by Renee Field
Seth doubted that one. Instead, he turned his head to watch as the old man gaily seated himself in his rocking dory, finally lit his clay pipe and started to row home.
Making sure his visitor was well out of sight, Seth closed his eyes. He wasn’t happy with what he was about to do. Worse, he knew he had no choice and that it was going to hurt like hell.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly let part of the power of the sea channel through him. He felt the moment when his pulse changed, his body, mind and soul pivoting on the awareness of the rapture he fought to keep at bay.
Silently, he cursed all the gods. He hated to be forced to do this. With one last effort, he hauled the boat to safety. Task completed, he turned his attention to the sea. She beckoned him. Called to him like a lover.
Goose bumps formed over his skin as he fought the full force of the rapture. Slowly, he calmed his mind, his soul and his heart against the stream of power flowing through his veins. He struggled to quench the ancient current of power that was trying to claim all of him.
Taking off his shirt and jeans, he walked naked to the pounding surf. There was a brief moment when the cold water penetrated his skin, but that was it. Then he dove headfirst, letting the sea claim a part of him.
If anyone had of been watching, they would have wondered where he surfaced. In truth he didn’t. With a powerful kick, he dove deep. He made one detour before heading to Dragon’s Pass. Using his strength, he slipped unseen under old Jack’s dory to ensure he made it home in one piece.
Only then did he give in to the questions swirling around in his mind. Shaking his head, he pushed the foreboding feeling away as he darted to Dragon’s Pass where he knew without a doubt Fate was waiting for him.
“Took you long enough,” shouted his brother over the roar of the turbulent winds.
Seth didn’t say anything. Hauling his body on board, he reached for his twin’s outstretched hand.
“Ever think of calling?” he replied, shaking off the water like a large wet dog.
Pushing a plush violet towel into his hands, his brother snarled back at him. “Ever hear of a towel…and, by the way, nice to see you too.”
Seth stood with his feet spaced wide apart, braced to the feel of the yacht’s chaotic movements in the rough water. He noticed his brother looked exactly the same as he did ten years ago.
Emotions ran deep in him. Anger and the injustice of what had happened gnawed at him. He yearned to bridge the gap that now existed between them, but knew now was not the time. He forced himself not to think about the past, what they had shared growing up and the call of the sea that said Darius would always be his brother—no matter what.
“When I called yesterday, I thought you would drive here. Why did you come out in the storm?” asked Seth, wrapping the towel around his midsection.
“Let’s just say I was eager to see you. Besides, you know how I love a good storm,” replied Darius, tilting his head up defiantly to feel the full force of the wind. “Oh I found out something about that article you’ll want to see.”
Seth watched as his brother moved below deck, only to return a minute later with two pieces of paper. He took them before the wind claimed them. One was a brief about a scientist who was all-too-familiar to Seth.
The man had plagued him since he found himself on dry land. The fact that it was he who had discovered the ancient turtle shells with strange etchings on them that humans thought pre-dated Christianity didn’t bode well. The other was an article about mutated diseases in sea mammals by a woman scientist. He didn’t recognize her, but a brief scan of the article gave him pause. Her research was impressive.
Looking up at his brother, he asked the obvious, “And just how are these two things related?” What he really wanted was a clue to where the ancient shells were being held.
“That scientist is none other than the notorious Dr. Nathan Caskett, who two months ago was appointed as the new director of Unknown and Unexplained Sea Creatures at the Institute of Oceanography. And that very sexy female is his latest research lab rat,” said Darius with a sly grin.
Seth waited for the other “and” as to how they were connected. He took another look at the small picture on the right of the page. Even in black and white he had to admit his brother was right. The woman was breathtaking. Dark hair framed an angelic face and even though she was only partially smiling, her lips looked luscious and full. The kind of lips he used to like. She was the kind of woman he wished he could have. But that was equally impossible.
“Thought she might interest you,” smirked Darius, giving the page a good flick.
If Seth hadn’t been holding tight, it would have been lost to the wind gusting around them. “Shut up,” he replied, folding the two papers. It was only then he realized he didn’t have any clothing to stash them in.
“Here, I’ll take them,” said Darius, taking the two papers from his hand to place them neatly in a file folder.
“You know, you could have faxed those to me,” said Seth, claiming the captain’s chair.
“Ahh that would have taken all the fun out of it. Plus, it would have been another excuse you would have used to not let me help. So let’s just pretend it’s like old times, Seth. Let’s let the wind and the waves rock our world,” said Darius, jumping to stand at the bow of the yacht. “And if you’re cold, help yourself to my stash down below.”
Seth eyed his brother.
He figured the reference to him being cold must have been his brother’s attempt at a joke, or worse inferring that being on land this long was making him soft. Still though, he smiled. It was good to see his twin after a decade.
Once, the two of them had been inseparable. Like two pieces of seaweed bound together at the root. Now all that had changed. They had taken their separate paths a long time ago and stayed clear of each other. Seth was at least thankful that when he’d mustered the courage to call his brother, Darius hadn’t hung up in his ear.
Deep down he knew what he had to tell his twin wasn’t something Darius would take lightly. Soon, their relationship would be changed for eternity.
Listening to his twin speak in the ancient tongue, Seth’s grin grew. Still though, he realized there was nothing within his powers that could right the wrong that had happened. Both of them had been exiled from their home. Both of them had been forced to survive amongst humans. Both had gone their separate ways on purpose. Only Seth had been tasked with a job that now demanded a lot of him in a very short amount of time.
“Just relax for once, Seth,” said his brother, casting a knowing look his way.
He almost wished his twin could still read his thoughts. That had been one of the hardest things to adjust to when they had been forced to go their separate ways. Seth still had to decide if he could let Darius help, and worse, after ten years of silence, he had to tell his brother why he had called him out of the blue. And that had to be sooner rather than later.
However there was something childish and charming as he watched his brother evoke the ancient gods in their own tongue, taunting them to get him. It used to be one of their favorite games when they were young. When they both had the freedom and privileges of the sea.
Now things were definitely different, for none of the gods listened to them anymore. That Seth knew from firsthand experience.
* * *
Jamie twisted and tilted her head, trying to ease the crick out of her neck. She had been at it for twelve hours, not that she was counting. But even coffee was losing its potency to keep her awake. In fact, she had re-read the last sentence she’d been writing on her thesis three times—it still wasn’t any better.
“Still at it?” asked Trevor Lancaster, as he sauntered in still wearing his suit and tie.
Jamie guessed that was all he ever wore, even on the weekends. She also suspected the suck-up Ivy League graduate had a bed stashed somewhere in the warehouse because he was always around. After all, he wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to impress their boss—Dr. N
athan Caskett, millionaire and self-appointed director of the new department he personally funded.
Thanks to Caskett, she was getting the chance to finish up her graduate thesis while working in the field. The fact both she and Trevor were currently competing for the only permanent spot within the department made her hate both her boss and her coworker. Caskett liked mind games. This was one of them.
They had both been hired because they were top in their class. At the end of the summer only one of them would get the coveted position, which offered a salary of over sixty thousand dollars a year—something no graduate made in the first year doing marine research.
“You know you shouldn’t drink all that stuff. It will rot your stomach,” said Trevor, giving her dirty coffee mugs a look of disgust.
Jamie had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him not only had she drunk most of the pot but it had been made yesterday and she was downing it cold. The last thing she wanted to do was engage Trevor in a tête-à-tête. He always found a way to knock her down, something she was well used to in her life.
Ignoring him, she closed her laptop, neatly stacked her papers and stuffed everything into her large duffel bag. “Time to go.”
“Oh you might as well sleep in tomorrow. Caskett’s out of town. He’s still out looking for the big one,” said Trevor, casually claiming the chair next to her, making sure she noticed him flex his arm muscles.
To anyone else, Trevor would be considered a fine specimen of a man. At five feet nine with blond hair and light brown eyes, he could be equally charming. None of that worked on Jamie. Standing, she towered over him. That was the thing.
At well over six feet, she had yet to meet a man who caused her to raise her eyes for a good look and while she admitted his body was okay, it didn’t even give her pause. The fact he was smart was the only reason she tolerated him.
Stacking her stained coffee mugs in a neat row along her desk, she tucked one last article into her duffel bag. She smirked at the disgusted look on Trevor’s face when he realized she wasn’t going to wash the dirty mugs. Why bother washing them when I’ll just use them tomorrow.
“Thanks for the tip. Think I’ll head home now.” She dodged her way past him, hating that he hadn’t bothered to move his chair back. Instantly, she quelled her heart. Wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, she kept her hands in her pockets to avoid accidentally touching him. When she made it safely past him, she hiked the duffel bag over her shoulder and sauntered away.
“Want me to clean those for you?” yelled Trevor, trying once again to prolong her departure.
“Sure, knock yourself out,” she replied, opening the outer door with her key card while punching in her identification number. Security is a pain in the ass. She wondered again why there was so much high-tech security when there was nothing worthwhile to steal. All the scientists had portable laptops they took home or on the road with them.
Trevor and the other scientists often joked that Caskett housed a wealth of treasure he kept hidden in his back room. It was the only room off limits. Caskett was the only person who went in and out of it. That along with his bizarre library classified him as unusually strange in her eyes.
While she admitted to having a fixation with marine life, Caskett’s passion to prove the unknown went beyond what was genuinely acceptable in the tight-knit scientific community. The only reason he was tolerated was because he was filthy rich. He backed his own research ventures, hired his own scientists, built his own labs and all to prove there really were sea monsters, and other unknown sea creatures out there.
She had jokingly asked him if he believed in the Loch Ness Monster only to be chastised for asking such a stupid question. Of course, had been his answer, but Nessie didn’t interest Caskett. It was creatures of the deep, creatures of the sea, even myths and legends of mermaids that drew him.
And that was why his library was bizarre. While it had state-of-the-art scientific literature and journals, it also had rows of books that detailed sightings of mermaids, sea creatures and more. While she felt drawn to those books, she excused it as giving into her early childhood dream for a fantasy world—after all, anything was better than what she had.
So, tonight as a reward to herself, and stashed safely at the bottom of her duffel bag was Myths and Legends of Mermaids from the Seas Around the World. She viewed it as her late-night light reading, and hoped it would calm her enough to get some sleep.
Unlocking her car, she dumped her stuff on the passenger seat and yawned. The knowledge that she had a good two hours of thesis work ahead of her at home almost made her groan, but she didn’t get where she was today without functioning on little sleep and lots of dreams.
Without a doubt, finishing her thesis would be a welcome relief because after that she’d move onto her next goal, securing a permanent position with Caskett so she could save up while working part-time on her Ph.D.
Who said I don’t have fun in my life? She sped home to her small studio apartment that still had unopened boxes stacked high to the ceiling. After four months, she still hadn’t found time to unpack. Maybe this weekend. She grimaced knowing she’d rather do anything but.
* * *
After a month working with Caskett at the Institute of Oceanography, Jamie still took the long way to get to her desk. She didn’t care if the other researchers teased her for avoiding the elevator, the wharf or any of the vessels berthed at the two docks. She simply avoided the people. She had been hired because her cutting-edge research on immunological diseases in sea mammals was excellent. She knew that and so did the rest of the researchers.
No, there was nothing wrong with taking the scenic route to her office. After all, it was located on the basement level and there was no other way unless she took the elevator, which was not going to happen. Highly claustrophobic by nature, she avoided elevators at all costs.
At five-thirty in the morning she wasn’t expecting anyone to greet her anyway. Sliding her security card through the outer door’s electronic slot, she then punched in her code and took the long corridor, which led to Caskett’s floor. She heard the commotion long before she spotted anyone. With a swipe of her second electronic key, she punched in another security code and waited for the small click. Straining, she pushed open the door. Instead of the usual quiet, the place was in chaos.
People she didn’t know were running from one place to another. Like chickens with their heads cut off.
“Jesus Christ, make sure those oxygen tanks are working properly. Bunch of dimwits!” screamed Caskett, to a group of young men cowering under his gaze.
“Shit! Shit! Shit! Why can’t things go right, just once?” he screamed again. This time the verbal attack was aimed at Trevor, who had the nerve to blush when he spotted her.
“Thanks for the sleep-in tip, Trevor,” said Jamie sarcastically, trying to back out the door she’d just sauntered in through.
“Oh no, you don’t. I need you. Come here, Jamie!” screamed Caskett, brushing Trevor off with a disgusted look on his face and a wave of his hand.
That should have made her feel better but it didn’t.
In the short time she’d been working for Caskett, she had learned to despise him. She knew he had hired her more for her looks than her research, and she hated his habit of reading over her shoulder as she typed in her findings. She had tried numerous times to make it plain as day to him she wasn’t one bit interested in him, and would never in this lifetime sleep with him. No, she knew Caskett’s reputation for tarnishing interns, as he jokingly referred to others who had held her illustrious position as student-in-residence.
Realizing she hadn’t responded, Jamie looked up to catch Caskett staring at her.
Great, of all days to be caught wearing shorts and a tank top. Silently, she made a mental note to keep a stash of extra clothing in her car. Her plan to go into the office early to get some work done in quiet before any of the weekend crew arrived was now out the window. Still wearing her jogging gear
didn’t help.
“Nice of you to join us on this luscious Saturday morning, my dear. Do come in. I have a surprise for you,” said Caskett.
Her skin crawled as she caught Caskett’s eyes following her every movement. At six foot one, with long athletic legs and a slim waist, she usually went out of her way to look demure. This morning she hadn’t even bothered putting her long black hair into its usual no-nonsense ponytail.
Walking forward to where Caskett was standing, she was very conscious of her waist-length curly hair moving of its own accord. Reaching into her pocket, she thanked herself for having put extra elastic bands from the file folders she had been reading at one in the morning in her pocket. Slipping the elastic into her hand, she deftly grabbed her hair and had it tied into a tight ponytail just as she reached Caskett. She could tell by his face he wasn’t one bit pleased.
Go to hell. She bravely asked, “What’s up?”
“Um, not as much as I’d like,” he whispered, standing on his toes to be eye-level with Jamie.
Height has its advantages. She enjoyed seeing him squirm for a change.
“Caught a beauty this time. A real keeper. Come and see,” said her boss as he tried without success to steer her by the arm to another door—his private, do not enter door.
“What do you mean?” she asked, biting her lip nervously. She wasn’t sure she wanted access to the off-limit room. Across the room she noted Trevor’s evil glare as he stared at her in awe, as did a few other of the weekend scientists.
If Caskett let her in this room that would be a first. She’d be the first scientist since the lab had opened a couple of months ago to be granted access. Why her stomach was churning, she put down to nerves. It made her angry that Trevor’s heated gaze was a promise of retribution but she deserved this after his lie telling her Caskett wouldn’t be in today.
