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“You’re interfering,” I whispered.
He leaned over and brushed a kiss against my lips. “I think that is the least of my concerns at the moment.”
I curled my fingers around his wrist. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“I’m not. She never wanted a child and left me in the care of other Ancients for most of my young life. I hadn’t seen her in many years. Lexi only cared about Lexi.”
As the last of my wounds stitched together, Lokene rocked back on his heels. “Ready to go home?”
I let him pull me to my feet. “Not yet.” I tilted my head back to look up at the floor where the world leaders waited.
“Let’s go then.” Lokene’s arms wrapped around me, and he blinked us away.
I hadn’t even fully materialized before the shouting began. Each of the leaders seemed determined to talk over the others. Meanwhile, my mates watched with looks of misery.
“What is going on?” I demanded.
Seeing me standing in the room, alive, my men rushed to smother me in kisses and hugs. They took turns inspecting my healed wounds to reassure themselves I was truly okay.
Bion caught my chin and tilted my face up to his. “You did it, doll.”
Not waiting for a response, he kissed me, long and deep. When he released me, I was panting and even more eager to finish this day so we could return home.
Then hurry up and take care of the humans so I can take care of you.
Straightening my shoulders, I marched over to the long table.
“Shut up!” I ordered.
The racket these people were making was far worse than the call had ever been. It seemed to have a similar effect on me, though… I wanted to murder some people to make it stop.
Erin rushed forward, hair askew, mascara smeared, and her face tight with worry. Leaning in close to me, she whispered, “I thought you said you weren’t going to do anything crazy?”
“Brace yourself. It’s about to get worse,” I warned her.
“Listen closely. This is how things are going to be from now on.”
The leaders opened their mouths to protest. At this rate, we would never get this finished. Flicking my wrist, I closed their mouths. I’d let them speak, but only after they’d listened.
“I’ve been fighting to protect Earth longer than any of you have been alive. Today marks an end to an enemy that has terrorized humans for centuries. I’ve saved one of your cities from a tsunami that would have cost precious lives and countless millions of dollars.
“I’ve seen the damage your miners and overfishing have caused to the oceans. Humans do not understand how to care for the earth, and the earth will start fighting back if things do not change. The tsunami was a warning, and you were spared.
“From today forward, this is how things will be. I claim the seas as part of Atlantis. The water will be under my rule and my protection. You can continue to squabble among yourselves over the land, but you will not destroy the seas. The water is alive; it’s the soul of the planet.
“If humans wish to drill or fish, they will need to seek permits. Erin will be in charge of bringing those requests to me. Just like every other country, there will be taxes and fees associated with these licenses, and the money will go into protecting the oceans and ensuring safety for the humans in the water.”
I lifted my magik, and every single person in the room roared their indignation.
“You think you can get away with this?” my least favorite of the presidents asked. He punched something into his phone and turned a smug expression on me. “My ships are preparing to fire on Atlantis for this act of terrorism.”
I snapped my fingers, and a projection showed his ships as they sank beneath the waves. “First, your ships aren’t near Atlantis. I’m not an idiot. It’s amazing how real some illusions look. Second, the mers are saving your men from the water right now. We want peace and safety for both humans and mers.”
“The oceans are huge! You can’t seriously think you can control them all!” a woman called out.
I allowed the projections to shift from one scene to another. On beach after beach, vacations were fleeing the water as groups of sharks patrolled the shorelines. I smiled as I caught sight of Sheba’s massive body in one of the projections, her size making the other sharks look like small fish. “The sharks are not going to attack, but they will keep the tourists out of the waters, and that will hurt the money you make from tourism.”
Other scenes showed fisherman after fisherman with empty nets. “The fish have been scared away from these fishing vessels. We will continue to drive the fish away as long as you are trespassing.
