“Ah.” His taut shoulders eased down a little as he finally understood the political undercurrents. “I see.”
“I thought you would. You’ve done a little too good a job terrorizing the Sea Council into obedience, my Voice. I need them to get used to listening to me directly now.” Neridia lifted her chin, looking uncannily like her late father for a moment, and the Master Shark felt an unaccustomed pang somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. “So. You are going on vacation to Shifting Sands Resort. Just for one week. That’s an Imperial order.”
The Master Shark could only go to one knee, bowing to her will. “As you command,
my Empress.”
In his long service to the Pearl Throne, he’d fought krakens, dragons, and even human submarines. He’d united his people and brought them into the Pearl Empire, ending millennia of war between sharks and dragons. With muscle and teeth, cunning and guile, he’d wrestled victory out of the steepest odds.
One week in a land-shifter resort. I can do this. For my Empress.
The Empress fixed him with her penetrating, sea-deep eyes. “And Master Shark? Relax. On your honor, promise me that you’ll at least try to have fun.”
There was no doubt about it. Out of all the services he’d performed for the Pearl Throne over the decades…this was going to be the worst.
Chapter 2
“Wait, I’m getting something…” Hitching her sarong up around her knees, Martha Hernandez clambered up onto one of the tables on the terrace overlooking the pool. Heedless of the curious glances she was getting from the other resort guests, she rotated on the spot, methodically waving her cellphone.
She let out a little yip of triumph as the signal strength flickered from one to two bars. “There! Nita, can you hear me? Hello? Nita!”
From the silence on the other side of the line, Martha was somewhat suspicious that her eldest daughter was considering pretending to be going through a tunnel. Unfortunately, the sounds of Manny and Ximena yelling in the background about wanting popsicles rather gave the game away.
“Tell Ximena there are orange ones, she just needs to look further back in the big freezer,” Martha instructed. “And don’t let Manny have one of the grape ones unless he takes his shirt off first. Those stains just do not come out. Oh! That reminds me, make sure you find an excuse to go over to Roddie’s tonight. Sniff through his laundry for any hint that he’s been fighting the rattlesnakes again. If he crosses the territory line one more time, we’re going to have-”
A deep, aggravated sigh crackled over the phone. “Ma, you are meant to be on vacation.”
The muscle-bound bear shifter behind the bar was eyeballing her as if wondering whether she’d escaped from a secure facility. Martha gave him her best mind-your-own-business-young-man glare over the top of her sunglasses.
“What, being on vacation means I can’t check up on my family?” Martha said into the phone. “I just want to make sure everything’s still all right.”
“Everything is fine, Ma. Just as it was three hours ago when you last called. Will you please just go and relax?”
“Abuela! Abuela!” Ximena yelled from the background. “Manny took the last orange pop! I’m older, tell him he has to give it to me!”
“No! No!” Manny shrieked. “Mine!”
“Oh dear.” Martha clicked her tongue as her grandkids’ howls of outrage shifted into literal howls of outrage. “Put me on speaker, Nita, before someone starts bleeding.”
“No, Ma,” her daughter said, with unaccustomed firmness. “You left me as acting alpha. And anyway, they’re my kids. I’ll sort them out. You are going to enjoy your nice relaxing vacation.”
“I will, honey, I promise. But first just let me-“
“No, Ma. And stop calling home. Do you want us all to think you aren’t enjoying your present? The one that the whole family saved up specially to buy for you, for months and months?”
Part of Martha felt a stab of guilt. The larger part felt admiration at the surgically-precise way her daughter had wielded that edged hint of disappointment.
Maybe she can handle the whole pack in my absence after all.
The thought gave her an odd lump in her throat. She was proud of her daughter for stepping up to the role of acting alpha in her absence, of course…but what if Nita handled it too well?
What if they don’t really need me anymore?
Martha swallowed, forcing brightness into her tone. “Oh, I’m having a wonderful time here. Tell everyone that it’s the best birthday present ever.”
“I will, Ma. Now, you go have a good time. And don’t call again.”
“Love you,” Martha said, but the line had already gone dead.