Diary of a Radical Mermaid by Deborah Smith Read Free Book Online

to enthrall is as potent as his power to destroy.”
    “Jordan ordered me to leave Sainte’s Point before Rhymer gets here with Orion’s daughters. But I’m not leaving. He can’t make me. And neither can you. Please.”
    She looked down at me kindly. “I don’t expect you to desert the man you love.”
    “I never said I loved Jordan—”
    “In fact, I have important work for you to do here.”
    I gaped at her. “Ah hah,” I said slowly. “You gave the go-ahead on my computer diary, but in return I have to grant you a favor. You planned it that way.”
    She laughed. “Of course.”
    I sighed. “All right. I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me stay.”
    “I’ll speak to Jordan. He’ll compromise. You’ll be safe enough.”
    I leapt up. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
    “Not so fast. I have a job for you to do. You can only stay if you do it well. Do it well, and the Council will clear your record. The Donald Trump incident will be erased.”
    “Your wish is my command!”
    “I’ve found a Floater I want to contact. She doesn’t know she’s a Mer yet. She needs to know, to be schooled. She’s perfect for Rhymer. Without her, Rhymer won’t stand a chance against Orion. He has the courage, and he has the strength, but he doesn’t have the faith in humanity. She does. If Orion’s innocent, she will keep Rhymer from killing him.” Lilith pointed a long, beautiful finger at me. “Her name’s Molly Revere. Your job, Juna Lee, is to get her here, keep her here, and bring her and Rhymer together.”
    I smiled. I was the matchmaking queen of four continents. I’d hooked up more couples than U-Haul. “Is that it? That’s all you want? I have to drag some Floater babe here?” Floaters were Mers without the webbed feet, and most were either ignorant or in denial about their Mer heritage. “I have to clue her about her inner mermaid, then make sure Rhymer heads straight for her inner with his outie? That’s all I have to do? And in return you’ll clear my name with the Council and let me stay here to help Jordan battle Frankenfin?”
    Lilith gazed at me patiently. “It won’t be as easy as you think.”
    I laughed. “Oh, yes it will.”
    Clueless, thy name is Juna Lee.
     
     

Molly Revere, Reluctant Mermaid Chapter 8
    My name is Molly Martha Revere, and on the day destiny came calling I was being stalked by ducks. Not that I hadn’t been stalked by ducks — and other adoring small animals — before, but never in the lobby of one of the South’s most elegant hotels, where I was about to autograph books for five hundred of my fans. I had just stepped out of the lobby’s art deco elevators. The crowd broke into thunderous applause. My publisher’s escort team edged closer around me. I peered between the brawny shoulders of my security guards down a red carpet roped off for my procession to a signing table set up in front of the lobby’s grand fountain. The aisle was lined by people on the sides — and ducks in the middle.
    The last of the dozen mallards hopped off the wide ledge of the lobby’s fabulous, mosaic-tiled fountain. Flicking water from their tail feathers, the ducks marched up a red carpet meant for me, their dark eyes enchanted.
    Go back, sweeties. Shoo. Go back to the fountain. Agggh.
    No duck luck. They quacked louder and kept me in their sights.
    “The ducks are caught up in M.M. Revere’s magic!” someone yelled. “They’re sending out a welcome committee!” The Peabody’s chandeliered lobby echoed with laughter. The ducks kept coming. The legendary Peabody Hotel of Memphis, Tennessee, had been, until that day, a glamorous showcase for the disciplined pet mallards.
    Now I was responsible for their rebellion. I felt like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
    No. Go back. Please, please, my little feathered friends, turn around and go back.
    Sometimes when I aimed a thought at my animal fans, they seemed to hear it and obey. Not that I believed I had psychic powers. I was