by Starla Night
Was this dress blockier than the gold maxi she’d just rejected? Or less flattering than the scoop-neck green wrap she’d tried on before that?
Dannika tugged at the bodice.
Maybe she should wear the green wrap. It was lower cut, and—
Ugh, no, she needed to get down to the beach and start filming.
Dannika resolutely closed the closet, then spread her make-up across the long bathroom counter. Hmm. Subdued daytime coverage, or dramatic film-ready flare? She tapped her smallest brush against her tub of iridescent green eyeshadow. That had been an impulse a few months ago. Funny she hadn’t realized how closely it matched Ciran’s tattoos…
She shoved it back into her makeup clutch, selected muted colors for a mature, natural look, and set about smoothing, shaping, and shading.
Yes, Ciran was like a dream and he made her want to take a shower—with him in it—every time he glanced her way. Virility seeped from his tattooed, ripped, capable pores. Any woman would fan herself after encountering him.
Dannika’s mission came first.
She would put on a good smile when she found him the kind of young woman he deserved.
Dannika practiced the smile.
Hmm. A little flat.
She dropped the false smile and examined her scalp.
Three gray hairs intermixed with her long locks. Forty years in and she now had three gray hairs.
She grouped them together so her hair would get the idea and sprout a fabulous single gray streak, grabbed her woven beach tote, and flounced out of her guest cottage.
“Miss Dannika!” The owner of the cottage, an affable black Jamaican in his fifties who’d emigrated years ago, lifted his portable receiver. “Your assistant called. Is there a problem with your cell phone?”
“Oh, thank you so much.” She embraced him. “I forgot to turn it on again.”
“Yes, I thought so.” He returned her hug with one big arm. “And don’t worry. The repairman is coming to fix your door. I heard the noise this morning when I fed the peahens.”
“That’s so kind. Please add it to the bill like the others. You’re so understanding.”
He surveyed the property. “They have brought my good friends some happiness. And I know how hard it is to understand the ways of a new land.”
“Don’t we all.” She hugged him again.
He patted her and ambled to the back garden.
She rummaged in her woven tote, found her cell phone, and turned it on. Twenty missed calls in five minutes, plus a plethora of unread messages.
Oh, dear.
Dannika dialed MerMatch directly.
“MerMatch, this is Hazel.” The calm, organized voice of her assistant sounded efficient and helpful.
“Hi, Hazel. I’m sorry I missed your—”
“Oh. My. God. Dannika! Are you okay? Where were you? I called you a hundred times.”
“I know, I saw. What was the—”
“I thought those anti-mer Sons of Hercules got you. Found out your location and, I don’t know, sniped or bombed you.”
It was so sad that only a short time after the warriors had dared to reveal their existence to the modern world, a human terrorist organization had popped up to drive them back into the ocean.
“I was perfectly safe,” Dannika said.
But Hazel continued her litany of fears. “Or, worse, that Ciran showed up and finally bossed you back to Atlantis.”
Dannika laughed awkwardly in front of a shrub that smelled heavenly like all-spice. “Is being in charge really so bad?”
“Yes!”
“Hazel, you’re doing fabulous.”
“No, no, no. I am surviving. The water is up to my neck.”
“Hazel.”
“I can’t talk to important people, like you do, and make them see that we are the good guys. When are you coming back?”
“The final group arrived last night. We’ll finish filming today, and then I’ll go over the women’s profiles and see where they can meet.”
“And then you’ll be back?”
“Yes, more or less.”
“Thank. God. I cannot survive without you.”
“Hazel, you give me too much credit. You run the whole office even when I’m there. I stride in, pick up your files, and stride out. You’re capable of more than you think.”
Hazel laughed hysterically, which was her way of disagreeing.
Dannika could just picture her assistant combing nail-bitten fingers through her adorable chestnut brown hair, draining any drops from her third hazelnut latte, and polishing her cell phone screen on the lapel of her splotched cream suit. She only got manicures when Dannika made her, but it was an excellent way to feel nice and it rescued her cuticles.
“But why are you really calling?” Dannika asked.
“Oh. Yes.” Hazel sucked in a huge breath and released it. “Starr sent over more audio files of the Sons of Hercules planning an anti-mer attack. She tried processing them with different voice software to get rid of the distortion. I forwarded the file. I don’t know if it’ll make any difference, but maybe you’ll be able to recognize the leader now.”
“I’ll review it. Anything else?”
“Oh, yes. Your friend called about the dinner party tonight. He has big news.”
Her heart lifted again. “Yes?”
“He didn’t tell me. He said he’ll call back.”
“I’ll keep my phone close. Thank you so much, Hazel.”
“God, I hope you convince the senator to let mermen onto US soil again. Then you can meet the warriors where God intended: Right here in New York.”
Dannika chuckled and hung up.
The Sons of Hercules had bombed, shot, poisoned, kidnapped, and committed biological warfare against the warriors. Some attacks had succeeded, and others had failed. But their most vivid success had been in lobbying. For an organization that had started out radicalizing isolated, socially maladapted young men on college campuses, they’d grown into a lobbying machine that had driven fear into the hearts of politicians. The US had recently become the first nation to close its borders to new merman applicants.
Which meant that only a few warriors—Ciran, Lotar, and the others who’d already surfaced and claimed their mates—could enter the country. New warriors such as Gailen and Tial could not.
Not that the government could police a hundred thousand miles of shoreline. But it meant that Dannika would not invite all of her single warriors to a big speed dating event in Central Park, either.
Bermuda was just two hours by plane from Boston, a little farther from New York. But the fishhook-shaped cluster of islands, fifteen miles in length and only three miles wide, were a British Territory. They didn’t care what the US did or didn’t allow.
Of course, Dannika didn’t want to test their goodwill. The Sons of Hercules had attacked across the globe.
But so long as they were still willing, what better location to meet with mermen than in paradise?
The diverse islands enjoyed milder tropical weather because it was so far north of the Caribbean. Yesterday, she’d had to stop filming due to howling winds, thunderous rain, and screaming birds. Such storms, along with the treacherous coral ringing the islands, had once given Bermuda the nickname of the “Devil’s Isle.” But more days were like today. Balmy wind combed through the squat, pineapple-shaped palmetto trees. Fragrant loquat fruits ripened beside bushes of all-spice and island cedar.
She followed the path to the shoreline. Sunrise colors lingered on the foamy waves sifting the pink morsels of the beach.
Twelve warriors clustered in the shallows around Zoan. His new bride, lovely Indigo, must have just arrived because they were still doing introductions.
When Dannika imagined brides for the warriors, she pictured confident young women like Indigo. Long, wavy black hair flowed down her open back to robust curves. Stylish beads adorned her beach wrap, and delicate blue and white flowers crowned her head. Her excited smile, brig
ht white in her dark brown skin, lit the beach.
The warriors mostly stared in awe.
Zoan, by contrast, looked relaxed. He’d always had a twinkle in his eyes, but the lines of hardship had smoothed.
Ciran focused on Indigo with his usual intensity. “Zoan says he will descent to Atlantis when you are ready. When will you be ready?”
“Yeah, after the wedding.” Her cheerful Bermy accent was mildly British. “My family is flying in from all over. They’re so excited. We never dreamed of this day, getting a Sea Opal the size of a boulder. That’s a proper rock.”
“And when will you descend?”
“Yeah, after the wedding and the honeymoon, and then Zoan’ll teach me how to swim, and we’ll come down. Say hi on our way somewhere really exotic, like Paris or Brazil.”
Steely eyed Lotar lowered his chin. “You will cross the ocean alone?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Depends on how we feel, right?”
“Right.” Zoan grinned.
“That is…” Lotar trailed off and stared with intent at Zoan. “Brave.”
Zoan grinned more broadly. “We will see how we feel.”
Ciran’s gaze flicked to Dannika, then back to Zoan and his eyes narrowed. “Are you claiming Indigo as your bride or do you intend to make her a queen?”
“Ah, you keep saying those two things.” Indigo patted Zoan’s arm excitedly. “What’s the difference?”
Ciran answered. “A bride stays beneath the water with her warrior only long enough to produce his young fry. A queen pledges herself to our city, defends our Life Tree, and stays underwater with her warrior forever. With her dedication, she can channel the energy of the Life Tree and wield life-saving powers.”
“Well, I’m thinking the queen one, because magical powers would be really great, but I have to be able to see my family.”
“You will. The queens frequently surface.” Zoan ticked off the visits on his fingers. “Queen Elyssa hosts Thanksgiving at her father’s house, Queen Lucy surfaces with her young fry to visit her parents regularly, and Queen Aya has spent more time on land before human ‘United Nations’ than she has under the water.”
“The queen one then.”
“I knew you would say that.” He kissed her cheek and she glowed.
Ciran frowned.
“Ciran, you look into clear water and see mud. Brides are all around us. Atlantis is no longer a few warriors huddled inside one tiny castle fretting over our newly sprouted Life Tree.” Zoan rested his arm around Indigo’s waist, and she leaned against him in solidarity. “Relax.”
The young couple’s happiness brought tears to Dannika’s eyes. That was why she did this work. That right there.
Ciran’s hard gaze inevitably found hers. He always sensed her emotions, and if she went to him, he would undoubtedly wrap her in a comforting hug.
But she couldn’t let herself yield to temptation.
She sniffed and veered to the camera crew, dropped her tote beside a stool, and fixed her best smile for the employees she’d flown over for this shoot. “Did you sleep well?”
“Better than you, I heard.” The lead videographer, Stevie, grinned up at her. “I see you got some new additions. Four warriors and another leader?”
“These are the last. How are we doing? My assistant can’t wait to see me in the office.”
“The weather should cooperate to finish filming today. And I have a rough cut of another promotional video for you to review.”
“Perfect.” The sooner they turned the tide of public opinion to reopen the borders, the sooner she could return to her usual environment where she did not get tempted by gorgeous, inflexible warriors. “We need all the positive press we can get.”
Chapter Four
Her first interviewee today, Gailen, sat stiffly on the camera crew’s stool and endured a local makeup artist’s touch. The artist emphasized his vibrant pepper-orange tattoos that matched the vivid threads in his irises.
Dannika sat across from him. “Stay calm and answer my questions as fully as possible. Okay?”
He glanced at Stevie holding the camera behind her and then at the two assistants positioning shiny reflectors. “Okay.”
“Speak into the camera as if you’re speaking to your future soul mate because you are. She will see you, hear your story, and come to find you.”
A nervous but hopeful smile broke across his face. “How?”
“She’ll tell me that she wants to meet you.”
“But how will she know? Our souls cannot resonate until we are in each other’s presence.”
“Um, she’ll just know. Trust me.”
He nodded slowly.
“And then you’ll meet and get to know each other over a few dates…” Dannika leaned forward and patted his damp shorts-clad knee. “And it will be perfect.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“If she knows I am her soul mate from watching a video, why must we get to know each other over a few dates?”
“Ah…Because sometimes you have to make sure your first instinct is right.”
“Is that why you have not accepted Second Lieutenant Ciran’s claim?”
Embarrassed heat made her armpits prickle. “No. That’s completely different.”
“Because your first instinct is very right. He is a thoughtful and honorable warrior. Consider this. He is the only patrol leader who has always assigned me tasks I can accomplish. Everyone else forgets because of my thumbs.”
“That sounds like the sort of thing Ciran would do.” Dannika kept her smile fixed in place. “Let’s focus on you. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
“You know that Ciran has also waited many years to meet his bride and produce a young fry. If you worry about his mating gemstone, he will show you its size, and you can plan your future with large cars and houses.”
“Gailen.” Ciran appeared at her right like an angel of mercy. Stern, flaming mercy. “Answer Dannika’s question.”
The pepper-orange warrior straightened.
“I am Gailen of Atlantis.” He pressed his fingertips together in the salute. His thumbs pointed downward, permanently bent out of position. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Yes…” She glanced at Stevie. If his recording was going well, he would splice Gailen’s interview to make a smooth clip.
Stevie gave a thumbs up.
Dannika returned to Gailen. “What do you want your future bride to know about you? Your past, your goals, your interests.”
“My interests?”
“The sort of thing a bride should know before she descends to the bottom of the sea.”
“Ah.” Gailen leaned forward. “She should know that long ago, the mer and humans lived together in harmony, but then a Great Catastrophe caused the floating mer-human city of Atlantis to sink—”
“Oh…”
“—and the humans hunted us, and all the mer queens died out—”
“I, ah…”
“—so the All-Council forged an ancient covenant with sacred brides, but then they all disappeared—”
“I meant…”
Gailen recited King Kadir’s rise, the founding of Atlantis, the first mainland women who descended to become their brides, and the All-Council’s subsequent attempt to wipe out the city.
“—but our modern brides channeled their queen powers to save Atlantis and bring a new light of hope to all warriors.” Gailen took a huge breath. “It is hard to tell a story in the air. How do humans remember to breathe?”
“Some don’t.” She uncrossed and recrossed her legs. “Thank you for that enlightening short history of the mer. How about a little personal history? Something that might interest your bride.”
“Yes.” His expression was so open, so eager. “What is she interested in?”
“You. She’s interested in you. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
“I have already introduced myself.” He straightened proudly. “I am Gailen of
Atlantis.”
Perhaps today’s interviews would take longer than she anticipated.
“Gailen.” Ciran drew the other warrior’s attention. “What is your role in Atlantis?”
The warrior straightened proudly. “I tend the Life Tree and propagate the best-tasting foods.”
“What is your city of origin?”
“Aiycaya.”
“Which is where? In human terms.”
“On the bottom of the ocean east of the Caribbean island of Haiti.”
“And why did you leave?”
“For the same reason all warriors leave their home cities, abandon their fathers, and betray their kings.”
“Describe yours.”
“A hurricane destroyed Aiycaya’s sacred island, but the All-Council refused to let us find a new one. For a generation, no young fry were born. Our elders died out. When King Kadir summoned warriors to Atlantis to join with modern brides, I tried to escape. Three times Aiycaya warriors caught me. The last time, they broke my thumbs.”
Gailen tapped his fingers together, then tried and failed to do the same with his thumbs.
“They said if they caught me again, they would kill me.” He gave a heartbreakingly sweet smile. “So, they did not catch me again.”
A lump formed in Dannika’s throat.
All the warriors had a similar history. Their cities had come to the brink of extinction, no warriors found brides, and the All-Council stuck by its inflexible ancient covenant.
She had to help them. Dannika cleared her throat. “Thank you, Gailen.”
Gailen tossed a cheery smile her way, bobbed to his feet, and swaggered to the other warriors.
Okay.
Dannika marked some notes. “Ciran, could you tell the other warriors the kind of interview answers that will be the most powerful at reaching their future brides?”
He tipped his head and prepared the next warriors.
In the middle of the preparations, Indigo’s family arrived with joy. They carried baskets of fresh fruit, snacks, and the island’s famous fried fish with raisin bread sandwiches.
Dannika welcomed them with hugs all around. “My assistant, Hazel, should have sent you the information packet for new brides and their families. You’re also welcome to watch these interviews to learn what Indigo can expect in her role.”
