Falling in Deep Collection Box Set

by Pauline Creeden

  Sometime later, as Dylan’s breaths quieted, Marissa lay silent, staring up at the light of the green stones, hoping it was a view she’d have for years to come. In her old life, she’d been adrift. The loss of her father and mother were major parts of why she’d been alone, but the reality was that she had never really felt like she belonged anywhere specific. She’d maintained the day-to-day motions, attached only to work. But here, she already felt different. La media vida. It was the half-life that was making her feel whole.

  Nine

  Marissa woke again to the sound of splashing. She opened her eyes to an empty bed of sailcloth. Before she could even wonder where Dylan had gone, his voice answered her.

  “News?”

  Marissa turned toward his voice, spotting him by the entrance where Rift had just arrived.

  “She’s out. The sun hasn’t fully risen topside, but she’s there,” Rift replied. Water ran down his bulky body, puddling at his transformed feet.

  “That was fast. You’re certain it’s her?”

  “It’s south of where you said you found Marissa, not far from the carrier. She’ll need to confirm, of course.”

  “Any more humans?”

  “None with her. There’s not much traffic yet. Some fishermen, but nothing that’ll prevent us from dealing with this now. Is she ready?” Rift asked, not bothering to look toward Marissa.

  Dylan glanced around him, catching her eye for a moment. “Yeah. We’re ready.”

  “Good. We have twenty keeping watch of the location and twenty more on perimeter. She dropped in ten minutes ago, so we need to move.”

  “We’ll be right behind you.”

  Rift nodded and dove into the water without another word.

  “Hey,” Dylan said, walking to the bed. “You hungry?” He cupped her face and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

  Marissa closed her eyes and shook her head the slightest bit. “No. No food.” There was no way her stomach could support anything. It rolled and twisted into knots just thinking about what was about to happen. Dylan had been right: letting go of humanity might not be as easy as she’d thought. But she was also worried about Dylan’s fate, and her own. Dylan was certain the others would forget everything else after Darci was gone. She wasn’t as confident.

  “We should go then. If it is her, you’ll need to ID her and then we’ll figure out the best plan.”

  She nodded and followed him to the water, shaking her hands out to settle her nerves.

  “Stay close to me. I’ll relay any info from Rift after we get there. If it is her, they’ll want it dealt with fast. I’ll help you the best that I can. And remember that it’ll be okay if you can’t do it. Rift will stick close to you and he’ll have no problem handling it himself. There won’t be any problems as long as you don’t try to save her.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “I’m there, no matter what,” he reassured. “Ready?”

  “Wait.” She walked into the other room as fast as her feet allowed and picked up her father’s wallet. “Dad,” she whispered, sliding his driver’s license out of the plastic sleeve. His ocean eyes stared out at her, full of life, with a warm grin atop his groomed beard. It was look she’d seen a million times, kind and gentle, and it had been taken by a heartless monster. She knew now that if Darci hadn’t taken his life, it would have been Dylan or one of the others. It hurt to know he would have died no matter what, but she at least understood their reasons. They had to protect their people. Darci, however, had no valid reason.

  Marissa clutched the license in her hand, absorbing all the anger it brought. She would need it.

  Dylan was already in the water when she returned, only his head and shoulders exposed.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be. You okay?”

  “I am now. Let’s go.”

  She jumped into the water beside him, feeling the warmth take over. The ache spread through her as everything adjusted to the change again. She kicked her tail, prepared to dive, but Dylan grabbed her arm and held tight. She looked into his eyes, expecting to hear his voice in her mind, but it never came. Instead, his mouth pressed to hers. It was a loving kiss, meant to calm her, and it did exactly that. Their air mixed and he slid his arms around her, pulling her close, holding her in a way that filled her with so much more than life. It gave her hope for a future.

  I needed that, his voice said.

  Marissa smiled against his lips and thought, I did too. Thank you.

  He backed away and tugged her hand. It was time to go.

  They navigated the caves and swam hard toward the carrier reef, passing several others of their kind positioned on alert as Rift had said. Strips of delicate sunlight cut through the water, and soon enough, the gulf’s floor leveled out into the bare sandy bottom of the shelf. The closer they got, the more Marissa’s gills tingled. The air in the water felt thinner, not as fulfilling. It was getting harder to breathe. She glanced over at Dylan, watching his body move beside her. He had traveled even closer to shore when he’d saved her, farther away from their air source. It couldn’t have been an easy feat.

  She immediately understood why he had tested their boundaries. After all, being told you can’t and learning for yourself are two very different things. The desire to know the limits pulled at her too. Even with her mind focused on what was about to happen with Darci, she found herself wondering if breaking the surface was possible. That longing to return to shore, to return home, was a force that was bound to pull for a long time. It surely wouldn’t go away overnight, if it ever did at all.

  Dylan’s hand grabbed her arm, slowing her. Here.

  After she heard Dylan’s voice, Rift swam into view. Despite knowing that they were on friendly terms at the moment, she still felt insecure near him. With biceps the size of her human thighs and his feral, penetrating eyes, his presence was fierce enough to frighten a shark. He stared at Dylan with a pinched forehead. His body was stiff, tense. Something wasn’t right.

  Dylan’s eyes darted up toward the surface and he nodded. He glanced back to Marissa, eyes wide. Already ascending.

  Rift’s massive body shifted in front of them, catching Dylan’s eyes and obviously speaking to him.

  Yes. She knows.

  Dylan’s tone, the words, it was all clear enough. If Marissa tried to save Darci, or refused to kill her, Rift was to finish her. Or maybe both of them. That was something she hadn’t thought of. If they wanted her dead too, would Rift kill her or would Dylan have to?

  Dylan snaked an arm around her back, pulling her close. No. His head shook and his hair fanned out around his face. Looking down, he grabbed her hand that held her father’s license. Now. This. Him. His lips quickly pressed to hers then he backed away.

  Marissa glanced at her father’s face again then back to Dylan. He nodded a bit and she felt herself doing the same, though a haze began to settle inside her thoughts, stealing bits of her consciousness. Her body moved automatically, pushing her slowly forward just above the sandy floor then up. Within seconds, she was close to the surface, looking at the silhouette of a boat and a lone diver just underneath. Marissa’s eyes honed in on the diver’s short hair and thin body. Female. Her regulator breaths were clear, slow and deep. Relaxed. She didn’t know death was coming.

  There was no doubt it was Darci. She had cut her dive short and was already close to the surface, close to getting away. Rage bubbled up inside Marissa, overtaking the weakness in her stomach and driving her into action. She kicked hard, pushing her tail and moving fast. Noises came from behind her, Rift and the others trailing close, watching, waiting, but she didn’t care. All of it faded away as red clouded her vision.

  Marissa charged, passing Darci on purpose to announce herself. She received the reaction she’d wanted. Darci was frozen when Marissa swam back toward her. The gray eyes inside her mask gaped, making up for her mouth’s inability. As much as Marissa wanted to attack her right away, she knew she couldn’t. She d
idn’t want Darci to panic, so she eased toward her with her hands extended, as if she meant no harm. Darci was as paralyzed as Marissa had been when she’d first seen Dylan. She was probably thinking the same way Marissa had too, wondering if she was narced, if she was hallucinating despite being only twenty feet below surface.

  Marissa moved in closer, face to face, waiting for Darci to realize who she was. It didn’t take long. Darci’s body jerked and a stream of bubbles escaped her regulator. She was terrified, and rightfully so. The woman she’d murdered was staring at her. But Marissa couldn’t just leave it at that. She needed her to see his eyes too, so she grabbed the front of Darci’s vest and held up her father’s license.

  “No matter what you do in life, there will be people who want to hurt you,” her father had said to her once. “Most of them will be selfish or filled with fear or envy. You can’t control it, you can only choose who you allow to remain in your life. You decide your family, who really matters.”

  His words echoed in her mind. Her father never wanted her to hurt others, but standing up for what was right and protecting the people they cared about was different. That thought was all she needed to push reservation aside and allow vengeance to have its time.

  Darci pulled away and a light under her vest caught Marissa’s eye. The stone pendant. It was around her neck. Marissa reached for it, but Darci dodged. Marissa hooked Darci’s regulator instead, ripping it from her mouth and detaching the mouthpiece. Darci’s hands moved frantically for her backup regulator, but Marissa was able to snatch it first, separating its mouthpiece as well. Knowing she needed to flee, Darci tucked her legs then kicked out, catching Marissa in the face with her heel.

  The hit pushed Marissa backward and sent a shock wave through her skull that blacked her vision and made her drop the license. Before she could refocus, another kick came, colliding with her nose and rattling her head again. She breathed in hard, struggling with the thin air. Suddenly, the water busied with noise. It was Rift. He had seen what had happened and was coming. Marissa looked up toward the surface, watching Darci swim closer to the boat with every kick. Marissa had to be the one to finish this, not them.

  Determined, she pushed hard with her tail, rocketing herself up. Ten feet below, she dodged Darci’s dropped vest and tank. Eight feet, Darci’s head and arms disappeared above, but there was no way she’d escape the water in time. Marissa reached out and grabbed her foot then spun around and dove, dragging Darci’s flailing body behind her, mimicking what the anchor and chain had done to her. Within a few seconds, they were at bottom depth, roughly 150 feet.

  Marissa contained Darci’s hands, gripping her wrists. Darci’s eyes were wide inside her mask, but her lips were pinched as she struggled to keep hold of her remaining breath and continue to fight Marissa. She thrashed her legs, trying to kick Marissa again. She had to know the effort was worthless. They were too far down for her to survive even if she were to get free.

  Following several more rigorous seconds, Darci’s resistance abated. Marissa grabbed her shoulders and looked straight through the mask into her steely gray eyes, watching them soften and pool with tears. A small grin tugged at Darci’s lips then her mouth opened and released her final breath. She inhaled immediately, sucking the salt water greedily into her starving lungs. Her body convulsed and her eyes flickered with the fear and finality of death, but only for a few moments. Marissa held tight as Darci’s body relaxed and the shock and terror in her eyes faded into a fixed gaze, staring blankly out to the open water.

  A hand grabbed Marissa’s arm, stealing her eyes from Darci.

  Dylan wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against his body. It’s okay. It’s over.

  Yes, she thought, coming out of her daze. But it wasn’t. She pulled away just as Rift grabbed Darci’s body. Marissa held her hands up, stopping him from taking her. She looked at Darci’s neck. Not seeing anything, she dug her fingers into the top of her wet suit.

  It’s not here.

  Dylan’s hand grabbed hers. The stone?

  She had it. She must have tossed it.

  Marissa didn’t need to explain further. Others had heard her and rushed around, scouring the sand.

  It’s not there, she thought, realizing that Darci had been close to her boat when she’d surfaced. She had to have tossed it in, and Marissa knew she had to get it.

  No. Dylan tipped her chin to look into her eyes, his worry unmistakable.

  Yes. I need to do this. Her actions with Darci, keeping her promise, had probably contented the others, but she still needed to finish it herself. She’d brought the danger back to them. The stone was her mistake.

  Dylan refused at first, ascending with her until she twisted her hand from his grasp and rocketed toward the backside of the boat. Her gills tingled with one more full breath, her tail pushed one last full kick, and then she broke the surface.

  Dawn. Thin clouds streaked the sky across the bare water horizon with soft hues of orange, yellow, and pink. Her mind recalled them as dim, gentle, welcoming the day, but her eyes were no longer the same as they once had been. The dawn blazed, blinding a majority of her sight as she landed on the back platform of Darci’s boat. She staggered on her knees, her legs changing, too unsteady and pained to stand. Light drilled into her squinted eyes as she crawled forward and splayed her hands out. It had to be there somewhere. Darci had to have tossed it on board.

  Marissa’s lungs and neck ached, needing to breathe. Her body shook, heat flashing from anxiety, nerves, fear. No matter what happened, she couldn’t leave without the stone. She clenched her jaw and opened her eyes wider, allowing the light to scorch her just to see a little more. The swimming platform was empty, so she scooted along the floor until she found the small opening to the back of the boat. The agony, the heat, it all was building beyond control. She blinked long and hard as her chest heaved, unable to fight anymore. There was no escape. She gasped, letting the surface air fill her lungs. They immediately rejected it, causing her to cough raggedly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small black rope with a pendant attached, a welcome contrast to the bright white floor. She scrambled forward, heart pounding, fingernails clawing to reach. When she felt the rope beneath her fingertips, she scooped it up and turned around. As much as she tried to fight it, the coughing and gasping continued. Her arms and legs grew heavy, all her energy exhausted. All she had to do was make it a little farther. She hooked her hands over the edge of the platform. So close but so far. She opened her hand and released the pendant, dropping it into the placid water.

  At least it was back where it belonged. No human would find it. They would never know.

  Something broke through the water, snatching her hands. She barely felt her body move forward, fall in, then the water envelope her, soothing and cool. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close as a mouth covered hers, forcing air inside.

  Deep breath. It was Dylan’s thought, not her own, begging her.

  She breathed him in and relief filtered in with the comfort of his air. Water rushed by, pressing her closer to him as he dove, taking them deeper. She felt her tail again, felt her gills. The heat from the surface had dissolved, and the fear had gone too.

  The stone, she thought, clutching his waist. Had they gotten it?

  The rhythm of his body slowed, stopping their descent. His lips pulled away and his hands slid up her body to cup her face. Yes. I have it.

  My father’s license?

  Yes.

  Yes. She eased her eyes open, testing damage from the sun and air. A blurry pair of black eyes came into focus, staring back at her anxiously. Her eyes were fine. I’m okay.

  Almost not.

  She smiled, consoled by his concern, then glanced down at the pendant around his neck, seeing the white light swirling within. Almost not, but it had to be done. No human will find the stone. And Darci?

  Taking her body farther down, into the canyon.

  She ignored her own thoughts about Darci and foc
used on his words. I heard all of that.

  His lips tipped up into a grin and his thumb ran across her bottom lip. Good. It gets easier.

  Will I be around to know? Despite her efforts to believe it was all over, she was still doubtful.

  Yes. As long as you want.

  She reached up his chest and touched the green stone. Their life might be considered half, but she had a feeling it would be fuller than her first.

  She was ready to start again, so she took a deep breath and smiled.

  About the Author

  J.M. Miller currently consumes her coffee in Florida.

  When she isn’t distracted by social media sites, she writes Young Adult and New Adult romance novels that vary in genre from contemporary to paranormal, with a little mystery or suspense thrown in for fun.Aside from spending time with her family, she loves to travel and will jump at the chance to go anywhere, whenever life allows.

  Keep in touch with J. M. online:

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  See J. M.’s other works on Amazon.

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