Oh no. I love it here. More, please. “Yeah. Shocking that I could resist such a paradise.”
Shane chuckled. “Our island is better than paradise. Our water cures even the worst injuries. If you’re still sick, then there’s something wrong with you. Either that, or the island doesn’t want you to live.”
These people were so primitive in their beliefs. “So what exactly is in your precious water?” she asked bitterly.
“The source of all life.”
Pfft. “Ah. Now I see; your water is the fountain of youth.”
“No. It can’t make you younger. And you won’t live forever. It does, however, prolong life.”
“Oh reeeally. How old are you?”
“Eighty-two. But I’m a baby compared to some of the others.”
He was mad. Totally and completely mad.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” he said.
“No.”
“You saw Roen. You saw him beaten then perfectly fine a few hours later.”
That she had. “Okay. But there has to be some sort of explanation. Maybe he wasn’t as hurt as I thou—”
“There is an explanation. I just gave it to you,” he said.
“And I suppose you really think you’re a fish, too?”
Shane stopped walking. “Don’t ever fucking call me that.”
“What?”
“We are not fish,” he growled.
“Someone told Roen that you call yourselves mermen.”
“Yes,” he said.
“Aren’t mermen half fish?”
“Woman, do you see any scales or gills on me? How about a goddamned tail?”
“No, I don’t. But then why do you call yourselves mermen?”
“Our great ancestors were the first humans to crawl from the ocean.”
“So your tails just…fell off,” she said.
“Something like that.”
“Where I come from, there’s a name for people like you without tails. They’re called human beings.”
“No. We are bigger, stronger, smarter. We are not the same as you landlovers.”
“You look like men to me,” she said.
“We are men. Mer. Men.”
The conversation had just made a full circle. Or a crazy granny knot. “I don’t get it, but I don’t think I want to.”
“You will,” he said with a deep ominous tone.
The only thing she’d “get” was the hell away from him. After fifteen minutes, it was time to make her move. This part of the forest seemed denser and darker and there were no signs of those things.
“I need you to stop,” she said.
“No. We’re already running late.”
“For what?” she asked.
“Roen wishes to bed you tonight.”
What the fuu…? “Sorry?”
“Bed you,” Shane repeated. “He hasn’t completed the claiming ceremony.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ll let him explain.”
Oh shit. She suddenly wondered which Roen would be waiting for her. The real one? Or the one who seemed to be changing into one of these men?
“You have to stop. I really need to pee.”
“No,” he barked.
“It will take thirty seconds,” she argued. “Thirty. And then I won’t ask again. I won’t say another word or make any problems for you.”
“Make it quick.” Shane set her down, and she quickly ducked behind a tree, pressing her back to the trunk, trying to gather herself.
“I don’t hear any magic happening. What the fuck are you doing, woman?”
“I can’t go when someone’s listening,” she called out, trying not to shiver. The temperature kept getting colder and colder the closer they got to that mountain.
“I’m not leaving. And you have ten seconds to make it rain or I’m throwing you over my shoulder again.”
“Okay! Just…sing for me.”
“I’m not going to sing,” he scoffed.
“It works every time—you can sing anything. ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat.’ ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spid—’”
“Eight seconds,” he barked.
Shit. Now or never. “I’m going!” She began tiptoeing away, making it several yards before she heard him say she had two seconds left. Liv ran for it, making a sharp right and then another after several seconds, hoping that she and Shane would end up running in opposite directions.
From out of nowhere, Shane caught her arm and practically yanked it from the socket. “Warriors like me have excellent hearing.”
“You’re hurting me,” she growled.
“Consider this being nice. Next time you run, I’ll break your leg.”
“Nice? You threaten me, bully me, and now you’re hurting me.”
“The punishment for disobeying your mate is being whipped. The punishment for running from our leader when he’s summoned you is losing a foot.” He gave her a shake. “Since he sent me to collect you, you’ve technically done both. So, yes, I’m being nice. Don’t run again.” Liv heard the anger in his voice. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she replied, but she wasn’t even close to being done. Not until she got the hell off this insane asylum. With Roen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shane scooped Liv into his arms again and continued on through the forest. This theme of getting carted around like a prize goat was getting on her last nerve. That said, she was exhausted and needed the time to think through her next move. Oddly, though, each attempt to initiate any meaningful thoughts was smothered by the odd buzzing coming from Shane’s skin. It was the same sensation she’d felt when Roen held her hand. Without anything else to compare it to, the sensation reminded her of a vibrator. Yeah, she had one. What woman didn’t these days? All that aside, his touch didn’t come anywhere close in the pleasure department.
“Why does your skin do that?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Buzz.”
“You like that?” he asked in a flirty tone.
“No.” God no. “But you do feel it?”
“Yes. Just like I feel my dick getting hard.”
Liv’s body tensed.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything about it.” He then added under his breath, “Even though you should be mine.”
This was not a conversation she wanted to have, but understanding the threats around her was paramount to her survival. No time for being optimistic.
“Because you found me?” she asked.
“The island brought you to me. Not Roen.”
“I was shipwrecked,” she pointed out.
“Who do you think sank your ship?”
“No one,” she scoffed. “There was a storm.”
“Wrong. The island did it. The island created the storm to bring you here—to me,” he added.
“You really believe a hunk of land can do that?”
“I know this hunk of land can do that.”
“You people are crazy,” she mumbled.
“I used to be a psychiatrist. I’d know if I was crazy.”
“How’s that possible? The psychiatry part, I mean?”
Shane ducked underneath a branch, careful not to get Liv scratched. “I grew up in Kansas City. Went to college. Had a life.”
Why would anyone in their right mind come to this place voluntarily? Roen did. But maybe he’s not right in the head either.
“Why did you leave it?” she asked.
“Same reason as all of the other men. We were conceived here. Eventually, the island calls us back, and we come.”
Liv blinked, thinking it over. If what he said was true, then none of the men were from there. It was the same thing Holden had said.
“What does the island want?” she asked, only curious to see what he believed, but not buying one word of the mass delusion.
“Protection from the rest of the world.”
Okay. So they were a cult who believed
this island was sacred and needed protection.
“Was Roen conceived here, too?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Roen had said that he’d come to this island looking for answers. It was plausible that he believed he’d come from this place; however, Roen would have mentioned that.
“What about the women?” she asked.
“What women?” Shane asked.
“Exactly.” There weren’t any.
He shrugged again, now marching up a steep trail that cut through the forest. He wasn’t even winded. “You ask a lot of questions.”
You bet your ass I do. How the hell else am I going to figure out how to survive? “That’s not an answer.”
“The answer is complicated.”
“Try me,” she shot back.
“Women are not permitted to remain on the island. It’s not safe for the—ah. We’re here.” Shane set her down at the base of a long flight of stone steps lit by torches. At the top looked to be a very big structure, which she couldn’t make out. “Roen is waiting for you up there.”
“Finish what you were going to say,” she demanded.
“Roen is waiting.”
In other words, the conversation was over. And now she had a bigger concern, facing Roen.
Liv glanced up toward the top. “I don’t think I can make it.”
“You’ll have to; I’m not permitted to go any further.”
Liv would’ve asked why, but she didn’t care. The answer wouldn’t help her determine what to do next. On one hand, if Roen was truly up there, she needed to see if he was all right. On the other hand, if he was no longer himself, she’d be putting her life at risk.
“There’s nowhere to run, so time to go, sweetheart.” Shane gave her a pat on the ass. “Prince Charming awaits.”
Liv looked at Shane, wanting so badly to punch him right in his little black skirt. He was right, however, there was nowhere to run. And sadly, she wasn’t getting off this island without help. Nor did she want to leave without Roen.
Plus, you’ll never rest without knowing if he’s dead, alive, or what.
After what felt like the world’s longest and most taxing journey, Liv made it to the top of the steps. There was a short, flagstone walkway that led to a hand-carved door. She didn’t bother knocking and turned the handle. When the door creaked open, the interior wasn’t what she expected. It was a huge modern palace. Smooth white walls displayed fine art—paintings of Poseidon summoning waves with his trident; mermaids perched on a large rock, overlooking the ocean; men, large and nude, emerging from the water and attacking what appeared to be Spanish explorers. Each painting, though beautiful and museum worthy, was also either dark or violent, and a contrast to the bright white walls and abundant recessed lighting. Truly, the home looked like something one might find in a penthouse in New York or the home of an art collector.
“Beautiful, are they not?” said a deep voice.
Liv looked to her right and there, wearing nothing but a piece of suede around his waist, stood Roen with his bulging biceps crossed over his bare chiseled chest.
“Ohmygod. Are you okay?”
Roen dipped his head, but his green eyes held fast to her face and glimmered with a subtle wickedness he hadn’t had before. “As you can see.”
Yeah, I can see. This Roen seemed to fill the entire room. His arms, which were muscled and large before, looked slightly more menacing. The grooves of his six-pack had deepened. His thighs bulged with power. He was still Roen, but this man now looked more like one of them. Hard. Mean. Dangerous. And yes, just looking at him provoked a primal sexual response.
“What did they do to you?” she asked.
He flashed a sinister grin. “They woke me from the dead.”
Liv swallowed. “Roen, how much water did you drink?”
“Come, you must be hungry.” He gestured toward the room just opposite of them, across the foyer. “I’ve had dinner prepared, and there is plenty to drink.”
Liv didn’t know what to say. He appeared to be in complete control, despite having succumbed to whatever powerful narcotics were in their water. In any case, she wasn’t going to let her guard down, just like she wasn’t going to ditch the man. Also, running and hiding were no longer options. Survival was now a question of making contact with the outside world, which meant she needed to play this out while proceeding with absolute caution.
Liv looked at Roen and nodded. “I’m starving.”
“Right this way, then.” Roen led them into a dimly lit, formal dining room big enough to seat at least forty or fifty people. The rectangular, modern-looking, dark wood table stretched from one end of the cavernous room, through a wide doorway, into another room.
“This place is enormous,” Liv said, noticing there were three fireplaces—one on each end of the room and one in the center—crackling with logs.
“The style is too pedestrian to suit my tastes, but it will do for now.”
His comment reminded her that up until a few days ago, Roen lived in a completely different world where money was no object. They’d never spoken about any of it—when was there time with all the “trying to survive” garbage getting in the way?—but Roen was an industry titan. No doubt his other life was filled with private planes, meetings with important people, extravagant vacations all over the world, and a harem of models or equally gorgeous women.
Immediately, two men, wearing red around their lower torsos, appeared in the room and began setting out dishes filled with steaming food, a bottle of red wine, and a decanter full of ice water. Liv’s mouth watered, and Roen must’ve noticed.
“By all means, help yourself,” he said. “And there’s no concern about the water. It’s from the well—not our sacred water.”
Our sacred water. He really had drunk the mer-Kool-Aid, which scared the hell out of her. What if the effects were permanent?
She didn’t waste time grabbing the crystal tumbler on the table, filling it up, and gulping down the water. She repeated several times until the water pitcher was almost empty.
Liv wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glanced over at Roen, who leaned against the wall, large arms folded across his bare, muscular chest, watching her like a hawk. He was eyeing her the same way she had been eyeing that water.
She mentally straightened her spine. It was time to play the game. Only this wasn’t a game. “I’m glad you’re still alive. I thought something happened to you.”
“Never felt better.” His gaze was unwavering, penetrating.
“The food smells amazing. Are you going to sit and eat with me?”
His intense green eyes remained stuck to her face. “No. But you go right ahead. You’ll need your strength for tonight.”
Liv did everything in her power to ignore that comment and not show how terrified it made her feel. She sat down at the place setting near the corner. “You can’t just stand there staring while I eat.”
Roen gave her a slow nod and sat at the head of the table, just an arm’s length away. Yes, he still stared.
She looked down at her empty plate, thinking carefully about her words. She needed to probe the situation so she could assess her possible moves, which included getting Roen home, too. One of the men, with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, began serving brown rice, followed by steamed vegetables mixed with chunks of white fish. The smell of butter and garlic permeated her nose. She waited for the men to finish serving and leave the room.
“You’re really not going to eat?” Liv asked.
“I’m not hungry. And I detest fish.” He reached for her glass and filled it with red wine, then his own. “But eat, please.”
Liv was starving, but she took only a small bite and chewed carefully. Aside from a few pieces of fruit and some juice, she hadn’t eaten in twelve days. That’s your out if he tries anything. She could very convincingly dissuade him from making any sexual moves if she was hurling on herself. No, it wasn’t pleasant, but neither was this situa
tion.
“So,” she sipped the wine to help her swallow the food, “I missed you at the beach today.”
His sharp gaze continued to threaten her calm façade. “I was busy.”
“Oh, I see.” She took another small bite.
“There are five thousand years of recorded history, and I must learn it all, including our traditions and secrets, if I am to serve the island well.”
He’s serious. Ohmygod. He’s really serious. “And what did you learn today?”
“That our laws demand you fuck me before the sun rises.”
Liv’s eyes darted up, and there was no use trying to hide her fear of him any longer. Point being, she felt a very strong attraction for the Roen she just met yesterday, but this wasn’t the same person.
He remained still in his chair, leaning back as if they were having a casual conversation about the weather. “I know what you’re thinking.”
She remained silent while her mind assessed which items on the table could be used as a weapon. Fork, glass bottle, butter knife…
“I won’t force you, Liv.”
“No?” It sure sounded like that.
“Once I explain your options, you’ll realize it’s what you want. Just like it’s what you wanted last night.” He leaned in closer. “You want to please the island, too.”
Yes, last night a part of her had wanted him. Pretty badly, actually. And yes, the rapid manner in which her insatiable lust for him came on was a little strange. But it was all her, not the island.
She shrugged.
Roen’s thick lips curled into a sensual smile. “Ah, you already know what I’m talking about. Don’t you, Liv? You heard the island, didn’t you?”
No. I’m not crazy. “I had thoughts I couldn’t explain, so I’m not sure.”
“Then you’re lying to yourself. Not that it changes a simple fact: the island gets what the island wants.”
“I still have free will,” she said flatly. “I’m in control. And so are you.”
“Fair enough.” He sipped his wine and set down the glass in front of him, the firelight dancing in his eyes. “But when you listen to her, it feels…” He looked up at the ceiling and waved his hand through the air, gesturing while he searched for the words. “It feels like a drug. It feels right.”