by Неизвестный
Isa inched across the bed in his direction. “Listen, Si, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…Just, thank you. Thanks for getting me away from those guys.”
His shoulders relaxed a fraction. “You’re welcome, Isa.” When he turned to look at her again, Isa knew more words hung on his lips. But he didn’t say them. Instead he sat on her side of the bed and took a deep breath. His nostrils flared and Isa knew he was smelling her. She grinned. She’d forgotten that dragon habit.
Refusing to sidle closer to him, Isa surveyed her body for injuries. Her gaze landed on the thick metal band circling tightly above her elbow. “Sidon, what is this?”
“It’s a tracking device.” He snuggled closer, but she drew back.
“And why am I wearing a tracking device?”
A crocodile grin crept along his face. “So I can keep track of you, sweetheart, why else?”
“I’m not a fricking sea turtle, Sidon! Take it off!”
“No.” The teasing smirk on his face told Isa he thought this was funny as hell.
“You. Are. A. Jerk.”
Sidon snorted a laugh before pinching his lips to appear serious. “You need to stay in the Key until I figure out who those guys were.”
“So you’re putting me on a leash?” She blushed a moment after the words left her mouth.
Sidon’s face split into a wide grin. “Hell, yeah.” He bounded out of bed. “I hope you’re hungry. I made eggs.”
She screamed at him in frustration and threw a pillow his direction as Sidon bolted for the door, laughing. Isa grabbed the ring and tugged, gritting her teeth. The darn thing refused to slide past her elbow. Her eyes pressed tight as she considered her options. Unfortunately, none came to mind.
She limped around the room on sore ankles and found a pair of boxers in a pile of clean laundry. Isa pulled the shorts on under the dress-sized T-shirt. Sliding doors led to a large bathroom. There she found a comb to pull through her matted locks, as well as a conspicuously-placed new toothbrush. She marveled at Sidon’s consideration before realizing he probably bought them by the box for his stream of nighttime guests.
The wall-sized window ran the length of the house, and fluffy white sofas and chairs littered the main living area. The home was sleek and modern, and the whole place perched out over a rocky outcropping. She stepped up to a raised counter with stools. The smell of Hollandaise sauce tantalized her long-empty stomach.
“Dang, Si! You made Eggs Benedict?”
“Still your favorite, huh?” He looked extremely pleased with himself. He placed her plate on the counter, and she practically drooled.
“OJ?” Pride radiated off him.
“Yes, please.”
He poured her a glass and sat down next to her on an adjacent seat, their shoulders almost touching. The food was amazing, and Isa ate with gusto. When she came up for air, Sidon’s eyes sparkled in amusement.
“Hungry?”
She gave his arm a little pat for teasing her and was surprised when the touch sizzled up from her fingertips. If he felt it too, it didn’t show.
“So Isa, who were those men last night?”
“I don’t know. Have humans been snooping around at the boundaries lately?”
He shrugged. “Not any more than usual. Sightseeing tours, fishing boats, drunk spring breakers. Like always.”
“Well, this car was following me the other day.” She tried to sound unconcerned. “I lost it in North Carolina, though.”
“Are you sure?”
Her back hunched defensively. “Yeah, I’m sure. And even if they did follow me farther, they can’t see the bridge.” Even as she said it, doubt crept in.
He rolled back in his seat and continued eating. “It’s a coincidence—you showing up after so long and an attempted capture just a few hours later.”
Her shoulders fell, and dread wormed into her.
Sidon continued, “I know stuff like this happens above Russia and Norway and down near Madagascar. But that’s usually during shark-shifter raids. Those guys last night were human. I’ve never even heard of anything like this.”
“Oh, my God. I have to go, lead them away!” Pain shot through her as she moved to stand. He grabbed her arm, right above the darned tracker.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled.
“Yeah, I know.” Sitting back down, she winced. “I need to get over this injury first.”
“You need to keep out of Landworld. You’re staying in Key waters, and you’re staying with me.” His lips settled into a stubborn line.
“You don’t understand. If people find out I’m mere I won’t be able to go back.”
Sidon gripped her other arm and pulled her toward him. “Isa, think! Maybe they weren’t sure till last night, but now they’re certain you’re mere. And likely they know about the Key, too. This is bigger than you and your issues about wanting to play human.”
Isa’s face went slack. She’d put the whole habitat at risk. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears. The dragons could leave whenever they wanted, but marked mere couldn’t survive more than a half-mile inland. Nor could they swim more than a few hours into the open ocean. The children could only swim a fraction of that. The community would have a hard time escaping if anyone found them.
Sidon rubbed her back, his voice lowering to a soothing hum. “It’s okay, Isa. There’s always some idiot hunting mermaids. That’s why you keep jerks like me around, right?”
She giggled through her tears, and he towed her body into his, closing the last of the distance. One arm wrapped across her shoulders while the other circled her waist. He hugged her to his chest. She felt so safe in his hold, and her hands rose up to rest at the steel beams of muscle on his lower back.
Before she could think, her fingers slid to his hips right above the curve of his rear end. She pushed into him, a quiet sigh on her lips. Too much had happened in the past forty-eight hours. She needed to feel something—anything—besides panic, hurt, or guilt. His grip drifted to curl around the base of her head, and his other hand skimmed down her back. His long, wicked fingers stroked her spine to its tail. He pulled back to look at her then kissed her gently, moist lips moving slowly over hers. Isa’s heart seared at the tenderness.
Sidon furled her body against his in slow waves. His hot breath made love to her mouth. She was dizzy with want, and his restraint made her all the more desperate. When he broke their kiss and calmly set her back, she stifled the pleading sound that rose in her throat.
“You okay now?” His voice soothed her, though it took on a businesslike tone. “Because we have a long day planned. I need to talk to some people, ask some questions.”
Isa blinked and struggled to regain her composure. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “Much better. So Si, are we going to talk to the Guardian about this? I mean I know he’s totally useless, but—”
“Well, actually…” he tried to interject.
“Having to ‘guard’ anything might overstretch his tiny reptile brain.” Isa remembered how she and Sidon used to mock the old lizard.
“Isa!” Sidon scolded.
“Yeah, you’re right. We should just handle this ourselves. When was the last time you saw him do anything other than collect taxes and impregnate mere?”
“Isa—listen!” he shouted. She finally looked his way. “I’m Key Guardian now.”
Chapter 3
Lured
Isa’s head snapped around. “But your mom was mere!”
His demeanor cooled, and so did his tone. “Well, I guess the Council lowered its standards.”
She didn’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted. Full-blooded dragons lived in gated communities and went to separate schools. Mere-born mutts like Sidon were rare.
“I can’t believe you interact with those bastards!”
He shrugged off her insult. “Oh, please, Isa. You’re dad was dragon, too.”
Isa trembled in ang
er. She never knew the snake who’d seduced and then abandoned her mother. Her nostrils flared, heat rising in her, ready to explode. “Don’t ever mention that person to me again.”
Most Key Sirena mere were part dragon, genetically speaking. Centuries of oppression and abuse saw to that. Like practically all those of mixed-blood, all Isa got from her father was a bad temper.
Sidon’s indignity deflated. “Sorry, Is.”
“That’s okay.” She tried not to show her irritation.
“No, it isn’t. It’s just, you know, I’m not crazy about working for them. Being Guardian is a good job, and so few dragon families live here full-time. I still hang with the mere most of the time. Like always.”
The thought of the cocky-but-sweet kid she knew strutting around with those elitist jerks made her blood boil. Most mere worked for them in some capacity, in crappy jobs for slave wages. To become Guardian, Sidon must have been welcomed into the fold. No wonder his home could grace the pages of Architectural Digest, Aquatic Edition.
He walked across the room and flipped open a laptop on the coffee table. His fingers flew over the keys, and Isa drifted behind him to look over his shoulder. Pointing to the screen, he said, “These pictures were taken by the hidden cameras at the turnoff from Key West. Do you recognize any of these cars?”
“Yep, that one.” A shiver rolled along her skin.
“Well, that’s a start. I’ll call the hotels and B&Bs between here and Key Largo and see if these guys were stupid enough to check in anywhere. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll be as simple as beating information out of them and disposing of some bodies.”
Her eyes widened. Last night she thrilled at the violence Sidon unleashed at her attackers. In the light of day, though, his will to torture and murder on her behalf made her blood run a couple of degrees cooler. She settled on the couch, as far from him as she could, and crossed her arms. “You think that’s necessary? Maybe last night scared them and they’ll just leave.”
He inched toward her, lowering his voice back to the calming beat. “Maybe you’re right, Isa, but if they haven’t turned tail already they probably won’t.” She flinched, but didn’t reply. “If they were harmless myth-chasers that would be one thing, but they shot at you.”
“Actually, they shot at you.”
“Whatever. They hit you, and nobody hurts my mere.”
He stood abruptly and walked away, picking up plates and heading to the kitchen. Following after him, Isa bristled a bit at the possessiveness in Sidon’s voice. The dragons had owned Sirena for over a thousand years. For the first eight hundred, they used the plentiful supply of cheap labor to work a small harbor and fishery. Once the oceans became depleted, the colonists bought businesses in the nearby Keys and built a golf course.
He waved off her offers to help. She sat down to watch him move through the kitchen with razor efficiency and tried not to show her relief. At that very moment, mere all over Key Sirena were hard at work in dragon households cooking, cleaning, doing laundry. Defiance pounded hard in her chest. That would never be her.
A couple of hours later, Sidon’s Boston Whaler motored out of the little cave under his house and into North Sirena Bay. Isa peered down at the deep, green-black waters. She’d been serious about leaving to draw off the hunters, but outside the safety of the dragon’s keep, the idea seemed much more frightening. Usually the type of weirdoes who chased her just wanted to take her picture in mere form or something equally inane. No one had ever gone so far to attempt to catch her. Clinging to Sidon for a few days, or until she was sure she wouldn’t be hunted again, seemed like a good idea.
She watched him expertly work the rudder extension, his hair whipping like seaweed around his high cheekbones and his tank top fluttering around steel bands of muscle. He was so strong now, so much bigger and more self-assured than she remembered.
The dinghy slowed as it approached Sirena’s tiny stilt-structure town. A smattering of faded pastel shops clustered at the middle of the bay. Vines of frayed rope hung from every railing, and at the edges of the channel, fry and adult mere bobbed up, waving and shouting to friends.
“Jacob,” Sidon yelled out to a handsome youth. “Get the hell out of the boat path! You’re going to get run over! Go to the walk-out area.”
“But I don’t have any pants!”
“Then you can either go home or deal with your junk hanging out. But get hell out of the way before I tell your mother.”
With that, the silver-haired fry dove below the surface. Isa noticed that the gaggle of girls with him dove as well.
“You’re one to talk, Si. You used to swim near the tie-up all the time.”
“Hmpf.”
Isa giggled at the oddly mature version of the boy she’d once known. Sidon stood at the stern, guiding the skiff to a dock. He wrapped the line to a cleat and braced one leg against the wood while holding out a strong hand.
“Come on, princess.”
“I know how to jump on a dock, Si,” she chided, though her lip curled at his chivalry. The pain from her injury smarted as she braced her foot to lever up her body. She was happier than she wanted to admit for his help.
The rotted planks connected to a little general store and gas pump. Paint chipped off the weathered wood, and dust covered the wares. The old shop-keeper stole glances in Isa’s directions as Sidon bought gasoline for the engine and a few bottles of Gatorade. She kept her head down, knowing full well the man recognized her, and as the screen door snapped shut behind them, she heard a shout, “I’ll let your mom know you’re back, Ismaelda!” Rolling her eyes and wishing he wouldn’t, she followed the dragon out into town.
“Let’s head by Melly’s.” Sidon took her hand and helped her over the network of plywood boards and old docks that connected the shops on the bay side. His grip was firm and warm. His thumb stroked hers absentmindedly as they walked.
The restaurant comprised a handful of plastic tables and chairs sitting on a floating platform. The kitchen was land-side in a small house, and as Sidon and Isa scraped into their table, a very-flustered Melly emerged.
“Sidon, honey. How goes it? You want the usual?” Melly stopped short at their table and stared, open mouthed. “Ismaelda, baby, you’ve come home!”
The mere grabbed Isa’s shoulders and dragged the girl against her ample bosom. “Where have you been, girl? I bet you got some stories! Out in Landworld all that time? Oh, the things you must have seen! I want to hear all about it.”
Isa shrugged as she tried to smile. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Doo-hocky. We gotta have a long talk, you and me.” At her words, Melly sent a meaningful look Sidon’s way.
He shifted in his seat, reminding Isa for a moment of the kid he’d been. “We’re just having coffee today.”
“Yeah, Si, of course.” Melly relented, waddling back to the kitchen.
A busboy brought them some coffee and sweet rolls. Isa sipped the strong brew and looked out over the Bay. Key Sirena was really something. With the sun high in the sky, the water sparkled blue, and she could see straight to the sandy bottom. Boats knocking created a baritone wind chime, and the salty air tickled her skin.
She pulled out of her reverie to see Sidon watching her, a curious smile on his face. “I forgot how cute you are.”
Isa blushed at his momentary sweetness. Then she smiled.
The silence between them stretched tight. The mermaid looked out over the bay, at the white boats glinting, at the colorful baskets of flowers hanging off the arbors, always feeling his presence beating against her like a pulse. It was all so comforting. She’d miss it when she left.
Not content to mind her own business for long, Melly shuffled back to their table. “I see you’ve hooked back up with our Sidon here. I always knew you kids would work it out. I remember the two of you together—never seen two bigger sets of moon-eyes. Couldn’t keep his claws off you, either, if I recall! You gonna settle down here now?”
Isma
elda choked on her piece of bread. One thing she could say about the mere, they didn’t waste any time. Eyes tearing, she coughed and spurted before answering.
“I don’t quite know yet, Melly. But I’m sure happy to be visiting.”
Her look threatened a scolding. Isa had a feeling the older woman was biting back a mouthful of unwanted advice as she turned and ambled back to the kitchen.
Isa didn’t know why she didn’t give Melly a straight answer. Telling Sidon she wasn’t staying was somehow easier. With him, she was just refusing to sleep with him. Heck, she’d done it lots of times! But with Melly, she felt like she was rejecting the mere.
Last time she’d run quietly in the night, not saying goodbye. She was a kid then, and her haste could be forgiven.
Sidon’s gaze held far too much understanding. Isa struggled to organize her thoughts and memories into something logical, something that showed a clear path forward. Her efforts were to no avail. This time when she left, it would break her heart.
* * * *
Karon peered through his face mask at the small school of mere. They darted forward for moments before disappearing again, only to weave back out to his line of sight. His location in the sea grass was well hidden, but the fry’s lack of caution suggested they didn’t realize their closeness to the edge. He noted how many males and females swam past and their frequency. From this spot, they could harvest a good number before any of the catch were the wiser.
His leg ached as he kicked up to the surface and pulled off his mask. The Zodiac idled just ahead. His crew hauled him over the round rubber edge before speeding back to the Dendric One. Rifling through his dry bag, he pulled out his cell phone and called for back-up. “This is Captain Karon. I’m texting you the coordinates for a possible collection site. Tons of adolescents, must be a hangout, or near a playground. Send more divers to the location. I want full recon before we attempt another capture. We’re not taking chances this time.”