The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) Read online

  The Turning Tides

  Derrolyn Anderson

  Copyright © 2012 by Derrolyn Anderson

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions of it.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  ~

  PROLOGUE

  ~

  Weary from a long day’s work, irritable and depressed, he let himself in to find her perched on the edge of the couch expectantly. She handed him a letter, watching his face change when he recognized the handwriting. The corners of her lips twitched up when he left the room, and she waited triumphantly, legs crossed, ankle twitching.

  She strained to hear a muffled cry, followed by crashing sounds and dull thumping thuds that shook the walls. She cringed, taking a few halting steps towards the door. When it was quiet for a few minutes, she reached for the knob, slowly turning it with a grimace.

  The room was in complete disarray, bookcase reduced to matchsticks, the lamp shattered into a million pieces, clothes strewn everywhere. He was sitting on the bed with a letter clutched in his shaking hands, shoulders heaving. She entered gingerly, laying her hand gently on his back.

  Using her most soothing tone, she purred, “Don’t be so upset baby, she just wasn’t the one for you.”

  He turned his head away from her, and his voice was harsh, “I don’t want to talk about it! Leave me alone.”

  She paused, continuing, “Hun, I’ve hated girls like her my whole life. Spoiled rich brats! They think they’re entitled to everything. They think they’re better than us.”

  He looked up with reddened eyes, “I thought you liked her.”

  She shook her head vehemently, “I could tell she was no good the second I laid eyes on her! I knew she was cheating on you before I even saw her with him. She was bound to run off sooner or later.”

  “What?” he looked confused, “You read it?”

  She continued on her tirade, “Little miss, ‘I’m so smart’… Showing off all her fancy things! I mean, she even has expensive underwear, for God’s sake! And that rich aunt of hers– Olivia said–”

  She checked herself, suddenly realizing that she’d gone too far.

  “Olivia?” he croaked.

  She froze, unable to think of a good enough lie, “Nobody.”

  His voice was deadly calm, “How do you know Olivia?”

  “She’s just some old friend of the family’s. I met her in Vegas. She warned me all about it… How her family will never accept you. She convinced me to come out and help you to see...” She saw the look on his face and started to back away. “I know what it sounds like… but once I got here I could tell that it was the truth! You’d know it for sure if you talked to Olivia…”

  He sprang to his feet, grabbing one of her arms, “She sent you here?”

  “She told me what was going on… We wanted to spare you the heartache– Show you what she’s really like. For God’s sake– She’s cheating on you!” She was indignant, “You saw the pictures!”

  “You were the one who found them,” he said in a monotone.

  “I didn’t want you to make the same mistake I did! You’re too young to settle down…” her voice trailed off when her eyes met his. “I left a good job for you,” she whined pathetically. Her eyes welled up as she started to feel sorry for herself.

  He dropped her arm and visibly recoiled, looking horrified, “Oh my God… She was right about you.”

  Tears started to streak down her face, stripping away all the artifice, revealing guilty eyes. She wiped them with her wrists and took a step back, “Can’t you see that she’s no good for you? She’s just a spoiled little rich bitch!”

  His jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes blazed with anger, “You…”

  “I saved you from her!”

  He took a step towards her, thrusting the paper in her face. Slowly, and in a controlled voice dripping with menace, he asked, “Where… did you get this?”

  ~

  Chapter One

  BASIC TRAINING

  ~

  “Squeeze it gently, don’t jerk on it.”

  I took a breath and held it, pausing for a moment to steady my arm and line up the sights at the end of the barrel. The shots rang out in the confines of the long room, muffled by a headset, but still loud enough to make my ears ring. I cast a sly glance at Paul out of the corner of my eye, stepping back to reel in the paper target with a cluster of holes centered in the middle.

  “Nice grouping,” he shook his head with a proud smile, “But don’t get cocky, wait until you try the thirty eight.”

  My training was coming along swimmingly, and Evie’s new addition to the security team had turned out to be a godsend. Paul was an expert weapons instructor, and a top notch bodyguard who was completely dedicated to my protection. He spent hours schooling me in hand-to-hand combat, stealth surveillance and evasive driving. His steady, quiet presence was helping me overcome past traumas and transform my fears into action.

  A former Navy Seal, he’d most recently worked as private security for Kuwaiti royalty, and Evie had assigned him as my personal trainer under Boris’s supervision. Disciplined and professional, at first Paul had seemed a touch arrogant, but the more I got to know him, the more I could see he was really just hyper-professional. It was obvious he possessed all the skills to back up his bravado.

  After a few weeks of working out with Paul I was sore in muscles I didn’t even know existed. I think I surprised him with my tenacity, because no matter how hard he pressed me, I refused to give up, pushing myself to the point of collapse more than once. This is nothing, I thought, compared to the pain of transformation– and that pain was nothing next to the helpless horror of watching my mermaid sisters suffer at the hands of my enemies.

  I swore to myself that I was never going to feel that defenseless ever again.

  So I persevered, doggedly determined and every bit as stubborn as my father ever was. My purpose in life had finally become crystal clear; I knew what I was put here to do. I had to learn everything I could to keep my family safe, both the terrestrial and aquatic sides. I was on a mission, and now that I had something to focus on besides my fear, I was like a dog with a new bone.

  Since I’d insisted on staying in Aptos, Evie had insisted on outfitting Abby’s house with an elaborate alarm system, insuring that nobody could get within fifty feet of the place undetected. Abby knew that my mother was a mermaid, and bought my story that the security was necessary after I’d attracted stalkers because of it. I didn’t see the need for her to know any more than that.

  Neither Evie nor Abby knew that I wouldn’t be there much longer, because I was planning on moving in with Ethan. We intended to marry as soon as I turned eighteen, and it was only a few months away. After everything that had happened, and in light of Abby and Dutch’s eagerly anticipated baby, I didn’t see why Ethan and I should be apart.

  Giving up immortality made me realize that life really was too short.

  I’d already moved a couple of drawers of my things to his apartment, and we were impatiently waiting for his father to clear out before I transferred the contents of my art studio into the spare bedroom. My father would be home from Afghanistan soon, and I was anxious for him to meet Ethan. It felt like time was standing still, and I was in a hurry to get on with the rest of my life.

  A glance at the clock on the wall told me that Ethan was probably just finishing up at the farmer’s market. We had plans to meet at Abby’s for Sunday dinner, and I cou
ldn’t wait. I’d spent Saturday night in the city so I could get an early start on my training, so I missed him already. I could see Paul notice I was getting edgy, watching me with eyes that seemed to evaluate everything.

  “In a hurry to get to the boyfriend?” he asked me. Paul was always teasing me about Ethan, refusing to call him by name.

  “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  “So,” he added casually, loading up another paper target, “You never did tell me how you managed to get away from Edwards… and burn his house to the ground.”

  I shrugged, re-loading the pistol. Paul didn’t talk much, but he asked a few questions here and there, and I could tell the holes in my story bothered him. Even though he worked for Evie, I wasn’t sure how much he should know about the mermaids, so as usual, I kept the details to myself.

  “You’re right,” I replied dryly, “I didn’t.”

  He rolled his eyes, but continued on, earnestly curious, “Seriously… how?”

  I pressed my lips together, “I got lucky. Yuri showed up to help me… sort of…”

  We slipped our headsets on, and Paul watched while I took aim. He nodded his approval as I blasted away at the target. He leaned in sideways, flipped up my earpiece and volunteered, “That guy gives me the creeps.”

  I smiled my agreement with a bitter little laugh, “Me too, but Boris vouches for him, and that’s good enough for Evie.”

  I didn’t think I’d ever get over the fact that Yuri had worked for Edwards, kidnapping both me and Lorelei. Although he’d come over to our camp, so to speak, I still couldn’t bring myself to trust him. Evie had faith in Boris’s judgment, arguing that Yuri brought us valuable information about the enemy. My objections to taking him into our confidence had been overruled.

  Paul leaned over again to murmur in my ear, “Those commies all stick together.”

  Our eyes met, and I could see he was teasing me again. Now we both laughed. Paul had always seemed so stern, but he was starting to loosen up a little, and I was glad to see it.

  He had me reload and practice speed firing with one and two hands, drawing the gun out of my purse and releasing the safety with one hand. He finished my lesson by having me clean the revolver, promising to graduate me to a higher caliber automatic for my next target practice

  “I’ll just take this one now.” I said, reaching to open my purse. “School starts tomorrow, and I should probably–”

  He shook his head no, holding out his hand for the weapon, “Nice try, but not quite yet. I’m going to give you the Taser to carry for starters.”

  “Don’t you trust me?” I asked, annoyed.

  He shrugged apologetically and smiled a lopsided smile at me; I couldn’t help but notice how charming he was. A good looking, square jawed specimen of military manhood from the top of his close cropped head down to his polished boots, Paul could have come right out of central casting. He may have been used to giving orders, but I wasn’t about to surrender that easily.

  “I’m sure that Evie would want me to have it right away,” I said confidently.

  “Evie told me to use my judgment,” he said firmly. “Come back to the range next weekend and we’ll see.”

  I’d discovered early on that Paul was extraordinarily self-possessed, and seemed to be an extremely muse resistant sort of man. As irritating as it was at the moment, it came as a relief. After dealing with the obsession that hybrids could sometimes inspire, I was hesitant to be around any strange men. If I had any magical effect on Paul at all, it was to make him operate even more strictly by the book, and I couldn’t seem to manipulate him in order to get my way.

  It was a little frustrating today, as I was eager to feel secure, and I figured carrying a gun would certainly help with that. After I’d put an end to their latest scheme, I was pretty sure my enemies were angry, and I feared they might come for my sisters again. I had no idea what they might throw my way next, so I was preparing to fight, and I needed to be armed.

  Now that I was aware of what Nathan Edwards was really after, I realized that he would never give up on his quest for immortality. He’d used hybrid muses to amass a vast fortune, and now his focus was on the source. He was out to get the mermaids, and use them to obtain the one thing in the world that his money could not buy– time.

  His vile depravity knew no bounds. He had kidnapped and raped a mermaid, leading to the creation of a new immortal, the baby mermaid Nixie. Edwards was out there somewhere, aware that she existed, and I suspected that he wouldn’t simply let it go. I appointed myself Nixie’s guardian and protector, and I was determined to stop him in his quest to use her genes to extend his own miserable life.

  In fact, I was probably more determined than Edwards could ever be, because fate and circumstance had conspired to make me uniquely qualified for the job. As far as I knew, I was the missing link– the only human that could communicate with mermaids, and just a few breaths of water away from being one myself.

  I was both motivated and burdened by this knowledge.

  I set my jaw, “I’m ready to try the 45,” I told Paul.

  He laughed, showing another glimpse of warmth that made him seem a little more human and a little less terminator, “First things first.” He took the gun from me and re-loaded, adjusting his earphones and taking aim. He fired all eight shots in rapid succession, returning my sideways look and reeling in the paper target to hand it to me. He had laced the bull’s-eye, whereas I had merely peppered the center ring.

  “Would it really matter?” I asked sarcastically, “If it were a person I was shooting at?”

  “Take the Taser,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “At least I know you’re proficient with it.”

  I thought I detected the tiniest hint of a smile playing about his lips, and I tried unsuccessfully to suppress my own. Paul had trained me on the Taser, volunteering Yuri to be my practice target. I think he noticed that I got a little twinge of satisfaction when I zapped him, thinking of Lorelei as I watched Yuri flopping about on the floor like a fish. Payback, I thought.

  Paul and I left the shooting range, locking it behind ourselves. The soundproofed room opened up onto a huge command center, a compound that took up the basement floor of Evie’s apartment building. Comfortable couches were grouped on one side of the room, and the walls were lined with closed-circuit cameras that focused on every entrance into the high rise. From here, the comings and goings of all the tenants could be observed and analyzed.

  I’d been in and out of Evie’s apartment building my whole life, and never imagined that this place even existed. I was surprised when I was first allowed a glimpse into Boris’s inner sanctum, as I had not once given any thought to exactly where in the building he lived.

  I could never allow myself the luxury of such ignorance again.

  Yuri was sitting on one of the couches, and snapped to attention when I entered the room. Madame Fatima’s latest prophecy flashed through my mind, and I looked away pointedly.

  “See you next week,” Paul said with a nod, dismissing me.

  We shook hands, and I exited the room through a door that led directly into Evie’s underground parking garage.

  “Marina! How goes it?” Boris was standing guard as usual, and strode over to escort me to my car.

  “I’m doing okay,” I smiled, holding up my paper targets. Boris nodded, impressed.

  A shiny silver Jaguar pulled up next to us, and I waved with a smile. Cruz was driving, with Bradley riding alongside him.

  He bounded out of the car and embraced me, all black clothes and spiky hair, “How’d the training go? Is that Paul guy still kicking your butt?”

  “Yeah,” I said, wincing when he squeezed my shoulders.

  I looked up to see Brad come around from the passenger side. “Hi Marina,” he volunteered tentatively. He always seemed a little hesitant to engage me, maybe because his estranged father happened to be my worst enemy. I was also indirectly responsible for the death of his aunt, making me wond
er if he resented me, and it made us dance around each other even more. The whole situation was tortuously convoluted.

  Just as I was uncertain of Yuri, I doubted Brad. Evie’s fortune teller Fatima had said was that there would be two new men and two new women in my life, two dark and two light; prophesizing that one in each pair would betray me. Fatima had been eerily prescient before, and I couldn’t help but wondering if Brad was one of the bad ones. I’d already decided that I needed to keep an eye on Yuri.

  “Have an open mind,” Evie advised me when I told her of my suspicions, adding, “One must trust, but verify.” I didn’t find that sentiment particularly soothing, but I held my tongue for Cruz’s sake.

  “Will you stay for dinner?” Brad asked politely.

  “No, Ethan is expecting me… but thank you anyway.”

  “Tell mom I said Hi,” Cruz kissed both of my cheeks in the manner of Evie, and I watched, amused, as he jauntily bounded to the elevator. My cousin was happier than I’d ever seen him, and it made me feel better despite my misgivings.

  I took the scenic route home, enjoying the drive that wound along the coastline. The waves were crashing onto the shore like an invitation, and I briefly toyed with the idea of squeezing in a quick surf before dinner. The thought of seeing Ethan made the impulse pass.

  Once he’d witnessed the majesty of surfing with the mermaids, Ethan no longer questioned my desire to be out there. He talked about the experience with reverence, and he supported my decision to protect them. Though he no longer seemed to be quite so afraid they’d spirit me away, he still worried that I might put myself in danger. Given my track record, I had to admit he had a point. We were both hoping that after fifty moons passed my overwhelming urge to be in the sea would ease up a little.

  A love song came on the radio and I turned it up, humming along to the sweet strains of a familiar voice. Megan had been touring and performing all summer long, calling me every so often to describe the far-flung locations she could scarcely believe she was seeing. Like Cruz, she sounded happier than she’d ever been, and her joy spilled over the phone onto me. I always felt buoyed up after hearing from her, even if I was still uncomfortable with the idea that I had anything at all to do with her outrageous good fortune.