by TJ Nichols
“You don’t have to talk to them. It’s probably better if you don’t, because whatever you say will be on record and they can twist it all up. Do you have a media liaison?”
“Carly Arche. You met her in the Presidio.”
“Oh. Well, she should be the one talking to the press.”
“What do you mean, ‘Oh’?” He couldn’t believe he was about to defend Carly, but he wasn’t going to let a human, even Jordan, cast doubt on a coworker.
“Just that it didn’t appear that she had much media training.”
She didn’t, not really. He was supposed to cover up crime to protect mythos and she was supposed to say nice things to the humans when they called up looking for a story. “She wanted my job.”
“I know.” Jordan flicked him a grin. “I think your boss made the right choice.”
Edra wanted to ask if it was because he looked human or because he could do his job. If he was doing his job, no one would be looking at the mermaids as suspects. “I think you need to make it clear in your reports that you’re after the water dragon for the thefts and the sinking of the boats.”
“And the mermaids get to walk… swim?”
“Got a better idea?” This was the wedge, the thing they didn’t talk about directly. “The city has to live with the mermaids on their doorstep. If they agree to put out the bushfires each summer, it could be a real bonus.”
“At what cost?”
“You can’t scoop them up in a net and lock them in a tank at SeaWorld—I read that plan in the paper the other day. They can crawl on land, and they could wipe the city into the ocean with one big wave.” He made a little hand gesture and his fingers turned silver.
“Are you still hungover?”
“Be glad I’m wearing jeans and shoes. My legs have been cold for the last thirty minutes.”
“Is that what it feels like to disappear?”
Edra raised an eyebrow. “Mostly.”
Jordan stopped to look at the menu on display in one of the cafés. He checked his watch. “It’s well past breakfast. But this one does it all day. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” He glanced at the prices. If it were up to him, he’d go home. He didn’t have the spare cash to eat out. That Jordan was paying didn’t sit too easy in his gut either, even though he knew it was a thing humans did.
Jordan put his hand on the door but didn’t open it. “This is going to sound….” He shook his head. “Can you still see yourself when you’re invisible?”
Edra laughed and slid in close to Jordan to open the door. “Yes. What did you think happened? That I actually vanished?”
A wave of warmth hit Edra as he entered. His fingers lost their silvery sheen, but his feet were still cold. The café was fairly empty—the few people there had window tables to watch the boats come in. They all looked at Jordan and him.
Gossip, more powerful than any spell.
They sat in a deserted corner that had a view of the door and the kitchen—not the best table, but one that gave a buffer between them and the other patrons.
“This won’t damage your reputation?” If Jordan was seen with him too often, people would talk.
“We’re working together,” Jordan said smoothly.
“Uh-huh. At some point people will realize it’s more than work.” Would Jordan want the mess that came with that? Had he even thought about it?
“I dated plenty of people in stealth mode when I was a teen.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly that. I couldn’t date boys when I lived at home. My father would have beaten the life out of me.”
The waitress came over. “What can I get you?”
Jordan glanced at him and Edra shrugged. As long as it was food, he really didn’t mind unless it was cucumber. He didn’t like them, and they didn’t like him.
“Two of the big breakfasts, one coffee, and one hot chocolate. Juice?”
“Sure.” Edra nodded, even though the last thing he needed was a cold drink.
She repeated the order. “It shouldn’t take too long.” The wind rattled the windows. “You made it in just in time. I hope that sailor is okay.” Her gaze flicked between Jordan and Edra.
“I’m sure the police are working on it,” Jordan said with a benign smile.
The waitress hesitated and then left.
Edra flicked at the corner of the menu. “I don’t want to be a secret.”
“This is a conflict of interest.”
“I know. You think my people would be thrilled about it?”
Jordan pressed his lips together as the juice arrived. “Then what are we doing?”
“I don’t know. Why was it so important that your friends approve, when you don’t approve of Bud?”
Jordan leaned back. “That obvious?”
Edra tilted his head. “Not obvious, but I was watching.”
“He’s a dick. Not to everyone, just some. And he should know better. He knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those attitudes.” He shrugged. “Mason loves him. That’s all that matters. But I wanted my friends to like you too. They’re my family.”
“They only like me because they think I’m human.” If they knew, things would’ve been very different. He’d done his best to fit in and not deliberately needle Sean about his degree in mytho biology. He hadn’t pulled Bud up when he was criticizing the mythos in Nigeria for rebelling and fighting the humans who had tried to kill them. While Edra thought the European solution was working out much better for everyone, some humans didn’t like the idea of sharing their world at all.
“What do other mythos do? We aren’t the first.”
“You could try asking that man who was dating an elf. You can’t ask her, because she was set on fire. The humans who beat up the man walked away.”
Jordan stared at the table. “They shouldn’t have.”
“The judge let them off with a warning.”
“You want to let the mermaids go. Is that any better?”
“There are some battles that can’t be won.” Merfolk were best left well alone.
“Is this one of them?”
Two choices—Jordan or his own kind. It had never been this difficult in Tariko. Was he being selfish even thinking about staying with Jordan? “I’m not that easy to set on fire… but that doesn’t mean that everything around me will survive. We keep doing this, people will notice. Someone will eventually realize the truth. How will you deal with that?”
“How will you?”
“I’ll be telling my boss to mind his own business.” He wanted to tell Jordan about the Strega, but that wouldn’t make it better. “Although I am the knight of the city, he can still fire me. And jobs aren’t that easy to come by for mythos, even with the new incentives for employers.”
His phone buzzed and Edra checked who was calling—Ardel, no doubt following up. “I have to take this.” He answered, “Tendric.”
“I’ve just had Dr. Lew on the phone, wanting to cancel the storm because Andrew Campbell is dead.”
“That’s not possible. The storm has been wound up. It’s unleashing tomorrow.” He could go out to the colony and ask them to send the storm out to sea, but he didn’t want to. Wasting a merman’s time and effort wouldn’t endear the human population to them.
Jordan watched him, his eyebrows slightly drawn together. Edra probably should’ve taken it outside, but it was warm in here and he didn’t want to walk away from Jordan.
“I told her that. This one can’t get buried.”
Really? You think? He remembered the Strega’s warning to Helena that justice would have far-reaching threads. “It wasn’t mermaids who sunk the boat.”
Too many heads turned in his direction. He could feel their gazes needling his skin.
Jordan narrowed his eyes and pointed over Edra’s shoulder. Edra glanced behind but saw only a corridor that led to the toilets. He took the hint and stepped away from the table, but he also lowered his voice. “I’
m pursuing the water dragon. He’s about the only suspect we have a chance of catching.”
“We? You mean the SFPD?”
“Yes. They want someone too.” As much as Edra hated to hand over a mytho, it was getting out of hand. He glanced at Jordan. Breakfast had arrived, and the scent of crispy bacon was calling him to the table. “I can’t cover this up.”
Ardel drew in a breath. “You’d better get it under control, Tendric.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“If Dr. Lew makes my life impossible….”
“I understand. If I weren’t being hobbled by human laws, this wouldn’t be an issue,” he hissed.
“If you aren’t up to it—”
“Of course I am. I was doing this job before you became ruler. But now there are extra rules to play by.” And half of them went against the ones Edra was used to.
A waitress dropped a stack of dirty plates.
“Where are you?”
“Having breakfast… lunch.”
“We need Narv Skery in custody before he sinks any more boats.”
“I’m working on it.”
“With the cop.” For a moment Edra wondered if Ardel had someone watching him. “Remember which side you’re on, knight.” Ardel hung up.
Edra exhaled and put his phone in his pocket. Then he slid back into his chair and looked at breakfast. If this was what humans called big, he’d hate to see small.
“You want some extra bacon?” Jordan nudged a piece toward him.
Edra scooped it off Jordan’s plate and made the effort to chew before swallowing. They were in public, after all.
“Everything okay?”
“Just a vampire breathing down my neck.” He was sure Ardel suspected something. Had Carly mentioned that he smelled like human too many mornings? “We need to figure out how to get Narv.”
“I was hoping you’d have a plan.”
He was going to have to find one, or when his three-month probation came up, he might be back covering crimes instead of liaising with the cops. As much as it was a thorn between his toes, he liked it. He could help his people better. “Not yet.”
Jordan sighed, reached across the table, and brushed Edra’s hand with his fingers. “We’ll work it out.”
Edra wanted to believe him, but not everything could be solved by hope alone.
Chapter 16
IT WASN’T raining yet, so Jordan took the opportunity to go for a run. But he couldn’t outrun the mess the mermaids had caused or the mess tangled inside of him that tightened when he was near Edra. He understood the risks, and he knew he should stop.
Sometimes he wasn’t sure if Edra wanted to continue with this pre-mating thing, but when Edra was in his bed or on his sofa, it was like there was nowhere else he’d rather be. It was as confusing as hell. Jordan was beginning to wonder if his own attraction to Edra was because he couldn’t have him and shouldn’t have him, much like Bliss.
His feet pounded on the pavement as he ran, and the air was heavy and humid. The breeze tugged his clothes, and the scent of smoke and ash was everywhere. The fire was spreading faster now, fueled by the very storm that might stop it, assuming the mermaids weren’t playing games.
Mytho games.
Did any human really understand them? Then he hated that he was thinking that way. He knew Edra, and he liked him far more than was safe. But they’d only known each other for two months. He should call it off. He’d seen the looks they got in the café and he knew what his friends would say when they found out. He knew what the caption under the next photo in the newspaper would say. As much as he wanted it to be different, humans and mythos didn’t mate. They couldn’t even casually date and have sex and be normal.
Dragons mate for life.
He slowed and stopped, unable to go on. The pain wasn’t from a stitch in his side. It was much deeper. A wound he’d thought healed and forgotten had torn open. The sensation was so familiar he couldn’t brush it aside.
They could’ve taken the next step—had sex and bonded or whatever—but each time, Edra pulled away. With his lips he said he wanted Jordan, but with his hands he held him at a safe distance. And while Jordan had never even considered marriage with any other boyfriend, he wasn’t averse to the idea. He actually quite liked the idea of a wedding—nothing over the top, but a chance to get dressed up and have fun. He had no idea if lesser dragons even bothered with ceremonies.
He rested his hands on his knees, hating the hilly streets when he usually loved them.
Edra was discovering he was unworthy. The night he’d crawled around to Edra’s place begging for Bliss loomed large in his mind. Had that been when Edra realized? What had he said, something about nothing happening while he was using? Of course he didn’t want to be with an addict.
Jordan’s stomach twisted, and he couldn’t blame it all on last night’s excesses.
His father’s voice was in his ear, whispering that he was a freak, that no one would want him. It had taken years to shake that feeling. Every relationship was doomed because he wasn’t good enough, no matter what he did.
Jordan made it home and stumbled indoors. Sinner was nowhere to be seen.
That his relationship with his cat was his longest said an awful lot about him, and he wasn’t sure any of it was good. As he stretched, he tried not to obsess about every interaction Edra and he had, but it was a hard habit to break.
He was sure he hadn’t misread the signs. They’d talked about things, and they had met each other’s friends. As much as he liked to spend time with Edra, he wanted more than friendship. Was that the Bliss in his blood demanding he get laid, or Edra’s dragon pheromones making him think that was what he wanted?
He stood in his living room, not sure of anything. If he wasn’t sure, how could he make life-altering decisions? He ran through his list of friends, trying to figure out who would be the best to talk to. The one most concerned about his love life, or lack of, was Mason. As annoying as Bud was, he wasn’t a total dick and he’d do anything for Mason. Which meant Bud would give them some space to talk.
He couldn’t talk to Sean or Pete the way he could Mason. Jordan hit dial before he could reconsider.
“Hey… how’s the hangover?” he asked when Mason answered.
“Awful. You sound far too bright.”
“Just wondering if you wanted a hand cleaning up.”
Mason paused. “Yeah, okay. Bring some pizzas. We might get some cleaning up done.”
“Will do.” He hung up and stared at his phone. Now he had to shower and do something more than wonder what he was doing with his life besides making a mess off it. The common denominator was him. He eventually sabotaged everything that made him happy. Was he doing it again?
DESPITE THE strategically placed garbage bags that had been around during the party, Mason’s apartment was still a bomb site. Jordan put the pizzas down on the kitchen counter, the only clean place in the house. “I didn’t realize it got quite so messy.”
“You wouldn’t have. You were far too occupied.” Mason flipped the lid on one of the boxes and helped himself. “You really are the best.”
“Where’s Bud?”
“He cleaned up outside and then went to the gym. I’m supposed to do this.” He waved the pizza, his new ring catching in the light.
Jordan was a little envious. He wanted what Mason had. Mason was able to believe it would all work out, even when he and Bud were on opposite sides of the globe. Jordan saw Edra almost daily and didn’t have a clue. “Set a date?”
Mason shook his head. “We’ll wait until this deployment is over for that. He leaves on Tuesday.”
He shouldn’t be around here talking about his problems when Mason had bigger ones. “Shall I pick up the garbage and do the floor while you wipe and wash everything else?”
“Yeah… but eat while it’s hot. I know you didn’t come around to clean up and admire my ring.” Mason held his hand out so Jordan could see the diamond-filled band.
“I might have. It’s a very nice ring.” Too much bling for Jordan. He wanted something simple. No… he couldn’t think about that.
“You want my assessment of your new man.” Mason lifted his eyebrows and took a bite of pizza. “That’s fortunate because I have been biting my tongue all day. Bud told me to let you ‘sort your own crap out.’ I don’t think he fully understands how tragic your dating history is.”
“Let’s not go through that, otherwise I’ll have to mention that it was you who set me up with Devon.”
“Touché. Okay. Let’s talk about Edra.” Mason licked his fingers. “First, he’s a cop. I’m really not sure about that. I mean your hours and his hours, but he’d at least understand. Second—” He counted them off on his fingers. “—he came across very pro-mytho. I didn’t think that was usual for cops. I got the sense that he’d have really ripped into Sean if given half a chance, and Sean is trying to be on their side. Third, his ass. I’d keep him just for that, assuming that’s what he’s up for, but he didn’t strike me as a bottom. And lastly, does he know about your lingerie? If not, tell him now and save yourself the heartache.”
Jordan ate a slice that was mostly bacon. Whoever had made the pizzas had not distributed the topping very well. “First, I agree. The working-together thing is an issue.”
“Oh, like he’s your partner at work. That is bad.”
“Yeah. I know. He is pro-mytho. That’s one of the reasons I’m working with him, since I do the mytho cases. That part I’m fine with. His ass is also very fine.”
“And?”
“And I have only seen it. He wants to take things slow.”
“You aren’t his first?”
Jordan nearly choked on his pizza, and Mason handed him a glass of water. Edra was over 100. Jordan doubted there were many firsts left. But he was Edra’s first human mate… if it happened. And Edra seemed cooler about the whole thing, questioning how it was even going to work when at first he hadn’t cared. “No, and he’s definitely a bottom. We’ve had that conversation.”
