Page 79 of Surface Pressure

Soulara was here.

In her world.

Naked and snarling.

Bleeding and savage.

Soulara leaped forward, wrapping her arm around Josh’s neck and choking him. Autumn raced forward and wrapped her arm around Soulara’s waist, tugging her off Josh. Soulara fell to the ground in a heap, betrayal written all over her face.

“Don’t hurt them,” Autumn called out as she stood over Soulara, ready for any move she needed to make next.

Soulara lifted her head slowly and locked eyes with Autumn. That betrayal was back, and Autumn felt it deep in her soul. She wished today wasn’t happening. She wished she could take it all back and live in ignorance again. It would be so much easier. So less painful.

“What are you doing here?” Autumn softened her tone, hoping that it would ply Soulara to give her some sort of reasonable explanation. But what reason could there even be?

“I’m saving my people.” Soulara shifted around, squatting down as if she was ready to leap for Autumn’s throat.

“They aren’t your enemy. Hurting them isn’t going to save your people.” Autumn stepped forward, making sure she stood between Soulara and the techs. “They aren’t even soldiers. They don’t know how to defend themselves.”

“Humans are the enemy.” Soulara looked down, and Autumn followed her gaze. Cole was pressed against a table, legs splayed on the floor while his hands covered his face. Blood spotted his shirt while other drops spattered the floor surrounding him. His eyes met Autumn’s. He was afraid.

Autumn kept Soulara in her sights as she crouched down and gently pulled Cole’s hands from his face. Relief washed over her. He would heal. The wounds were superficial.

“They’re just humans,” Autumn said, looking back up at Soulara and shaking her head. “That’s it. They’re scientists. They work with tech like you do.”

“Humans who are helping you steal my planet’s water. My people’s water.” Soulara spat. Her face twisted, and Autumn saw the instant regret. Was it from the words or the tone? Perhaps it wasn’t regret at all but disgust.

Did Soulara see Autumn as just another one of these disgusting humans?

“Don’t hurt them, please. They didn’t know. They only want to save their people.” Surely she could reason with Soulara. She wasn’t an unreasonable mermaid. They’d had many conversations since they’d met, and Soulara had always been willing to listen.

“By killing my people.” Soulara sounded so sure.

And Autumn knew she was. That was exactly what was happening.

“They didn’t know,” Autumn repeated louder, standing back up. She faced Soulara, her back to the other techs. Maybe if she said it enough, Soulara would understand. Maybe if she could just get it through Soulara’s thick skull—

“And now that they do, will they stop?” Soulara challenged, her eyebrow raised up, her entire body tense.

Autumn parted her lips, ready to tell Soulara that they would, but she stopped. Marshall knew. Chalmers knew. That sinking feeling was back in her chest, and it was impossible to get rid of it. It consumed her in an instant. Autumn had no answers to that. What could any of them do? She was no one. The techs were no one. And Chalmers wouldn’t let this information get out beyond them.

As though reading Autumn’s thoughts, Soulara narrowed her eyes on Autumn. “Will you finally do something about it, or will you continue to whine about how powerless you are?”

Autumn gasped before anger rose in her chest. That hurt. That was undeserved. She clenched her jaw and glared. “I’m doing what I can.”

Soulara scoffed. “Which is exactly nothing.”

“It’s not nothing!” Autumn screamed back, her voice echoing through the room.

Soulara didn’t even flinch. Her cheeks reddened. “It isn’t enough.”

Autumn’s eyes stung with tears she couldn’t give into. She was a solider, damn it. “Don’t make me choose, Soulara.”

“You already have.”

A cold shiver washed over Autumn. Hadn’t she just been thinking that? Autumn broke because Soulara thought she chose the humans. Soulara thought Autumn wasn’t choosing her, but Autumn had. Time and time again, Autumn chose the mermaids.

“No. We can find a way. This doesn’t have to be a war,” Autumn said, trying in vain one more time to convince Soulara that it wasn’t that bad yet. They still had time.

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