Roen wanted to scream with joy. He could end this nightmare—permanently—for everyone, including himself. I can be with Liv, he realized. Holy foking hell. I can be with Liv! This goddamned challenge had turned out to be the biggest damned blessing in disguise of his life.
Roen looked up at the bright blue sky and enjoyed the feel of the sun on his cold, raw face. He felt a hard bump from behind and saw the mermaid snarling, flashing her razor-sharp teeth.
“No.” He shook his head at her. “We’re turning around.”
The maid blinked her big eyes in question. Despite her shocking, monster-like appearance, with the inky jet-black skin and ropes of hair resembling charred seaweed, she was beautiful in an exotic sort of way—high cheekbones and full lips. Her chin came down into a little point and her wide eyes gave her face a look of innocence.
The maid dashed toward him with her chomping jaw, aiming for his shoulder. Those razor-sharp teeth sliced the skin.
“Aahhh! What the hell did you do that for?”
The maid smiled happily at him.
“That fucking hurt,” he griped.
She stared with her devilish grin.
Was this some form of mermaid play? For foke’s sake, they were brutal.
“Can you help get me back to the island?” he asked.
She blinked at him. No answer.
“I’m not completing the challenge.” He’d get to El Corazón, share his news, and by the time Shane arrived, it would be too late for him to throw a wrench in anything. “And just in case anything happens to me along the way, I think giving you the sacred water will heal you.”
The maid shook her head.
“You don’t believe me?” he said, barely treading water and out of breath.
She shrugged.
“Well, there’s only one way to know for sure. We have to get back and try it.”
~ ~ ~
Whoever this maid was, Roen would save her first. She was an angel who’d rescued him from death and opened his eyes. Because of her, El Corazón was now only minutes away, and Roen would finally see justice done.
Floating on his back, Roen tried to relax his cramped muscles to make the exhausted maid’s work less difficult. He was a large man, not designed to reduce drag in the water, and her pace had slowed to a tenth of what it was.
“Fucking sharks,” he heard the maid mumble in a gravelly voice.
Roen opened his eyes at the precise moment something bumped him hard from below.
Godfokingdammit. They were both so weak.
The maid pushed him from behind, smacking his back with her tail. “Go, merman.”
“No. We’ll fight it together.” Their chances were better if they ganged up on it. Alone, they had no chance.
“You go!” the maid barked.
“No, I won’t leave you—”
The maid smacked him with her long black tail in the back again. “Go. You save them. I fight shark. Hungry anyway.”
Roen looked at the creature, who kept ducking her head beneath the water, watching for the shark.
Her head popped up. “I am one. They are many.”
“I don’t think I can make it,” he said.
“One mile. You can,” she replied.
The shark’s fin popped from the water, heading straight toward them.
“Go!” she screamed and dove into the water, swimming to intercept the large predator.
Roen wanted to stay and protect her. Everything in his gut told him not to leave this creature who’d saved him. But she was right; she was one and there were many to save.
Bobbing in the rough waters, Roen filled his lungs with air and began swimming. Where the strength came from, he didn’t know.
A loud howl filled the air. He caught a glimpse of the mermaid shooting from the water, the shark snapping at her tail. The maid dove under and then shot up again. This time the shark caught her tailfin, and the two disappeared beneath the surface in a tangle of teeth and blood.
Roen’s heart cried out for her. He could only pray she’d survive. She deserved her life back. And so do the other thousands.
He swam with everything he had, and when he finally spotted the golden shore, his heart filled with hope. Only half a mile more. Think of Liv. Think of seeing her again. Think of her smile and warmth. Everything he now knew meant they could be together.
Roen kept his head down, imagining that each stroke and kick pulled him closer to Liv.
Almost to the shore, Lyle emerged from the tree line and ran to retrieve him from the waves. “I knew you would return, brother.” He wrapped Roen’s arm around his shoulder for support.
“How did you know?” Roen panted his words. His entire body shivered violently and his feet and hands had gone completely numb.
God, I hate the foking ocean.
“Because you hate the ocean,” Lyle replied. “You’re not about to die in it.”
Roen made a shallow laugh while Lyle deposited him in the warm sand to sit. Roen had made it, and now it was time to gather the men and make things right.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Roen had not wanted to drink anymore of that goddamned water, but he’d been far too weak to fight off Holden and Lyle when they pinned him to the tile floor in Holden’s kitchen.
“You will drink it, Roen,” Lyle had said. “You’ve come too far to die now, and Holden says you have hypothermia.”
“Listen to your little brother.” Holden had grunted while prying open Roen’s mouth. “And stop moving around; you’ll make me spill it.”
Apparently, the island had kept her word and turned on the spigot after Roen and Shane left; then the water miraculously stopped again a few hours ago.
She knows what’s coming.
Luckily, Holden had been smart to stockpile what he could, filling every bottle, jar, mug, and pot with water. Like the island or not, when faced with a fatal injury or condition, most people would choose to live. Which is why Roen finally gave in and drank.
Now healed, Roen asked four of their strongest to catch a maid and bring her to the hall, before having the bell rung.
The men poured in and crowded anxiously around him and Lyle. No doubt, everyone felt shocked as hell to see him.
Roen held up his hands to silence the excited voices.
“How did you beat Shane here?” Jason asked the moment the other voices died down.
Roen crossed his arms over his chest. “I did not finish the challenge for a reason I will explain in a moment. First, I must ask everyone to declare your connection to the island severed.”
The room echoed with loud voices questioning his demand.
Roen waved his hands in the air. “To show you proof without her interruption, you must do it. And if I’m right, you will see I’ve found a way to break the death grip she has over everyone, and that your women, all of them, can be brought back. Starting right now.”
That got their attention.
“Anyone who does not wish to do as he’s asked may leave,” Lyle said.
No one did.
“Good,” Roen said. “Now look into your hearts and silently tell her she is no longer welcome here.”
The ground shook violently beneath them, and the men began screaming, clasping their hands over their eyes in agony.
Roen repeated, “Shut her out! Tell her to go! The pain will cease if you shut her out.” It was a gamble, but he was proof, wasn’t he? The island had not touched him.
One by one, the men shook their heads and stood up straight. Roen almost felt like a fool. All along, the solution had been right there. So damned obvious.
Just then, four men stormed in, carrying a wriggling black mass with a thick cloth bag over its head and claws tied behind her back. Roen immediately felt pained thinking of the maid who’d saved him, saved them all, really.
“Move aside!” Lyle commanded.
The room watched in silent angst while the men placed the maid on the floor in front of them and removed the bag. The
mermaid snapped her sharp teeth like a crocodile and hissed like a snake.
“Hold her steady,” Roen ordered and then uncapped the bottle he held in his hand.
She wiggled her head from side to side while Roen managed to pour some of the water in. It immediately had a calming effect. He poured a little more, and this time, the maid drank it up.
Roen stepped back, praying he hadn’t miscalculated. The minutes ticked by, but the maid lay there, dazed.
Nothing happened.
How could I have been wrong? I must’ve missed something.
The men exchanged glances—some frustrated, some confused, some angry.
The air filled with anguish. No. This can’t be… He’d failed. Failed.
Lyle patted him on the back. “It’s all right, brother. You’ve freed all of us in this room. We’ll figure out the rest.”
That wasn’t good enough. Without their women, they would never truly be free.
Roen’s legs shook with despair. I failed them. I failed them.
It was the one thing he feared most in life after failing to save Lyle and his mother. Yes, Lyle ended up being alive, but Roen hadn’t been there during those critical moments—when those boys in Glasgow put Lyle in the hospital for months. Lyle had only been eight, and himself not much older, and he’d run away the moment the kids began throwing rocks. He’d left his little brother to die. What sort of person did that? And later, after they and their mother had run from their father to the United States, Roen failed Lyle again. Because their father always tracked them down. Did Roen lift a finger to get Lyle away from that madman or his mother, who wasn’t right in the head, either? No. He’d felt too damned worried about himself when he could’ve done something—called the police, told neighbors or teachers, or even run away and taken Lyle with him. Instead, he’d done nothing, and Lyle eventually ended up here, something that might’ve happened regardless, but that wasn’t the point. Roen hadn’t even tried. As for his mother, she’d done her best. Now he knew that the separation from their father had driven her mad; meanwhile being mated to such a madman, knowing what was to come for her children, had broken her heart. Literally.
Now he’d failed at this. What would be next? Would he fail Liv, too?
“Roen!” someone called out.
Roen looked at the maid and could scarcely believe what he saw: a naked woman, petite and blonde, lying on the floor, sleeping. Her skin looked like a Dalmatian’s, white with black spots that faded one by one.
Jason rushed forward and dropped to his knees, weeping and clutching the sleeping woman’s hand over his heart.
Roen released a breath, and it was so much more than relief. He wanted to fall to his knees and weep alongside Jason and thank the heavens or the spirits of their ancestors or whomever watched over him.
“It’s over,” he whispered, holding back his own tears of joy. “It’s foking over.”
They were all going to be free. And once they were, he’d be done with this place forever and ready to move on. With Liv.
~ ~ ~
The rest of the day, Roen and the men worked at setting up nets and traps to ensnare the maids, using anything they had for bait: fish, meat from their freezers, even cookies and candy. So far, they’d caught twenty just this evening. Meanwhile, he’d sent Lyle and a group of men in search of the elders, who were nowhere to be found. Were they hiding from him? Or fearing the end to a way of life that had existed for thousands of years? He didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. He need only focus on getting the maids transformed and then getting everyone who wanted to leave off the island.
In the case of the old bitch, no one had heard or felt anything for hours, and the walls of the cavern were bone dry. She had to have realized her reign of cruelty was over, and that now they held the cards. She would want their protection, and if they chose to give it, he would make her pay. The time of cowering and bending over was done.
Roen helped two men administer water to a feisty fifteen-foot-long maid. Holden walked into the great hall with a worried look on his face, his flaming red hair a mess.
“What’s the matter?” Roen asked.
Holden leaned in close to whisper into Roen’s ear. “Some of the women are waking up now, but they are not themselves.”
Roen let out a breath and rubbed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“They don’t remember who they are.”
Roen’s sense of triumph momentarily soured. “Do you think they might remember eventually?”
Holden shook his head. “I don’t know. But I thought I should tell everyone so they’re not shocked.”
Roen nodded. “Yes, please let the men know. And tell them not to give up hope yet.” The priority, at this point, however, was getting the women back and reunited with their mates, for those that had any still alive. He estimated that roughly half of the men wore black—one hundred. If there were thousands of mermaids out in those waters, it meant the majority of their men had passed away. Breaking the news to those women would not be easy. Maybe they won’t remember, a blessing in disguise again.
“Roen?” Roen and Holden turned their heads to find Jason standing there with red eyes. “I wanted to thank you—” the large man whisked away a tear “—the first woman you brought in was Amelia. I never thought I’d see her again.”
Roen felt a small spark of satisfaction. “Has she woken up yet?”
“No, but I’ve already heard the news. I don’t care if she doesn’t remember me. Her heart will remember.”
Roen gave Jason a pat on his bare shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
“I don’t deserve your mercy, Roen,” Jason fell to his knees, weeping, “but I beg you to forgive me.”
“Of course I forgive you. I am not—”
“She broke our most sacred law.” Jason continued sobbing. “I had no choice but to follow Naylor’s orders. I’m sorry, Roen. I am sorry.”
Roen’s heart clenched into a tight knot. “What are you talking about, Jason?”
“No one told you?” Holden said, his red face fading to a pale white.
Roen shook his head. He almost didn’t want to know, and his mind had already produced the worst possible scenario. Liv…
“What did they do to Liv?” Roen asked.
“She’s dead.” Jason sobbed.
Did he say she’s dead? “No,” Roen argued. “Lyle put her on a plane, her and Dana.”
Holden shook his head. “I heard them speaking after you left. Shane and his men attacked Lyle. Dana got on the plane, but not Liv.”
Roen couldn’t believe his ears. Why hadn’t Lyle said anything? He lunged at Holden, throwing him to the floor.
Holden raised his palms. “I didn’t know. It was Naylor, Shane, and his men—but they were within their rights. Liv broke the law. She told the landlovers about our water and where we are. Now there are a hundred ships looking for our island.”
“You sons of bitches.” Roen spun in a circle. “Where is Liv?” He glanced at Jason still falling to pieces on the floor. He pulled back his foot, ready to break the man in two, when Lyle appeared out of nowhere, knocking Roen down.
“No, brother,” Lyle yelled. “You cannot kill him. No law has been broken.”
Fueled by rage, Roen was on his feet. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lyle got up and held his hands in the air. “Because I knew you’d kill me when you learned I’d failed you.”
“So you’re a coward?” Roen seethed, losing his mind.
“No. I merely wanted to spend another day with you before I died. That, and I’d really hoped Shane would return so I could rip out his throat.”
This can’t be happening. This can’t foking be happening. “She’s not dead,” Roen argued. “You’re all lying to me. Where is she?”
Lyle’s eyes filled with tears. It was a first. “She was fed to the maids.”
No. No. No. “Is that true, you piece of shit?” Roen seethed at Jason.
Jason slowly got t
o his feet and stared at the floor. “Yes.”
“Which beach? Where?” Roen asked, feeling the world cave in on him.
Jason pointed to the beach about a half mile south.
Roen turned and sprinted for his life.
Why? Why did she tell the landlovers about their water? No. It’s a lie. She wouldn’t do that. She’d never do that.
Roen’s heart pounded and his lungs burned as he ducked branches and ran as fast as his body permitted.
“Liv!” he screamed the moment he stepped foot onto the dark beach. “Liv!”
He jumped into the water and swam out, the salt water stinging his eyes. He stopped, treading water. “Liv! Where are you?” She can’t be dead. She can’t be.
“Tell me where she is, you foking monsters.” He pounded his fists into the water, ready to throttle the truth from the first maid who popped her head up.
Not one came.
Roen’s entire body went into shock. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was coming. He knew he would lose her. And for what? This place?
Roen’s soul ripped down the cold middle.
He’d been thinking about being the hero and sacrificing himself to save everyone. But if Shane and Naylor had been a part of this, they’d known even before the challenge had begun. They killed her and then hoped Roen would die, too.
“Well, I’m not foking dead! You foking hear me? I’m going to kill you!” Rage took the place of Roen’s despair. He would hunt Naylor, hunt Shane’s men, including Jason, and once Shane showed up, he’d tear out his heart. Then I’ll sink this whole foking island to the bottom of the ocean.
Roen emerged from the waves and released a war cry filled with his contempt for the very air he breathed. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. He loved Liv. He loved her, and they’d never even had a chance to be happy for one goddamned day.
I will kill those fucking bastards. Roen stormed toward his home, making a mental list of which weapons he’d collect and who he’d kill first. He tripped and fell flat on his face in the sand. He quickly flipped onto his ass and caught a glimpse of a black form lying on the beach, its long flowing tail swishing with the ebb and flow of the small waves.