Page 10 of Ensnaring the Siren

“I don’t know,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself, more protective than guarded. “If they did, I’d at least understand.”

A chill ran down his spine. “Why would you prefer that?”

“We’re not like you, Surface Dweller. When we kill, we kill for food. Nothing gets wasted. To think that they may have died for nothing? Left to rot in some fish hold?” She shook her head. “No, that’s not a comfort.”

When put like that, it did sound senseless.

“Life has value and so should death.” She flipped her messy, nearly non-existent braid over her shoulder, and through the dark brown strands of hair Reid glimpsed something orange stuffed inside the mermaid’s ears. It took him a second to realize they were earplugs. She was hearing sensitive. “Think about that first before you judge something you don’t understand.”

She’d carved a sizable chip out of his skepticism, that was for sure, but he couldn’t shake the feeling she might be playing him. Just saying things that he might sympathize with and sprinkling in enough honesty to make it believable. Why would a mermaid leave her home to come here, walking among people she considered her enemy? It stank of something nefarious.

“Why are you here? And how?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I swam here to see a friend.”

Head on a swivel, he glanced all around, trying to find this so called ‘friend.’ Were there more mermaids here walking among unsuspecting humans? The back of his neck prickled with the uncanny feeling of being watched. He turned.

There was a woman sitting on a park bench behind them, staring intently. That, or the dark sunglasses and ball cap she wore made it seem like it. For all he knew, she could be watching the boats sail by in the harbor, but something about her posture seemed too…alert.

Whirling back on the woman beside him, he demanded, “Are there other mermaids here?”

“So suspicious.” Amusement twinkled in her eyes as she cocked her head to the side, staring at him with a catlike gaze. “But as highly as you may think of your Land Above the Water, it is dry, and smelly, and I feel gross just standing here.” She plucked out the front of her dress, wrinkling her nose to emphasize the discomfort of clinging, sweat-damp fabric. “So no, we don’t exactly swarm your shores.”

This strange creature dished out more shade than a tree. “All right, fine. So I guess you’re not staying long?”

“Patrolling your coasts, Coast Warrior?”

A snort of laughter burst out of him. If he’d been drinking something, he’d have sprayed it down the front of her dress. “Coast, what?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Are you trying to say Coast Guard?”

“Don’t be rude.” She sneered. “Coast Warrior, Coast Guard, how would I magically remember everything about Surface Dweller World? I don’t live here.”

He bit his lower lip, trying not laugh.

She glared. “My people are dying, and I’m here because I need help. Does that satisfy you?”

That sobered him. No matter how deep the well of distrust between them spanned, there was honesty in her anger and a ring of truth to her fears. He’d be a massive dick to ignore this.

“I want to help you, but to do that, I need to trust you. Can you promise you’re not lying to me?”

Frustration steamed out with a sharp exhale. “I’m not.”

“I’m serious. This only works if there’s honesty between us.”

“I know what ‘don’t lie’ means.”

“Then promise me.”

“Fine,” she growled, heel bouncing irritably. “I promise I won’t lie to you.”

“Then, I’ll help you.” He was probably going to regret this, but what the hell. Sitting back and doing nothing wasn’t in his DNA. If that was the case, he’d have chosen a different career. “Can’t promise results, but if you want, I’ll look into it. See if there’s anything that can be done.”

She held his gaze, unblinking.

He’d been dead wrong to mistake her for a tourist.

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