My bride.

Elyssa’s throat went dry. Never had she been so powerfully desired by a dominant male. She simply nodded.

Kadir straightened. “To the docks.”

He moved her in a post-kiss dreamy haze toward the SUV.

“Hold it!” Aya grabbed Elyssa’s other hand to stop her. “You still need to sign the paperwork. And before you disappear into the ocean, don’t you want to tell your parents?”

Of course! Oh, god. Elyssa shook herself. “Yes. Sorry. I have to do that.”

“We’ll meet you at the dock tomorrow.” Aya tugged Elyssa free from the mer king. “In the morning. After Elyssa and I have had a long discussion about her new role. See you then.”

Kadir’s jaw clenched and released. He conferenced with his warriors and finally, angrily, spoke to Elyssa. “Come at the dawn.”

His taste remained on her wet lips. She nodded again.

He accepted her promise, gathered his warriors into the company SUVs, and was driven away.

Elyssa rocked back on her heels. Excitement bubbled in her chest. This was crazy. So crazy.

Aya stared after them. A shadow crossed her face.

Behind Aya, Chastity Angel glared with anger. She turned on her heel and tapped away.

Elyssa tempered her excitement. “Paperwork?”

Aya cleared her throat. “Yes. It’s this way.” She looked down at her tight, red bathing suit and grimaced. “Let me change.”

In a private backstage room, Elyssa was interviewed by the reality TV crew about what had happened. Hopefully, her dreams and hopes would make a good sound byte and encourage more women to join the next pageant. The crew would follow her to the dock tomorrow and get their final footage for next week’s exciting worldwide broadcast.

Then, she joined Aya and read through stacks of contracts.

Due to the secrecy of trying to prevent rivals from stealing away the mermen, only the highest levels of HR directors and lawyers had attended the bride contract meetings. Even so, Elyssa had managed to weasel out the main details from Aya. It was strange to read them in black and white.

She was to donate her share of Sea Opals to Van Cartier Cosmetics, where they would be used to develop life-saving medicines and health products. She’d receive a percentage of any profits after they passed clinical trials. In the event their scientists figured out how to synthesize the healing properties right away, the gemstones made amazing jewelry, and she’d get a percentage of those sales.

Kadir guaranteed Elyssa’s safety in Atlantis. She would meet with Aya on a surface platform nearby — in the middle of the Atlantic — once a month to make sure she was still alive. That support ceased after two years unless Kadir provided a second shipment of Sea Opals.

So, Elyssa’s new job was to make sure Kadir wanted a queen for longer than two years. This was only the starter package.

His kiss tasted like a thigh-squeezing promise of forever.

Elyssa lounged on the hard wooden floor behind Aya’s privacy screen and filled out the forms. At the dressing table on the other side, Aya mixed an industrial cocktail to scrub off the waterproof makeup. The quiet was companionable, like back in school, when they worked on group projects.

Chastity Angel entered the room.

An icy chill of air conditioning wafted in with her. She faced off against Aya silently for several moments. They were like two cats hissing with hackles raised.

Elyssa peeked out from behind the screen. Did Chastity Angel know she was here? It didn’t matter. She was coming to discipline her only daughter. Whether Aya was twelve or twenty-eight, this was always the same.

Chastity Angel picked up Aya’s lipstick tube. “Checkmate. Do you know who designed this color? I did. And I designed it to hold up under pressure.” She set it down with a click. “At least some of the things I’ve produced don’t disappoint me.”

Aya flinched. “The king was leaving. He meant it.”

“And what if he did? A president can’t so easily yield control. ”

“I still have full control of—”

“No, you handed the entire project to a woman whose greatest honor was winning a T-shirt competition!”

Chastity Angel’s rising voice echoed in the silent room. Elyssa hugged her elbows. A clock ticked loudly.

“The fate of your great-grandmother’s company will now be decided by a woman who cannot follow my simple instructions to stay home, stay out of sight, and avoid causing an incident.”

Aya’s voice also rose. “That was—”

“He was right in front of you. You let him get away. You pushed that mediocre, useless—”

“He chose her! Out of a hundred of your ‘highly qualified’ contestants, King Kadir chose Elyssa. That is no coincidence. Her instincts with mermen are exceptional. She funded Lucy’s expedition and was present for the final events. She should have been involved with this pageant from the start.”

Elyssa’s chest glowed. Aya always defended her.

“The male chose her because you let him. You are not a natural beauty, Aya, but today, your ugliness embarrassed me.”

The clock ticked loudly again. Aya turned white.

It just wasn’t fair.

Elyssa jumped to her feet and stomped out from behind the screen. “She wasn’t ugly. She was beautiful. And it’s not her fault Kadir chose me. It’s mine.”

Chastity Angel’s fury froze Elyssa. “It is your fault. All you’ve ever done is ruin Aya’s—”

“Stop it!” Aya flew from her seat. “Just stop. Mother. I promise you that whatever happens, I will take full responsibility.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Losing our competitive advantage with the Sea Opals will destroy us.”

Aya’s lips tightened.

“Fail with this project, Aya, and you will no longer be my daughter.”

Chastity Angel left.

Aya took a huge breath and let it out. Her shoulders slumped. She sat and rested her head in her hands.

Elyssa ached to go to her and enfold her in a comforting hug. But in this one way, Aya was truly the daughter of Chastity Angel. She would stiffen and try to pretend the argument hadn’t bothered her at all.

Elyssa returned behind the screen to give Aya a few moments to get a hold of herself. Anyway, she knew better than to speak up. Chastity Angel only turned more vicious. It was usually better to take the abuse, remain silent, and weather out the storm.

Not much had changed over all these years. Elyssa wasn’t any good, and Aya always had to try harder.

In junior high, Aya and Elyssa worked on a Sea Opal observation project for their private school science fair. Van Cartier Cosmetics scientists showed them the rare, valuable gems with unusual medicinal properties. They were supposed to write down the size, shape, and other observations for their simple report, but Elyssa noticed the gems seemed to brighten when held by certain people. Herself and Aya were two of the “brighter” ones.

She told Aya, and Aya told the scientists. It became a huge deal, not only within the company and the school, but internationally. Certain people “resonated” more with the Sea Opals. They also experienced the most healing effects.

Aya’s mother kept saying that Aya had made the discovery alone. Aya doggedly insisted that she and Elyssa made the discovery together. Then, one day, Aya’s mother visited Elyssa’s parents.

“It would be better for all involved if you would tell Aya you don’t care about the credit,” CEO Chastity Angel Van Cartier told thirteen-year-old Elyssa, in front of her parents. “Aya needs this for her future. She’s going to be president. We all know you will never do anything important.”

Her parents dismissed Elyssa to have a private adult talk. At the end of their talk, Elyssa’s step mom received a promotion, her dad received a new golf membership, and Elyssa received a pony.

Yep. Her family had been bought.

Aya stopped correcting reporters about the resonance discovery. Elyssa’s name dropped from articles, and journalists stopped trying to interview her. At school, Aya entered advanced classes. Their secret club, the Unicorn Mermaid Girls, disbanded. They saw each other less and less.

What if Elyssa’s parents had held firm and insisted their girls share the credit?

Maybe they could have had the advanced classes together. Maybe Elyssa could have gone to Harvard and Yale too. Maybe the Unicorn Mermaid Girls could have stayed together, instead of one launching so far and the other watching in awe at the star trails she left behind.

Or, so Aya had confessed to Elyssa a few months ago when they banded together at the end of Lucy’s expedition to take down the rogue company agent threatening her and the other mermen.

“We’ll start a new division of the company,” Aya told Elyssa in the helicopter. “It will be Sea Opal Acquisitions. I’ll be president and you can do merman recruitment.”

Elyssa had laughed. Spending time recruiting the sexy, beautifully tattooed mermen? Sign her up. “Do you think they have merman college job fairs?”

“If not, you’ll have to start one.”

But that had not happened. Aya didn’t control the company. Her mother and the board of directors did. Aya couldn’t invent a division just because the two of them made starry-eyed plans over the pristine Gulf of Mexico. She couldn’t even get Elyssa an official invitation to the pageant. The best she could do was sneak Elyssa in.

This time, rather than letting their parents divide them, they had to succeed together and prove Chastity Angel wrong.

Elyssa carried out her contracts. “I won’t let you down”

Aya dropped her hands and forced a tired smiled. “Of course you won’t. Don’t ever think that. All signed?”

Elyssa set the thick packet on the clean dresser.

Aya stared at the first page for an unnaturally long time.

This had to be so hard. Aya’s contract was probably already signed in triplicate. Now she was forced to read over another woman’s, even though that other woman happened to be Elyssa.

“Aya?” Elyssa touched Aya’s arm. It was cold. “I’m sorry we couldn’t both be chosen.”

She straightened, flustered. “What? No, I was thinking. Excuse me.” She put on her reading glasses and lifted the papers.

Elyssa wanted to reach out again, but she curled her fingers to give Aya the space she needed. “You worked so hard on this pageant. You deserved to win.”

Aya let out an exhale. She removed her reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Just because you work hard doesn’t mean you’ll succeed. You also have to have the right skill set. Kadir almost left today without selecting a bride. That’s why I asked you to come.”

What? So Aya knew he would choose Elyssa? “You planned this?”

“Not this. But you’re good with people. Much better than I am.”

Again, Elyssa wanted to pull her into a hug. She rubbed Aya’s arm. “You’re good with people.”

Aya looked away. “You’re the only one who would say that.”

Elyssa rubbed warmth into her cousin’s smooth skin. Aya had been the founder of the Unicorn Mermaid Girls. She surely wanted to be chosen today too. Who wouldn’t? It was bad luck that Elyssa had stumbled in at exactly the moment Kadir was also backstage. Yeah. It was a coincidence that she had stumbled, and then Kadir had been forced to catch her, and then he chose her because they had touched.

“You’re great with people,” Elyssa said because it was true. Aya was a leader. She organized the pageant and managed the whole company as vice president. “That can’t be why you asked me to come today.”

“If Kadir tried to leave without a bride, I wanted you in the wings. I was going to throw you at him like a big ball of rubber bands and glue. You would keep him immobilized while I executed my contingency plans. By the end of the pageant, at least, I expected to know his type.”

A big ball of rubber bands and glue. Heh. “Sounds messy.”

“It sounds harmless and endearing, which is what you are. And I mean that in the best way. You did once stuff fifteen marshmallows in your cheeks and sing ‘Baby Beluga’ so we could win unicorn T-shirts in the lunch relay.”

Elementary school memories. They had painted on mermaids riding the unicorns. Elyssa had run across the old T-shirt in her scrapbook only yesterday.

Aya thumped the contract packet. “But I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Oh. Despite how she’d defended Elyssa to Chastity Angel, Aya also thought Elyssa wasn’t capable.

She swallowed back her disappointment. “I’ll try my best.”

“I know you will,” Aya said patiently. “If anyone’s going to make this work, it’s going to be you. No, the problem is, we don’t know what’s really down there.” She tapped her reading glasses against the dresser. “Atlantis is a rebel city. It has unique problems, and apparently, it’s considered anathema by the ‘All-Council’ ruling body. I can’t even predict what might go wrong.”

The thought Elyssa couldn’t be queen had never crossed Aya’s mind. Elyssa’s heart swelled. She straightened her shoulders. “I think it will be okay.”

“Name me one real life first-contact story that ends well.”

“Sacajawea married a real, live English guy.”

“She died of smallpox in England.” Aya’s eyes widened with sudden realization. “Do they have underwater diseases? You’re not resistant. How will we handle medical evacuations?” She held her head and stared into space.

Another it’s-midnight-and-our-project-isn’t-perfect-yet freak out. How nostalgic. “You already thought of all this, right? At least twenty times?”

“But I thought of it was when it was other people. People I didn’t know. Not you.”

“Hey. I’ll be alright.” Elyssa grabbed Aya’s shoulders. Aya flinched but endured the contact. “It’s like you said. This is our chance! As soon as they accept me, I’ll demand that they invite you. We’ll be mermaid queens together. Just like we always dreamed.”

Of course, that dream was from before mermen were real, and before Aya became vice president.

But her dreamy, hopeful cousin was still inside. The sharp, cold business executive who accomplished great things hadn’t killed her dead. Yet.

Aya nodded slowly.

“Okay.” Elyssa squeezed Aya in a soft hug. She couldn’t help herself. “Enough doubts. This is going to be great. In one month, I’m going to be the most amazing queen.”

Aya’s shoulders remained stiff, as Elyssa had predicted. She couldn’t accept comfort. She was always the strong one. “Please be careful.”

“Of course. I’ve got people skills.”

Aya snorted and Elyssa released her. Her eyes were red but she gripped the packet with new determination. “I’ve got no choice but to believe you.”

“That’s right.” Elyssa grinned.

Her cousin started reading the packet with a small smile on her face. Good. Aya felt better. Mission accomplished.

Now, Elyssa just had to talk herself into believing everything she said was true.