Water Games

by Juliann Whicker

  Water Games

  Juliann Whicker

  Copyright 2018 by Juliann Whicker

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  Chapter 1

  Captain Hotness

  My salad looked about as appetizing as the last five thousand salads I’d eaten. Prodding it with my fork yielded the usual results. I took a bite, as big a bite as would fit into my mouth and had about half of it chewed when I heard a piercing shriek from upstairs.

  I shoved my chair back and crossed the kitchen in two steps. I took the stairs three at a time. I burst into Gen’s room, heart pounding, clutching my fork, ready to decimate and annihilate.

  I scanned the room, hand written music sheets cluttering every available surface, the new computer glowing blue, the bedroll neatly folded beside the small twin bed where my Siren sat, both of her hands covering her mouth.

  I exhaled and inhaled, forcing my heart to steady. I gestured behind me, signing them the all clear before I went the rest of the way into her room. I left Spyguy, Morganagh, Trainchain, Haverre, and Lucien behind me on the extremely small landing while I further examined the threat.

  I sat down on the bed and put my hand on her shoulder. She gripped my hand and smiled, no, grinned maniacally. I couldn’t help but smile back. When she felt something strongly, she moved the world.

  She bounced, shaking the bed. “I’m sorry about the scream. Did I hurt anyone? It’s just that I got accepted!” She threw her arms around me still bouncing, now on my lap.

  I inhaled deeply, my nose against her hair. Not a threat. A happy scream. My heart still pounded too rapidly, but holding her helped. “Congratulations. Did you apply to another competition? Do you have to get accepted, or just win?”

  She pulled away far enough to put her hands on my face and shook her head, brushing my nose with hers. I kept my hands calm, gentle instead of crushing her against me. Her fingers skimmed down to my throat unconsciously, tracing the marks of her ownership.

  She took a deep breath, her chest brushing mine. “Sean, I’m going to Cierdeep. For real. I got an internship. I’m going to be working with Gerveeg and living in a dorm and having that whole thing, so it won’t just be me following you like a pathetic groupie; it’ll be me having a real life with you. It’ll be healthy. Junie’s going to be ecstatic!”

  What?

  For a second everything froze before my mind raced to catch up with this new information. Interning with Gerveeg, she would have to play the part of a Soremni, one of those soft and sweet females who catered to their male counterparts with mindless devotion. I would not be with her to protect her from Soremni males who might look at the delicious female in my arms with something like lust. One kiss would be all it took to send her into another devastating obsession. Healthy? No, not particularly. It was almost as dangerous as revealing her true identity as a Siren if she let the façade slip. How could she possibly learn to channel Soremni so that she was safely disguised while she navigated that world without my constant supervision?

  My stomach tightened as she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her lips to my throat. Another issue. The urge to breed would not be easy for me to resist for another year. For her, either. And yet, if carried off, this would be another tool in her arsenal, another part she knew how to play.

  She held me tightly, her heart beating rapidly with happiness. I couldn’t help but smile. She knew that an internship with Gerveeg would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Too bad Gerveeg was a weasely half-breed who wouldn’t hesitate to turn to extortion if he found out the truth.

  “Gen, did you put your own name on your application?”

  She pulled away and shook her head, trying to be serious, but the smile kept flickering over her sweet mouth. “No, of course not. Junie helped me with everything. I didn’t want anyone to do it for me, not you and not…” She inhaled sharply while her eyes lost focus as the obsession clutched at her.

  I rubbed her scalp, her tentacles tickling my palm. I kissed her quickly, bringing her back from her obsession, at least it was supposed to be a quick kiss, but somehow it turned into something aggressive as she slipped into her Vashni wife persona. She owned my mouth, channeling her excitement into that contact, the pressure between us growing as her hands twisted my shirt then swept over my skin and tangled in my hair.

  When she kissed me like that, I wanted nothing more than to fall on my back and let her have her way with me, but more and more often lately, I felt the nearly irresistible urge to roll on top of her until she was immobilized, brush her hair away from her neck, and drink from her skin. At this point there wasn’t much to drink, but exposed to the Soremni culture, her gland secretions would increase. She would become absolutely everything a half-breed like myself craved. Plus human.

  I forgot about everything as she kissed me, slid her fingers over my throat and the marks she’d instinctively given me. She pulled away and rolled off the bed, haphazard and clumsy, like she’d never trained a day in her life.

  I glanced at the crowd in the doorway, all of them wearing expressions of horror or irritation except for Lucien. He looked amused, and his eyes met mine for a moment before he turned and walked out, no doubt to go back to the prisoner, my aunt.

  Spyguy raised his eyebrows, and I nodded slightly, signing what he should prepare immediately. Morganagh hissed and signed, You can’t let her do this. Trainchain exhaled and turned to go do something practical. Haverre frowned at Genevieve where she sat at the computer, reading aloud the acceptance letter. After a long time, he gave me a slight nod and left the room. That left Morganagh and Spyguy. Spyguy had taken the role of personal bodyguard and protector much more seriously than I’d expected. It wasn’t just a job to him, but I wasn’t sure if he could be devoted to a cause long-term.

  Spyguy spoke first. “Princess, have you thought about security? What about the fact that you’d have to play the role of a Soremni? I really don’t think you’re prepared for that.”

  She stopped staring at her computer, turning her chair around to face him. “Do you think it’ll be a problem? I didn’t think I’d be accepted. Can you believe it? Gerveeg is the best composer in the world, and I’ll be right there.” She grinned fiercely as she held back the happiness that I could feel vibrating through the air. If we’d been in a pool, it would have been a tsunami. How was this going to work?

  I caught her hands, pulling her into my arms while her new growing tentacles waved at me. I loved every single one of them. She would have to clip them again. I had to exhale to release the rising anger. She shouldn’t have to clip them. She shouldn’t have to pretend to be Soremni and learn how to act soft, sweet, helplessly idiotic so no one would rip her to pieces for being the most incredible creature in the world.

  I pulled her against me so I didn’t have to smile. While she was safely against my chest, I scowled at Spyguy and Morganagh until they turned and left. No, it was not ideal, not remotely, but this was her dream, and no one was going to puncture her happiness. This was the ‘real life’ she wanted to make with me. We would make it work. She’d realize soon enough what the challenges were. Now wasn’t the time for me to tell her, not after I’d so recently forbidden her from rescuing Otto, which hadn’t worked anyway. She wasn’t the sort of creature who responded well to orders or ultimatums. She was an ocean. You couldn’t dam up an ocean.

  She melted against me, her hands sliding over my back while she nuzzled my chest. My hands shook from not pulling her hard against me. She’d marked me her Vashni mate. That meant I followed her lead. Even if that meant I didn’
t sleep for another six months to a year whether from aching or worrying.

  After she turned to work on the perfect response, I went into the dojo. It smelled a little bit like sweat, but mostly like lemons. I worked on some katas, my body too big, too clumsy in the human martial art, but doing something difficult helped me focus on the present instead of spiraling into panic. The light came on and Gen’s dad walked in, wearing slacks and a button-up shirt instead of a gi. For a moment I thought he might spar with me.

  He stared at me, making my body position suddenly feel all wrong. “Gen wants to have a big pizza party to celebrate. What do you want on yours? We’re ordering from the nice little organic pizza place. Junie’s given her official approval.”

  I straightened up. I shouldn’t have invaded his space, his domain. “I’m not particular.”

  He walked over to me and pushed my shoulders down until our eyes were level. “I told her that she should marry you this summer. It’s not safe, her feeling like she does about you without having a healthy outlet, particularly if she’ll be channeling Soremni.” He moved to the side and pushed my arm into a basic punch. He adjusted my elbow slightly, so slightly, but I could feel the difference. “I understand that you want to be civilized and let her feel normal, human, instead of telling her, ‘you’re a monster and people want to kill you’, but she’s a monster and people want to kill her.” He smiled at me, a sharp smile that felt like a threat. The smile faded and he stepped away. “I don’t doubt that she could do it, play the part of a Soremni, not after the way she became a Vashni, but her feelings for you won’t be possible for her to control. I don’t think that yours will be either, not if you’re playing the part of a Soremni male.” He stared at me intently and I had to concentrate to keep from shifting. I shouldn’t feel guilty for my thoughts, not when I’d kept my word, as hard as that had been.

  For a moment I imagined the back of her neck in my mouth, my arms wrapped around her bare skin. I blinked and forced my focus to stay on her father. “It’s her dream to intern with Gerveeg. It’s her first big dream. I’m not telling her no. It’s not my place, not now, not ever again.”

  Gen’s dad laughed lightly. “As long as you know that it’s dangerous. I admit that I like the idea of you two holding off breeding a while longer. Still, her learning to be Soremni, you might not be able to resist your own dominating, possessive inner nature.”

  No, I might not. I was only human, wouldn’t be a viable excuse, either. “There is some risk. She’ll have to become soft and vulnerable, trusting me to protect her. She doesn’t understand that yet, what she’ll have to become, but there are benefits.”

  He frowned and cleared his throat, crossing his arms. “Does this have to do with the lab you set up at the edge of town? If she starts excreting mock Soremni hormones, you may have another clue to the curse, the cure. Is that why the risk is worth it to you? If her dream is to intern with Gerveeg, yours is to cure the kiss of obsession.”

  I raised my eyebrow. “You like the Soremni prince having that much power over your daughter?”

  He shook his head slowly. “It isn’t only her that you’ll have to protect; you’ll have to protect that world from her.”

  I pressed my lips together for a moment. “I know. That’s why I’m taking her to Terramore for a sample run before Cierdeep. She’ll study the art of the Soremni female and hopefully learn how to control her instincts whether Soremni or Siren.”

  “Terramore? That’s on the border of the King’s waters. Very close to monster country. Hopefully you know what you’re doing.”

  When has that ever happened when it involved Gen? “That is the hope. Did you know what you were getting into when you married Morganagh?”

  “I knew she was a Siren. I knew what she was capable of. I wasn’t entirely prepared to raise Gen on my own. We didn’t plan on children. What about you? Are you going to plan on the inevitable or be surprised? I’m more than a little bit impressed that you managed to keep your word about breeding while in my house.”

  That made two of us. And if Gen was channeling her Soremni female when she didn’t seem capable of resisting me even here, without the Soremni softness, the entire thing would depend on me.

  I sighed. I’d have to ask my father for something to take. Not dimatrax, something close to the opposite, something to minimize breeding instincts. Would that interfere with my fighting? He would be delighted to be involved in my life. He was gradually worming his way back to where he’d been before he betrayed me so completely. I would never trust him again, but I would continue his work after his death, and that’s what he really wanted, what he’d always wanted, his version of immortality.

  “You know that my family is in the monster breeding business. I think that for optimal breeding, she needs more stability, emotionally and physically. For that, for her, I would delay spawn. However, she is an endangered species and the constant risk on her life makes propagation a more immediate concern.”

  He looked at me like I was an alien. Ah, I hadn’t been speaking in sentimental human terms.

  “Mr. Castle, I intend to delay my personal gratification. Once the inevitable occurs, she’ll have to alter her lifestyle for her own protection and that of her, um, child. Interning will be out of the question as will my personal involvement in the Games. Our lives will focus on minimizing risk at every level.”

  He exhaled. “Spawn. She should put that on one of her fan t-shirts. I take that back. Don’t give her any ideas.

  Later on in the house, the pizza party included her usual friends, Flop, Fred, Junie, Dean, humans like she thought she was. Spyguy, Lucien, and Morganagh were notably absent. They were working out logistics.

  I leaned against the counter with my piece of celebratory pizza, watching Gen in the living room explain all the details of her ‘amazing opportunity’ to Flop and Junie. She’d said ‘amazing’ six times already.

  Dean came over, leaned against the counter and said in a low voice, “Have they found anything from the prince’s secretions?”

  I smiled at him like he’d asked about my current training schedule. Maybe I shouldn’t have involved him in this particular part of the plan, but I’d needed someone human who could relate to Cole. Cole was quite possibly the most paranoid human I’d ever met. It almost made me like him. He didn’t want anything to do with me unless I was playing human boyfriend to Gen.

  “The chemical makeup of the kiss of obsession has been a state secret for millennia. You don’t honestly think a pizza party is where I’ll lay it bare to a human, do you?”

  He narrowed his muddy eyes. “You have Gen’s sample, and you got me to swab Cole. I can do more. I’ll be blunt. I want to work on it. I’m fascinated by chemistry, always have been. I want to know more. Human technology is too limited.”

  “More knowledge doesn’t always help. Still, I have nothing against involving humans. If you don’t mind being tagged and watched for the rest of your life, you can work in the lab with minds that make me feel like an idiot.”

  He smirked. “I’m used to being the idiot. So if I’m clear, there’s the lip secretion in royalty and neck secretions in Vashni males? Are your samples in the lab?”

  I stared at him. He had no idea how inappropriate it was to talk about someone else’s secretions. “They are.”

  “What about the rest of the Soremni, they don’t have neck glands?”

  “Soremni females.”

  “Why not males? They originate from the same species, don’t they?”

  “The why is lost to history. You don’t understand. Vashni and Soremni have had technology for ages that humans are barely beginning to understand. Genes have been manipulated for ages. Extreme genetic manipulation has been abused and abandoned a few times with all records destroyed.”

  “Why would they destroy that knowledge?”

  I sighed. He was so human. Was it better that he wanted to understand what would ultimately frustrate him or should he be more like Cole, complac
ent with his natural limitations? “There were some disastrous creations. Some people think that Sirens were one of them, the beginning of monsters.” I shrugged.

  “They manipulated genetics to that point, creating entirely new species?”

  “That’s the legend, but the genetics are so different from human and Soremni, from Soremni and monster, it’s hard to think that there’s a link, but she is. The Siren is.”

  He frowned at me. “So, Gen does not produce the Soremni chemistry.”

  “She will probably produce a mimic if she’s exposed to that culture.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “So this mimic might provide a clue to breaking the kiss curse?”

  I shrugged like I hadn’t spent months researching the topic. “Possibly.”

  I glanced over at Gen where she was explaining to Flop about how music worked underwater. Her explanation was completely wrong, but Flop nodded as she listened intently.

  I couldn’t help but smile slightly as I watched my wife. She was a miracle whether of science or magic. My heart ached as I watched her. She looked so human, so vulnerable. So many things wanted to rip her apart, even the ocean. I wouldn’t be able to sleep with her in Terramore as she learned to adapt to Soremni customs, could I? I shouldn’t, but no one would stop me.

  “Do you care about her because of what she is?”

  I stared at him icily until he shifted. “It helps that we’re compatible species, but no. I could never love a creature like her mother. It’s not the creature, it’s the person, the music-obsessed, oblivious girl who isn’t impressed with muscles or money.”

  “Dangerous, violent, broke…”

  I nodded sharply. “You’re describing more and more of her assets. Dangerous and violent means that she can protect herself. She doesn’t take anything for granted and values who I am more than what I can do for her. What about Junie? She’s bossy, arrogant, and hypocritical.”

  Dean shrugged and took a sip of his root beer. “I’m not married to her.”