No water rushed in. The door sprang fully open, and there was no water at all.
Instead, there was light. Cold, sterile air, and bright light—like a hospital.
A set of enforcers exited the sub first and moved to the sides, flanking the door. Then it was our turn, Rose leading the way, with Waffles and me by his sides.
Everything looked clean and sleek in the long hall. The whole place seemed to be made of polished white stone. Or glass. Or metal. Strangest of all, I could breathe without any kind of mask or anything. There was a hint of saltwater in the air, but there was air.
Men and women lined the walls. Not monsters—people.
A few had green skin or blue, but most had normal, human-looking appearances. And even the ones with the strange colors looked human shaped, with legs and arms. They had hair on the tops of their heads and non-bulging eyes, normal mouths without protruding pointy teeth.
Each and every one of the merpeople wore the same thing—skintight black uniforms, that looked somewhere between wetsuits and leotards.
Like everything else about this mission so far, the merpeople were not what I had expected. There didn’t seem to be any reason to be nervous. Without question, these were soldiers, but nothing us shifters couldn’t handle.
The merdudes were stiff, just like our soldiers, and their hands rested on the golden rods holstered on their waists.
All it would take was one of them drawing their sticks and we’d shift. They had weapons, but we were weapons. Apex predators, every one. Even Waffles.
Up ahead, the hall opened to a large room with glass walls behind three figures standing together, waiting for us.
The man in the lead was tall with long, intricately braided blue hair. He had dark skin and pale blue eyes the color of the water just outside the glass behind him. His robe was just as fancy as his hair—lots of little details sewn in like he was some kind of king. But he didn’t need a robe or a crown to make it clear that this dude was the boss. He had the presence of a leader, of authority, of command.
To his left was a woman with green skin. She was barely clothed in a piece of blue silk that left little to the imagination.
To his right was another woman, this one a little taller than the other. Her skin was ivory and flawless, like a porcelain doll. Her hair shimmered in the light, the strands an otherworldly silver. But it was her eyes that entranced me, that held me captive. They were a vibrant shade of purple, like a flower—a tulip.
She was stunning.
I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t think.
There was something special, something that made my heart yearn for her.
It wasn’t anything to do with her clothes—a uniform similar to those worn by the soldiers in the hall, but a little fancier in the stitching details. It wasn’t the pleasant curve of her breasts or the flare of her hips.
And it wasn’t even her long, flowing hair, or her slightly-tilted, long-lashed eyes. Sure, she was beautiful, but there was something else, something intense, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
I hadn’t felt like this about any woman before—an undeniable pull beyond attraction, a magnetism that clouded my brain.
Then it hit me...this woman was my mate.
Chapter Four
Vaughn
I stood there, trying to peel my eyes from the silver-haired woman.
If you would have told me a week ago that I’d find a woman who would make me want to give up bachelorhood, I’d have laughed. Yet here I was, staring at a stranger, fighting the urge to throw myself at her.
She wasn’t even a shifter. How could she be my mate?
The woman with the green skin moved slightly, catching my eye. She was standing right in front of me, staring, a curious look on her face. Maybe she’d noticed me drooling over the other woman.
I averted my attention and glanced down to the weapons all three of the merbrigade held by their sides. My guess was those grippy hilts were more than they appeared.
All it would take was one false move for this whole delegation to go to shit. And I was distracted. Hell of a time to fall in love.
I didn’t even believe in love at first sight. Or, love at all.
I needed to focus.
Rose and the robed man considered each other. Rose scowled through his glasses at the other man. It seemed there was history there, and not the friendly kind.
It was like a whole conversation was going on up in here, and no one had said a word.
Nothing...nothing...then Rose and the merman grasped each other’s wrists.
“Lord Aegaeon, a pleasure as always,” Rose said.
“Director Rose, it is good to see you well,” Aegaeon returned. “You already know my daughter Ligeia,” he said, gesturing to the woman with green skin. Ligeia glanced at Rose and then looked away.
“Lady Ligeia.” Rose bowed slightly.
She didn’t even acknowledge him.
It seemed that she had a history with Rose, too. And it wasn’t friendly.
Then Aegaeon gestured to the woman on his right, the one with the silver hair—my mate. “And this is my daughter Selene.”
Selene—a pretty name.
Selene stepped forward and grasped Rose’s wrist just as her father had.
Rose said, “Lady Selene, an honor.”
“For me as well, Director,” she said before stepping back.
Her voice was soft and as lovely as everything else about her. It was a song in my head, like the song of a siren, luring me to...well, hopefully not my death.
“Come, let us escort you to the dining hall for the reception,” Aegaeon said. “The rest of your men will follow as they disembark.”
Rose’s jaw tightened, and his forehead ticked.
I knew the look, a silent fury boiling just beneath the surface. It was a look he had given to me on more than one occasion.
He was pissed as hell, but about what exactly, I didn’t know.
Aegaeon held out his arm, gesturing toward a set of metal doors at the side of the room.
Rose didn’t move.
“Rose, I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. You are perfectly safe in Thalassapolis.”
Rose lifted his chin and his lips curled in a grotesque attempt at a smile. “You are kind to worry for me, Aegaeon. But I fear nothing.”
“My mistake.” Aegaeon bowed his head slightly. “In my experience, fear is not weakness, but practicality. I meant no offense.”
“None taken,” Rose replied.
Aegaeon betrayed no sign of his thoughts. His stance and face remained exactly the same as they had the entire time—entirely unreadable. Maybe there was a cultural disconnect. Maybe. I hated to think it, but maybe Rose was right—this guy was a patronizing prick.
Selene stood like a soldier, her gaze set ahead of her, unblinking. Across from me, her sister acted anything but. Ligeia raked me with her eyes and gave me a smile that said she was trouble—the fun kind.
Usually I’d be all for a fuck in the closet or whatever she had in mind, but not when Rose was counting on me to watch his back. And if I was being honest with myself, I only wanted Selene. Not just that, but I knew I would continue to only want Selene.
That wasn’t an intense enough way to describe this pull.
I needed her.
“Let everyone else go to the reception,” Rose said. “We have business to discuss.”
“To my office then.” Aegaeon laced his fingers together.
“Sure,” Rose said. “Keating will join me.”
“As my daughters will join me.” Aegaeon turned and headed to the metal doors. As he stepped close, the doors opened to a glass elevator that looked like stepping inside was the same as stepping into the open ocean.
Selene kept stride with her father and entered the elevator, while Ligeia lingered.
As Rose began walking, I followed, and Ligeia fell in beside me.
Her scent was fishy. Not fishy suspicious, fishy fishy. I gu
essed it wasn’t entirely surprising given these were fish people.
People who were also fish.
Unless I’d misjudged everything that had happened so far, these dudes turned into bug-eyed fish things like the one I scuffled with in the harbor. I guessed they were like shifters, but maybe the transformation only happened on the surface.
Hard to know.
If that was true, Selene had those gnarly teeth, too. I couldn’t imagine kissing that, but then again, maybe I should try. Maybe I could convince myself she wasn’t the one…
I stood on the precipice of the elevator. Everyone else was already inside, waiting. I knew I needed to take the leap, but the floor was completely transparent. It was a damned bubble just waiting to pop.
No problem for the fish family, but for me…
“So am I supposed to come, too?” A voice came from behind me.
I glanced back over my shoulder and found Waffles standing there. I’d forgotten he was with us.
“I mean, I’d rather go hang out with the food,” he said.
“Go,” Rose said.
“Yes!” Waffles pumped his fist in victory then took off running after the line of soldiers headed for the dining hall.
“Aren’t you coming?” Ligeia’s voice was a raspy seduction.
I looked to Selene, who didn’t seem to care what I did, or care that I existed at all. It was a pity, really. The more indifferent she seemed, the more desperately I craved her attention.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” I sucked in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and took the plunge.
The floor of the elevator was hard, like floors are supposed to be.
One foot firmly planted, I stepped in the with the other. Then I took my place beside my boss.
Selene was as far from me as she could stand, while we were all crammed into this tiny glass bubble.
But Ligeia—she moved in close.
She squeezed herself in behind me and brushed my arm with her fingertips. I moved my arm and shot her a look of annoyance over my shoulder, which only seemed to encourage her. She laughed and pressed herself as close as she could. It was like she enjoyed making me uncomfortable.
Part of me hoped Selene would scold her sister, or better yet, take her place.
She didn’t. She didn’t even look in my direction.
What was wrong with me?
Any other day a girl like Ligeia would be exactly what I was looking for—easy, no strings, no feelings. But the only one I could think about was Selene.
I had to have her, and only her.
Stupid mating instinct. It was completely inconvenient—striking in the middle of the ocean, with a fish monster. A beautiful goddess of a fish monster shifter.
That’s what this had to be—the pull of a mate—as crazy as that was.
I wasn’t even looking for a girlfriend.
The awkward ride at least took my mind off the fact that we were surrounded by seawater, and off the fact that these people could turn on us at any moment.
We were here because one of them had killed one of ours.
Rose and I could be next.
The doors opened and I shivered as Ligeia touched me one last time before I escaped the confined space.
She was pushing her luck. I didn’t want to fuck up whatever fragile peace there was between our people, especially before the negotiation went down, but she needed to keep her damned hands to herself.
The space we stepped into wasn’t a hall or a common area, but a huge open area of lush seating and fancy screens that weren’t actually screens at all. They were floating orbs of light with 3D images from inside buildings, some out in the water. I even caught a glimpse of the dining hall, where Waffles seemed to be gathering armfuls of appetizers. It wasn’t like any office I’d ever seen before, but nothing was, down here.
“Here we are.” Aegaeon spread his arms gesturing to the open room. “Now what do you wish to say?”
Rose didn’t look even a little intimidated in this place of advanced tech, in the presence of a rival who towered over him. The way he stood his ground and kept calm made me respect him a little more than I had before.
“One of yours killed on the surface,” Rose said.
“There’s no way to know—” Aegaeon steepled his fingers and kept his face a mask.
“He was seen.” Rose slapped my back. “By Keating.”
All attention turned to me.
“Yep, I saw…” How was I supposed to say this without being offensive? “One of your guys. He killed a Tribunal bossman, hopped back into the water.”
“One of my guys?” Aegaeon’s brows shot up. “Certainly, you’ll be able to identify which ‘guy’ you’re referring to.”
Shit. I was going to have to describe the buggy eyes. And the teeth. Those were the bits that I remembered most.
“He doesn’t have to,” Rose said, saving me. “Your kind, your problem. You’ll report back to the Tribunal with the culprit in a timely manner, or the alliance is off.”
For the first time, Aegaeon showed something other than stoicism. His lips turned down, with just a hint of a frown.
“No more mermen or sirens or anything else on the surface. Ever. Punishable by death.” Rose crossed his arms, his hand played.
I watched all three of the merpeople for any sign that they might attack. There was none—not yet, at least.
“You don’t have the authority to make such threats,” Aegaeon said.
“Actually,” Rose said, “I do.”
He turned for the elevator and took a step. “Come, Keating, we have a reception to attend.”
That was actually pretty badass.
I followed, keeping my attention on those behind me. If they were going to strike, it sure as hell would be now. I’d be ready. I was always ready.
But nothing happened. We stepped inside the elevator, and a hand reached in before the doors completely closed.
The doors reopened, and in walked Selene.
She turned her back to me and faced the front of the bubble. Then she pressed a button and the flat panel by the doors, and the glass car began descending.
Bubbles lifted up around the car, and the water grew darker as it sank down.
I closed my eyes, unwilling to look out.
And that’s when I noticed her scent—gentle like lotus flowers and warm like the sun. Selene didn’t smell like fish, she smelled divine.
The car stopped.
There was the sound of voices. Lots of voices, speaking quietly.
I opened my eyes and found Selene and Rose were already walking off the elevator and heading into a large, crowded room of long tables and epic platters. Just like I’d seen in one of those floating hologram balls.
“Grab some food, Keating. There are plenty of friendly faces around to keep me company,” Rose said.
He was right. There were as many of our men here as there were Aegaeon’s. He didn’t need my protection.
I scanned the room for Selene, and spotted her in the corner. I took a step that way, and someone grabbed my arm.
I turned.
Waffles stood there, grinning from ear to ear. At least one of us was having a good time.
“I thought you were going to miss all the food. Good thing I have plenty of sub subs left under my bed.” Waffles laughed.
“Thanks, I’m good.” I clapped his shoulder and turned back to find my mergoddess.
I wove through the crowded room, ignoring all the conversation around me. My mind was laser focused on finding this woman and actually getting the chance to speak with her.
There she was, still standing in her corner, scanning the crowd like she was on security duty. Maybe she was.
It wasn’t until I was a few feet away that I realized I had no idea what I should say. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. So, I moved in front of her a moment, blocking her view of everything else.
“Hi,” I said.
At first she said nothing. But when it was clear
I wasn’t going anywhere, she finally looked up and acknowledged me.
“Keating, is it?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“We have nothing to discuss.”
That was it. She looked away, dismissing me.
I moved beside her and watched her scan the room. Maybe she was looking for something, or someone.
Aegaeon and Ligeia stepped off the elevator. They moved about the crowd, stopping occasionally to talk to people. And really, Ligeia more glided than walked, like a runway model. And by talk to people, she really just groped them. I guessed her attention on me hadn’t been personal.
Rose looked to be fine, chatting with two of our guys from the sub.
“So your sister…” I said. “She’s uh, really something. Does she just grab onto any man who walks by?”
“Sometimes women, too,” Selene said. There was no emotion in her words, only fact.
But I was getting somewhere. She was talking to me, even if she wasn’t looking at me.
“You don’t look much alike, or act anything alike,” I said.
“We aren’t blood.”
“Oh?”
She said nothing else. She was going to make me work for her attention. Good thing I didn’t mind a challenge.
“You like magic?” I asked.
“Magic?” Selene lifted a brow and looked at me.
Her purple eyes made my heart stop, and suddenly I wished I had real magic to show her. Something that might even make her smile.
I reached in my pocket and pulled out a quarter. I waved my hands around and pretended to pull it out from behind her ear. “Ta-da!”
Her face was a mask—she was not amused. “That’s not magic. It’s misdirection.”
I shrugged. “People call it magic.”
“Foolish people.”
“Maybe.” I nodded and slid the quarter back into my pocket.
Shut down again. I was going to have to use all my best tricks for this one—my greatest challenge for the greatest reward.
“How about we make a wager,” I said. “I get you to smile, and you give me a kiss.”
She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, definitely to agree—or to say hell no.
A scream cut through the room.
I turned.
The Ocean's Roar: A Tiger Shifter and Mermaid Romance (The Protectors Quick Bites Book 3) Page 4
