Tridia (The Poseidia Series Book 3) Read online

  Lucas wouldn’t speak about Allison’s status, only telling me Lily would find me later. “Be patient,” he’d said, as if that were one of my virtues.

  On the way back to my quarters, I stopped in front of the hibernation room. Looking through the window, I saw Roman’s face silhouetted against the viewing glass, his hair curled around his temples.

  A deep pang pulled at my heart. He appeared dead, and even though intellectually I knew otherwise, the visual was more than I could bear. Guilt tore at my soul, even with Roman’s encouragement to enjoy other relationships. A human emotion that continued to burden my conscious. To Mer, open loving and sexual relationships remained a cultural norm.

  Conflicted, I placed my hand on the door, wanting desperately to go in. No, I can’t. I wouldn’t. Finally in a good space emotionally, I didn’t want to regress. I won’t let pain and regret control me.

  Maybe one day I’ll understand and embrace Mer morality. Until then, my human sentiments convicted me.

  Instead of going in, I blew Roman a kiss through the window.

  As I backed away from the door, I bumped into someone. I twirled, startled.

  “Atlas, what are you doing here?” Embarrassed, I nervously smoothed my short hair.

  “This is the first place I check when I’m looking for you.” Atlas sported his regal look—long silver robes, which touched the floor, covering a burgundy velvet man-dress, which spilt to his hips and flowed to his feet. A silver braided sash held the layered garments snug around his waist. His beautiful blond hair had been gathered into a neat ponytail.

  “Well, you found me. What do you want?” I snapped, looking around the hallway. Hot dogs, hot dogs. Don’t let him read my mind. Don’t let him see last night. Hot dogs. Baseball.

  As Atlas moved closer, his fresh, salty ocean scent wafted over me. He cocked his head to the side, studying me. “You look… different.”

  “Yeah, well, people change.” I crossed my arms tightly. Hot dogs, hot dogs.

  “In only a few days?” His face registered hurt and rejection.

  “Stuff happens.”

  Atlas cleared his throat, composing himself while he tried to read my energy. “I heard you met with the High Council. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. They’ve been asked to leave and are returning to Og. What did they want to meet with you about?” He touched my elbow, obviously wanting to hug me. Creasing his brows, he maintained his space and rubbed his chin with his other hand.

  Shield, girl, shield like crazy. “They didn’t tell you?” Baffled, I had a hard time believing the High Council and king operated independently. The revelation made me suspicious.

  “No. Were they civil?” His eyes met mine and I quickly glanced away.

  Uncertain if I should tell Atlas the truth, I hedged, “Did you know the High Council sent me on a bogus mission to mess with my head?”

  His surprise genuine, he answered, “I didn’t.” He frowned but didn’t reveal any more. “Did you work out your differences with Eric?”

  “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” I couldn’t hold in the snicker.

  Shield, girl.

  Hot dogs. Hot dogs.

  “Is he giving you a hard time again?” Atlas asked. “I can have him replaced.”

  Hot dogs.

  “Um, no, Eric is a perfect gentleman.”

  Well, not exactly.

  I flushed and bowed my head, doing my darndest to reinforce my mirrored bubble shield. Please don’t let him see, please don’t let him see.

  Shield.

  Shield.

  “If he gives you any more trouble, please bring the issue to my attention. Are you… okay? You’re acting strangely.” Atlas stepped back.

  “I’ve had a rough night and am looking forward to a nap. After a visit with Laith, I’m going back to land to… um… finish the mission.” I inched closer to the exit.

  “This morning’s status report indicated the mission failed.” Atlas eyed me, confusion radiating from him.

  “Oh, yeah. But I, um, need to, um, get my stuff and new orders. Or whatever.”

  “Missions fail. All the time. Don’t take it personally, you’re still learning,” Atlas consoled. “Are you sure you’re okay? I wanted to ask if you would have dinner with me tonight, in the pyramid. We could speak about… important matters.” Images projected from his mind, but with my current anxiety level, I couldn’t decipher them.

  “Oh.” I walked backward through the exit.

  Atlas followed me, through the double doors and up the steps out of the Healing Center. “Is your answer a yes, or no?” Complete confusion now flowed through him.

  “Maybe we could meet later.” I reached the top landing and paused, wanting to turn and run.

  “Okay, how much later? A different time?”

  “Well, um... I’ll find you. Okay, see you later!” I spun and ran.

  Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

  Hot dogs, hot dogs.

  In my blind frenzy, I ran smack into Eric’s oncoming chest.

  “Watch where you’re going,” he teased.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, watching over my shoulder for Atlas. “Move,” I pointed, “this way.”

  “Ooookay,” Eric replied. “We have new orders. From Lily.”

  Flustered, I power walked, anxious to get far away from Atlas, and the Healing Center.

  Eric followed, amused. “You can stop now,” he said, when we reached the residential section.

  “What’s the mission?” I asked, turning to face him. Generally, the closer you stood to a person, the clearer the images were. I didn’t want Atlas watching reruns of last night as they flittered through my mind the moment I relaxed my shield.

  “We need to return to land, and obliterate any evidence of you kidnapping the girl last night.” Eric’s green eyes glowed with emotion.

  “We?”

  “Collaborating is essential if we’re going to be partners. We have to work together as a team, or the breakdown will cost us our lives. You did good by telling me last night, but there is a certain amount of cleanup we need to do. And remember, you asked for my help.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t consult with you, but you would never have let me rescue her,” I reasoned, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

  “True. The move was stupid and careless.”

  Outside the door to my quarters, I stopped. “I believed saving her was the right thing to do.” I still do.

  “Right for whom?”

  “For her.” I waved my hand over the panel, opening the door.

  Eric grabbed my arm, twirling me to face him. “You can’t make these kinds of decisions on your own. There are dire consequences for everyone involved, not only you.”

  “Stop scolding me. I took a risk, but she was going to die.” I tried to pull my arm back, but he had a good grip on my elbow.

  “People die every day. You broke the law. Not only human law, but Mer law too,” he whispered in a paranoid voice. Images flooded his mind. Because breaking a Mer law remained unheard of, he feared an armed guard would jump out and grab us at any time.

  “They bring humans here all the time to experiment on them. That’s how doctors have made the medical advancements they have, and how I got here.” Shaking my head, my actions justified, if only to myself, I stepped into my quarters.

  “There’s a specific process Mer follow in those instances. You were already dead.”

  “Thanks for reminding me. Why are we going over this again? I admitted my mistake last night. You didn’t lecture me then.” Eric’s angst made me edgy. Atlas will help me if need be. I’m not going to run—unless I have to. “Does the High Council know?” I whispered, flipping on the lights. The door slid shut behind us, and I engaged the lock, my own paranoia growing.

  “I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Are you going to tell them?” I searched his eyes, wanting to trust him like I did last night.

  Did I make a mistake?

  Am I being n
aive?

  Was our coupling some planned move by the council? The more I thought about the potential, the more convinced I became I’d been set up.

  “You need to stay away from the High Council. Far away, until this works itself out.”

  Striding to the portal, I activated the key on my ear. “I am steering clear; they’ve been sent back to Og. Does King Atlas know about Allison?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  “You should be the one to do that. Our king has far-reaching power; he’s the only one who can protect you.”

  Chapter 20

  Back in the Mer house, Eric explained the plan he had to eradicate security footage of me kidnapping Allison. If we’d returned faster, a moderate electric pulse, in close proximity to the home, would’ve wiped the data on Mark’s surveillance equipment, effectively erasing all images of my departure with Allison. At this point, we had to assume a copy of the video evidence was in federal hands as a part of the kidnapping investigation. Avoiding law enforcement, while getting close enough to those video files to erase them, would be our biggest challenge.

  Though there was likely a suspect bulletin out, identifying me would be difficult. My fingers now had mutations, therefore fingerprints wouldn’t match any former records. At least, that’s what Eric told me.

  I could never show my face in this area again.

  The consequences of my stupid move.

  If the Mer saved Allison’s life, I’d have no regrets. I would gladly endure the brunt of any punishment.

  I insisted on accompanying Eric on our newest mission. Thanks to Mer technology, the plan didn’t require me being seen. We only had to get within twenty feet of the house, and where ever the law enforcement files were being stored, to activate the focused magnetic pulse technology.

  Dressed in all-black clothing, Eric and I headed to Mark’s mansion in an ubiquitous black sedan—Eric couldn’t chance his favorite car being seen.

  My adrenaline pumped. This would be my first cleanup mission experience.

  The various roads to Mark’s house had police roadblocks, checking cars and asking questions. We did a U-turn and drove several miles, parking at a deserted beach. Our new plan was to enter the ocean, swim, and hope the tech would activate from the surf. While they’d likely comb the beach, the police would never expect their suspect to be treading water off the coast.

  We shed our clothing, leaving the hastily folded stack on a nearby rock, and Eric donned a backpack carrying the heavy equipment. Cautious of covert observers, we waded naked into the ocean and dove under. After an uneventful coastline swim, and within viewing distance of Mark’s house, we broke the warm water’s surface.

  Scattered along the beach, officers and security people stood in small groups. Flood lights scanned along the cliffs. Eric retrieved the Mer tech from his backpack, turned a couple of dials, and pointed the device toward the house.

  “We’re not within range,” he said, grinding his jaw as he looked up and down the coast for options.

  “There’s no way we can get any closer without being detected. The beach is too crowded.”

  Treading water easily, I watched for an opportunity. A balcony looked out over the coast, from the mansion’s top floor—Mark’s bedroom. With my excellent Mer vision, I watched two people argue. Mark frantically paced, waving his arms in the air.

  When he passed Queen Atlas, she touched his shoulders. Mark stopped in front of her, they spoke, and he threw his arms up, returning to pacing.

  “Do you see what I see?” I asked Eric, pointing.

  “I do,” he answered, frowning.

  “What are they talking about?”

  “My hearing isn’t that good.”

  “Why is the queen with Mark?” Above, he stopped pacing, and took Queen Atlas into his arms. “What was the larger mission, Eric?”

  “I have no idea. Orders come from the High Council. I do what I’m told, no questions.”

  “The council is working a more complicated agenda. Why would they want me in Mark’s bed?”

  “Who knows what goes on at their level. I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

  “I’m more confused than ever.”

  The queen had her arms wrapped around Mark’s neck, her evil smile glowing. Mark lowered his head to her shoulder.

  “Welcome to missions. No one person ever has the entire agenda; that would be too dangerous. We each play our own role. No one ever knows what goes down in the end.”

  “And yet you expect me to be collaborative?”

  Hand-in-hand, Mark and the queen retreated to his bedroom, closing the doors behind them.

  “We are partners. We work together, each with our own particular assignments.”

  “Never knowing the end game,” I mused. The floodlights illuminating the beach turned off, and people moved indoors.

  “Right.”

  “The secrecy would drive me crazy.”

  “Go back to patrols. It’s much simpler.” Eric made no attempt to hide his impatience with my questioning.

  “Not a chance. And patrols aren’t simple. They’re brutal in their own way.” I remembered the mother whale’s death.

  “Play your role in the game and everyone stays happy.” Eric cheesed a fake smile. He’d let his guard down. I sensed his anger at how the High Council operated—he didn’t enjoy being a puppet either. A small part of him secretly supported Queen Atlas, which explained why he wasn’t shocked by her arrival at the benefit.

  Some Mers, including Eric, had mastered the art of two selves. One they showed to the High Council and Connective, the other they shielded. He lived a double-life, enjoying the freedom missions gave him to pursue the hedonistic pleasures human living offered. He followed his orders from the council, making sure to stay under their radar. The last revelation explained the reason he remained angry with me. I’d endangered his neutral standing with the High Council.

  “Easy for you to quietly play your part; you’ve been a Mer your whole life. You’re used to compliance.”

  “Believe what you will. We all have our vices.”

  “Apparently yours is human women.” Unattractive jealousy tainted my words. “There’s a lot I don’t know, isn’t there?”

  Eric nodded, cautiously moving toward the emptying shoreline.

  “I admit, I used to be really naïve. I’m learning the world isn’t what it seems.”

  “Never is.” Eric now swam a few feet from me. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  Diving under, he emerged a few minutes later in the surf breaking on the beach, near rocks to my left. He crouched, listening, before moving closer so he had a line-of-sight to the house. Taking cover behind a large patch of fountain grass, he slipped the device from his backpack. I watched as he turned the same dial, and pointed the portable EMP gizmo at the house. Less than ten seconds later, he returned the pulse emitter to his backpack and appeared at my side within minutes.

  We swam back down the coast, and located our dry clothing on the rock. Hurriedly dressing, I moved to run to the car, paranoid we would be followed.

  Eric grabbed my arm. “No quick moves; they’ll look suspicious.” He hadn’t even bothered to pull on his pants yet.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I complained, wanting to be safely behind Mer doors.

  Eric pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. “I warned you I would corrupt you,” he whispered in my ear as he finished the kiss. The frustrated, impatient Eric was gone.

  My hormones raged with the reminder of our passionate night pressing insistently against me. I groaned.

  “We could be seen. The police are still looking for me,” I protested.

  “I sense no one,” Eric countered, snaking his hand up the back of my shirt. “We’re completely alone.” He kissed the nape of my neck, pushing his hand hard against my lower back, drawing me in close to his body.

  “You warned me to not look suspicious.”r />
  “Exactly,” he said, lowering me to the sand, tugging my damp leggings off. “Beach fucking is expected.”

  When his lips touched the tender place between my legs, I forgot every objection.

  Chapter 21

  Back in the Mer house, Eric feverishly typed on his computer in an upstairs office. Hacking apparently one of Eric’s fields of expertise, he planned to erase the law enforcement copy of the security footage remotely. While he worked, I’d been instructed to pack up everything I valued.

  The doorbell rang.

  I ran to the office and asked in a hushed whisper, “Who’s at the door?”

  “Probably the police,” Eric said nonchalantly, pounding away on his keyboard.

  “Why would they be here?” Panicked, I looked to the door at the stair’s bottom.

  “You kidnapped Mark’s daughter.”

  “But how would they know to find me here?”

  “Mark would have identified you as a friend of mine. We’re lucky they’re ringing the doorbell. I expected a full swat team to crash through the windows.”

  “And you’re only now telling me this?”

  “It’s common sense,” Eric countered, ignoring the repeated doorbell’s ringing. He shut down his computer, and grabbed his duffel from the closet.

  “Are you going to answer the door?” I asked, as Eric strode to the portal and stacked his duffel on top of my two bags.

  “Nope.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Disappear,” Eric announced.

  Chapter 22

  We exited the portal, stepping out into a dimly lit hallway. Letting Eric lead meant he determined where we landed. The hallway carried sounds of a busy human street, and the scent of spicy food.

  My tummy sank. This wasn’t Atlia.

  “It’s all been taken care of,” he assured, as he stood outside a wooden door, his right hand on the handle, his left in mine, and his duffel thrown over his shoulder.

  “What do you mean?” I stopped, resisting his tug forward.

  Eric pushed the door open to reveal a dated, sparsely furnished bedroom. Not exactly a roach motel, but not the Hilton either. “The house will be destroyed. Two badly burnt bodies will be found in my wrecked Jaguar—time for a new model year anyway—which propelled over a cliff. They’ll assume we were running and lost control.” He tossed his duffle on the floor.