“Tell you what,” he said. “Let’s put the life jackets on. There’s precious cargo on board. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Right.”
Good. That was all the opening he needed. He turned in the seat, getting up onto his knees so he could reach into the back and retrieve the life vests. As he did, a flash of iridescent scales slipped past his side of the boat. He smiled for a moment, almost unable to bear the incredible secret Undrea had shared with him. What lay ahead was scary, but he trusted Undrea. He had to. He couldn’t keep living this life with Nina.
Eventually, she’d kill him. Better to go at the hands of the woman who actually cared about him.
He grabbed both life vests and stood up. The dragon wobbled, making Nina grab the side.
“Sit,” she begged.
“I will, as soon as I have this on, then I’ll help you with yours.” He unclipped the belt on the vest and turned it like he was about to put it on, anticipating…
The bump came a second later. It felt like they’d hit something. He let out a yelp and fell, as planned, going over the side and into the cold drink.
Nina’s cry went with him, the sound loud enough to hear even submerged.
The life vest floated on the surface as he sank. Nina called his name. His chest went tight with the need for air. Down he went.
Until a hand took his.
A swirl of coppery pink hair filled his field of vision, then Undrea’s mouth was on his. He closed his eyes. Instinct kicked in and he inhaled.
Air filled his lungs.
He opened his eyes as she broke the kiss. She was grinning. And more beautiful than he could have imagined. Scales edged her hairline and trailed down her neck. Her eyes looked wider, rounder maybe, her teeth pointed and predatory. But he wasn’t bothered by it. If anything, he felt honored to see her this way.
Behind her, another shadowy form swam past, long and sleek and deep green-gray metallic that flashed with a similar iridescence as Undrea’s tail. The fins were much more angular, and nothing about the creature was remotely human. It disappeared into the blackness of the water.
In fact, it was downright Jurassic. He looked at Undrea. She nodded and mouthed the name Aaron.
Unbelievable. And yet, there was no denying what Ethan had just seen. He shook his head and looked at Undrea again.
She was focused on the surface.
He did the same. Above them, he could make out the bottom of the boat. The life vest had drifted away. Nina was still screaming for him. And for help now, too. He could see her, leaning over the edge of the boat just the littlest bit and peering into the water.
Looking for him.
As if sensing his need for air, Undrea put her mouth on his and gave him another breath. Then she took both of his hands and looked at him with a question in her eyes.
He understood. He knew what was about to happen, and it terrified him, but so did a lot of things in life, and he did them anyway. Without risk, there was no reward. He was Ethan Edmonds. Risk was practically his middle name. He nodded.
Undrea curled her tail up next to her, the fins sheer and silky in the water. She let go of one of his hands. She reached down, selected a scale, and yanked it out.
She grimaced for a moment, checking the boat above them again. Nina was no longer peering over the side.
Undrea handed him the scale. It was paper-thin and iridescent, about the size of a quarter and ever so slightly curved. He’d already been instructed on what to do. He just had to do it.
He glanced at Undrea. She smiled and squeezed his hand. His lungs were aching. There was no reason to wait another second.
He opened his mouth and put the scale on his tongue.
The reaction was immediate. His mouth sealed shut and his lungs burst into the kind of fire created by the horrifying lack of air. Panic sluiced through him. Instinct kicked in, and he stretched toward the sky. Despite everything he’d been told would happen, he couldn’t squelch the drive to surface. To fight what was happening to him.
Undrea held on to him. He kicked, trying again to rise. Something cold and leathery latched onto his ankle. A quick look revealed the creature he hoped was Aaron.
Ethan tried to accept what was happening, but it was impossible. He fought harder to break free, unable to stop the instinctual will to live.
Undrea pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his upper body and her tail around his legs.
Blackness edged his vision. His lungs were going to burst. Then the blackness won and there was nothing to do but fade into it, lifeless and limp.
Undrea felt the life force leave Ethan. He’d fought, but she’d expected that. She uncurled her tail from his body, still holding on to him tightly. Aaron must have felt it too, because a second later, he let Ethan go as well. She waved at him to thank him and let him know she was going.
What needed to be done couldn’t be done here. He nodded back at her, then disappeared into the depths.
Gripping Ethan against her, she kicked her tail and got them moving quickly toward the far side of the lake. She kept going until they reached the shallows, then she kept him under and surfaced to be sure the coast was clear.
It was.
She went back under, pulling him down with her. When the surface was a few feet above them, she put her mouth on his and used every bit of her mermaid magic to break the seal her scale had created and breathe air into him again.
He convulsed as he came to with the same wide, panicked eyes that he’d had when he succumbed, but then he gasped, taking in a mouthful of water, and realized he could breathe.
He went still as he exhaled the water, eyes still wide but now in obvious wonder. The panic was gone. He grabbed hold of her arms, staring at her and smiling as he gave her a little shake. I can breathe, he mouthed.
She laughed, sending bubbles of sound through the water. You might also be able to hear me in your head.
His eyes went wider still. I can. How is that possible? Can you hear me?
Yes. Magic. But now we need to get air in your lungs or you’ll be stuck as a merman. Then she pulled him to the top, and they emerged.
“Are you okay?” Undrea asked as he took his first breath of air again. “I know that was frightening.”
He nodded, still taking deep breaths and kicking to keep himself afloat. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. Except for being able to hear your voice in my head. That was amazing. But the panic seems a million years away. Can I actually breathe water now?”
“No, that was a temporary side effect of the magic. With your first breath of air, that ability disappeared. If you’d stayed underwater long enough, it would have remained. But then you would have become a merman, and changing your species isn’t something to do without a lot of thought.” She let go of him and turned to float on her back, flipping her tail out of the water with a splash. “Come on, let’s get to shore and get out of here.”
He swam alongside of her. “Are we safe? I assume we’re at the other end of the lake.”
“That’s exactly where we are. Not far from where you first saw me. And yes, we’re safe. She can’t see us here.” Undrea pulled her tail under, her caudal fin brushing the bottom. She shifted back to her human form and put her feet down so she could stand.
Ethan did the same, and together they walked out of the water. Mattie was there to greet them with towels.