Chapter 2

TWO

MONROE

I placed my hand on my pocket and pressed down. My heart rate jumped and I spun around, facing the water. My watch was gone. The boat sped away from where I must have dropped it. I recounted my steps quickly and realized my fatal mistake: I'd put something else in there with it, and when I went to retrieve that, I knocked my watch out. I crouched down and peered into the water, and thanks to my polarized sunglasses and my non-human sense of sight, I watched in horror as my pocket watch hit the ocean floor. Sand billowed all around it and colorful fish scattered away.

I sat up straight and faced the captain. "Stop the boat!"

The engine slowed and we drifted to a stop. The others on board looked at me like I had lost my damn mind. But I hadn't. That pocket watch was the only thing I owned of real value. I turned back to gaze down into the clear waters. Fish of all shapes and sizes darted around as seaweed swayed in the waves.

Dawson, my cousin, moved to my side and gazed down beside me. "What happened?"

"My pocket watch . . . it fell into the water." I leaned over the edge and pointed to where it'd dropped. I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor of the boat, about to dive in. "I have to get it?—"

"— Is that a siren ?" Dawson whispered as he placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from jumping. He pointed over the edge toward something below the surface of the water. "Shit. It is a siren. I didn't know they were down here. Look, she has it already?—"

" Sirens? Here? Since when?"

Normal humans would've mistaken sirens for a dolphin or shark. But she was no dolphin, and I was no human. Her long dark hair flowed like ink through the water, and her purple tail was unmistakably vivid when the rays of sunlight danced across it. Beautiful scales fanned across to cover her chest. They were spread sporadically over her torso and glinted in the sun. She glanced up at the boat, and for a moment I could've sworn she considered coming after us. She had her hand wrapped around my watch. Hope flared. And then she shrugged and took off swimming away at a speed I could hardly fathom.

I leaned forward about to follow her, but Dawson tightened his grip on my arm."You're not as good of a swimmer as you like to think you are. You'll never catch her."

"Turn around and follow her," I called back to the captain.

"Come on, Monroe. She's already halfway gone, and we've got a boat full of our tour group waiting to get back to the hotel for their last night in Key West." Dawson motioned to the half-dozen mages we'd taken on a scuba diving trip just off the coast of the Florida keys. "Let's just?—"

"Just what? Forget my pocket watch and let her keep one of my most prized possessions without a fight at all?"

"No, just?—"

"Monroe!" Kristie, my fiancé, strolled up beside us. She placed her hand on my arm and shoved her sunglasses off her face and into her long blond hair. "Monroe, what is going on?"

"That siren took my pocket watch, and I want it back. Now." I looked over her head and narrowed my eyes at the captain. "Did you hear me? Now."

He swung the boat around and we began to follow the siren. Kristie stuck her bottom lip out at me in a pretty pout. She swayed back and forth on her feet with the motion of the boat, and the wind blew her hair back from her face. She looked up at me with big blue doe eyes. "But, baby, I'm scheduled for a massage when we get back, so we really can't get back late. We have to stay on schedule."

"You know how important it is to me." I couldn't believe she was even suggesting that I turn away from this.

She stomped her foot, then glanced at her watch. "With the time it takes to get back, we have to go soon or I'll miss it. And really, I don't want to miss my appointment."

I could only give her a sparing glance. "I'm sure there are other appointments available."

"I don't want to miss mine."

Dawson snickered as Kristie turned away from me with a little huff and took a seat on the edge of one of the benches. I marched up to the front of the boat so I could look for the siren down below. It took only a few seconds before I spotted her and that nearly neon purple tail. We headed closer to land where there were small islands all spread throughout the water. I watched as that same dark-haired siren swam into a small cove and disappeared from view. But when I looked up to the shore, I saw she wasn't the only one on that small island. There were at least a dozen people lounging. Some were seated at a table eating and drinking, looking like normal humans, but the others were lying on their backs in the sand with their tails in the water.

"THERE! To that island, Captain!" I didn't know so many existed off Megelle Island. "Since when are there sirens here?"

"You know what?" Dawson ran his hand through his thick chestnut hair and smirked. "I now remember Reese told us the other day that they discovered a small community of sirens living somewhere else, but I don't remember her saying Key West. I would've mentioned that we were going. So that's weird. But she did say a couple of her sisters went to find and meet them and invite them back to the Island. Maybe that was one of Reese's sisters?"

" That was a princess?" I scoffed. "No way. It has to be one of the locals."

He shrugged. "And that one kind of reminds me of Reese with how fast she swims. The other sirens aren't near as fast. You know that."

I grumbled and nodded.

The captain steered the boat toward the shore and let it get as close as he could without running aground, which meant we were about twenty feet offshore but we couldn't linger here long or the wake from the other boats would beach us. Everyone on the boat jerked forward when we stopped. I scanned the island for any sign of her or my pocket watch.

Just then the dark-haired siren sauntered across the sand in a purple bikini that seemed to match her tail. She had a towel wrapped around her waist. She looked up at us and her dark eyes sparked with interest. We stood about twenty feet apart from each other, which meant my pocket watch was in perfect view clutched in her palm. I put my hands on my hips, trying to hold myself back from just leaping off this boat and taking the watch from her.

"That is my pocket watch," I yelled and opened my hand toward her. "Hand it over."

The boat bounced with the waves and the sound of sloshing water filled the air as the waves hit the hull. The engine sang a low hum, keeping us stationary just offshore.

She pursed her lips. Her dark eyes narrowed at my outstretched hand, yet she made no move to step forward and hand it over to me. "I'm sorry, and you are?"

I sucked in a deep breath and curled my hand into a fist and let it drop to my side. I tried to find my patience, but I could already tell I was far from it. "The owner of that pocket watch."

Dawson wrapped his hand around one of the ropes and held himself still as the boat swayed. "What he means to say is his name is Monroe Whittaker, and I'm Dawson Whittaker. Usually my cousin has better manners."

She rolled her eyes. "I really hope so."

"That pocket watch is very important to me, and I need it." I tried for a calmer tone but failed miserably. I spoke through clenched teeth. "Please."

"So I gathered by the way you yelled at me to give it back to you." She crossed her arms, and my watch glinted in her fingers. "Do you know how weird it is to just show up and demand things from a stranger?"

I ground my teeth together. "Then perhaps you'd think by my reaction that it belongs to me, and you should give it back."

She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "No."

"No?" My brow furrowed and I glared. "What do you mean, no ?"

Another siren moved to her side. The two looked eerily similar, except the one with my watch had dark-black, bottomless eyes while the other had gray, stormy eyes. They were both lovely in form, tiny and lovely, which just grated my nerves even more. How could something so beautiful be such a menace in such a short period of time?

"I think she means she just needs a second to think," the gray-eyed one said. Her voice was light and sweet, whereas the other one had a sharper and more shrewd tone to her words.

"Yes, let's have cooler heads here." Dawson held his hands out as though he intended to calm the situation. "I'm sure we can figure something out."

"No, Pickles. I don't need a minute, and I don't need to figure something out." She shook her head, and those midnight locks fell around her face in annoyingly perfect waves. "I mean, no. I'm not giving it back ."

My anger flared. "You just found it where I dropped it!"

"Did I?" She tossed it up in the air and caught it. "Or have I had it all this time?"

I put my foot on the edge of the boat about to leap off. Dawson's hand was on my arm in an instant to stop me from moving. I shrugged him off but stayed on board. "Just because someone drops something into the ocean doesn't mean it's yours."

"No, but the sea claims many things. And I am just a humble part of the sea." She pressed the pocket watch to her chest. "Soooooo . . . it's mine."

"Perhaps there's a better way of solving this?" Dawson offered them a smile. His smile usually dazzled and charmed women around him. Mine did not have the same effect.

"Is there?"the siren and I asked at the same time, which only made me feel more sour toward her. Her face seemed to mimic my feelings.

Her lips fell into a scowl, and she wrinkled her nose. "I feel like I've already found a solution."

" Chip ," Pickles, the gray-eyed one chided her sister. "Come on."

"Yeah, Chip ." What a ridiculous name for a siren. "Be reasonable here."

She held her hand up and the watch dropped down and hung from its golden chain. She let it swing back and forth. "You say this is yours?"

"Because it is." I gave a heavy sigh.

"Monroeeeee," Kristie called from behind me. "We really have to go. My appointment."

Dawson and I turned back to her and threw our arms up at the same time.

"Really?" my cousin and I hissed in perfect synchronization.

Kristie shrugged . "I told you I had to get back for my massage, and I need a glass of wine. We've been in the sun for far too long."

I waved her off and turned back to Chip. "Look, I get that you like it and want to keep it, but you simply can't have it because it doesn't belong to you. That's not how the world works. It belongs to me. If it makes you feel any better, I'll get you a new one. I'll even ask Princess Reese to help me pick it out to ensure you like it."

"My, my . . . are we name-dropping now?" She blew on the cover of the watch and pretended to shine it on the towel wrapped around her hips. "Because if we are, I have several other sisters you could try."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, yes, what are they called? Banana, Peanuts, French Fries?"

Her cheeks heated and she sucked in a sharp breath.

Dawson shot me a sideways glance and mumbled under his breath, "Just jump right on her nerves why don't you? That'll help the situation."

Chip cleared her throat, getting our attention. "Fine, if it's yours, then prove it. Show me a picture with you and this watch in it."

I threw my arms up and let them drop to my thighs with a slap. "Yeah, let me pull that out of my back pocket. I don't have one here."

Chip shrugged and batted her thick eyelashes at me in exaggerated innocence. "Well, if you're friends with Princess Reese, then you can just go home and show her your picture and she can let me know and I'll give it back. It's really quite easy. I mean, you can't just claim it's yours. You have to prove it. That's how the world works."

I tried to move but Dawson had a hold of me. He shoved me back and moved to stand in front of me. He caught my eye and shook his head. "Don't do something we'll all regret. She stated her terms. Just take them and let's go back. When we get to Megelle Island. We'll get it all sorted out."

I wanted to shove him back. I wanted to yell at her. I wanted to jump overboard and just take what was mine. But none of these things would help, nor were they allowed. Megelle Island was all about keeping the peace, and if I went over there and just grabbed the watch from her by force, I couldn't see that turning out well.

I gazed past him toward Chip. "This isn't over."

"I keep all my treasure safe." She smirked and started to turn away when Pickles stopped her.

Pickles grimaced and shook her head. "Why didn't you just give it back?"

Chip glanced back and then raised her voice loud enough for me to hear. "I would've if he wasn't such an ass and came in with all that audacity."

Dawson chuckled and shook his head. "See? You get more flies with honey, Cousin."

"I'm not trying to catch flies." I didn't take my eyes off her. "I'm trying to catch fish, and I'm not leaving here empty-handed."

And then Chip looked me straight in my eyes and gave me a sweet, almost innocent-looking smile. She licked her lips, then sang, " Take thee boat away from here, return to shore at the pier. As you were, you mustn't veer, then find your proof but make it clear."

Dawson cleared his throat and motioned to the captain. "Let's head back."

I cursed. "FINE. I'll get my proof and my vengeance. Return to shore, Captain."

We had to stick to our plan with the tour. We couldn't veer off schedule. Once we got home, I'd grab one of my many pictures of me wearing my pocket watch, and she'd have no choice but to give it back. My proof would be clear.

Chip wiggled her fingers in a wave as our Captain pushed our boat back into motion.

"Yessss." Kristie clapped her hands together. "Thank you for thinking of me, baby. I'll be able to make it! I'm sure! A few more minutes and I'll have a glass of chardonnay in my hand."

Dawson rolled his eyes at her and shook his head.Not that she noticed. She turned to look at her nails in the sunlight. "We'll talk to Reese, and she'll help us get it back. I'll even email Colette right now to make sure all our arrangements to get home are ready. It'll be okay."

"Oh, I know it will." I didn't take my eyes off Chip even as we sped away. "I'll be seeing her again soon enough."