Yes. Didn’t take her long to hit the nail into that coffin. The witches already speculated, being only twice removed from my demon grandfather, that I was probably both immortal and indestructible. Even so, they urged me not to test their hypothesis, as it was only theory. And yet, here we go, let’s add a bucketful of everlasting mer blood to the pot and see what perpetual mess we can come up with. The ever-present loneliness swam over and wrapped me up in a bear hug.
Her look of concern returned.“This is not a hopeful discovery?”
Enough of this. Too much, just too much.“What’s your name?”
To her credit, without looking like her feelings were hurt, she dropped her hand and swam back a couple of feet.“Lelas.”
“Lelas. That’s very pretty.”
A slight flush rose over her cheeks, making her eyes turn into beacons. “Thank you.”
“So, tell me, Lelas, you’re being very kind to me. Why?”
Genuine confusion filled her voice.“Why would I have cause to be any other way?”
Maybe gossip didn’t travel as quickly in the ocean as it did on land.“Have you not heard of my abominable traits?”Why was I doing this? It might be nice to have one friend in this new life.“Not only am I the child of a merman and a half-demon, half-human mother, which is against the law, come to find out, but I am also a gay man.”
Her cheeks grew darker, the flush rushing down her neck and over the top portion of her chest.“I do not know that word, gay, but I am assuming it refers to your desire to… to have…”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”I couldn’t make the poor girl say it. “Heard about that already, did you?”
“Such information is unlikely to be kept from the tribe.”
“I figured.”I started to raise both hands up, but forgot about being secured into the kelp. I readjusted, once again feeling a little bit foolish.“So, like I said, why are you being so nice?”
Lelas pulled her tail up and wrapped her arms around it, as if she were hugging her nonexistent knees to her chest.“I cannot say I understand your desire. However, you still have given me no cause to treat you with anything other than kindness.”
“Queen Syleen might have other thoughts on that matter.”
“Syleen does not refer to herself as our queen. She does not dictate our actions.”
I nearly laughed.“It sure seems like it. What about her little gang, Zef and the others?”
“They are our six elders. They advise and take responsibility for caring for the rest of the family, but they do not command us.”
That sure wasn’t what it had looked like from my side of the fence, or kelp forest as the case may be. Maybe Lelas was just too young to really understand the politics going on around her. Oh yeah, sixty-four, maybe not as naïve as she seemed. I once again took in her youthful beauty. Sixty-four? What the fuck?
“So, Lelas, what was the thing you were doing with the seaweed when you first showed up, waving it around and everything?”
She looked at me like I had asked what she used her eyes for.“To request entrance, of course. That is how we ask if we can come in. It would be inconsiderate to simply enter uninvited.”
“Why don’t you just knock on the door?”I mentally kicked myself even before the thought was finished.
She leaned forward, as if getting ready to receive a secret. “What is a door?”
Oh, fuck…
Eight
FINN DE MORISCO
“I’m sorry,guys. Really.” I kept my eyes on the orange shag carpet. “I know I’ve been pretty rotten to be around lately. I just can’t seem to shake it off—this depression, anger, whatever it is.”
“Pretty rotten doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“Enough, Caitlin. Enough.” Dad cut her off, his voice as calm and soothing as ever.
“No.” She managed to tear her murderous daggers off me to look toward Dad, her gaze instead settling on Mom. “It’s bad enough that he’s been such a horrid brat lately, but now we have to do an entire family meeting just because he decided he wants to have a little heart-to-heart. I had plans tonight.”
