Karen Whiddon - The Texas Shifter's Mate

Might as well start now. He turned, locking gazes with the raven-haired Mermaid. Hounds, he felt the impact of her beauty like a punch in the gut. Even by Mermaid standards, she was gorgeous. Her eyes were the deep green of a stormy sea, framed in long, jet-black lashes. The pout of her lush lips had him longing to claim them with his. Damn. Summoning up all his willpower, he pushed the jolt of attraction aside and stood. Both women eyed him as he took the couple of steps necessary to bring him to their table.

Of course right at that moment, the band started playing again.

“Excuse me,” he said loudly, wishing the music could have held off a few more minutes. “Have either of you seen this woman?” He passed the redhead a picture of Nantha, one of his favorite ones of his younger stepsister. He well remembered the day that snapshot had been taken. Nantha had been about to return home after a visit. She’d stood in knee-deep water, filled with the joy the touch of the sea seemed to give its people. The full moon reflected on the calm night sea colored everything with a silver tranquility. She looked young, carefree and happy.

The red-haired Shifter shook her head, handing the photo to her friend.

The Mermaid’s long-lashed eyes widened as she accepted the photograph. She inhaled sharply, her gaze rushing from Nantha’s image to his. Of course, she immediately recognized that Nantha was Mer. “She’s lovely,” she finally said, raising her voice to be heard over the music. She passed it back. “But I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her. When was she in here last?”

“She hasn’t been here. She’s too young.” He swallowed, trying to contain his disappointment. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. It never was. “Her name is Nantha. She’s my sister, and she’s missing.”

The two women exchanged glances. The red-haired Shifter looked Zach up and down. “What happened to her?” she asked. “How do you know she’s missing? She might just be taking a long swim or something.”

The Mermaid nodded. “We have been known to disappear under the sea for extended periods of time. I’m guessing, though, that you have more reasons that make you think something has happened to her?”

“I do.” He didn’t elaborate. Instead, he dragged his gaze away from the attractive pair and began scanning the bar for other Merfolk he could ask.

“I’m Maddie,” the Shifter woman said. “And this is my friend Shayla. We’ll do our best to help, but I need more information. Such as where and when? What exactly happened to give you reason to be concerned? I work as a police dispatcher, and details are always helpful.”

“She has a point,” Shayla agreed, noting his hesitation. “I get that you’d planned on walking around asking everyone in here if they’d seen her, but if you really want help finding your sister, we’ll need a few details.”

Briefly, he considered. She was right, about giving out more information. “She’s actually my stepsister,” he said. “My mother married her father, Ion. They come on land for weekend visits.” Which wasn’t at all unusual. Lots of Merfolk enjoyed experiencing life out of the water for short periods of time. Of course, Shayla already would know that.

“So she disappeared here, on Galveston Island?”

“Yes. She and her father were about to return home to the sea, and she went out for a walk. She always loves to walk the edge of Stewart Beach. The far end, near the rocks. Right around sunset, when the crowds thin out.” He swallowed hard. “She had a habit of doing this every time before she and Ion went back under the sea. But this time, she didn’t come back.”

Shayla nodded. “I see. That area is particularly beautiful.”

“And dangerous,” the redhead interjected. “Especially when the tide comes in.”

“Not for a Mermaid.” Both Zach and Shayla spoke at the same time. He caught himself exchanging a quick look of recognition with her. He might be Pack, but he’d spent enough time around his sister and stepfather to know more than usual about the Merfolk.

“Zach Cantrell,” he said, introducing himself. “Nice to meet you, Shayla and Maddie. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to show her picture around and see if anyone might have seen her. It’s a long shot, but right now it’s all I have.”

“Wait, hold on.” Maddie pinned him with a fierce stare. “You still haven’t given us any usable information.”

“Like what?”

“Like, did she have any enemies? Anyone you can think of who might have wanted to do her harm?”

Shayla made a groan of protest.

“Sorry,” Maddie said, sounding anything but. “This is necessary. Most people are abducted by someone they know.” Waving her hand, she included Zach in her gesture. “This could really help. We need to get all the facts.”

To his amazement, he realized she’d taken out a pad of paper and a pen and had begun jotting down notes.

Shayla saw him looking at her friend’s paper and shrugged. “She works as a police dispatcher. She’s good. If you really want her to help find your sister, give her as much information as you can.”

Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he cleared his throat. While he really hadn’t planned on having extended conversations with anyone, he figured this actually might be helpful.

“Pull up a chair,” Maddie ordered without looking up. “Start at the beginning.”

Not sure whether to allow himself to feel hopeful, he gave in and sat. Some of his dejection must have shown, because to his shock, Shayla reached out and placed her small hand over his.

This simple act of comfort made his throat tighten, even though he had to restrain himself from jerking his hand away. The gesture seemed too intimate somehow, though no doubt this feeling was extremely one-sided, due to the depth of his attraction to her.

When she finally moved, he could breathe again. Aware he couldn’t show his relief, he looked anywhere but at her. Despite that, he couldn’t help but be far too conscious of her every movement, the way she shifted slightly in her chair, her graceful movement as she reached for her wineglass and took a small sip.

He cleared his throat. “There’s not a lot to tell. Nothing unusual happened that weekend. Nantha and her father Ion came ashore Friday afternoon for a weekend visit. As usual, they came ashore on the private beach near my mother’s house. I met them at our meeting place, a rocky cove that’s roped off and marked as dangerous to humans.”

“Which kept it mostly free from both locals and tourists alike,” Shayla added. “Most humans are pretty good about obeying the signs.”

He nodded. Though it had only been two days, that evening would forever be impressed in his memory. Like always, Ion and Nantha had swum up to the rocks with the sea caressing them. They’d poked their heads up out of the choppy waves, waiting for Zach to give them the all-clear signal before they climbed up on the rocks and changed their form. Sparking lights surrounded them as they did, reflecting on the water like a thousand fireflies. Though the light show was identical to what happened when Zach shape-shifted into Wolf, the combination of water and lights never failed to mesmerize him.

Fifteen years ago, when Zach’s mother had announced she was marrying a Merman with a young Mermaid daughter, Zach had been skeptical. But even at ten years old, Zach had seen his mother’s grief over his father’s passing become a kind of stoic acceptance. She’d been lonely and sad, and she’d directed all her energy into raising her young son. Then she’d met Ion, and her entire world changed.

Zach had recognized the happiness that made her glow when she’d gone someplace with Ion. The fact that she’d actually introduced him to Zach told him the relationship had grown serious. When Ion had wanted to ask her to marry him, he’d asked Zach’s permission first. In all the years since, they’d all become a tight-knit, loving family.