The Lovely Deep (The Mer Song Trilogy Book 1)

by Michelle Pennington

  The Lovely Deep

  By Michelle Pennington

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2018 by Michelle Pennington

  First eBook edition August 2018

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written consent of the author.

  http://www.michelle-pennington.com

  This book is dedicated to

  James Ditty,

  who loved stories and adventures

  almost as much as he loved his Ruth.

  Chapter One

  Narissa didn’t belong to the land or the sea—at least, not entirely. She was caught between two worlds, much like the sand beneath her feet. She’d felt lost her whole life, always pulled between changing tides, and with every day that passed, she hated it more.

  The ocean was angry this morning too, beating the sand relentlessly, fist after fist. Narissa stared down at her toes as they emerged from beneath the foaming, dying edge of a wave, then were swallowed up again. Tiny, iridescent scales shimmered around her wet ankles as she resisted the urge to change. Not that any humans would be able to see if she did change into a mermaid.

  Here at the water’s edge, she hid just behind the curtain between the human world and Poseidon’s Realm. It was as thin as the line between water and air and completely invisible to humans though they passed through it all the time. They didn’t bear the key that would open it as Narissa did.

  She’d received her sand mark when she was three so she could visit her mother in the mer world more easily. The magic was simple and powerful. Anytime she was near a portal, her sand mark allowed her to slip into the Realm as easily as walking through an open door. The humans that came to the beach and swam in the ocean never knew how near they were to the dangers and wonders of another world.

  The clear, warm waters of the Emerald Coast in Destin, Florida were a favorite with mers and humans alike. Even now, just a few yards away, a woman and two young girls played in the surf, shrieking at the powerful waves rolling in.

  “Don’t go in too deep,” the woman called to the oldest girl.

  Already wet to her knees, the girl nearly lost her balance as another wave pulled at the skirt of her pink dress, swirling it around her legs. Lovely, smooth, permanent legs.

  Narissa’s chest burned with jealousy. Why couldn’t she have their life?

  A thought flashed through her mind, and a shiver ran through her as she considered it. There was a way.

  Just as Poseidon had given the first mermaids their powers and abilities, he could take them away. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought about asking such a favor from the god of the oceans. It would terrify her to even face such a powerful immortal, but the chance to be human might be worth it. All she had to do was stand in the water and call his name. He would come to her.

  But she held back. It was such a huge risk because the gods were moody and fickle. He might just as easily be angry and punish her for asking. And even if he agreed, it would anger so many people—especially her mother, Hali, one of the seven Mothers of the Sea. Her mother certainly had different plans for her, which was why she sat on the beach this morning. Eponnia would be coming with messages from her.

  Narissa watched the happy young girls playing in the surf and got so caught up in following their movements that she jumped when she was doused with a spray of water. Turning forward, she saw Eponnia pulling herself out of the surf and up the sand.

  Water flowed over Eponnia’s skin, running in rivulets down her cheeks. Her tight braid of ebony hair flattened against her back, looking thin and lank out of the water despite the kelp and bits of rope she used to thicken it. Her full, protruding lips sneered as she dragged her dark, silver-scaled tail across the sand and settled next to Narissa.

  “Can I take her to the deep? You can get her for me.” Eponnia asked in a grating, high-pitched voice, very like the shrill call of a seagull.

  Narissa stiffened when she saw that Eponnia’s eyes were glued to the older girl wading in the water nearby. “No. She is too young.”

  “But my kindred male seeks a human mate.”

  “Well, he can’t have this one, so stop staring at her. What message do you have from my mother?”

  “She say two Lovelies this moon. And asks you be coming back.”

  “Go back? Oh no.” Narissa’s jaw clenched “Not yet,” she said, even though she knew it was pointless.

  Eponnia didn’t respond, however. Narissa followed her stare and saw a man with tan skin and firm muscles enjoying a morning run. The man was in the prime of his life and completely oblivious to the predatory eyes sweeping over him. “A man Lovely,” she said. “This one is for mine. And he be mating age. Hurry and grabs him.”

  Narissa clenched her teeth in frustration. It was always difficult to speak to water-bound mermaids since their mastery of the English language, or indeed any language, was hampered by the small amount of time they spent above the surface. But speaking with Eponnia would be easier if she wasn’t acting like a kid in a candy store. At least she couldn’t reach the man herself without a sand mark to move her between worlds. She could only see the humans, not touch them.

  “No,” Narissa said, making her voice firm and full of authority.

  “You is stupid. If I have sand mark, the man Lovely will throw himself to me.”

  Narissa almost laughed at her petulant tone. “Well, then it’s a good thing for him you’re never going to get a sand mark, isn’t it?”

  Eponnia’s eyes flashed angrily. “I care not. Legs are the biggest ugly. You not true mermaid.”

  Narissa brushed off Eponnia’s jealousy over her legs. One of the reasons she hated being in the ocean was having to cope with the spite of other mermaids who were not so genetically fortunate as she was. The mers were divided against each other. Those who were not as human were bitter towards those who were, and the enmity was always there.

  But they were wrong to think it was something to envy. Narissa hated being torn between two worlds and always missing part of herself.

  She needed Eponnia to focus so she grabbed her hair and tugged her head around. “When does my mother want me back?”

  Eponnia shrieked and slapped at Narissa’s hand, but soon gave up and grew still. Glaring at Narissa with watery eyes, she said, “At big moon.”

  Narissa let go of Eponnia’s hair and counted the days on her fingers. The night before had been the new moon, so she had two weeks until she had to return to the ocean again. Disappointment and anger surged in her veins. “That’s too soon. I want to finish the summer on land.”r />
  “Not you choice,” Eponnia said, her nose wrinkled in anger. She patted and smoothed her hair until a small clump fell away in her fingers. “You broke my tresses, you ugly air breather.”

  “They’ll grow back.”

  “I think they not,” she said mournfully. Then her slanted green eyes flashed. “You will come at big moon and stay.”

  With a sinking heart, Narissa deciphered her meaning. “For how long?”

  Eponnia smiled wickedly. “Long time.”

  Narissa’s heart rebelled. She had legs. She could run away and never go back—hide where her mother could never find her. But as much as she loved the land, she knew she could never stay away from the ocean. It called to her and made her whole.

  “Thank you for bringing me word.” Narissa choked the words out.

  Eponnia sniffed and pushed back into the water. “You bring Lovelies. I bring words.” And then she was gone, her form no more than a shadow disappearing beneath the jade water.

  Narissa glanced at the brightening sky and realized she was out of time. Running up the beach, she only stopped when she reached the over-hanging deck of her uncle’s restaurant. There, next to the symbol painted on the support beam that matched the one on her sand mark, she shifted back into the human world. Hopefully no one had seen her appear out of nowhere.

  It was still early enough in the summer that her feet got cold as she climbed the stairs up to the parking lot and rinsed her feet off with a hose, washing away both the sand and the loose, drying scales that still clung to her skin. Then, slipping on her sandals, she got in her golf cart and drove to Beach Bum’s Paradise, where she worked most mornings.

  The employee entrance was in the back, where it was hardly a paradise. Weeds grew up through cracks in the pavement, and the sour smell of old soda festered in a hot garbage can near the door. Equally aromatic was the dumpster Narissa parked next to. It was worth the stink, however, since it was the only spot shaded by the two massive palm trees that grew at the back of the parking lot.

  As she ran inside, her boss, Allen, looked up from his computer. “You’re late,” he grumbled.

  “I’m exactly on time,” she countered.

  “If you’re on time, you’re late. You know I want you here early.”

  Narissa leaned in, hanging on the door frame, and smiled at him. “You tell me when to be here, and I’ll be here. If you want me here at 7:20, don’t schedule me at 7:30.”

  Allen glowered at her, but she knew he was a softy—somewhere in there.

  “Go stock the keychains.”

  Maybe deep in there. “Seriously?”

  His lips twisted into a smirk. “The ones with names on them.”

  She groaned. “Okay, I get it. I’m a real pain in the neck. But do I really deserve that?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe not, but they need to be stocked. We sold a lot of Amanda and Sara keychains last week.”

  “Order any Narissa ones yet?”

  He snorted and turned back to his computer. “Like I’d sell a lot of those.”

  “You’d sell one to me,” she said, laughing at their ongoing joke.

  Resigned to her frustrating task, she went to the stock room and searched for the right box. Since there were a million poorly labeled boxes back here, she didn’t expect to find them any time soon. Good thing she kept a party-sized bag of M&M’s hidden back here for times like this.

  Before she could dig them out of their hiding place, however, a sound near the door alerted her to someone’s presence. When she saw who it was, she stilled. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as it always did around River Anderson. His tall, broad-shouldered form blocked the glare from the hanging bulb as he walked towards her, making the space feel softer and more intimate.

  He didn’t stop until he was close enough that she could feel his body heat. “Morning, Narissa.”

  The sweet tones of his deep voice were like music, but she refused to let him know how he affected her. “Morning, Tributary.”

  He sighed. “Are you ever going to let this go?”

  “Not likely. Who names their baby River? I’ve never met someone named Tree or someone named Mountain.”

  “Well, River is a pretty common name. And guess what?” He folded his arms over his chest and shifted his weight. “I looked up what Narissa means.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah,” he said softly. “I found it too. ‘Narissa - of the sea.’ Or sea nymph. Depends on where you look. Either way, you’re named after water too.”

  She knew she should shift her eyes away or step back—anything to break this pull between them. Instead, she held still as River dropped his arms and leaned closer.

  “You even smell like the ocean,” he said, his voice dipping lower.

  Appalled, Narissa lifted her arms and smelled her skin. “I hope you don’t mean like down at the docks.”

  He chuckled. “No. Come on. I just mean fresh and salty, like the breeze when you’re out at sea. I meant it in a good way, I promise.”

  “Yeah, I went by the beach on my way here.”

  “I love the beach in the morning when the tourists are still asleep. Or in the evening when they’re all heading to their condos. We should go together some time.”

  “Maybe,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t push it, but desperately wanting him to.

  “How about tonight?”

  “I can’t. I have another job, remember? I’m waitressing at my uncle’s restaurant tonight.”

  “Oh. Do you work there a lot?”

  The truth was, she could arrange to be off. But as much as she longed to go on a date—a real, human date—she couldn’t. Uncle Jesse had warned her over and over not to fall for a human. She knew River was probably only attracted to her because of her siren lure. It wasn’t fair to either of them when it wasn’t real on his part and it couldn’t last on hers. She had to return to the ocean in two weeks, and who knew when her mother would release her to come back? The only way she could dare to love a human was if she was one.

  “I’m sorry, River, but I work every evening and all day on the weekends.”

  His mouth tugged down into a frown, but a moment later he forced a smile. “Okay. Well, I’m not giving up yet. A date with you is worth waiting for. Now, what were you looking for?”

  “Personalized key chains.”

  “Oh, I know where those are.” He reached up and leaned even closer to take a box down from the shelf over her head.

  His warmth surrounded her, and she held very still to keep from bumping into him, afraid of the feelings that might erupt if they touched.

  “Here you go. What did you do to be landed with this job?” He asked, stepping back with the box.

  “I got to work precisely on time.”

  “That’ll teach you. Come on. I’ll carry these out for you.”

  “I can get them,” she said, reaching for the box. Her fingers brushed against his, and she jerked them back, surprised at the shock of awareness that raced through her.

  “I don’t have a disease, you know.”

  Embarrassed, she looked up into the intense darkness of his slate-blue eyes. “I—” But she didn’t know how to finish. Luckily, a commotion in the hall caught their attention.

  River and Narissa looked at each other with wide eyes then ran out into the hallway. Someone lay on the floor, unmoving in a jumble of time cards and loose stock from a tipped-over box. His stringy blond hair obscured his face, but Narissa knew who it was. Brody Ackers was drunk again.

  River turned him over and snapped his fingers in front of Brody’s face a few times. The guy gave a drowsy smile and said, “Hey, man.” The words came out slow and sloppy, but coherent.

  River shook his head. “Hey, yourself. You okay?”

  Whether or not Brody would have, or could have, answered, he didn’t get the chance. Allen came out then, took one look at the situation, and rolled his eyes. “Go see if you can sober him up, River. Narissa, get this mess cleaned up.
”

  Standing back to get out of River’s way as he hauled the guy up, Narissa fumed. Brody could come in drunk and no big deal, but when she came in on time, she got lectured. Allen only kept the bum around because he thought he added to the atmosphere of the store. So, really, Brody was more of a prop than an employee.

  But Narissa forced herself to calm down. It didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t work here because she needed a job. She was only here because she needed Brody to trust her. It was her duty to bring Lovelies to the ocean, and she’d been working on Brody for weeks.

  Thank goodness she only had two weeks to go before he would be changed into a merman and she could quit this job. If she spent much more time around River, she knew she’d do something desperate.

  Like ask the sea god to make her human.

  Chapter Two

  River looked over the rail of the boat at the endless expanse of blue above and below. It was eighty-five degrees without a cloud in sight—a good dive day by anyone’s standards. This was the kind of perfect summer day he lived for.

  Marshall bumped into him as they checked the air tanks on deck. “Hey, let me dive with the chick,” Marshall said, keeping his voice low.

  River glanced over at the group they had today—a family with a couple of college-aged kids and a mom and dad. The girl was pretty hot, but he didn’t even hesitate. “Sure man. I’ll take the parents.”

  Marshall grinned and slapped his bare back. “Not even putting up an argument?”

  “No.”

  “Huh. What’s up with that?”

  River could have told him about Narissa—about the crazy attraction that had swamped him when he’d found her in the store room the day before—but he didn’t. Sometimes he felt like he’d outgrown his buddies even though they were all the same age—twenty. Life was an eternal summer for them here in Destin, Florida, but while he’d been at school, River had changed. He was ready for something that mattered, and he thought Narissa might be it.

  Which was ridiculous since they hadn’t even gone out on a date yet. Yet, he swore to himself. She might have put him off when he’d tested the waters a few days ago, but he’d meant what he’d said. He wasn’t going to give up easily.