Page 54 of Seduced By the Mermen
Nico emerges out of the corridor from his office. Annabelle cocks her head at me.
“Fun?” Nico grunts.
“Of course it will be. Think of it as practice for when we have a podlet,” Annabelle says.
“We’re having a podlet?” Eros saunters into the room and hugs Annabelle from behind. He kisses her neck. And gives me a wink.
“No, I mean . . .” Annabelle blushes.
“Hmm,” Nico says, grabbing a glass from the kitchen counter. He disappears down the corridor to their bedroom.
Eros hugs Annabelle. “I know, Sunshine. When and if the time is right.” He spins her in his arms and gives her a kiss. I’m getting used to being a third wheel... yeah that doesn’t work here. The sixth wheel.
Marlee gives me a smirk. She says she’s happy here. But the only thing she’s ever really talked about was having her own space. She loves her cousin, but I can tell she needs to have more time to herself.
“I want to go. It will be fun.” I give Marlee’s arm a squeeze. “But you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Marlee’s smirk turns to a smile. “You don’t really mean that, Mom.”
“I do. You don’t have to come. Crowds aren’t your thing. You can hang here.” I know my daughter well enough that I see the flicker of relief.
“I could. There’s something I’d like to do.”
Nico pops back out of the corridor. “No.”
“You didn’t even hear—” Annabelle starts.
“Marlee wants to stay here while the rest of us go to the school.”
“Okay, so maybe you did. Marlee’s an adult. If she wants to stay here, there’s no reason why she can’t stay here. She knows how to turn the oven off. She won’t burn the house down.”
Marlee’s eyes widen at Annabelle, in the that-was-one-time-Mom-and-it-was-only-a-hand-towel way. “I’d prefer to stay at home—your apartment. Think of it as one less person you have to watch out for.”
“You’re safer with us,” Nico declares.
Annabelle puts her hand on Nico’s chest. “Please. This is one of the safest apartments in all of Glyden. You’ve said it yourself.”
Nico looks between Annabelle and Marlee before turning his attention back to me. “Castor!” he shouts.
Castor’s pulling on his tunic when he comes into the living room. “Hey, what’s that thundering about? Whoa, you look amazing, Annabelle.” He gives his mate a kiss. “All of you do.”
Marlee laughs, mostly because her hair is in a messy bun and she’s still wearing pajamas. I’d say something, but the girl can get ready faster than anyone I’ve ever met. From her bedroom window on the farm, she could see the school bus coming down the road. She’d roll out of bed, get dressed, make a trip to the bathroom, and be out the door with her shoes almost tied and her backpack mostly zipped before the bus stopped at the end of our driveway. So she’ll be ready... if she’s forced to go.
“Nico?” Annabelle asks, reaching up and touching his chin.
“Castor, ask one of Kai’s mates if they can look after Marlee.”
“It’s fine. I’ll go, AD. Don’t worry about it. Kai and her mates have enough on their plate without having to look after me. Besides, Dar keeps asking me what I’m writing about.”
“Nico, this is Marlee’s home. If she wants to stay here, let her stay,” I say. I would never have stood up to my ex this way. And even now... I’m shaking. I mean, I see how much he cares for Annabelle. I’ve also heard the stories of how swift he is to act with force toward other males in the Veiled City. But the story of what he had to do to come back from the chasm... he’s a hardened soul. Though not hardened in the same way as my ex.
Nico crosses his arms over his chest, his elbows inches away from Annabelle.
“She’ll be fine,” Annabelle says. “No one is going to get through Mickey, Sharknado, and Chompers. And with all the other tech we have installed, no one’s getting in.”
He sighs. “Indeed. Let’s go. Getting this group out the door is like netting sardines.”
Marlee darts up her eyebrows. “Excellent.” She falls back onto the sofa and pulls the throw blanket from the back over her. “Have fun, kids.” She waves.
