Just a few yards from the house, Liv found a narrow trail leading down the hill. Bright white rocks lining each side of the narrow path reflected the bit of moonlight, guiding the way. Once far enough away, she began a fast walk, hoping to God she didn’t come across any of those damned monsters. Or another sharp rock. Ouch! Without shoes, every little twig and stone seemed intent on finding their way between her toes.
I don’t need my toes, I just need to live. For her family, for Roen, for herself.
After about thirty minutes, the familiar sound of crashing waves roared in the distance. She was close, but Roen had said not to get into the water before the sun came up. Not that she intended to. But it wouldn’t be long now. The sky had already turned from a dark gray to a deep lavender.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, landlover?” said a deep voice.
Liv turned and saw a man with darkish hair down to his waist, covered head-to-toe in tribal tattoos, leaning against a tall pine tree just a few feet away. She didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t matter. The look on his face set off every female alarm bell in her body.
“Guess Roen didn’t get lucky last night, which sounds like a forfeit on his claim. Must be my lucky day instead.” His eyes flashed to her now completely healed shoulder, which showed no signs of Roen’s bite mark.
Then, from the corner of Liv’s eye, she spotted a set of lights off in the distance, moving back and forth over the water. Searchlights! It’s the ship. But the sun still wasn’t up, and God only knew what would happen if she got into the water.
The man reached for her arm and lowered his mouth, flashing his white teeth, intent on sinking them into her.
Hell no! Liv jerked away and ran as fast as she could toward the ocean. Whatever was in it might deter him from coming after her and the sun would be out in a matter of minutes. You can make it. You can make it, Liv. Arms pumping and legs thrusting, Liv ran for her life. Ten feet from the water’s edge her body tumbled into the sand. The bastard had tripped her from behind.
He flipped her over, and Liv screamed, “Get the hell off me!”
The man’s hard features became visible as the sky became lighter. He had a thick scar across his right cheek and a ruthless look in his eyes. “That’s right, landlover, fight. The island said you would. She also said I could break the laws if I caught you.”
Liv assumed he meant the worst and twisted and kicked with everything she had. However, her malnourished body was no match for this colossal beast. He moved to straddle her, pinning her hands above his head. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, he slowly moved his head toward her neck.
Fuck! He was going to bite her. These men were lunatics.
“Nooo!” She released a bloodcurdling yell and felt his teeth sinking into her skin. Suddenly, her face was covered in warm wet liquid. Liv thought it was her own blood, but the man began screaming in agony, falling to her side. Blood was everywhere—in her mouth, in her eyes, covering her face.
Then she saw them: five black forms descending on the man like hungry wolves.
That blood’s not mine. Liv blinked, her mind trying to make out the shapes of the animals. But the way they moved and slithered together over the man as he screamed, his limbs flailing and punching, made them difficult to see.
Suddenly, the sun broke over the horizon and a few small rays of light washed over the water and beach. The animals howled and hissed, quickly retreating into the water.
All but one.
No longer feeding, the monster came into focus, its wide yellow eyes glowing against charcoal black skin.
Ohmyfuckinggod. Liv wanted to run, but she couldn’t. It can’t be. It can’t fucking be…
It wasn’t just a monster; it was a woman. A woman who looked like she was coated in thick tar, whose hair hung in ropes of drippy black seaweed. But she wasn’t exactly a woman either. The thing had humanlike features, including breasts, until halfway down its body. From the navel down, however, its skin was scaly like a fish. Instead of legs, it had a long tail that bent back like she had knees somewhere underneath that horror-show costume.
Liv screamed at the top of her lungs, and the thing raised its index finger to its bloody mouth. “Sssshhh,” it hissed. The sun brightened across the thing’s face, but unlike the others, it didn’t seem affected.
“Wha-what do you want?” Liv whispered.
“I have a message from the island.” The woman’s voice was raspy and low. “You may leave, but you must promise never to tell. Not about the island. Not about any of us. If you do, our men will come for you. They will know, and they will come for you. Do you understand?”
Liv nodded without even realizing it.
The creature smiled, displaying a set of razor-sharp pearly whites, and then reached down, snatching something from around the dead man’s neck. She chucked it at Liv. “Drink it. It will stop the bleeding on your neck.”
Liv’s hand moved to the spot where the man had bitten her. She didn’t feel any pain—too scared out of her mind for that.
The beast reached for the man’s limp arm and began tugging him toward the ocean.
Holy shit. She’s taking her kill with her.
“Wait,” Liv said. “Are you what happens to the women who come here?”
The thing just looked at her with a pained expression. “Sometimes.” Then it slowly turned and pulled the bloody body with her, disappearing into the waves.
It took several moments for Liv to believe what she’d actually just witnessed. It was all too surreal—the horror of watching a man torn apart by goddamned mermaids. But not mermaids at all—not like the ones in fairytales, anyway.
Ohmygod. The boat! Liv got to her feet and spotted the ship off in the distance, perhaps even a bit closer now. Yes, she could make it, but those things were in the water.
If they were going to hurt you, they would’ve. Go!
She stepped into the waves, but something tugged inside her mind. Wait. If I leave, then what about Roen? That thing had told her she couldn’t ever tell anyone about the island.
I have to go back for him. Liv turned and froze. Just outside the tree line stood Roen with a tormented look in his green eyes. Why’s he standing there?
“Roen! Look!” She pointed toward the ship.
He didn’t move toward her. Instead, he lifted his hand to wave goodbye.
“Roen! Goddammit,” she yelled. “Please!”
Roen looked at his bare feet and turned away, heading into the forest.
Oh God. He’s really staying. But what possible motive could he have? She couldn’t think of one goddamned reason. He’d already told her that his brother was happy, so it wasn’t like the man needed to be rescued. Then there was the fact that Roen had a life, a pretty damned big one, back in the real world. Something was keeping him here, but what?
She took a deep breath, feeling a pull so strong, it nearly ripped her in two. She wanted to go after him, to make him come with her.
Liv glanced over her shoulder at the boat. Dammit. She’d never survive if she stayed. Think about your family. Think about Dana and Krista. Was going after Roen worth the rest of her life with the people she loved? Was it worth risking her life?
She looked down at the salt water swishing around her knees.
Suddenly, Liv was running as fast as she could toward the shore, but as she reached the beach, the sand beneath her dissolved into nothing. She felt her body falling forward, but when she thrust out her hands to break her fall, there was nothing but water.
Heart pounding, she managed to bring her head out of the water and gasp for air, but when she looked up, the island was gone.
“Look! Over there!” a man’s voice yelled off in the distance. Then the sound of a loud siren filled her ears.
“No, no, no!” Where the fuck is the island? Treading water, Liv spun in a circle, searching for any sign of the damned thing, but there was nothing except miles of open water and that enormous cargo ship.
&nbs
p; She suddenly heard a loud splash and the sound of a small motor. She looked over her shoulder as a military-style raft approached with two men aboard.
No, goddammit! Sobbing, she started swimming back toward the direction of where the island had to be, but the current pushed her back. When the men finally reached her, she felt like her soul had been ripped in two. She was saved, but she’d left something important on that island: a piece of her heart.
~ ~ ~
Roen walked away from Liv and let out a slow breath. Getting her off the island had not been as easy as he’d thought, but it was done, and that was all that mattered. It didn’t mean, however, he wouldn’t regret it for the rest of his life or regret the deal he’d just had to strike with the island to make it all happen.
“Brother.” Lyle stood on the path, arms folded over his chest. “I heard the news about your mate.”
“Who told you?” Roen asked.
Lyle raised a dark brow as if to say, “Who do you think?”
Roen simply nodded. Of course. The island had. Which meant Lyle also knew what Liv’s freedom had just cost him and would cost others. “Yeah, well.”
“The island cannot read your mind, but once you’ve let her in, she can read what’s in your heart. You can’t ever deceive her.”
Roen knew that now. While he’d been with Liv, he’d tried to block out his torment over knowing he’d never see her again. But that had been impossible. The island knew all along what he’d intended to do. Simply put, it was a miracle she’d not been killed.
It was also a miracle he’d resisted Liv the way he had when every cell in his body cried out for her. He’d wanted to fuck her five different ways until sunrise and then spend the entire day making it up to her with long baths and slow lovemaking. But had he done that, Liv’s life as she knew it would’ve been over, and he simply couldn’t do that to the only woman he’d ever felt anything for. Yes, he’d done one decent and right thing in his life by saving Liv.
I just hope that’s enough to carry you through what will come next.
“You must let her go.” Lyle reached out and squeezed Roen’s shoulder.
Roen nodded. “I already have.”
“Good. Because you managed to do the one thing I could not.”
Roen looked at Lyle, waiting for the answer.
“To save someone they cared about from ending up on this island.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Two Months Later.
This was a mistake. She’ll lock me up if I tell the truth. Cold sweaty hands fisted tightly, Liv shifted on the brown leather armchair and stared out the window overlooking the empty courtyard of the small office complex. As usual for this time of year in Wrangell, Alaska, it was cool but sunny outside, and just the sort of late spring day that used to get her into the garden.
Not anymore. Now she hated being outdoors.
“Ms. Stratton?” Dr. June, a woman in her late sixties, sat patiently across from Liv.
“Liv. Call me Liv,” she muttered, avoiding full eye contact.
Dr. June uncrossed her legs and set her notepad on the doily-covered glass coffee table between them. “All right, Liv. You came to see me because you wanted help, but you haven’t spoken once in three sessions, so why don’t you try to tell me what’s on your mind? I’m not going to judge; I promise.”
“I can’t,” Liv whispered. “I thought I could, but I can’t.” The memories were just too painful, and she didn’t know how to organize the chaos inside her head in a way that would make sense to her, let alone a psychiatrist. But she knew she needed this. So very badly.
“It’s very common to feel that way, Liv. You survived a traumatic event. But I always tell my patients to start with something easy and small. Just see where it goes.”
That was the problem; she’d survived. And what had started out as a very publicized but emotional, joyous reunion with her family, who’d believed she’d died, had turned into a nightmare.
The media had gotten wind that she’d been found in the middle of the North Pacific by one of Roen Doran’s cargo ships after they’d received a mysterious call from him instructing them to come back for her. Obviously, the world wondered where the hell he was, because the last thing anyone knew for certain was that his helicopter had gone down near where they’d rescued Liv. In addition, five of Roen’s crew had taken one of the small boats from the ship, looking for survivors after his chopper went down. They never returned.
Of course, Liv knew why, and everyone looked to her for all the answers, especially the part about Roen. First the Coast Guard and FBI, then Roen’s lawyer—some guy named Phil, who told her he’d ruin her “pathetic white-trash existence” if she didn’t tell him what she knew regarding Roen’s whereabouts. Where the hell did anyone get off saying that kind of garbage to another person? Her father was an insurance broker and her mother worked as a bookkeeper. They weren’t filthy rich like Roen, but that Phil sleazeball spoke to her like she was nothing because of it. She hung up on the a-hole, and then things got really bad. Was he behind it? She didn’t know, but the tabloids printed made-up stories about her being involved in some kidnapping plot. The news channels and papers joined in and showed pictures of her, even naming her hometown. For Christ’s sake, Wrangell’s population was only two thousand four hundred. They might as well have given out her home address to the entire world.
“I don’t know anything,” she’d told them all. “The fishing boat went down. I was in a raft for twelve days, and it finally deflated. A ship rescued me just in time, but I never saw or spoke to anyone.” And when they asked her to explain Roen’s call to his ship, she simply said she couldn’t. Luckily, the authorities didn’t believe any of the horrific accusations, but that didn’t mean they believed her lies either. Even her parents called her out, telling her if she knew something, it was her obligation to say so. But none of that gigantic cluster compared to her guilt over Roen. He was still on that island. And no one would be coming to help him. No one.
“Liv?” Dr. June leaned closer. “Liv, honey, there’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re safe now, and no one can hurt you here.”
Was that really true? Because Liv’s frantically beating heart told her she was anything but safe.
“I’m—I’m not sure coming here was a good idea,” Liv said, tugging at the collar of her red turtleneck.
“Of course it was. Just take a moment to gather your thoughts. You’re my last appointment of the day, so I’ll wait as long as you need.”
That could be a hell of a long time.
“May I?” Liv glanced at the water cooler in the corner next to the bookshelf full of cat memorabilia and snow globes. She thanked her lucky stars that the psychiatrist wasn’t into fish. Liv didn’t want to think about anything with fins.
“Of course, dear. Help yourself.” Dr. June flashed a comforting smile.
Liv got up and crossed the homey, knickknack-filled office, refusing to look at herself in the beveled mirror stuck to the wall for those “get in touch with yourself” sessions. Seeing her reflection—bloodshot brown eyes and unkempt brown hair—only reminded her of the mess she’d become.
Liv took a paper cup from the dispenser and filled it up. Suddenly, words bubbled from her mouth. “They said that they’d come for me if I told anyone. That they would know.” Liv closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for the sky to fall. Of course, it didn’t.
Okay. See. That wasn’t so hard and nothing bad happened.
“Keep going, Liv. Who told you they’d come for you?”
Liv gulped down her water, but kept her back to Dr. June. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. You can do this.
She ran one hand over the back of her head. “The problem is, they weren’t…” She wanted to say they weren’t human. And after she’d seen those creatures on the beach, she now knew that everything she’d heard on that island was true. So perhaps it was true that they’d hunt her down and kill her if she broke her promise to stay silent. If the
y did, what would happen to her family? They’d just gotten her back. But Liv simply couldn’t stop the nightmares. She couldn’t let go of what she’d seen and what she’d done. Worst of all, she couldn’t let go of Roen. Every thought led back to him.
How could I have left him behind? He saved me, and I left him with those savages. It didn’t matter that he’d stayed of his own free will. The man hadn’t been well. But she’d left him with no hope of rescue. Why? Because she’d promised never to tell anyone about the island. She should’ve said no, but Liv had been terrified for her life. Especially after she learned what those men did to women. It was unspeakable.
“Liv, here’s what I’d like you to do.” Dr. June stood and handed Liv her notepad and pen. “I want you to write down what you can’t say. Then I’ll read it and we’ll burn it together in the trash can. That way, no one but us will ever know what you wrote. Okay?”
Liv nodded her head. She had to tell someone. She needed to figure out what to do.
Liv took the pen and paper, but couldn’t make her hand move. You’re being irrational. You need to tell her. You need help. Liv hadn’t slept in two months and could barely eat. She’d been unable to return to her life in Seattle, where she attended school, or function in any normal way. She was spiraling hard.
Liv scribbled one word on the paper and handed it to Dr. June.
Dr. June read it and frowned with a deeply disturbed expression. “I don’t understand. You think mermen are coming to get you?”
Yes, and part of me wants them to. I deserve to be punished.
Liv replied yes and in that moment, a powerful wave of painful pinpricks exploded. Her body began to convulse uncontrollably, and she tumbled to the floor.
“Liv!” The doctor jumped from her seat and called for help. “Liv! Can you hear me?” But all Liv could do was clench her teeth as the excruciating pain barreled through her veins like molten lava pushing its way through her skin, trying to break free. Suddenly, it did. The pain evaporated, and she could almost taste it in the air, rising above her body.