Free The Mermaid's Mate by Kristin Miller Page B

hands in front of her, Marian would watch the Curtain part. If she swam through, a tiny antechamber would seal her in and the sea would drain out. She would be able to shift back to Mer form and walk into the Emperor’s temple. They lived in an enchanted bubble with a sheer, undulating surface and deep chasms around its sides. With water above them and all around the sides of their world, they were completely protected from the dragons and werewolves on the isle. Twenty meters below the surface, there was air. There was talking and walking and normalcy that other shifters didn’t expect. Though her people were Mer, it didn’t mean they had to live as mermaids one hundred percent of the time. It simply meant they could shift if they wanted or needed to.
    She should’ve passed through the Curtain and gone straight to her Emperor to report what Ryder and his rogue pack planned to do. It was the sole reason she’d rushed back home.
    Why, then was she hesitating? Why were her thoughts dwelling on Timber and the sincerity of his words?
    He’d take the fall with Ryder and the rogue pack.
    She’d never see him again.
    Guilt wrenched Marian’s stomach, twisting and tightening until she felt ill. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t betray him. There had to be another option—a way to protect the stone and have Ryder take the fall for the plot, while keeping Timber out of it.
    Acting on impulse, Marian changed course and veered right along the uneven edge of Were Mountain, swimming parallel to the Curtain without passing through it. Marian swam as fast as she could, cutting through the water with fluid ease. When she reached the far edge of the bay, she dived straight down, shadowing the rock wall. The chasm ran deep, leading her down, down, down, into the dark. It was a good thing the bubble they lived in—though she’d hardly call a massive colony housing hundreds of mermaids a bubble—had opaque sides. The chasm was deep and private, allowing Marian to swim into its depths without being seen.
    When the water grew cold and the rock wall’s surface transitioned from jagged and rough to eerily smooth, Marian knew she was close.
    On the surface far above, hard-hitting vibrations rocked the water, sending tiny echoes of movement brushing against the scales on Marian’s tail.
    Shivers blanketed her body as realization crashed over her; the only thing that could cause the water to pulse and throb so that she felt it all the way down in the abyss, was sudden impact.
    Someone had jumped from the mountain. Ryder was already here.
    Swimming with renewed vigor, Marian dove straight down, her body rolling through the water and gaining speed. Up ahead, a large crack that split the rock came into view through the dark. Marian slipped inside, her tail fin slapping the rock above and below with each curl and thrust. When the rock passage widened and finally gave way to a large underwater chamber, Marian swam upright, keeping her body as still as possible so as not to disturb the dirt covering the floor.
    Gems sparkled from ceiling to floor, covering every inch of the chamber. Emerald and sapphire jewels as big as Marian’s fist were piled against the wall. Buttery citrine crystals were sprinkled to her sides, mixed with amber, amethyst and jade. It was a rainbow of precious, priceless color. It was stunning. Breathtaking.
    Suddenly, Marian knew what she had to do: the only way to keep Ryder from stealing their stone was to steal it first. She’d hide it, take it deep inside their colony, and report to her Emperor that Ryder alone had planned to rob them of it.
    Marian searched through the pile to her right, her fingers skimming over the smooth edges of the gems. She continued searching along the wall and floor. Each precious stone was more beautiful than the last, causing Marian to pause and admire them, even though she knew there wasn’t time to do so.
    This , Marian realized, was the Emperor’s security system. This maze of