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Other Kind of Thing

Curled up on Matt's bed above the Stonefish I watched as he paced the room talking on the phone with his various navy buddies. After the rest of the McLaren's had left, Thorne had set up a bed in the downstairs office, once again complaining about it not being a pull-out.

We'd all decided that with the odds being, three men (possibly four if grandpa Corenth helped) coming after me, Matt should have backup guarding me. I'd watched with a little apprehension as Matt and Thorne had taken guns out of a wall safe and set about expertly cleaning and loading them. They'd assured me they had a license for them and with their navy history ample training too but it still made me uncomfortable.

I had more questions than answers now. Who the heck was Beryl for one? Apparently the Corenth's ship was even named after this woman and it sounded like she'd met some kind of tragic end but how? It was clear that Josh had felt guilt over it, it had even been the reason why he was standing up to his brother now.

Fretting with the edge of the sheets I was lying on I tried to get a handle on how I was feeling. Scared, worried, angry. It was all a mixture inside of me I couldn't figure out. Yeah, scared these assholes were coming to hurt me, that they'd end up hurting Matt or someone else I cared about. Angry that they were such dicks they were doing this, had done this already.

Worried that I should call my dad and tell him what was going on but also scared to get him involved. I didn't want him hurt and this was all so new to him... What if it made him change his mind about the McLaren's and my involvement with Matt?

Right now it was all this undefined mess. They were a threat looming over my head but there were no tangible actions I could take to stop this, to make it go away. I lifted my hand to finger the edge of the diving blade I had strapped to my bicep. It was beautifully made and dangerous and I hated the thought that I might need it for something other than cutting rope or plastic.

Then my eyes fell on Matt again where he paced in the small enclosed space that was his studio apartment. His black shorts hung low on his hips; his tanned legs otherwise bare and muscled, the faded gray tank he wore clung to his back. Showcasing his wide shoulders and muscular arms and the black lines of his tattoo that covered him from wrist to shoulder and down beneath his shirt over one pec.

For a moment I could let everything just fade to the background while I admired how sexy he was and how much I loved having him as my boyfriend. How much he'd proven to be the right guy after all. Then my ears picked up on what he was saying, "Hey Noah, I know it's late, sorry for calling at this hour..."

I tried to figure out who Noah was; I'd heard stories about Matt and Thorne's navy buddies and couldn't place the name there. Matt had paused to listen to whatever answer Noah was giving and then he nodded, "Yeah I'm not calling to invite you for drinks actually. It's more serious."

It clicked then, the police officer Jamie had send after Matt and I, Noah Hayes. I sat up in surprise and paid closer attention. Why was Matt calling him? My movement drew his attention though and he stopped pacing to sit down next to me. "Hang on Noah, I'm putting you on speaker so Dani can hear too alright?"

The officer must have answered in the affirmative because Matt lowered his phone and pressed the button. "Listen," Matt said seriously, "There's trouble heading into town and I need backup." My eyebrows winged up, didn't he have Thorne and his brothers for that? Isn't that why he'd been hanging on the phone for over an hour talking to his various navy buddies? Did he think we needed more help?

"Backup? What kind of trouble are you talking about mate? You said this was an unofficial call but this sounds like I should be putting on my police hat." Noah was calm and serious in the way he spoke back, even over the phone there was something incredibly soothing to how he sounded. It relaxed a knot of nerves in my belly for the first time since I'd arrived at the Stonefish that afternoon.

Matt shot me a look for a moment and then said quietly, "It can't be police business Noah. It's an other kind of thing..." There was a long silence after that, so quiet that all I heard was my own breathing and saw the way Matt was holding his breath.

Other kind of thing... Was Matt hinting at our supernatural side of things? Our tails? Did this Noah know about that stuff? I was trying to comprehend it when Noah eventually said quietly, "I see. Dani are you alright? Tell the truth now honey." The bell-like tones of his voice were crystal clear and I found myself saying, "Scared as hell." Then I clasped my hand over my mouth in shock that I'd blurted that out.

"Hey now," Matt demanded angrily, "There was no need for that! And you got stronger if you can do that over the phone now." Another short pause before Noah said, "You at the Stonefish with your girl? I'll be right there." He didn't go into what had just happened, instead the moment Matt said yes the connection broke.

I eyed Matt, "What the hell just happened? Did he just make me tell the truth?" I felt shocked for having experienced that. No one should just be able to demand hearing about my most inner thoughts.

Matt lifted a shoulder in a shrug and then tugged me under his arm, "Yeah we used to call him the Lie Detector, me and Orly when we hung out in high school..." Then he urged me off the bed and down the stairs. "Noah can't help himself around damsels in distress, that's why he asked that. If you'd honestly said you were fine he probably wouldn't have come."

I followed him as we walked past the office, Thorne behind us sticking his head out the door to figure out what was going on. "He can seriously just order a person to tell the truth? That's certainly a terrifying skill for a police officer to have!"

Matt flicked on a light in the bar and unlocked the door before he looked at me, "Listen, now that you know he can do that it probably wont work again. It tends to work a little based on shock as far as I can tell, sort of surprising a person with it."

Well that was a relief, I really didn't like the thought that some guy could just demand I spill my inner most secrets. "Did he do that to me when he came here to harass us because of Jamie?" I demanded and Matt shrugged, "You knew he could do that then too!"

Turning he grabbed my shoulders and held me tight, dipping his head so his dark eyes could look straight into mine. "Yes I knew, yes I trusted him and yes I trusted your truth would be the right thing to say if he did do it. But I doubted he would do it in the first place because he never really believed you were in distress."

Biting my lip I nodded once and then nearly jumped out of my skin when someone knocked on the door. Already? That was fast. The police officer I'd met before was looking in through the glass pane in the Stonefish's front door. This time he wasn't wearing sunglasses so I could see the startlingly pale shade of his eyes, contrasting hard with his tan.

Thorne was leaning against the bar, watching our exchange with a slightly puzzled look and when Matt let Noah in I saw how Thorne was surprised. He clearly recognized the police officer but didn't know him.

"Thanks for coming mate," Matt was saying as he shook hands with Noah before firmly shutting the door behind the man. I took in the officer out-of-uniform, similarly attired as both Matt and Thorne in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. There were joggers on his feet and sweat stained his shirt in a v down the front and back, he'd clearly been out running. His blonde hair was a messy, sweaty mop on top and he'd been running his fingers through it a few times in an attempt to straighten the locks.

"What's going on?" he said, without preamble, pale gray eyes sliding over me to check me for injuries before settling on Thorne. "You're Matt's mate and co-owner of this place right?" he asked, heading Thorne's way immediately and holding out a hand to shake it. Thorne did so with a short nod, introducing himself.

Matt had us sit down at one of the booths and supplied the cop with a bottle of water which he gratefully took. "It's like this Noah, you know how me and Orly always won the swim and free diving competitions we did as teens? Like I know how you can somehow always tell a lie from the truth and make people spill their guts?"

When Noah eyed Thorne and me again with what was clearly mild apprehension Matt continued, "That's why I said other on the phone. Because you know as well as I do that that's what we are. And the trouble heading our way, it's like that too."

Noah settled his pale eyes on me, "I hear what you are saying. How is your girl involved?" When those pale eyes flashed Matt's way I saw how Matt clenched his fists. "First off, you need to understand just how other when I say that."

I realized then that this was hard for Matt, but that he was desperate enough to get help that he was going to trust a high school friend he hadn't spoken with in years with his biggest secret. Just so he could get said help.

Leaning into his side I curled a hand around his knee under the table, offering support. He was going to share my secret too but now that Noah was here that hardly seemed scary anymore, not when I knew this guy was different too.

"I," Matt started and then looked at me, I gave him a nod and a reassuring smile so he continued. "Dani and I, we can hold our breath that long because we're creatures of the sea..." As Noah's blonde eyebrows rose Matt hurried to clarify, "We can turn into merfolk, grow a fish tail and," he made a flowing motion with his hand, "Swim in the sea."

Noah said nothing for a while and holy crap did this guy have a poker face, I couldn't tell at all what he was thinking. When his pale eyes shifted from Matt and I to Thorne the redhead simply shrugged, he was casually leaned back in his chair, appearing to not have a care in the world. "Not me mate, I grow furry and howl at the moon."

That actually caused me to smile, Thorne was far more relaxed about this than I expected him to be. Noah's poker face even broke, he made snorting sound and then chuckled. "Alright check, merman, mermaid, werewolf," he pointed a finger at each of us and then with a shrug of his own pointed his finger at his own wide chest. "Siren."

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For those of you who read my story Thicker Than Blood, yes! It's the same kind of Siren. I know sirens are often seen as a different word for mermaid so I thought it be fun to explore my take on sirens a little more in here ;-)

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Vote, follow or sign up for my mailinglist at robinoconnor.ink

Much love,

Robin