Page 26 of Beneath the Surface

After several minutes Kannon, being the only one whocouldn’tbreathe underwater, had to surface.

“Why? Why didn’t you tell me?” Kannon demanded.

“He couldn’t,” Brooke answered. “You… you had no ties to us, so it was forbidden.”

Nisha immediately wrapped his arms around Kannon. He was glad to see Kannon didn’t struggle, even though he shot a truly horrendous death glare over his shoulder at Nisha.

“Are you sure you want to do this now? In the water?” Nisha asked as he let go of Kannon. “Besides, while I understand your anger, Brooke needs to treat Brett’s blisters.”

“Fine. We’ll talk about this once we’re out of the water. It’s not like this is the most comfortable place for me.” Kannon threw another glare over his shoulder at Nisha. “Thanks to you.”

It was all Nisha could do not to cringe. “Iamsorry for that, Kannon. I promise I will explain what happened that day, and why I did what I did just as soon as we get out of the water.”

“Yeah, can’t wait to hear this.” Kannon set off toward the shore.

Brett looked at Nisha. “He’s mad.”

“You think?” Brooke snapped. “I don’t think I could have devised a worse scenario for him to find out.”

Marcus snorted. “We might want to talk about this later. Nisha, your human is leaving us behind.”

Nisha sighed silently as the four of them trailed slowly behind Kannon. Unfortunately Kannon hadn’t given them an opportunity to explain they couldn’t just walk out of the water like he could.

The public beach was much too visible. Brooke and Marcus took Brett to a nearby cove that had a cave which was only assessable by water. Nisha went as far as he could toward the shore, and then stopped. Once Kannon was on the sandy beach, he turned and glanced back out at the ocean.

Nisha called from the water. “I’ll meet you back at your bungalow.”

“You’re not going to… Oh, I… I didn’t stop to think about… Know what? Why don’t you just not? I’ve had about all I can handle tonight.”

“We need to talk, Kannon. This can’t wait. Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll meet you at your bungalow.”

Kannon threw his hands in the air. “Why even bother asking if you’re going to do it anyway? Fine. Guess I don’t have much of a choice. Not that I’ve had much so far. I’ll see you there.”

NISHA CUT through the dark water, swimming swiftly toward the cove. He needed to transform and get to Kannon’s bungalow as fast as possible. Kannon’s last words scared him. Kannon made it very clear he didn’t wish to speak to him, but at this point that wasn’t an option.

He understood Kannon felt he was pushing, but the last thing Kannon needed was time to think. He spotted the entrance to the underwater cave and darted to it. The cave wasn’t all that large, not like the one closer to his above water home, and it had a small opening at the top that let a little light inside.

There was a beach and room for a small boat. He surfaced and quickly made his way to the shallows. He hauled his body out of the water and beached himself. Now all he had to do was wait.

He truly hated this part, but he fanned his tail with his hands to hurry along the process.Like that’s going to do any good.The color of his tail lightened, signifying his skin was drying out. More time passed, and he struggled with his impatience.

Bracing his elbows against the sand, he leaned back and prepared himself for the tearing to start.Come on, come on, come on.The bottom of his tail tingled then ripped. Fuck!The pain made him queasy, but he held on. Luckily the process never lasted long.

The flipper part of his tail split, and the tear continued up his body. Minutes crept by as the two parts separated and slowly morphed into human legs. His fins devolved into feet, and finally the transformation ended.

He was up and heading toward some rocks on the small beach that hid several waterproof bags. One contained clothes. He fished out a pair of shorts and sandals. Once dressed, he used the passage which led upward to a hidden opening in a cave... on land.

It was one of the reasons he and the ones allowed in his territory used this cave. The passage gave them more options, and reduced the risk of discovery when they transformed. He hurried to Kannon’s bungalow. The moon had now dipped behind clouds, and darkness shrouded the landscape.

As he drew closer, he heard the sounds of a scuffle and harsh, panting grunts.Oh no. No, no, no!The sound of a fist hitting skin reached his ears, and he picked up his pace. He darted around the side of the bungalow. Through the glass he saw Kannon fighting with the redheaded merman.

Horrified, he hurried up the steps and exploded into the living area. “Cree! Let him go, now!”

“I don’t think so.” Cree dodged Kannon’s fist and grabbed his arm. He swung Kannon around and pulled him close, locking them together in a parody of an embrace. “You refused me the right to mate with your sister. Gave her to a damn human, of all things. Ahuman.”

“I didn’tgiveBrooke to anyone.” Nisha froze. Last thing he wanted was for Cree to continue to hurt Kannon. “Brett was who she wanted, not you.”

“So what? Humans are worthless, weak. She could have mated me and kept him on the side. I’d have been fine with that as long I could play with him too.”

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