Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

S hadows wisped back and forth in the pre-dawn breeze, casting darkness in silver and black hues that concealed their approach. Jaxxon stood next to Zade with the men and women huddled behind them on the corner of a side street facing the water.

The Sea of Cadence lived up to its reputation. Teal blue waves rose several feet in the air before slamming into the docks.

Boom! Each strike could kill a man in seconds.

Crack! And demolish a boat in minutes.

Boom! Massive waves continued in every direction where the Sea of Cadence hammered the shores, ready to wash away any intruder who tried to cross without paying the Mermaiden’s exorbitant price.

But once the eyes moved past the shores, the beauty of the water shimmered, and colorful bubbles floated up from within its depths as a tempo rose in sound.

“I hear music!” whispered Tiara, moving forward to peer over Jaxxon’s shoulder. Her breath was a welcome caress to the chill in the air. She leaned in, taking one perilous step forward and another, as so many did toward the beckoning waters.

“The Mermaiden’s legion has powerful sirens. Their music is enchanting and meant to do one thing—” Jaxxon’s brow furrowed, seizing Tiara around the waist and pulling her in front of him. Startled, her heart pounded fast against him as he locked his arms tightly around her, leaning in close. Her eyes went wild and a shudder raced along her spine.

“They lure you into the water and then drown you until you pay for freedom.” Leaning in and whispering into her ear, “Don’t get caught out there, Star Diva!” He nipped her ear.

She yelped as he let her go. Blushing, she shuffled back into the middle of the women, who were chattering about the sirens.

The city was silent, save for the waves crashing along the docks. But as the sun began to rise, a shrill sound filled the air. Gilla birds that lived near the waters flew from their nests, shooting into the sky. Their colorful six-winged bodies flew past Jaxxon and his group before perching on nearby buildings, waiting for the danger to pass.

“What was that?” asked Lori, grabbing Tiara’s arm. The women huddled close, clasping hands and looking ready to run if Jaxxon gave the command.

“You’ll see,” said Zade, leaning against the building with his arms crossed over his chest.

As the first rays of light struck the sea, the shrill sound echoed below the depths of the water like an alarm clock. The water calmed, and the siren’s song stopped.

Mer breached the surface one by one like an army ready for duty. Some shot straight out of the water, launching into the air like skilled acrobatics, twirling and then shape-shifting with magic. Hands and feet replaced fins. Mer with bodies weighing thousands of pounds shed weight as if they were made solely of water. Then, they walked on the dock in fluid bodies, moving with the precision of a runway model.

Others dragged themselves along the docks with eight tentacled arms before shape-shifting within minutes and continuing to walk on two or four legs.

Hundreds of mer appeared along the docks and, as far as they could see, were ready to begin their workday on behalf of the Mermaiden in the Port City of Genihe.

“Oh my fucking god!” Maya pointed, covering her mouth as the mer, naked as newborn babies, emerged from the water.

“Move, let us through,” said Tiara, elbowing past Zade, pulling the women ahead of the men to get a better view. “Whoa, this...this is unreal!”

“Look at his ass!” said Maya. “Oh, um, I meant abs—” She barked a laugh, seeing Hassan standing right next to her. The women burst into laughter as Maya whispered something to them.

Jaxxon heard Tiara say, “Well, the mer certainly have some interesting parts!” The rest of the women had to agree as they gawked at several octopus shifters, male and female, who left the water.

“Tentacles and testicles—I mean, hot damn !” said Tiara, hunching her shoulders as she joked with the group. Hassan only shook his head, moving next to Zade, who was laughing.

“Trust me, if one of those tentacles got a hold of you, you wouldn’t be laughing,” said Zade, making a lewd gesture that had the women coughing.

Jaxxon roared with laughter. “That was a good one, Zade!” His eyes teared up from laughing so much.

The docks quickly resembled a frenzied dressing room as mer changed into clothing carried in waterproof packs on their backs or entered the rows of storage lockers where their clothing was stored. Yet others chose to forgo clothing and disappeared into the streets.

Mer, young and old, rich and poor, followed this routine each morning. And then they walked off to open their storefronts, unlock their vendor carts, or find their favorite corner to beg, steal, or peddle their wares.

It didn’t matter if they were rich or poor. All mer lived within the safety of Nyenmar City, the Mermaiden’s kingdom far below the grasp of the Vralgari and their demon horde. But in the morning, they were thrust into the streets to work—payment for the safety they received each night .

Jaxxon sighed. The Mermaiden was likely forced to rule her people this way, or they would run out of resources below the seas. He understood her predicament since he too ventured out with his people into unsafe areas to gather supplies and to trade.

Though the women and even some of his men were laughing and joking, he knew their moods would quickly change once they had to leave the safety of their shadows. Let them have a little fun while they can.

Even he knew life wasn’t worth living if all you did was fret about the dangers ahead. However, it didn’t stop him from worrying. He was responsible for their lives and was willing to sacrifice fun time for being the hard-ass who had to work when others played.

Jaxxon watched as various boats became visible over the horizon, heading toward the docks. His men quieted, and soon, so did the women.

It didn’t take long to guess which one belonged to Seafangs. The Mermaiden had a modest naval fleet that had certainly seen better times. But they could see Seafangs’s ship was sleek and modern as it docked into the cove on the far side of the docks where Jaxxon and his men watched.

“Seafangs must be doing well,” said Jaxxon. “How many mer do you think are onboard?”

“He usually runs with a skeleton crew,” said Zade, his eyes turning deep shades of violet as his pupils dilated. His dragon scale tattoos shimmered as he taped into his dragon’s magic, seeing through Galan’s enhanced vision. “There are twice as many mer on this crew.” His eyes returned to normal.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “But I don’t see any immediate dangers.”

Seafangs’s crew anchored as mer jumped from the ship, surveying the area. They were efficient as they cleared the area, looking around to ensure no spies or competitors were nearby to interrupt their covert operations.

Moving forward with stealth, Jaxxon and his men ran in small groups toward the docks .

“Don’t call out, no matter what you see or hear,” he cautioned the women as they entered the dock. “Don’t even sneeze unless I command it.” He sensed their fear rise quickly.

They maneuvered their way around Seafangs’s men and boarded his ship.

“Goddammit, Jaxxon!” yelled Seafangs when he heard a throat clear and found Jaxxon, Zade, and a gang of shadow masters leaning against the railing aboard his ship.

“You motherfuckers need to stop sneaking up on friends!” Seafangs bit out between rows of sharp, jagged teeth. His hands were curled into fists, water magic spiraling around them to unleash hell. His fins had burst free of the slits in his expensive sailing armor, revealing scars from many battles on the seas.

“It’s okay, crew!” he said, raising his hands to stop them from advancing on Jaxxon and his group. The mer had surrounded them, believing they were under attack. Like Seafangs, they were tiger shark shifters and known to defend their captain to the sea floor if necessary.

“So this is the legendary Sea Hussy!” said Jaxxon, shaking Seafangs rough, scaled hand, with Zade and Hassan doing the same. His other men stood back with the women behind them in a row.

“Yes, she’s the newest addition to my collection,” said Seafangs, his gills flaring with pride as he spun around, showing off her size. “She can outrun anything you throw at her and jump waves like my wife riding my cock.”

Zade whistled, running his hands along the sleek sides of the ship, which Seafangs boasted was made of hardened coral that was difficult to break. Walking along the boat, he showed off the captain’s chair, dazzling with jewels and shells in various colors. His crew followed him, as did Jaxxon’s men and the women. Standing on the helm of the massive ship, Seafangs gave the order to lift the anchor and set sail.

Four mer stepped forward, taking positions on the captain’s deck. Using their elemental powers over water, they swirled their hands in intricate movements that created a swift current, pulling them away from the docks. But they didn’t go far before the Sea of Cadence came to life.

Waves came from every direction, moving quickly toward the Sea Hussy as the four mer looked at Seafangs for guidance. Jaxxon could have sworn he saw a gleam in his eyes, a wild and reckless spark to try to outrun the Mermaiden. But it was only a momentary glimpse as Seafangs leaned back and laughed deeply.

“Ah, you see, my friend, you can’t get far without paying the Mermaiden! Her sea already craves payment.”

The waves grew in size, coming in fast, as Seafangs looked at his crew, taking his time to decide. Shadows uncurling at his fingertips, Jaxxon looked at the cresting waves and then at Seafangs.

“I’m just fucking with you, Jaxxon! I know better than to cheat the old lady.” Seafangs and his crew laughed. “But you and Zade, on the other hand—Well, it seems you’ve pissed her off!”

“My very existence pisses people off,” growled Jaxxon, eyeing Seafangs and his crew.

“And hell, I live to piss people off!” Zade laughed, a dark, wicked sound as he stepped to Jaxxon’s side, facing off with Seafangs and six of his crew who had formed a semi-circle around their captain.

Waves crashed against the boat, keeping her idling in the waters near the docks. But the ship wasn’t close enough for Jaxxon and his group to escape quickly if needed.

“The Mermaiden sends a message. Trust me, Jaxxon. This is her talking, not me. I’m a businessman. I want to make money.” Seafangs pointed out at the horizon, where giant waves grew in size, held back by the Mermaiden’s legions.

“She said you’ve been taking food from her seas illegally, and that your dragons have been flying over her waters, filling their monstrous bellies. Yet, she hasn’t received compensation from any shadow master.”

“The Sea Bitch doesn’t control the space above these waters,” said Zade. “And I’m sure if we ask our dragons, they’ll tell you the fish and mer they eat are only those washed up on the shores. ”

Seafangs winced at the mention of dragons eating mer. His crew looked up as Galan and Kylo swooped overhead, one banking left and the other banking right, circling back to where the Sea Hussy sat.

“You said the Sea Hussy is unbreakable?” said Jaxxon, waving his hands around the beautiful ship. “Is she fireproof?”

“Goddamn, Jaxxon! I heard you were wild! Now, don’t go burning up my ship!” Seafangs looked up at the dragons and then back at Jaxxon. “The Mermaiden just wants some payment. Anything will keep her off our asses. Come on, Jaxxon.”

When Jaxxon didn’t move, Seafangs turned to appeal to Zade as he watched the dragons draw close. “Zade, we go way back. You want to get over the Sea of Cadence, and the Mermaiden wants to flex her fins.”

“Anything else?” asked Jaxxon, seeing one of Seafangs men step forward, whispering in his ear. The man had been standing in the rear, watching Jaxxon’s group the entire time.

“Well, that depends on the cargo you’re carrying across the sea,” said Seafangs as he looked toward Tiara and her friends.

“The Mermaiden is ruthless, but everyone knows she draws the line when it comes to trafficking people.”

“Well, then, we don’t have a problem. I’m not trafficking.”

“Then who are the females hiding behind your men? I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” Seafangs stepped toward the women, but Jaxxon growled, blocking him from moving further.

Seafangs bared his teeth, and his crew did the same. “The price is double, motherfucker. Pay or swim!”

Now Seafangs was showing his true stripes. Jaxxon knew he would con them for more payment once trapped onboard, and burning down his ship wouldn’t get him and his people safely across the sea.

“Pay the bastard,” Jaxxon said to Zade. “And get a receipt so I can show the Sea Bitch!”

With the payment settled, Seafangs shouted orders to his men as they prepared to set off again. Striping naked, a mer launched from the boat. He flipped in the air and shape-shifted into a tiger shark as he hit the water. A massive splash flew across the bow and Jaxxon swore, throwing up a wall of shadows to block them from getting soaked.

“What a dick!” he shouted to Seafangs, who said it was payback for sneaking onto his ship and scaring the shit out of him. His crew rolled in laughter.

A short while later, the massive waves fell, and the mer who’d delivered the message to the Mermaiden that her payment had been made rejoined them. And with that, the Sea Hussy picked up speed as the mer maneuvered them through the waters.

“My men will show you around the ship. And breakfast will be served on the hour,” said Seafangs over his shoulder as he headed to the captain’s deck. Zade walked off with Seafangs, giving him the general coordinates for where they were headed and promising more precise coordinates as they got closer to their destination. Seafangs didn’t like it but was happy counting his money.

When Zade caught up to Jaxxon and the others a bit later on their tour of the ship’s sleeping quarters, he pulled Jaxxon aside.

“Seafangs kept much of what was paid, clearly going against the Mermaiden’s sea code of honor. We have to watch him, Jaxx. He’s playing a deadly hand.”

Jaxxon agreed, but like every day, he had to take chances.

“Survival is a bitch!” He punched Zade in the arm as the two men looked at the beautiful Crelentian females marveling at the teal blue waters and the fish swimming below. Each side of the ship and portions of the flooring had huge, thick windows offering glorious underwater views.

He loved seeing the sparkle in Tiara’s eyes when she laughed. She was a marvel of perfection, even when she made mistakes. Zade had been right about one thing. Crelentia had much beauty. And Jaxxon planned to show Tiara all of it, even within its darkest places.

But right now, he had work to do. And so did Zade.

“Why am I the messenger?” asked Zade as he cursed.

Jaxxon only laughed as he watched Zade leave to tell the women they had to stay below deck while Jaxxon and his men checked out the rest of the ship for any hidden dangers. Not wanting any surprises, he wasn’t ready to let the women mingle freely with the crew.

He could hear Maya cursing Zade out as he told them about restrictions on the boat and heard Tiara arguing their case. He had no doubt Zade would find a way to charm them and blame it all on him. Jaxxon didn’t mind being the bad guy. He relished it. No one expected love and kindness from him, and he didn’t care to prove them wrong.