“Holter and Nico gave me their money.”

  “Oh right. You have an account in the Veiled City?”

  Holter nods.

  Eros takes out his block, his fingers moving over the screen. “Good. I transfer mine too.”

  “Oh, for the love of . . . No!” my Little Krill belts out.

  “What?” Eros’s dark brows dart up. “That’s the way it works here. When we mate, everything we own becomes yours.”

  Holter laughs. “She was just telling us that there is something expensive she would like to buy.”

  “Well, what is it?” Eros asks.

  “I want to buy my uncle out of the farm and pay my dad enough to hire a farm manager so he can take a day off.”

  “Hell, yeah. That ass is a prick. Your uncle, not your father; sorry, Sunshine. Let’s do it.” Eros rubs his hands together and plops down on the sofa next to Holter. “You’re using your mug!”

  “I love my mug, thank you.” She takes a sip out of the yellow monstrosity with the sun on the side. The sun has a smiling face. I want to punch the cup in its smiling lips. No, I want to punch Eros in his. He’s got his block out again.

  “What are you doing?” Annabelle asks.

  “I’m contacting a friend of mine over in Koralli. They buy and sell land all over the world. He can help us out,” Eros says.

  “Are you sure?” She takes another sip from the huge mug.

  “Absolutely!” Eros gets up and trots over the counter.

  “And my dad won’t know where the money came from?”

  “No. Is that a problem?” Eros cocks his head.

  She purses her lips. It’s a problem, but she’s trying not to make it one. “I know my uncle. He’s going to want to know where the money came from so he can get a bigger slice of the pie.”

  “Too much pie is never a good thing. It can hurt you,” Holter muses.

  “I know that, you know that, but my uncle definitely doesn’t know that.”

  Eros gives me an intense look. His head rises slowly. I’ve had my suspicions about him for years, but I don’t know exactly what he’s been doing. There are lots of rumors. There are always lots of rumors about everything and everyone. I’d rather have the man taken care of than paid off. Annabelle has told me twice that I can’t do this like I want to. And I will take her wishes into account. Even though I don’t want to.

  Eros lifts his block. “Kronus. He says he can make the transaction happen this week. He’s reaching out to your uncle with the completed contracts.”

  “That quickly? We just talked about it.”

  “You want it to happen?”

  “Yes, it’s just that . . . how?”

  “It’s what his family does. They own land all over the world. This is a small transaction, considering what they do all the time. He’s offering him 1.5 million, which is above market for the size of the farm, but not enough to make him suspicious about why the offer is coming in.”

  “Okay.” She turns to me. “Tell him to do it.”

  Eros types and sends it. “He’ll be getting back to us soon.”

  “You trust this Kronus?”

  She asked Eros, but I answer. “Yes. Kronus and his brother sailed with me, with us, for two years before they went to work for their family.” There’s more to the story, but it’s not mine to tell.

  “Okay. I’m sure this is the right thing. Get my dad the help he needs and get him out from underneath the tyrant. Russell Strickland can be out of our lives forever.”

  I grunt a sigh. I want to put Russell Strickland out of his life forever.

  “Good. It’s done. Now you can transfer the rest of the money out of my name.”

  “Belle. We could, but by law it’s yours, so it doesn’t matter where it is. I don’t get why this is important to you.” Holter tugs her over the sofa to him.

  “I didn’t earn that money. It was your mother’s. It’s all you have left of her.”

  “No, Belle. No. We have the compassion she had with Alder. He poured all her love into us.”

  I stare at Holter. When I was his commander on the Centauri, I had to spend so much time not thinking of him as my brother. He was on both sides of our brotherhood for years. I couldn’t treat him differently. And maybe Alder showed my mother’s love for us, but it watered Holter, made him grow, while I only became damp. Maybe someday I’ll be able to take the time to pull the net apart and repair it. But I’m not there yet. There are too many holes. Too many frayed ropes.

  “Oh,” Annabelle says as she flings herself at Holter and then me. Eros joins in. But it’s my back he’s patting. He’s patting me on the back. Like I might need comfort. I lift and tilt my neck to him and glare at his hand, willing him to back the hell up.

  He gives me one more sharp slap to the back. “We should totally buy our own omada, though.”

  “Hey there, mister.” Annabelle pokes me. “You never answered my question. What are you going to do?”

  “I guess we’re going omada shopping.”

  “Not today. I mean, like other days?”

  I shrug. Because I don’t know what I’m going to do. What does any military male do when they are done being in charge?

  31

  ANNABELLE

  I wonder if buying an omada is like buying a car at home. I still remember the dread of going to the used car dealership with my dad. The way he haggled for hours.

  Holter opens the back door of our loaner for me.

  “Wait, can’t I ride in the front seat?” I glance up at Holter.

  “Sure.” His blue eyes sparkle. Somehow, he’s become the de facto driver of our pod. Neither Eros nor Holter want Nico to drive, and the skin on his ankles is still dry and red. I don’t think he should drive either. Or pilot, as they call it.

  I slide into the front seat, but Holter doesn’t close the door. Instead, he reaches over my lap and buckles me in.

  The traffic is heavy with lots of different omadas and solos zipping through. There are other styles of vehicles too. Omadas pulling cargo containers zip lower to the ground. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drive—pilot—here. Changing my way of thinking from two dimensional to three is going to take a lot of work. Although before, I couldn’t handle one human boyfriend and now I have three mates. It’s a lot to keep up with.

  “Do you want me to point out parts of the city?”

  “I’d love that. Thank you.”

  Holter’s eyes twinkle at me, and I shiver. My angel does something to me.

  “What are you thinking about? Whatever it is, keep it up,” Eros whispers into my ear. “I’ll just be back here with Mister Crabs-in-his-Pants.”

  “I don’t have crabs in my pants,” Nico barks.

  “That’s what he used to say before going to Calypso’s Depth.”

  “I never had to go to Calypso’s.”

  “That’s what they all say.”

  The two of them bicker in the backseat like children.

  “What is Calypso’s Depth?” Although I already have a good idea what it is, I didn’t think they had those here. But I suppose they don’t call it the oldest profession in the world for nothing. I turn to Holter and wink. “Maybe you should take me there?”

  That shuts them both up.

  “We are never talking about Calypso’s Depth again,” Eros says.

  “Agreed,” Nico grunts.

  I smirk. They’re both pouting in the back, but at least they’re on the same page. I’ll take unity any day. “So, what type of omada are we looking for?”

  Our borrowed omada erupts in commotion, each of them spouting off things. I don’t know what they mean. I know a little about engines. You don’t grow up on a farm that is held together with spit and bailing wire without knowing the basics, but as easy as it is to forget these aren’t cars, they’re not even boats. They’re subs with crazy amounts of tech in even the simple small ones.

  The arguing goes on for five minutes.

  “Stop, stop!” I yell. “What can we agree upon?”

  They’re quiet.

  “How about it should have doors and a motor, and we at least start there?”

  “That’s a good place to start, Sunshine.” Eros leans forward.

  I turn and wiggle my eyebrows at him. He gives me one of his charming smiles, and I melt a little. I want to reach for him. But I’m not doing anything in this borrowed omada. I’m going to have to sit on my hands. And then I’m thinking about sitting not on my hands but him . . . My inner mermaid is turning into a huge hussy.

  Nico scents the air and growls. “Little Krill. You need to behave.”

  “Me? I need to behave? Nope. We’re in this together. I know there are things we are going to talk about. Soon.” I turn to face Nico. “But this week is about getting along.”

  “And sex,” Eros says, raising his hand.

  “Put your hand down, Zaffiro.” Nico runs his hand over his opposite wrist.

  “No. That’s not what this week is about. I may not have been born here, but I’ve learned enough in my time, and all the reading I did on the Centauri.” I sigh. “I’ve learned that for a pod to not implode, we have to work together as a team.”

  “I want to be on your team, Sunshine.”

  “You forced your way in,” Holter says without looking away from the windshield.

  Eros holds up his finger. “And you? What did you do that differs from—”

  “Stop Eros. You too, Nico.” I shake my head. Nico hasn’t said anything yet, but he will.

  “Do I have to turn this omada around?” Holter laughs. I know he’s trying to bring some levity to the situation, but Nico and Eros are about to go at it.

  And that’s not okay. I hold my hand up, palm out flat. But they look at me oddly. “What?”

  “Your hand, Sunshine.”

  “What about my hand?” I turn it around and look at my palm. There’s a crescent mark in the center. A spot. Blue and round like a bruise. “I don’t know how I did that. It doesn’t hurt.” I glare at it like it’s not my hand.

  Eros and Nico are staring at me like something is really wrong. Eros’s mouth is open. This isn’t a bruise. My heart thuds in my chest. Somewhere along the way, I’ve lost the scientist in me. It has changed me, my molecular DNA unwound and rewritten. How could there not be a problem? I don’t have a fluke. But everything else is the same. I feel like a mermaid. But not having been born one, I don’t know how it’s supposed to feel.

  I check my left palm, but it’s normal, the same as the Annabelle that left South Dakota, fleeing from her uncle to make a new life for myself. Well, I’ve at least accomplished that. I have a new life. It’s nothing like I thought it would be.

  The pattern on my palm is mesmerizing. It’s not a bruise, but when I push on it, it pulses, changing in shape.

  “Is this something I should be worried about?” I ask.

  “No.” Holter’s smile differs from the two in the backseat. “It’s what happens when a mermaid is beginning to become fertile. Not for everyone, not for the first time. Some get surprises. When the ring is closed, you are completely fertile.”

  “Oh.” I push at it some more. I’m not sure if I’m trying to close the ring or keep it from happening. “How . . . how long does it take?”

  “Our scientists haven’t been able to make any predictions on it.” Holter steers the omada through the agricultural part of the city, past Permula, which in the artificial daylight glistens like a giant pearl at the bottom of the sea. Its massive pink flow of colored water is gone. We’re streaming by it. There’s so much to see, so much of the city I haven’t seen, but I can’t focus on it. Not with this mark on my hand. How did I not notice it before? I’ve seen many mermaids, but I haven’t noticed any marks on their hands. None. Surely, I must have seen one mermaid with the mark. I think back to both of the balls I’ve attended. The females’ hands held up during parts of the dancing. But I can’t remember any marks.

  I stare at it, and when I look up, we’re piloting behind the agricultural buildings. They are blindingly bright, and inside they glow with a green halo. I really want to see what they are like. There is so much I want to see now that I know I’m staying.

  I stare at my hand again. I’m staying forever. I’m never going to see my dad again. But at least he will be taken care of. I’m never going to see Marlee or Aunt Blair. But on the bright side, I’ll never see Uncle Russell, either.

  And it clicks in me. “So I can have a podlet?”

  “No, the circle isn’t complete. It usually takes four pod mates.” Holter turns the corner.

  “Four.” I suck in my lips. Four? I read that somewhere, but I hadn’t quite internalized it. I’ve just been focused on not being a duchess. Four. Yeah, I’m not ready for that.

  I trace the circle on my palm. Or rather the almost circle. I close my eyes and see my old life. I’m happy. I couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t be happy there. But a bubble of panic races out of me.

  “What about my friends at school? The Skyrothasians.” The omada is thick with tension instantly. “Wait, what I mean is, can we get a message to them and let them know I don’t want to be rescued?”

  Holter lets out a sigh. “Yes, that’s a good idea. You should write something, and we’ll make sure they get it.” Holter glances quickly back at Nico. “Right?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure Castor can get it to them.”

  The air is thick at the mention of his name. I know Holter and Nico want him to stay away from me. They think seeing him hurts me. It doesn’t. I’m fine.

  I clench my hands together. “That would be great if you think Castor would help?”

  Nico nods. “He will. I’ll tell him when we return the omada.”

  I nod. I’m facing forward, but I don’t turn for him to see me or mention anything else. It’s more I don’t want him to see the look on my face. Maybe he’s right. It hurts a little to think about Castor. It’s like he’s our missing piece. But I understand. I get it, really, I do. He has to think about more than just me. He has the complete city to think about. A nation to fix. And boy, there is a lot to fix. I open my hands. They might be gone soon if they don’t work on their fixing.

  “Belle.” Holter’s voice is low. “Look.” He inclines his head to the domes out the front window. They’re still a good distance away, but they’re so tall they barely look like domes. More like silos stretching to the sky. And the way the light is refracting off them, it’s hard to see how many there are. Three, four, seven, I can’t tell.

  “What are those?”

  “Our science and medical tech buildings. See the one on the far right?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s dome twenty-nine. I was born there in an artificial womb. Me and twenty-two other geminaes with the same DNA.”

  “Oh, I . . .”

  He pilots by them, and there are buildings between us and them. The other shorter buildings spread out along the seabed, making the science buildings look even more ominous. There’s a lump in my throat. I wish Holter wasn’t the one driving. I want to wrap him in my arms and give him all the love he didn’t have.

  “Don’t cry or feel sad for me, Belle. I have a wonderful dad. I have a good apartment. I’m fine.”

  I nod at him. I don’t believe him. How can he be so good when he came from there? From anywhere here, where geminae and viro are treated so differently.

  And then I get it. I’m good. Or at least, I want to believe I’m good. My uncle made that difficult. I could have grown up taking his aggression toward me out on others. Sometimes who we are is neither nature nor nurture. It’s more than genetics or a series of events; it’s what you do with what happens to you.

  “You don’t believe me, but you know geminaes grow up in pods. We have fathers and a mother. They used to be raised—if you can call it that—by robots in centers like those, but for podlets.” He hikes his thumb back to the agricultural domes.

  “Yes.” Goosebumps prick at my skin at the horror of it. Children raised like cattle.

  “It’s a lot different now.” Holter smiles at me.

  “It’s not good enough.” I cross my arms over my chest. Is my hand heating my arm, or is that my imagination? I put it on the side of my face, then my forehead. I decide neither are hot.

  “Are you okay, Sunshine?” Eros leans forward far enough to touch my shoulder.

  “I’m fine.” It’s then I realize they haven’t been talking, neither him nor Nico. They’ve been quietly sitting next to each other, not arguing. Nico is probably overthinking what the mark on my hand means, and Eros seems scared and excited at the same time. Like my old farm dog.

  When I turn back, we’re going into a dome airlock. The dome is entirely glass and all porticoes. All the buildings have fancy docks that seal up next to the solos and omadas, allowing people to walk right up to them. The entire floor feels like walking on an air mattress, or more so a waterbed.

  But I can’t stop thinking about how alike Holter and I are. It’s odd how, in a strange way, I’m a lot like each of my guys. I smile at each of them. My mermaid hormones are kicking into full gear. I want them—no, I need them. But we have some shopping to do first.

  Nico points to a shiny gold and silver omada three rows over from where we’ve parked the one we arrived in. “That one.”

  Eros maneuvers over to it. He scans the omada with his block. “Yeah, it’s safe, good ratings, lots of space, and has a gentle dry feature.” He stills when he says that and is careful to not look at me. “The engine is top-notch. Room for eight. Let’s take it.”

  “Good, but we will pay for it.” Nico grunts. There’s been so much grunting recently.

  “I don’t steal.” Eros glares at him. “Anymore.”

  “Right.” Nico looks at me, and I have a feeling this is one thing we’re going to be talking about when the time comes in a few days.

  A salesperson walks over.

  “We want this one.” Holter slaps the hood, and with his other hand, he clasps my right hand. The one with the mark. That’s extra fine with me; I don’t want anyone to see it.