SeaChange (19 page)

“Her life, as you surmised.”

They swam several more laps in silence as Jake digested his
grief.

“Have the gods responded to my mother’s petition?” Jake
finally asked.

“Poseidon himself came down during the ritual,” Niko
replied. “Her request was denied. The god who created our race does not seem to
care if we survive or not.”

Jake knew better than to curse the god of the sea, but he
couldn’t help doing so in his mind. Then he said to Niko, “So what’s her backup
plan?”

Niko shook his head. “I do not know. I was hoping you might
have one.”

* * * * *

Heidi scrubbed at herself until the water ran cold, then she
scrubbed some more. It was a good thing Jake had had the
Siren
’s water
tank filled in Mission Bay, because she knew she was going through way too much
for being on a boat. Still, after having her own and Brad’s blood all over her,
not to mention having been touched by those coyote shifters, she really felt
the need to be
clean
.

Tears poured down her face as she thought about Brad. He was
safe. The relief of that hit her over and over again, blocking out even her
horror over the men who’d been killed tonight. Brad would be okay. She’d wanted
so badly to believe it, but deep down she’d been so afraid that he was dead.
Her dreams of him crying out to her to find him hadn’t been wrong. Maybe she
was a little psychic, just as Jake had said.

Well, wouldn’t that be something? She’d spent her whole life
studying animal behavior, yet there were so many species out there that she’d
never even known existed. Merfolk. Wizards. Werewolves and coyote shifters. Whatever
the hell Wen was. It was all so freaking unbelievable, but so undeniable once
she’d seen it with her own eyes. She felt like a bit of a useless lump next to
all the fantastic beings she’d been surrounded by, but yet—she’d held her own,
she thought with a small, wobbly smile. And Jake didn’t seem to mind her being
human. Her skin quivered at that thought, then she realized the water had run
completely cold. Shutting off the water, she stepped out into the steam-filled
bathroom. After putting fresh gauze on her arm, she wrapped one towel around
her hair, one around her torso, and stepped into the bedroom—to find Leta
waiting on the bed, wearing one of Heidi’s swimsuits with one of Jake’s shirts
as a jacket over top.

“I was beginning to worry,” Leta said. “You were in there so
long, I thought you might have fallen unconscious.”

“No, I just really needed to feel clean,” Heidi said. Given
Leta’s total lack of concern about nudity, and too tired to care anyway, Heidi
grabbed a nightshirt and a pair of soft cotton boxers from her drawer and
pulled them on. “I’ve never been involved in anything like that before, and my
skin felt…contaminated.”

“I cannot imagine,” Leta admitted with a shudder.

There were no chairs, so Heidi sat cross legged at the foot
of the bed and began to comb the tangles out of her hair—which was now a muddy
dark blonde, after six more shampoos. Silence reigned for long moments.

“Do you love my brother?”

Leta’s question made Heidi jump—she’d apparently nodded off,
just sitting there. Steve had pressed some pain pills into her hand, and she’d
given in and taken one just before her shower.

“How do you know if you are in love?” Leta continued. “Especially
if you’ve never known anyone else?”

“You’re taking about Niko.” Good, because the last thing
Heidi wanted to do was discuss the non-future of her relationship with Jake. “You
don’t know if you love him?”

“I feel something for him,” Leta admitted. “Thinking about
him makes me…aroused. But I don’t know if that is love.”

“Me either,” Heidi agreed. She definitely lusted after Jake,
but was that love? “Do you miss him when you’re apart? Do you worry about his
safety? Do you get angry if you think of him with someone else?” She tried not
to think about what her own answers to those questions would be if applied to
Jake.

“Yessss.” Leta sighed softly. “But that could be just
because he’s the only man I’ve ever thought of as my own.”

Of course it could. “At least you’re the same species.”
Crap, she hadn’t meant to say that. Heidi was way too tired to be having this
conversation.

“Yes, I can see where that would be a problem,” Leta agreed
She scooted closer, picked up the brush Heidi had dropped, and with gentle
fingers began to smooth the tangles from Heidi’s hair. “My father hated aging
while my mother stayed young. Even though there are spells in the settlements
that slow the process for humans, he still grew old and died after a mere three
hundred years, while Mother is still in her prime.”

“Three hundred years—for a human?” Jake hadn’t said anything
about that. He probably didn’t want her to know. It was a long time to be stuck
with someone just because the sex was incredible.

They sat in silence for a while as Leta finished brushing
Heidi’s hair. Finally, the mermaid sighed and spoke softly. “I thought I wanted
to marry Niko, but then once we were betrothed, he became so—controlling. I’m
tired of being told what to do, where to go, and even what to think.”

“I can see where that would get awfully old, awfully fast,”
Heidi agreed, wrapping her words around a jaw-cracking yawn. “But running away
from home might not have been the best way to prove you’re a grown up.”

“You are probably right,” Leta admitted. “It is
hard
to grow up, though, when everyone I know sees me only as my mother’s frivolous
younger child. Perhaps if I was ever given anything to do, any way to be
useful, I would have had a reason to act like an adult.”

“I can see that,” Heidi admitted. “But Niko seems to see you
as a woman—or he did anyway. Not sure about now.”

“No. Not any longer.” She sounded so forlorn that Heidi
turned around to hug the other woman.

“If you love him—work it out.”

“We will see,” Leta said. “For now, why don’t we get you
into bed. You look exhausted.”

Obediently, Heidi crawled up to the pillows, trying not to
wince as she moved.

Leta pulled the covers up and walked to the door, while
Heidi let her heavy eyelids flutter shut.

“You are good for Che, you know.”

Heidi’s eyes popped back open. “Huh?”

“He has changed since he left us,” Leta explained. “And I
know most of it probably happened before he met you. But there is a softness to
him when he is with you that I don’t think came from chasing those bad guys. He
truly cares for you.”

“Umm—thanks.” Heidi didn’t know what else to say, but a huge
yawn prevented her from speaking for a moment anyway.

“I should let you sleep,” Leta said with a smile. “You have
had a difficult day. I wish I was as strong and brave as you are. Maybe then
Niko would see me as a worthy partner, instead of as someone to look after.”

Heidi smiled wanly and crawled up the bed. “You’ll figure it
out,” she said.

“Can I get you anything?” Jake’s sister really was kind of
sweet when she wasn’t in spoiled princess mode.

“No thanks.” Her words were around another yawn and she was
asleep almost before Leta turned off the lights and slipped out the door.

* * * * *

“Hey, Freya, you need to wake up now.” Soft lips closed over
the folds of her ear immediately following the whisper.

Heidi stirred. “Don’t want to. It’s warm and comfy in here.”
She snuggled her butt back into Jake’s groin. Oh yeah, things were warm, and
about to get warmer. His hand slipped up under her shirt, and she moaned as he
palmed one of her breasts and squeezed gently.

“We’re docked at Mission Bay. We’ve got maybe an hour before
we need to go meet Steve.” He rubbed at her already pebbled nipples and nibbled
on the side of her neck.

“We can do a lot in an hour,” she murmured, rolling to her
back to look up at him. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, goddess. How are you feeling?” His deep-brown
eyes were almost black with passion, which made Heidi want to purr.

She snaked a hand down to grasp his rigid length. “Horny.”

“Mmm. Me too.” He leaned down to capture her nipple in his
mouth, sucking gently as his hand slid south to cup her mound. “Yum. You’re
already wet.”

“And you’re hard. Whatcha going to do about it?” She moved
her hand up and down on his cock, loving the way his hips twitched as she
stroked.

“Oh, honey, I’m going to fuck you so hard neither of us will
be walking straight when we leave this boat.” With that, he drew her nipple
deeper into the hot recess of his mouth and began to suckle harder. His fingertips
slipped between her soaked folds, one finding her clit and rubbing it, while his
middle finger speared up inside her slit.

A wild cry built at the back of her throat as the orgasm
gathered low in her belly. She buried her face in his hair, inhaling the warm,
salty scent of it. Her hand gripped his shaft, stroking in time to the finger
thrusting in and out of her. She was so relaxed from sleep that it didn’t take
long for the sensation to reach a boiling point. Her whole body went taut, then
sparks flooded through her from her toes to her scalp, in time with the
clenching of her womb. The scream she’d been holding in burst free, wringing an
answering moan from Jake as he gently removed her hand from his cock. With one
last kiss to her swollen nipple, he moved between her legs and slowly slid
home, filling her to the brim.

“You are so damn beautiful when you come,” he murmured,
stroking a strand of hair behind her ear as he began to move. Then he arched
his spine to suckle the breast he’d neglected before.

“Jake,” Heidi moaned. She didn’t know what else she’d meant
to say. That one word was all her fevered brain could manage. She wrapped her
arms around his shoulders and dug her fingertips into the strong muscles of his
back. It felt so perfect when he was inside her. So right. “Yes!”

As she felt her body tighten a second time, she felt
something else. Something that had to be her imagination, or maybe just a
lingering bit of a dream. But it was almost as though she could feel Jake’s pleasure
too, feel herself wrapped around him like a glove, feel the warm wet heat of
her own body on his. The additional sensation was like a positive feedback
loop, enhancing her own excitement, and it was only a few more seconds before
she exploded again, this time coming so hard she almost blacked out. Her breath
was little more than sobs as she heard—and felt—Jake roar out his own
completion and felt the hot splash of him pouring himself into her. All she
could do was cling to him while she fought for oxygen and the aftershocks
rippled through her.

“Holy shit,” Jake whispered as he finally collapsed beside
her. “You okay?”

“Oh yeah,” she murmured. “Can’t believe we did that with
Leta onboard, though.”

“She and Niko went for a walk. I gave her my credit card so
she can get some clothes as soon as the stores open.”

“Genius,” Heidi whispered, turning her head just slightly to
kiss his shoulder. “S’pose we have to get up and get dressed now.”

“Yeah. Thought you’d want to stop by the hospital and see
Brad, so Steve’s meeting us there.”

“Great.” She couldn’t wait to see Brad, but boy, how she
dreaded seeing his parents.

Jake kept one hand on the back of Heidi’s waist as they
walked into the Intensive Care unit. According to Steve, who’d met them at the
door, Brad was responding very well to treatment and would be moved into a
regular room later that day.

He could feel her spine stiffen in trepidation as they
approached Brad’s room. There was a private security guard outside the door,
who raised his hand in salute when he recognized Steve.

“We still haven’t rounded up all of Velasquez’s U.S.
connections,” Steve told them. “We know he has a couple, starting with whoever
trashed your apartment, but Wen hasn’t gotten all the names just yet. Until he
does, we recommended that Dr. Van Dorn be kept under guard.” He cast a pointed
look at Heidi and Jake nodded. He wasn’t about to leave her unprotected until
the rest of Velasquez’s organization was rounded up. Maybe not even then.

“Are Mr. and Mrs. Van Dorn inside?” Heidi asked Steve.

Steve shook his head. “I made a strong suggestion that they
needed to go have breakfast while I had a conversation with Brad. Go on in—he’s
waiting for you.”

Jake gave Heidi an encouraging nudge toward the door. “Go on.”

She inhaled deeply and straightened her shoulders as she
went. As soon as they’d passed the entryway and she got a good look at her
friend, her posture eased and she grinned. “Hey, pal, you look like crap.”

“You’ve looked better yourself, blondie,” the small, slim
man in the bed replied with a matching smile. His voice was weak and his skin
was pale beneath its dusting of freckles. His reddish-brown, short-cropped hair
had been shaved in at least one spot where staples had been used to close a wound.
One leg was in traction and there were bruises and bandages all over his arms,
but he was conscious and lucid, which meant he wasn’t on any super-serious
narcotics. All in all, that boded well.

Heidi pulled away from Jake to lean over and give Brad a gentle
hug. “This is a shitty way to get out of doing your share of the research.”

“Look who’s complaining. At least you ended up with a hot
bodyguard. I mean, did you
see
Fred out in the hallway? Fifty-five and
balding. Sooo not my type.” Brad patted Heidi’s hand with the one of his that
wasn’t hooked up to an IV, then held it up to Jake. “Brad Van Dorn. Thanks for
keeping an eye on Heidi.”

“I’m Jake Delos, and that’s no problem. Glad to see you’re
in one piece.” Jake kept his grip light, but shook the other man’s shaky hand.

“Agent Marinucci here told me you two were there last night
when they rescued me,” Brad said to them both after Jake had pulled a visitor’s
chair up beside the bed for Heidi. “I thought I’d dreamed that part.”

“No,” Heidi answered. “We were there.”

Brad leaned back against his pillows with a slight shake of
his head. “I’m not sure I want to know how you managed to wind up in the middle
of a raid, Heidi, but I’m glad as hell you did.”

“I’m just sorry it took us so long to find you.” Heidi’s
voice hitched, and Jake squeezed her shoulder. “Thank God you’re going to be
okay.”

Brad’s nod was weak and Jake could see he was fading fast. “We
can’t stay too long,” Jake interjected. “I’m sure Agent Marinucci told you they’re
rounding up the dealer’s U.S. contacts? That’s why you have a guard.”

“I know,” Brad replied. “And you’re protecting Heidi.”

“That’s the plan.” At least it was now. He could put off
going to see his mother for a little while longer. After all, her problems had
been brewing for years. Heidi’s apartment wouldn’t be ready yet anyway, and the
Siren
was the most logical place for her to stay.

“You’ll be all right,” Heidi said to Brad. “I know your
parents are here. Sorry about that.”

“Yeah, me too.” His laugh was weak and sarcastic. “But what
can you do?”

“Just heal quickly so they go away,” she replied. “You want
me to stay?”

“With them around? Yeah, that would work,” Brad said. His
voice was fading fast. “Nah. You get out of here. Go to the beach with your hot
bodyguard or something. I’ll take a nice big hit of my painkillers and ignore
my father’s stony glare and my mother’s whining.”

“I’ve got a meeting in Catalina in a couple days,” Jake
offered. “If Heidi goes with me, that should keep her safe and out of range.”
He couldn’t believe he’d just suggested taking her with him when he went to
meet his mother. On the other hand, like he’d told Niko earlier, Heidi was damn
smart. Having a brilliant human help his people figure out solutions couldn’t
hurt.

“But—” Heidi began.

“Good idea,” Brad said, his eyes starting to sag. “Now get
out of here before the wicked witch and her flying monkey come back.”

“If you’re sure.” Heidi looked at Steve. “You
swear
he’s not in any danger?”

Steve held up his hands. “I talked to his doctor myself. He
should make a complete recovery. And old Fred out there is his only obvious
guard, but trust me, I’ve got my own people watching this place too.”

Heidi flashed Jake a wobbly smile. “Okay. Looks like I’m
going with you.”

The rush of relief that filled Jake’s chest was staggering.
He didn’t have to let her go—not yet at least. He wondered how long he could
keep making excuses to keep her by his side. Or if maybe he should skip his
swim next month, then ask her to stay with him as a human.

“You take your drugs now.” Heidi stood, bending over Brad to
straighten his sheet and kiss his pale cheek. “Try to stay out of trouble,
okay?”

“You too. Unless it’s the interesting kind. In that case, go
for it.”

Heidi stuttered out a chuckle. “I promise.”

Jake wrapped his arm around her waist as she turned to leave
the room. He could feel her misery, and it wasn’t something he was comfortable
with yet. Every instinct he possessed urged him to fix whatever was hurting
her, or at least hold her close until the pain went away.

With Steve following just a few steps behind them, they
almost made it out of the hospital without a confrontation with the senior Van
Dorns. They were halfway down the hall to the elevator when the doors chimed
and an expensively dressed couple in their fifties stepped out. At least the
man was that age, based on his silver mane of hair and the lines that bracketed
his eyes. The woman was so modified by surgery and expensive cosmetics that
there was no telling how old she was. Dressed in camel slacks, a dark brown
cardigan and an ivory silk blouse with just a hint of pearls showing at the
neckline, she held herself like a princess. Her golden-blonde hair didn’t move
when she walked, her hand on the sleeve of her husband’s custom tailored navy
blazer. The expression on her perfectly painted lips tightened slightly at the
sight of Heidi, making Jake wonder if that was as far as the Botox would allow
them to move.

The man’s watery blue eyes narrowed as well. Jake could see
a faint resemblance to Brad in the bone structure, but he wondered how the hell
such a nice guy came from stock like this. He nudged Heidi toward the wall in
an attempt to walk around the other couple, but the Van Dorns stepped to the
center of the hallway, blocking their path.

“Have you no shame?” the woman hissed. “Haven’t you done
enough?”

“Look, Mrs. Van—” Heidi began.

“The guard has orders to keep you away from our son,” the
man added. “Don’t come back. Our attorneys are still investigating possible
ways to hold you liable for this.”

Heidi’s eyes widened and Jake’s control broke. He heard
Steve moving to intervene, but he wasn’t going to wait. Heidi had dealt with
enough over the last few days. She didn’t need
this
.

“In case no one informed you of this, the only thing Dr.
Eriksen did was risk her own life to save your son’s, on more than one
occasion.”

“Look, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but this
is none of your business…” Van Dorn began, shaking a finger at Jake.

Then Steve was there, insinuating himself between the two
couples. “This is a hospital, folks. ICU, remember. Not the place for an
argument.” Then he turned to the Van Dorns. “And unless you want a restraining
order issued barring
you
from this hospital—and don’t think your son won’t
agree to it—then I suggest you put a sock in it right now. You’re looking at
two of the people responsible for rescuing your son. Thank them politely and
keep walking.”

Jake felt a faint hint of magic and realized Steve had added
a little persuasive push to his comments. Handy. With a curt nod, Jake led
Heidi around the other couple toward the elevator, ignoring the faint mutters
of “thank you,” mumbled toward their backs.

“Well, that went remarkably well, all things considered,”
Heidi murmured as the elevator doors closed behind them. There were three other
people in the elevator, so he couldn’t just kiss her senseless to take her mind
off things.

“I need to arrange for cleaning my apartment,” Heidi said as
they walked out to the curb. “And call the university. Obviously Brad’s in no
shape to resume our research, and since we have to replace the Zodiac and
everything on it—shit. What I
really
need to do is get a new cell phone,
then spend some quality time on it, fighting with various insurance companies.”

“We can take care of all that this afternoon,” Jake assured
her. “Steve has promised that he won’t keep us long, filling out our reports.”

“They’re all typed up and waiting for you,” Steve assured
them as he led them to his dusty beige sedan. “All you need to do is sign.
There was no reward for these yahoos, unfortunately. I’ve arranged for some
reimbursement of expenses, but that will take a little longer.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Jake replied. He’d had plenty of time to
accumulate a healthy bank account since he’d been living as a human. Then he grunted
as Heidi elbowed him in the gut.

“Speak for yourself. My fellowship stipend has been
suspended, remember?”

“I can loan you—”

“I’m not taking—”

A loud whistle interrupted them. Jake looked over the hood
of the car to see Steve shaking his head. “Knock it off, kids. Don’t make me
turn this car around.”

Heidi laughed. “Sorry, Steve. But any help I can get toward
putting my life back together would be appreciated. Once this is all over, I
will need to get back to it.”

Not if I have anything to say about it.
Jake held the
passenger door for her, then climbed into the back. His hopes were that Heidi
would never be going back to her old life—at least not exactly. He’d buy her a
damn research vessel and captain it for her if that’s what she wanted. That was
one modern job skill he did possess. But they were definitely going to need a
bigger apartment.

* * * * *

After her last encounter with law enforcement bureaucracy,
Heidi hadn’t expected to see daylight again once they stepped into the Federal
Building. Steve hadn’t lied to them, though. Things were entirely different
this time. Instead of being stuck in a cold, sterile interrogation room, they
went straight into a comfortable office with two leather guest chairs. Steve
whispered to someone on the way in, and shortly after they’d been seated, a
young woman with short black hair and a badge clipped to her belt entered with
a stack of files and a tray with three mugs of coffee.

“Thanks, Ali. I owe you one,” Steve said with a smile. “Jake,
Heidi, this is my partner, Alicia Flores.”

“Two,” she told him. “You stuck me here to deal with
Horowitz while you were getting action down in Mexico.” She turned to shake
hands with Heidi and Jake. “Your statements are all printed out, just like
Steve requested. Good work on getting the prisoner out in one piece. Oh—and we’ve
rounded up a SDPD officer and a California state trooper off the list so far.
Looks like this drug cartel was pretty well connected here in the States. Good
thing your boys are singing like canaries. Don’t want to know how the
Federales
are getting them to do that.”

“Wen,” Steve said as soon as his partner had sailed out the
door. “No way I’m explaining that to Ms. Shoot-first-ask-questions-later. She’s
the most bloodthirsty partner I ever had.”

Heidi sipped her coffee and read over the statement. It was
pretty much accurate, except for a couple of things. There was no mention of
magic or shapeshifters, and according to this, she’d waited safely out of the
way until the raid was complete, when she’d come to identify Brad. “Works for
me,” she muttered, picking up a pen to sign the document.

Jake did the same and they both handed their paperwork to
Steve. The agent looked them over, nodded, then tossed his car keys to Jake. “Leave
it at the marina. I’ll have someone drop me off there later tonight. You’re
heading out today, right?”

Jake shrugged. “Probably first thing in the morning. Heidi’s
got a lot to take care of, and we could both use some rest.”

“Rest in a marina out on the island. They have cell service,
and it’s a hell of a lot safer in the short run. Give me a few days to finish
the clean-up.”

Heidi checked her watch. It wasn’t even noon yet. They had
plenty of time. Seeing her acquiescence, Jake agreed. They both shook Steve’s
hand, then headed back to the car.

“Next stop, cell phone,” Heidi said. She resisted the urge
to lean against Jake’s shoulder. She couldn’t get too dependent on him—even if
she had gone and fallen in love with him. She had to keep reminding herself
that he was hers only for the moment. As soon as this whole nightmare was over,
she’d have to go back to standing on her own size-twelve feet.

“Groceries,” Jake added. “At least the boat was being fueled
while we were out. She’ll be ready to go as soon as we are.”

“And we have to find Leta and Niko,” Heidi reminded him.

“Yeah.”

Heidi hid a grin. It was so cute to watch the big man get
all confused when he talked about his little sister. It was also too damn easy
to forget that sister was in her nineties. A tiny part of Heidi was still
struggling to get a grip on all she’d seen and heard in the last few days.