Open your eyes, idiot
, an insistent inner voice prodded.
Look at what’s in front of you
.
Tessa looked. Though she couldn’t read his mind, she had a feeling that he wasn’t deceiving her, or trying to take advantage of what he’d discovered about the Mer. He wanted to help. Even if it meant no strings attached.
“I never would have guessed.” She sounded too breathless for her own liking.
Kenneth grimaced, his expression momentarily hardening. “I don’t like mentioning the money. People treat you differently when they know you’ve got it. Everyone turns into a phony sycophant.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.”
“I’m giving you the chance to find out.” He eyed her. “So are you going to take the money?”
Tessa considered. Everything was crashing down on her, too much, too fast. The last twenty- four hours had been a roller coaster. She’d barely had a moment to catch her breath, much less get her thoughts straight. “I don’t know.”
Unrolling his cigarettes from his sleeve, Kenneth tapped one round cylinder out of the pack and lit it. “No pressure.”
Exhaustion suddenly barreled in, pressing down on her with an oppressive burden. She rubbed tired eyes. “Can we talk about this later? I need to think.”
Exhaling a stream of white smoke, he nodded. “That’s fair.”
Feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, Tessa stepped off the balcony and walked back into her room. Her muscles were tight with tension. “I always do my best thinking in the shower.”
His throaty laugh sounded behind her. “Just don’t use up all the hot water.”
Something about the sound of his voice vibrated inside her mind, pinging off her senses like pebbles tossed against glass.
Tessa made an impulsive decision, one that would change the direction of her life. A new adventure was opening up and she’d be a fool not to seize it.
Casting a glance over her shoulder, she arched a suggestive brow. “Who said I’d be showering alone?” Reaching down, she snagged the bottom of her T-shirt. Pulling off her top, she let it slip through her fingers. “Care to join me?”
Chapter 11
T
essa, Gwen, and Addison sat on the living room floor. Several bottles of wine had been uncorked and drank, the alcohol absolutely necessary to achieve an ultimate purpose: to get Gwen to loosen up and embrace her inner Mer.
The crystals Tessa had brought out of hiding were scattered across the carpet in no particular order. She picked one up, rolled it in the palm of her hand. The green-tinged stone glinted in her hand. “This is one of the ones I’ve had a lot of luck with.” She showed the piece to her sisters.
“What is it?” Addison asked, riffling the pages of a thick clothbound diary. Though it wasn’t exactly a how-to book, their mother’s descriptions of her dabbling did help give them a grasp of their own potential.
It also gave the girls a glimpse into Jolesa Lonike’s mind. She too was afraid of hurting people with her power. Like her middle daughter, she squelched the instinct to embrace it. Their father, on the other hand, had encouraged his daughters to hold on to their inner Mer. He’d often gone behind his wife’s back to remind his daughters all three of them were special and could do anything they set their minds to.
Special was one thing. Unique was, too. But to be nonhuman in a world in which 99.9 percent of the people happened to be human wasn’t easy.
Not everybody would consider a scaly tail cool.
Tessa rolled the stone across her palm. She considered its smooth surface.
For the most part, the few humans who were aware mermaids truly inhabited the bay were loyal, proudly and fiercely guarding a privileged secret. And even though he’d attempted to bring their civilization to the attention of the archaeological world, even Jake hadn’t specifically pointed fingers their way.
Still the word
freak
hovered in the back of her mind.
A lump rose in her throat. She forced it down.
If we knew more about our power, we could control people, let them see only what we want them to
. Turning the notion into reality enticed.
“It’s fluorite,” she finally said, dragging her mind away from the wicked thoughts. The first thing their mother had warned them about their magic was an ironclad rule: Do no harm.
Addison found a page. Strange symbols and odd lettering covered the paper. “I wish I had learned more of the Mer language,” she said, frustrated. “But I think this part covers that stone.” She offered the book to Gwen. “Here. Didn’t you learn quite a bit?”
Swallowing down a gulp of her favorite Pinot Grigio, Gwen waved her hand. “No. I will not get involved in this. You know I am firmly against using our Mercraft.”
Addison harrumphed. “Don’t be stupid, Gwen. It’s our nature to use magic, kind of the way humans have to have air to breathe.”
“Uh, we need air, too, Addie.” Tessa bounced the stone on her palm. “According to Mom’s diary, this piece is a grounding stone. It balances and stabilizes intuitive powers. It’s also excellent for mental coordination.”
Gwen sucked down more wine. After half a bottle to herself, she was more than a little bit tipsy. “Then the damn stone should tell you I am not interested in being Mer. I just want to be plain old Gwen, owner of a successful hotel.”
Addison whacked her recalcitrant sister with the diary. “That’s boring. Imagine all you could do if you just used a little magic. Instead of wishing for dollars, you could just conjure them into existence.”
Tessa nibbled her bottom lip. “I don’t think it quite works that way, Addled Brain. We can’t just wave our hands and make the dollars appear.” If that were possible, she’d have already done it a long time ago.
The sound of plaster and wood collapsing interrupted their discussion.
“Just the bedroom wall coming down!” Kenneth called from upstairs. “Better steer clear.”
“We’re making a wide berth,” she called back.
“We’ll get this place in shape in no time,” be bellowed.
The sound of men wielding power tools resumed.
Tessa shook her head. Over the last few weeks, the man had lived up to the term
handy
, tearing into house repairs like a demon possessed. Not only had he hired a small crew to help out; he’d already redesigned the house.
Gwen cocked her head. “Sounds like he’s really into his work.”
Taking a sip from her own glass, Tessa rolled her eyes. “I can’t begin to tell you all he’s got in mind. The plans get more elaborate every day. He’s adding both a den and an office, and he’s redoing the master suite and bathroom, as well. If he doesn’t stop, this place is going to be triple the size it is now.”
Gwen’s jaw dropped. “Must be nice to have Prince Charming sweep in and take over with his checkbook.” She swirled the last dregs of wine in her glass. “Don’t know how bitchy old you deserved that.”
The drunker Gwen got, the sharper her tongue. Not to mention the green-eyed monster was beginning to poke its head out. It didn’t help that she’d just kicked her longtime boyfriend out of their apartment. If anyone needed a good man and some hot sex, Gwen was a definite candidate.
Addison refilled her own glass. “By the goddess, that man is a catch. He’s not sack-ugly, he works hard, and he’s willing to spend his dough on you. I’m with Gwen. You should have forked him over to one of us. We’d appreciate him.”
Tessa snorted. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate him. I’m just taking things slow. If there’s one thing we Mers have to be sure of, it’s our men. Pick the wrong one and we’re stuck.”
Gwen snorted back. “Oh, don’t give me that bullshit, Tess. You know this one’s a keeper. Right now you’re like the heroine of a romance novel.” She lifted her hands, framing the picture. “Poor girl plucked from obscurity by the tragic brooding guy who needs help to heal his broken heart. That’s almost precious enough to make me puke.”
Addison laughed and joined in. “Oh, I can even see the title:
The Secret Millionaire’s Mermaid Bride
.”
Tessa stuck out her tongue. “Both of you are just jealous as hell.”
“Damn right.” Gwen swallowed more wine. “I don’t see how a bitch like you even gets men. You’re just a mean, cranky Mer.”
Ignoring the envy, Tessa petted the stone in her hand. Gwen was having a rough time, and putting in all those long hours at the inn had frayed her nerves. “I’ve got the touch, baby.” As if in response to her words, the stone rose slightly from her palm.
Addison eyed the floating crystal. “Oh, that is fucking awesome. I still haven’t quite got the knack yet.”
Tessa drew a careful breath, trying not to disturb the stone’s gentle hover. She’d only just learned to make the mental connection with her symbiote, using its energy to direct matter on the outside of her body. “I’ve just got the hang of kinetics down.”
Gwen eyed the floating crystal suspiciously. “So what are you and that rock supposed to do next? Have sex?”
Tessa grinned. Gwen’s words were more accurate than she knew. “Believe it or not, this stone has a charge inside it, kind of like a battery is juiced. By concentrating on its unique vibrations, I can make a connection and draw that energy into myself. Reprocessing it through my symbiote means I can then add its power to my own and make it remanifest in the physical world.”
“I am so going to learn this.” Addison clapped her hands. “So make it do something!”
Nodding, Tessa concentrated. And pushed. The stone immediately whizzed away from her palm. Aim uncontrolled, the crystal blasted straight through the nearest window. The pane of glass shattered into a billion tiny shards.
Jake immediately came rushing up to the blasted window. Cell phone in hand, his face was dead pale. “What the hell was that!”
“We’re just playing with the crystals Mom left us,” Addison called.
Stomach lurching, Tessa winced. “Oops.” Cold was beginning to seep through her veins. She’d pushed too hard and too fast and the sudden loss of energy chilled her. She’d have to take a little more care until she fully mastered control of her symbiote. The greedy little fucker inside always wanted more. Bigger, better, faster, and stronger.
A little smile turned up her lips. If her mind ever took a turn toward the dark side, all hell would break loose.
Jake thrust his arm through the broken window, showing the scorch mark across the back of his hand. “That thing damn near took my hand off. Just an inch closer and I’d be waving a stub.”
Addison flipped him off. “And if she’d have aimed lower, you’d be singing like a choirboy before puberty.”
Jake returned the socially unacceptable gesticulation. “I get no fucking respect around here,” he grumbled, returning to his precious cell. Because of the problems with the signal, he could only use it outside, on a clear day. Reception from the mainland wasn’t guaranteed, no matter how terrific the carrier’s worldwide network claimed to be. His only other option would be the two-way radio in the lighthouse. And the only operator monitoring that signal was the fire department.
“Like you deserve it,” Gwen called back.
Jake checked his precious BlackBerry. Just as Kenneth was tied up with his plans for the house, Jake was busy plotting his return to the Mediterranean. His every waking moment was spent on the phone, pulling the vital details together. He certainly wasn’t shy about spending Kenneth’s money, either. He’d burned through two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the blink of an eye.
But Kenneth wasn’t just blindly trusting Jake and blithely writing out the checks. Taking over the basement, he’d set up a command post, going over the details with Jake. As the man wielding the checkbook, he wanted to know everything before he gave the final okay. Since Recoveries, Inc., was bankrupt, Jake had no choice but to shut up and smile.
All that mattered to the archaeologist was getting back to the ruins he claimed belonged to the lost city.
Curling his lips, Jake repeated the rude gesture. “Someday you’ll get my side of the story,” he said before disappearing to continue his phone calls.
Tickled by the display, Addison picked up a crystal, rolling it between thumb and forefinger. “I love the way this works.” Her breath caught. “My goodness, I can actually feel the vibrations in this thing. It’s like it’s talking to me.”
Reading her entranced expression, Tessa nodded. “I told you.”
Though Gwen had a strong vibe for craft, she refused to embrace it. Addison wanted it, but was still a bit clumsy with the concepts she was introducing. But once Addison mastered the basics, nothing would stop her. It was just a matter of time. Of the three of them, Tessa definitely felt Addison would be the strongest.
Gwen settled back, eyeing both her sisters warily. “You’re both playing with fire. Don’t you remember how Mom always warned us about the
darkness
inside?”
“Mom wasn’t saying we couldn’t use our abilities,” Tessa reminded. “She just reminded us not to let the viciousness of our natures get out of control and hurt people.”
Addison nodded her head. “Humans are part of our survival. Well, at least the men are. Don’t know about the women, so much. Could do without them, I suppose, then just keep the males for breeding.”
“That’s how it was supposed to be in the old days,” Gwen reminded them.
Tessa considered the crystals. “Do you think it’s true that humans and Mers were at war?”
“Wouldn’t be so far-fetched,” Addison put in. “Mankind is a pretty warlike species. And we Mers do have our tempers. Could be they found a way to wipe us out deliberately, and only a few escaped to survive. Kind of like the settlers taking the land away from the natives. The strong survive; the weak succumb.”
Tessa picked up another stone, a cluster of crystal quartz. The stone was said to enhance psychic ability. “It’s a possibility. There may have been a time when the Mer were hunted and slaughtered because of the power they had . . . we have.”