Seduced By the Mermen (Men of Stele)

Chapter 1

Blair

It’s the tightest hug I’ve ever given in my life.

If I hug any tighter, I’ll cut my not-so-little niece in half.

When did she get so tall? I pull back. My hands are on her shoulders, hers on mine.

Annabelle’s blue eyes shine brightly; her skin has a glow about it, something I’ve never seen.

Not even in late August after a summer in the sun.

She looks so much healthier than the last time I saw her.

Which was too long ago. Years—we left during her senior year in high school.

It’s the only reason I didn’t force her to come with me.

“Auntie. Oh, you’re here. You’re finally here.” She pulls me in for a second quick hug.

“I am. This is the most amazing adventure. I’m just .

. . I can’t even begin to elaborate on all the things we’ve seen.

” I glance around. There’s too much to take in.

The room we’re in is beyond massive, and there’s a line of men—males—at the end of the ramp.

“Now, where is Marlee?” I turn back, facing the gangplank I’ve just walked down.

Commander Broderick explained that normally there would be a formal ceremony.

But that was canceled by the king for our privacy.

“I’m here,” my daughter says. She’s paused in the sub’s hatch. Annabelle sprints to Marlee. And I’m alone. Alone with a good twenty men staring at me.

“Blair?” Commander Broderick calls me over, and I tear my eyes away from the two girls—young women behind me.

My hands are shaking. We’ve been through some scary things over the last few years, but this?

This has me worked up. I clasp my fingers together.

I’ve had enough time to prepare for this.

We thought we were going to be here weeks ago, but then the sub headed north.

And then we were locked down for days on end.

We weren’t in a battle, but we weren’t not in a battle either.

That was as much as I ever got from anyone.

Weirdly, on the sub, I kept expecting Sean Connery from Hunt from Red October to come flying around the corner at any moment. But this place is massive, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Not in a movie, not anywhere back in the States.

Broderick inclines his head. I saw what the official docking ceremonies were like in the doctro centusia.

The cozy little study pods are like something out of a futuristic cartoon from my childhood.

The Dorian could learn a thing or two from Hollywood.

But there are no movies in the doctro centusia.

Instead, I watched educational videos on the Veiled City.

I think I’ve got all ten dome names memorized. Just don’t ask me how to spell them.

Another few steps, and I’m standing next to Commander Broderick.

“This is Blair Strickland.” He interlocks his arm in a sort of handshake with a massive male. I doubt he’d fit on the sub we just left.

My stomach lurches, and my eyes widen. “Portsmouth.” Marlee and I have been using aliases for a while.

Anything to keep my ex, her father, away from us.

I’ve been Samantha Bradshaw, Carrie York, and Charlotte Jones in the last few years.

Yes, I like Sex in the City, and I just mixed and matched the lead characters’ first and last names.

But Strickland was my married name. Portsmouth is my maiden name, and if there’s one thing I never want to hear again, it’s anything to do with my ex.

“Blair Portsmouth, His Majesty Atlas Zennon.” Broderick bows his head at the male.

The king smiles at me, but his eyes are focused on Annabelle and Marlee on the gangplank. “Ma’am, it is an honor to meet you. I trust Commander Laughlin of the Omicron and Broderick here of the Centauri treated you well.”

“Yes, very well. Thank you. But I’m glad to be less cramped up. I love the doctro centusia on board, and overall the Centauri is comfortable, which isn’t what I would have expected of a military submarine.”

“Yes, the doctro centusia were my favorite part of the ship I was on.”

“You can fit in one?” It slips out.

King Atlas’s laugh is deep, and I’m acutely aware that I’ve put my foot in my mouth.

He smiles, and his green eyes light up. “I assure you I do. I’m glad the trip to the North didn’t put you in jeopardy. Other than being bored.”

“Bored?” I glance back at the sub. “I’ve never been less bored in my life.

But honestly, thank you for rescuing us.

” I smile and give him as much charm as my southern mother taught me.

I’d like to say that being ripped from that warehouse in Boston was the most terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me, but it would be a lie.

And after a few minutes of Laughlin explaining that they were taking me to Annabelle, that the gang in Boston had been planning on trafficking my daughter? It really was a welcome rescue.

“I’m glad.” He bows his head, and Broderick moves to the next person in line. I know they said we wouldn’t have a formal arrival, but there are at least ten more men—males—in a straight line, and it feels pretty darn formal to me.

The next male is dressed in a slate gray Western suit; it’s tailored perfectly to his body.

Something makes Broderick smile wide enough that a little dimple pops into his cheek.

“This is Blair Portsmouth.” He turns to a broad-shouldered man—male—a little older than me.

His dark hair has a smattering of gray at the temple, but his blue eyes soften as they settle on me.

He holds out his hand for me to shake, which isn’t something the Dorian do.

Not from any of the videos I’ve watched.

I put my hand in his to shake it, but he clasps his other one over the top of mine.

His eyes lock with mine. My lips open, and over the mechanical noises of the sub behind me, I can hear the whooshing of my blood pounding against my eardrums. He’s one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen in my life.

He’s tall, like little-children-would-stare-at-him-in-public-tall.

“This is Forrest Mason, governor of the Stele dome,” Broderick says and then chuckles.

My eyes flick to Broderick. Why did he chuckle?

I shake my head. I’m so relieved. We’re here.

Annabelle is here, and Marlee is safe. “Oh goodness, I’m crying.

Look at me, I’m a mess. I can’t believe I’m here.

That we’re all here. Broderick did such a good job with the whole Viking thing.

” Governor Mason has to be his boss, right?

I want him to know we were treated well. With complete respect, actually.

Forrest is still lightly holding my hand. He has to feel my pulse shattering through my skin. And I need to deflect—I can’t look at the governor. He’s too handsome. Run, my brain says. This man is too good-looking to focus on for too long.

“I’d like to introduce you to my mates.” Forrest releases my hand, and I don’t know what to do with it. I drop it to the side and then place it on my hip, then change my mind and grasp my hands together in front of me.

I’m not cool. I’ve never been cool. Twenty-four years of being afraid to look at another man will do that to you.

My stomach crashes as the word he said settles in my brain. Of course he has mates.

“This is Alexei.” Forrest steps to the side, and Alexei steps up.

I put out my hand, but he bows. He’s my age, I think. It’s so hard to tell with attractive people. They age differently. Then again, he’s a merman, so that probably changes things a lot too.

“It’s a privilege to be one of the first to welcome you to our home,” Alexei says, taking my hand. He holds it more than shakes it. But when he lets go and I pull my hand back, this time I’m a little less awkward. “This is Zion.” He motions to the male next to him. He’s tall too

“Blair. I’m honored,” Zion says. His deep voice sends a chill through me. “This is Grayson.” The male next to Zion inclines his head at me. He’s younger than me, but not by much.

Grayson puts his hand on the shoulder of the man next to him. He’s got dirty blond hair. He looks like that actor, Chris what’s-his-name, but without the beard. “I’m Clark. I can see where Annabelle Portsmouth gets her beauty from.” He takes my hand and kisses it.

And now I’m looking around like I’m being pranked.

Both commanders had a guard protecting us on the sub.

Commander Laughlin had a long talk with us about how we couldn’t date anyone on the sub.

His mouth tripped over the word “date” like he’d never used it before.

No one touched us. Oh, there was some very bad flirting with Marlee, but she’s never been able to figure out when a guy likes her.

Not unless the man were to point at her and say, “I like you.” Even then, I have my doubts.

And since we’ve been on the run, she hasn’t gone on very many dates.

What would be the point, she always says.

Clark steps to the side, and a male with dark black hair and amber eyes takes his place. “I’m Delmar.” His eyes crinkle at the sides when he smiles at me. He’s much less subtle about checking me out. No, he all but asks me to spin.

Alexei shoves an elbow into Delmar’s side. I’m guessing their mate wouldn’t want them to be so obvious to a human.

“Six mates—you must have a very happy pod.” I almost sound like I know what I’m talking about. Still six, that’s a lot of male. I gaze over all of them. It’s a lot a lot of male.

Forrest clears his throat. “There are seven of us . . . but we lost our mermaid eight years ago.”

“Oh.” I’m gawking at them now, from Forrest over to Delmar. “Seven mates?”

“Yes,” Forrest says. “I realize this is forward for a human, and you’ve only just arrived here moments ago”—he takes my hand again—“but we’d like to date you.”

The thumping in my ears is back.

“When you’re ready, of course,” Alexei adds.

“I know this is a lot, but we’ve heard a lot about you, and we’d hate for—”

Clark cuts Delmar off with another elbow to the side. “What he means is we want you to know our intentions.”

“We want to court you,” Forrest says.

“Wow, ah . . . I . . .”

“You’re rushing things, Forrest. Also, no one says ‘court’ anymore.” Delmar turns to me. “He means date. No pressure. Let you get to know us.”

I’m forty-one, and I’ve been on exactly zero dates. At seventeen, I got pregnant behind a shack at a bonfire after a football game. That was as close to a date as my ex ever took me on. “Date, like all of you at the same time?”

“Yes,” Forrest says at the same time Delmar says, “No.”

Forrest scowls. “What I mean to say is, eventually, yes. But we can take it slow.”

Clark smiles at me, and his light brown hair glistens in the low light. “I think that’s enough for today. Give Blair some room to swim.”

Broderick takes a step up next to me. The Mason pod inches backward. “Blair, these are Annabelle’s mates: Nico, Holter, Eros, and Castor.” Four handsome males rip their eyes away from Marlee and Annabelle on the gangplank. I’m trying to focus, but my insides are shaking.

The light-brown-haired one, Castor, shakes my hand. “We’re really glad to have you here. I’m sorry for everything that happened.”

“I . . . I’m thankful. It was terrifying. Being whisked away into a . . .” I pause.

“Helio,” Nico fills in for me.

“Yes, a helio. But the idea of whatever those criminals were going to do with my daughter was worse. And after a few days, I understood that we were going to be okay.” I’m not going to tell them how scared Marlee and I were during those few days.

Not now, at least. This is Annabelle’s new home.

It was hard to believe when she got word to us.

But I’ve never been so relieved. I look up over Nico’s head and gasp.

“This place is massive, or maybe it just feels that way after being on submarines for so long.” The room behind the receiving line goes on and on like a giant airplane hangar.

You could fit five dairy barns in here. There are rows and rows of seats and a balcony. It’s like we’re on stage. “Wow.”

“When there are official docking ceremonies, all ten domes send dignitaries. Family of each member of the crew attend,” Castor says.

“And you canceled that because we were on board. Oh no. Won’t the crew be upset?” I ask Broderick.

“No Blair, they’re all more than relieved that they don’t have to put up with all the pomp and circumstance and get to go right home to their families. Speaking of which, it’s time for us to go,” Nico growls. “Are you ready?” he says over my head, and I realize he’s talking to Annabelle.

Annabelle takes my hand. She’s already holding Marlee’s. “Are you ready to be amazed?”

I nod, but how much more amazed could I possibly be?