The Fierce Reads Anthology Read Online Free PDF Page B

don’t you ask your mother?”
    “My mother ?”
    “Ask her where she gets her human treasures. You can’t really believe that she scavenges for them herself.”
    Actually, he did. The idea that his mother knows about—no, encourages —Nalia’s escapades makes his insides catch fire. “This has got to stop,” he says before he can hold it back. Before he can twist the words into something more diplomatic.
    The way her eyes pool into huge drops of water on her face. The way her mouth curves into a soft frown. The way her crossed arms seem to relax into a gentle self-hug, as if she’s trying to hold something in and comfort herself all at the same time. She’s disappointed in him.
    Without another word, she slinks below the surface.
    And he learns something new about Nalia. She is very fast. He cannot keep pace with her, but finds that the best he can do is not get left behind altogether. She moves farther and farther ahead, deflecting the attempts of others who try to greet her. They toss confused looks in his direction as they realize he’s actually chasing her, calling out to her. And she’s ignoring him.
    He can’t imagine the size of the spectacle they’re making, but right now he doesn’t care. He knew they would eventually have their first fight. Triton’s trident, they started out fighting, didn’t they? He knew they couldn’t live in euphoria for their next two hundred years together. But he’d been expecting to argue about silly things first, like who is the better kisser, or what to name their first fingerling. Things that he’d be more than willing to surrender on.
    But this fight is big. It’s not just about her interest in humans and he knows it. It’s about her freedom. And about how much control he’ll have over it once they’re mated. This is not a fight he’s anticipated. He’s always known she is fiercely independent, but he thought he could reason with her, coax her into seeing that there is always more than one point of view to any situation. And maybe he could, if the first words out of his mouth hadn’t sounded like some unbending command.
    He curses under his breath. “Nalia, please stop,” he calls out. “Please.”
    She doesn’t. Already they’ve passed the central hub of Syrena society, and they’re well on their way past the Human Pass, where they were nearly killed. Just one more sandbar and they’ll be close to another human shore altogether.
    He reaches the hump of the last sandbar. And freezes.
    She tries to stop too, but her momentum catches up with her and she slides into the human mine. Hundreds of round metal balls floating above long chains, waiting to be touched, to be set off, to explode. It’s a trap meant to kill humans, but now Nalia, his Nalia, is inside the mess of it, the slightest move of her fin setting the chains swaying haphazardly. There’s barely enough room for her to fit between them, let alone maneuver with any kind of speed. It’s a miracle that she’s still alive, that the wake of her entrance didn’t knock two of the balls together. It will be an even greater miracle to get her out.
    “Don’t move,” he says, terror clutching at his throat like an actual hand. This can’t be happening.
    She nods, eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “This is my fault.”
    “I’m going to get you out,” he tells her, but he has no idea how.
    “Grom. Don’t come any closer. Get away.”
    He eases forward. “Be still.”
    “If you come any closer I’ll set them off on purpose.”
    “Nalia. Don’t be stupid. I can help.”
    “This is how it’s going to work. You’re going to swim in that direction until I can’t see you anymore. Then I’m going to get myself out of here.”
    He crosses his arms. “You’ve lost your mind if you think I’m leaving.”
    “There’s no point in both of us…Just go. I can get out. But I can’t concentrate with you so close to—just go. Please .”
    They both hear it at the same time. Two