Sea God's Siren (The Brother's Keep) (4 page)

Chapter 9

Disturbance

In the middle of the night, Syrena tiptoed to every family member’s bedside and planted a soft kiss on each loved one’s brow. She left a carefully written note on the kitchen table, expressing her love and gratitude; also, her need for the freedom to make her own life different from all the rest. Not that she had to behave in a dissimilar manner, or that she rebelled in spite or out of mischief. Rather, the decision seemed best for her. She needed to take this step, a resolution she felt in her very bones.

Before Syrena slipped out the door, Steffi tackled her for one last goodbye. They hugged, long and hard. When their father’s snoring from down the hall ceased for a brief second, Syrena took that as her parting cue to leave before discovery.

She found her way to the pier and down the length of it. She’d no sooner sat at the edge when she heard a sound as if a boat glided fast, slicing through the water. Next, she felt Dagon’s hands grip her torso as he lifted her down into the water. They kissed, and then he gave her breath even though she could have taken her own at that point. He pulled her beneath the surface, taking her away.

It surprised Syrena that Dagon only brought her as far as the Shallow Sea. She pinched her nose with a grin. “This
is
our palace then?”

He laughed. “No, love. You’re tired. I can see it by the shadows of your eyes.”

“I’ve stressed over not seeing you.”

“And I you.” He stroked her cheek. “Our sea cave, the one I took you once before when you were a child, is near the Pink Coral. Enough air and water for the both of us there, but it’s a long journey halfway across the ocean.” Dagon sounded pleased. “I can get us to our place quite quickly. Still, try to rest first.”

Her lightheartedness multiplied just by being close to him. “Are you saying that I’m fragile?”

“Fragile, yes, and perfect.” With tenderness, he folded his arms around her and brought her down with him so that she reclined on top of him. There, her head remained above water, because he supplied something for her, some kind of spongy substance that proved comfortable as a pillow. Syrena rested against it, against him.

“Why didn’t we make the journey long before if it was so easy for us to be together?” she asked, stifling a yawn.

“No, not easy. There exist many dangers. We will have to avoid detection at all times, even in our journey, even now.”

“What are the dangers, Dagon? If we’re together, is that not worth it all?”

He caressed her. “Worth it all, yes, of course. That’s why we’re here, together. But we need to be careful. My mother knows I’ve left her.”

Syrena lifted her head and stared blankly at him.

“Please, Syrena, do not fret. I regret saying anything that would cause you to worry.” He gently pressed her head down against the giant sponge pillow, against him. “Try to sleep.”

And she did slumber, until the heat from the sun grew too intense. She sat up, wiping perspiration from her hairline. Dagon lay still beneath the surface. For a moment, she flattened underwater so she could see him. What a strange phenomenon, that she could experience perfect vision in the water. She examined his emerald-hued hair, his green and scaly tail, his upper torso like that of a man. After another admiring touch, she rose.

Dagon slept. And she didn’t want to disturb him because their upcoming journey might prove taxing for him as well.

Syrena’s feet found the ocean floor as she stood, with water rising only to the level of her knees. Shallow indeed! She sweltered in the heat of the sun and what reflected off the still water. She wavered some from languor, and the fact that she’d had nothing to eat for some time.

She took a few steps, but seashells embedded in the Shallow Sea’s floor lacerated her heels and toes. Reality dawned on her that she was completely dependant on Dagon now. If not for him, she would die out there. A surge of panic, of the unknown, of doubt, crossed her bosom as seaweed wrapped around her ankles, threatening to drag her down. And the Shallow Sea stank of rotting fish.

Syrena started to speak, but her words fell away to nothing. “Dagon!”

There erupted a loud series of splashes, like something wriggling out of the water. “My love?” Dagon’s arms reached her. “I have not legs while wet, Syrena, come down to me.” He engulfed her, enclosing her in his embrace. “You’re frightened,” he said.

She didn’t want to admit it, but replied, “Yes.”

“Do not fear. We are destined for each other. It’ll work. We’ll make it so, together. Syrena?” He gently tipped her head to him. “I love you.”

She nodded, exhaling, “And I you.”

He brushed his lips over her brow, and then leaned back to study her. “What else troubles you?”

Bowing her head, she nibbled her lower lip. A different kind of heat flooded her cheeks.

“Ah, you’re hungry,” Dagon said. “Of course. My apologies, love. Come, I will take you to a safe food source for your kind.” He started to lean them both back into the water to swim when far in the distance, a faint, yet unsettling, noise began.

“What is that?”

Dagon didn’t answer, instead tightening his hold on her.

“It sounds like a serpent’s hiss,” she said, alarmed.

The hissing turned to gurgles. Voluminous, heated bubbles erupted from the floor’s surface.

Dagon’s tail unraveled from Syrena’s body as he began to swim, but the faster he sped the quicker the sea simmered. Molten rock, orange and bright, surfaced like a pot of porridge boiling over. Fire erupted from water. A wall of flames licked the air and trapped them, keeping Dagon and Syrena from forging to the open sea.

“What’s happening?” she begged Dagon.

“My brother, Firebringer. He rises from the bottom. Our father, the serpent, has sent him to block us.”

Though Syrena couldn’t see the flames, she felt the heat, knew the fires rose.

Tumultuous claps broke behind her, and spray like that from a mammoth whale pelted her with rain.

“Dagon!” Firebringer called. “What have you done? You disobedient fool! What’re you thinking, taking a mortal woman as your own? You are to lead astray, to destroy, not love,” he sneered.

At that, Dagon, with the massive fish tail swayed and clapped his lower half in frenzy, creating waves higher than Syrena’s head. She struggled, bobbling in and out of water, in and out of seeing what transpired. She caught a glimpse of Firebringer, and then another brother appeared, aiding Firebringer by commanding the wind. Brother Wind’s translucent hair whipped wildly about him. Usurping the elements, together they worked against the waves Dagon created to douse Firebringer’s fury.

Dagon and Syrena were knocked from each other’s clasp.

“No,” the merman shouted as he scrabbled for her.

Syrena tumbled over and again in the whitewater so that she could hardly catch a breath. “Help!” Her gurgling cry barely came out.

In the undercurrent, Syrena saw Dagon. His mouth stretched and he produced a high-pitched screech. Even she could hear it in the instantly pounding surf. The sound was strange to her ears. In the distance, she heard an echo. In a heartbeat, another creature rose from the deepening water in response. A mammal with a beaklike snout that went aloft and danced upon its tail.

It spoke. “I’m Shimmery Blue. I’ve been called to you. Shimmery Blue, Shimmery Blue.”

Conical teeth formed the creature’s upper jaw. The mammal moved with swiftness and played in the very waves that threatened to drown Syrena. Its eyes glistened and snout beamed. Through the waves, Syrena could see the sun sparkle off its skin as it chattered in unusual song.

“Shimmery-shim-shimmery blue. Shimmery-shim-shimmery blue. I come, to rescue you. Come-come to rescue you.” It danced closer, presenting its back.

Syrena questioned Dagon with her eyes. He caught her and boosted her upward. “Go with Blue,” he demanded. He helped her wrap her legs around the unusual creature, and then placed her hands around its sleek, satiny fin. Before she could blink, Blue slipped beneath the surface like a harpoon, taking her with it. Together they leaped and plunged, touched the sky and dove again—in and out of darkness and daylight—zipping through a breach in the wall of fire.

The ocean deepened and widened. Syrena and Shimmery Blue raced far from the three brothers. Two combated against one. Dread overcame Syrena’s heart. It took all her willpower to hang on as they sliced through water with such lightning speed. All the while, Shimmery Blue sang its song of encouragement. If not for that, she’d lose all hope.

As they journeyed, the waters grew warm and crystal clear. Shimmery Blue slowed down. The floor of the ocean rose to meet them some. An island loomed in the distance, but Shimmery Blue didn’t take her there. Instead, he dove. Syrena gaped in awe at the beauty and expanse of the Pink Coral.

Through a multitude of colorful tunnels, fish, and flora, like a painting come to life, Blue popped out of the water and nudged Syrena onto a smooth surface.

She inhaled deeply. “Where are we?”

Blue slipped into the water again.

The strange thing was she could see. She now sat in a vibrant cave of some sort, but in a bubble, too, for natural openings, like windows, wavered on the far sides revealing water. At times, fish swam by, and once an eel, giving her a view into the oceanic realm. Yet, she sat in a dry environment.

Alone.

“Shimmery Blue?”

The creature popped up and tossed something at her.

Syrena fingered the slimy item. “You can’t mean for me to eat this?”

It seemed to laugh at her. “G-g-g-good for you.”

“Hum.” She smiled. “Okay, I guess I’m just hungry enough that I’ll have to try it.”

The mammal changed its tune. “I’m Shimmery-shim-shimmery. I’ve delivered now away goes Blue.”

“No, wait!” Syrena slapped the water, but the creature had already wriggled away, bolting toward the open sea. She scarce had opportunity to thank Shimmery Blue. Besides that, she had to know . . .

Bowing her head, Syrena whispered, “What about my Dagon?”

Chapter 10

Love’s Mutiny

Sitting back against the wall hugging her knees, Syrena, who had been staring down at the opening, noticed the smooth surface of the water begin to warble. The next thing she knew, Dagon lifted himself up onto the stone, his long tail unfolding. He reached for her. She ran to him.

“Oh, thank the stars!” She covered him with kisses before she observed a grimace. She gasped, fingering his lacerations. “You must be in great pain.”

“Not much.” He gave her a shoddy smile.

“You’re not a very good liar.”

“Make you proud?”

“Absolutely.” She carefully hugged him. “What can I do to help?”

He shook his head, bringing her lips close to his. “They’ll recover in no time.”

Dagon’s words proved true. The injuries he’d sustained by fighting his brothers seemed to seal and fade right before Syrena’s eyes. “You’re an amazing creature.”

He groaned his response while advancing to a greedy duel with her tongue.

During the next search for air, Syrena witnessed his tail become legs. She gasped and glanced away at the recognition of his nakedness, heat flooding her cheeks.

Dagon cocked his head. “My nudity bothers you?”

“N-no, I-just-I-just, well . . .” She exhaled. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a . . .
man
before.”

“Ah.”

Syrena could hear the amusement in his voice.

He stood and ambled to a sea wall where he proceeded to remove moist long sleeves from a plant growing from the rock. As he wrapped the sleeves around his loin, Syrena managed to peek at his backside, again bowing her head. She fingered her neckline with trembling fingers. He evoked feelings in her she’d never experienced before.

Dagon turned to face her, newly presenting himself by a splaying of his arms. “Better?”

Syrena gaped at him. When she found words, she said, “Not necessarily
better
, but . . .”

“But what?” He grinned then sat with her again. “Mermen usually have long natural lives. I’ll wait forever for you, Syrena, whenever you’re ready,” he whispered. “Just let me know.” He grazed her brow with his lips.

She delivered a demure smile, knowing it wouldn’t be long before she gave all of herself to him.

He glanced at the half-eaten nourishment Shimmery Blue had left for her. “You didn’t like Culboora the last time either,” he said with a chuckle. “Still”—He shrugged—“It’s food, and it won’t make you sick.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “The last time?”

“When you were a child. I brought you here.”

“I don’t remember.”

Dagon released a heavy sigh. “No. You wouldn’t. It’s part of the curse my mother put on you. That, and your blindness.”

Syrena spoke quietly. “Is that why I can see in your world but not in mine?”

With a solemn countenance, Dagon nodded.

Syrena pressed her palm against his chest. “But you seem familiar. My spirit quickens whenever I see you.”

He nodded again.

“Do you believe in soul mates?”

“Yes.”

“Is that why I’m here?” she asked.

“Yes.” He shifted. “I’d depart this life by a broken heart and empty spirit, eventually, without the presence of you, my mate. I’m lonely, Syrena.” He cupped her face. “Sick with love, but dying without you.”

She glanced up at him through her lashes. “How do you know I’m the one?”

He shrugged again. “I just know. Don’t you?”

She paused. “Yes,” she said, drawing her fingers across her heart. “I do. I left my family, everything I’ve known—”

He pulled her into his arms, her breasts crushed against him. “I promise to take care of you. I will love you forever!” Dagon rocked her in an embrace that seemed endless, before he wiped away her tears.

“I won’t be able to go back, to visit, will I?”

“No.” He sucked in a series of breaths. “I can’t keep the truth from you. You do have a choice.” He ran a hand through his dried, wavy hair. “If you wish to remain with me, you will never see your family again. If you choose to go back, you’ll not remember me . . . I will be wiped from your mind . . . and you’ll be blind for having cast your eyes upon me in the first place. For no mortal can look upon me unless bonded in this way, with my mother’s knowledge of it anyway. There are consequences.” The tendons in his jaw flexed. “With me, you’ll be given your sight back in or out of water, and you’ll know no greater love than what is between us.” His voice grew hoarse. “Mermen are great and faithful lovers, because they ever seek the enchantment of their one perfect mate.”

A tremor of both desire and fear shot through Syrena’s heart. “Who makes your laws?”

“My parents. They are powerful witches and can cast dreadful spells. Things didn’t always used to be like this, though.”

“I thought your mother disallowed you from interacting with me?”

“She did.” Dagon glanced away. “To punish me for insolence and to make me weak.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. We’re doomed anyway.”

“No.” He gripped her, squaring her shoulders. “There is always a way.”

“But even your brothers work against you!”

“They always have. I’ve never believed in their manner of doing things. That’s why I’ve been imprisoned many times in my mother’s hold. I hide from her, because I don’t wish to hurt and deceive others per her and my father’s, the serpent’s, efforts, causing others to stumble and fall. Yet, I don’t know where to go for help, where to look for freedom. My kind is nonexistent. I am the last due to their foul play.”

She twirled her fingers through his greenish hair, lightly touching the few shells and water beads laced in it. “How is it you’re tied to such a vile lot . . . when you are so kind and affectionate?”

“I know not,” Dragon whispered in a depressing manner. He kissed the inside of her elbow, burying his head in her bosom.

Syrena glanced out of the sea’s portal. The Bright and Morning Star beamed through the layers of currents. She pointed. “I’ve been told that star guides others.”

“So I’ve heard also. I’ve talked to it, but it’s never answered.”

“Supposing it’s true, there must be a way one could make contact?” She stroked his hair. “Sailors might know.”

“Then we should find us a sailor.” He laughed softly.

“Only if we don’t curse him in return.”

“We’ll be sneaky. I’m beginning to think we ought to proclaim our love to all kinds in every realm.”

“A love rebellion revolution.” She giggled questioningly.

“Exactly.” He straightened. “Things need to change around here.” He shrugged. “Then you can see your family and our commitment wouldn’t be such a sacrifice.”

Syrena glanced at him with bashfulness. “Dagon?”

“Yes?” he murmured.

“Were you a child while I was a child in your care those few days?”

He smirked. “No. But I’m patient. I would have waited until your full womanhood, like now”—his eyes roved—“to take you.” Dagon hummed. “I’m ancient compared to you, but have the needs, wants, and desires of a stallion-ray. Does age matter to you?”

“Only that it seems our time together will be short, on account of
my
natural span.”

He shook his head. “When you die in my arms, then I will die. Like I said, a merman cannot live without his mate. Now, for the vow.” Dagon slipped a loop of finely etched pink coral from one of his earlobes and held it up. Iridescent light from the portal caused it to glimmer. The reflection cast another prism off the matching loop he wore on his other ear. “What is your decision?”

“Take me.”