Page 60 of Seduced By the Mermen
Blair
My new nephews are as protective of me as they are of my niece. There’s a trail of people behind us, and the guys are on edge. It’s like we’re leading a parade to the docking dome. A parade of the most beautiful people in the world... and me. It’s not just children—podlets. There are a good deal of really good-looking men. Square jawlines and muscles pushing at their tunics. Nervous laughter bursts from me.
“What?” Annabelle asks, hooking her arm in mine.
“It’s nothing.”
Annabelle narrows her eyes and whispers into my ear. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Fine, I’m just the ugly duckling leading all the swans.”
“Aunt Blair! You are not.”
“I’m joking. It’s just that there are a lot of?—”
“Blair! I’m glad I caught up to you. Kade Driftwood—we met at the teahouse.” He’s one of the tall, overly attractive males.
“Driftwood, not now,” Nico growls.
“Right, you’re not letting her meet anyone but the Mason pod. Controlling her. That’s not the Dorian way. It hasn’t been for a long time,” Kade says.
Castor stops, and the rest of Annabelle’s mates stop. “What are you insinuating?”
“If your esteemed aunt isn’t allowed to meet anyone but the Masons, how can she decide what’s best for her? There’s quite a lot of talk swimming around. I’m sorry to be so blunt, Blair. Please forgive me.” Kade puts his hands in the air. His face softens, and it feels genuine. There’s a large part of me that’s already pledged myself to the Masons, and I realize... it’s the same thing I did with my ex. The first guy who told me I was pretty, I settled on. Am I doing that again? I’m older and smarter now. If not smarter, I’m a heck of a lot wiser. The reality is, I don’t have to choose anyone.
“We’re protecting our aunt, Driftwood.” Holter raises his voice. Out of Annabelle’s guys, he’s not the one I think of as an aggressive alpha type. He’s normally sweet, and I know I haven’t been here that long, but my judgement of character has improved with age.
Kade puts his thumb on his own chest. “From me? From my pod? We’re respected, wealthy, and a pod of four. I would have thought that if anyone would cling to the ridiculous feud between Glyden and Tinom, it wouldn’t be your pod.”
“This has nothing to do with Tinom and Glyden,” Eros says.
But I see the twitch in Holter’s cheek. It might be the truth. Eros doesn’t see it, but the other three males have that bit of guilt on their faces. Eros was Zaffiro growing up, and he doesn’t wear the same look about him.
“This isn’t a job interview. Blair’s not hiring an architect or a crew to build a dome. This is about compatibility and, dare I say, building love?” Kade’s eyebrow arches, and he flashes me a smile. “But if it was a job, my pod has great references. Can the Mason pod say the same thing? There isn’t a female in the city who would settle for the first male that comes her way. Getting to know and understand options is a long-held traditionof mermaids. And if your pod and the Mason pod both block that from happening?” He cocks his head to the side.
“You’re insinuating that if Blair doesn’t consider the Driftwood pod... what? Say what you mean, Driftwood,” Castor says, glaring at Kade.
“What I mean is that a future king should know how the rumor stream flows through this city. Keeping Blair from making her own decision? I don’t think a mermaid in all the Dorian territory would be willing to endorse a candidate like that.”
I know a salesman when I see one. There were plenty who came out to the farm to sell us the next best seed or tractor. Sitting in the front living room, they had facts and data. Facts and data that sounded like the way to end all our financial problems. Then, after they’re gone, you dig into the numbers and find that there’s a bit of truth, but maybe not enough.
Kade Driftwood is a handsome salesman with his dark hair and vivid green eyes. But then, not all con artists come in bad suits with greasy hair. The line between good and bad blurs even more in the Veiled City.
I’m going to need to slow down and think this all through. The last thing I want to do is endanger the career of one of my new nephews. Not after everything they’ve done for me.
“Blair is not going to take into consideration every pod and merman available in the city to appease the rumor mill of the Veiled City,” Nico says.
“I never suggested that. Only that you don’t push her into a decision that’s hers and hers alone to make.”
I shake myself. “No one is forcing me to do anything,” I say.
“Good.” He places his hand on my shoulder, and I have to admit I don’t hate it. “I’ve spent some time with humans in Europe, and things here are different. I hope it’s been explained to you, the power you hold here?”
“It has. My family has shown me nothing but kindness since I’ve come to the city, taking both my daughter and me in. You’re right, there are many things here that are different from at home.” Like men going crazy over a forty-something-year-old divorced mother of an adult daughter. There’s an urge in me to don the same mask I wore around my ex. Neutral, calm, hiding my emotions. New Blair doesn’t do that. Kade is right. I’m doing the same thing again. He doesn’t know that, of course. But if I keep only seeing the Mason guys, I’m going to end up with them by default when I haven’t met anyone else. And do I want to end up with the first guy who asked me out again? No.
I swallow my nerves and smile.
Kade bows. “Then you know our city is steeped in tradition. But so rarely do pods take in new mermaids that there are no rules around how it is done. We would like to invite you to our home this evening.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.
