It wouldn’t be the first time.
It was then that he heard the voices. Lovely, feminine, musical voices that spoke in hushed tones all around him. Soft hands reached out to touch him, cascading along the hard muscles of his arms, his torso, and his lower legs. When his vision finally cleared, he spotted the source.
A dozen women surrounded him as he lay on a rocky beach, each one more painfully beautiful than the next. They stared at him as if he were an oddity in a museum, their wide eyes taking in the sharp angles of his face.
“It’s a man,” one of them whispered reverently. The others nodded eagerly and pressed in for a better look.
Leo’s lips twitched in a surprised grin. He wasn’t quite sure if he’d died and gone to heaven, but if so, he wasn’t complaining. Sitting up, he gave the ladies his patented dazzling smile, flashing his dimples. They giggled and reached out to touch his cheeks.
“Hello, ladies.” He chuckled as one of them tugged at the wet remains of his white button down shirt, popping off two buttons. “Would one of you mind telling me where I am?”
“Aestus,” said a dark beauty with mesmerizing brown eyes. “The kingdom of mermaids.”
He wrinkled his brow. That name didn’t ring a bell. Not that he always paid attention during dull political meetings, but he could’ve sworn he’d at least heard of all the supernatural kingdoms. Most were extremely small and governed by a single type of magical creature. Monstrana was an anomaly, a mixture of almost every sort of supernatural and ruled by both werewolves and vampires.
“Did you say mermaids?”
Leo rubbed his eyes and peered at the women again, realizing that not one of them had feet. The lower half of their bodies were like that of a powerful fish. Luminescent scales of every color glistened in the sun like precious jewels.
He’d never seen a mermaid up close. One of the ancient books in Viktor’s library had a sketch. He’d stumbled upon it one very dull afternoon. But that creature had been haggard and gross, like a fish left out too long in the sun. These mermaids, he’d take any day.
The women started running their hands over him again and sighing in awe. He tilted his face to the sun, relishing in the attention. Rodrigo was never going to believe this. He’d always preached that his gambling sessions would come to ruin, but look at him now.
Leo leaned forward suddenly, realization filling his head. A poker game. That had been the start of all this. Memories of last night came rushing back too quickly for him to make sense of it all. He remembered feeling pain on his head. Smelling rotten fish. The gentle rocking of a boat. And thick hands that grasped his struggling form.
Ogres!
The ogres had planted his feet in cement and then tossed him overboard. He’d passed out at the bottom of the sea, knowing no one would ever find him. But someone had. A lovely young woman with an oval face and flowing black hair. He could still feel the lingering touch of her fingers caressing his cheek.
“I need to contact my brother,” Leo said, pushing himself to his feet. The mermaids sighed and giggled. “Let him know I’m okay. He’ll be worried about me.”
No one answered his plea, so he looked around for assistance. A place with a telephone. Anywhere to send a message. But as far as he could see, the rocky beach curved endlessly in a barren landscape. Behind him stood a small cropping of weather-beaten trees. More sea water winked through the small spaces between them.
“Is this an island?” He walked up the coast and peered as far as he could see. Only water, rocky shore, and more water. “This has been a thrill, ladies, but how am I supposed to get home?”
“You don’t.” A handsome woman with long, graying dark hair approached him on human legs. She wore a knee-length shimmering red dress that seemed to flow with her every move.
Leo eyed her suspiciously. He couldn’t tell if she was another mermaid or not, but he didn’t like anyone telling him what to do. Suddenly, being stranded on an island full of beautiful women was beginning to lose its appeal.
“I don’t know what you think is going on here, but I am a Prince of Monstrana. You cannot hold me against my will.”
“We will, until we can figure out what to do with you.” The woman paused to look him over, placing a hand on her hip. Her eyes trailed up to his face, disappointment apparent in their dark irises. “This is a vampire? I expected more.”
“More?” Leo huffed and then flashed his fangs. The mermaids laying on the shore hummed with excitement. “Is that what you expected?”
“Hmm.” The woman shrugged, her lips twisted in an indifferent frown.
Again, Leo huffed. He wasn’t exactly the type to run around in a cape and show off his fangs, but this was an affront to vampires everywhere. They should be terrified of him. Running for their lives. Or swimming. He’d take what he could get.
“Fine.” He readied his feet for a charge. “I’ll show you what a vampire can do.”
He lunged forward at a dizzying speed, reaching out for the woman with both arms extended, his fangs trained on her elegant neck. He’d never drink from her, but he wanted to prove his point. That he was a presence to be reckoned with. They’d messed with the wrong man.
It was then with great confusion that he found himself lying flat on his back with a jagged clam shell pressed tight against his jugular. Blinking up at the woman standing over him, he swallowed and grasped at the pebbles beneath him.
“I know this weapon won’t really hurt you,” she said between clenched teeth, shoving her knee into his stomach. “But try something like that again, and next time it’ll be a wooden dagger. Do you understand?”
Leo nodded, adrenaline coursing through his body. The only person who’d ever taken him down like that was his brother. He’d had no idea that mermaids were such warriors. His appreciation for the stunningly beautiful race turned ice cold as he thought about the dozen or so other women on the beach. Did they all possess such skill? And how many more waited off land in the water?