by P. Jameson
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Why’d you choose it?”
He lifted his gaze to her, looking dazed and confused. “What do you see?”
“Your tattoo.”
“Explain it, in detail.”
“Okay.” Doe leaned over the side of the bed, reaching for him to move closer. He held his hand out and she grabbed it to get a better look. “Scales. Like a fish. Blue and green and purple. They shimmer.” She brushed her thumb over the ink to test it. It was too shiny. It looked like it could rub off. But it didn’t disappear with her touch. It didn’t change at all, but to her surprise the patch of skin there was rougher than skin usually was.
“You see scales?” Mansen’s voice had gone low and hard.
Was he angry? Maybe the strange tattoo was interpretive. Maybe he didn’t like that she’d called it shimmery.
“Yes.” She dropped his hand and he rubbed at the spot she’d touched, as if it stung.
“Like a fish.”
Doe tipped her chin up. “Yes.” If he didn’t want his mark to be called shimmery, he should’ve chosen different ink.
Stubborn. Add that to the list of things she was learning about herself.
Mansen shook his head. This time, his expression was wide-eyed. Shocked. He even looked lightheaded. She’d tell him to take a chair if he wasn’t already sitting.
“No one’s supposed to be able to see it.”
“Well, then why’d you put it right there on your hand? Unless you were planning on wearing a glove any time you’re in public, people are going to see it. It’s not very subtle really.”
“I… I didn’t put it there.”
Doe frowned. “Did someone else do it?”
“No. It’s just… part of me.”
“I don’t understand. What does it mean?”
He opened his mouth like he was about to reveal something important. But then his expression shuttered and he settled back in the chair, flicking off the lamp that hung on the wall above him so they were mostly in the dark.
“It means you should get some sleep,” he rumbled, crossing his arms over his chest again. “Doctor’s orders.”
Doe wanted to know more about the tattoo. About why Mansen was so affected by her noticing it. And why it reminded her of the magical tail she saw when she was dying. But she couldn’t argue the fact that she was fading fast. Sleep called to her. And Vic said it would heal her body and mind. She hoped the doctor was right.
There would be time to learn about the tattoo later. After she got some rest.
And after she figured out who she was.
Chapter 5
Mansen watched the sun rise behind the cheap blinds that covered the clinic windows. He hadn’t slept the entire night. Didn’t need to. He did enough of that when he was underwater. His time on land was short enough as it was. He’d be a fool if he wasted time sleeping.
To make things easier though, he had pretended to be asleep until Doe started snoring. To avoid her questions. And then he’d spent the entire night watching her and silently cursing the gods.
And thanking them.
And then cursing them again.
If they were listening, they probably had holy whiplash.
Doe. Not a deer.
It didn’t matter what she said, he wasn’t calling her Moose. She was too pretty for that. Doe suited her just fine.
He ignored the orange glow creeping up the window and focused on her. She’d slept soundly. No cries, though she tossed enough that her long hair was tangled on the sheets. Still, the sight of her made his heart do funny things. Things he hadn’t experienced before. The closest thing he could compare it to was the way he felt in battle, fighting for his people, pillaging lands.
Excitement.
She was beautiful and sassy. Smart as a whip. Funny, too.
She was human and faulty and modern.
He was ancient and cranky and more than a little bitter.
They weren’t a good pair.
But nothing could change the fact that she’d seen through his glamour. According to the magic that kept him bound to the lake, there was only one human who could ever see his mark. The same one who could free him.
His mate.
His destiny.
His elska.
The one he would love and who would love him.
Doe, the female with a forgotten past, the one he’d breathed life back into… she was his.
It explained his desperate need to keep her safe. Why the thought of her dying twisted his insides into knots. Explained why his instincts screamed near her, touch, feel, pleasure. Why he wanted to keep his eyes on her at all times.
Goddamn Jase. The know-it-all asshole. He’d seen this somehow. In Mansen’s eyes, he’d said. Well, fuck. He didn’t know his eyes betrayed him so easily. He’d have to watch that in the future.
Now he had to convince Doe to leave with him today. Would it be very hard? She’d seemed comfortable enough with him last night, but he knew she was drugged with pain meds and tired from the stress her body had endured.
Mansen’s lips quirked.
His mate was strong. Of will and of body. He liked her smart mouth, even if she didn’t remember what made her that way.
Yet.
Didn’t remember yet.
But they would get to the bottom of this. He would help her. Find out who she was, where she was from. And then somehow, he’d convince her she was meant to have a life with him.
All in three days.
Easy as pie.
Right.
Fuck.
The door to the room eased open and Dr. Bean poked her head around. She smiled but her eyes were wary when they landed on Mansen. She wasn’t a Keeper, but she was a permanent resident of Aurora Falls so she knew the rumors about Sapphire Lake and the monsters that lived within. She knew about the cabins, and that they were supposedly owned by the people of the lake.
Everyone in town knew the rumors. But only some of them knew the rumors were true.
“How are we doing this morning?” Her voice was quiet, but Doe stirred anyway.
Her drowsy eyes came open and her gaze landed on Mansen, making him feel loose inside. The way she looked at him just then, soft and sweet, made him wonder what waking up next to her every morning would be like.
In a perfect world, he’d get that chance.
The gods better not be fucking with him.
Dr. Bean stared down at her clipboard. “Everything looks good on this end. How are you feeling, hun?”
“Better.”
“Breathing easier? Chest feel better?”
Doe nodded.
“How did you sleep?”
“Fine.”
“Good, good. No fever, your color’s better. Yep, I think you’re ready to move somewhere more comfortable than this stiff bed. What do you think?”
Doe glanced at Mansen and back to the doctor. He hadn’t had a chance to ask her to come home with him. During the night, he’d thought of a hundred different reasons to convince her but didn’t get the chance to use even one.
“Ms. Wilma’s right out in the hall, if you’d like to meet her,” Dr. Bean added.
“Oh. Um… okay.” Doe tried to sit up in the bed and straightened her hair some before glancing nervously at Mansen.
Dr. Bean opened the door and the town gossip—one of them, the town had many—flounced in like a dainty hurricane.
Wilma was a short, stout lady with a salt-and-pepper hair that was cut like a man’s. She wore giant silver hoop earrings, bright pink lipstick, and dressed like a walking tourist attraction. She was all Aurora Falls accessories, Sapphire Lake t-shirts, and jewelry made from the precious stones that were mined from the lake. She carried a large paper bag on her hip and stopped in her tracks as soon as she spotted Mansen. A big smile pulled her round cheeks up and made him want to blush with its orneriness.
“Well, hey there, man of my dreams. Where ya been, big guy?”
She sauntered over to Mansen, her eyes moving up and down his body in a lusty way. “Me and the girls were wondering where you’d run off to this time.”
Mansen cleared his throat. “Wilma,” he scolded. “You know I’m only in town once a month.”
“Mm, yes. And only for a few days. It’s not fair, really.”
Mansen tried to seem sensitive to her plight. She was a nice lady, even if she started trouble everywhere she went. “When duty calls…” He let the sentence fall with a shrug and her eyes narrowed.
“Yes, and what duty is that?” she asked. “You’ve never really said. Do you work with the miners, pulling stones from the lake? You never hang out with them, when they come to town.”
Miners. Well, that’s what the town thought the Mer were when they made their monthly visits.
Doe cleared her throat just in time to save him from coming up with an explanation.
“Oh, heeeeey there, sweetie!” Wilma crooned, scurrying over until she stopped right next to Doe’s bed. “Wilma’s my name, and I’m here to help ya out, eh. I’ve brought everything you’ll need to leave here looking fresh, okay, honey? Nothing worse than leaving the hospital looking like an old fish the cat dragged in thinking it could be dinner. Know what I mean?”
Doe nodded, wide-eyed.
Poor thing. Wilma was sweet, but hard to handle even after seven cups of coffee, let alone waking up to her first thing.
Wilma set a large paper bag at Doe’s feet and started pulling items out.
“Brought you some clothes. Cute ones, you know. None of that patchwork quilt looking stuff those naturalists are wearing these days. Bless their heart, but they feel like they gotta take all the napkins out of their granny’s cupboard and sew ‘em into a skirt. And it ain’t gotta be that way, I tell ya. No, no, no. Jeans aren’t a bad choice at all.” She set a pair on the bed and reached back in for more. “I brought a choice of shirts for ya. Now, these are organic cotton, but don’t worry. They’re nice and soft, and Miggs from the shop swears they were sent straight from the gods. This time she might be right. The old badger ain’t right about much, but feel this, will ya?” She pushed a t-shirt toward Doe and waited for her to test it.
“It is soft,” Doe agreed.
“It is, eh?”
Mansen watched as Wilma piled the bed high with the goods she’d brought for Doe. Socks and shoes and toiletries and sweaters. A knit hat with gloves. And a stack of several fashion magazines, a pack of Big Red gum, and gummy peach rings. The woman had thought of everything.
“Wow. Um…” Doe seemed surprised at her generosity. “Thank you.”
Wilma smiled looking proud. And a little like she had a fish on the hook. “You betcha. Now, let’s get you dressed and fed and into a nice warm room, what do you say?”
Doe looked to Mansen. “Well, see…”
“What is it, hun?”
He was half a second away from speaking up like he had with the doctor. But she was his mate. She had to choose this. He had to let her. And if she chose Wilma’s lodge, he’d just find a reason to need a room there too. He wasn’t letting Doe out of his sight.
“It’s just that Mansen said he’d help me figure out who I am.”
“Oh.” Wilma’s curious gaze went to him. “Interesting.”
“So he offered a place to stay until we get news from the Sheriff.”
“That right?”
Mansen nodded. That was permission, right? Doe had chosen him. So he could speak up. “Yes, she’s coming home with me.”
Wilma looked both pleased and put out. “It’s the muscles, isn’t it?”
“What?” Doe asked.
“His muscles. They’re spectacular. Can’t blame a gal. I’d go home with him too if I were you.”
Mansen watched Doe’s cheeks turn pink with a blush. Damn, he loved that look on her. He’d like to find a million ways to make her cheeks that color. Naughty ways.
Mine.
Yes, mine.
Wilma sighed, turning back to Dr. Bean. “Can’t blame me for tryin’.”
Dr. Bean laughed and left the room with a comment about getting Doe’s discharge papers ready.
“Well, hun. You keep all this and if you need anything—anything, you hear?—you come find me at the lodge. I’ll get you all fixed up.”
“Thank you,” Doe said, her voice wobbling. “I really appreciate it.”
“You betcha.” Wilma started for the door before turning back. “Oh, and I hang out at Migg’s shop sometimes. If you wanna… you know… chat.” She waggled her drawn-on eyebrows. “About things. And muscles.”
She tossed Mansen a flirty wink before scooting out of the room and leaving him alone with Doe again.
“How do you feel?” he asked, watching the way she slumped back to the bed.
She blew out a breath. “Like that was a rough way to wake up.”
Mansen smirked. “Wilma’s a handful… and always trying to grab a handful. If you know what I mean.”
“She does seem to like you.”
Mansen shrugged. “She doesn’t know me. She just likes what she sees.” He wondered if Doe liked the looks of him.
“Is that why you’re going to so much trouble to help me?” she asked carefully. “You don’t know me. So it is because you like the way I look?”
Cute. The question was cute. Especially since she looked like she’d been runover by a moose. Twice. And still, he couldn’t deny that he found her more beautiful than anything he’d seen in his long life.
“Have you seen yourself, woman?” he asked instead of answering.
“No.” She frowned. “Why? It is bad?”
The embarrassed expression on her face made him want to smile. He liked teasing her.
“It’s definitely making me wonder if I should’ve let Wilma take you.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders sagged, her expression going dull. He didn’t like it. “I can call her back. It’s really no problem. You just… last night you said…”
Mansen rubbed his palms together. She was making him nervous with her chatter.
“Relax,” he rumbled. “It was a joke.”
“A joke?”
“Yeah. I’m not very good at them. Don’t really do it that often.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell between them and he probably should have looked away. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“So then why? Why did you stay here all night and offer to help me?”
That was a hard question to answer. It would be easier if he could tell her the truth about what he was, about his mark, about what she was to him. But she wasn’t ready for that yet. Doc said she needed to rest so her memory could return. Telling her about the Mer and that she was his elska would only stress her more.
“If I told you the truth, it would scare you.”
Doe laughed, the sound reverberating in his chest like a bell. Her laugh was something he wanted to make happen again and again but…
“Another joke, right?” she said, grinning. “That’s good. I get it. Because you saved me, right, that’s why it’s funny.”
Mansen frowned. He’d never understand this humor thing. Hadn’t been fond of it back in his warrior days, wasn’t fond of it now. Except it made Doe laugh, so it had that going for it.
“But seriously. Why are you helping me?”
“Because I need to.” That would have to be enough of an explanation.
Doe nodded, maybe understanding him finally. “You feel responsible for me. Because you fished me from the lake?”
Nope.
Mansen shook his head. “Not because of that.”
“Then why?”
What could he say to explain himself without telling her what he was?
“Because you’re alone. And I know what that’s like. To be alone in a strange place, feeling out of sorts. Not recognizing who you are anymore or what your future holds. Helpless. Hopeless. Empty.”
That was the truth. He’d felt all those
things after the witch Tamsin cursed his clan and bound him to the water. He was alone by choice then, hiding in the caves beneath until he could come to terms with what had happened. And he still didn’t talk to the others much.
“You do? What happened to you?”
Mansen shook his head. “Another story for another time. But I won’t leave you by yourself, understand?” The lake would call him back in three days. He had to find a way to keep her safe before then.
Doe nodded, her wide eyes pooling with moisture she tried to blink away. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Mansen stood. “Get dressed and let’s blow this shop. I bet you’re hungry. I know a place with real good breakfast.”
She nodded and he turned to leave.
“Mansen?”
His name from her lips was almost his undoing. He wanted to march back to her and kiss the truth into her. They didn’t know each other well. Not yet. But he was going to love her. He was going to love her more than anything he’d ever known. And he hoped like hell she could love him back.
“Yeah.”
“Do you still feel like that? Hopeless. Empty.”
He found her over his shoulder meeting those hopeful summer-blue eyes and knew exactly how to answer. “Not now.”
He caught her relieved sigh and moved from the room before he wrecked it all.
Chapter 6
Doe sat in a booth in Rita’s Diner watching Mansen as he talked to another giant of a man near the counter. The stranger had blond wavy hair that wasn’t short but also wasn’t long, and he had the same dark brutal eyes as Mansen. The two of them weren’t like anyone she’d seen in town since leaving the clinic. They drew attention with their otherworldliness. Muscles for days, a gaze that could dig so far inside that you forgot how to breathe.
Or maybe that was just her.
She’d taken her time cleaning up and dressing at the clinic. One look in the bathroom mirror had shown her a nightmare. Mansen might have been joking about sending her home with Wilma, but he was definitely not exaggerating about her appearance. One word came to mind as she had stared at her reflection under the neon light of the clinic bathroom: Yikes.
But as she met him in the hallway afterward, she’d noticed the way his eyes caught on her… pulled away… and then caught again. Like she was a magnet and he was helpless metal.
