Sea Change
Depths of Magic #6 by Emma Shelford
Teaser
Depths of Magic #6 by Emma Shelford
Teaser
Flashing red and blue lights nearly blinded my sensitive eyes. The police weren’t here for me, luckily. But their real target was a bigger problem.
A pale woman dressed in a dripping kelp dress screeched at the approaching police officers. She bent on wobbly legs and grabbed a rock from the pebbly beach. When the missile flew toward the nearest officer, he ducked and pulled out his taser.
“Easy, now,” he shouted. “No more throwing rocks.”
The female officer edged around the pale woman, who shrieked again and backed down the beach.
“Come on, Lune,” Branc Driftwood said to me, slamming the car door behind him. “Let’s salvage this mess.”
I followed him, pushing my ash-blonde hair out of my face in the early spring breeze that flowed off the ocean. My sturdy boots crunched in the gravel as I strode to keep up with my boss.
“What’s the plan?” I said quietly to him over the woman’s yells. The police hadn’t noticed us yet.
“Do what you do best,” he murmured back, his black eyes flashing at me from his pale, handsome face. “Get the officers to back off, preferably letting us leave with the woman. I’ll calm her down.”
The male police officer noticed us for the first time. He threw us an impatient wave. “Sir, ma’am, you need to back off. Police business.”
Branc glanced at me and jerked his head toward the man. I nodded and approached while Branc stepped toward the female officer. The man put out his hand in a stopping gesture, his eyes flicking between me and the pale woman. He scowled magnificently.
“Back away,” he commanded to me. “This is a dangerous situation.”
I was within three steps of him now. When I looked to the pale woman, his eyes followed mine. Using his distraction, I dived forward. He swung his taser toward me, but I’d already grasped his bicep. I sent a powerful hum into his body.
He transformed from a tense bundle of muscle and frustration to a soft and compliant mass.
“That’s better,” I crooned. “Stay like this for a few minutes while I sort out your friend.”
“Get away from him,” the female officer shouted at me, a panicked note to her voice. She stepped away from Branc’s advance and pointed her taser at him. “And you, back off.”
The pale woman, still irate and wild-eyed, threw a rock at the alert officer. The officer dodged then pointed the taser at the pale woman, then back to Branc as if unsure who was the greater threat. Her eyes landed on her partner.
“What are you standing there for?” she yelled. “Get your ass moving!”
When the male officer didn’t react except to throw a bemused smile her way, she cursed and aimed at Branc. He anticipated her move and dodged the electrified darts, which whooshed past him. I ran forward, and the officer cried out, tripping back. My fingers latched onto her flailing wrist.
She quieted with my hum of compulsion. My heart beat a staccato rhythm as I poured a calming tone into the officer. Branc stepped toward the pale woman, but she picked up a rock and brandished it at him.
“Stand down,” he said in the hand gestures, hums, and clicks of our former underwater home at the Seamount. “We’re here to help.”
“I don’t need your help,” she replied with angry motions. “I’m fine.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Branc muttered in English. To the woman, he said, “You’ll be caught if you don’t keep a low profile, and escaping from the Seamount will have been for nothing. We can take you to a safe place and help you adapt to land.”
I released the female officer, confident she would remain calm for a few minutes. Branc stepped closer to the pale woman. With a grimace of defiance, she lobbed the stone at him. It smacked into his shoulder with a painful-sounding thud, and he grunted.
“What’s going on here?” The male officer said in a dazed voice. He scowled at the scene, rubbing his forehead. “Peterson, why are you just standing there?”
My compulsion was already wearing off. I wasn’t strong enough to hold him. Not for the first time, I cursed my half-siren heritage. I jerked my head at the pale woman.
“Just grab her,” I said to Branc in English. “We don’t have time to play nice. I’ll deal with the officers.”
A pale woman dressed in a dripping kelp dress screeched at the approaching police officers. She bent on wobbly legs and grabbed a rock from the pebbly beach. When the missile flew toward the nearest officer, he ducked and pulled out his taser.
“Easy, now,” he shouted. “No more throwing rocks.”
The female officer edged around the pale woman, who shrieked again and backed down the beach.
“Come on, Lune,” Branc Driftwood said to me, slamming the car door behind him. “Let’s salvage this mess.”
I followed him, pushing my ash-blonde hair out of my face in the early spring breeze that flowed off the ocean. My sturdy boots crunched in the gravel as I strode to keep up with my boss.
“What’s the plan?” I said quietly to him over the woman’s yells. The police hadn’t noticed us yet.
“Do what you do best,” he murmured back, his black eyes flashing at me from his pale, handsome face. “Get the officers to back off, preferably letting us leave with the woman. I’ll calm her down.”
The male police officer noticed us for the first time. He threw us an impatient wave. “Sir, ma’am, you need to back off. Police business.”
Branc glanced at me and jerked his head toward the man. I nodded and approached while Branc stepped toward the female officer. The man put out his hand in a stopping gesture, his eyes flicking between me and the pale woman. He scowled magnificently.
“Back away,” he commanded to me. “This is a dangerous situation.”
I was within three steps of him now. When I looked to the pale woman, his eyes followed mine. Using his distraction, I dived forward. He swung his taser toward me, but I’d already grasped his bicep. I sent a powerful hum into his body.
He transformed from a tense bundle of muscle and frustration to a soft and compliant mass.
“That’s better,” I crooned. “Stay like this for a few minutes while I sort out your friend.”
“Get away from him,” the female officer shouted at me, a panicked note to her voice. She stepped away from Branc’s advance and pointed her taser at him. “And you, back off.”
The pale woman, still irate and wild-eyed, threw a rock at the alert officer. The officer dodged then pointed the taser at the pale woman, then back to Branc as if unsure who was the greater threat. Her eyes landed on her partner.
“What are you standing there for?” she yelled. “Get your ass moving!”
When the male officer didn’t react except to throw a bemused smile her way, she cursed and aimed at Branc. He anticipated her move and dodged the electrified darts, which whooshed past him. I ran forward, and the officer cried out, tripping back. My fingers latched onto her flailing wrist.
She quieted with my hum of compulsion. My heart beat a staccato rhythm as I poured a calming tone into the officer. Branc stepped toward the pale woman, but she picked up a rock and brandished it at him.
“Stand down,” he said in the hand gestures, hums, and clicks of our former underwater home at the Seamount. “We’re here to help.”
“I don’t need your help,” she replied with angry motions. “I’m fine.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Branc muttered in English. To the woman, he said, “You’ll be caught if you don’t keep a low profile, and escaping from the Seamount will have been for nothing. We can take you to a safe place and help you adapt to land.”
I released the female officer, confident she would remain calm for a few minutes. Branc stepped closer to the pale woman. With a grimace of defiance, she lobbed the stone at him. It smacked into his shoulder with a painful-sounding thud, and he grunted.
“What’s going on here?” The male officer said in a dazed voice. He scowled at the scene, rubbing his forehead. “Peterson, why are you just standing there?”
My compulsion was already wearing off. I wasn’t strong enough to hold him. Not for the first time, I cursed my half-siren heritage. I jerked my head at the pale woman.
“Just grab her,” I said to Branc in English. “We don’t have time to play nice. I’ll deal with the officers.”
Like this teaser of Sea Change? Then follow the Kickstarter campaign or pre-order today!