Scales and Legends

by B. Kristin McMichael

  Scales and Legends

  Book Three

  The Merworld Trilogy

  By

  B. Kristin McMichael

  Scales and Legends

  Book Three of The Merworld Trilogy

  Copyright © 2017 by B. Kristin McMichael

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition

  Lexia Press, LLC

  P.O. Box 982

  Worthington, OH 43085

  ISBN-10: 1-941745-05-9

  ISBN-13: 978-1-941745-05-2

  Cover design: Jessica Allain

  Editor: Kathie Middlemiss of Kat’s Eye Editing, Melissa Ringsted of There for You Editing, Ashton M. Brammer

  This book is licensed for your personal use only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means without written permission of the author. All names, characters, and places are fiction and any resemblance to real, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  If you did not purchase this book or get it from the author, then please go to a legit website to purchase the book. It may not seem like much to you, but it means the world to the authors to have people purchase the book and stop pirating indie books. Please don’t contribute to pirating and the demise of the cheap indie book.

  Summary: War is coming to the mer world, and Whitney is stuck right in the middle of it.

  Table Of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek at THE NIGHT HUMAN HUNTER

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books By this Author

  BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

  To Stand Beside Her

  Chalcedony Chronicles

  Carnelian

  Chrysoprase

  Aventurine

  Chrysocolla

  The Night Human World Series:

  The Blue Eyes Trilogy (series 1)

  The Legend of the Blue Eyes

  Becoming a Legend

  Winning the Legend

  The Day Human Trilogy (series 2)

  The Day Human Prince

  The Day Human King

  The Day Human Way

  The Skinwalkers’ Witchling Trilogy (series 3)

  The Witchling Apprentice

  The Wendigo Witchling

  The Witchling Seer

  The Merworld Trilogy (series 4)

  Water and Blood

  Songs and Fins

  Scales and Legends

  The Hunter Trilogy (series 5)

  The Night Human Hunter (September 2017)

  The Night Human Heir (2018)

  Book Three (2018)

  CHAPTER 1

  Standing on the pier, Sam watched while Whitney moved out of the way and a fish darted past her. She was a bright student and caught on quickly. If she was allowed to join the guard like she wanted, she would have been one of the top people in the group by now. But all she was allowed to do was train. She had a new role to play, just like him, and being part of the guard wasn’t it. He was fine with the idea that she would never have to go on patrols. She would learn how to protect herself and not be put in danger when assigned protection duty in the waters around the island. Really, he could live with that, and it was even better that his father suggested it as Sam didn’t have to take the blame for holding her back, even if he agreed.

  “See? I knew if you explained the trick to that one to her, she’d be fine,” Sam’s older brother, Nic, said as he watched beside Sam. He was the one officially training Whitney as Sam was busy with his father now.

  “I didn’t tell her,” Sam replied as he watched her move out of the way of the second fish. Just yesterday it would have at least nicked her arm. She’d figured it out herself, and he wasn’t about to take credit for it.

  Nic returned his gaze to the water also as they continued to watch. Ducking and dodging at just the right time came naturally for the new siren. It had only been a few months since she’d been turned, but she was perfect in the water, a complete natural. He had a feeling her background as a night human might have helped her change progress, but then again it could have just been because she was who she was. Nothing seemed to stop Whitney when she put her mind to it. Whitney had made it through all the obstacles and was already on her way to ding the bell.

  “Man, that took you years to figure out, and she did it in one week. Are you sure you’re higher up than her?” Nic teased. “I think your mate has you beat.”

  No one knew that Whitney was a stronger siren than Sam, or the king for that matter. They had kept it a secret, and he made sure she had complete control before she began working with Nic. No one was going to find out where she ranked now. Sam had a feeling his father suspected something after the fight on the island, but she’d played the part of a subordinate since they’d come back to the island and no one could prove otherwise.

  Whitney had taken to being a siren like a natural even though she complained about not knowing how to do anything. All it took her was a little practice, and she could do anything Sam taught her. In the two months, they had been on the island full time, she had grown strong enough to be one of the top siren, and everyone knew it even without knowing the real truth of her power.

  It was hard to get Whitney to say good-bye to her mainland life, but it was for the best. She still went back to check on her aunt and cousin twice a week, but she was now living on the island full time with Sam. Her family and friends didn’t know she was gone the rest of the time, and with Sam’s help, they didn’t even notice she was gone. She did agree it was better for them since they were all day humans. War was coming, and she needed to be with Sam, her mate. And now he was more set on staying on the island, and so was she. It was the one truly protected place for them, and they needed to stay protected. From all their intel, it looked like most of the mer were slowly siding with the Lara and Undines, and declaring war on the siren.

  Whitney poked her head out of the water as the bell rang. She was through the course in record time. Heck, she had probably beat Sam’s best. It was like she was magic. She could move as graceful as any mer underwater, but there was power behind her not even the best could match. Sam had a feeling that some of her previous night human was leaking through. She had been a cat for many years, and now a siren. Sam didn’t need to worry about her safety. She was a force to be reckoned with.

  Whitney waved and blew him a kiss.

  ‘3:28,’ she told him mentally. Their connection was permanent on the island and easier than ever. ‘Two more seconds, and I’ll beat your best.’

  ‘So who told you how to get past the fish at the middle part?’ Sam already knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway just in case of the very slim possibility someone had told her the trick.

  ‘No one, silly. I did what you said and thought more about it. It made sense that they couldn’t turn as quick as me and that if I got them going to the right with enough speed, I could fake them out,’ Whitney replied, ducking into the water and swimming back over to the pier where Sam waited with Nic.

  “Are you going to run her through the land drills again tonight, or is she done?” Sam asked Nic. He wasn’t a big fan of any of his family, but now they all treated him differently. With the change in character, Sam now trusted them and had complete faith in Nic to train Whitney to use her siren skills while he was in the water and on land, since Sam hadn’t had time to show her yet.

  “Again? I’d prefer to not get my butt handed to me by a girl one more time t
onight. I’ve no idea where you found this one, Sam, but you’re one lucky guy.”

  Nic patted the back of Sam’s shoulder as he reached down to pull Whitney from the ocean. It was strange to have his brothers be genuinely nice to him, and he still wasn’t used to it. It had been weeks now, and they were still treating him better than they had his whole life.

  “3:25,” Nic told Whitney, who was now standing next to Sam’s brother in a short, pale yellow dress that seemed to make her skin glow more than usual. Whitney appeared confused. “I didn’t say go quick enough,” Nic explained. “The clock ran three seconds before I gave you the signal. Therefore, your time is actually three seconds quicker.”

  Grinning, Whitney hugged Nic.

  Sam coughed to remind her that she was hugging another siren in front of him. Not that he would ever be really jealous of his brother. Whitney was more than his.

  “Don’t get jealous, you big oaf,” she said, patting Sam’s chest. “Everyone knows I’m yours.”

  That much was true, but it didn’t mean he liked to see her hug his brother. Friendly or not, it was still another man she had thrown her arms around.

  “So, we are done for today,” Nic replied, picking up his dropped timer and making his way off the pier.

  “No sparring?” Whitney asked after him as he walked away. She sounded disappointed.

  “Not unless you want me as your opponent,” Sam replied, catching her in his arms and nuzzling into her neck. She melted into his touch, and that made him want to throw her over his shoulder and march home with her. Whitney laughed as he moved to do just that.

  “Sam. I have a dress on,” she complained, pulling at the hem with her free hand.

  He contemplated if it was worth setting her down or not. She also had underwear on, and he was sure it was quicker to just carry her back to their home. Whitney pounded on his back while she giggled. She wasn’t really protesting too much. He had seen her training in the past few months, and she easily could get down if she wanted to. Heck, she’d probably have him in a headlock by now if she were truly angry.

  A cough behind him made him stop in his tracks. Sam didn’t need to turn around to know his mother was on the end of the pier.

  “Samuel, is that any way for the future king to be treating the future queen?” she scolded him.

  Sam set Whitney back down, and her cheeks flamed red. She was having just as much fun as he was, and it was rare now that they were allowed to have fun. It was like his mother knew when they were acting their age and appeared to tell them to behave. And since he took his father’s offer to be the heir to the siren throne, Sam had to listen to his mother. He thought being king would give him more power to do as he wished, when he wished, but in moments like these, he felt like he had less control over what he desired. Right now all he wanted to do was haul Whitney away and pretend like the mer world wasn’t on the brink of war against the siren, with odds that weren’t in their favor.

  Whitney snuggled into Sam’s warm arms. Yes, the island was hot and getting hotter as summer approached, but there was something different about the warmth from Sam. It felt good to be roasting in his arms. Maybe because she had thrown the covers off during the night and was chilled from the breeze. Warm or not, it was still air blowing on her. Sam’s arms tightened around her as he continued to sleep. Whitney smiled. Even in his sleep, Sam was protecting her. That was just the way he was.

  Slowly, she was getting used to life on the island. It had taken a bit of an adjustment when Sam told her she would have to move there, and she might not have talked to him—out loud or mentally—for a few days, but that was behind her now. She accepted that the island was where she was supposed to be. After all, she was a siren, and everything she needed to learn to survive was taught on the island. The siren that went to the shore as teens did it just as a way to learn about day humans. They had to know how to walk amongst day humans without being suspected of being a night human when going for food. Whitney didn’t need those lessons. She needed to learn what the siren kids were all taught before they left. Luckily, Sam’s mother was the one teaching her or she would have had to be in a classroom with a bunch of preteens.

  “Need more sleep,” Sam told her. He knew she was awake. How he always knew was beyond Whitney.

  “Actually, I feel great and might go for a walk.” Whitney sat up now that his arm around her loosened.

  “Not without me, and I want to take a dip in the pool first.”

  Whitney laughed. It was such a day human thing to want to wash up in the morning, but his reasons weren’t the same. Sam preferred to let his mer side out first thing in the morning because he claimed it gave him more control throughout the day. She wasn’t sure if she agreed, but she was still training every day and spent more than a few hours in the water, so it was never an issue for her. Sam didn’t get the chance to be in his night human form often at all now. His father had him working from morning until late at night. What they were doing was beyond her, but Whitney understood his need to swim.

  “Fine,” she replied, like his dip in the pool was going to interrupt her unmade plans.

  “Race you.” Sam bounded out of the bed as if he hadn’t just been completely asleep and was out the bedroom’s patio door before Whitney stood up.

  Laughing, Whitney rose and followed him in time to see his blue fin burst out of nowhere as soon as his hands hit the water from his high dive into the pool behind his house. Part of getting used to the island was accepting the incredible place where she was now living. It was a tropical paradise, and practically every house had a pool. Sam’s was right outside his bedroom for moments just like the one they were having.

  Stepping over to the edge of the pool, Whitney peered down into the blue-looking water. Sam had the interior of his pool painted a deep blue, and beyond his sun-kissed skin, it was hard to make out the rest of him in the water as his tail matched perfectly.

  ‘The water’s great. Aren’t you coming in?’ Sam asked mentally.

  Sure, she was going to go in, but it was still fun to just stare at him. Even now, after finally getting over the newness of being a mer, Whitney still found Sam enjoyable to stare at. And the best part of all was that he was hers forever. She was pretty sure she was never going to get used to that.

  With a graceful step, Whitney plunged into the cool pool water, instantly letting out her night human side. It was wonderful that they didn’t have to worry about heated pools in the winter time. Their night human side would keep them warm no matter what, and really the water wasn’t too cold because the island was never cold.

  Whitney didn’t get a minute to look around as Sam came over and wrapped her in his arms. It was the perfect life. Whitney wished it could always stay like this. He grinned at her as he obviously read her mind. Coming back to the surface with their arms still wrapped around each other, Whitney sighed as she caught sight of someone standing just inside the bedroom. Perfect life was going to have to wait, and so was the stroll through town.

  “Your father requests your presence.” The young mer’s voice squeaked as he spoke. Dean was barely old enough to be done with his studies and working on the island. Whitney knew the teen was the favorite to send on running errands for the king because he was the fastest of all the young men working for him, but that didn’t make the boy any more confident. He always looked at Sam like he was waiting for him to strike him down for doing something wrong.

  “Tell my father I need at least ten more minutes to soak, unless he wants to deal with my siren side not being happy.” Sam pulled Whitney back into the water with him.

  ‘He’s not going to be happy,’ Whitney told Sam silently.

  ‘He’s going to have to wait. I haven’t been in the water since yesterday morning. The old man has me doing too much, and if he wants me to continue, he’s going to have to back off, stop waking me up, and ordering me to his side when I should have time with my mate.’

  Whitney loved his reasoning, but the king did
n’t like to be kept waiting. Pushing her way back up to the surface, she found Dean still standing there.

  “He asked me to make sure you come with Sam,” Dean added.

  Whitney nodded as she pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the pool, her pink tail flicking in the water at Sam. Dean stared at her unique scales before realizing she was watching him. His face flamed red, and he hurried out of Sam’s house, back the way he came.

  “Why do they all still act like I’m odd?” Whitney asked Sam as he swam over to her.

  “Because you are odd. That’s what I like best about you.” Sam reached up to pull her back into the water.

  “Not a chance. I’m going to get a shower in while you soak. I’m not showing up for a second time this week looking like a drowned rat because you won’t let me leave the pool with enough time to get a shower in.” Whitney pulled back her legs and stood up.

  “Only the second time?” Sam raised an eyebrow. It would be more like the fourth time, but Whitney wasn’t counting the other two. At least then the king hadn’t summoned her, so she could have stayed back to shower and chose not to.

  Whitney hurried away before Sam could use his charm to get her back in the water. It wasn’t like she wanted to be away from him. The bond made it nearly impossible to drag themselves apart, but she was getting stronger at it. They had to, after all. Sam had a job to do, and she needed to train. It was nice Sam liked to protect her, but Whitney was more than set on protecting herself.

  Lathering up the soap and cleaning her hair, Whitney continued to think of how different everything in her life was. The one thing that wasn’t different was Sam. He seemed unhappier than Whitney was at being on the island. She could tell he wasn’t just missing the long swims in the water that his father kept him from, but he was also missing the shore. She thought it was the singing at his concerts and large crowds that threw themselves at him at first, but she knew now it wasn’t his singing career he missed. He missed just being a normal person. On the island, they were anything but normal with Sam as the heir to the throne, and Whitney, his prized pink-tailed mate. Normal did sound a bit tempting her though, and Whitney was ready to get a break from this new life. But that break wouldn’t come until they dealt with the growing dissent in the merworld around them.