The Marked Ones (19 page)

‘Calm.’ Chase repeated, not blinking. ‘Happy. Yes.’

Ivyanne’s heart was beating rapidly. She so rarely had use for singing amongst her own people, that she’d forgotten how rewarding it could be. She turned to face the chef. ‘You’re handling this so well, Lee. Just stay focused, and you’ll get through this. You’re not feeling rushed at all.’

‘I’m focused.’ Lee repeated in a monotone, staring through her. ‘I am not rushed.’

‘Good.’ Ivyanne retraced her steps. ‘Now make up, and forget you saw me.’ Pivoting, Ivyanne hurried out of the room, running smack into Remi.

‘Hey!’ Remi’s eyes were wide, her red hair in disarray. ‘I was just coming to make sure that Lee and Chase weren’t killing each other!’

‘I handled it.’ Ivyanne said, with a brief smile.

Remi sank back against the wall, looking perplexed. ‘Really? Chase?’

‘He was freaking out.’

Remi pushed off the wall, and tossed her snarled red braid over her shoulder. ‘I wish we could do Lincoln too, but Marcus polices us pretty strictly about that. About both him
and his dad. Not that we ever really have need of it-we’re careful and they’re even-tempered….usually.’

Ivyanne was relieved to hear that there was some kind of system in place to prevent the mers completely taking advantage of the humans they worked for. ‘Well I’m princess, so as far as Chase goes, I’m overruling Marcus tonight-it’s either siren or stroke, so I did him a favor.’ She smiled. ‘And as for Link, well, everyone’s entitled to a bad mood every now and then, aren’t they?’ Ivyanne silently surmised that if she cared for Lincoln at all, she
should piss him off every chance she got, and shatter the rose-colored glasses he viewed her through.

The doors swung open. Lincoln appeared. His narrowed eyes moved from Remi, to her, and he frowned. ‘Are you two seriously just standing there while I do your jobs for you?!’

Ivyanne’s stomach flipped. So much for the ‘piss him off’ plan. His anxiety distressed her,  and Ivyanne still wasn’t used to being in someone’s bad books. ‘Sorry Link, we’re just coming up with a battle plan.’

‘I’m going to clear, Ivyanne’s going to bus, and you can work the register while Livi takes orders.’ Remi said quickly, patting him on the shoulder as she passed him by.

‘Well get to it.’ He snapped, locking his eyes on Ivyanne as she hurried past. ‘Your boyfriend is probably counting the seconds until you show up, remember? And I don’t think he’s used to being lonely.’

Ivyanne froze, stricken. ‘Lincoln what’s gotten
into you tonight? I had no intention of going anywhere after my shift but back to my room!’

Lincoln paused, frowning at her with distrust. ‘Really?’

‘Really.’ She said emphatically, then added: ‘Not that it’s your business, sir, but no.’

He frowned at the reproach in her tone. ‘Yeah well,
he certainly thinks otherwise.’

‘Well he can think what he wants-you too. But do
not drag me across the coals for it!’ Ivyanne snapped, pushing past him. ‘Excuse me.’ As she marched back into the dining room, she felt her fingers tremble with anger. Tristan was a dead man, and once she buried him, she was seriously considering throwing Link in after.

19.

Ivyanne barged into Tristan's room the moment she knocked off-not bothering to go for her nightly swim. It was raining too much-heading out in it would look suspicious. Besides, there was lightning, and even she was vulnerable to that.

And thirdly, she was in the
mood to be mad.

When she swept in the room, half-drenched and shaking, Tristan looked up from the television and smiled as though he’d been expecting her.

‘Hey beautiful!’ The blue light from the television was reflecting off his fair hair. ‘How was your night?’

Ivyanne reached into her sagging apron, removed the two bound mud crabs she’d absconded with and placed them on the table top before her. She’d worked so hard to develop composure in the face of so much friction, but the rainy, perplexing day was the last straw. She was out of tolerance. ‘
What did you say to my boss?!’

Tristan’s eyes widened as he regarded the live crustaceans on his perfectly clean table before gaping up at her. ‘Is this your version of bringing a man
flowers? I already ate, but it works.’

Ivyanne scowled at him. ‘They’re
females. I just rescued them from the tank. Figured you’re used to dealing with women with crabs so you could see that they get where they need to go.’

Tristan chuckled. ‘Ouch!’

Ivyanne crossed her arms. ‘Seriously...what did you say to my boss, Loveridge?’

Tristan smirked. ‘He told you about our talk, huh?’

‘All he’ll tell me is that you said I was coming over. And I wanna know why you said it, when we had no arrangement. Aren’t things in my life stressful enough without you trying to get under my boss’s skin to boot?’

‘Okay first off-
stop dripping water and aquarium filth all over the place-it’s not cool.’ Tristan got to his feet, went to the sink and came back with a rag and a tea towel. As he continued to talk, he set the crabs gingerly on the dishcloth and began mopping up the water with the rag. ‘And secondly, Link sought me out to start trouble, so he can’t complain that he got some back.’

Ivyanne hesitated, putting her rage on hold. ‘
He started an argument with you?’

‘
Yes.’ Tristan said, taking the cloth to the sink and rinsing it before ringing it out. He then put the plug in the sink and filled it with water-probably for the crabs. ‘Princess he came all he way down to the beach just to give me a hard time. How crazy is that? He’s lucky I didn’t tow him out past the shark nets and dump his cocky ass there!’

‘It’s just so unlike him!’ Ivyanne exclaimed.

‘Actually no, he’s sort of been a smart-ass since we first met.’ Tristan countered, reaching for a mop and shooing her feet away while he dried the area beneath her. His fastidious cleaning was almost enough to get a giggle out of her. ‘He needed to be put in his place, so I handled it.’

‘
How?’ Ivyanne asked, stepping aside. She couldn’t fathom what would drive mild-mannered Lincoln to pick a fight with Tristan-who was twice his size and a high-paying guest. ‘He’s really mad!’

Tristan rested the mop against the wall and crossed to the en suite. When he came back thirty seconds later, he tossed her a large fluffy towel. ‘Like you already said- I just happened to mention how I was looking forward to you coming over after you clocked out.’

‘But I never said that!’ Ivyanne protested.

Tristan’s hand snaked out and wrapped around her wrist, tugging her to his bare chest, his eyes shining. ‘And yet here you are. I must be psychic, hmm?’

She pushed off him, trying to ignore how warm and hard he was. ‘It’s hardly the moment, you know. I’m pretty pissed off.’

‘That’s okay. Angry sex is the
best kind.’ He tugged her closer by her apron. ‘I can’t wait to show you.’

‘So long as we don’t rumple the bedspread in the process?’ She asked wryly, smacking his hand away. It was hard to maintain her anger when he was so flippant towards it.

‘Oh I can deal with a messy bed...for awhile.’ Tristan joked. ‘I rock hospital corners.’

Ivyanne rolled her eyes and stepped back so that the table acted like a shield between them. The levity between them didn’t change the fact that Lincoln was stricken, and
that hurt her. The memory of his angry face instantly sobered her. ‘I don’t like you upsetting my boss. Even if you think he’s asking for it.’

‘I know. And I didn’t want to-but he pushed too hard.’ Tristan threw himself back on the be and wriggled up to the pillows, apparently giving up on his seduction. Still, he didn’t need to actively touch her to be seductive- just sitting there showcasing his sculpted and tawny physique in the dim light was enough to make her a little light headed. His smile drew her eyes to his mouth and she felt herself press her own together in reflex, suddenly needing pressure to alleviate the ache. ‘Why does it bother
you so much though?’

Ivyanne shrugged. ‘He was upset, and that makes him hard to work with. Isn’t that a no-brainer?’

‘Maybe to someone with no brain. But there’s more to it than that.’ Tristan folded his arms behind his head. ‘You barged in here so sure that Lincoln had been wronged, and then after learning otherwise, declared that it wasn’t like him. Which leaves the burning question...how much time have you spent thinking about what Lincoln Grey is like?’

Ivyanne turned her face away, but she could feel his pointed stare slicing through her façade. For all of the rumors celebrating Tristan Loveridge’s various strengths, she’d forgotten the most important one of all-that his intelligence was equalled by no other, and his intuition was razor sharp. ‘Not much...’

‘Bullshit.’ The bed creaked under her as Tristan sat up. ‘You’re kind of into him too, aren’t you?’

Ivyanne felt herself frost over. She’d already had to lie to Ardhi. Did she have to lie to Tristan now too? Or should she just reveal all?

When Tristan spoke again, his voice was low. ‘Am I pursuing a girl who’s completely oblivious to me, Ivyanne? Because if I’m wasting my time, I need to swim out of the rip here.’

‘
No!’ The word blew across the room where she knew it would cause as much chaos as a tornado. Tristan’s eyes widened, so he was as clearly surprised by her vehemence as she was. Ivyanne followed the word, circling the table, but came to a hesitant halt at the side of his bed-unsure of where to go from there.

Tristan’s lip lifted in amusement. He swung his leg over the side of the bed, resting his muscular arms on his knees, and regarded her curiously. ‘Your words say one thing-’ he gestured to the space between them. ‘But the gap between us...
that says another.’ He cocked his head to the side. ‘And it represents Link, doesn’t it?’

Ivyanne looked down, trying to get a handle on her thoughts. ‘He’s there.’ She confessed, in little more than a whisper. ‘But there are other things too..’

‘Like your dad’s opinion of me? Ardhi’s? My reputation?’ Tristan guessed.

Ivyanne half-shrugged. ‘Amongst other things.’ She lifted her head. ‘You’re...you’re a
heartbreaker, Tristan. Have I got issues with you? Yes. And when a girl meets a guy like you, clinging to those issues is a survival instinct, because you’re too easy to fall for otherwise.’

‘Flatterer.’ Tristan said with a wicked grin. He crossed his arms. ‘Well...what have you got against me? If there’s a wall to be torn down between us than I’ll have to do it one brick at a time.’

Ivyanne stared at him. ‘Well...you’re a player. How do I know that you won’t get bored within weeks of settling down with me?’

‘Look in a mirror. I could keep myself entertained with just your
bottom lip for a decade.’ He shot back. ‘What else?’

Ivyanne smiled, despite herself. ‘Well, you’ve slept with
so many women…’

Tristan blanched. ‘Isn’t that like saying you hold my tail against me? I am what I am, Ivyanne. Most merman have whittled their headboards down to splinters-the only difference between me, and them, is that
I get rave reviews.’

Ivyanne hugged herself. ‘I know that. And I don’t hold your nature against you. But virgins in our kingdom are rare, Tristan. It’s just the unmarried Marked daughters, and
me. I feel like you’ve had so much sex that going to bed with me will be completely unremarkable for you.’

Tristan’s eyes widened. ‘Oh wow, you literally have
no idea.’

Ivyanne snorted gently. ‘You’re right-I don’t. And that’s another problem. Our strengths and weaknesses are at opposing ends of the scope. You have all the confidence in the world, and the arrogance. You can be downright callous-’

‘Callous?’ The word was heavy with disbelief. He frowned. ‘Isn’t that a little overboard? I’d say flirty, cocky, direct, yes...but if you’re trying to imply that I’m devoid of empathy or emotions then you’re way off.’

‘Am I?’ Ivyanne countered, sitting on his bedside table. ‘You’ve been disposing of women for years! And your e-mail was so blasé about this whole situation, like you’d do me the favor of marrying me
if the arrangement suited you. You wait six whole months and then just show up like a-’

‘
Forced volunteer?’ Tristan’s tone was weary, and his eyes had lost some of their sparkle. ‘Like maybe the queen called me and begged for me to intervene before either of us was ready?’

Ivyanne let out a breath, not overly surprised by this revelation-yet furious with her meddling mother all the same. ‘So she summoned you, huh? I
knew it!’

‘Yes. But only because she knew she
had to do something to stop you from jumping into a marriage with Ardhi out of kindness.’ Tristan leaned forward, bending his knees slightly and resting his arms across them. His deep brown eyes had darkened to charcoal. ‘And as for the six months, well, what did you expect? I was in mourning too, Ivyanne.’ He frowned. ‘Have you stopped to consider that while you’ve been breaking down over the loss of a fiancé you barely knew-I’ve been trying to hold it together after losing a brother?’

Ivyanne blinked. Actually, she hadn’t.

Tristan swallowed before continuing. ‘Nigara meant the world to me...and yet you’re going to lecture me for not swooping down to seduce his widowed fiancé right away? For testing the waters with some vague e-mails first? I don’t want to sound callous-but not everything is about you and your troubles. And not once have you said : ‘I’m sorry for your loss, Tristan.’

Ivyanne blinked, surprised. ‘I
haven’t?’

Tristan shook his head. ‘No, your highness. You were too busy telling me to keep my hands to myself.’

Ivyanne stared at him, and the reflection of herself in his sorrowful gaze was gut-wrenchingly unattractive. ‘Tristan I....I feel wretched.’ She reached out and touched the back of his hand. ‘I’m sorry. Really. I can’t even imagine what you have been through-’

‘Not just me. My mother, father and sister as well. And the girl he was living with.
And his son.’ Tristan took his hand from hers and rubbed his forehead. ‘It’s been depressing. Pursuing you has distracted me, and being near you has made me happy again.’ He furrowed his brow. ‘But I haven’t forgotten the part where you admitted that Lincoln is an obstacle, princess-so before I break a sweat pulling down the wall between us, I want to know how much of that wall is there for him.’

Ivyanne sighed. She didn’t want to have this conversation. She
wanted to be honest with Tristan, but she also feared that if he knew too much, he’d run screaming from her. ‘He’s not an obstacle’ That was true. She loved Lincoln, but she wasn’t deluded enough to think a future with him was a possibility. ‘I have feelings for him, and I’m weak when it comes to letting him down. But if you’re insinuating that I might pass over a Marked Son for a human, I’m really insulted.’

‘But you
are into him? And he’s getting to you where I want to be getting to you?’ Tristan asked, frowning. ‘Damn. Now I don’t feel like a player, but the playee.’

‘Maybe I
am a player.’ Ivyanne said, frowning down at her hands. ‘Ardhi had his hopes way up, you’re cut up over Lincoln, and Link’s gone into self-destructive mode over me.’

Tristan shrugged. ‘Two of us know you’re a siren, and the fight we were in for when we signed up. And as for Lincoln, he’ll get over it. It’s infatuation caused by your pheromones, not
love.’

Ivyanne wished she could believe that-but if her feelings for Lincoln were still so strong, then how could she write
his off as infatuation? ‘It goes a little deeper than that.’ Ivyanne hedged. ‘But the bottom line is that a flat-out rejection from me will crush him. The pain I’ve caused Ardhi, and the stress I’m causing you is one thing-you’re mer-you can soothe yourselves with a decent swim. But Link’s human. And I feel like a horrible person because something in my eyes keeps giving him hope that my words can’t retract.’

‘You’re not a horrible person Ivyanne, you’re a
mermaid.’ Tristan’s hand caressed the top of her hair. ‘You’re going to break hearts your entire life-from the postman on your route to your future kid’s mates who are still going to be eyeing you off when you’re two hundred. You can’t make every one of them your personal cause, or beat yourself up over each shattered and fleeting dream.’