Page 54 of Storm and Sea

Atreus halted, paint cans perched dangerously in his arms.

“I’ll be fine,” Nyel assured him. “I’m just going to stretch my legs along the beach for a second. Plenty far from the water.”

“Atty, let’s go,” Marina whined.

Atreus hesitated before saying, “If you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’m coming after you.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Nyel said with a salute, a human gesture he’d grown fond of.

“Atty, hurry up!”

“I keep telling you not to call me that,” Atreus said, joining her. Nyel couldn’t help but laugh as they bickered all the way up the hill.

The beach was empty, and Nyel took off his shoes, sighing as the sand ran between his toes. That was one human custom he absolutely hated. Shoes. Nyel had to force his feet to stop where the water kissed the sand. After almost two weeks away, a sharp pull tugged at his stomach, one calling him back to the waves.

The tides.

The ebb and flow of all life.

An eternal dance he was inexplicably tied to.

Nyel resisted the call. He’d promised Atreus he wouldn’t go into the water. But if this insistent tugging continued, they’d have to sneak away for a swim at some point. Soon.

Nyel strolled around a massive black boulder, running his fingertips over the cold, smooth surface. With Baia Vita blocked from view, the temptation for a swim came again.

He missed the flow of water through his gills. He missed the weightlessness. Spirits, he missed his freakin’ tail. Nyel laughed at himself. Maybe someday, there would be a world where he could have both his newfound human life and his old life as a Mer.

Nyel sighed, shaking his head at his own wishful thinking when he sensed it—the presence of another. His skin prickled, alert to the change, and the once ordinary quiet now felt charged, heavy with something unseen.

Before he could whip around to face the intruder, a hand clasped over his mouth, and a thick arm pinned him to a muscled chest. The stranger lifted Nyel off his feet.

“Finally, you little shit.” Nyel kicked and was about to bite his captor when the stranger said, “You’re going home right this fucking second.”

“Nephi?” His voice was muted through the hand.

His brother released him, and Nyel whipped around. He’d never seen him as a human before. Nephi was tall, probably taller than Atreus. He had a stocky build and deep complexion several shades darker than Nyel’s, and though their hair matched in color—Nephi’s was straight and clipped short. But it was his scars that seized Nyel’s attention, a grim testament to the violence his brother must have endured. The entire right side of his body bore the marks, twisting the skin in a way that looked even harsher without fins to soften the effect. His right eye, clouded and milky, was even more haunting in this human form.

“What are you—? How did you—?” Nyel checked around them, ensuring they were alone. “Have you been following me?”

Nephi made an irritated growling sound in his throat. “For fucking days. This is the first time you haven’t been glued to that Mer bastard’s side.”

“What do you want?”

“You’re coming home. Your parents are worried sick. They’re so worried, in fact, that they actually acknowledged my existence and asked me to bring you home.”

“You talked to them?”

“Yeah. Your mommy is a mess. And dear ol’ dad played the ‘father’ card on me as though he has any right. But I was looking for you even before they asked.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a stupid brat that has no idea the dangerous game he’s playing.”

Nyel stiffened. “You don’t know anything, Nephi. I’ve been doing great.”

“You’re a whiny kid that threw a fit. And now you’re running around like a wounded fish in a tank of sharks. It’s only a matter of time before they catch your scent.”

“You don’t know a damn thing!” Nyel yelled, shocking himself. He dropped his voice to a whisper, “You don’t know anything. And I’m doing just fine. Why do you care anyway? Don’t you have somewhere to be? Where you’ve been all these years?”