by Magan Vernon
“Oh. Yeah. My grandma gave it to me,” I said, holding up the bright blue stone.
Jess nodded. “It looks like a sapphire or maybe an azurite? Do you know?”
I shook my head. “No. Gran just said it was my mother’s. That’s all I know about it.”
“You should totally take it to Gia’s Gem Shop. It’s on Newport by a bike rental place. The lady really knows her stuff.”
I nodded, not sure if I’d take her up on the offer, but it couldn’t hurt to know what exactly what was behind the stone and why it was so important to my father.
Chapter 6
Calder
I should’ve gone home as soon as I got out of the hospital. Work gave me the entire week off to rest, but I couldn’t just lie around. Instead, I stared down at the piece of paper where I’d written down the address Tex had given me. I could’ve maybe gone to Ace’s and sweet talked a waitress until I got the sexy bartender’s schedule or even had Benny get it from Jess. But Tex had her address within less than a minute and that meant I was a minute closer to seeing Maya again.
Her house was around thirty miles from Ace’s and even farther from my condo and the school. It was a homey little place, not far from the beach, with a white picket fence on the outside. It didn’t fit with what I thought of when I saw Maya. I mean, I guess maybe I pictured mermaids always living in the sea, but whatever she was or whoever; I at least owed her a thank you for saving my life.
Even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be saved.
Getting out of my car, I scanned my surroundings, something I always did now. I pulled my ball cap low over my eyes before opening the little gate that led to the small, but kept, front yard.
There weren’t many signs of life in the small neighborhood, everyone was probably at work or the beach, but it seemed like a peaceful little street. An older place that probably didn’t see much trouble.
The residents probably wouldn’t like it if they saw a stranger walking up to one of their doors. I mentally made a note to smile and to try not to appear too brooding. I had a tendency to do that. I was tall, still kept up my upper body at the gym, and with the five o’clock shadow and baseball cap, I probably looked like someone who would rob their daughters. Or impregnate them.
I shook my head, mentally knocking out those thoughts before approaching the front door.
Sucking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly before ringing the doorbell.
I’d been in the deepest waters off the coast of multiple countries and five continents, but ringing the doorbell of Maya’s house, made my heart race a million beats per minute.
I didn’t know why in the hell I was nervous.
Maybe it was because she saved my life.
Or because she was a mermaid.
Maybe it was both.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and waited.
Even though it seemed like forever, it had probably only been a minute or two. But still nobody came to the door. Taking my chances, I rang again, then heard shuffling and the removing of a dead bolt.
The door slowly creaked open and an elderly woman peered out, her eyes narrowing as she took me in. “We don’t want to buy nothing you’re selling, we’ve found Jesus, and my granddaughter isn’t home.”
Licking my lips, I blinked hard before responding. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m a friend of Maya’s. I didn’t know she wasn’t here.”
I thought Maya would have lived alone, at her age. Maybe she was younger than I thought and I was way over my head.
The woman opened the door fully.
I’d been face-to-face with trained killers and this older woman, even with her short stature, could make any one of them shake in their boots if she curled her lip in disgust like she did at me. “What do you want with my Maya?”
“I’m just a friend, ma’am.”
“Where do you know her from?” Her voice was short, her tone harsh.
“I met her at her work.”
The woman sneered. “So you’re a bar lackey? My granddaughter doesn’t need some drunk chasing her around. She’s not into your brooding Disney prince looks.”
I tried not to smirk and keep my face neutral. “Ma’am, I’m a retired Undersea Medical Officer and a doctor at the university. I’m not here looking to do anything unwanted with your granddaughter.”
The woman opened her mouth then shut it again before nodding her head toward something behind me. “You’re in luck, young man.”
I turned toward where she was nodding and saw a small green car pull up behind mine and Maya’s dark head popped out. Her eyes widened when she saw me. Then slowly she approached the front door.
“Calder? Wha…wha…what are you doing here?” Maya stuttered.
“Is this boy trouble, Maya?” The old woman asked.
Maya shook her head. “No, Gran. It’s fine. Can you give us a minute?”
I followed Maya’s gaze to the door where Maya and her grandmother seemed to have an entire conversation with facial expressions before the old woman finally nodded. “Okay, Maya, but if you need anything just holler.”
Gran turned toward me, narrowing her eyes. “You may be a former sailor, but I carry, son, and I’m one hell of a shot, so don’t do anything in my front yard you wouldn’t want Jesus to see.”
Trying not to laugh, I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
With that, Gran slowly shut the door, keeping her eyes on me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was still staring through the peep hole.
“What are you doing here, Calder? And how the hell did you find me?” Maya turned toward me sharply, folding her arms across her chest.
I licked my lips and shoved my hands in my pockets. “I just came to talk. A friend of mine got your address. I meant no harm. I really wanted to thank you, you know, for saving my life.”
Her body stiffened and she widened those dark eyes, shaking her head. “I didn’t do anything. In fact, I probably almost killed you by serving you that much. If you show up at Ace’s again, I’ll cut you off way sooner.”
“Is there somewhere we can talk, privately?” I asked, glancing around the quiet neighborhood.
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow. “No?”
Maya was tall for a girl. At my six-foot-two, she was only a few inches shorter. She was long and lean and every bit of that showed in her little tank top and shorts. But she still tried to stand straighter and looked me right in the eye. “Haven’t you ever heard ‘no’ from a girl? I said ‘no’. I have somewhere to be. I just came home to change, but I have to run out.”
“Well, maybe I could come with you?” I tried turning on the charm, even widening my smile.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Did you just give me a Disney Prince smolder?”
“A what?” I blinked. What was with these women and Disney Prince references?
“You know the move in a Disney cartoon where the guy turns on that brooding face and makes the girls panties drop? I’ve seen it on every single navy guy who’s walked into Ace’s. It does nothing for me.”
I took a step closer, causing a little gasp to emerge from Maya’s throat. Slowly I leaned in, my lips right on her ear. “Maybe you prefer men with a tail.”
Leaning back, I looked at her face, which darkened about ten shades. “I…I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I sighed. “Look, Maya, I thought I was crazy when I was sitting in that hospital bed. I kept having dreams about you. Dreams about you as a mermaid. I didn’t tell anyone because I knew a psych would be there as soon as they got wind of the conversation. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Or you. The thing that kept me going was thinking of those dark eyes of yours and when I’d get to see them again.”
Call it cheesy as hell, but I had to get it out there. I had to let her know the truth of it all.
It must’ve worked because she let out a deep breath. “You walked into the water. I couldn’t let you drown.”
“When I walked
into the sea, I wanted to let the sea take me.” I took a step closer so we were toe-to-toe and then put my hand on her cheek.
“That is until I saw your face. It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes and the last thing I remembered. Well, besides seeing a tail. But your eyes were what I couldn’t stop thinking about. The way you looked at me in the glow of the moonlight. I know there may be some things you aren’t ready to talk about and I won’t ask about them. I have my own demons that I’m not ready to deal with either. I just wanted to come here, to say, well, I was going to say thank you, but that doesn’t seem to really cut it.”
Shit, I was rambling. I thought I knew exactly what I was going to say, but truth was, I was a goner the moment she looked at me at the bar.
Maya looked into my eyes. They were darker than the night sky and ones I could stare at forever. I found myself staring and wanting to know more about this girl with the dark eyes and the tail who had peaked my interest more than anyone in my entire life.
The door creaked open beside us and Gran poked her head out. “Are you two going to stand out there and stare at each other all day or should I start lunch?”
Maya stepped back, breaking our gaze and looked at her grandma. “No. I was just leaving.”
“We were just leaving,” I corrected, hoping my little soliloquy had gotten to her. That or she was probably going to tell me to stay the hell away forever.
Maya sighed and nodded. “Yes. We were leaving.”
Chapter 7
Maya
I didn’t know why I agreed to let Calder go with me to the gem shop. I probably shouldn’t have. But there was something about the look of defeat in his eyes. Something that made me think there was more to this guy. If he knew my secret and was still coming back for me, then maybe there was something more. Maybe I could actually trust him.
Or maybe I just really needed to get laid and the first guy to touch me in years was making me give into anything.
He crammed his long body into my compact car and I tried not to giggle as his head practically hit the ceiling. I watched his hands as he gruffly buckled his seatbelt. Those big hands that I thought about resting on my cheek.
What the hell was I thinking?
I couldn’t have those kinds of thoughts about Calder, especially since he knew I shifted. But I was drawn to him. Maybe it was because I knew that even though he had the hard, former military guy exterior, there was a part of him that was broken. The part that made him walk into the ocean.
That broken part was beautiful. The part I found myself thinking about constantly.
“So…where are we headed?” Calder finally asked.
I licked my lips and tried to think of the right thing to say, so I didn’t sound crazy. Instead I just blurted the truth. “A gem shop.”
He laughed. It was a great sound. It came from low in his stomach and made my whole body tighten. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those hippie types that’s into essential oils and gems and all that nonsense?”
“Aren’t all shifters?”
I took a shot at glancing at him and saw a dimple in his cheek that I hadn’t noticed before. “Is that what you are?”
Letting out a deep breath, I finally spilled what I hadn’t told anyone but Gran. “I think so. When I was a teenager, I held a couple of high school records in swimming. I was good. Really good. The Olympic Trials was coming up and everyone knew I was going to make the team and possibly a world record in the 200M individual medley.”
I took a deep breath before I continued. “I went to the pool at Olympic trials for one final practice and ended up with a tail flapping against the water. It scared the hell out of me. I don’t know why it didn’t happen before then, but it was like someone turning on a switch. Once it turned, I couldn’t not shift when I got into the water. Thus my swimming career was officially over and lost my college scholarship.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond and kept talking to get it all out. This was more than I’d ever talked to anyone about my shifting. “I hadn’t been in the water since the night I jumped in after you. When I came home late that night, I confided in my gran about my shifting. She told me about my father as a shifter and gave me this amulet. Now I need to know what it means.”
I was pretty sure that Calder was going to think I was insane and bolt out of the car as soon as I was done talking. But he didn’t.
Instead he put his hand on mine on the console between us then squeezed it gently. “That’s a whole lot of shit to take in. I know grown men that wouldn’t be standing right now if they found out all of that about themselves.”
“You don’t think I’m crazy?” I glanced over to see that his beautiful brown eyes were locked on me and a ghost of a smile crossed his face.
“Maya, you rescued me from the ocean. You took a chance at someone seeing you shift and blowing this cover you’ve been working so hard to keep, to save my stupid ass. The only thing I think you’re crazy for is trying to save me.”
“I couldn’t live with myself if I let the sea take you,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond. He just squeezed my hand one last time and then kept it there while he looked out the window.
I wanted to know what was going on in his head, but I could barely tell what was going on in mine. But the warm chill that went through my body just from the small touch of Calder’s hand on mine was the most alive I’d felt in years.
Calder knew about me and instead of running, he was chasing me. Wanting me.
Maybe it was trap. Maybe he was going to turn me into the naval base and they would do experiments on me.
I had to believe that wasn’t true. I had to believe he was a good man.
We pulled into a little strip mall near the beach with a tie-dye painted beach house on one side of it. A big painted sign swung from the front porch that read “Gia’s Gems”.
“This is the place?” Calder asked, staring out the front window.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Seems like a legit place that would know about shifters.”
Rolling my eyes, I unbuckled my seatbelt. “I haven’t had any other leads so I have to take them when I find them.”
Before I could open the door, Calder’s hand was on mine, stopping my movement.
He was so close that I could feel his breath on my cheek. He smelled warm and inviting like fresh mint and a woodsy cologne. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I’m sorry it came off that way. If this is where you have to go to find answers, then this is where you have to go. And once you find those answers, we’ll talk?”
I swallowed hard, staring into those endless dark eyes of his. Finally I nodded and managed to squeak out some kind of a response.
It must have satisfied him because he smiled, squeezing my hand before he got out of the car and before I knew it, he ran around to the other side and opened my door, holding out his hand.
“Um, what are you doing?” I asked.
He took my hand and pulled me to a standing position. “It would be rude if I didn’t open the door for you. What kind of guy do you think I am?”
I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had opened a car door for me. Or any door really. “Thanks,” I muttered and turned toward the white porch of Gia’s, so he couldn’t see the blush that I knew had to be creeping up my cheeks.
A bell rang over the stained glass door as we entered and my senses were hit with bright, reflecting crystals and the strong scent of patchouli.
“Welcome to Gia’s, let me know if I can be of any service!” A woman in a long, flowing purple robe called from behind a wooden counter.
Calder gave me a ‘WTF’ look and I tried to ignore it. To shake off the feeling that this wasn’t just another dead end.
Slowly I approached the woman at the counter. “Yes, a friend told me that you could help identify this gem.”
Slowly I unclasped the chain and the woman’s eyes widened. She grabbed a small pair of purple glasses from behind the
counter. “Do you mind if I look at this more closely?”
I nodded and handed her the necklace.
She took it as if it were a piece of breakable glass and then set it on the counter in front of her, peering down at it. “This is a piece I haven’t seen in years…”
“You’ve seen one before?” I asked, trying to keep my breathing even but my entire body was shaking.
“Only once. Many years ago, but my partner…he was the one that knew exactly what it was.” The woman didn’t even look in my direction when she spoke. She grabbed the necklace, then immediately whirled around, and pushed a beaded curtain open behind her.
“Jeb! Jeb!”
The woman quickly turned toward me and motioned a finger for me to follow, then scrambled behind the curtain.
“Do we follow?” I asked, turning slightly toward Calder.
He nodded. “If something goes wrong I’ll take one of my legs off and beat them with the prosthetic while you run.”
I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help my smile. “Glad one of us has a plan.”
Calder followed me behind the counter and pushed beside the beaded curtain to reveal a small room that was painted a dark purple. The only light came from a small lamp on a desk covered with papers.
An older man with salt and pepper hair and large glasses stared through a microscope, ignoring the woman in front of him.
“Jeb! Jeb! Why aren’t you listening?”
“Gia, can’t you see that I’m working?” Jeb finally looked up at the woman with a look of annoyance on his face. Then he glanced behind her and his eyes widened when they landed on me.
Slowly he stood up, removing the glasses and setting them down on the table.
“My stars…It’s you…” he whispered, slowly walking toward me.
He couldn’t have been any younger than Gran and was dressed in an old worn button down shirt and dress pants. Something I would expect a grandpa to be wearing, not some guy at a gem shop.
But it wasn’t what he was wearing that I was concerned with. It was the way he stared at me. Dissected me.
