by Devyn Quinn
Sensing his anger with the humans, Addison laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Then why have you come out of hiding now? You didn’t have to help us.”
Jovon looked down at her. “Because I wish to seek an alliance between Mer and Nyx.”
Pulse pounding like a jackhammer, she stared up at him. “You mean against the humans?” She shook her head. “If you’re asking me to turn against them, I can’t.”
The Nyx stared at her with those strange eyes. “The Mer have always stood for themselves,” he corrected quietly.
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Jovon cocked his head. “Allow me to go back to an earlier time, when the Nyx still inhabited Ishaldi.”
Mason folded his arms over his chest. “Go on.”
“As you have probably guessed, our society is a matriarchy. The females are the stronger of our kind, and they control every level of our culture and its development. This includes reproduction.”
Addison glanced at Mason. Although they had been together only once, she couldn’t fail to notice that he’d used a condom. Although the gesture wasn’t necessary—as Mer were immune to human disease—she’d appreciated his taking care to protect both of them.
“That’s true,” she said. “We do decide when to reproduce. Until we settle on our breemas, our breed-mates, nothing happens. We’re basically infertile.”
Mason rubbed his hand over his chin. “Good to know.”
Jovon continued. “The males also have their place, mostly as artisans and craftsmen.”
“So the females rule and the males do the heavy lifting?” Addison asked.
A cold smile touched Jovon’s mouth. “That is a clumsy way of phrasing it, but correct. Our place in the hierarchy was valued until the Mer females began to discover that if they mated with humans, they could ensure the look and sex of their offspring.”
“We have only girls,” Addison broke in. “I thought that was simply nature’s way to ensure the Mer species didn’t die off.”
“I wish it were so,” Jovon answered with a sad shake of his head. “The truth is, the Mer wanted to become more like humans, to breed out our more aquatic traits.” He held up one hand, spreading his fingers to reveal the webbing. Along with his gills and fins, not to mention the silver-blue shade of his skin, there was no way he’d ever be mistaken for human.
“So they chose selective breeding?” Mason asked.
“Yes. And as time passed, the Mer began to resemble humans. Some could even begin to pass as such. In the meantime, breeding with the Nyx was considered undesirable, and any female who did so was shunned. If she was unfortunate enough to bear a Nyx child, it was destroyed—especially if it was a male.”
Addison pressed a hand to her heart. The Mer had always been known for their savage nature, but she’d had no idea that her own people had resorted to some sort of ethnic cleansing in an attempt to become more like human beings. “That sickens me.”
Jovon let out a long breath. “To survive, the Nyx were forced to leave Ishaldi. We became nomads of the seas, with no real place to call home.”
Addison could barely withhold her shudder. “And the Mer simply replaced the Nyx with human males, whom they could more easily control.”
“Eventually humans became their slaves,” the Nyx confirmed. “And Ishaldi became one of the more powerful seagoing nations as the Mer began to leave the water and move onto land.”
The more Addison learned, the less she liked. So far Jovon had revealed nothing redeeming about her own people. “Were you aware when the sea-gate was sealed?”
“We had hope when the Tesch dynasty came to power. Queen Nyala attempted to make peace with the humans and ease the restrictions against the Nyx. Once a year, during the spawning season, the Nyx were allowed to return to Ishaldi with the hope of making a suitable match with a Mer female. Returning to our homeland seemed possible.”
“But that didn’t happen.”
Jovon’s gaze was ravaged when it met hers. “No. Although some welcomed our arrival, many did not.”
Addison felt his words, like a whiplash striking her naked skin. “I think I know the rest of the story. Queen Nyala’s ministers began to plot her assassination and overthrow the Tesch who had taken power. But she outsmarted them by sealing the sea-gate.”
“The plan was to start a new settlement,” Jovon confirmed with a nod.
Unnerved by the way he was looking at her, she glanced at her feet. She couldn’t even begin to guess what had gone wrong after the sea-gate was sealed. “But it never happened.”
The Nyx narrowed his eyes. “By then the humans had begun to prevail. They quickly cut a swath through our numbers.” A sound of frustration escaped him. “The few who survived moved to other waters. The females had a better chance of integrating because they had lost many of the traits carried by the sea-born.”
Mason frowned savagely. “I hate to break it to you, but the Mer are still as savage as ever.”
Addison shot him a look. But his words chilled her because she knew they were true. She didn’t want to think too hard about all the unpleasant things the Mer were capable of.
Jovon pretended not to notice the brief tension. “I suspected as much,” he said. “But the only ones who could have opened the sea-gate are among Nyala’s descendants. And that is why I helped free you. We are aware the current monarch is not of a mind to forge any ties with the humans that would benefit both our people. We, the Nyx, would like to join your cause against her. We would like to see a Tesch queen restored to the throne of Ishaldi.”
“There is no Tesch queen,” she corrected in a quiet voice.
For several moments no one said a word.
The Nyx looked at her through his silvery eyes, a gaze that seemed to penetrate all the way to her bones. “There could be,” he said levelly. “Are you not a direct descendant of Queen Nyala?”
Mason felt the Nyx’s words like a dull knife twisting in his gut. Although he knew Addison and her sisters were Mer, he had no idea they would be considered royalty among their people.
Exiled royalty, he quickly reminded himself. From the sound of Jovon’s narrative, the Tesch queen who had tried to reverse the savage course her people had taken had come close to losing her life to assassins.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were some sort of Mer princess?” Mason asked.
His questions spun her around. “I didn’t think it was important,” she snapped in her own defense. “Almost two thousand years have passed since that sea portal was closed. I’m pretty sure our claim to the Tesch dynasty has expired.”
“But your family had the jewels of Atargatis, right?” Even as he asked the question, Mason could see her muscles bunching with tension.
“A couple of pieces,” she reluctantly admitted. “But they were only the orb and choker. The scepter was the most important piece.”
“You have the scale pattern of the Tesch,” Jovon said quietly. “It is a trait that appears to be the one thing the Mer cannot breed out of their bloodline.”
When Addison didn’t say anything, a little swirl of uneasiness went through Mason. She looked both confused and uncomfortable. He had a feeling she didn’t know just exactly how savage her people really were. Learning the truth must have been a shock. It would be like learning his grandfather was a war criminal. In rejecting the Nyx as mates, the Mer had attempted to control the physical look of their offspring, each successive generation losing many of the traits that had once been common in their kind. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened overnight. It would have taken centuries for the females to lose the gills and fins so prominent on the Nyx males, not to mention their odd skin tone.
Things had suddenly gone from merely complicated to tangled beyond reason. “Is that true?” he asked quietly. “Are you really marked as a member of the Tesch dynasty? Could you ascend the throne?”
Addison held up her hands. “Mason—”
He stared hard at her, wondering if t
he situation could get any more convoluted. It was hard not to let hostility and suspicion cloud his judgment.
Although he would never admit it out loud, the Nyx male offered a commanding presence that thoroughly unnerved him. He had the most fascinating look of any sea creature he’d ever encountered, not to mention an intelligence and subtle cunning that burned bright and hot behind his gaze.
“Just tell me the truth, Addison. Are you really what Jovon says you are?”
She nodded slowly. “I—I think so. At least that’s what Tessa told us. But I’m the youngest, so I wouldn’t be the next Tesch queen. That would be Tessa.”
“Who is presently a hostage,” he reminded her.
“Then Gwen would be next in line,” she offered.
Mason shook his head. “She isn’t here.”
“If we have to act now, then I guess I’m all you’ve got.”
He stared at her for a moment, trying to ignore the storm of emotions cutting through him. In the back of his mind he had been trying to figure out all the ways a Mer and a human could be compatible. On a conscious level he’d resisted the idea, and now he knew why it would never work. Whether she realized it or not, she had a destiny to fulfill. There was no way she could step down from the lofty position of princess to be with a plain old navy officer.
It just wouldn’t work.
Jovon gave him a penetrating stare, and Mason wasn’t so sure the Nyx couldn’t read his thoughts down to the last letter after all. “The Nyx would like a chance to return to our homeland,” he said. “We can do that only if the ruling monarch will allow it.”
“Even if the Tesch could come back to the throne of Ishaldi, what makes you think you’d be accepted?” Addison asked.
“The Mer are emerging into a world that has changed around them since the time the sea-gate was sealed,” Jovon explained with quiet patience. “They will need a leader who understands the times.” A small smile turned up one corner of his mouth. “And we are hoping they will embrace males who know these waters well.”
Addison ran her fingers through her messy curls. Her hair went every which way and resembled a fiery halo. “Tessa told me there are many Mer in Ishaldi who still value their human mates as equals. The revolution has torn Ishaldi apart and has put our world on the brink of extinction.”
Jovon blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Those who follow Queen Magaera have shed the physical needs of the body in order to survive solely on crystal energy. But their hunger produced some kind of psychic burning. They take so much to survive that the elements around them began to burn out and crumble.” She shook her head in frustration. “The animals are gone, much of the vegetation stripped away. Even the humans trapped there when the sea-gate closed have begun to die off.”
“They have the crystal sickness,” Jovon said.
Uncertainty flickered in Addison’s eyes. “What’s that?” she asked uneasily.
Jovon’s mouth drew into a tight line. “When Mer begin to depend on crystal energy to feed their bodies, it can become an addiction.”
Addison swallowed hard. “And we all know what happens when someone suffers from something like that.”
Mason regarded her for a long moment. “It eats him up and destroys him,” he finished.
“I know Mer can live for several centuries,” she said in a hollow voice, “but Magaera told Tessa this practice could make them immortal.”
“It can—if they have a fresh and constant supply of energy,” the Nyx confirmed. “With the sea-gate closed, I doubt there was enough in Ishaldi to sustain the hunger of thousands. That is most likely how our world burned out and our resources decreased, as you say.”
Mason didn’t like where the conversation was heading. “But that isn’t a problem now. The sea-gate is open.”
Jovon frowned. “And there are a lot of humans to feed their hungers.”
Mason’s heart thumped. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Addison’s face dawned with comprehension. “He’s talking about the D’ema, the death magic,” she answered quietly. “When we don’t have a supply of crystals to take energy from, we can substitute humans. Your bodies also have the same minerals and nutrients…” Her voice suddenly cracked with strain.
“Aw, shit. So that means those who have taken on this strange eating disorder will need something to rejuvenate themselves.” It was stupid, but Mason couldn’t stop his mind from racing toward the worst scenario. The idea of Mer latching on to humans and sucking the juice out of them like some sort of sea spider chilled him to the bone.
Addison seemed to home in on his unspoken apprehension. “It’s forbidden to use,” she said quickly.
“You think that’s going to stop Magaera?” Mason shot back. “Not all Mer may ascribe to the practice, but what about those who do?”
“Those will be the soldiers she brings out of Ishaldi,” Jovon warned. “A Mer queen rules with an iron fist. Those who oppose her, she will crush.” He shook his head. “It saddens me to learn that a world filled with such promise has destroyed itself. Perhaps there is nothing for the Nyx to return to.”
Addison laid a gentle hand on his arm. “We can always try and save it, Jovon. If returning a Tesch to the throne will give our world a chance, then we’ll do whatever it takes.”
Jovon’s head dipped. “We have waited a long time to go home.”
Mason stared at them, struck by how strangely alike the two seemed to be. Although he didn’t want to admit it, they looked as though they belonged together.
He gave himself a little shake as if trying to wake himself from a bad dream. A thousand emotions tangled inside him, but he forced every one of them back. Now wasn’t any time to let his personal feelings for Addison impede the success of the mission.
“That’s something we can’t guarantee,” he said, firmly stepping on her promise. “We’re here to establish contact with Magaera, not stage a coup.”
The Nyx didn’t blink. “If Magaera wanted peace, she would not have sent her soldiers to attack your men the first time they went into the waters near her island. She is asserting her power to prove she rules these waters now.”
“I think he’s right,” Addison said. “Magaera has had a lot of chances to establish peaceful communication. Instead, she’s attacked us, not once, but twice. She’s not interested in talking, but taking. And until she’s stopped, that’s all she’s going to do.”
Mason weighed their words. His own experiences with the Mer queen would have him agree with their assessment. Were he the one calling the shots, he’d be inclined to agree that Magaera needed to be deposed as soon as possible. The trouble was, he had superiors to answer to.
No one could have anticipated the arrival of the Nyx. Their appearance threw a monkey wrench into a matter that was already too complicated. He needed to communicate with Secretary Webber as soon as possible, updating his commander on the latest developments.
He was about to say as much when Hawkins reappeared. “Sorry to interrupt, sir,” he said, giving the Nyx a wide berth, “but we’ve got a problem.”
Mason’s heart seized. “Have the Mer returned?”
Hawkins shook his head. “It’s Tessa Randall’s husband.”
“What about him?”
“He’s here.”
That was impossible. The waters around Magaera’s island had been declared to be in quarantine. Although a few other countries had protested the US government’s authority in the matter, few were prepared to confront the Mer themselves.
“How the hell did he get past us?” he snapped.
Hawkins shrugged. “No telling, sir. But he is here, and he is requesting a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.”
A sinking sensation settled into his gut. The last thing he needed was more interference. He briefly considered having Randall’s ship picked up and escorted out of the area.
He glanced at Addison. His attraction to her gnawed at him, and he suddenly knew how Tessa�
��s husband felt. If that were my wife, and she were in danger… , he thought. Yeah. He supposed he’d do anything he could to try and reach her.
“Tell Randall I’ll meet with him shortly.” He looked at Jovon. “I hope you’re prepared to stay awhile. We’ve got a lot of talking to do.”
Chapter 20
Kenneth Randall had invited them to meet aboard the DreamFever. Mason had accepted. Even though the Sea Horse wasn’t officially recognized as a navy ship, it was still a government outfit and subject to the rules and regulations of such.
As a search and recovery vessel, the DreamFever was outfitted with much of the same equipment carried by the Sea Horse. Unlike the Sea Horse, Randall’s ship catered to the comfort of its crew and passengers. Although the company he’d bought into, Recoveries, Inc., was presently out of business, Randall had been savvy enough to hold on to the equipment, docking the ship in Crete.
Having read the dossier, Mason knew Randall’s attorneys had gone to court to file a record of the discovery of Ishaldi’s ruins and had subsequently won the right of ownership over any artifacts that might be raised from the site. Since the actual physical location of Ishaldi lay in waters unclaimed by any country bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, it had been relatively easy to stake a claim.
That entitlement had subsequently been negated by the US government once the existence of the sea-gate and the Mer had been confirmed as fact. Because Tessa and her sisters were legal residents of the country, the United States had also assumed the burden of what to do with the Mer now that the species had reemerged from what was considered to be a self-imposed exile from the world stage.
“We’re doing our best to find a way to breach the island,” Mason said, attempting to keep an even and neutral tone in his voice. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that Kenneth Randall wasn’t the easiest man to deal with. He charged ahead like a bull in a china shop, unmindful of the damage he might cause.
Randall cut him short. “Whatever you’re doing isn’t enough as long as my wife remains a hostage.”
