He got up once his heart returned to its usual rhythm, and gathered up his meager possessions in the pale pink light of dawn.
When he arrived at the breakfast buffet, he was expecting a little table of muffins, toast, and cereal. Instead, he came face to face with three enormous tables, laden with breakfasts from around the world. There were cured meats, eggs, and bread, but there was also soup, rice, and fish. Grayson’s appetite awoke with a vengeance.
He piled a plate high with bits of everything. Not a single frog leg to be found.
“Hungry?” Jenna’s voice came from behind him.
Grayson set his plate down at a table and turned to smile at her. “Let’s just say food options are limited in small-town Georgia.”
Jenna’s silky hair was already slipping free of its claw clip. She was wearing a pair of linen drawstring pants, and a cropped, turquoise t-shirt. Grayson’s denim-clad legs were envious.
“Fair enough.” She smirked. “Mind if I sit with you?”
“Not at all!”
She tossed her phone onto the table and sauntered off to get her own plate. Grayson still spoke to some of his old college friends now and then. But something about Mineral Bluff cut people off from the world.
A warm, fuzzy glow implanted itself in Grayson’s stomach as Jenna dropped into the seat across from him and took an anaconda-like bite of an English muffin.
“Whi’ lini’ you goi’ oo?”
Grayson choked on his coffee. “ Sorry,what?” He’d forgotten how good it felt to laugh like this.
Jenna rolled her eyes and swallowed. “Which clinic are you going to?”
“Brighid’s Well Midwifery,” he answered, still chuckling.
“No way, me too!” Jenna stuck out her hand for a high-five. “We’re gonna be coworkers!”
Grayson’s palm stung slightly. “That’s a relief. At least I’ll know someone there.”
Jenna grinned and dove back into her breakfast. Grayson’s gaze flickered to the sun sparkling on the waves just beyond the window at his side.
Today, his life would finally begin.
Chapter 4
Grayson
Huge. The Mer were huge. Their speedboat captain, Jaime, had warned them that his Alpha mate would be meeting them at the docs, but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer size of the dark-scaled Mer waiting on the dock.
He had deep emerald scales, which gave way to a paler hue on his face, chest, and stomach. Coal black fins ran the length of his forearms and sprouted from the sides of his head. His tail was so long, it dragged on the ground when he walked toward them.
“Welcome to Miami,” he said. His voice was so low, Grayson could feel it in his chest. He gingerly accepted the proffered clawed hand and stepped down onto dry land. Behind him, the Florida Sea stretched to the horizon, its peaceful surface concealing the destruction beneath.
The first change Earth had undergone when the Mer landed in the oceans was the flooding. Water levels steadily rose until every coastal region was submerged. Then, their islands appeared—little land masses with alien soil and flora, perched atop the drowned remains of human cities.
Grayson had seen human Miami in old photos, and he had to admit the Mermade version was objectively superior. Sand like tiny diamonds met gentle, blue waves, and strange, alien plants grew thick. The shades of maroon, purple, lilac, and everything in between made Grayson wonder if Loaish, the Mer language, had different words for the many variations.
“Okay, kids,” Jaime said as his mate helped him off the boat. “Vuos is going to chauffeur us to your new residence. Should be about fifteen minutes once we’re all loaded up.” The gaggle of awed Omegas trailed after their guides, staring around at the extraterrestrial ecosystem.
The islands were supposedly cloned fragments of Usoi’s actual surface, with plants, minerals, and soil identical to the Mer’s homeworld. When the Mer themselves rose from Earth’s ocean floor, they began building. Mermade cities more or less resembled human cities, with some Mer-friendly alterations.
The familiar skyline just beyond the trees felt comedically mismatched.
“Everyone on the shuttle bus,” Jaime called out. “If you have a big bag, put it underneath. If you have a really big bag, start crying and Vuos will come help you.”
The group tittered, eying the monstrous Mer with both interest and apprehension.
