Page 3 of Midnightsong
“You two are adorable,” Reesa said, rolling her eyes with a grin and smoothing out her platinum-streaked, raven hair.
Angie hedged at mentioning Kaden. She kept him a secret. Though they were her friends, they were also marine biology students. Given how her family and villagers had reacted to the mer presence in Alaska, she wasn’t sure what would happen if her cohort got hold of a merman. Especially one as striking and gentle as Kaden.
As far as she knew, the knowledge of the mers’ existence gradually spread, at least, throughout the lower forty-eight and Canada after their last war, thanks to social media. The mer still kept to themselves, and outside of scattered sightings here and there, the majority of people had not seen one in the wild.
“There’s someone, but he doesn’t go to our school,” she replied quickly. They stopped at the school’s front gates. Fortunately, they didn’t press her to continue. “Where are you two headed?”
They stepped out of the building where their classes were held. Western Washington’s gentle breeze stroked the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and Angie squinted from the sun’s bright glare filtering through wispy clouds. It was a beautiful January day, the cold weather reminding her of Alaskan autumns. Naked trees, some dotted with buds, loomed tall and majestic over their heads.
“C’mon, I’m starving. Thinking we can get some food.” Leo’s cheery voice broke into her thoughts.
“Yes please! I got an hour, and then I gotta go to physical therapy,” Reesa added.
“How’s your ankle?” Angie motioned to Reesa’s right leg, which was fractured from soccer practice four months ago.
“Better. But it needs to be stronger. Hurts when I stand on it too long,” Reesa said, looking at her foot and giving it a cautious wiggle. “You keeping my knee scooter safe? Thanks for taking it off my hands. My place has way too much stuff.”
“You got it. I moved it to my building’s basement the day after you gave it to me. Last I saw, it wasstill there,” Angie replied.
“Okay, good. Ugh, I miss that thing sometimes. I got around so much faster with it. All-terrain wheels are the best,” Reesa said with a wistful sigh. “So, dinner. Korean food sound good? Suddenly I am in the mood for a nice hot bowl of bibimbap and soju. It was a long-ass day.”
Angie’s stomach growled. Toppokki—spicy Korean rice cakes—with ramen, fish cakes, and an egg sounded like a perfect dinner.
She blanched. As much as she loved fish, the war with the mer had turned her off seafood for good.
Korean tofu soup with mushrooms and noodles it was then. And a shot of Reesa’s soju.
After dinner, Angie changed into a bohemian-printed tankini, lounge pants, a jacket, and long-sleeved shirt, and made her way to the shoreline. She gazed out to the seascape of the vast ocean before her overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Western Washington’s beauty never ceased to amaze her.
Angie cast her gaze up shore to search for Kaden, but the Mer-Prince was nowhere to be found. Her foot nudged a silky petal and she glanced down.
Partially buried beneath the sand rested a bouquet of seaside flowers. It had become their custom over the past year. Where he would leave a message, and, sometimes, a gift at shore to let her know he was there—an oddly shaped seashell, a formation of rocks or seaweed only she knew the meaning of. And occasionally, she would bring him something in return: tiny glass sculptures, a snow globe, or food.
One side of her lips turned upward into a half-smile, and she gathered them in her hands, gently sliding it out of the sand.
Blooms of violet geranium palmatum, yellow-horned poppies, sea breeze, sea campion, and sea lavender filled her hands, reflecting a rainbow of dazzling colors, bright and shimmering beneath clear skies and the fading sunglow.
“Oh, Kaden. Full of surprises, aren’t you?”
A balled-up plastic bag with the blocky print wordsThank you for coming!It rolled out from the bouquet and she stared, agape.
Droplets of cool seawater splashed onto her shoes and she lit up at the sight of Kaden, leaning on his forearms in the shallow surf, his tail curled and prepared to flick another stream of water at her. He flashed her a wide smile, teeth glinting perfectly white and amber eyes aglow.
He was nestled in the waves, their foamy peaks brushing against his chest and neck.
“Do you like them?” He motioned to the flowers in her hands.
She used one hand to base herself as she sat, crossing her legs and laying the bouquet on her lap. “It’s gorgeous.” Her heart stuttered, and she licked her lips as a cascade of warmth overtook her body. “How did you find all these?”
“You can find anything if you look hard enough.” He grinned. “I kept looking along the coast. Picked the ones closest to sea level.”
She held up the plastic bag. “And thanks for this, too.” A sharp pang zinged through her nerves, her heart heavy. How many of these bags still floated in the sea? Tons, most likely. She stuffed it into her pocket to recycle when she got home. This was her project, damn it, she intended to find a way to clean up.
His narrow waist and glimmering, maroon tail came into view, and he flipped the end upward, long caudal fins draping over the streamlined middle. He leaned in and kissed her nose, the mild salt on his warm breath brushing her mouth. “Take a dive with me? I heard you need more Vitamin Sea.”
“Vitamin Sea?” Angie sat back and dropped her hands on her lap, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You come up with that all by yourself?”
“Mmm.” Kaden quirked his nose and lips. He leaned forward on his arms, his amber eyes glittering beneath the sunlight. The coy look he knew she couldn’t refuse. “You going to make me swim alone?”
