Nero’s heart was hammering in his chest and every nerve in his body was screaming at him to move as another agonized shriek ripped through the room. Karina was pale and wide-eyed and her chest was heaving. She had been flailing so much that the humans had strapped her down to the gurney and now she would barely move. She still strained against them and weakly flapped her tail, but Nero could see in her face how tired she was growing. Her strength would not last much longer.

He was grateful that Katie was taking the risk to find help, but he could not help wishing she would be swifter about it. Karina was looking incredibly poorly and he was feeling genuinely powerless to help her.

The humans in the white dressings still hovered over her with their machine and the little display stick pressed to her belly. Karina had initially tried to push it away, but her hands were now secured at her sides. She was sweating and her fins were limp, and her breathing was coming in ragged bursts. The guards were still in a tense staredown with his father. His mother had already been incapacitated. They had shot her with their long dart gun and she was slumped against the floor with her eyes rolled into her head and her fingers occasionally twitching. Riley was currently hunched over her with her gliders spread and a vicious snarl marring her features.

There was saliva running down her chin as she kept her long fangs bared and mock-lunged at anyone who took a step too close. His father was still dodging the shocking stick they were jabbing at him to keep him at bay, but Nero knew he was merely distracting them from noticing Katie was gone. Luna was at the surface of the water, hovering out of range with tears in her eyes and her hands over her mouth. Nero hated that his young sister was being put through so much stress once again.

Everyone he loved and cared about was in this space and at risk, and his body thrummed with desperate energy to fix it. He shuddered and threw his weight at the glass once more. The tank shuttered, but he bounced off it once more. The next blow had enough force that the knockback flipped him head over tail, but it still was not enough. He could not get the speed or leverage necessary in the small space and he hated that they had closed him in.

He had adhered to Karina’s wishes for brokered peace with the humans, and it had seemed an unspoken agreement that if he remained calm, they would not bother him or rip him from her, but they had violated the agreement by taking her now and putting her in danger. He despised them for it and if given the chance, would spill their lifeblood across the floor until they were little more than dried husks.

Karina wailed again and her body shuddered. Her tail flapped up into the air and she quivered once more before her cry died into a series of small whimpers. Her fingers clenched into fists and she shook her head. “Nero!” she called desperately.

Nero struck the glass again, twice, with as much force as he could muster into a full-body blow until the world spun and he was forced to back off for a moment to recover. “I am here,” he replied as he pressed his palms to the clear barrier separating them. “Just hold on, Karina. Katie will find aid. You and the baby will be fine, please just stay strong,” he begged. Nero’s heart felt fractured into many tiny pieces and his gut clenched. She was trying, she was fighting, but her strength was ebbing. He could see it, sense it, and if they did nothing, she would die. He could not lose her. He was not prepared to lose her, not now or ever. “Please,” he whispered.

He bowed his head and it thunked against the glass. He could not get to his mate, and her life now depended on a man who was holding them all captive, who was part of the reason it was even in danger now. He did not even know if it was already too late, if she would have the strength to give birth at all, even if they got her to the water.

He had only known her eight of his twenty-five cycles, but he felt like it had been longer – a lifetime – for he could no longer even imagine a time without her and he could not bear the thought of a lifetime more without her. He needed her. Even before he had known her, he had needed her, needed someone to understand his heart and want it regardless.

He still remembered the first time he had met her. He remembered there was pain and confusion, and his vision had been blurry, and dark around the edges, and he could barely see. He remembered the muffled voices of her grandmother grumping at his injuries and her hushed questions spoken softly so she would not be shooed away.

The first time he had seen her, she had been little more than a blur of brilliant colour. His disoriented mind had been convinced the sun had a voice and was hovering directly over him. When she had finally come into focus, he remembered just how bright and beautiful her smile and her personality had been. She always kept him company, even if he was barely conscious most of the time in the early turns. He would open his eyes, and she would almost always be there.

A friendship had blossomed out of shy conversations and existing in one another’s company. He had cherished every word, every smile, every touch. He still did. Still could not believe sometimes that she had chosen him in return, that she had decided to wake next to him every morning and curl up together every night, or that they were going to have a baby. He had never imagined in all his thoughts and dreams that he would ever find someone to love, someone who understood him despite how awkward and mumbly he was in his youth.

They had been through so much hardship and heartache together. Her pain was always the greater, but Nero had loved her family dearly as well. They had accepted him and shown him great kindness. He had owed them his life and after the tragedy, he had sworn to himself that no matter what else happened, he would keep their daughter safe. He would cherish everything about her for the rest of their lives and never forget the Mer that made his greatest happiness possible.

But now, she was in pain, alone and afraid, and surrounded by strangers who viewed her as little more than an oddity. They did not care for her or seem to care that she was dying slowly before them, for they made no move to help her. He could not get to her and it was crushing him because she needed him. She was at her most vulnerable, trapped in a moment he was meant to be there for, and they were separated so he could do little more than call out to her.

“Markus…the baby’s not making any further progress and Willow’s not looking very good,” the female white-dressed human reported. “We might have to go in and extract the infant. Maybe we should try getting her into the water. I don’t think this species comes to land to birth their young, this is probably too straining on her.”

The man – Markus – shook his head. “Those weren’t our instructions,” he argued.

“Our instructions weren’t to let her die either!”

“Actually, Dr. Patron has decided that’s an acceptable risk. If the mother passes, the infant can still be extracted and nursed artificially. It’s not ideal, but if it’s necessary to learn all that we can, it’s what will happen.”

Nero’s mouth was wide as he glowered at the back of the man’s head. An acceptable risk? They truly were just oddities. Pretty pebbles fished from the sand to admire and discard at their leisure. Nero beat a fist against the glass and hissed furiously. What they were doing was wrong and sickening, and going to cost him his mate and child. It was wrong.

He was not the only one to feel this way, apparently, because Riley cleared her throat loudly. She had managed to drag herself over to their feet and was now arched into a threatening pose with her gliders half spread and her fingers clenched into fists.

As soon as she made a sound, both of the humans hovering over Karina spun to look at her. Both took a nervous step back and looked uneasy at her aggressive posture. “You agitated, Carmen?” Markus inquired with a cluck of his tongue. Riley’s response was to growl low in her throat and flex her gliders. “Come on, let’s get you back with your friends, silly creature.”

He carelessly reached towards her, seemingly for the collar wrapped around her neck. Riley’s growl deepened and grew louder. The man’s peer swatted his arm. “Don’t do that!” she scolded. “She’s obviously aggressive right now, don’t antagonize her needlessly.”

“She won’t bite,” Markus scoffed. “She knows better, knows there would be trouble.”

Nero snorted. He was not sure Riley ‘knew better’ about anything. She did what she wanted and felt was best, regardless of consequence.

The woman bit her lip and then pulled the man back away from Riley just before he could reach any closer.

“Bridget!” the man exclaimed.

“Just leave her!” Bridget shouted back. “We have more important concerns and you’re being excessively bullheaded for no reason. These are wild animals that feel threatened. Just leave her be.”

“No,” Riley snarled in English. “Do not ‘leave me be’, heed me. I am not agitated, I am far past that and desire blood. You should know that if she dies,” Riley jerked her head up at Karina. “I will make sure you follow her. Get her in the water now or I will find out if ripping the throat from a human is any different from gutting a fish.”

“Please,” Karina coughed before either of them could respond to Riley’s threat. Her broken English was even more afflicted by sobs, and fat tears were streaking down her cheeks. It spurred Nero to smash himself against the glass once more. “I-I want…to live,” she gasped. “Nero…should not have…to raise our…baby alone. I want to be…a mother…to…know my baby is safe. Please, I-ah,” Karina’s desperate pleading warped into a strangled scream.

“Karina!” Nero called. He slammed himself against the glass again. Her cry rose to a whistling pitch that had everyone, Mer and human alike, wincing and covering their ears. Nero’s heart pounded in his chest as he threw himself at the side of the tank over and over in a desperate attempt to reach his mate.

Bridget frowned and shook her head. “I can’t argue with that, Markus,” she protested. “I won’t.”

“Argue with what?” he growled back at her.

She scowled at him in response. “This is ridiculous.”

“They’re animals, Bridget, and our instructions are not to acknowledge any of their…sounds.”

Just as Markus had begun to speak, the doors to their room had opened. The man had his back to them, so he did not see when the other scientist walked in with Katie in his arms. By the time he finished speaking, Dr. Auldon’s frown had deepened and his brows dipped together. “I don’t remember ordering that,” he announced.

It was almost satisfying to see how Markus physically started at the statement. He whirled around with wide eyes like a small child caught getting up to mischief, but then he closed his mouth and lifted his chin as though trying to be intimidating. Nero did not think it was working very well. “With all due respect, sir, you didn’t,” Markus agreed. “They were Dr. Patron’s orders.”

“Is that so?” Dr. Auldon replied. He quirked a brow and stepped further into the room where he crouched to set Katie down beside Riley. Nero watched him take a quick survey of the room. “It looks like you two have managed to make a mess of the entire situation and you’d better both hope it’s not too late to clean it up. I instructed you to perform check-in ultrasounds to ensure the continued health of the infant because the mother has been under a higher than ideal level of stress. I also was very specific that I was to be informed if she went into labour. Would you care to explain to me how you managed to fail so spectacularly at one of two instructions, and how it led to this mess?”

Markus lifted his chin higher. “I was following Dr. Patron’s express orders, Dr. Auldon. I’m afraid if you disagree, you’ll have to take it up with him.”

Dr. Auldon shook his head. “Dr. Patron is incapacitated in the hospital for all his expertise has managed to get him. He’s no longer leading this expedition and if the mother – quite possibly one of our most valuable assets right now – dies, it’ll be on your heads. And I see the four of you have also managed to cause a commotion and incapacitate the one mermaid with any medical knowledge on their birthing process,” he snarled. “Bridget, go down the hall and fetch a reversal agent for the sedatives. We need June up and moving as quickly as possible, so be snappy. Markus, just go stand in the corner and stay out of the way; you’ve done more than enough damage.”

Markus was red in the face, but he seemed to know better than to argue because he stormed off. Nero growled at him as he passed the tank. He turned back in time to see Dr. Auldon nod at one of the guards. “Get the male out of the tank and into the pool, please,” he requested.

Nero was eager to be out of the tank and hovered near the surface while he waited for the guard to get the lid off and lift him out. He kept a watchful eye on Karina as he waited. Dr. Auldon had stepped up to her and while they were depending on the man to help her, it still made him uneasy to have any of the humans close to her. Dr. Auldon picked up the stick the others had been using on Karina and pressed it to her belly. She whimpered and flicked her fins, and Nero barred his teeth.

The man patted the crook of Karina’s arm with his free hand and swivelled the stick lower on her abdomen. “Easy there, I just need to get a look.” He was silent for several heartbeats and then he set the stick aside and began unbuckling the restraints keeping Karina secured down.

Nero had to look away from them when the guard finally got the tank open and began cautiously reaching in towards him. Nero was not a fan of being picked up or handled, but in this instance, he was so eager to be free of the tank confines and get to Karina that he practically leapt up into the guard’s arms.

The man seemed startled by the action because he grunted and nearly toppled backwards off the wooden rock they had to raise themselves high enough to reach into the tank.

Once the guard regained his balance, he began carrying Nero over to the water, but Nero twisted in his grasp to keep an eye on his mate. Karina looked poorly and his heart squeezed in his chest. Her body was wracked with shudders and she was whimpering past gritted teeth while tears made steady tracks down her cheeks. The scientist was helping her slowly sit up when Nero lost sight of them as the guard pitched him free of his grasp and into the water.

Nero twisted around and broke the surface once more. Now that the earlier conflicts had been subdued, his father was crouched over his mother with concern etched across his features. He looked up when Nero resurfaced and his storm gray gaze glittered with further worry and unspoken inquiries. Nero nodded. He was worried for Karina, terrified that it was too late. She did not look like she had the energy left to swim, much less give birth. But he refused to give up, no matter what it took. Karina meant the world to him and he was not going to lose her without a fight.

Dr. Auldon had gathered Karina into his arms and was walking her over to the pool. She was slumped against him, breathing raggedly, with her hands pressed to her belly and her expression warped by tense creases and a clenched jaw.

As soon as the man crouched down, Nero was reaching up to take her from him. Karina did not hesitate to reunite, but she slumped so weakly into Nero’s embrace that his gut squeezed. “Karina?” he inquired.

“Nero,” she whistled back as he situated her in his arms. “I am so tired. It hurts to move.”

He hugged her and kissed her brow, and then shifted so that he could help her stretch out in the water. “Karina, I know you are tired, but you have to swim.”

Karina’s soft brown gaze was shimmering with sorrow despite being half rolled back in her head. “I do not know if I can.”

Nero cupped her face in both his hands and brought their foreheads together. “You have to. Please, Karina, I need you. I am here, I will swim with you, help you, but you have to move your tail and you have to do it now,” he begged. He pressed his lips to hers, but she barely reacted.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. Her tail bobbed in the water, but it was far from enough. She was spent and the humans had robbed her of a proper fighting chance.

“Karina, please,” he pleaded. He pulled her down under the water with him and ran his fingers along her neck to make sure her gills opened. Being under the water seemed to rouse her a bit, because her eyes reopened and she squirmed a bit, lashing her tail once before beginning to fade again. If she could give birth successfully, there was still a chance for her. She would just need to rest, but Nero was not sure how much progress the baby had managed to make, if any.

There was a splash above him, and then Riley was beside him and laying a hand on his shoulder. “Nero?” her voice was choked with concern and it felt like a smashing blow to his heart. If Riley could see it, it was more than an overprotective fear. Karina was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. “I-I think I have an idea,” Riley continued. “Just…do not attack me, okay? Help her. Karina, I am sorry about this.”

Riley ducked down around Karina’s side and nipped her on the hip, right where her scales blended with her skin. Karina whimpered and stirred from her stupor slightly. Riley swam over Karina to her other side and nipped at her again.

This time, Karina yelped and her tail lashed. Nero had to squash down a furious instinct. He knew what Riley was doing and he was grateful for it, but it was hard to suppress the need to protect his mate from a potential assault.

Riley continued weaving around Karina, smacking her scales and nipping at her sides. Each action made Karina’s tail lash and her chest was heaving, her eyes wide with panic. Nero knew she was just delirious, so he kept his hands in hers and swam backwards slowly to keep close. She was lashing her tail now, and any time she started to slow, Riley was there to keep motivating her. It was dangerous, Karina was exhausted and Riley was draining her last reserves by abusing the instinct to escape an attack, but it was her only chance now, so they had to take the risk.

As they swam, Nero’s dorsal brushed a wall of the pool. It was annoying to be confined like this, because it was hard enough keeping Karina moving, much less trying to maneuver her in the smaller space. He carefully turned her, but as he did, he wound up pinning Riley between the wall and Karina’s thrashing tail. His cousin tried to duck out of the way, but the tip of Karina’s sunny tail whacked her in the face.

“Are you alright?” he called to her as he pulled Karina away from the wall so Riley could swim free. His cousin had pressed a hand over one eye and her lips were warped into a grimace, but she nodded. “Sorry, I should have warned you first.”

“I am fine,” Riley replied. She dropped her hand, though the area around her eye was red and swelling, and she kept it shut, but she grinned and did not hesitate to dive back into the fray.

They kept at it a while longer and Nero’s heart began to ache. Karina was bleeding lightly from the various bites – though he knew Riley was trying to be gentle – and while she kept moving, her body was beginning to shake. He did not think she could keep it up much longer.

The surface of the water rippled around his mother as she dove into the pool and lashed her tail to join them. Nero was glad they had managed to get her up and he hoped desperately that she would know what to do to help.

She wasted no time swimming directly under Karina and placing a hand on her belly. She was silent for a moment and then nodded as she dragged her hand down Karina’s tail. “You are doing well,” she murmured. “Karina, I know you are tired, but you must give your all now. You are almost there.”

“Rebecca… I am so tired,” Karina whimpered.

“I know. You have done so well, Karina. I promise you can rest soon, but you have to swim a little more.”

When Karina did not respond, Nero leaned in and rubbed his nose against hers. “You can do it,” he urged.

His mother sighed and shook her head and turned to Riley. “Do what you have been, but latch to her scales,” she instructed. “If Karina tries to throw you, it might just be enough. But watch her tail. Do not let go until you see a burst of blood. She will need space then, so swim clear.”

Riley nodded. When his mother gestured, Nero reluctantly released his grip on Karina’s hands and moved back, despite how her panicked whine stabbed at his heart. Her hands fumbled for his for a moment, and then she began to sag. Riley moved quickly and lunged for Karina’s tail, closer to the base of her fin, and bit down. Her tail curled around Karina’s for better balance, and Karina yelped in shock and fright.

Though he knew he could not interfere, Nero’s instincts screamed at him and he barely stopped himself from hurtling after Riley until his mother grabbed him firmly by the dorsal to hold him back.

Karina’s motions were weak as she bucked her tail and tried to dislodge Riley, who growled threateningly. It was just a show, but it worked because Karina began to flail and jerk in the water. Her teeth were clenched and she had her arms wrapped around her middle while shudders wracked her body. Nero ground his teeth together and his tail stirred the water as he watched the tussle. He was so afraid for his mate. She had endured too much already and should not have to endure this level of risk too.

Time felt slow as Nero watched the scene play out before him. It felt like an eternity between each beat of his heart, so he could barely breathe when he watched a massive shudder ripple through Karina’s entire body. She heaved her tail down and a plume of blood clouded the water around her. Riley immediately let go and darted away, and Nero longed to hurry to Karina’s side, but his mother still had a firm grip on his back.

Karina thrashed once more and then ducked in on herself. The water began to clear as the red dispersed, and Karina was still in the center of it. She had folded her arms up close to her chest, cushioning the undersides of her fins, and her tail looked like a torn, ragged mess that was still bleeding slowly, but there were no more shudders and the swelling around her middle was caving in. Nero felt a surge of fresh hope. She had done it.

When Karina’s head lolled and she began to sink, Nero ripped free of his mother’s grasp and darted to her side. He scooped her up into his arms so that her head could fall against his chest. She looked worn dry and she coughed weakly, but a smile touched her lips. “Nero,” she purred.

Nero leaned in to nuzzle her cheek and he hummed happily. He was so relieved that she was alright. “You did it,” he murmured. “I am so proud of you.”

Karina’s shaky purr deepened and she lifted a quaking hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into it and the rumbling in his chest grew stronger.

“I love you,” he told her. “You should eat something.”

Karina hummed in agreement, but then she leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes. Her hand fell away limply back into her lap and she sagged with a shudder. She was still breathing, so Nero was not too concerned, but he shook his head.

“Alright, rest first,” he agreed. He swam back over to his mother and Riley, and could not keep the smile off his face. He was curious, but that would have to wait until Karina woke and recovered. She would keep their baby safe in the meantime, and he would protect her in turn.

His mother was smiling brightly and she nodded at him. He returned the gesture and then turned to Riley. “Thank you.” Her eye was still swollen shut and beginning to darken, and he was incredibly grateful that she had jumped in to help the way she did. Karina would have died without the rapid aid.

His mother leaned close to Riley to inspect her eye. “You are not cut, just swollen,” she reported. “It should be fine in a turn or two. That was very smart thinking on your part, Riley. The birth would not have been successful had you not taken the actions you did. I am proud of you.”

Riley beamed and puffed up her chest a little under her aunt’s praise. “I am just glad it worked,” she admitted. “I was not sure it would.”

“Nero, take Karina to the far side of the pool and hunker down. I do not know what expectations Lemuria may have for us now, but we will deal with it. She needs to rest and will be better with you close,” his mother instructed.

He dipped his head and left them to find their way to the surface while he dove for the furthest corner and settled in. Karina muttered something under her breath as he shifted her to the tiled floor and pulled her close but otherwise did not stir.

“Is she okay?” Luna’s voice was quiet and hesitant as she spoke.

Nero looked up to see her hovering close. He had forgotten she was still in the water, had been the entire time. The display had probably frightened her witless if she was only just approaching now. He understood her concern and waved her closer. “It is okay,” he assured her. “You can come and sit if you like.”

Luna chewed her lip and then plopped down next to his tail. He brushed his fin against her arm and then returned his attention to Karina. Her breathing was deep and even and though she was weak, her heartbeat was strong, and when he parted his jaws, there were no unhealthy scents from her or the baby. Just a new, sharp and sweet tang. He was not sure if this scent was strong just for Karina and himself, but it was a wonderful taste that made his heart stall in his chest. It was a smell of new life and it was breathtaking.

He glanced back at Luna and nodded. “They are both going to be fine.”