Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2) (22 page)

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ASH

Friday, early morning, April 22
^nd

Alaster finally let go of my hair after he pushed me through a hole in the granite on the bottom of Lake Tahoe. I surfaced inside an air-filled corridor. Oddly, bluish-light lit the roughly hewn cave. I couldn’t hold in my tears any longer.

“Stop your blubbering already. I need to think!” he yelled.

I sat on a rock in the corner with my arms folded around my new fin and stifled my sobs. The unpredictable monster before me pirated my very breath: one who’d made me endure horrific pain, fatally wounded his son, his nephew, and the Princess Galadriel, all because it benefited him. And if Fin didn’t survive, I’d be trapped in Natatoria like Tatchi, promised to Alaster forever, and my human dad couldn’t rescue me because I had this—this appendage for legs now. I’d be sentenced to do nothing less than obey him for the rest of my life.

He studied me intently. “Where’d you come from?”

My shoulders slunk in helplessness. “Here, in Tahoe.”

“How old are you?”

I turned to hide my smirk at the irony. Most likely midnight had passed making today my birthday. Some present. “I’m eighteen.”

“Are you a twin maybe? Or—” He scratched his beard. “How’d you get to Tahoe?”

“I was born here, how else?” I stated firmly, but the details of my birth swirled in my head.

Mom had always joked I was the first homebirth baby mix-up because the ultrasound showed clear as day I was a boy. She’d also bragged how she practically slept through the delivery and awoke in shock to find a 10-pounds, 6-ounce girl in her arms—two pounds heavier than anticipated. Unlike Lucy, who hurt like the dickens at 7-pounds and took thirty hours to grace the world with her presence. Neither my mother nor my sister had a matching mark like Galadriel and I had. Could the birthmark really be a sign of royalty and not a random mark?

Alaster’s frustrated growl ripped through my thoughts. “That’s not what I meant! Just stop talking!” Alaster treaded water farther from me, mumbling to himself. Then he stopped, stunned and breathless. He began to laugh. “I can’t believe it. This is far better than I imagined.” He blinked several times; his mouth gaped wide. “So if you’re the only promised princess in the King’s shoal, and something happened to the royal family, accidentally of course, that would mean I’d be the king. King! Of course, in order to secure my rule, you’d need to give me a son, but that could be managed.”

I jolted my head backward. Who cared about the part where he’d become king? I’d die before I ever let him touch me.

“Maybe we should start now.” He waggled an eyebrow.

“No!” I twisted to get away.

He came at me quickly, grabbed my wrists, and ground his fat body hard against mine. I screamed and thrashed my tail in the water, but he’d glued me against the wall. He hummed for a moment, obviously enjoying the close touch, then held my hands above my head against the cave wall. I screamed again, clawing and thrashing with all my strength.

His eyes zeroed in on my promising tattoo. “This won’t do either.”

He yanked my arm outward, and with his free hand, he took a blade from behind his back and sliced through my skin quickly. Painful fire radiated from my fingertips as my bloodied pinkie and ring finger toppled into the water with two soft plops. I screamed in horror and in pain; blood gushed everywhere.

Below us in the deep water, the tattoo shimmered and disappeared out of sight.

“You’ll be fine in a minute, so stop your sniveling.”

The pain, nothing remotely close to what happened earlier, lessened and the bleeding ceased. Two raw nubs were all that remained. I looked at him and wiped away a tear.

He smirked. “See? I told you. Now we can go.”

My face remained tight as I swallowed down the tears and cradled my hand. He’d take me, but he could never have me—not my spirit.

He ran his rough meat-hook hand over my cheek. “Good. I like my girls tough. After all, you’ll be queen someday and you’ll have to set an example.” He arched his brow. “Maybe Fin is dead already.”

“What?”

Before I knew it, his hand gripped my chin and his slimy lips were on mine—the taste of seaweed and rotten fish filled my mouth as he slid his tongue inside, practically probing my tonsils. I recoiled and pushed him away, spitting out his slobber. But the deep consuming dread something bad would happen to Fin evaporated off of me, like a heavy blanket had been lifted on a hot summer day. Alaster threw his head back and sucked in a deep breath of air; a smile formed on his lips. “There we go, lovey. You’re not so annoying anymore.”

I looked at him and felt nothing—just a dull sense of numbness. Was he promised to me now? Colin had mentioned I’d long for whoever kissed me, but he was wrong. I wanted nothing of Alaster, other than his death.

“Now,” he moved my wet hair off my forehead, “when we get to Natatoria, you’ll follow my lead. You have amnesia. So anything they ask, you don’t know. Got it?”

I gritted my teeth; wrapping my fingers around his thick throat and squeezing sounded like a better idea. But he’d hurt Lucy if I didn’t cooperate. “Fine.”

He moved a little closer and rubbed his tail against me again. “And later, we’ll start working on that son. Once you deliver in a few weeks, and I’ve put together my army, we’ll show the proof and overthrow the kingdom.”

“Get away from me!” I shrieked and scooted away, still cradling my injured hand.

His eyes clouded in anger as his face went rigid. “Red tide! Isn’t that pesky nephew of mine dead yet?”

He looked toward the hole under the water that led out to Lake Tahoe and tugged at my hand.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Two mermen emerged from the other side of the cave, speaking a weird language I could strangely understand. The shorter of the two, the one with dark hair, stopped as our eyes met. His mouth fell open.

“Galadriel?” he whispered.

I blinked, then nodded my head slightly. Maybe if he thought I was the Princess, he’d save me from this monster.

“Yes,” I said, but in English. My brain knew how to speak in their language, but the syllables required my tongue to contort in a way I’d never tried before.

The merman startled, then frowned.

“You think this is Galadriel?” Alaster laughed. “Oh, no. She’s easy on the eyes, but not as lovely as the Princess is. I could see with the hair how it would confuse you, but I assure you she’s not.”

“A little young for you, don’t you think?” The dark haired merman creased his brow, glaring at Alaster.

The other merman, noticeably taller, had sandy brown hair and clear blue eyes. He didn’t focus on any one person or thing—as if he were deaf—and shifted nervously in the water.

“I thought you were in prison, Jax.” Alaster’s voice grew callous as he put his arm protectively over my shoulder. I tried to shrug it off; he gripped tighter.

“I’m out on bail—aren’t I?” Jax nudged his friend with a coy smile. The other merman didn’t respond.

“What are you two doing here? This is a private gateway,” Alaster said sternly.

“We, uhhh, had a tip about Galadriel.” Jax smiled weakly. “But apparently you’ve found her lookalike, so… we won’t be venturing on, I suppose.”

Terrified and in shock, I couldn’t speak. I trembled, wishing for them to stop Alaster; to save Fin. Numbness still consumed my heart and I wondered if Fin were even alive. I did what I could; I lifted my hand slightly. Jax’s gaze flicked at my wound; concern spread on his face.

Alaster noticed. “The human man she lived with beat her. Look at this—” He grabbed my hand and yanked. I yelped in pain. “The jackass cut her fingers when we were trying to escape.”

“No—” I tried to say, but Alaster gripped my hand tighter, taking away my breath.

“The girl’s still in shock from the change,” Alaster interrupted, “speaking gibberish most of the time.”

“Oh.” Jax ticked his head to the side.

I pleaded with my eyes for help as a tear trickled down my cheek. They couldn’t believe him. They needed to probe deeper, to punch him out.

“That’s horrible.” Jax bowed his head.

“Well, the human has received his justice, so,” Alaster lifted his chest, “it’s the responsibilities and dangers of guarding a gate, I suppose. I couldn’t let her suffer. She’s one of the lucky ones, but will require a lot of tender love and care. It’s my duty as her new mate. Can I escort you fellas back to Natatoria?”

My stomach pitched a fit and I almost retched.
Help me.

“You know what, Ferd?” Jax slyly smiled. “I think Alaster is lying. How about you?”

The rush of fins startled me, as the white water swirled in front of my eyes. I moved out of the way as razor sharp tail fins smashed into the rocky walls. After a minute, Ferd emerged with his arm around Alaster’s neck. Jax followed with a punch into Alaster’s jaw, knocking him out cold. Alaster’s body crumpled like a jellyfish and slipped under the waterline. He came to rest peacefully on the bottom of the cave floor.

“Tough sucker.” Jax lifted his tail and ran his finger over one of the spikes. He tasted the liquid. “Totally resistant to my poison.”

Ferd looked off to the side, oblivious once again.

I marveled at the relaxed swagger this rag-tag team exuded. “Why did you do that?”

“Honey.” Jax took my hand and inspected it. “Did he do this, too? Or was that really from your human?”

The tears poured from my eyes. “Alaster cut my fingers off.”

Jax tsked and frowned in sympathy. “I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

I bit my lip. Though a criminal, Jax’s concern ebbed from his eyes, making me trust him.

“Ashlyn.”

“Where’s home, Ashlyn?”

“Tahoe.”

“Come on, Ferd. Grab the reptile. This all seems a little fishy.”

As the three of us swam to Tahoe together, the blood whooshed in my ears. Though they’d rescued me, I didn’t know if I’d jumped from the pan into the fire by allowing these criminals to escort me. According to Fin, Galadriel’s situation was a secret. Who had given Jax the tip Galadriel was in Tahoe and why did they want to find her first?

“I knew Alaster was a sick and twisted arthropod, but to butcher your hand like hers? I mean, you’re a very close knock-off. I thought for a second you were Galadriel, with the red hair and all, but—” He slyly tried to check out my backside. “Did he put a mark on your hip by chance?”

Butcher my hand? Was Alaster secretly trying to pass me off as Galadriel instead?

“No.” Thankfulness flooded me. My black dress, though holey, still covered my birthmark, so Jax couldn’t be sure and ask more questions. Maybe he’d leave me alone if he suspected I wasn’t royalty. But as we swam a little farther, a nervous flutter hit my stomach with a vengeance.

“Shouldn’t Alaster be turned in? To your mer police?”

Jax chuckled. “I’m not in the best standing with the police myself, so I’m not sure what we’re going to do with him, actually. But I can’t leave you here, honey. It’s a shark-eat-shark world out there. And though this reptile was anxious to pawn you off as royalty, you’re a mermaid now, and unfortunately I’m not privy in how to change you back.”

“That’s okay. I—I’m good actually. I’ll be staying here, so you can go.” I jetted into the current away from them. “Thank you,” I called out.

If I could get inside the tunnel without them seeing, maybe they’d go away.

Jax caught up with me. “No, Ashlyn. This isn’t right. I’m not a hook and release kind of merman.”

“I’m okay, seriously.”

“I can’t leave you.”

“I’m not alone. I’m already promised.”
I hope.

“You are? To who?” He flared his tail to slow down. “Is he here?”

My heartbeat accelerated as we neared the tunnel to the hatch. A trail of stinky fish, sweet flowers, Colin’s musk, and Fin’s clean scent infused my nose. Ferd’s anxiety peaked and he dropped Alaster in the current. He rushed for the tunnel first.

“No!” I screamed. “Stop!”

“Wait up, dude,” Jax called out and followed closely behind as Ferd swam into the hole.