by C. W. Gray
Ben fought the urge to turn around. He just wanted to spend the day with Dover. “We should go home.”
Hester patted his cheek. “Get my bag, Ben. This needs to happen.”
Dover’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Am I going to discover a chest of gold and have to fight my way through a mob of ghost pirates?”
Ben groaned and looked up at the sky. “Why did I let him watch Pirates of the Caribbean? Why?”
Hester chuckled and patted Otis’ head. “You’re lucky to have him, Benny, and you know it. Come on. You need to get to catching us dinner.”
They walked the rest of the way to the marina, and Ben just shook his head when he saw Eloise waiting at his dock. “Did Hester call you, or are you here to try to talk Dover into another job?”
Eloise snorted and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Bluetail called me and asked if I wanted to come along.”
Ben raised his brow and looked at Dover.
The merman gave him a sheepish look. “I thought we might need her help carrying all the treasure I’m going to find back to the house.”
Eloise snorted and slapped Ben’s back. “I’ll help you catch some redfish, then we can make Dover cook them when he doesn’t find his pirate treasure.”
Dover shoved Eloise and the two started slapping at each other.
Ben sighed and helped Hester onto his boat, then tucked their gear in the tiny cabin.
Hester and Dover put lifejackets on Otis and Jojo while Eloise maneuvered Ben’s boat from the dock and sailed away from the marina.
Ben lay back in the bench seat and let Chubber climb onto his stomach. The little otter shimmied and danced, making him laugh.
Eloise shot him a grin. “It’s nice to hear you laugh. We’ve been friends for a while, but you were always so reserved. Now that you have Dover, you laugh and smile and talk.”
Ben shrugged and rubbed a finger over one of the pearls on the crown around Chubber’s waist. “Dover makes life better. He likes being around me, Eloise. When we aren’t together he actually misses me.”
She frowned. “Are you thinking about your family?”
He nodded. “All my life, I’ve been a person’s background. Does that make sense?”
Eloise gave him a puzzled look. “No.”
“I’ve been there, but in the background,” he tried to explain. “No one really noticed if I was there or not. I was just someone they knew.”
Eloise growled and shook her head, making her brown curls bounce. “I would notice if you were gone. You’re my best friend, Ben.”
He grinned. “Yeah. You and Hester were the first to see me. Ryan, Stewart, and a few others at work notice me too, but all of you could live without me.”
“You sound like a drama queen,” Eloise said, rolling her eyes.
“I feel like a drama queen,” he said, laughing. “At least where Dover’s concerned. He would be upset without me, Eloise. He would grieve.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Eloise said, “But I would grieve for you too. You’re more loved than you think, douchebag.”
Chubber braced his paws on Ben’s cheeks and nibbled at his nose.
“Yeah, I feel loved.” Ben watched Dover dance with Otis and Jojo at the front of the boat while Hester clapped. “I love him, Eloise.”
She pushed her sunglasses over her eyes and smirked. “I kinda noticed.”
“Ben,” Dover said, running into the cabin. “Come listen to the waves with me. It’s the most beautiful song.”
Ben set Chubber on Eloise’s head and went to stand with his mate. He wrapped his arms around Dover and listened to him chatter about the wreck.
An hour later, Dover told them to stop and shucked his pants. He jumped into the ocean, legs shifting to his silvery blue tail. “You all follow me and I’ll show you where to stop, okay?”
“Got it, bluetail,” Eloise said, leaning over the rail. “If I run over you, I apologize in advance. You kinda blend into the water.”
Dover splashed water with his tail, drenching Eloise. “Don’t let the hairy beaver run over me, Ben.”
Ben sighed. “And... the beaver jokes begin.”
“I’m too busy looking for hard wood to hear you, bluetail,” Eloise said, cackling. She moved back to the cabin.
“Wood? Did you switch teams, Eloise?” Hester asked, sitting down on the bench in the cabin, Jojo in her arms. “I thought you liked over wet beavers.”
Ben gagged, keeping a careful hold on Chubber. “Come on, buddy. It’s getting gross over there.”
Eloise and Hester laughed at him, but he ignored them and went to the front of the boat.
Ben leaned over the rail and watched Dover swim just below the surface. His tail was one big muscle, and he moved almost as fast as the boat. “I wish I could swim with you.”
Dover gurgled something and Ben shook his head. “I don’t understand your bubble language,” Ben yelled, not sure if Dover could hear him underwater.
“I need to learn it,” Eloise said from the cabin. “Not that I’ll ever meet other merfolk, but it has to suck to not be able to speak your native language to anyone but an otter.”
“I would learn it if I could,” Ben said, sulking. He hated the thought of not being everything Dover needed. Otis sat beside him and leaned against his leg.
About thirty minutes later, Dover told them to stop. “It’s right here. I’ll swim down and look around, then be right back. Wait to start fishing until I get the layout figured out.”
“Be careful,” Ben said. The boat rocked as they dropped anchor. The water wasn’t rough by any means, but it was a small boat and they were in open ocean. “I should suit up and go with him.”
Eloise came to stand beside him. “You’d distract him. Let him have his look, then you can suit up and I’ll shift. My beaver hates saltwater, but I’ll do some dives and try to keep an eye on him. How far down is the wreck?”
“About two hundred and twenty feet,” Ben said.
“You don’t have the right equipment, so neither of us can go that deep. I can still try to check on him.” Eloise started pulling her shirt up.
“Keep your clothes on, beaver,” Hester said. “We need to stay on the boat.”
“Why?” Eloise asked, looking at Hester over her shoulder.
Hester pointed at the water. “That’s why.”
Ben turned back to the water and his heart started pounding. “Fuck.”
Seconds ago, the surface of the water had been empty, but now, Ben counted at least twelve dorsal fins sticking out of the water and circling the boat.
“Sharks,” Eloise said, voice shaking.
Chapter 10
Dover swam around the sunken ship, admiring the corals and beautiful flytrap anemones growing along the wreck. The water was much cooler in the ocean depths, and it had a very different feel than the shallow waters he was used to. Adventure, thy name is Dover!
The backside of the ship was buried in the sand, but the front half of the ship was visible. The wooden hull looked ancient, but Dover wasn’t an expert.
“Damn,” he said. “Pirates didn’t have metal ships.”
A line of empty window frames covered one side of the wreckage. He swam inside and looked around. All he saw was rotting wood, kelp, and coral growths. Small fish darted around, and Dover took a moment to appreciate the life around him. Merfolk needed land, but they also needed water.
“I should spend more time in the ocean,” he said.
“That would be a bad idea, little guppy.” The deep voice startled him, and he turned around quickly.
A large merman was silhouetted in the window. His dark hair was cut close to his head, and his dark eyes glittered in the very faint light. The man wore slick black armor and the handle of a harpoon gun poked over his shoulder. Small blades were strapped to his chest and arms.
He swam into the room and Dover’s eyes widened further. He was a shark-tailed merman. A Great White shark-tailed merman. Eep!<
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Dover noted the man wore thin black gloves and narrowed his eyes, searching his memory. “You look familiar.”
The merman bowed slightly. “Prince Tack of the Northern Silver Isles, at your service, Your Highness.”
Dover grinned and breathed out bubbles of relief. “Shew! I thought you were some renegade mer out to murder innocent treasure hunters.”
Tack raised a brow. “Treasure hunters?”
Dover waved his arms around the empty room. “I’m searching for treasure.”
“I’m afraid we already processed the visible portion of this wreck,” Tack said. “We’re scheduled to excavate the bottom half next week.”
Dover’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. I didn’t discover an unknown pirate wreck?”
Tack gave him a small smile. “No, I’m sorry, but this was actually an eighteenth century Spanish merchant’s ship.”
“Damn it! I don’t want to work at the factory.” Dover swished his tail angrily. “I forgot you Coalswells were divers. You probably find all the best ships.”
“We do,” Tack agreed, nodding. “Your father calls us scavengers.”
Dover rolled his eyes. “Not everyone can be pearl farmers. No one else is better suited to underwater exploration.”
“My kingdom does well,” Tack said, and started slowly circling Dover. “We patrol the seas, looking for wreckage. That’s how one of my men spotted you last week. Imagine my surprise when he told me King Ren’s youngest son was swimming alone so very far from home.”
“Shit a brick! You can’t tell my father, okay?” Dover rubbed his face. “Please.”
“My diplomat in your court, Janine, keeps up on all the gossip,” Tack said, ignoring him. “Just last week, Prince Kai and Prince Kit went on a quick trip to the Bahamas with a couple of servants. The only thing is, my people saw your brothers swimming up the coast of Florida.”
Dover frowned. “Why would they do that?”
Tack grinned, sharp teeth gleaming white in the shadows of the wreck. “Why would their servants take a ship to Virginia and start swimming down the coast?”
“Uh oh,” Dover said, finally realizing what Tack was getting at. “They’re looking for me.”
“Yes,” Tack said, tail swishing. “Without any guards or escorts.”
“Why would father agree to that? Kai is second in line to inherit the throne.”
“Prince Kai is more than capable of protecting himself, but your father is under the impression several guards went with him.” Tack looked troubled. “Janine said that your father doesn’t know you’re missing.”
Dover opened his mouth, then closed it. His father didn’t know he was missing? How was that possible? “It’s almost been two months.
“Janine told me your sister Eugenia is getting married, so the king’s court has been busy,” Tack said, wincing. “That must be why your disappearance has gone unnoticed.”
“You don’t have to lie to me,” Dover whispered. “I bet your father would notice if you went missing.”
“He would.” Tack stopped circling him and rubbed his chin. “Your brothers noticed. They’re looking for you. That’s something at least.”
“Yeah.” Dover sighed again, then went rigid when he saw a large Great White shark swim past the ship’s window. “Shit, watch out. There’s a big shark outside. We better get back to the boat.”
Tack looked over his shoulder. “She’s with me. My people and our pets are all over this site, so it’s safe enough for you right now.”
Dover grinned. “Your pet is a shark?”
Tack grinned back. “Pet is probably the wrong word.” He paused and tapped his ear. A small black metal strip was hooked around it. “My lookout tells me a human with a knife just jumped off your boat and is attempting to swim down.”
Dover swam out the window and started for the surface. “That’s my Ben. He must have seen your sharks and freaked out.”
“Your Ben?” Tack kept pace with him easily. “My people will keep him from drowning.”
Dover flushed. “Ben is my mate.”
“You mated a human?” Tack sounded horrified. “The dumbass just jumped into an ocean full of sharks, so he can’t be very intelligent. Are you sure he’s your mate?”
Dover noticed several shark-tailed merfolk and large sharks swimming around the wreckage. Most of the Coalswells were shark tailed, but he had never seen so many in one place before. “He’s all mine. You really have a shark friend?”
Tack nodded to Dover’s other side and Dover jumped. The Great White was right beside him. “That’s Lola. She’s my friend. Don’t worry. She won’t eat you as long as you’re with me.”
“What if I meet her and you’re not there?”
“Then you’re dinner.” Tack grinned. “There’s a reason guppy tails don’t swim alone in the ocean.”
Dover caught sight of his mate, thrashing around in the water. Two mermen held him by the arms. “My poor Ben was probably worried about me.”
Tack gave him a flat look. “He jumped into shark-infested water. Should he really reproduce?”
Two large splashes came from the right and Dover covered his cheeks with his hand. “This is so embarrassing, but that’s my friend Eloise and our dog Otis. Oh, and there’s my Chubber.”
Chubber swam with quick precision, and put his small body between Lola and Dover.
Tack grinned. “Brave little otter.”
A beaver swam right toward Tack’s face and Dover did his best not to laugh as the prince fought to hold her away from him.
“Eloise, it’s okay.” Dover sighed, and hugged Eloise, pulling her away from Tack. “I wish she understood me.” The beaver went slack and looked at him, trying to see through the murky water.
“Let’s get to the surface before anyone else jumps from your boat and attacks me,” Tack said, scowling.
They broke surface and Dover immediately searched for Ben and Otis. Both were being held afloat by mermen.
“Dover!” Ben stopped struggling against the mermen. “Damn it, bluetail. There are sharks everywhere.”
“This is your human?” Tack asked, clearly unimpressed.
Dover hummed in pleasure. “Yes, isn’t he beautiful?”
“He almost stabbed me in the eye,” the merman on Ben’s left said sourly.
Dover eyed Tack’s look of disdain, then started giggling. “Your prince took a wet beaver to the face.”
Eloise growled and all of Tack’s guards started laughing.
Tack gave him an annoyed look. “Thank you, Prince Dover, for telling everyone about that.”
“Dover, what’s going on?” Ben watched them all warily.
“To be honest, I don’t know. Let’s get on the boat,” Dover said.
A merman approached from the other side of the boat. “Um, Your Highness? There’s a witch onboard and she turned three of our men into raccoons.”
Tack blinked. “Like, actual raccoons?”
Another merman swam over. He held a wet raccoon out of the water. “Your Highness? What should we do?”
“Hester,” Dover yelled. “Stop turning them into raccoons.”
“Loosen your panties, boys. It’s only temporary.” Hester looked over the rail, Jojo in her arms. “Has he tried to kidnap you yet, Dover?”
Dover gasped, finally understanding why the Coalswells had arrived when they did. “Prince Tack, are you trying to kidnap me?”
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!” Ben punched one of the mermen in the face, and bit the arm of the tiger-shark-tailed merman on his right. Freed, he swam to Dover.
Dover held him up in the water with one arm, Eloise in the other. His tail swished below, keeping them afloat.
Tack sighed. “I’m not going to kidnap you.”
Dover smiled, relieved. “Oh good.”
“I mean, I was, but honestly, your human’s a handful.” Tack grinned when both Eloise and Ben growled at him.
“I like their dog,” the merman holdi
ng Otis said. He scratched behind Otis’ ear. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”
“Woof.” Otis’ tongue hung out and he leaned into the man’s scratches.
“Well, he doesn’t bite,” the tiger-shark-tailed merman said, glaring at Ben. “Unlike the human.”
Tack’s expression grew serious. “Really, though, you need to call your brothers and go home. It’s not safe for you to be unprotected.”
“I protect him,” Ben said, snarling.
Tack arched a brow. “You’re one man, human. I had intended to take him and ransom him to his father. I could still do that and there is nothing you could do to stop me.”
Hester snapped her fingers and another merman turned into a raccoon. “Would you like to repeat that, Your Highness? Ben isn’t alone.”
The mermaid next to the scrambling raccoon grabbed him from the water with a wince.
“Why aren’t you kidnapping him?” Ben asked, eyes hard.
“He’s mated to a human,” Tack said, smirking. “I feel sorry for the man.”
“My human is perfect,” Dover said, growling.
“If you say so,” Tack said, shrugging. “Your father won’t be happy. If you happen to need protection, the Northern Silver Isles will take you and your mate in.”
Dover’s mouth dropped open. The Coalswells were supposed to be cruel and evil. “Why would you do that?”
Tack grinned. “It would make King Ren furious.”
“Ah,” Dover said, understanding. “What do you want from my father?”
“There will be a union between our families,” Tack said. “I need to be able to choose which of your siblings I marry.”
“Talia will kick your ass,” Dover said.
“I don’t want to marry Princess Talia,” Tack said, face bland. “Get on your boat and go home. Call your brothers.”
Dover swam around Lola and went to the rear of the boat so Ben and Eloise could board. Chubber climbed Dover’s body to jump onto the boat and Otis doggy-paddled over so Dover could help him clamber onto the stern. By the time he shifted and pulled himself out of the water, the Coalswells were gone.
