Page 84 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 11

Some mers knew how to have fun alone on a Friday night. Elpis wasn’t one of them. The rhythm of the club music pounded through her skull and pulsed through her body, making her reconsider her plans to sit alone at the bar. The moment Leander and Manu bailed out on her, she should have turned on her heel and headed home to soak in a hot bath lined by candles.

El didn’t know when their gang of commanders had first established their once-a-month tradition of spending a Friday night at The Odyssey, but she’d never been stood up by all three before. At least two of the guys had legitimate excuses, too, so she couldn’t even be angry at all of them. Leander had evening plans with his family to attend a special museum exhibit featuring human inventions of the past two centuries. His kids had wanted to see it, and the mer’s wife had been on his tail about spending too little time at home recently. Manu worked his captain to the bone.

Cosmas had pulled additional duties at the barracks, overseeing a new mounted cavalry training exercise he wanted his captains to implement.And hell if she knew what Manu was doing. Probably “training” with Princess Kailani. Again, she couldn’t hold that against him. Anyone with half a brain could see the two were madly in lust, even if their affair was doomed to go nowhere.

It wasn’t too long ago that Elpis had been the one sharing Manu’s bed. As much as she wanted to be bitter that he’d tossed aside a potential chance with her for a woman so far beyond his reach she may as well have been in another ocean, the man deserved happiness as much as she did.

So she’d taken to praying for him instead. She didn’t know what the hell prayer could do for Manu’s situation, but something told her the goddess was still out there listening and that her pleas for his happiness weren’t in vain. At least, she hoped they weren’t.

El glowered at the far wall and nursed her gin and tonic, the liquor tinged green from an algae infusion sweetening the cocktail.

“So, what are we drinking?” Cosmas asked from her left, scaring the almighty eelshit out of her.

El jumped a mile. In a feat of spectacular dexterity, she avoided sloshing liquor down the front of her bodice. Her gaze jerked up to the big mer standing beside her with his hand on the back of the bar stool. He’d had business to handle, but there he was, the very example of noble masculinity. The tips of his wavy hair brushed against broad shoulders clothed in a sleeveless emerald tunic. The metallic shade brought out the green in his hair. Cosmas was truly a gorgeous specimen. And also taken, both emotionally and physically, currently betrothed to one woman and in love with another.

On top of that, Eldidn’t feel an ounce of attraction for him. When she gazed at Cosmas, she saw a sweetheart who could have been a brother, not a potential lover of the same caste as her.

“Are you trying to frighten me into an early grave?”

He grinned, turquoise eyes twinkling. “You were glaring at the drink so hard I thought it had insulted your entire family line. Sorry for the late arrival.”

“How are you even here?”

“I passed training off to Nike. She’s hinted around for weeks at being ready to put together the training regimen.” He paused. “And she is. Best rider I’ve got, with a true talent for the animals. Truly intuitive when it comes to spying weaknesses in our swimming formation. Anyway, I trusted her to run the drills and decided to take an evening off.”

“Glad you came, even if I’m positive that you just scared three shades of color out of my hair.”

He laughed. “Your hair is as lovely as ever. It wasn’t intentional, I assure you. I actually called your name twice before that.” He cocked his head, glancing down at her glass. “Gin and tonic? I see the night calls for serious drinks.”

Elpis rolled her eyes and sipped her drink again while Cosmas handled the next round. The bartender served her another and delivered a pair of doubles to her friend.

And for a while, they drank in companionable silence until Cosmas shattered the peace with the one question she dreaded most. “What’s wrong, and what can I do to help?” Two questions actually, and neither surprised her. Like her, the man had an empath’s soul. It still pissed her off that he picked up on her moods so easily.

“Nothing is wrong.”

“You haven’t been the same since your trip to the surface with Lady Zeta’s entourage. I thought we were past saying this, but you can tell me anything.”

“I know.” She pursed her lips and watched a couple grooving on the dance floor, suddenly envious she couldn’t do the same. Manu never danced with her anymore, Loto was on the Anemone, and Leander never bothered. Cosmas looked ridiculous on the dance floor until he was smashed. “It’s silly.”

“Try me.” He finished the first of his drinks, then made a “come on” gesture with one hand. “Can’t be worse than what I’ve discussed recently with Manu.”

“I met someone while on the surface.”

His brow creased, and a few heartbeats passed before Cosmas spoke. “Would I be correct to assume he wasn’t a member of Prince Keanu’s entourage?”

“You’d be correct.” Blast, he was quick.

“A human. That does complicate matters, but what’s the big deal?” Cosmas asked, crossing his broad arms against his chest.

“He’s human.”

“So?”

“You know as well as I do that there’s no chance whatsoever of it working out between us. Grandfather would flip his tail.”

“You give old Vitalis less credit than he deserves.”

---