by Devyn Quinn
Kenneth half nodded before his eyes slipped shut. “Tell my lady I love her,” he slurred before unconsciousness claimed him.
Addison’s chest constricted as his words echoed through her mind. The emotion she felt was tangible. Kenneth had been a true blessing, not only for Tessa but for the rest of them as well. She couldn’t imagine life going on without him.
She blinked hard, refusing to let any tears fall. Damn it. She hated to cry. She was stronger than that.
Kenneth wasn’t finished. “Bastard,” he mumbled. “I shot him. Jake… Shoulda killed him.”
The girls exchanged a simultaneous look. By the time rescuers had arrived, there hadn’t been a sign of Magaera or Jake—only the wreckage.
Addison reached for her soul-stone, concentrating on opening a psychic channel so that she and Gwen could converse without being heard. Both of them had also tried to communicate with Tessa, but they hadn’t had any luck.
If he shot Jake, that could have slowed them down a bit, she signaled.
Gwen frowned deeply. I hate to wish anyone ill, came her silent reply, but if there’s anyone who deserves it, Jake definitely qualifies.
Dead would be too good for him, Addison shot back. I’d rather see him behind bars.
Their brief conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Jiminez. Stethoscope looped around her neck, she reached for Kenneth’s chart. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s drifting in and out of awareness,” Gwen filled in.
“He needs all the rest he can get. A patient responds better when calm.” She stroked the smooth skin of his hand and lower forearm. “Healing’s going well, too. Almost all traces of the blistering are gone.”
Jiminez moved to examine Gwen’s work. When he’d first been wheeled into the ER, Kenneth’s face, neck, and upper torso were terribly scalded, as though he’d been hit dead on by the blast from a furnace. “Amazing,” she murmured under her breath. “I still can’t believe this is all accomplished with crystal energy.”
“The earth offers us everything we need to heal ourselves,” Gwen said quietly. “We just need to understand how to tap into those energies and use them.”
As she watched her sister consult with the doctor, Addison folded her arms over her chest. A smile tugged at her lips. It was amazing to see how much Gwen had blossomed since she’d accepted her Mercraft.
Jiminez nodded. “I have other patients who would definitely benefit from this therapy,” she said thoughtfully. “Would you be willing to consult on a few cases?”
Gwen practically beamed with pride. “I would be happy to try and help.”
Yes, her older sister had finally found her calling in life.
“So, what does your sister think about your shipping out so soon?”
T-shirt in hand, Addison paused a moment before stuffing the article of clothing into her travel bag. “She isn’t happy about being left on her own, but Gwen understands if I’ve got a chance to help find Tessa, then I should take it.” She crammed more into the bag, taking no time to fold. Everything went in hodgepodge until the case bulged to overfilling. “We’ve always stuck together, you know. If one of us has problems, we all do.”
Mason inwardly winced at her packing technique. As one who’d lived under military discipline for a good portion of his life, he was used to everything being perfectly in its place. And though he certainly wouldn’t brag, he could arrange a suitcase with such precision that his clothes wouldn’t have a single wrinkle when retrieved.
Addison, on the other hand, didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word neat. Her small apartment on the second floor of an old brownstone was a mess. Empty take-out containers filled the trash, the bed was a rumpled unmade mess, and the carpet looked as if it hadn’t been vacuumed in ages. Housekeeping clearly wasn’t her forte.
His fingers itched to take over. He didn’t mind the discipline behind a job well done. If it was done right the first time, there wouldn’t be any problems. Slipshod work annoyed him. “I think that’s admirable you and your sisters are so close.”
She shrugged. “You’ve got family, I suppose. Don’t you show up when one of your brothers or sisters is in trouble?”
Mason sucked in a deep breath. He had a sister, but they’d never been particularly close. His father, a longtime drill sergeant in the US Marines, had spent the better part of Mason’s childhood bossing him around like a soldier. When the old man was around, he’d made everyone miserable by trying to run his family the way he did his platoon. Promptness, precision, and perfection were his father’s watchwords. Not being able to make the grade wasn’t acceptable. His mother, the poor woman, never had a say about how her children were raised. Like a good soldier she fell into line and did her duty.
It was a foregone conclusion that the son of Mark McKenzie would join the military. Raised right beside Camp Pendleton in California, he’d grown up with the military in his blood. Of course, he’d disappointed his father by not following in the old man’s footsteps into the marines, but he’d been eager to take advantage of his love of the sea and diving. With a degree in marine engineering, he’d gone into the navy with an officer’s commission at the not-so-tender age of twenty-two.
And once he’d shipped out, he’d never looked back. Save for the cards he sent his mother three times a year—her birthday, Mother’s Day, and Christmas—he had no other reason to communicate with his family. He wanted to live his own life and make his own way in the world, under his own terms. Nothing he did suited his father, and he hated the criticisms that never failed to come his way whenever they did meet.
“I’m not close to my family,” was all he deigned to say. They weren’t here to swap personal stories.
Addison shook her head. “I couldn’t imagine not having my sisters around. Even though they give me a hard time because I’m the youngest, it’s always nice to know they’re there for me when I have a problem.”
It was his turn to shrug. Once he’d graduated from high school, he’d more or less taken care of himself. He worked full-time, went to college, and still managed to indulge his passion for diving. He was proud that he hadn’t taken one cent from his old man to pay for his education.
The only thing he hadn’t managed to find time for was a girlfriend. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day to ask a girl out, and every penny he earned was spent before he got it. Yeah, he’d had his flings. Women couldn’t seem to resist a man in uniform. But to actually think about settling down with someone in a steady relationship just wasn’t on his list of things to do. He was only thirty-four. He had plenty of time before he’d have to think about making a commitment, if ever. The bachelor life had treated him pretty well so far. As the old saying went, there was a girl in every port. And most were willing to have a little fun, with no strings attached.
Preoccupied with digging something out of her crammed closet, Addison bent over, giving him a prime view of her pert backside. “I know my extra pair of tennis shoes is in here somewhere,” she groused.
Mason felt his heart accelerate. Though he’d never admit it aloud, Addison Lonike had everything he liked in a woman. Red hair, snapping eyes, and a spitfire personality. He’d felt an attraction the moment he’d laid eyes on her photograph, but he’d dismissed it as inappropriate. Now that she’d accepted the commission, he certainly had no business entertaining any personal thoughts about her.
The idea of serving in such close quarters with her was more than a little unsettling. If they could just have one night, a little fling, he was pretty sure he’d go for it, no holds barred. That damn tattoo, which she called her scale pattern, intrigued the hell out of him. He wanted to trace it with the tips of his fingers and follow it wherever it might lead. Of course, that meant she’d have to take her clothes off…
But, oh no. That kind of indulgence would be a mistake. First, it would be crossing a hazardous professional line. Second, he knew, in the back of his mind, that he didn’t want to get sucked into a relatio
nship. And something about Addison made him think she was the committing kind.
Mason cleared his mind of thoughts related to seeing Addison naked, though he supposed it was inevitable in a way. As far as he knew, mermaids swam in the buff, as naked as the day they were born. Although he would never say so aloud, and would never want to embarrass her, he was curious to see her in the water.
All wet, slippery and…
No. Don’t go there.
Addison came up with one shoe. “Found one,” she said, giving a cry of triumph. “Now I just need to find the other.”
“Maybe if you cleaned up a little,” he suggested.
She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Who the hell has time to clean?” she demanded. “It’s just my crash pad. Tell the two other pigs that live here they need to clean up.”
His brows rose. “Two other people live here?”
“Yeah, I share it with Shane and Shawn, two other EMTs. You ought to see it when we’re all crammed into one bed.”
Mason’s brows rose at the thought of Addison squirming between not one but two hard male bodies. A little bit of jealously rose with it. He tamped it back. “Maybe that’s something I shouldn’t see,” he said, coughing discreetly into one hand.
Addison’s grin widened. The little gap between her teeth made her look that much more adorable. All he wanted to do was bend over and kiss those delectable cherry red lips of hers. Despite her tomboy ways, she was definitely all female.
Regardless of his attempts to cool his internal temperature, the attraction insisted on simmering.
“Shane and Shawn are gay,” she informed him without blinking. “When we’re all in bed together, it’s to sleep. Usually our shifts don’t overlap, but when they do, there’s a lot of fighting for the better side of the bed. That mattress is a lumpy old mess.”
Mason felt relieved. “It’s a good thing you’re used to cramped and small, then. The cabins aboard ship aren’t big, and the bunks are pretty narrow.”
“I can handle that,” she said, then paused a moment. “But how do you think the rest of the crew will handle me?” A frown wrinkled her forehead. “I guess they will all know I’m a Mer.”
Mason scrubbed a hand over his jaw. It was well past five p.m. now, and the rasp of stubble made him wince. They really needed to get a move on. He was aware the seamen who waited outside were getting antsy. In truth, he was, too. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Port Rock, Maine, when the president made his shocking announcement about the Mer to the American people. It was scheduled to take place in less than an hour during the six o’clock news.
“The crew will be aware,” he affirmed. “And if anyone has a problem with it, he can keep it to himself. No prejudice of any sort will be tolerated.”
Her expressive features took on a look of inward contemplation. “I guess people are wary about things they don’t really understand.”
“You tell me. How did your crewmates take being told?”
Addison nibbled her lower lip. “Most of the people I work with are cool about it, once they understand that I’m really only different underwater.” A smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. “A few people, such as Witkowsky, kind of freak.”
“What about the Mercraft?” he asked. “You can do that anywhere, right?”
She laughed. “Oh, I’m not half as good as Gwen and Tessa. I can move a few things from here to there, but it’s nothing spectacular.” She flexed her finger. “But put a Ri’kah in my hands, and I can do some serious blasting.”
“We have requested the ones confiscated by the A51 agency to be returned,” Mason replied.
Addison’s eyes widened with delight. “Really? I’d love to get my hands on one again.”
“You will. But only under my supervision. We’re not planning to turn you loose in the Mediterranean to blast your way through Magaera’s defenses.”
Addison ran her fingers through her hair, making it more of a wild mess than it already was. “But that’s kind of what you’re hoping I can do, isn’t it? Blast that bitch back into the arms of the goddess herself.”
Mason worked hard to suppress his smile. Yeah, in a way he was hoping that was exactly what she’d do. Even though he’d never admit it aloud, he was aching to get even with the Mer in the waters around Magaera’s island fortress.
Her soldiers had embarrassed the hell out of his men, and they’d been forced to retreat. As sailors, they should have been forewarned about mermaids, based on the lore alone. Once a mermaid got a man into the water, she’d do her damnedest to drown him, disabling his equipment and dragging him to the depths of the sea.
He didn’t even want to contemplate what might happen if hundreds or even thousands of the Mer flooded the seas. In the water, mermaids were unstoppable, vicious creatures with no regard for human life. Magaera’s attack on innocent civilians had proven the Mer queen was committed to following through with her intention to return her people to the waters she felt rightfully belonged to Ishaldi and its people.
“Our intention was to resolve this peacefully,” he said quietly, “though I have a feeling that isn’t going to be possible.”
Addison’s eyes took on a strange look—one of anger mingled with abject sadness. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”
Chapter 7
Magaera’s Island
Mediterranean Sea
Emerging from a world of churning nightmares, where a dragon queen shot laser beams from the tips of her fingers, Tessa opened her eyes to an even stranger sight. A dense mist, scented with the pungent salt of the nearby sea, wove its way through white marble columns. The ground, too, was an ocean of pale stone, stretching endlessly.
Heaven? The vision had no basis in her reality. Did I die?
Unwilling to accept the possibility, Tessa closed her eyes and attempted to distance herself from such an unacceptable oblivion.
A light slap stung her cheek.
I’m dreaming, she thought vaguely, and ignored it.
Another slap followed, harder and more insistent.
This time Tessa opened her eyes, blinking hard to focus her blurred vision. “Stop that!” she snapped, annoyed that Kenneth would be bothering her when all she wanted to do was sink back into the blissful oblivion of sleep. Didn’t that man understand she was exhausted?
An unfamiliar female voice, right beside her, said, “Wake up, inferior!”
Tessa’s head swiveled. Short blond hair shaved in some sort of odd Mohawk style ruled over blue eyes so light, the color was almost clear. A jumpsuit fashioned from fish leather covered her sleek, well-muscled body.
Tessa gasped as recognition seeped into her beleaguered brain. Although she didn’t know the woman’s name, there was no mistaking that she was one of Queen Magaera’s soldiers.
And it wasn’t a nightmare.
Images of Magaera and Jake Massey in the mall flashed across her mind’s eye. One minute she and Kenneth were shopping for new clothes for the babies; the next minute she’d been blasted ass over heels as she’d attempted to protect her husband from the Mer queen’s wrath.
Struggling to sit up, she recoiled violently. “Don’t touch me, bitch!” she shouted. The sudden move brought a wave of dizziness. For a brief scary moment her stomach rolled with nausea. As she fought back the urge to vomit, her hand flew to her mouth. Unfortunately, her morning sickness wasn’t confined to the early hours of the day. She was bound to be stricken whenever she got nervous or upset.
Another voice interrupted. “Leave her alone.” This was a man’s voice.
The Mer soldier nodded in acquiescence as Jake Massey ambled toward her. Shirtless, he was dressed only in a pair of wrinkled well-worn slacks and boots.
Her instinctive fear of the man washed over her, drenching her with her own nervous perspiration. The look he’d long cultivated, that of the preppy professor and man of adventure, was long gone. In its place stood a man with a ragged haircut grown out just enough to reveal his blond ro
ots. The time he’d spent with Magaera had added muscle to his lanky frame. He was broad shouldered and narrow hipped, with an abdomen hard as rock, and his darkly tanned skin emphasized the white flash of his teeth.
“Jake?”
“Tessa.” He nodded. “How are you feeling?”
Tessa performed a quick inventory of her ailments. Her whole brain was numb. Her body ached from head to toe. That, added to her nausea and confusion, made her feel, well, shitty. “I’m okay,” she grated. She glanced around, trying to figure out where the hell she was. The place appeared to be some kind of Grecian-style temple surrounded by wide lawns, enclosed gardens, and cool fountains.
“Where am I?” she asked disjointedly.
Jake allowed a small smile. “We’re on an island in the Mediterranean, just above the sea-gate. The ruins once scattered across the bottom of the sea have been restored.”
Tessa was almost inclined to scoff. “No way,” she snapped. She’d made the initial dive and witnessed the ruin and devastation of the sunken landmass for herself. Lost beneath the water for centuries, the entire place was little more than pieces.
Jake’s grin widened. “Way,” he confirmed.
“Then it’s true. You did really find the scepter?” Tessa’s jaw tightened.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Yep. We did. Amazingly, it was hiding in plain sight. Your cousins had it. Can you believe they’d donated it to a damn museum?” He laughed, as if saying the words amused him. “And it really does give a Mer queen control over land and sea.”
Her blood chilled. “Where’s my husband?” she demanded, desperate to rally her brain into functioning mode. “Where’s Kenneth?”
His brows rose in surprise. “You married that big ape?” He smirked. “He must not be very memorable if you’re just now getting around to asking about him.”
An abrupt image of Kenneth attempting to defend her emerged from the haze. The sound of a gun firing echoed through her brain. Kenneth, she was sure, had shot Jake. She thought she remembered Jake yelping in pain before going to his knees. Yet he didn’t seem to be wounded. How could he have missed?
