Mike swallowed down the wave of nausea that churned in his stomach. That damn portal should come with a warning label that said ‘Intense, swirling colors may cause nausea and disorientation’. He took a deep breath when he felt Marina’s hand on his back.

“I’m okay,” he muttered, taking another deep breath and slowly straightening.

“The Sea King,” Marina murmured.

“Oh shit,” Mike said, freezing when he saw that they weren’t alone. Not only were they not alone, they were surrounded by a large group of people. He rolled his shoulders, wincing when he felt his stomach twist in protest for a moment. “Marina…”

“I know,” she responded in a soft voice. She wiped the dampness from her cheeks and turned until she was facing the tall figure standing on the platform above them. “Your Majesty, I beg forgiveness for intruding on you without warning, but my people need your help.”

“Detective Hallbrook?!” a startled feminine voice said.

“Shit, she is here!” Mike whispered, staring at the redhead standing next to the man on the platform. “Jenny Ackerly.”

“Who are you?” the male demanded as he stepped in front of Jenny.

“Your Majesty, please… I beg a moment of your time. I am Marina Fae, a witch from the Isle of Magic. Our visit here came at a… at a great cost. Please, we need your help,” Marina said.

Mike saw a tear slowly slip down Marina’s cheek. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. His sharp gaze met that of the man watching them.

“My name is Mike Hallbrook. We must speak with you about an urgent matter,” he added, shifting everyone’s attention to him when he sensed that Marina needed a moment to contain her grief.

Personally, Mike didn’t give a damn who the man was as long as he could help them. He could feel Marina tremble under his touch. Something had happened as they were leaving. He’d heard Marina’s strangled cry and saw everything changing around them as the colors intensified.

“Kapian, clear the room,” the Sea King ordered.

Mike watched as another man stepped forward. He heard the doors open behind him and the excited voices of people as they filed out of the room. He turned his gaze to the woman slowly descending the steps. It was obvious from the smothered curse of the king that he wasn’t happy about her decision.

“Jenny,” the Sea King growled in exasperation.

“It’s okay, Orion. Detective Hallbrook is not a threat,” Jenny said.

Mike waited until she stopped in front of him. He released Marina and reached for Jenny’s extended hand. She held it for a moment, studying his expression.

“You really are here,” she breathed.

“Yes. We need the Sea King’s help and that of a man named Drago. It is important,” Mike replied.

“Orion, I think we should have this discussion somewhere more comfortable,” Jenny said, releasing Mike’s hand and looking with concern at Marina’s distraught face.

Orion’s lips twisted in disapproval. “You are from my wife’s world,” he stated more than asked.

“Yes,” Mike replied, gripping the other man’s hand in a tight handshake.

“How did you get here?” he demanded.

“It is a long story but a very interesting one,” Mike replied.

Orion gazed intently at Mike, trying to read him, and must have been satisfied with what he saw. The other man gave a brief nod and released his hand.

“I look forward to hearing it. But know this—Jenny stays here. If you try to take her back with you, I will kill you,” Orion warned.

Mike raised an eyebrow at the threat. “My job is to find her and make sure she is safe. It is up to her if she wishes to stay,” he replied with a shrug.

Orion nodded. “Follow me.”

Mike wrapped his arm around Marina’s waist again. She leaned against him and sniffed. They waited until Orion and Jenny were several steps ahead before following them. The man Orion called Kapian followed at a slight distance behind them.

“What happened?” Mike quietly asked.

Marina drew in a deep breath before releasing it in a shuddering sigh. She wiped at the fresh tears that escaped. Concerned, he wished they could stop for a moment so he could hold her.

“Grandmother… gave us the last of her magic. She… she has passed on to the next life,” she said in a halting voice.

Regret flashed through him. Uncaring of what Orion or the others thought, he stopped and pulled Marina into his arms, holding her tightly against him. Pressing his lips to the top of her head, he gently rubbed her back.

“I have lost so many of my family. When will this ever stop?” she choked out.

“Soon. We’ll convince this Sea King and Drago to help us. We’ll free your brothers and parents. I won’t stop until they are free,” Mike promised.

He lifted his gaze and he stared intently at Orion. The other man had turned to see why they stopped. The grim expression on Orion’s face and the one of compassion on Jenny’s told him that they had overheard Marina’s impassioned, choked plea.

Marina trembled before she took a deep breath and composed herself. Mike tenderly wiped the dampness from her cheeks with his thumbs and leaned forward to brush a light, gentle kiss across her lips. She gave him a wavering smile of thanks. Turning to look at Orion and Jenny, she briefly bowed her head.

“My apologies, your Majesties,” she said.

“No apologies are necessary. It is I who should apologize.” Orion looked at the man standing quietly behind them. “Kapian, send a message to Drago. Tell him the time has come. He will understand. This time, we will not stop until my cousin is vanquished.”

“Right away, your Majesty. I will also assemble an elite team of warriors,” Kapian stated before he turned on his heel and strode off.

Mike watched the man named Kapian disappear down the long corridor. He turned back to Orion and Jenny. Jenny had walked over to grasp Marina’s hand.

“I can’t wait to hear how you met Detective Hallbrook and how he ended up here,” Jenny said with a smile.

“Call me Mike. I have to admit I’m a little curious as well. Do you know if Carly Tate is here?” Mike asked.

Jenny nodded. “Oh yes. She is married to Drago,” she said with a huge grin.

“Let us retire to a more comfortable area to discuss what has happened,” Orion suggested, wrapping his arm around Jenny’s waist.

“Thank you,” Mike replied.

* * *

“I guess you’ve been searching for me in addition to Carly since I disappeared,” Jenny said as she handed a drink to Mike.

“Yeah. I have to admit this has been one of the strangest events of my life,” Mike said.

“Tell me about it! If anyone had ever told me that I would end up in a magical world and fall for a merman, I’d have pointed them to the nearest door or maybe a psych ward,” Jenny replied, sitting down in the chair across from him.

His eyes strayed to where Marina and Orion were quietly talking. He could hear their conversation and understood that the Sea King wanted to hear what had happened over the past year. His stomach clenched as Marina shared the horrors of trying to keep herself and the group of children safe.

“So, is he really the Sea King? I mean, is it just a name or is he really a… you know….” Mike waved his hand as if he was swimming.

“Yes, he really is a merman,” Jenny replied, looking over at Orion with an expression that showed her love for the man. “So am I, now.”

Mike turned back to look at Jenny with a startled look. “He turned you into a mermaid?” he asked in surprise.

“Well, my legs don’t change into a tail; but yes, I can swim and breathe under the water like a mermaid just as Carly can change into a dragon and fly,” Jenny said with a grin, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yesterday, one of her kids came down with a cold, and Drago insisted that they return home, or you would have met them today.”

Mike took a deep swallow of his drink before he lowered the glass to the table. Mermaids, dragons, witches, Hellhounds, ogres, and the list just kept growing. He studied Jenny’s glowing features as she bent over to pick up the infant lying in the bassinet who had begun to fuss.

He didn’t need to ask if she was happy here. The contented smile on her lips was more than enough of an answer. From the little she had mentioned of Carly, it would appear the other missing woman was just as happy.

He moved his gaze to where Marina was standing near the balcony doors. A warm glow spread through his body. He now realized the attraction he was feeling for Marina was deeper than infatuation. He was falling in love with her.

“Do you think Orion will help us?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Jenny nodded, glancing at Orion as he listened to Marina with a tight expression. “Yes,” she replied in a confident tone. “Yes. He knows Magna is his responsibility. He told me that she changed years ago when they were teenagers. He doesn’t understand why, but he realizes that it is his responsibility to stop her.”

“I wasn’t going to ask, but well… This world is so different from ours. How do you know for sure you would be happy here?” Mike asked.

His gaze remained on Marina. Her expression relaxed, and she nodded as she listened to Orion. He could see the relief in her eyes and some of the tension fade from her body.

“Do we ever really know until we try?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, this world is different, but falling in love and having a family is the same—as long as you can get over the fact that your new in-laws may be mermaids, dragons, witches, or even monsters, that is. I couldn’t imagine ever returning to our world—especially now,” Jenny replied, looking down at her daughter. “I belong here. What about you? I see the way you look at Marina and the way she looks at you. Life is very different for people here. Someone like Orion could never survive in our world. It would be too dangerous.”

“I honestly never even thought of Marina coming to our world. Hell, I still don’t understand how I got here,” Mike admitted.

“Magna was instrumental in my being here. The day after I talked to you, I returned to Yachats State Park to search for clues regarding Carly’s disappearance. I didn’t find anything, of course. I had made up my mind that it was time to let go.” She shook her head and turned to look over at Orion. “I’ve always loved the water. I walked down to the beach and, a short time later, I heard Dolph, Orion’s oldest son, laughing.” She turned to look back at Mike, a soft smile curved her lips. “He later said he had just about given up on finding a fiery-haired woman to be his mother when he spotted me walking along the beach. When he ran into the water, I followed. I was afraid he would drown. The next thing I knew, I was in this world,” she finished.

“Do you know if there is a way back?” Mike asked.

Jenny shrugged. “I suppose if there is a way here, there is a way back. Carly told me that she was hiking along the trail when she got caught in a thunderstorm. There was a crack in the side of the mountain that opened into what looked like a small cave. She squeezed through it. The next thing she knew, she had stumbled onto Drago’s hoard of treasure.” Jenny chuckled and shook her head. “Carly is the only person I know who could end up in a cave filled with gold and only see the dragon. She told me that Drago told her to pick her treasure wisely and didn’t know what to think when she asked if she could keep him.”

“Do you think the Sea Witch had anything to do with Carly being here?” Mike asked.

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what to think of the woman. It is like she has two different personalities. One part of her is good, she helped Juno at one point, while another part of her is pure evil,” she said.

“I will help Marina and her people. If Drago is going to help, he will be here by dawn,” Orion said.

“Remember what Nali said,” Jenny warned.

Orion nodded. “I remember. That is why I am sending requests to the other rulers as well,” he said.

“Other rulers?” Mike asked, confused.

Marina came over and sat down in the chair next to Mike. She still gripped Mr. Bow tightly in her hands. Mike leaned over and took one of her hands in his.

“The Sea King is going to ask for help from the King of the Giants, the Empress of the Monsters, the Pirate King, and the Elementals,” Marina explained.

“The Empress of the Monsters…. I can’t wait to see who else shows up,” Mike repeated with a shake of his head.