Tridia (The Poseidia Series Book 3) Page 6

  Stunned, my mouth simply fell open. “No. No way. I’m not ready to have another child.”

  “We are aware of your success in producing your first child, which is what makes you a likely prospect to have more. As many as possible. Fertility among our female Mers is rare. The highest of honors. You should be proud. What you can do for our community will be greatly appreciated, and rewarded.” She walked to the semi-circle’s center again. “We expect an update from Lucas by month’s end. We hope he will have good news.” She returned to her seat, smoothing her robes as she settled. “We wouldn’t want to have to relocate you for noncompliance. You are dismissed.” She waved her hand at us. The High Council stood in synchrony and retreated to the darkened room’s recesses.

  In shock, I grew lightheaded, and leaned against Lily for support. She quickly consoled, “Give their request consideration; it’s not unreasonable given the dire circumstances of our community’s future. Fertility is such an honor in our culture, I would give anything…”

  My heart pounded in my ears. I gripped Lily’s arm until my knuckles turned white. “They are not asking for my consideration. They are demanding my compliance, or else they will banish me permanently.” My voice crackled on the last word.

  Atlas, where are you?

  Roman, wake up!

  I bolted to the door, my mind racing with ideas to circumvent their plan for my body. None seemed doable.

  Lily quickly caught up with me. “I‘m required to escort you to the Healing Center, where you will meet with Lucas and discuss options.”

  Using every bit of restraint I had to temper my raging emotions, I froze in my tracks. “There’s no way they’re going to force me to get pregnant. I’m not a farm animal, who can be bred without consent. Besides, Roman is still in hibernation, and I have no idea when he will emerge. No way.” I gripped the doorframe.

  “Roman is not one of our fertile males,” Lily informed.

  A punch to the gut. No. “What are you saying?”

  Lily touched my arm. “This is what you’ll discuss with Lucas. He’ll give you options on choosing amongst our fertile males.”

  Panicking, I ground my teeth. “You’ve all crossed a line. I’m grateful for the chance at a new life, but this—this is too much. They’re taking away my free will.”

  “I’m required to see to your compliance.” Lily’s grip tightened around my arm. Her fear engulfed my being.

  Under Lily’s projected distress, I couldn’t discern if she remained on my side, or if she believed in the High Council’s plan. “I must return to land—I have a mission to finish.”

  “You may return to your mission, after your first meeting with Lucas. This is simply a preliminary meeting to discuss options and determine a plan. You are not required, nor ready, for implantation today.” Lily lessened her grip, releasing my arm.

  “Implantation. You guys certainly take the romance out of procreation.”

  “For us, reproduction is not about romance, but about survival. Please understand where we are coming from.” Her eyes pleaded. Telepathically, I understood her perspective. Desperate to mother her own children, but unable to, she became obsessed with solving the Mer’s infertility problem. Lily genuinely couldn’t understand my reluctance.

  “This first meeting with Lucas, I don’t have to be implanted now?” Feign compliance until I think of a better plan.

  “Of course not.” Lily smiled, suspicious, but accepting my interest in exploring my options. “This is simply to advise you of your choices in mates, and determine how you would prefer to proceed—the natural way, or implantation.”

  I laughed. Not an I-think-this-is-hilarious-laugh, but an I’ll-let-you-guys-think-you-are-controlling-me-but-I’ll-have-the-last-laugh kind of laugh. “Okay, let’s go see Lucas.” My mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to circumvent this ridiculous requirement. I desperately made, and played out, back-up plan after back-up plan. The first consisted of packing up all my things, securing Laith to my back for safe swimming, and heading to Clara’s house. But we’d never be safe.

  The realist in me recognized my anxiety talking. Right now, I remained trapped by the High Council’s control.

  Chapter 12

  In Atlia’s Healing Center, I bravely told Lucas, “I have no intention of allowing the High Council to impregnate me without consent. I’m not some barnyard animal.” Reluctantly, I crawled on the examining table.

  Lucas held his scanner over my body as I reclined. “Here, fertility is a great honor. I am aware our practice conflicts with your personal beliefs, and the human traditions you have left behind, but here your power to create life will be celebrated.”

  “I’m struggling to wrap my mind around the concept.”

  “I understand your hesitancy, but trust me, I will help make this an extraordinary and comfortable experience for you. You will be so happy being a mother again!” Lucas practically foamed at the mouth. His over-exuberance made me suspicious. With his scanner hovering over my pelvic region he exclaimed, “Oh, yes, yes, you are almost to ovulation.”

  Okay, seriously, none of your business, and you’re way too excited.

  “Are we done yet? I have a mission to finish.”

  “I only need to give you a few injections—it’s normal routine to extend your ovulation time frame, giving us more chances of a successful insemination.”

  “Injections? Lily didn’t say anything about injections, or extending ovulation. I’m having a hard enough time concentrating on my work without any more distracting bodily… needs.”

  “Oh, not to worry. The enhancers will not confuse you one bit,” Lucas assured. “If anything, they will make the world seem clearer.”

  Two of his orderlies arrived on each side of the bed and held my arms. Before I could utter a protest, or sit up to fight off the goons, Lucas pressed a medicine delivery device to my right hip and made two trigger movements.

  Damn him.

  The goons released me and I sat up, cursing under my breath. “I haven’t agreed to any fertilization. I’m only here to consider my options.”

  Ignoring my protests, Lucas handed me a list. “These are the names of our twenty most fertile males. If you would prefer I set up a gathering, where you can physically join with them, I am more than happy to facilitate a meeting. Or if you choose, they can leave a specimen, and I’ll implant their semen into your uterus.”

  Stunned at his assumption of my compliance, I opened my mouth to protest, but Lucas continued, “Under each name, you’ll see key features and characteristics. One star is good, two or three stars are more compatible with your particular DNA. Four stars is a perfect match, and a much higher probability of a successful pregnancy.”

  Fuming, I smiled sweetly. “Thank you so much, Lucas. I’ll get back to you soon.”

  “I must see you tomorrow. Your eggs will need to be monitored, so that I can let you know the perfect time to attempt implantation. Alternately, if you decide to go the natural route, I can observe if you prefer, so we insure a success.”

  Um, no.

  “Again, thank you, Lucas. I promised Eric I would return to the mission today. I will check in with you tomorrow,” I lied.

  “Please take tonight to rest and relax. Any over-exerting could damage your egg.”

  “Thanks for your help, Lucas. See you tomorrow.” I slid off the table and strode to the door.

  At the same moment I extended my hand to open the door, Lily entered, sharing Lucas’s enthusiasm. She eyed the list in my hands. “This is so exciting,” she trilled. “I’m so happy for you! You will love Mer pregnancy; it’s the most honored of times. Your body will be in harmony.”

  Cringing inside, I shook my head. I stuck the list inside my dress cleavage, securing the paper beneath my left boob.

  “I’m going to go see Laith once more before I head back to land. I have a meeting with Eric.” Strange, Eric seemed the sanest Mer right now.

  “I will give you your space,” Lily
promised, “but I expect you to be at the Healing Center tomorrow by noon. I will bring along the highest-desired fertile males, and you can get familiar with them.” On that encouraging note, Lily returned to her work in the Healing Center, following Lucas and his team.

  “Sure, okay, see you then.” In front of the hibernation room, on the way to the Healing Center’s exit, I stopped and peeked through the glass.

  Man, I wish you were awake. You would know what to do, Roman.

  The first couple months Roman had been under, I’d visited often, and spoken to him while he lay there—a corpse below the hibernation chamber viewing glass. After a time, visiting became painful, and I pushed myself to stop coming, reasoning that I needed to spend time with Laith. Shortly after, my attention turned to missions, and I hadn’t been here in months.

  I miss you, Roman.

  Could my heart bear to see him with his pale skin and death-like expression?

  Bracing for the sight, I waved my hand over the panel to the right. The metal door slid open. The room smelled of death—or more accurately, a vacancy of life. As the entrance closed behind me, I inched toward Roman’s chamber. As I neared, I could see his familiar silhouette. Gorgeous chocolate hair, tousled around his face.

  About to completely lose my cool, I placed my hands on the blistering cold chamber. My heart wrenched.

  I won’t cry, I won’t cry.

  His face remained unnaturally pale, but his skin had become tighter, strangely taking on a youthful look. He appeared twenty years younger.

  Oh my god.

  Is he close to waking up?

  Please, oh please, Roman, wake up. I need you.

  Unable to control my emotions anymore, I draped my body across the frigid metal chamber and sobbed.

  “I hoped you would visit my dreams, Roman. Every night, as I go to sleep, I pray to see you. To feel your caress, kiss your lips. I don’t know how much longer I can go on without you. The High Council is interfering again. They want me to…” I couldn’t even say the words. “I can’t bear another day without you. I need you. I miss you so much, my heart aches in places and depths I didn’t know existed. I’m afraid… I’m afraid if I go on much longer without you, I’ll become weak and give in to my Mer body’s… demands. I don’t want to.

  “I know you didn’t want me to go without affection, but some insane part of my mind is fighting for me to stay loyal. How do I resist when temptation is at every turn? How? Will I still love you if I do give in? Maybe that’s what I’m most afraid of—falling out of love with you. Of moving on. What will happen to me if the High Council wins and I’m forced to become pregnant? What will they do to me if I don’t comply?”

  Roman didn’t answer. No out of body experience spontaneously happened. No stirring, or sense he understood, and would give me the answer I sought.

  Only an extreme impression of emptiness. A void, which had become the place I called home. Loneliness. A barren desert. A place I’d known all too well when I had lived with David.

  How long should I wait?

  How long do I owe him?

  Will he ever wake up?

  Will he be the same Roman who went to sleep?

  He told me not to wait for him. Did he know how excruciating this would be?

  He must have.

  Defeated, I hung my head and sulked back to the nursery. Embracing the role of mommy, I buried my stress and played with Laith before heading back to land.

  Eric and I had a fundraiser to attend tonight. Get your head in the game, girl. Do the mission, return to Atlia, and pack up Laith. Until then, play cool—and keep your mirrored bubble on high alert.

  Sure, Lily, I’d love to have lots of Mer babies. Do my part to preserve Mer-kind.

  No way would I allow the High Council to breed me against my will.

  Chapter 13

  After an exceptionally long, hot shower, I reclined on the bed, wrapped in a plush white towel, waiting for Eric’s impatient fist to pound on my door. Up until now, I’d refused to even glance at the list Lucas had given me. I picked at the paper lying on the bed next to me. Curiosity temporarily victorious, I unfolded the sheet.

  I glanced down the list of names, not recognizing anyone until I reached the very end. No Roman, of course, and strangely, no Atlas. Do they even let common Mers mate with the king? I would think, with as much power and vitality as Atlas has, he’d be on the list. But then again, he’s not Mer. They are only wanting to preserve the Mer species, not the demi-god species.

  No last name, or anything else that would point to him, but the tingle in my belly confirmed my mission partner was on the bottom of the list. Next to Eric’s name stood four stars.

  If I had a pen, I would’ve crossed his name off. No way. Not him. And besides, I wasn’t really considering the High Council’s demand.

  Startled out of my musing by a gentle tapping on the door, I tossed the list aside and opened the wooden panel.

  A petite Mer female stood waiting, holding a garment bag with a silver pair of heeled sandals. She held the attire out to me. I took the bundle and thanked her.

  Let’s see what man-child Eric picked out for me tonight.

  Hanging the garment bag on the closet door, I extracted a white, shimmering evening gown.

  Wow—beautiful.

  Different from the slutty black dress he’d had me wear the other night, this one dripped of class. Silver satin lined a bright white lacy bodice. Sheer, white fabric flowed to mid-ankle, resembling a fairy’s outfit, and reminding me of my conversation with Allison. A coordinating scarf had been draped from the hanger.

  Pleased with this choice, I smiled—well, almost.

  Retrieving the Mer-to-human skin illuminator from the bedside table, I snapped the device around my left wrist.

  I twisted my other bracelet—the one I’d gotten from Atlas—and thought of him. Did he know what the High Council had planned for me? I imagined their arrival in Atlia, the moment Atlas went to visit his son—our son—to be no coincidence.

  They had conveniently pushed their agenda, trying to rein me under their control.

  Surely, Atlas wouldn’t approve.

  Wait.

  The key.

  The key King Mestor gave me.

  My quarters in Poseidia had been obliterated in the bombing. If Laith and I had been there when the attack happened, we would have been instantly killed.

  Ironically, I had the High Council to thank—my banishment saved our lives.

  I’d returned to Poseidia, at least a dozen times since the blast, in the hopes of searching for the key to the Connective that King Mestor had given me. A small, golden cube whose value I didn’t entirely understand. Thus far, I’d not been allowed to sift through the debris, the structure not safe enough for such disruption.

  I’d asked Atlas to section off my old quarters so the remnants wouldn’t be touched in the building’s clean-up and haul away. I didn’t want some random Mer finding the key—the item too precious for inexperienced hands. Better to remain buried for me to find.

  Shaking off the bad memories, I dropped the towel to the floor and stepped into the dress. The silky fabric kissed my skin and electroreceptors. When I smoothed my hands down over the fabric on my abdomen, the electroreceptors there tingled, sending zings of pleasure through my body.

  Whoa.

  Watch where I put my hands.

  On… myself.

  A stern rapping on my door—Eric, no doubt—overcame my urge to take care of my body’s hunger. “Just a minute,” I yelled, frustrated.

  Pushing aside my needs, I slipped my feet into the strappy sandals. Doused with pomade, I ran my fingers through my short hair, giving the locks tousled volume. Brick-red lipstick, and eyeliner on my inner lids, completed my makeup.

  Put everything else out of your mind. Focus on the mission.

  Chapter 14

  I pulled the door open to find Eric impatiently leaned against the frame, arms crossed. When our eyes met, his m
outh parted, and for a millisecond he lost his steel composure. Hot, is the word I caught projected from his mind, followed by a pornographic impulse.

  “Stop,” I said.

  “I’m remembering my date last night,” he defended.

  “Of course,” I agreed, rolling my eyes. “What’s the plan?”

  “That’s a question,” he corrected.

  “And there will be many more. Deal with my questions, mister.” Stressed about the High Council, and their ridiculous mandate, I had no tolerance for jousting with Eric.

  Confident and angry, I followed him down to his Jaguar, where he opened the door for me. Biting back an unkind remark, I slid into the seat as he moved to the driver’s side. God, please help me figure out the best way to avoid killing Mark tonight. Show me how to outsmart the High Council, and their unreasonable demand, without creating a war.

  Eric gunned the engine. The resulting vibration, through the seat, sent a shockwave straight to my groin. Gripping the armrest on the door, I panted, completely caught off-guard by the unexpected and extreme sensitivity of my female bits.

  What the heck?

  Oblivious to my distress, Eric continued to pompously rev the engine.

  “Stop, stop,” I pleaded between short breaths, breaking into a sweat.

  He pulled out into the street, screeching the tires. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing, nothing,” I assured in a huff, trying to sit crooked and minimize posterior seat contact.

  While watching the road, he observed my wiggle every time he came to a stop and throttled the engine. Eventually, teasing me became a game, and his mischievous smile revealed he enjoyed the effect the subtle vibration had on me.

  When Eric finally pulled into the semi-circular driveway, I fought not to weep in relief when the engine stopped.

  The valet opened the passenger door, and I nearly leapt out of my seat. Barely able to stand, Eric quickly came to my side and offered me his arm.