When the Sea Burned Read online

  “Yes. My people weren’t excited about that, but once they realized I could control them, they conceded it saved manpower.” She glanced at Alicia.

  “I’d heard you were able to shoot water spears, a devastating distance weapon. Why does your armor show so much wear?”

  “I train, and it’s best to wear protection. The enemy isn’t always at arm’s length.”

  “I would think, from a purely tactical standpoint, it would be wise to protect such a powerful weapon behind the lines, especially when it’s your leader.”

  Lady Glass’s general, Red Jehn, waited for them at the top of the tower. A powerfully built mer in patched mail and battered steel armor, he was armed with a dart gun and daggers, and a sword hilt poked over his shoulder. His red brick hair matched his thick tail. “I’ve said that many times.” He was gray around the temples and hard eyed, but he looked at Lady Glass as if she were his world.

  She gripped his arm in a companionable manner and looked out the force field. Mers had perfected the science long ago. “How long?”

  “Long enough for you find a vantage point on the roof.”

  Alicia dutifully assembled on the roof and watched the enemy approach. Odd as it was to watch ranks of mer swim toward the invading army, it was the three massive sea monsters that made her eyes widen. The largest looked like a crocodile with flippers and was easily the size of a whale, with jaws that could crush a bus. A giant squid swam below the mer, and she could easily imagine it locked in battle with a sperm whale, but it was the gigantic prehistoric shark that cast a shadow over the enemy army and made her cringe. “How are they controlling those things?” she asked incredulously.

  “They have talent,” an armored mermaid said coolly. “You’re welcome to wait out the battle inside if you’d feel safer.”

  Alicia smiled without humor, thinking of yesterday’s disaster. “I’ll try to contain my girlie panic.”

  To her surprise, Surge stationed her in front of him, facing the oncoming hordes, his hands on her shoulders. When she glanced at him in surprise, he smiled wryly. “I meant what I said about teaching you to channel your power. You will learn to control it; it won’t control you. Now focus. Feel how I direct the water.”

  “The shark is mine,” Lady Glass said.

  “We’ll go for the crocodile,” Surge confirmed. He captured Alicia’s gaze, blending their thoughts as he focused on the water and the colossal beast. She fell into his vast consciousness, awed by the intimacy, the way he held her securely as he showed her what he was doing. He was so powerful, so controlled…so sexy.

  Her breath hitched with excitement. It was like watching a gladiator brawl, and it distracted her with unwelcome heat.

  “Use the least amount of force. Be accurate,” he whispered in her ear, though they were focused on the beast, barely aware of their bodies. “Like this.” He formed a water spear and launched it into the beast’s eye. She could feel his thoughts, understood what he’d done and exactly how he’d controlled the water.

  Alicia blinked her physical eyes and jerked as the prehistoric crocodile bellowed and thrashed, its death throes devastating the enemy.

  “Let’s take advantage of this,” Surge murmured, showing her how to form deadly water jets that pieced several enemies at a time. He kept her calm as she instinctively flinched, introducing clots into the blood stream of several mer, leaving them writhing. “The body is mostly made up of water,” he murmured, wrapping a steadying arm around her as he continued his path of destruction. “We control water, and that makes us deadly.” He thickened the blood of several mer, turning it to sludge and thinned it in others, demonstrating how easily they bled out.

  Alicia curled into his body, nauseous with horror. He stroked her back, still focused on the battle. “It’s okay, honey. You can watch again when you’re ready.” He used a water scythe to slice a row of mer in half, and crushed a few when he solidified the water over them.

  She took a deep breath and made herself pay attention. It was ugly, but she was learning in minutes what would take years otherwise. As she paid closer attention, for the first time she noticed an opposing force attempting to stop Surge and inflict damage of its own. “What is that?”

  “What does it feel like?” Surge asked calmly as he picked off enemy soldiers with lethal precision.

  “Other water elementals?”

  “Yes. Why don’t we take out a few?” he murmured, directing his attention behind enemy lines. They followed the power trail until they found several water elementals surrounded by soldiers.

  Alicia frowned as he studied their defenses. “They feel so weak.” She hadn’t realized the difference in her and Surge’s power until she saw a comparison.

  “Yes. They weren’t expecting us. Let’s give them something to think about, shall we?”

  Alicia gasped as water suddenly sucked into the giant squid’s intake tube and squirted out the end, propelling it rapidly toward the water elementals. Too late, they became aware of the danger and shot water jets at the squid, but its momentum was too great. It plowed into them, trailing blood. Surge struck, taking advantage of the distraction to kill them, slaughtering them one by one.

  Alicia opened her eyes and panted with stress, pressing into his chest. He held her, his attention mostly on the battle, but when she tried to pull away, ashamed of her weakness, he pulled her close.

  “No,” he said, stroking her arm comfortingly. “You’re safer with me.”

  She stayed.

  “Where was Olan?” Lady Glass stared at a map made of waxed seaweed parchment. A covered stone dish of sea rations sat on the table to her right. Once in a while she’d eat a bite, as the other members of the war council tallied damages and aides updated the status of the army. Even with Surge’s help it had been a bloody battle.

  Alicia sat quietly at his side, a weary observer. He’d suggested she rest, but she wanted to know about his world, and hiding wouldn’t help.

  “Count on it, he’s up to no good. It’s where he’ll strike next that worries me. He threw a lot of resources into this attack,” Red Jehn said grimly. “What does he stand to gain?”

  They’d been going on about it for a while when Alicia woke with a start. Surge held her arm, concerned. “You’re tired. Please go with Barb; she’s leaving anyway and has offered to show you to our room.”

  Alicia sighed, but followed the armored mermaid. She didn’t feel like talking as they wound through the well-lit passages, but couldn’t help noticing the carving on the lintels of the smooth tunnels, or the elaborate tile work. It looked old.

  “I was surprised to see you today, my Lady,” Barb said after a moment. She paused and opened a round door to a guest room. The lights flicked on automatically, revealing a modest guest room. “Lord Surge usually comes alone.”

  “He visits often?”

  “Yes. He and Lady Glass are…close.”

  Alicia knew where this was going. It was high school all over again. “You’re saying they’re lovers.”

  Barb shrugged.

  “Did he father a child on her?” Alicia asked bluntly, tired and out of patience.

  Barb blinked. “No! Of course not.” She looked scandalized.

  “Then butt out,” Alicia said coldly. “If your lady is worth her salt, she’ll fight for him herself.” She glanced at the expressionless selkies who stationed themselves at the door after inspecting the room. “Good night.”

  Moving underwater was like moving on land for her, or flying through the air, but other objects still obeyed physics. Doors didn’t slam underwater, but she shoved it closed with more force than necessary. The door was wood, and in excellent condition for being underwater. She wondered if it had been treated with some kind of exotic preservative.

  The room was more oblong than square, with a high rounded ceiling with a pretty chandeliers that looked like strings of colored lights, but on closer inspection appeared to be alive. She raised a brow and studied the bed. The four poster�
��s frame was brilliant red coral, and the mattress seemed to be one big pillow of navy blue. Orange and yellow pillows sat invitingly against the headboard. It was comfortable, and she wondered if it were stuffed with sea sponges.

  Wall niches contained pretty arrangements of coral, and her window looked out on a courtyard sea garden. There were no traces of battle visible there.

  The empty trunk in the corner was a pretty red wood; she wondered again about preservatives as she inspected a closet sized room with a mirrored vanity, brushes and a curious corner with a steadily flowing current that exited through a grate. Could it be the mermaid version of a toilet?

  She snorted, grateful that it wasn’t a concern for water elementals. There was nothing else to do, so she sat on the bed.

  The day had been awful; she was sure sleeping would be a disaster. She toyed with one of the beads in her braids and wondered about Surge and Glass. He’d probably slept with her. Alicia didn’t like it, but she wasn’t the first woman to deal with a man’s ex-girlfriends.

  If she was an ex. Only Surge could answer that question. Alicia needed to answer some questions of her own. Did she want him? Could she handle this life? She didn’t want to spend any more time under the sea than she had to. It welcomed her, cradled her as it encouraged her body to relax, but she would never give up the land. Tropical beaches and sunshine called to her, and she missed her house, but…

  She wanted Surge. She didn’t want to, but he was her touchstone. He was handsome and he’d been given to her whether either of them liked it or not. As it happened, she liked it. Despite his flaws (and there were many), she wanted him.

  Surge came in a long while later and frowned at her leaning against the headboard, fighting sleep. “If you’re going to doze, you might as well lie down. I hear it’s more comfortable.”

  She blinked at him and frowned. “Are you sleeping with Lady Glass?”

  “No. I’m sleeping with you,” he said tartly, pulling her into his arms as he lay down.

  “But you were lovers,” she insisted, half-asleep.

  “There was interest there for a time, but we were never intimate. I have no secret lovers, or offspring, and neither do you. If you’ll let me get some sleep, I’ll prove it to you when we wake.”

  As if she could sleep after that. Alicia cautiously snuggled into his arms, certain she should grill him further…and promptly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 6

  She woke alone, in her sleeping pool at her island home. Baffled, she called, “Surge? Are you here?”

  Gentle suction began at her toes. Startled, she glanced at her foot, but there was nothing to see. It felt like a tongue lapped her ankle. She squeaked and would have jumped up, but invisible bands circled her thighs, preventing it. The tongue stroked her calf as coils enveloped both calves, anchoring her in place as her legs were yanked apart. She waited, eyes wide.

  Her panties slowly eased down, then floated away…and she was abruptly yanked into the deep end of the pool.

  Alicia hung there, suspended. It was like floating in air. She waved her hands, uselessly seeking something to grab until they were gently brought up and secured behind her head with invisible bonds.

  A warm current snaked under her dress and licked each buttock like twin tongues. She jerked and was rewarded with a lap to her clit. Gentle suction clamped on as her dress rose over her head and drifted away, leaving her fully exposed. The twin tongues licked up her back as the stroking water flowed up her belly like warm mercury to circle and tease her breasts. Hard suction clamped over her nipples, making her instantly climax.

  The water vibrated approvingly against her belly.

  “This better be you, Surge,” she gasped, and was rewarded with a laugh that shook the pool. Deep inside, she felt a gentle touch, even though nothing entered her. Was that the fabled “g-spot” that was beginning to vibrate? If this water manipulation, he was devious.

  And then she began to scream, and there was no more thought. He knew how to make her climax at will, and he made her come until she was weak and begging. Only when she was quivering did he release her hands and let them drift to his barely corporeal shoulders. He was barely a glassy outline, but she felt it when a thin, dense stream of water slipped inside her. It wasn’t his hands; they were clamped firmly on her butt, kneading encouragingly. The pressure widened, thickening into delicious pressure as his body solidified until it became obvious she was riding him.

  “Miss me?” he asked, kissing her wickedly. He pumped inside her, hard and thick, and did something that made the water vibrate around her clit. He growled and swallowed her scream, moving harder and faster. She clung like a vine, screaming for him until he finally roared in release.

  Slowly their breathing calmed. He nuzzled her temple. “Sweet virgin. I have much work to do if you’re not sure if I’m making love to you.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “You were invisible. You had two tongues! How was I supposed to know?” Human guys didn’t do that.

  He grinned. “Welcome to sex with a water elemental. Let’s see what I can teach you next…” His hands began to wander.

  They didn’t leave the pool for a long, long time.

  Sometime later, Alicia lazily asked, “Why did you bring me here? I thought you wanted me to get used to the water.” They were lying on the half-submerged lawn chairs, enjoying the afterglow.

  “You went through a lot yesterday, and I thought you’d prefer to wake in familiar surroundings. Also, I wanted to give you this.” He retrieved a necklace from edge of the pool and placed it in her hand. “It’s an energy reservoir, already fully charged. I didn’t want you helpless if you weren’t around water. Kira has one similar to it.”

  “It’s pretty,” Alicia said, admiring the deep blue sapphire. “Thank you.”

  “Wear it always,” he said as he fastened the clasp. “I’ll show you how to keep it charged. If I’d had one of these when…” He frowned and closed his mouth.

  “What?” She turned to face him. “You can tell me.”

  He took a deep breath. “The prison where we were kept…my cell was bone dry. For centuries, Alicia. The thought of you like that…I can’t bear it.”

  She nodded and cupped his cheek. “I’ll wear the necklace. I promise.”

  His shoulders relaxed. He kissed her gently and got out of the pool. “Much as I’d rather stay, I have some work to do at the palace. Why don’t you relax today? Do something fun, like shopping.”

  She snorted. “Shopping is overrated, but yes, I can entertain myself. I’ll see you tonight, right?”

  “Or sooner.” He kissed her again and pulled away reluctantly.

  Alicia rested her arms on the edge of the pool, content to do nothing for a while. Finally thoughts of yesterday’s battle intruded and she decided a walk was in order. She needed to clear her head, sort through the residual stress.

  The beach was calming. She alternated walking in the surf with strolling the sand, enjoying the bits the sea washed up to entertain her. She wasn’t cured, but the sea was less terrifying. She was close to forgiving it for its part in her drowning. It wasn’t to blame for what the Fates had done.

  She was deep in thought when the earth opened under her. The sinkhole sucked her in, the sand closing over her head as she was dragged deep, buried alive in a collapsing shaft that she sensed went deep under the island.

  Panicked, she kicked at the hand around her ankle, but whatever had her wouldn’t let go. Sand blinded her, filled her ears and mouth, choking her. She was going to die if she didn’t think quickly.

  The necklace heated as she flailed for any trace of the sea, and she latched onto the power gratefully, desperate. Blue light surrounded her, repelling the dirt and rock. It punched into the thing that held her, eliciting a mortal screak. She didn’t know if she killed it, but she blasted it until it quit moving and honed in on the sea. She could sense it, and she used the sapphire to draw her to it, clearing away the suffo
cating earth. The moment she broke through to the sea, she sent a panicked call to Surge. She needed him.

  Too afraid to return to land, she accepted the sea’s welcome, shivering as it tried to soothe her.

  Her selkies found her first, surrounding her protectively as they demanded to know what happened.

  That was when she felt the rumble in the water. Distracted, she glanced in the direction of the palace. “Do you feel that? There’s something big coming closer.”

  Cayman grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away. “We need to get you away from here, now.”

  She refused to move, vaguely surprised that she was stronger than him. “Jace is out there. I can feel him. He’s fighting something.” She could feel the waves of power, the desperation in the water. She moved toward him. “He needs help.”

  Cayman blocked her path. “He has his own guards. We’re responsible for you.”

  She paused to look at him. “I’m the queen,” she said softly. “Until your king returns, you answer to me. Follow and protect me, but if I can help, I will.” She knew he didn’t have a choice; she was far too powerful to force her to leave against her will. Conscious of his grim disapproval, she hurried toward the palace, alert for danger, ready to strike.

  It was worse than she thought. A mammoth beast rammed the columnar rock that guarded the palace entrance. Cracks formed in the basalt, and every time the armored beast struck, rock tumbled. Mer and elementals fought to stop it, but the armor was thick, and it glowed with a shield of mer tech mixed with elemental power; power that felt familiar.

  She looked closely at the giant trilobite and gasped. There was a woman strapped to its back next to what might have been a generator. She seemed to be struggling to escape. “Is that Lady Glass?”

  Elemental power blasted the beast. She followed the failed discharge back to a group of elementals and spotted Jace, way too close to the monster bug. They needed her.

  “I’m going to be distracted. Keep an eye on me,” she warned as she settled on a ridge overlooking the action. She trusted the selkies to keep her safe as she thrust her mind out, seeking weakness in the overgrown pill bug. At first glance, there was nothing, but she hadn’t forgotten Surge’s lessons. She only needed a small opening.