Chapter 3
Alexei
Sitting in the back lobby of Glyden, I’m pretending I’ve come to see my aunt and her pod. It might be a bit much. It’s more than a bit much. Zion and Delmar say we need to give Blair space, but I’m of the mind that we need to take action. I’ve always taken action. From my career, to love.
When Forrest mentioned that Annabelle Portsmouth’s aunt was on the way to the Veiled City, I thought it was too good to be true. But after I saw Blair, spoke to her for only a few minutes? I’m a male obsessed. And playing it any other way than all in . . . What good is that?
There are other pods like ours who’ve lost their mate, but we have the advantage of having met Blair already.
After we came out of mourning, I thought we might find another mate.
After all, we have a governor in our pod.
Forrest. But while being the governor might be an advantage when courting a Dorian, I’m sure it won’t mean much to Blair.
I’m sitting on a bench next to the elevator. I’ve heard that when they take Blair and her daughter in and out of the Glyden dome, they’ve been using this way from where they live on the seabed. The seabed of all places? No mermaid deserves to live on the seabed.
“Alexei!” A warm voice rings from the open elevator.
“Uncle Stefano.” I greet him, grasping his arm in the traditional way. “I was about to come up to say hello.”
“I don’t know if you’ve mistaken me for your Uncle Enzo, but I’m no fool.
Feel free to sit there as long as you like.
But I won’t be expecting you up in our apartment anytime soon.
Unless you want to come up and say hi to your aunt?
She’d like that. You’re not the only one sitting waiting, hoping to get a glance at either of the humans.
But then, I’ve heard your pod has already made its intentions known. ” He cocks an eyebrow at me.
“It has.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Then why are you sitting in the lobby like a commoner?”
I grimace. “The Portsmouth pod has asked that we give Blair space.”
“Well, when the Hero of Hestert?tten, the second coming of Poseidon, and the Golden Prince make a request, don’t you think it would be in your best interest to listen?”
“Uncle, do you think others are going to? We’re a pod of seven.
There are plenty of pods of four out there that have lost their mermaid who would jump at this chance.
I’m not a fool. And I know our ways are strange for humans.
Seven males? And I know my pod. We’re a lot to take on.
There was so much pressure with . . .” I can’t say it. I don’t even want to think about it.
“I know. It was a hard time for you all. For any pod. Any merman. And I’m still sorry for your loss.”
I bow my head. “Thank you.”
He slaps his hand against my shoulder. He’s pushing eighty, but he’s still firm as he was when I was a podlet, a long time ago.
“I’ll help you any way I can. I can sit in the lobby with a lot less suspicion than you or any of your mates.
And if you like, I’m sure Enzo wouldn’t mind hanging out in the formal lobby.
We can be your eyes and ears. Well, not Enzo, not ears at least. They’re failing him, and he refuses to go and get them checked out.
I can message you when I see something. Besides, your aunt would like it if more of us had something to do outside the home, anyway.
” He smiles, and a weight lifts from me.
Having a Glyden insider helping? It would give us another advantage, and that’s something I’m all for.
I nod. “That could work. Thank you, Uncle.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you. I’ll start right now. This shall be fun.” He rubs his hands together and punches the button for the elevator.
“Where are you going? I thought you said you’re going to start straightaway.”
“Without a snack? You go on and get going. I’ll be right back down.”
“If you’re sure?”
He puts both his hands on my back and pushes. Seriously, he’s got a lot of power for his age. “More sure than Enzo loves his hedge-tots, which is a lot.” He backs into the lift and waves. “Now go on. I’ve got this. Go do something more productive—write a sonnet or something.”
“Just don’t say anything to her.”
“Why would I—” The elevator closes on him, leaving me wondering why he was coming down from his apartment in the first place.
But I can’t sit here any longer like a lovesick podlet.
Really, what do I know about Blair other than that she’s intoxicating and smells of linen and lavender?
She had her wits about her while being immersed in something new.
She spent time in the doctro centusia learning about our culture and society.
Really, that’s as important to me as it would be to a professor of cultures.
I’ve been rolling it around in my head. Am I so smitten with her because she’s human?
No. No, it’s all the other things. True, I only saw her for a few minutes.
But I’ve played those minutes over and over for the last few days.
It’s a wish granted. Delmar asked Athena to give us a new mate.
I’m not one to wish for things. But it feels as if Athena has granted it.
Or at least given us the opportunity to make it come true.
With the lift door closed, I sit back down and message Delmar. I’m coming home.
The reply on my block happens in an instant. Thought you were going to stay and see if they are taking her out for dinner.
Change of plans.
Do you want me to come?
You don’t have ties to Glyden. My fingers fly over my block.
No, but I could make one up. Who’s going to check?
I would know. And the Portsmouth clan will know. My uncles Enzo and Stefano are going to watch the lobbies for us.
The same Uncle Enzo who, at our last party, put shrimp shells on his fingers and pretended they were puppets? Delmar has a point.
I suck in my lower lip. Perhaps this was a bad idea. Yes, but Stefano will keep him in line.
Did he keep him in line at the Vividaria ball last year when he tossed your aunt over his shoulder and ran out, saying old people like sex too?
I mean, he’s not wrong. We’re not what most would consider young anymore, either.
Speak for yourself. Delmar is the youngest of our pod. But in many ways, he’s older than most of us.
I’m surrounded by students all day, so I frequently feel both older than I am and way younger than I am.
Either way, I didn’t become head of my department and on the way to being the head of higher learning by being a fool.
It’s just for a little while. Plus, you should see how excited Stefano is. He rubbed his hands together with glee.
Oh no, not glee. Well, I hope to Poseidon this doesn’t keep us from at least getting a chance to talk to Blair again.
It won’t.
I glance at the elevator as a family flows out, followed by Uncle Stefano. He’s holding a basket of food the size of a three-year-old podlet. “Do you think you have enough food?” The family smiles at us and hurries out to the docking platform. “You’re not going to spend the night in the lobby?”
“No, this is just my snack until dinner. Your aunt is on board. She’s going to come down later and sit with us both.”
I have made a terrible mistake. I can see that now. But there’s no going back.
Stefano sits down on a bench and opens his basket. “Tea biscuit?”
“No, thanks.”
“Well, go on. Shoo. Get out of here. I’ve got surveillance to be doing.”
“Right. Okay. Thanks. You don’t have to do this if—”
“Nonsense. You’re a big-time professor. You must have other things to do. Go on.”
“Just don’t say—”
“Of course not. I won’t say anything. I’m a pro.”
And it’s then it comes back to me. Stories from my pops one night when he’d had too much seaweed gin about how I had two highly decorated servicemen uncles that were spies.
But he never told me which two, and since I have over fifty uncles, I’ve never been able to narrow it down. But maybe it’s Stefano and Enzo?
“Okay, pro. Try not to ruin our chances.”
“I’m just sitting here trying to find a new marlimax partner, someone who doesn’t cheat. Do you know how hard that is to do in a pod when you’ve been mated for fifty-five years? The whole lot of them are cheaters.”
I’ve heard this complaint from my own fathers. The tile game takes mental dexterity or a good sleight of hand.
Another pod strolls in the back door. “Any of your fathers play marlimax? Ones who don’t cheat?”
The mermaid smiles. “Sorry, no.”
“The ones who do play most definitely cheat.” Her pod mates laugh as they get into the elevator.
“See? Pro. Plus, I might find someone to play an honest game with, someone who thinks I’m not going to cheat them. Now swim out of here.”
“Thank you, Uncle Stefano.” I’m shaking my head on the way out the door.
A click and the door of my Gorsca solo shuts in place.
There are advantages to not having any podlets.
Still, I would have given my fancy solo to know the other life.
But that’s the past. We thought about putting our names down to raise a geminae podlet.
But it hurt too much for our mate. And then time ticked on.
I dock in one of our reserved spots and take the lift to the second-to-the-top floor. The grand dame of Stele has the penthouse. She’s Forrest’s aunt. Forrest’s parents next to them. But I’ve never wanted to live anywhere but here.
“Hello.” I hang up my coat by the door and remove my shoes, placing them in the bin.
“Hey.” Grayson lifts his head from his tablet on the sofa.
“How’s things going?”
“I’m going to have to head to the mainland soon,” Grayson says.
Forrest appears from around the corner. “Cook says dinner will be ready soon.”
I glare at him. Forrest clears his throat. The governor of Stele doesn’t like being scolded. I furrow my brow in a silent challenge of then-don’t-be-an-ass.
“Rodgers says dinner will be ready soon,” Forrest says.
I incline my head at him for correcting his mistake. While my family was well-off growing up as a podlet, we were nowhere near as wealthy as Forrest’s familiar pod. He’s had cooks, housekeepers, nannies, and butlers his whole life, but it was new for me when I mated into this pod twenty years ago.
“It smells delicious.” All the talk with Uncle Stefano about hedge-tots has me craving them now. “Who’s home for dinner?” I ask Grayson, as Forrest has disappeared down the hall.
“You, Forrest, Delmar, and me. Clark and Zion are working, and who knows where Sterling is.”
I sit on the arm of the sofa. “Do you think Sterling is going to be a problem when it comes to Blair?”
“I think Sterling is always going to be a problem,” Grayson says without looking up.