to paint a picture.’
Lincoln whirled on him, feeling dangerous. ‘Well thanks for that-really.’
Tristan’s eyes glittered as he advanced on him. ‘You want to hurt me, don’t you?’
‘More than I’ve ever wanted to hurt anybody.’
‘Well, you already have.’ Tristan said. ‘You could have let Ivyanne off the hook when you thought she was pregnant with my child, but you didn’t. You could have postponed your proposal until I’d been buried, but you acted within two weeks. I was good to you, I didn’t cross any lines when I thought she could love you too, but you knifed me in the back-after I took a blade in the side, to save your life.’
Lincoln felt bad about the first few things, but he’d been enchanted by a mystic mermaid. What choice had he ever had? What say in his own heart’s desire? And he hadn’t purposefully gone for Ivyanne to erase Tristan’s memory-but to heal those left standing! He wasn’t going to be vilified for something the previous queen had begged him to do!
‘FYI, golden boy, Vana asked me to step up!’ He crossed his arms, taking pleasure from Tristan’s surprised expression. ‘That’s right. The president of the Tristan Loveridge fan club defected pretty damn quick!’
‘She did?’ Ivyanne looked down at her feet, shaking her head. ‘God I’m so sick of this. All the meddling, all the games...’
‘You’re not alone in that!’ Lincoln snapped, though he didn’t take his eyes off Tristan. ‘Wasn’t macking on her at our engagement party payback enough? And you want me to feel bad about two lousy kisses in a month with the woman I was supposed to marry? Screw you!’
‘This is exactly my point!’ Tristan turned back to Ivyanne. ‘One mer telling another to go screw himself? This isn’t who we are-nor how we act! I’m as guilty of it as Lincoln is, so I’m not pointing fingers, but the fact remains that you’re delaying your decision to postpone chaos that’s been here for months!’ His dark golden eyes searched Ivyanne’s terrified ones. ‘No one’s going to start healing until you put the hurt in one place. Not me not Lincoln not you, and not Pintang, Adele, Grace... we’re all suffering, until you put us out of our misery!’
‘I still think it sounds like a lot more people will be hurt if she chooses you,’ Lincoln had to point out, hearing how much calmer his voice sounded now that he’d screamed out some of his frustration. ‘Isn’t it best for the kingdom if she chooses me?’
Tristan grinned at him. ‘A happy queen is what’s best for this kingdom,’ he said, going back to the door. ‘And not to toot my own horn here, but I’m kind of famous for spreading joy.’
‘If you were human, you would have spread a lot more than joy.’ Lincoln retorted.
Bane chuckled, trying in vain to cover it with a cough.
‘If you were human, this discussion wouldn’t be happening.’ Tristan pointed out. ‘Remember that, Link. You got lucky.’
Lincoln crossed his arms and smiled crookedly at Tristan. ‘I know. A few times now.’
Tristan scowled, feeding Lincoln’s inner glee.
‘Okay!’ Garridan clapped his hands together. ‘I dare say we end this conversation before the real mud slinging starts.’
‘Thank god,’ Adele suddenly piped up from the table. She was fingering a gun which had been disassembled for cleaning. ‘I was contemplating turning this thing on myself.’
‘Just shoot me,’ Ivyanne said softly. ‘Please.’
‘Nah, I’d probably get in trouble,’ Adele joked.
There was some gentle laughter. Lincoln was still bristling from head to toe, but there was nothing he could do about it. Tristan had thrown down the challenge, publicly, and all he could do was accept it.
But it was one battle in a war which Lincoln would draw out until he was the only man left standing.
11.
Ardhi pressed his ear against the bedroom door of the hotel room on Sunday night, listening to Sherri talk him up to the new recruits lounging within. He’d been out all night, and had successfully swiped eight wallets from unsuspecting revelers /swimmers in town. He’d only gotten around sixteen hundred cash, but that had been enough to get a larger, family sized room on South Molle Island for a few more days. Now, the five of them had room to move without completely crowding each other.
But it still wasn’t enough. If he wanted to lead, he needed to give people incentive to follow-and these turned humans had desires and dreams of the superficial variety that the ocean alone would not sate until their priorities aligned with their new natural desires. He had to provide for them all, as the Courts did for their own flock. Of course once he had the crown, he’d be set for life. But he needed to get it first.
Ardhi glanced at the cheap digital clock on the bedside table-it was almost one in the afternoon-he’d slept half of the day away! What had they been doing the whole time?
‘….So basically they framed him for an air crash that happened while he was in New Zealand with me and turned everyone against him! And why? Because the queen was threatened by Ardhi’s ability to make his own mer.’
‘Hey I know that plane crash guy!’ A voice cried. ‘Not personally but I saw it in the paper. Over Hawaii right?’
‘Yep! And because Ardhi and Tristan were rivals, everyone believed the story and tried to kill him, and me without stopping to question it. Things got insane and the king and queen got caught in the crossfire and Ardhi and I only just escaped with our lives. In fact, he saved mine, because I’d been knocked out by the oh so sweet princess.’
‘No one believed him?’ Loren’s asked.
‘Not even his own family. They all just attacked- it was like-seventy on two.’
‘That’s awful!’
Jade exclaimed. ‘Poor Ardhi! He tried to give her everything she wanted and was just... just..’
‘Kicked in the teeth for it-literally.’ Sherri agreed. ‘He feels awful about the king and queen but what can he do? They were trying to kill him too!’
Ardhi snorted. Sherri sounded so passionately enraged on his behalf that she almost had him believing her fable. He pushed open the door and strode into the main area of the two bedroom bungalow.
‘Now come on Sherri, you’re withholding some information.’ Ardhi turned to the three new mers-Loren’s (who was still convinced that Ardhi was gay) Jade, a curvy, English backpacker who’d browned herself to the point of melanoma in the sun, and Callum, an Australian as native as the plants around him. ‘I was in love with her, so I had some selfish incentive to keep her away from Tristan. And I’m not about to shed any tears over Vana after what she put me through...’
Callum smiled crookedly. He was the real catch-a local fishing charter operator who knew the area intimately. He was in his mid-thirties and had that rugged, hard living look about him, which had been softened by the transition but not so much that he was obviously mer. He had strong features and shining white teeth concealed behind shaggy, dirty blonde hair and an unkempt goatee that once shaved, would probably never grow back. Only the oldest mer could grow beards.
Ardhi had chosen Lorens out of convenience and Jade because he’d seen her swipe a wallet down on the lagoon while he’d been observing from a safe distance. The theft told him that she had flexible ethics, but the fact that she’d stopped to pick up an empty soda can from the grass, which she’d then thrown into the recycling bin as she escaped, told him that she had a good, ecological conscience.
Those choices were strong, and he knew it. But he had a feeling that Callum was destined to be at Ardhi’s side-a human who was already of the sea and an established loner, just like him. Plus-he had a house in town which Ardhi wanted to use while he tracked down Ivyanne.