everything we’ve been through, we have to sit here and watch them die.”
Liv took a seat at the small kitchen table in the center of the room, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her. All of the water was gone. All of it.
She leaned forward and scrubbed her face with her hands, groaning. I can’t give up. I can’t.
“Do you know why the men are sick?” Liv asked.
The woman shot Liv a bitter look.
“You don’t know,” Liv concluded.
“It started the day after I was brought back. All I know is the men thought it might be a punishment, but the island is dying, too.”
Fuck. There has to be something we can do. “So how many maids were transformed?”
“Only sixty-three of us.”
“Can you round them up and have them come to Roen’s home? This is all connected. It has to be.” She just didn’t have the necessary pieces to put it all together.
“They won’t leave their men. Neither will I,” said the woman.
“Goddammit!” Liv slammed her fist down on the table, feeling exhausted and emotionally frazzled. Roen didn’t have much time left. “Get your head out of your ass. I don’t see anyone around here who is going to save them, so if you and the other ladies would like to perhaps avoid your mates dying, then tell them to meet me in Roen’s fucking house. Yesterday would be nice.”
The woman’s eyes flickered with irritation for a moment. “I remember you now. You’re the one the island said we couldn’t eat.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember much from the time I was a maid—bits and pieces like a bad dream—being underwater, the hunger, and how my heart ached all the time, missing someone I couldn’t really remember. But I remember you. I remember your voice. I remember the island telling us we had to help Shane pretend to kill you.”
Okay. Weird . “Do you remember why you guys helped him?”
“Not really. I think we were told it was the only way you’d live. We didn’t want you to die. But that’s all I know.”
Okay. Really fucking weird . “I have no clue what that means, but if you’d please round everyone up. As quickly as you can.”
“What do you hope to accomplish?” the woman asked.
“We’re women. We figure shit out. That’s what we do.”
The lady cocked a blonde brow. “I’m not sure one single landlover has the power to change anything.”
Liv was about to tell her to stop talking and start moving, but then she remembered something very important. “Speaking of landlovers, have you or anyone seen a woman named Dana? She’s a landlover—looks a lot like me.”
“No. No other landlovers on the island that I’ve seen.”
Dammit. Someone had to know what happened to her.
“Where is Roen’s brother?” Liv asked, knowing he’d helped arrange to get Dana off the island. Perhaps he knew something.
The woman shrugged. “Not sure exactly. He stopped checking on everyone last night. But I think he’s been staying in Roen’s home.”
Lyle had probably been the one who’d wrapped Roen’s shoulder. So where’d he go? He wouldn’t leave Roen dying on the bathroom floor.
Liv rubbed the back of her neck, shooing away the dread and goosebumps. There were only two rooms she hadn’t checked: Roen’s library and Roen’s basement, where he and the elders—a bunch of crotchety, old, chauvinistic mermen—met to discuss very important mermanly things that women weren’t allowed in on.
Liv suddenly wondered where the elders were. I hope dead already. At least that Naylor man, anyway. He looked like a mummified asshole—wrinkly with saggy skin and hazy green eyes. He was cruel, arrogant, and—okay, a typical merman. But he’d been one of the people to help Shane steal her away and tried to get Roen killed.
Liv looked up at the woman. “What’s your name?”
“Amelia. At least, that’s what my mate, Jason, tells me. I don’t remember.”
“You’re Jason’s woman?”
She nodded. “I am.”
Jason was a tall blonde man
Liv took a seat at the small kitchen table in the center of the room, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her. All of the water was gone. All of it.
She leaned forward and scrubbed her face with her hands, groaning. I can’t give up. I can’t.
“Do you know why the men are sick?” Liv asked.
The woman shot Liv a bitter look.
“You don’t know,” Liv concluded.
“It started the day after I was brought back. All I know is the men thought it might be a punishment, but the island is dying, too.”
Fuck. There has to be something we can do. “So how many maids were transformed?”
“Only sixty-three of us.”
“Can you round them up and have them come to Roen’s home? This is all connected. It has to be.” She just didn’t have the necessary pieces to put it all together.
“They won’t leave their men. Neither will I,” said the woman.
“Goddammit!” Liv slammed her fist down on the table, feeling exhausted and emotionally frazzled. Roen didn’t have much time left. “Get your head out of your ass. I don’t see anyone around here who is going to save them, so if you and the other ladies would like to perhaps avoid your mates dying, then tell them to meet me in Roen’s fucking house. Yesterday would be nice.”
The woman’s eyes flickered with irritation for a moment. “I remember you now. You’re the one the island said we couldn’t eat.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember much from the time I was a maid—bits and pieces like a bad dream—being underwater, the hunger, and how my heart ached all the time, missing someone I couldn’t really remember. But I remember you. I remember your voice. I remember the island telling us we had to help Shane pretend to kill you.”
Okay. Weird . “Do you remember why you guys helped him?”
“Not really. I think we were told it was the only way you’d live. We didn’t want you to die. But that’s all I know.”
Okay. Really fucking weird . “I have no clue what that means, but if you’d please round everyone up. As quickly as you can.”
“What do you hope to accomplish?” the woman asked.
“We’re women. We figure shit out. That’s what we do.”
The lady cocked a blonde brow. “I’m not sure one single landlover has the power to change anything.”
Liv was about to tell her to stop talking and start moving, but then she remembered something very important. “Speaking of landlovers, have you or anyone seen a woman named Dana? She’s a landlover—looks a lot like me.”
“No. No other landlovers on the island that I’ve seen.”
Dammit. Someone had to know what happened to her.
“Where is Roen’s brother?” Liv asked, knowing he’d helped arrange to get Dana off the island. Perhaps he knew something.
The woman shrugged. “Not sure exactly. He stopped checking on everyone last night. But I think he’s been staying in Roen’s home.”
Lyle had probably been the one who’d wrapped Roen’s shoulder. So where’d he go? He wouldn’t leave Roen dying on the bathroom floor.
Liv rubbed the back of her neck, shooing away the dread and goosebumps. There were only two rooms she hadn’t checked: Roen’s library and Roen’s basement, where he and the elders—a bunch of crotchety, old, chauvinistic mermen—met to discuss very important mermanly things that women weren’t allowed in on.
Liv suddenly wondered where the elders were. I hope dead already. At least that Naylor man, anyway. He looked like a mummified asshole—wrinkly with saggy skin and hazy green eyes. He was cruel, arrogant, and—okay, a typical merman. But he’d been one of the people to help Shane steal her away and tried to get Roen killed.
Liv looked up at the woman. “What’s your name?”
“Amelia. At least, that’s what my mate, Jason, tells me. I don’t remember.”
“You’re Jason’s woman?”
She nodded. “I am.”
Jason was a tall blonde man
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