“I’m not picking a mate, so I can’t be named heir,” Sam reminded his blonde friend.
That was one of the main reasons he knew he would never be chosen as the heir. He had to be mated to carry on as the next king of the Siren, and so far Sam had no interest in tying his life to any Siren he had ever met… and not to any mer for that matter. He didn’t want to be caught in the Merworld. He needed to be free to leave and see the world, free to choose his own mate when he finally found one. He didn’t want to be pressured into anything. Sam wasn’t about to play his father’s games, no matter what the old man told him to do.
Amber shrugged. “You know, as the king, he can order you to do anything. This really is just one more step to your place as the heir, even if you don’t want to admit it.”
Mark waved to Sam and thankfully saved him from further arguing with his friend. Sam had no wish to imagine letting his father decide his life for him, but what she said was completely true. His father, as king of the Siren, and leader of the whole world of mer, could command Sam to do just about anything, and Sam wouldn’t have a choice. His father was the most powerful night human in the ocean. His orders were followed no matter what. Sam planned to stay as far away from it as he could. He didn’t want to be forced into a mating, and actually, Sam was pretty determined that he was going to spend his whole life alone. At least if he could help it. After growing up in his family, Sam didn’t want to have a mate or an offspring of his own. He didn’t need the pain family caused. He would stay on land pretending to be a regular human as long as possible, and maybe his father would just forget about him.
Leo sat in the empty studio with his guitar. Slowly he picked through the complicated string of notes. A couple more times through and he could tell it was getting easier. It would take a few more hours before he considered it perfect, but what could he do? He wasn’t born a prodigy like his best friend, Sam. Sam was the son of the king and second only to his father, which was saying a lot since his father was the king of the whole mer world. Everything Sam did came naturally, but not for Leo. He needed to practice. And since they were going to record a new album in a couple weeks, he spent his free time, when not teaching swim lessons, practicing.
Again, he ran through the string of notes. It was getting easier, but still wasn’t quick enough. Leo wanted to quit practice and run around chasing girls like their third bandmate, Mark, but Leo didn’t have a choice. There was no way he was going to fake it like Mark; he didn’t have the confidence to do that. Mark was in the same boat as Leo. He wasn’t naturally gifted like Sam either, but he didn’t care. Leo did. Even if the mer back home never heard a single song of theirs, Leo still cared enough to want to be good.
Stopping the song he was working on, he closed his eyes. Slowly, he began a new tune; one he would never forget how to play. They had just finished their first album and actually had a real gig. It may have been more because of Sam’s influence than anything else, but they had a legitimate place to perform. Playing in a recording studio was one thing, but live was completely different. Leo was concerned he was going to mess everything up, but Sam had been there to reassure him that he didn’t need to worry. Sam always put a little bit of his Siren power behind his voice when he sang and forced everyone to love them. It was part of a “little band takes over the world” scenario that Sam had been planning for years. He figured, why couldn’t Siren make money singing? It made such logical sense. He only forgot that most, if not all the Siren, weren’t as good as him at controlling their songs. It was easy to get distracted while using Siren power and put your prey into a dream instead of leaving them awake to listen to you.
The notes strung together seamlessly. Leo was still lost in his memories of that earlier concert, which was the main reason he could never forget that particular song. He could remember the feeling of being relieved that Sam was going to make it simple. However, the concert ended up being anything but. Sam didn’t even get the first word out before he noticed that there was a hunter in the audience. Leo knew about hunters, but that was the first one he had ever seen. Toward the middle of the crowd was a blonde who couldn’t be any older than eighteen. It was strange to see the innocent-looking girl smiling away with her friends and knowing that she spent her nights hunting and killing off night humans. It was especially a problem for the mer as they were outlawed night humans. The order was to kill them on sight. When he looked into her eyes, that was when Leo saw the truth—she would kill them if she knew what they were.
Leo could remember every little detail of that gig and probably would for the rest of his life. That night he played like his life depended on it. He only made two mistakes the whole set, and was thankful to run from the stage afterward. That was the first hunter he had seen and luckily the only one since he had come to land. He hoped to keep it that way as he had nightmares about the blonde for weeks.
“Still here?” Sam asked as he walked into the studio, interrupting Leo from his thoughts.
Leo shrugged. Sam could see that he was still there. It was kind of obvious.
“You should head out and get some water, and some rest,” Sam commented. He always tended to be bossy, but Leo knew from years of growing up with Sam it was a good sort of bossy. Sam was eternally worried about the Siren and their well-being.
“I want to practice for at least another hour,” Leo explained as he glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even midnight yet, and they needed only a few hours of sleep each night as it was. Besides, it was the weekend, and they didn’t have to be at school early in the morning either.
“You’ll probably want to rest because you’re coming with me tomorrow,” Sam replied.
Leo raised an eyebrow. Yep, typical Sam. He wasn’t asking, he was telling.
Sam grinned at his friend like he knew exactly why Leo was making that face.
“My dad is making me attend the annual mer meeting and told me to bring another Siren with. I have a feeling the old man is up to something. He didn’t tell me what, but I’ll need someone I trust beside me. If I don’t have someone with, I’m sure my dad would love to ask Tim to come instead, and we both know that doesn’t work for any reason.”
Sam’s brother, Tim, was older by two years and definitely saw how much his father favored Sam. Tim was doing everything possible to discredit Sam and earn the place as his father’s favorite, so yes, having to spend time with Tim wasn’t beneficial to Sam.
“Why would he want you to bring a friend?” Leo was pretty sure only the leader and their heir could actually attend the meeting part of it.
“I have no idea, but if he told me to bring someone, and I want someone I trust with me. You know how he likes to play his games. I need you as my wingman.”
Sam was just trying to butter him up. Leo could see that much. He’d known Sam his whole life. He wasn’t the kind for deception and playing games. If Sam said he didn’t know what was up, then it was likely that he really had no idea.
“What about Mark? I’m sure he has tons of free time,” Leo suggested. “Or Amber.” Leo wiggled his eyebrows at that.
Sam shook his head. “There’s no way I’m taking Amber with me anywhere formal. She already thinks she has a lock on being my mate; I won’t encourage that any further. Did you know she actually told Beth that she had to keep at least five feet away from me because she was standing too close the other day? No way is Amber a choice … and Mark? Really? You think I should take Mark anywhere where the clans meet?”
Okay. Leo didn’t actually believe Sam should take either of them. Amber for the obvious possessive reasons, but also because it would completely go to her head if Sam took her; and Mark because he was Mark. The last time there was a meeting between the Siren and the Undine, Mark had hit on a girl who happened to be the daughter of one of their generals. The general didn’t take to kindly to it, and there was a lot that had to be smoothed over—which was surprising as the Undine were the most passive of the mer clans. If Mark could upset them, he could dest
roy a meeting with all the clans.
“Amber and Mark aren’t bad people,” Sam quickly added. He was loyal to his friends, which was probably the main reason why everyone loved Sam over his older brothers. “They just can’t be trusted around the opposite sex. I need someone who will be beside me and stay focused. My father doesn’t send me off to do easy things. If he has something brewing, then I need someone I can trust to not go chasing after the girls there or chasing girls away from me for just glancing.”
“Fine,” Leo replied as he set his guitar back into its case at his feet. “Let’s go party with the clans and hope your father just wants your pretty face. Then we can get back here, and I can finish perfecting the lineup for the next album.”
Grinning at Leo, Sam slapped him on the back. “Just what I like to hear. I knew there was a reason you’re my best friend.”
Leo fought the urge to roll his eyes at Sam. He was one of his only friends. While Sam was well loved, Sam didn’t trust the Siren in general and he kept them at a distance. He did trust his few friends, Leo included. And Leo completely understood. The night human world was all about power and being aligned with the victor. Sam was a chess piece everyone wanted their hands on, and he knew it. He was used to people trying to earn his favor. The problem was that Sam didn’t want to play the game. Which was why Sam and Leo made a perfect friendship; they both detested and wanted out of the mer world they were stuck in.
The water broke on the shore as Leo stood waiting for his friend. It was going to be a long day, but he didn’t mind. The ocean was calling to him, and Leo was very happy to be going off on a long swim. The rhythmic sway of the waves on the shore created a constant beat that the music of the water sung with. He could always hear the melody, even from their school farther inland, but close to the ocean made him miss it like he hadn’t heard it in forever. Being a mer meant being drawn to the water and for Siren that meant the song of the ocean was the greatest calling they would ever feel.
Leo had been taught that with the power of their voice, which could make an ordinary human do anything, and Siren were more attuned to music than any of the mer clans. He hadn’t met all the clans, but Leo was entranced with the music playing for him from the waves.
“Ready for a fun-filled swim?” Sam joked.
The swim would be fun, but joining up with the various mer factions wasn’t. As bad as the Siren were alone, the mer clans were always trying to get more power. Leo didn’t worry about the Siren—they would always be on top as their voices could control even the strongest mer from the various clans—but he did worry about playing the games. It was easy to forget all that when they were on shore pretending to be normal humans. The only abnormality in their life was feeding on the students they were teaching to swim, and they had to do that to keep living. Leo could live with that. Sometimes Leo wished he could have been born a naïve, normal human.
Sam led the way to the dilapidated pier that they used as a launching ground when going back into the water. If you climbed under the pier, people couldn’t see you from either side as you entered the water. You could just disappear and not draw any attention to yourself. Even better was that the Siren weren’t the only ones climbing around the pier, so they never looked too suspicious. Leo followed Sam as they entered the cool sea water. He much preferred the salt water ocean to the chlorine-filled swimming pool any day.
Sam neared the end of the pier, hidden from the world. Glancing back at Leo, he motioned for him to go ahead and get under the water. Leo didn’t need to be told twice, and he sunk down in the chest-high waves that were calling to him. Once submerged, he finally felt at peace. The water encased him like a warm hug. That was the whole scary part about wanting to leave the mer. Nothing felt more at home than being in the ocean.
Sam dove down into the water next to Leo and easily swam past him without a backwards glance. He just assumed Leo would keep up with his lead, and he would. Leo didn’t mind his aggressive leader friend, and followed behind as Sam led the way through the shallow water and into the ocean deep.
Fish, dolphins, and even whales as they got deeper, swam past. Besides the humans they fed on while being on land, landside always seemed devoid of the assortment of life under the water. Up above there were a few smaller animals that Leo would see, but it was mostly just humans. Below the water, there was everything from small fish to great big whales and sharks. Animals came in all shape and sizes, and none of them hid from the mer. It was strange to go from the land to the sea and back again. Most of the mer just tended to stay in the ocean, but the Siren were one of the few who lived on an island out of the water. It didn’t matter that Leo grew up going between them; it was still hard to adjust for the first ten minutes.
Sam kept the pace going faster than Leo would prefer, but he followed behind dutifully. He knew where they were going and when they needed to be there. Leo didn’t have the slightest clue what the destination was since he didn’t think to ask Sam. Knowing that Leo wasn’t the kind to just drift off though, Sam never looked back once. Mark, on the other hand, would have been very easily distracted if he had been following along.
The swim would have been boring since there was no way to talk under the water, but because of the music Leo didn’t mind. Even under the waves crashing above them in the open ocean, the call of the sea was still there. As he hadn’t been given exact details, Leo just listened to the water as she sang her tune and followed his blue-finned friend to wherever they were going.
After more than a few hours of swimming, the sky above was turning colors with the slowly setting sun. It probably seemed to descend even quicker than normal because they were swimming away from the sun, into the east. Leo had no clue where they were. While the Siren had something like a built-in radar to find their home, Leo hadn’t traveled far beyond going back and forth to land. All he knew was that they were somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
The only indication that they were nearing the meeting place was the sudden emergence of other mer. By custom, the Siren only sent a few people to the meeting, but the other clans each brought close to a dozen apiece. Leo noticed a flash of yellow fin as a man passed them, heading in the same direction. Slowing down, Sam pulled out of the jetstream they were using to help propel them forward faster than normal. Leo followed his friend. The Undine continued on his way and didn’t acknowledge that he had seen them.
Though Leo seldom interacted with the other mer clans, he knew who each one was. It was easy to tell. All the clans had a distinct fin color. The bright-yellow-haired man with his yellow fin could only be an Undine. Sam and Leo with their blue tails were Siren, and each clan could be identified by the similarities in their coloring.. Leo, like all Siren, was forced to memorize them as a child even without having met the various clans that were in the ocean. And if he hadn’t been going to the meeting of the clans with Sam, he would have spent his whole life maybe only seeing one or two other clans. Each mer clan had their own distinct area in the ocean and very few traveled outside of it.
Sam led the way just outside the warm current. Leo was fine with the slower pace, especially once it became clear they were nearing their destination. More and more mer began to fill into the same current and made Leo thankful Sam had pulled out of it. Leo wasn’t afraid something would happen, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to be so close to the other clans. It seemed like Sam had the same train of thought.
Leo didn’t notice until Sam was diving deeper into the water that something was going on. Above him, in the now almost dark water, several mer were coming out of the jetstream, but they couldn’t get out fast enough. They were drifting farther away. Leo turned to Sam and could only make him out by the glow of the swirls around his torso. He was pushing with a lot of energy to get somewhere quickly. Leo followed his friend, only to stop when he almost ran into him. Sam was holding a small mer—not a Siren, but from the looks of the brown, furry tail a Selkie—in his arms. The poor child was shocked but was also not fighting the tight ho
ld Sam had on it. Sam pointed up to Leo and began to climb back up to where the current was still carrying mer to their destination.
By the time they made it up to the current and followed it to where the frantic Selkie were searching the dark waters, the child leaned into Sam’s arms and was almost asleep. Leo had a feeling that was what lost the child in the first place, but unlike whoever dropped the sleeping child, Sam had a tight hold on it.
A very large Selkie came barreling toward Leo and Sam as soon as he noticed that Sam was holding the child. Leo moved in front of his friend, ready to take the first blow that seemed to be coming. Not being able to talk under water sometimes was very disadvantageous, especially for the Siren who could not only control humans with their voice but the other clans. Heck, had they been above water, a child falling asleep wouldn’t be as deadly as one sinking down into the depths of the dark ocean.
Sam placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder, and they both stopped. Sam didn’t use Leo as a shield and moved over to stand next to his friend.
The angry-looking Selkie seemed relieved when Sam jostled the child, and its eyes popped open. Without a hesitation, Sam offered up the child to the man that was now eyeing Sam and Leo over. The man scooped the child into his arms and only nodded to Sam before turning and swimming back to the searching group. Leo wasn’t surprised. That was about as much thanks as you could get from a mer.
Continuing on his way, Sam didn’t look at the group of Selkie as they passed them and followed the current to a large stone-like structure that Leo could now see. When they finally broke the surface to climb up the entrance to where the meeting was being held, Leo could talk.
“Why did you go after that child?”
Shrugging, Sam stared back at the dark ocean before replying. “Instinct.”
Leo studied his friend. He wanted more of an answer than that. Mer generally kept to themselves, and the Selkie’s immediate reaction of attacking was the reaction most would give. Sam was lucky the man didn’t keep attacking. Either Sam or Leo could have gotten hurt for what Sam did. Sam sighed, knowing that Leo would keep asking if he didn’t give more to him.
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