The Lovely Deep (The Mer Song Trilogy Book 1)

by Michelle Pennington

  “My mother’s first mate was killed by a kraken,” Narissa said, her blood running cold as always when she thought of it. “And it was strange because they only kill when commanded by Triton. But he swore he didn’t give it any such command. My mother took a human lover to have me.”

  Uncle Jesse broke in. “But she didn’t consider that a child who was half human and who lived half her life on land to serve her people might naturally want to stay there.”

  “So, your mother thinks you’ll be a good mother of the sea because of the way you look?”

  Narissa shrugged. “My people are really hung up on it. Mers like me are rare and revered. Another reason I want to live on land where I am just an ordinary girl.”

  River looked up at her. “Never ordinary. Your mother isn’t going to force you to stay there, is she?”

  “She’d better not try.”

  Uncle Jesse stood and paced around the room. “I fear that is precisely what she intends to do. I wish I could go with you.”

  “I’m going with her, sir,” River said.

  “You?” Uncle Jesse turned quickly. “You don’t even have your tail yet. What help will you be?”

  “I’m a strong swimmer without a tail.”

  “Yes, you have the look of one, but you know nothing of the Realm and the dangers there.”

  “He’s strong though, Uncle Jesse. And smart. Not to mention, he would be another set of eyes.”

  “And I’d protect her with my life,” River interjected in a hard, determined voice that made Narissa’s heart swell.

  “No doubt you would, but it’s more likely she’d be the one who’d be protecting you.”

  Narissa threw off her blanket and stood up to face her uncle. “It’s not like you can go with me.”

  Uncle Jesse frowned and flexed his jaw. “No, and I regret it more than you know.”

  “Can she wait a few more days until I have my tail?” River asked.

  “No,” Uncle Jesse said. “She’s pushing it to still be here now.”

  As his words filtered through Narissa’s brain, she gasped. “You sound as if you’ve made up your mind.”

  “Nearly so. I can’t help you from land.”

  “I won’t let you make that sacrifice for me.”

  River leaned back in his seat. “It’s not completely for you. I have a lot of personal reasons that are making me consider it too. Trust me, I won’t make any rash decisions and when I act, I’m determined to do it with my free will intact.”

  Uncle Jesse moved to stand in front of River and stared down at him with his arms crossed. “How did you manage to get tangled up in all this?”

  River looked around Uncle Jesse and met Narissa’s eyes. “I was trying to save her when she disappeared in the ocean that night. I didn’t know she didn’t need saving. Before I knew what was happening, I was pulled under by a couple of creepy-looking mermaids.”

  “I had no idea he was even there,” Narissa explained. “None.” Then she looked to River. “Why were you there?”

  “I overheard you making plans to meet Brody. I wanted to figure out what was worrying you—what you wouldn’t tell me. I guess I did.”

  Uncle Jesse chuckled, surprising Narissa. “You’re a good man,” he said, surprising her even more. He started pacing again, a frown pulling at his lips. “There’s something else that’s bothering me though. Something to do with Edmar. Even if your mother sent him to ruin your plans to become human, I can’t help but think there’s more to his motivations here. You both need to be careful.”

  River stood and walked closer to Narissa, pulling her against his side. “I won’t let him bother Narissa again, sir. I can take him.”

  “Maybe on land, but he’ll have an advantage in the water. And he has allies. You don’t.”

  River’s expression hardened, growing fierce and determined. “Not yet I don’t.”

  Narissa watched the change that came over him and felt the force of his internal strength as it swirled within him like a hurricane. On some unconscious level, it had been that strength that she had been attracted to, she knew. But she also loved his humor and gentleness. She hoped those qualities survived the battle ahead.

  Chapter Seventeen

  River held Narissa’s hand as they walked down to the beach. She loved the feel of his warm, calloused skin against hers. She wasn’t quite sure how they’d gotten here, to this place where they were a couple again. Not that she was sure they’d ever broken up exactly. There had just been a gulf of hurt and mistrust between them. And maybe it was still there, but smaller. Small enough that they could reach each other again.

  “I see the others are already here,” he said, his deep voice making her heart flutter in pure feminine reaction.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  His hand gripped hers harder. “I can decide better if I know more about your people. I feel too ignorant right now.”

  “Okay. Let’s go. Did you bring something to signal Uncle Jesse when he comes for us in the boat?”

  River patted his side. “I taped light sticks to me so I won’t lose them.”

  “Perfect. Stay close, all right?”

  He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

  It was almost midnight and the giant orb above them dominated the sky. A moment later, as they drew even with Brody, Anne, and Stumps at the edge of the surf, the mer song began to drift over the waves. Anne looked at her companions’ expressions. Brody looked as if he would burst with childlike enthusiasm, Stumps appeared relaxed and ready, but Anne looked scared and haunted. She also looked thin, her eye sockets dark and shadowed from lack of sleep. She was glad to see that River appeared steady and intrigued.

  If any of them had looked at her right then, they would have seen that she was completely on edge. But none of them did look at her. They were all focused on the black, glinting water. The first mer to swim up to them was a merman with long black locks slicked to his face, his sharp cheek bones and compelling eyes more attractive and human than most. Narissa recognized him instantly. “Tyranno?”

  “Yes. Your mother sends me. Come. Bring the Lovelies.”

  He pushed upward with his strong tail and grasped Anne’s hand, tugging her along with him. The two quickly disappeared behind the large waves that were coming, and it wasn’t long before Brody and Stumps followed her.

  “You know him?” River asked, still standing as steady as a rock on shore despite the rising call of the song.

  “My cousin. He’s part of the royal guard.”

  Had her mother sent him to make sure she came or because she was worried about Narissa’s safety?

  “Well, shouldn’t we go?” Narissa asked.

  “Yes.”

  River tossed his t-shirt off and they walked into the water together, separating for a moment while Narissa untied the strings of her bikini bottom and changed into a mermaid. Even in the dark, she was glad for the bit of privacy River gave her, though her people would just be puzzled by her human modesty. But then River was beside her again, a friendly presence in the black water.

  Diving down, Narissa felt that pull inside her own chest easing as she returned home. She could sense more than see the others swimming ahead of them. As they swam, she was once again amazed at how quickly, how effortlessly River could move in the water. But she knew he would tire himself out if he swam too far on his own. She waited, listening closely. There were always dolphins in these waters, and the mer song called to them as well.

  At last she heard it, the shrill whistles of a pod of dolphins communicating with each other—with them. She reached out to tug on River’s arm, swimming to the west to intercept the dolphins. When their courses intersected, she smiled at the rush of the sleek bodies brushing against hers in a friendly welcome. She held her hands out and the dolphins met them as they rocketed through the water, circling around and around.

 
The visibility was higher than usual with such bright moonlight and clear water. She saw River a few feet away, greeting the dolphins as well, spinning around and around in the water trying to watch them all. She caught his eye and motioned to the surface.

  “This is incredible,” he said, laughing with excitement.

  “I knew you’d like it. And I want you to ride one.”

  “Okay, but why?”

  Just then, Tyranno’s head broke the surface next to them, closely followed by Anne, Stumps, Brody. With them were several other mers, male and female that all had the hard, watchful expressions of guards. “The Lovelies need to ride,” he said.

  “Agreed,” Narissa said, both glad that he spoke such good English and concerned at the tension behind his words.

  The pod of dolphins swam among them, their bodies gleaming silver where they broke the surface, small sprays of water erupting as they breathed. It was a pod of bottlenose males that she knew well since they often hunted and played in these waters. They were strong and intelligent animals that had long been allies of the mers. Traveling in larger groups helped them all. It was rare that one of Poseidon’s more dangerous creatures would be in this part of the ocean, but there were still the usual threats from sharks. The dolphins were much better at sensing their presence than she was, as were most mers. Sometimes her human traits gave her a disadvantage.

  “Grab a fin, River,” she said. “You’re an incredible swimmer for a human, but we have a long way to go.”

  He must have accepted the wisdom of this because he ran his hand along a dolphin as it swam by him, then caught hold of its fin as it circled back. The mers helped Anne, Stumps, and Brody do the same. They moved quickly, keeping closer to the surface as they traveled into deep waters. Narissa’s heart pounded, making her pulses throb in her veins as she sensed the growing depths beneath her. The swim took over an hour before they drew close to the mer city. The city was built into the foundation of a large island.

  As they neared the shore, the dolphins slipped away, leaving their human passengers to swim alone. Gathering at the surface again, River moved close to Narissa.

  Rimming the island’s shore, the water glowed bright with luminescence, and though it was fainter here, visibility was already better, good enough that she could make out her companion’s features and expressions.

  “What is this island?” River asked. “It shouldn’t be here.”

  “It doesn’t exist in the human realm. Many of my people live here. My mother rules over the North Atlantic, and this is one of her outposts.”

  “They don’t live in the water?” he asked.

  “Of course they do. The rock supporting the island is riddled with caves that provide safe homes for mers and forms one of our cities—a more primitive one than others that exist. The dry land is useful for their… uh… reproductive needs.”

  River’s smile flashed in the moonlight. “You know, I can see you blushing, even in the dark.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him then turned to Tyranno. “Should I go straight to my mother?”

  Before he could answer however, River disappeared, as if he was yanked straight down.

  Narissa’s heart leapt. “No,” she said, diving after him. Just as she was afraid of, she saw that he had been grabbed by three mermaids. They were towing him toward the island but were making slow progress since he was fighting them. Charging after them, Narissa thrust her powerful tail with all her strength and quickly caught up to them. Reaching out, she caught one of the mermaids by her hair and pulled back hard.

  A gurgling cry ripped through the water as she let go of River and tried to free her hair from Narissa’s grasp. But Narissa let go and swam after the others. She grabbed another’s arms, pulling back with all her might, but to little effect. River shifted in the water though and sent a devastating kick into the mermaid’s stomach. The mermaid let go so quickly that Narissa washed backwards with her, caught in the tumult of her momentum.

  Just when River was almost free of the third mermaid, the first one swam back in. He saw her coming, though, and shifted again. He grabbed the mermaid still latched onto him by the shoulders and rotated her around, using her as a shield against the third. Narissa was certain River would have broken free in a moment, but before she could relax even a fraction, she saw the shadowy forms of other mermaids moving towards them, half a dozen at least. Panicking, Narissa pulled her knife and swam for the thrashing mermaids struggling to hold onto River.

  With quick, determined strokes, she swiped the blade up their arms. Blood fanned through the water and the mermaids let go, grabbing onto their wounds and fleeing. The cuts were shallow and would heal quickly but swimming in open water with bleeding wounds was too dangerous for them to risk.

  River watched them swim away, his expression both surprised and relieved. But Narissa took hold of his face and turned it towards the mermaids that swam toward them. His eyes grew wide, but she didn’t give him a chance to freeze. She pulled at his arm, swimming as hard as she could away from them and it only took him a second to swim with her. After only a few yards, however, she paused, unsure where to go. River would never be able to escape if they pursued him in deeper waters. He had to already be exhausted from the swim here. She was exhausted. Somehow, she had to get him to shore.

  In a rush of bubbles and current, Tyranno swam past them with several of his guards flanking him. They formed a line in the water, halting the mermaids only yards away. Tyranno turned and pointed toward shore, his face determined and commanding. Narissa needed no further bidding. She tugged on River’s arm and they swam. As they neared the shore, their friends joined them. Anne swam between Stumps and Brody as if they were protecting her.

  This was crazy. Narissa had no idea what was going on. She’d never seen her people behave this way.

  When they got close to shore, they broke the surface, and Narissa said to them, “Go ahead of me so I can change.”

  In the brightly lit water, she felt exposed and vulnerable until she was able to put her swim bottoms on, but none of the men so much as glanced back at her, for which she was grateful. They collapsed onto the sand as she followed them. Narissa fell onto the sand next to River. “Are you okay?”

  He held out his arms which bore red scrapes from the mermaid’s nails. “Fine except for scratches. What was that? You didn’t warn me I’d be swarmed like that.” His voice was tense and sharp.

  “I had no idea,” she said desperately. “Something is wrong. Very wrong.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  Narissa looked to the others. “What about you three? Were you ambushed as well?”

  Stumps shook his head. “No. We were coming to help, but we saw that Tyranno had it well in hand. We decided to get Anne out of there.”

  It made sense, but somehow, Narissa couldn’t shake the thought that they’d all been after River, not even caring about Stumps and Brody. It was like they were targeting him for some reason other than wanting a mate. No need to freak River out, though, in case she was wrong. But if she was right, what was going on?

  “We shouldn’t stay this close to the water. Let’s head inland. There’s another way in through a mountain entrance.”

  River stood, as if he had all the energy in the world and reached out a hand to her. He pulled her up easily, then did the same for Stumps.

  “I wasn’t planning to be on shore without my crutches,” Stumps said.

  “Brody and I will help you,” River said. “How far is it, Narissa?”

  “Not far, but it is uphill.”

  “We’ll make it,” Brody said, stepping forward to help River support Stumps. “Lead the way, Narissa.”

  Narissa nodded, pulling Anne to her feet and keeping hold of her friend’s hand. Anne was so quiet these days, and it worried Narissa to never know what she was thinking or how she was reacting. “We’re safe now,” she told her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  River was used to pushing himself physical
ly. He enjoyed it—thrived on it. But the challenge of swimming for so long had taken a toll on him. Even with the dolphin carrying him most of the way, the buffeting of the water, the cold, and the stress of fighting off the attack had been harder than any ordeal he’d ever faced. If nothing else, it reassured him that he was still mostly human.

  As they climbed a narrow path through thick, tropic vegetation, River felt Stumps tense. With his arm around the older man’s waist, he could also feel his heavy breathing. “Do you need to rest?”

  “I can go a little further. I’m not as young or as whole as I used to be.”

  River looked ahead to where Narissa was helping Anne up the path. The thin, blond woman was leaning heavily on her. “How much further?”

  “Nearly there. Just around that rock.”

  It was difficult to see with only moonlight to illuminate their path, but there did seem to be a darker silhouette ahead on the path, looming large against the night sky.

  “I can make it,” Stumps said.

  River nodded. “If you don’t mind my asking, what is your real name? I hate calling you Stumps.”

  The man chuckled. “No need. It doesn’t bother me. And my real name belongs to a long ago past, one that never did me any good. I’ve been thinking that when I take on my new life, I should take on a new name as well.”

  River’s throat grew tight. Maybe he was more emotional because he was so tired, but somehow, he felt tied to the three who were caught up in this experience with him. “That sounds great. What will you pick?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ve never named anyone before, least of all myself, and I feel like it requires careful consideration.”

  River considered whether or not he would ever change his name. But when he saw Narissa waiting for them, her eyes sweeping over him as usual—an intimate, almost possessive glance—he knew that he wouldn’t. He loved the way she teased him about his name while somehow making the sound of it feel like a caress.

  “You should rest here a moment,” Narissa said. “The way down will be a bit difficult.”