Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2)

by Pandos, Brenda

  “Ash, it’s fine.” He shook his head. “Just promise me you’ll be more careful. Tell your dad at least.”

  “It’s not fine. What I did wasn’t right, and it wasn’t you. I promise. I should have called.”

  He laughed. “Really? You’re going to use the ‘it wasn’t you, it’s me’ excuse now?”

  I looked down in shame. “I had a really tough time after my accident and I needed time alone.”

  “Well then follow that instinct and stay away from that loser. You need to take better care of yourself.” He put his hand on my shoulder, melting me with his eyes.

  “I know…” I soaked in his tenderness, noting a kind and gentle soul.

  He patted me on the arm and let his hand linger. “I’m here if you need anything.”

  Jaime watched us, anxiety and jealousy on her stricken face.

  “I’m good, thanks.” I forced a smile.

  He stared into my eyes a little too deep, as if he longed for something more from me. I ached inside, wanting to return his act of kindness, but we couldn’t be friends like that—not anymore. I’d been wrong about Callahan. He did genuinely care and his initial feelings weren’t some whim fueled by fleeting lust. I gulped, wondering if we’d be a couple still if I had never taken out the boat.

  “Jaime’s waiting for you.” Her name snapped him from his trance.

  He looked away. “Talk to you later.”

  “Later… and thank you again.” I nodded.

  “And if you don’t do something about that jerk,” he said as he rounded his truck, “then I will.”

  I shook my head. If Colin saw Callahan coming, mer mojo would come into play and Colin would return the sucker punch easily.

  I watched the two of them drive away, and instead of going inside, I crumpled onto the porch swing. Under my dirtied jeans, my knees ached, and my hands were a mess of grime and blood.

  I glared at Fin’s house, afraid of what Colin might do. I prayed he’d leave Tahoe. Over the small ridge, a set of eyes watched me from Fin’s porch—Colin’s dad. Before he disappeared into the house, I heard his bitter laughter.

  25

  :::

  FIN

  Tuesday morning, April 19th

  Galadriel sat alone on the sofa with a copy of Wuthering Heights in her hand. She gave me a quick once over as I walked through the door. Salt water dripped off my legs onto the rug.

  “You’re getting water everywhere. Use a towel!” She motioned to hooks by the door. She’d already put on her street clothes for the day—pink tank top and white shorts. “So I assume they left you to babysit me since no one returned?”

  “Yup.” I toweled off and walked past her, eyeing the house phone. Could I chance a call to Ash now? I counted back three hours from 8 AM. She’d still be sleeping. I took off my shoulder pack and set it on the counter.

  “But aren’t I dangerous?” Galadriel sauntered over and skimmed her hand across my bare shoulders.

  I glared at her. “Maybe if you’d stop fooling around and tell the truth about who you’re promised to, then none of us would have to babysit you.”

  She turned her lip up before retrieving something from her pocket. “You left this.”

  I squinted as she fanned my one and only picture of Ash in front of me.

  “Give me that.” I snatched it from her hand.

  “She’s pretty. And looks an awful lot like—me.”

  I put the picture safely in my pack and zipped it up. “Let’s get one thing straight. Ash is my business, not yours. I’m only here to make sure you don’t kiss half of Boca Raton. A little duct tape would solve that in a flash, I’m thinking.” I eyed her up and down with a sneer.

  She straightened her shoulders and elevated her chin. “That’s mean. I’m not kissing half of Boca Raton.” She whisked her red hair over her shoulder and returned to the couch.

  Yeah, right. I exhaled slowly, keeping my cool. In a few hours, I’d never have to deal with her again.

  “Haven’t you ever thought maybe Sissy and Hans are holding me hostage?”

  I laughed. “Hold you hostage? Uh—as I recall you volunteered for this. I believe they are protecting mankind from your treacherous lips.”

  She whipped around and gripped the back of the couch with white knuckles. “This makes you feel powerful and better than me, because you can control your desires, doesn’t it?”

  I raised my brow. “I feel bad for whoever you’re promised to.”

  “You’re such a jerk!” She pursed her lips. “I hope Ash has the same control as you.”

  My nostrils flared and I controlled my temper. She wanted to pick a fight and I wouldn’t let her get to me.

  When I didn’t respond, she slid down on the couch and sat with her back to me. “My bond has nothing to do with this. They’re keeping me a mermaid because I know too much. They wouldn’t convert me even if I wanted to. They need me for when they go fin-to-fin with my father.”

  “They’ve got plenty of dirt on the King and Azor, in spite of your secrets. What they need is for you to want to become human so they don’t have to force you or tell us who your mate is.” I pushed my hand through my damp hair. “And I don’t think you know a thing. You love the attention. But if you want, I’ll take up your invitation and convert you in the bathtub right now. That’ll solve everybody’s problems.”

  “You wouldn’t.” She turned. Her eyes grew big.

  “Oh, yeah I would.”

  “What I know involves you.”

  “Oh, really? That’s supposed to stop me?” I rolled my eyes and pawed through the kitchen junk drawer for paper to make a list. The block of kitchen knives caught my eye.

  She rose from the couch. “Do you know what proves I’m of royal blood?”

  I clenched my jaw. “Go play on the freeway, Glad.”

  “Look.” She moved in front of me and pulled down the edge of her waistband to reveal her hip. “This. The fleur-de-lis.”

  On her hip was nothing more than a strangely shaped birthmark.

  “Are you asking me to remove it, because I can,” I reached past her and pulled a paring knife from the cutting block for effect.

  She eyed the knife and moved away, pursing her lips. “All mermaids know about the mark. Your sister needs this, or else—” Galadriel sliced her finger over her throat.

  I carefully slid my thumb on the blade to check its sharpness. “You’re boring me, get to the point.”

  “When Azor kissed her, the mark should have appeared, like the promise tattoo. It proves her royal transfer.”

  I leaned my head forward, astonished at her audacity. “Are you suggesting Azor isn’t royalty?” I drew a circle in the air with the knife to symbolize a crown.

  She gave me a coy smile and shrugged. “It’s hard to know. Royal mermen don’t have the mark.”

  I creased my brow. Why was she saying this? Of course Azor was royalty. Silence followed, long and annoying. I waited for the words she refused to speak, for something other than empty ramblings of a crazed mermaid out of water. “And?”

  She looked at me arrogantly with her huge blue eyes. “I guess you’ll have to check Tatiana’s backside when you get down there.” She flounced toward the door leading outside. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No.” I smiled and added duct tape to the list. “I’m busy.”

  I returned the knife into the block with a thump. Galadriel could go where she wanted as far as I cared—the further away from me the better.

  “Fine,” she said with a flip of her hair, “let your sister rot in Hades.”

  I stopped, forming my fist into a ball. “Azor will suffer for what he did to my sister in due time!”

  “Is that why you’re here and Daddy’s on his way to Scotland without you? Looks like you couldn’t care less.”

  I moved around the kitchen island to the door and stood face-to-face with her. “You mind your own business.”

  “Or what?” she asked snidely.

&
nbsp; “Or else—”

  Ferdinand walked up behind Galadriel, soaking wet, with a scowl on his face. He towered over Galadriel by ten inches and me by six—much taller than I remembered.

  “Nothing.” I moved to the counter and retrieved my list. None of this was worth getting punched by a six-foot-ten mute behemoth.

  She laughed in victory, then turned, bouncing off his chest. She tried to push him aside, careful not to disturb the tiny cloth covering his manhood..

  “Move, you big oaf. Ugh, you’re all wet.”

  With one hand, Ferdinand moved Galadriel inside, and with the other he closed the door. He stood like a statue, blocking her way.

  “Move!”

  I smiled. Though he acted strange, dressed weird, and couldn’t talk, maybe having him around was good after all.

  “Fine. Whatever.” Galadriel parked herself on the couch.

  I stretched out my hand to finally meet him. “Hey, man. I’m Fin.”

  He acted as if he didn’t even see me, and walked past me into my room.

  “Hey, where you going?” I called after him.

  A weird groan followed.

  “Uh, oh.” Galadriel smiled deliciously. “You’re in trouble now.”

  My clothing, books, and other things took flight into the air through the doorway heading for the floor.

  “Whoa,” I yelled, catching my guitar by the neck before it smashed into the wall. “Hey, knock that off!” Papers and clothing continued to soar until there was nothing left.

  Galadriel laughed. “Told you so.”

  He stopped and began carefully arranging his colored rocks in a nice row on the dresser—the same ones I’d knocked off a few days ago.

  “That’s not cool,” I said in exasperation. Ferdinand continued to ignore me. “I know you can hear me. Why’d you do that?”

  He glanced at me for a fraction of a second, as if I were an annoying fly, and then walked over my stuff without any acknowledgement.

  “Ferdinand. Stop.”

  He disappeared around the corner as if I’d said nothing.

  “Get used to it,” Galadriel said playfully. “He does what he wants, when he wants, and ignores the rest. Don’t you, ya big lug!”

  I scooped up my things and put them in my bag. Yes, I needed to pack, but not like this. “What a mess.”

  “Stop your griping,” she said over the back of the couch. “I’m trying to read over here.”

  I slung my duffle bag over my shoulder and glared. She smirked in victory while she licked her finger and turned the page.

  Ferdinand was in the corner, rearranging the books on the shelf.

  “What’s he doing?” I dropped my bag on the floor by the door.

  Galadriel shrugged. “He likes them in a certain order.”

  I watched, puzzled for a moment. The length of his back was covered in scars.

  “Why doesn’t he talk?”

  She shrugged again. “Who knows?”

  “Where’d he come from?”

  “Natatoria, like the rest of us.”

  I smirked. “Did you kiss him, too?”

  She threw her book down and popped off the couch. “Shut-up about that. I’m no mer floozy.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what Matt said.”

  “Oooh!” she yelled, before she slapped me.

  I blinked, stunned as the sting lit a fire on my cheek. Reflexively, I raised my hand in the air but stopped. I didn’t hit girls.

  Ferdinand flew by her side and stood as a barrier between us.

  “I’m fine, Ferd. Just—” she wiped her cheek with the back of her deformed hand. “Never mind.” She walked past me and went to her room, slamming the door.

  Without any emotion, Ferdinand returned to the bookshelf as if nothing happened. I stood speechless, unsure what to do.

  After a minute, I put on a shirt, took the RV keys and my parent’s credit card off the counter, and headed for the door. Ferdinand continued arranging the bookshelf as if I weren’t there.

  “Keep an eye on her,” I said and shut the door.

  :::

  Within a few hours I returned, expecting to find Ferdinand in the same place. No one was around.

  “Hello?” I asked without a reply.

  Awesome. A quick escape without any questions. I pulled out a pen and paper and headed down the hall. Guilt hit me when I entered my parents’ room and caught a glimpse of Mom’s favorite possession. Everywhere we’d went, she’d always taken the framed ceramic picture of our handprints and tail prints from when we were merlings.

  I traced my sister’s hand and my gut clenched. If my parents went to Natatoria without me she’d think I didn’t care, that I’d turned my back on her.

  I pushed down the worry and regrouped. I wasn’t leaving. I was gathering support. Together, Ash and I would be part of the rescue from Azor. The more people on her side the better. Once I convinced Ash of course.

  How could my parents blame me? They knew what the dreadful ache was like. Without Ash, I wasn’t able to function. And I wasn’t leaving forever. I’d be back in a month.

  Dear Mom and Dad,

  When you get this, I should be in California. Sorry I left this way, but Ash is in trouble and I had no choice. Colin and Uncle Alaster have been threatening her family and I’m afraid they’ll find out about the promise, and do God knows what. I need to somehow lure them away from her family.

  I stopped writing. Though I wanted to conjure up a really convincing lie, this would send them into a panic and show my stupidity. As if I could show up and threaten my uncle empty-handed. Love was what motivated me. I needed to be with her.

  I crinkled the paper and started over.

  Dear Mom and Dad,

  When you get this, I should be in California. Sorry I left this way. I can’t be away from Ash any longer. I hope you understand. We’ll meet up in Natatoria when the time comes to rescue Tatiana, or I’ll come back to Florida. Either way, I’ll only be gone a month. Call me. Here’s my new number.

  I love you.

  Fin.

  I folded up the note, stuck it under the frame on the desk. Though I could call and leave a message, this was better. Once they returned, I’d already be safe in California, done braving the wild world of carnivorous humans. But now that I’d decided to leave, I was terrified.

  I turned around. Galadriel watched me quizzically.

  “Where are you going?”

  I looked away. “I’m leaving.”

  “To where? Tahoe?”

  For a second, I contemplated telling her the truth. Though she was pathetic and needy, I did feel sorry for her. She was trapped, unwilling and unable to trust any one. I hoped she would find her merman, wherever he was. But I brushed my feelings aside. I couldn’t afford to care. I needed to distance myself from her toxic ways and get to Ash as soon as possible.

  “Doesn’t matter where.”

  “Take me with you.”

  I stopped for a second to press her with a glare and shook my head. “Like I’d take you anywhere with me.”

  “Please,” she said, her voice broken. “I’ll be good.”

  “You’re crazier than I thought.”

  “I know I’ve been horrible, but there’s a reason. I—I need to escape before they all come back.”

  I pushed her aside and grabbed my bag. “You can escape once I leave. That is if your guard dog Ferdinand doesn’t stop you.”

  “I can’t.” Galadriel crumpled to the chair next to me and curled up her arms around her legs. “I can’t go by myself. I don’t know where to go.”

  “Then convert like you’d originally planned. Sissy and Hans will give you a new life, and you can start over. You’ll be fine.”

  “But I’ll lose the best thing in my life.”

  Tempted to ask what she meant, I stopped and watched her for a second—a pathetic sniveling mess. I wouldn’t miss this drama, not in the slightest. I walked past her to fetch the keys.

 
“I know you’ll miss me, sweetheart, but you’ll survive.”

  The keys weren’t on the counter where I’d left them “Where are the keys?”

  She stood in the hall. “Please take me.”

  The heat of her stare burned my anger, bubbling my rage to the surface. “I’m not kidding. Give me the keys. Now.”