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CHAPTER ONE

“I’M NEVER getting mated.” Marcus leaned back in the patio chair, shaking his head. Across from him was his friend, Brett, and Brett’s mate, Brooke.

“Uh-huh. You say that now.” Brett glanced back toward the bungalow where Kannon and Nisha stood whispering intensely.

“Nope. I’m going to be a bachelor until the end of my days.” He winced in sympathy as he watched Nisha’s mate, Kannon, drill his finger into Nisha’s shoulder.

The two were trying to keep their voices down, but it was a lost cause. Kannon was furious, if the tongue-lashing Nisha was getting was any indication. He wondered what Nisha did this time. He’d feel sorry for him if it wasn’t so damn funny.

A year had passed since Nisha claimed Kannon—and what an entertaining time it’d been. Marcus snorted in amusement when Nisha threw his hands up in frustration over whatever Kannon said to him. Leave it to them to get into a fight on their one-year anniversary. Kannon and Nisha loved fiercely, but they also disagreed just as fiercely.

“Swear to God, do we need to have yet another conversation on the concept of consent?” Kannon yelled.

“At the time I only thought—”

“Thought? What were you thinking with—no, no, let me guess. You were thinking with your dick. Yet again,” Kannon interrupted, glaring at Nisha.

“That was not what I was going to say.”

“But it fits, doesn’t it?” Kannon crossed his arms over his chest.

“I am sorry!” Nisha growled. “I told you we don’t think like humans. You keep trying to apply human values to my kind, and it doesn’t work. I understand I was wrong now , but then was another matter.”

Poor Nisha. This was an argument he wasn’t going to win. They were sitting around the pool Kannon added to his and Nisha’s aboveground dwelling—which, admittedly, Marcus didn’t understand since the ocean was right there , but whatever. It was more proof humans were odd… even those humans mers had converted, as Nisha did with Kannon.

Anyway, they were having a late dinner by the pool and enjoying the warm tropical evening when something was said about the powder their kind made from certain fish toxins. It was used for many things, including pain relief. It also was used to induce a dream-like state where the one who inhaled the powder was able to feel, but unable to move.

One thing led to another and then— bam pow . Fireworks. Kannon figured out Nisha had used the powder on him after he had arrived and was significantly unhappy with the knowledge, if the glaring and raised voices were any indication.

Brett sighed, taking a sip of his water. “I did warn Nisha. Granted, it was after the fact, but still. Even went on to tell him how badly I reacted when Brooke did the same thing to me.”

Brooke patted Brett’s hand. “Nisha should’ve told him before now.”

Marcus picked up one of the chilled shrimp appetizers and bit into it. Personally he thought they were better uncooked, but that was just him. “Why? He didn’t harm him.”

Brett sighed even louder. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and typed something into it. A few seconds later he turned the screen around so Marcus could see it.

“Oh, funny,” Marcus snapped as he stared at the definition of “consent” on the cell phone’s screen.

“Here’s a thought. Try reading the damn definition.” Brett glanced back over his shoulder at Nisha and Kannon.

Marcus shrugged as he watched Nisha grabbed Kannon and try to kiss him senseless. Well, that was one way of ending an argument.

“You know, maybe if you guys would, a bunch of shit could be avoided later,” Brett said.

“Hmm? Would what?” Marcus asked, distracted by Kannon and Nisha. Kannon struggled for a minute then gave in, but Marcus wasn’t fooled. He’d gotten to know Kannon well enough to know Kannon didn’t give up easily when he wanted something—which was probably an apology and an acknowledgment that Nisha was wrong.

“Good grief, what’s up with you lately?” Brett asked. “I said if you guys tried reading the definition of consent then a bunch of shit could be avoided later.”

“Oh.” Marcus nodded. “I suppose so, but I’m not planning on mating a human—or anyone else—so it’s irrelevant.”

“Famous last words.” Brooke snickered.

Marcus picked up his drink and stared into it. He didn’t have anything against humans—he certainly fucked his fair share of them—but they were more trouble than they were worth.

“Wasn’t it you who told me you knew your ABCs and 123s?” Kannon asked as he and Nisha returned to the table. “Reading the definition should be no problem, then.”

Marcus chuckled softly. Kannon was such a multitasker. He could fight with Nisha and listen to the conversation going on around him. “I’m surprised you remember that. You were, ah… I believe the words Nisha used were ‘freaked out.’”

“I’d just found out there were such things as mermaids and mermen, along with my best friend being mated to one.” Kannon sat back down, along with Nisha. “ Along with the fact that said best friend sported a cool set of gills and could breathe underwater. Along with being attacked by a merman. Along with finding out Brett knew Nisha bit me all those years ago and hadn’t told—”

“You had to get him going, didn’t you?” Brett joked.

“If I remember correctly, it was you he tried to drown, not me.” Marcus grinned at Brett, flashing his teeth. He knew perfectly well even in this form his canines were a bit longer than normal human teeth.

Kannon snorted. “Kind of hard to do when I was the only one who couldn’t breathe underwater at the time.”

“Sure didn’t stop you from trying,” Brett huffed, as if he was the most put upon person in the world. “And I was injured, no less, by that stupid, poisonous net Cree threw over me.”

Kannon picked up a shrimp, dipped it in sauce, and waved it at Brett. “Just found out there was such a thing as mermen and you’d held out on me, so yeah, you’re lucky all I tried to do was drown you.”

“Speaking of Cree, has anybody seen him lately?” Brooke asked.

“These are much better raw, mate,” Nisha said to Kannon as he picked up a shrimp, wrinkled his nose, and bit into it. “In regards to Cree, no. I haven’t seen him in my territory, and I better not. I’m still not sure banishing him was the right decision.”

Marcus had helped repel the attack on Brett but missed out on Cree’s later attack on Kannon. He’d been helping Brooke get Brett home.

Marcus picked up another shrimp and stared at it, bemused. “Why did you cut the head off of it? That’s the best part.”

Kannon made gagging noises.

Marcus rolled his eyes at Kannon. “I swear, you’re such a human.”

“Not entirely. Not anymore. And stop picking on these excellent shrimp appetizers,” Kannon said.

“Right.” Marcus pushed the tray of shrimp closer to Nisha. “Here, Nisha, have some of this excellent shrimp.”

“Behave,” Nisha warned.

“I have been. It’s not my fault your mate has no idea how to properly prepare seafood.” Marcus shook his head sadly. “Anyway, back to Cree. I’m surprised you let him live.”

Nisha looked at Kannon, a small smile on his face. “There were other things on my mind.”

Marcus thought about sighing dramatically at the sappy look on Nisha’s face to see if he could get a few laughs or maybe a glare from Nisha but decided not to. He and Nisha were friends, and he was thankful he was allowed in the territory Nisha claimed.

He was all for poking fun at Nisha, but the truth was a little tentacle of jealousy wound through him. The two of them had gotten off to a rocky start but were making it work. They truly loved each other. He could see it in the way Nisha looked at his mate, listened to him, and touched him.

Then Marcus reminded himself the last thing he wanted was a mate, and if there was a little fluttery feeling around his heart, he ignored it. It was probably nothing more than the cooked shrimp Kannon insisted on serving them. Seriously, what kind of monster cooked shrimp?

“Oh good, that’s the buzzer for the oven.” Kannon stood. “Give me a few minutes and dinner will be ready.”

Nisha stood, too. “Do you need some help?”

“Always.” Kannon picked up his drink, and he and Nisha walked into their bungalow.

“What are we having again?” Whatever it was, Marcus was sure it’d be cooked to within an inch of its life.

“Pineapple teriyaki chicken, crab cakes, flounder, shrimp scampi, and a couple of side dishes. I think he also baked some potatoes and made a salad,” Brooke said.

“Chicken? With pineapples? Is that a normal combination?” Marcus asked. That seemed odd, but what did he know?

“It’s good, trust me. He was going to cook steaks but decided to mainly go with seafood for those of the merfolk persuasion.” Brett snagged another shrimp and dipped it into sauce before popping it into his mouth. “He wasn’t sure how you guys felt about eating cow.”

Marcus blinked. The seafood was for them? Even though he fixed it for human tastes, Kannon still went to the effort. Now he felt like an ass. “Good grief, does this mean I’m going to have to apologize?”

Brett finished off the shrimp, a slow grin crossing his face. “Oh yeah.”

Now that was an evil grin if he’d ever seen one. Marcus was jealous.

Kannon came to the sliding glass doors of the bungalow. “Okay! Dinner’s ready. You guys come on in, fix a plate, and take it back outside. It’s too nice of an evening to eat inside.”

Marcus sighed silently. Of course they were sitting outside eating by the stinky pool. As much as he hated the indoors, he’d rather be in there than out here with the stench of chlorine surrounding him.

DINNER WAS nice, and once it was over Marcus volunteered to help Kannon clean up. Nisha turned on music to play by the pool, where Brett and Brooke were playing. After Marcus and Kannon finished cleaning the kitchen, they returned outside, too.

Nisha joined them by the pool, and Marcus barely sat before Nisha picked Kannon up and threw him in. Marcus laughed as Kannon surfaced, spluttering. Nisha dove in, and soon there was entirely too much splashing going on. Marcus watched as the two couples started a rousing game of Chicken. At least, that’s what Kannon called it.

Marcus never heard of it. Brooke sat on Brett’s shoulders and Kannon sat on Nisha’s. Soon Kannon and Brooke were trying to push each other off their mate’s shoulders. Why they were playing in pool water when the ocean was the backyard was beyond Marcus. The chlorine stunk.

He shuddered. Sitting by the pool was nearly more than he could stand. Then, of course, was the fact he was the fifth wheel in the group. Yes, he knew some human sayings. He was sixty years old, after all.

The sun dipped below the horizon. The urge to return to the ocean was growing by the second. He didn’t mind visiting land, but unlike Nisha and Brooke, there was no one pulling him to it. This was another reason why he didn’t want a human mate—he loved the ocean too much to live anywhere else, even for a short time.

Finally, the couples in the water calmed down, and seeing his chance, Marcus quickly bade them goodbye. Everyone climbed out of the water to see him off and, of course, Brooke insisted on hugging him. He swore she did it so he’d reek of chlorine, too. Maybe she and Nisha were used to the scent, but he wasn’t.

He left the bungalow and walked across the sand. The island they lived on was riddled with a cave system, which was a good thing considering they used them to transform. Plus, Kannon and Nisha lived in a very remote area. The other side of the island, where Brett’s resort—Blue Waters Resort—was located was quite populated.

Nisha told him once he purposely moved to the other side of the island so there’d be room between him and Brooke. Nisha loved his sister, but he also believed being too close could be problematic.

The residents in his territory often stashed waterproof bags in the underwater caves where they transformed. The bags held clothing such as shorts, shirts, and flip-flops which could be used when they needed to walk on land in human form. There they could transform.

He’d only dressed in shorts. Clothing restricted his movements, and he didn’t like wearing them any more than necessary. When he had arrived, Kannon briefly joked about no shoes, no shirt, no service. After a brief explanation, he finally understood what Kannon meant. What could he say? Shirts were uncomfortable the way they fit, and shoes… Well, most of the time he didn’t even have feet.

He strolled along the water’s edge, the gentle waves splashing around his ankles. The beaches here were left in their natural state, unlike on the other side of the island where the resorts were located. He wandered along as dusk gave way to night.

This was his favorite time. He did enjoy the sun beating down upon his head, but nighttime… There was something about the ocean during the night. It was never tame, but at night it was more… dangerous. Wild. Invigorating.

As he walked along the water’s edge, the predators of the night called from the jungle. They fascinated him even as they scared him. Land animals were so different from what he was used to in the deep, blue sea. Sharks were nothing to mess with thanks to their merciless drive for food and endless curiosity.

Merfolk respected the creatures, but it didn’t mean the two predators didn’t clash, too. Nisha wore a necklace full of shark teeth as proof of his unwillingness to back down. Fortunately, his kind came equipped with built-in protection.

Sharks weren’t the only dangers lurking under the waves—eels and sea snakes were just a few, along with other mers. Then there were the humans. Frankly, he thought they were the most dangerous of the predators. They were certainly the most destructive.

A sharp whistle from the water caught his attention, and he stopped. Farther out was a pod of dolphins signaling to him. It never ceased to amaze him how they recognized merfolk in human form. He glanced around to make sure there were no prying eyes. Nothing on land caught his attention, and all he could see in the water was a small dinner cruise ship, but it was quite a distance away.

Some resorts offered a dinner cruise package—a few hours on the water which included a nice dinner, a band for entertainment, and drinks. But this one was far enough away he wasn’t concerned about it. He slipped off his shorts, dropped them on the sand, and ran toward the water.

He waded in, the water grabbing at his legs almost as if welcoming him home. As the waves hit him he dove into the water. He cleared his mind and let the transformation to his preferred form begin. The water cradled him as the seconds ticked by. His body tingled, especially his lower extremities.

A sharp, sudden pain washed over him as his tail formed. The gills opened, and he stretched, shaking out his tail and flexing his caudal fin. The dolphins called to him once more, and he swam towards them.

None of them knew why it was easier to go from legs to tail. Not only did it take less time, it didn’t hurt. Well, not like forming legs did. It stung some, but it was nothing compared to how bad it was bringing forth his legs. Maybe it was the fact that everything melted together and reformed—there was no tearing. He didn’t know and didn’t care.

Gray shadows cut through the water as the dolphins called out, greeting him like an old friend, their calls and clicks beckoning him to come further out. He cut through the water with a mighty thrust of his tail, heading toward them. Even though there was no sunlight, he could see perfectly in the dark waters. Joy spread through Marcus as he joined the pod of about fifteen dolphins.

They swam together, their tails flipping smartly as they played. Bodies turned in a rolling, graceful dance. Marcus hung suspended in the water, watching the dolphins interact. They moved toward him, their tails moving up and down.

They twisted and turned, darting back and forth in the water, rushing at him and then away. He laughed softly and called to them, his sounds similar but not exactly like theirs. Moving together slowly they circled around him turning cartwheels. He ran his hands over the smooth bodies as they bumped against him.

Time lost all meaning as he swam with the dolphins until the low drone of a motor caught his and the dolphins’ attention. Eagerly they swam toward the slow-moving ship, but Marcus hesitated. There were humans on the ship. The dolphins might enjoy interacting with them, but he couldn’t.

Still, if he didn’t surface he should be okay. Once he was deep enough he couldn’t be seen, he peered up. The dolphins showed off for the humans who leaned over the railings, pointing and laughing. Marcus chuckled as he listened to the dolphins.

The little imps were hoping the humans would throw food to them. Even over the noise of the ship’s motor and the excited clicks of the dolphins, he could hear the human voices, but he couldn’t distinguish their words.

Losing interest, he swam from the ship. Once he was far enough, he surfaced and flipped his long hair out of the way. A warm tropical breeze swirled around him then moved on. There was nothing he enjoyed more than the moonlight on the water. It was a beautiful sight, and one he treasured.

Then the wind shifted, and a scent—the most tantalizing fragrance he’d ever smelled—slammed into him. Heady and tropical, the smell reminded him of Wright’s Gardenia, one of the Seychelles’s loveliest trees. Its white flowers were speckled with deep red splotches and its scent was strong… something he shouldn’t smell this far out in the ocean.

Shit.