Free MERCILESS (The Mermen Trilogy #3) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff Page A

island was moving the chess pieces around the board and had been from the moment that fishing boat sank. She’d drifted to this place only to meet Roen, who also had just “coincidentally” been there, too. Her and Roen’s powerful connection was no accident either. She was his mate. And the island had made sure they were put into a situation that would, without question, bond them immediately as well as put Roen into position to run the island. Then, the island made sure the two of them were separated—but only long enough to make them suffer, to make them realize that there was something stronger between them worth fighting for. And fight they had. Roen had to fight to save her. She’d had to fight Shane, and now she was fighting to save Roen.
    But what was the point to all this? She was being backed into a corner so tight, she had no choice but to act out of desperation.
    And everything is about to come to a head . She felt it.
    Liv groaned with frustration. She had to go back to the Great Hall and try to confront the island. It had to know something. It just had to. The question was, what would the island want in exchange from Liv?
    But first she needed to call Cherie and see what she could dig up on Dana’s plane. She’d also get her “genie” working on the supplies and having the plane readied for Dr. Fuller.
    Maybe I’ll have her raid the local grocery stores, too . There was no food anywhere on this damned island. Hmmm…I wonder if mermaids will eat Dog Chow? They could get a lot of that stuff on a plane, right? She tried to imagine feeding them in little bowls like pets.
    Never mind. I’ll have her load up the plane with frozen steaks .
     
    ~~~
     
    Liv had gotten two of the women to help move Roen onto the mattress she’d placed on the floor in his room. There he’d at least be comfortable and off the cold tile.
    Then she tried to get him to drink water again, but he was out. So she rewrapped his wound and then covered him with a blanket.
    It was impossible to look at this man—once so beautiful and strong and unbreakable—and not want to scream at the top of her lungs.
    She lay down next to him, pressing her nose to his cheek. The discoloration of his skin had grown, and his breaths were tiny puffs of almost nothing. “Roen, I know you can hear me. At least, I think you can. I’m still here. I’m still trying. Just don’t go, okay?”
    Roen groaned. “Liv. Liv, why did he kill you?”
    She popped up, shocked as hell. “Roen! I’m not dead, Roen. I’m right here.”
     
    ~~~
     
    In the back of Roen’s mind he heard the beautiful sound of Liv’s voice, but the words were all jumbled up, floating around inside him. Then he was back at that fire, being pushed away by that woman who refused to let him get any closer to the warmth of the flames.
    Liv is dead , he thought with a heavy heart. I want to be with her. “Liv. Liv, why did he kill you?”
    “Roen! I’m not dead, Roen. I’m right here. Roen!”
    He opened one blurry eye and saw Liv leaning over him, her face stained with tears.
    Was he dreaming? It didn’t feel like one. He was in his room, the smell of Liv’s delicious scent filling his nostrils.
    “You’re alive?” He choked out his words. His entire body burned and ached.
    “Yes. Ohmygod.” She pressed her sweet lips to his.
    “But I watched Lyle kill you when you escaped the tank,” he whispered.
    “No, honey.” She placed her warm loving hands on his cheeks. “Shane took me from the island. I was never in any tank.”
    Foking hell. Who did Lyle kill? “What’s happening to me?”
    “Roen, the island is dying. You’re dying. Tell me what to do…” The turmoil in her eyes was almost too painful to look at.
    Everything around him turned to black.
     
    ~~~
     
    Liv could not bear to watch any longer. Roen had passed out, and the color of his skin was darkening even further, as if something was sucking the life right out of him.
    “Roen?” She gave him a