“Well, too bad we have you now, and your plan won’t work. The siren are going to win this one,” Whitney told him, before turning from him to walk away.
“Who said I was the only one sent to kill the queen?” Tim could barely move, but he managed a small smile.
Whitney thought back for a minute. Tim was the only one that had gotten close to the schoolhouse. She was sure if there were more people coming, Cassie or her jaguar would have heard them. She glanced over to her friend, who seemed to read her mind and shook her head in reply. There was no one else around. The people protecting the women were all her Oceanids. She had changed each of the greens personally. But she hadn’t changed the men or the women in the schoolhouse one by one. Any one of them could be a traitor. She hadn’t thought to check and make sure they were all her Oceanids now.
“I’ll take care of him,” Jade said as she understood that Whitney needed to run back, but couldn’t leave Tim.
“The ice will last for at least another ten minutes,” Cassie explained. “Just have him tied up before then.”
Jade nodded to Cassie as Whitney took off back to the school, the whole time searching her mind as she thought of the people left behind. How could she have missed someone not being changed? She didn’t like to link to their minds, and now she was linked to over a thousand. She should have checked each person left behind. The queen was the last weak link in their plan. If someone took her out, the barrier would fall.
Whitney made it back to the schoolhouse at the same time she remembered one fact. If someone was running around without a mark, she wouldn’t be the only one to notice. Others would notice, too. They had to be hiding it, and then it made sense. The king’s old friend Marl was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and seemed uncomfortable in it. The siren weren’t shy and never wanted to be covered up. Most of them walked around in what was close to being just a swimsuit all the time. The only reason to cover up would be to hide something.
Whitney burst in the door, making the men sitting there draw their weapons until they realized it was her. Across the room, Marl was standing by the queen. He held a bloody knife in his hand. Whitney ran across the room as the people around began to realize the queen was now slumped over. Without a second thought, Whitney had the knife from his hand, and with one good hit, he was knocked unconscious.
“Mira,” Whitney said as she knelt beside the older woman that was their only chance to keep the barrier up now.
Whitney reached for the bucket of healing water and thankfully found there was still some left. Whitney’s water manipulation skills were not good, especially when she was stressed, so she just dipped her hand in and scooped out water on the bleeding wound. She pulled back the queen’s shirt and found the wound wasn’t healing even with the water.
‘Sam, Marl just stabbed your mother,’ Whitney yelled at him across the bond. ‘I tried the water, but it didn’t work. Why didn’t it work?’
Sam didn’t reply, but he was moving across the sand quickly to his father. If the queen was down, soon the king would fall.
‘There’s only one thing that the water doesn’t heal,’ Sam finally replied as he was beside his father. ‘Poison.’ Sam was now dealing with his father slowly losing control of the barrier.
Picking up the blade from the floor, Whitney looked to her friend in the doorway. Cassie hurried over.
“It’s poisoned. Would you be able to save her?” Whitney asked hopefully. Cassie was the strongest witch she knew.
“If I had time, but it doesn’t look like we do.” Cassie pointed down to the queen. She was gasping for breath. It was a fast-acting poison.
“If she falls, then so does the island. We need to get the children out of here and to the secret shore,” Whitney said as she stood above the dying queen. She wanted to help her, but there was nothing she could do for poison, especially if Cassie couldn’t fix it. They would to evacuate the children and women off the island. This was the last case plan, but she would do it. Everything in her power was going to be needed to save the last of the siren.
“Just let me go get someone. I think he can do it. He’s saved other people who were poisoned before. Please let him try, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll take the children and unbonded siren to shore.” Cassie didn’t wait for a reply and ran to the nearest tree. Her black cat stayed behind and lay down next to the dying queen.
“Is he safe?” one of the ladies nearby asked in a loud whisper, like she didn’t want to anger the cat.
Whitney glanced down at Jared as he kept his head pressed to the side of the queen, her hand resting on his fur.
“He used to be human once until someone killed that part of him with magic. This is all he has left, but he isn’t a wild animal,” Whitney explained. The cat looked up at her, ready to disagree, but Cassie was already running back into the room.
“She’s right here with Jared,” Cassie said to the man behind her.
There was a beautiful man with her, but as he neared Whitney saw he wasn’t much older than they were. His bright blond hair and blue eyes could match her own. But that wasn’t what stood out. It was the slight glow around his skin. It made him more attractive than he must have been as just a human. And the power that followed him … Whitney still was new to feeling out night humans in her mer skin, but she felt him the moment he set foot on the island. This man was more than special. He didn’t look to Whitney as he knelt by the queen.
“It’s been maybe three to five minutes maximum,” Cassie continued as the man knelt beside the queen on the opposite side from the cat. The panther didn’t look up as he stood guard, comforting the dying queen.
“Her name?” The man finally turned his blue eyes to Whitney. She was caught in how they sparkled, and how otherworldly it was. “Whitney, her name?” he asked again, and it was him saying her own name that pulled her out of her trance.
“Mira. She’s the mate to the king of the siren. He’s holding back a barrier to force the mer come in at only one point, so they targeted her to kill him.” Whitney had no idea why she was explaining more than he needed.
“Okay, Mira, this is going to feel funny, but it’ll be over before you know it,” the man said, placing his hand over the wound.
‘What’s going on?’ Sam asked, finally reconnecting. He was busy trying to give power to his father to keep the barrier up.
‘Cassie brought someone to save your mom. He says he can do it,’ Whitney replied as she watched the man’s hand glow more than his skin already glowed.
Slowly, he began to pull his hand back, and with it, something came straight out of the wound. He pulled a little bit more before he stopped, a ball hovering above his hand. Whitney had no idea what to say. Heck, she had no idea who the guy was, but it seemed like he just willed the poison out of the queen with only his mind or something. Powerful wasn’t even the right word to describe him. He was so much more than that.
The man stood up and held out the hand that wasn’t holding the poison to Whitney; his right hand in the gesture to shake her hand.
“Sorry about coming in so rudely. I’m Devin Alexander,” he introduced himself like he was just another person, but Whitney knew better. This was Devin. The Devin. The Sidhe King. Cassie had gone straight to the legendary Sidhe King to get help. Devin smiled at her, making a dimple appear in his right cheek. If Whitney didn’t know who he was, she might have been tempted to hit on him, even though she had a mate and all. He was drop-dead gorgeous and completely off-limits.
“Here,” Cassie said as she handed Devin a vial.
Who knew where she got that from? Whitney had a feeling it had been full, and she had just emptied it because that was the only thing that made sense.
“Thanks,” Devin replied as he took it and pushed the poison into it. “Do you mind if I take this home to study?” he asked Whitney. She shook her head. “Thanks. I have to get back, but I’d like to do one more thing for you.”
Whitney just nodded. She had no idea what more he could
do. He had saved the queen and the whole plan for equal footing in the fight. She owed him for that.
Devin walked outside and took a deep breath, as if he was more comfortable outside the building than inside. Walking over to a tree, he placed his hand on it like Cassie did when she traveled through the trees. But instead of leaving, he stood there with his eyes closed and concentrating. After a few moments, he pulled back and smiled again at Whitney.
“That’s my thank you for giving your blood to Arianna. She’s trying to unite all night humans, and the more she can combine, the better the results will be. You’ve helped her on her goal, and I owed you for that.”
Whitney stared at him. She had no clue what he was talking about. Devin just laughed.
“I am one of her keepers. I know everything that goes on with her even if I’m not there,” he explained.
Well, at least that part made more sense, but she had a feeling there was more to the story than that.
Devin reached down to her shin and touched the blood on her leg from yet another cut Sam had taken that she didn’t notice. He brushed it onto the tree, and it melted away.
“If you ever need to get ahold of me, just touch your blood to any living plant, and I’ll come to you,” he explained, placing his hand on the tree again.
“Wait,” Whitney finally said before he could disappear. “What the heck did you do, and why are you helping me?”
Devin grinned at her. “Once you talk to your mate you will find all the mer that were fighting you are now tangled in plants, even the ones in the water. That’s my thank you to you from Arianna. And as to why? Well, not just because you’re Cassie’s best friend, but because you and I are legends. We legends have to stick together you know. There aren’t many of us around.” Devin winked and then was gone.
‘Whitney, everything is done,’ Sam said across the bond. ‘Somehow all the mer are tangled up in plants here on land and in the water. It’s going to take some time to collect them all, but it’s over.’
Just like Devin had said.
Whitney turned to her friend who was standing in the doorway to the schoolhouse.
“I told you he was strange and unpredictable,” Cassie said, like that explained it all.
“And hot. You told me hot, but I didn’t know how hot,” Whitney teased, and they both laughed.
Just like that, the battle was won. Whitney’s choice to go before the night human council had saved everything. The siren, or rather Oceanids, were pardoned. The sirens were safe in the night human world. And in a second moment, Devin stopped the whole fight, and it was done, too. Her world had started over when she joined the night human world for a second time, but she was grateful. Sam had brought her back to where she was meant to be. For that, she was willing to play her part of being a legend. And maybe they could just go back to having a boring life once everything was cleaned up, or maybe not. Whitney understood that what came next would depend on what fate had in store for her, and she was ready for the ride.
Epilogue
Whitney looked at her new home. It was larger and closer to their neighbors, but she liked it. It was situated not too far from the shore this time. It was better to be part of the siren island rather than watching over it like Sam’s old place had been, and maybe being on a new island also helped. It made things feel safer and a lot more peaceful than walking around a place where many had died, and more had bled.
In the wake of the attack, they were left with hundreds of enemy mer they didn’t know what to do with. If they let them go free, they would just group up and attack again. If they killed them off, they would be no better off than they had been to begin with. Luckily, the siren found a solution they all could live with.
The old siren island became a prison for the mer who had attacked the siren. They weren’t allowed on the mainland because the hunters were still allowed to kill them, and they weren’t allowed to go free. Cassie was able to set up a spell that would hold them there forever. Only about one-hundred yards out to sea was a barrier that went from the ocean bottom into the sky that no man or object other than the fish and other mammals in the sea could pass. And really, how much of a punishment was it to be stuck on a tropical island for the rest of your life?
The siren then moved to their second island. While Tim had been staying there, he didn’t do anything bad to the place. He kept up the original barrier to keep it protected. It didn’t take much work to move everyone there. And the best part was that it was closer to the mainland. Going back and forth took no time at all.
“We’re going to be late,” Trudy complained to Whitney as she looked back at the water.
The water still called to her, but it was a happy sound that seemed to say, “Come back when you have time.” There were no more urges to walk toward it like there had first been and no more urges to drain people dry either. Everyone had full access to the night human blood banks, and all the Oceanids were well-fed instead of on the brink of starving. Life had taken a complete one-eighty, all due to one choice to stand before the night human council and ask for forgiveness.
“You know your aunt is going to be mad if we’re late,” Trudy tried again to get Whitney to move from her spot.
Okay, that much was true. Whitney stood up and transformed into her legs, being sure to scoop up her clothes as she did so she wouldn’t get them wet. Running after her friend up the sandy beach, it didn’t take much to climb the path back to the parking lot behind the diner. Sam was already in his car with the engine running.
“We’re going to be late,” he told her.
Leaning over, Whitney gave him a peck on his cheek.
“Come on, lovebirds, keep that to a minimum,” Tina complained next to Trudy from the back seat. “Some of us without mates don’t want to lose our breakfast before we get there.”
“Tell me about it. I’m nervous enough that I am going to trip and make a fool of myself,” Trudy replied.
Sam peeled out of the parking lot and onto the street faster than necessary. At that rate, they weren’t going to be late, and they’d make it on time to the school. There was nothing to worry about. No one was going to be late or trip as they walked. They were Oceanids, after all, and way too graceful to trip, even in their black billowy gowns.
Whitney smiled as her friends helped each other attach their square black hats while the car zoomed toward school. It was graduation day, a day she never imagined would come. She hadn’t thought too much about her future, but once she had been changed into an outlawed mer, Whitney figured it was a life on the island or a life on the run. Now she got to have a life of her own choosing. She was allowed to go on land any time she wanted. She could go to college, get a real job—all that stuff people dreamt of. Life was turning out to be better than she ever could have guessed it would be. Maybe, just maybe, she had a bit of Oceanid luck after all, and being a legend wouldn’t be so bad.
Author note:
Thank you for reading SCALES AND LEGENDS! Keep reading for the sneak peek of the first book in a completely series in the night human world. Before we get there, I’d like to ask that if you enjoyed reading this book, please consider leaving me a good review on Amazon.com. Join my mailing list for the latest updates and sales info at http://www.bkristinmcmichael.com/list. If this is your first night human world book, there are nine more in the same world that you can read while you wait for the next book. Check out THE LEGEND OF THE BLUE EYES or THE WITCHLING APPRENTICE.
I greatly appreciate all the support from everyone, and it keeps me going day in and day out! THANK YOU!
Sneak Peek at THE NIGHT HUMAN HUNTER
Jaxton Kristian ducked behind the nearest beam on the high-rise construction site. His older sister Jade—only older by eleven months—stood out in the open, waiting. Her neon green hair, the color of the month, stood out in the darkening sky like a star too close to earth. Their target was bound to find her where she waited. Jax leaned just slightly to view his sister better. She was already on her
phone, typing away, an obvious sign of boredom. Jax didn’t mind the waiting part of a hunt, but Jade did. He didn’t dare look to the beam next to him where Rommy waited. She would be furious at Jade’s lack of enthusiasm.
A loud shriek brought Jax’s attention to the sky. A large bird was flying maybe two hundred yards to the east. Jax set down his riffle. It was heading directly to Jade as they had planned, and he wasn’t going to need to shoot it out of the sky, not that that would have been a problem. The night human was doing just what they wanted. Jax pulled out his pistol and waited in his hiding spot.
Jade finally tucked her phone into her pocket before bending down to slip two of the daggers out of the sheaths she had strapped onto her legs. As stand-offish as her appearance was, she liked to fight in close combat. Their teacher Rommy preferred a sword to keep her distance, but Jade like to be able to see their eyes at all times.
In one swoop, the bird creature landed with a thump in front of Jade. Knowing where her brother was hiding, Jade moved slightly to give Jax the best view of the situation since he was her back-up. He always was her back-up. Being only eleven months apart and in the same grade at school meant they were raised almost like being twins. All their time together made them actually act like twins also, and the age difference never mattered. Jax had to learn quickly how to be on par with his older sister. Jade was ready for the fight, and Jax wasn’t going to let her fail.
The ugly night human stood over six feet tall, with gray ratted hair that hung down between her two enormous, white-tipped, black-feathered wings. It wasn’t just her wings that made her stand out as not being human, but also the talons on her feet and a nose that was beak-like. The bird lady would never not be mistaken for what she really was: a blood-thirsty monster. Lifting an arm out from beneath her ragged purple cape, the creature dropped something on the ground between Jade and herself.