Page 35 of Song of Lorelei

“How about ‘mermaid’?”

When she showed him, worry wrinkled her brow. Something about the sign sparked a memory or idea that shifted her mood to pensive. “What is it?” he asked.

“I just remembered something. The mermaids that boarded your boat—they were led by Nireed’s older sister Aersila.” She explained what she had learned from Nireed.

Apparently, Aersila and her Merry Band of Murderous Mermaids didn’t intimidate his crew just for the sake of it; they were looking for the shore-bound siren and retaliating against Undine. There was some kind of mermaid drama between the two.

She showed him how to sign Nireed’s family name, the sign for peace, and how to finger spell ‘Aersila.’

Killian got the sense that family name signs were a big deal, and not shared lightly. Especially not with Shorewalkers or Two-Leggers. And a shift was beginning to take place in Lorelei about how she felt about her oceanic kin—one from anger and disgust to acceptance, maybe even pride.

The tides were changing.

She nudged his knee under the table. “Something’s bothering you, too.”

He rubbed his hands across his face and huffed out a breath. He didn’t want to do this now but lying again and saying everything was fine was a wicked bad idea. “Yeah, I have a couple confessions to make. Well, one’s more an announcement than a confession.”

While Lorelei was at work, the contractor came by to take measurements and begin the groundwork for building the privacy fence. If Killian could keep it a surprise he would, but soon he wouldn’t be able to hide the construction taking place on their property—between all the vehicles, the workers, and the noise.

But now that he thought of it, he wasn’t sure how Lorelei would feel about him making major changes to the property without her input. They weren’t married yet, but he’d long considered this slice of paradise Lorelei’s home, too. And so did she.

He’d start with the fence first, then work up to the tranquilizer story.

“I want you to be able to feel like you can be completely yourself in your own home—that means the mermaid bits, too. And this past year, you’ve been suppressing that part of yourself. For safety. I don’t want that to be what the rest of your life here looks like. Not if I can help it. So, I hired a contractor to put up privacy fencing around our property.” A smile crept back into Lorelei’s expression. “It’s been a whirlwind week, but I probably should have told you the moment I seriously considered it.”

He told her how it would run along the tree line on the left side of the property, down the driveway path to the road, and into one of two pillars that would frame a security gate. Maine forests were dense, and Killian wanted to cut down the fewest trees possible. The right side of the property was bordered by cliffs, so the privacy fence ran along the road around them, then cut in to block off access.

Lorelei nodded along, in thought, as he laid out the plans. “I’m going to miss being able to see the tree line, but…” She looked out the window at the ocean. “Last night was everything to me, and I want more nights, and days, like it. If this is the way to do it, I’m on board.”

When she looked back at him, there were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. “It makes me so happy to hear that you think of this as ‘our’ property. And that you thought of this solution. I’ve been so wrapped up in work and guilt that I couldn’t see anything else, and I got tunnel vision. Thank you for looking out for me, and for telling me about the fencing plans now. You’re right about this week being a whirlwind. If I wasn’t feeling so good now, I might be reeling from the emotional whiplash.” She reached across the table to take his hands and squeezed. “Change is coming. And there’s going to be a lot more challenges ahead, but I’m glad that I’m facing them with you. Despite what a shit day this started as, I’m feeling hopeful, because I have faith in you, our friends, and myself. We’re going to figure this out.”

He squeezed back. “We are.”

And then she went right for his jugular.

“So, what’s the second confession?”

He wasn’t sure she’d think so warm and fuzzy about him after this one. But it was time to spit it out. He didn’t want secrets between them. “Branson brought a tranquilizer gun with him to the cookout yesterday.”

The confession hung in the air, blunt and heavy. Lorelei didn’t say anything at first, but the hurt and anger he expected didn’t come. She looked more inquisitive as she studied his face than upset.

“That was smart,” she said finally.

“What?” Did she just say it was ‘smart?’ That couldn’t be right. Maybe she misunderstood who and what it was for…

“Killian, do you remember last year, after I bit Carrie, that I said I would never hold it against you, or others, if you defended yourself against me? Neither of us knew what was going to happen after reintroducing Nireed and myself to the ocean. But Will found a humane way to deescalate what could have been a very bad situation. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that, but it was a very real possibility. I’m not upset that he thought ahead and took measures to protect his family. I would never forgive myself if I lost control and hurt any of you. Getting shot with a dart and knocked unconscious isn’t a big, horrible thing but especially not in comparison to the alternatives.”

His shoulders slumped.

Though her answer brought some relief, it wasn’t just having a tranquilizer gun that bothered him. It was that he insisted on being the one to use it—to stare down the black barrel at his future wife. If he would have squeezed the trigger at all. He wasn’t sure what he would have done in the moment. He might’ve frozen.

“Ah. I see.” Lorelei came around the table to hug him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. “It’s not a real gun, Killian. Don’t think of it as ‘shooting me.’ Just a little sting from a dart and putting me to sleep. No bullets.” She kissed his cheek. “There’s nothing to forgive. Not a single thing. But I am glad you told me, so that I could assure you of that.”

Killian leaned into her touch, threading his fingers through hers. “I don’t think it will ever sit right with me but knowing that does help.”

“So, we’re good then?”

“You’re asking me? I was the one with truth bombs to drop.”

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