Page 34 of The Scent of Salt & Sand

She looked down at the white-and-blue uniform. “My eyes are green.”

“And beautiful.”

Melody felt sick and small and powerless. She opened her mouth to call off the rendezvous, but was cut off by the PA system. Aria’s smooth voice calmly instructed passengers on how to disembark as soon as the boat was finished docking.

“Hate to cut this short, but it sounds like I need to get in line. I’ll see you tonight.” He fired two finger guns at her and quickly returned to his comrades.

Melody waited until he had stepped off the boat to drop her head into her hands.

“So, you meeting him?” Aria emptied a tray of trash into the garbage can.

“He thinks I am, but I really don’t want to.”

“If you don’t go tonight, I’ll have to tell Rhapsody. I don’t want her finding out from someone else and thinking I had anything to do with the mistakes you’re making. We’re going back to Tartarus in a couple weeks, and I won’t be left behind. Get it together, Melody. The hard part is over. You should be excited.” Aria snatched a damp bar towel and stomped away.

“I should be excited, but I’m not like you,” Melody muttered as tears burned her eyes.

Chapter Thirteen

“Hello? Siren girl, you here?” The redhead’s words bounced around the empty warehouse. “Shit, there’s no way I’m being stood up by some wannabe sailor bitch.”

“I’m here.” Melody stepped out from the shadows. Dust floated listlessly in the shards of moonlight cutting through the black around her. She tugged at her uniform’s short skirt.

“Knew you’d come.” He laughed, a dry, hacking sound that grated against her ears. “So, where’s the party?”

“They must have changed locations. Funny how things like that happen.” Having no confidence in her ability to lie and flirt convincingly, Melody felt miniscule and stupid when she spoke.

He stepped closer, too close. His fingers traced up her arms like hungry spiders. “If you wanted to be alone with me, all you had to do was say the magic word.” He licked his lips, and they glistened in the silver light. “You do know the magic word, don’t you?” He filled the space in front of her. Every word blew back strands of her hair.

She shook her head, the motion so slight he might not have even noticed.

“Let me teach you.” He leaned in, the heat from his moist lips threatening to meet hers.

Every nerve in her body was alive and on fire. “Stop!” She pushed against his chest with foreign strength.

His ass smacked into the ground, tossing up a white sheet of debris. “What the fuck?!” He scampered backward. Glass crushed beneath his hands and he let out a sharp yelp. He held his fist against his chest and scurried to his feet.

She looked down at her arms. Sheets of emerald twinkled in the moonlight. “No,” she gasped, bringing her hands to her face. Newborn scales bristled under her touch. Her heart thundered with such ferocity, her fishlike skin shook.

“Wait!” She lunged forward, trying to catch him.

“Stay the fuck away from me!”

He hit her. Hard.

The slap knocked her to her knees and sent light swirling through her vision. Melody’s cheek ached and stung. He’d sliced her with something. The shard of glass protruding from his palm. Blood slid away from her wound, peppery and hot.

The redhead raced away, retracing his path through the empty warehouse.

“Stop!” she cried, and scrambled to get her feet under her. The room spun as she stood, and she held out her arms to keep from falling.

He was near the exit, a thin sheet of plastic the only shield from the streets of San Francisco and the rest of the Mortal Realm.

“Stop!” she wailed again.

Gold appeared from the darkened corner of the building and flashed in front of the makeshift door.

There was a wet scream and the sound of liquid raining down on the floor. Then silence.