Stripping out of her EMT’s uniform, she began to put on her diving gear. Every minute that ticked away was another one lost. Though she usually didn’t bother with a wet suit, today she’d awoken with a nagging feeling she should be prepared to go into the water. She was already putting hers on when the distress signal came in.
Call it a little Mer-tuition,
she thought as she put on the heavy oxygen tank and mask.
“Tell Sidney to hold it steady,” she called.
The pilot was already one step ahead. “I’ve got it here,” Sidney yelled back, throttling the engines down into idle.
Addison gave him the diver’s signal for all systems go. “I shouldn’t be long, Sid.”
Sidney nodded. “Will do. I’ve radioed the coast guard that we’ve made contact and are commencing with recovery efforts. We’ve got the go ahead if we think we can handle it.”
Witkowsky speared them both with a look of pure disbelief. “Sending a single diver down into an unknown situation definitely isn’t a good idea. There needs to be at least two in the water in case something goes wrong.”
Addison tossed him a nod. She already knew what Witkowsky didn’t, that the sea was a mermaid’s natural environment. She was actually safer in the water than out of it. Nevertheless, it always took an event like this to break in a new member of the team. A freshly minted paramedic, Jim had less than two weeks with harbor patrol under his belt.
“It’s your first time out with the team, so I’ll cut you some slack for your disbelief in my diving capabilities.”
“Lonike is our most experienced diver,” Sidney cut in. “And since she’s the captain of this vessel, she outranks both of us. Going into the water is her call.” He paused a moment, then added. “If she can’t handle it, no one can.”
Witkowsky shook his head. “Fine. But I want my protest logged.”
“Your concern is duly noted.” Addison hated to pull rank, but when lives were on the line, she’d do whatever it took to do her job. The chief had wanted to gauge how well Witkowsky performed under her authority before letting him in on her true identity. The guys she worked with had to be trusted to watch her back when she went into the water. “When we return to the mainland, we’ll sit down with Chief Simms and have a little talk.”
Witkowsky pulled a sour face. “You bet we will.”
Addison ignored him. She didn’t have the time or inclination to quibble. Recent events concerning her kind had made it necessary to keep a very low profile. Now that the Mer had begun to emerge from Ishaldi, the powers that be weren’t exactly welcoming to the newly revealed species. Mers were still viewed as aliens, and treated as such. One of the conditions for release from the government’s A51-ASD complex was that she and her two sisters must keep a low profile among the civilian population. They would be allowed to resume their lives in Port Rock—as long as they lived and acted like regular people.
But that was proving to be difficult. As much as she tried to mimic landlubbers, she just wasn’t human.
Heading down the side boarding ladder, she eased into the water. Although she’d learned years ago to dive the human way, she found all the heavy equipment annoying. Disappearing beneath the waves, she stopped when she was about fifty feet below the surface, deep enough under the water where no one could see her.
Without hesitating, she ripped off the mask and mouthpiece. Giving the unnecessary items a quick wink, she quickly worked a little Mercraft. A little flare surrounded the items and then they were gone. The heavy tank across her back soon followed.
Freed of a few less things to carry, Addison stretched out and made a slow roll through the water. The change from her human form to that of a Mer occurred in the blink of an eye. One moment she had two legs. The next moment a spark of bright colors raced like wildfire across her skin. Her wet suit melted away, leaving her completely naked. The lower half of her body had also changed, becoming a beautiful multicolored tail. It had taken less than thirty seconds for the metamorphosis to complete itself. She was, again, a creature who belonged and thrived in the cerulean blue waters of the deep sea.
Addison nodded with satisfaction. All those hours she’d spent practicing her magic had finally paid off. With just a thought and a little push of energy from the crystal she always wore around her neck, she could make small objects appear and disappear at will. Her elder sister Tessa had taught her that trick. Although it had taken much trial and embarrassing error, she’d finally gotten the hang of the spell. She had no clue where it all went, but when she wanted it again, all she had to do was think about it and everything would return.
Free to swim unencumbered, Addison dove toward the bottom. Though the day was clear and warm, the waters were cold and murky, strangely devoid of fish and other sea life. It was as if the creatures sensed something had gone terribly wrong and had abandoned the area.
Minutes later, the wreckage of the yacht loomed into view. The craft had turned almost completely upside down as it had sunk.
Putting her tail in motion, Addison swam toward the crippled vessel. As the girl has stated, there was indeed a gaping hole in the hull. A thin stream of gasoline and oil eddied up from the exposed engines. The sight saddened her. A family outing had turned tragic in the blink of an eye. No doubt the coast guard would salvage the yacht to determine the cause of the accident.
Why the vessel had sunk wasn’t her concern. She needed to locate the remaining passengers. Even though it had been foolhardy, she’d practically promised the girl a miracle. She intended to deliver one, if at all possible.
And with a Mer in the water, anything’s possible,
she reminded herself.
Reaching the interior of the cabin wasn’t going to be easy. A diver wearing full gear would find it almost impossible to wriggle beneath the yacht and into the interior of the cabin. It was a tight fit for a mermaid, but Addison somehow managed to squeeze through.
Amazingly the galley’s emergency lights were still functioning, lending an eerie illumination to the swamped interior. The body of a woman floated nearby.
Addison swam through the narrow space, checking the woman’s pulse. Nothing. She was cold, motionless. One look at her empty expression and gaping mouth told her the spark of life had been snuffed out.
But the child . . .
Addison looked around. It took a few moments for her sharp gaze to pick out the little boy floating among the debris of cushions from a nearby bunk. With soft blond curls fanned out around his head, he looked like a doll abandoned after a day’s play.
Her heart squeezed painfully. Oh, no. He couldn’t be more than five or six. She reached out, laying the tips of her fingers at the pulse point of the boy’s throat.
Please, oh, please,
she thought, stilling her own breath and striking out with her sixth sense. The spark of life was there, but rapidly fading. Deep inside she felt his desperate struggle, sensed his lungs burning with the need to drag in a precious breath of air.
Giving thanks to the goddess that the child still had a chance to survive, Addison pressed her mouth over lips that were cold and unmoving. As an empath she had the ability to generate energy within her own body, and then remanifest it in physical kinetic form. The soul-stone around her neck began to glow softly as she filtered living electricity from her body into the youngster’s motionless figure.
Seconds later the child’s eyes fluttered. He coughed, gasped for air. The lungs in his chest expanded, filtering out sea water and taking in pure oxygen. He was awake, but only on a peripheral level.
Relief whirred along her nerve endings.
You’ll be all right,
she mentally telegraphed. Under the enchantment of a mermaid’s kiss, the boy was capable of comprehending her silent words. The spell was only temporary and would last until his lungs again drew oxygen above the level of the water. He would have no memory of her in her Mer form.
Smiling with relief, Addison gathered the little boy into her arms. It took a bit of creative maneuvering to get back through the narrow passage and away from the sunken wreck. Guiding the child toward the surface, she quite forgot that she’d doffed her diving gear.
Seconds later their heads popped above the water. Bobbing with the waves, Addison swam toward the rescue boat. She saw Jim Witkowsky lean over the edge, pointing her way. “There she is,” he called. “And she’s not alone.”
Catching hold of the ladder, Addison hefted half her body out of the water before lifting the limp child toward Witkowsky’s waiting hands.
The man and his daughter stumbled toward the semiconscious boy even as Witkowsky began resuscitation efforts. “Sheldon!” the man cried from behind the paramedic. “Come on, son. Breathe.”
A moment later the child heaved out a stream of bile mixed with water. A splutter, followed by a healthy wail, rolled past his blue-tinged lips. And then he was breathing, above water and on his own.
Witkowsky gave a quick thumbs-up. “I think he’s gonna make it.”
The man gathered the boy into his arms. “Thank God,” he murmured against the wet hair pasted to the child’s forehead. “He’s alive.”
But not everyone’s eyes were on the rescue efforts taking place. Even as she clung to the ladder watching events on board unfold, Addison had the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. She looked up to see the girl’s gaze fixed upon her. A look half of horror mingling with fascination colored the teen’s expressive features.
Addison winced, giving herself a quick mental slap. She’d just made the worst blunder a Mer could make: letting humans see her in her true form.
The teen raised a hand and pointed her way. “D-Daddy, something’s not right,” the girl exclaimed in a shaky voice. “That lady has a tail!”
Everyone looked. And gaped.
“Holy shit,” Witkowsky exclaimed, eyeing her exposed breasts and slender hips.
For a few beats, Addison couldn’t think to react. The tension throbbed between them for a minute or so. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what everyone on board was thinking.
Sidney Rawlings gave his errant crewman a slap upside the head. “Stop staring. You’re being rude.”
Regaining self-control, Addison belatedly pressed an arm over her bare beasts as she slid back into the water. “Shit,” she grated under her breath. Talk about having one’s stupid hanging out. Even though her elaborate scale pattern afforded a bit of modest cover, above the waist she was still as naked as a jaybird.
During those gut-wrenching minutes when she’d been underwater, her only concern had been to save the boy’s life. Eager to get him to the surface, she hadn’t given a second thought to making sure she came up in the same equipment she’d gone down in.
It really was a mega screwup.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Devyn Quinn
resides in New Mexico with her cats, seven ferrets, and shih tzu, Tess. She is the author of twelve novels. Visit
www.devynquinn.com
.