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Siren’s Tail

It's not that Ben Jordan dislikes Earthians, the way some humans
do. He couldn’t care less, at least before he gets informed he has

to work for Earthians, and that’s not something he planned for his
life. He is angry and resentful, and not willing to play nicely with

his newly appointed partner.

Of course it doesn’t work that way. Soon enough he wants more

than a working relationship with Phaedran, except he doesn't have
a clue how to explain that to Phaedran. Ben is not sure he can

deal with sleeping with someone who is not human, and Phaedran
had always gone out of his way not to remind Ben he was
Earthian, so it’s not like Phaedran doesn’t know about his hang-

ups. He is still busy trying to figure out what to do, when people
start coming after Phaedran, adding another obstacle.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: 22,394 words

SIREN’S TAIL

Sunny Day

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

SIREN’S TAIL
Copyright © 2013 by Sunny Day
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-265-4

First E-book Publication: January 2013

Cover design by Christine Kirchoff
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

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SIREN’S TAIL

SUNNY DAY

Chapter 1

He’d barely entered the squad room when Max Stillwell, one of

his colleagues, said, “The boss is asking for you.”

Ben blinked at the guy in surprise. “He is? What for?”
Max shrugged, looking bored. “He didn’t say. I didn’t ask.”
Dropping the report he’d just picked up from the morgue onto his

desk, Ben ran through the events for the last couple of days. As far as
he knew, there was nothing his boss would need to talk to him about.
Maybe he just wanted an update on Ben’s cases. He shrugged out of
his jacket, hanging it on his chair, and he headed for John’s office. He
paused as he saw his boss on the phone, listening intently to whoever
was on the other side. He hesitated. Max didn’t say it was important,
and John was clearly occupied. Ben had just decided to turn back to
his desk when the boss noticed him and motioned him inside with his
hand. Ben blinked, wondering what had caused the frown on his
boss’s face.

John wrapped up the conversation and said abruptly, “Close the

door.” His curiosity rising, Ben did as he was told.

“Is something wrong, boss?” he asked. Call it a hunch, but he

didn’t think he was going to get good news. John humphed.

“See for yourself. Sit, Jordan, and take a look. Those are for you.”

With that he threw a stack of papers on the table. Ben sat down

8 Sunny

Day

obediently and reached for them. Five minutes later, he’d barely
begun to make sense of what was happening.

“I’m getting transferred?” he said, raising his head to look at the

man. There was no question of what the papers were claiming. He felt
like he was just sucker punched in the gut. John sighed. He rubbed the
bridge of his nose, looking pinched.

“I didn’t ask for a transfer. Why am I getting transferred?” Ben

asked suspiciously.

“They asked for you, Jordan,” John explained. “Didn’t you see

who signed that paper?”

Well no, he hadn’t actually looked at that. Ben glanced down at

the papers he was still holding.

“Lt. Paris.”
“Paris is the newly appointed head of the Agency of Earthians,

Jordan. That’s where you are going.” John was watching him
carefully, probably trying to gauge his reaction to that last bit of news.
Agency of Earthians? Ben swallowed his first reaction.

He straightened in his chair. “So what, they ask and I need to go?

Just like that?” His tone was disbelieving. John just shook his head,
giving him a pitying look.

“I’m sorry, Jordan, but there is no way out of this. The Agency of

Earthians has an absolute priority when hiring. They are pulling
people from all branches of government to make a body that will be
able to deal with all the Earthians’ matters.”

He knew that. Hell, it was hard to avoid any mention of Earthians,

as there was a media frenzy following them ever since their
uncovering. Earthians were non-human beings that inhabited their
planet, the creatures from legends, myths, and nightmares. Dragons,
unicorns, elves, pans, salamanders, dryads, goblins, werewolves, you
name it. They spent centuries living in shadows, hiding from the
human race. But now with human civilization expanding and insistent
globalization making their hiding harder every day, they had decided
to come out in the open. There were Earthians everywhere. Most of

Siren’s Tail

them were able to maintain human form. Some had adapted very well
to living in the human world. They were literally in every sphere of
life. It was understandable that when they finally came out, there was
a shock, disbelief, followed by mixed reaction upon realizing that yes,
this was real. Some people were intrigued, some amazed, some
downright horrified. Earthians took that in stride. They were
preparing for this for quite some time, and despite the fact that some
of them weren’t thrilled with the idea, they knew what to expect. Yes,
they understood people were shocked. No, they were not dangerous—
much. They would be happy to work with humans. After all, they
shared the same ancestry, and the same planet. They would be glad to
help. No matter their general helpful attitude, their appearance
presented a whole slew of new problems for their respective
governments. They needed to be dealt with, obviously, but the
question was how.

At least for now, both humans and Earthians decided to play nice.

That meant that there had to be a body regulating both Earthians and
humans in their everyday dealings.

Thus the Agency of Earthians’ Affairs.
Currently, the Agency was staffed mostly with volunteers and

people that got caught in the backlash of the Earthians’ uncovering. It
wasn’t nearly enough to deal with problems that cropped up every
day. The Agency was constantly recruiting. Ben was dimly aware of it
though he didn’t pay much attention. He was a cop, and as far as he
was concerned, people got divided in two categories—the ones that
needed protecting and the ones the rest needed to be protected from.
Division didn’t always follow the rules his job imposed on him, so
Earthians could end up in both categories, depending on
circumstances. Circumstances were sometimes hard to interpret.
Luckily, that shouldn’t be his problem. The Agency was taking over
all the Earthians’ connected cases.

All the government officials were expected to go through a newly

devised screening that gave information about their feelings on

10 Sunny

Day

Earthians. Most people fell somewhere in the middle. Hating
Earthians wouldn’t get a person fired, but it would move them
somewhere where they wouldn’t be expected to come into close
contact with them. The same went for ones that were overly enamored
of Earthians. They could be a handsome lot, Ben had to admit,
judging by what he had seen so far in the media, but they were also
decidedly not human and that simply wasn’t his cup of tea.

When it was all taken into account, it was obvious why the

Agency had problems with finding workers. They went through a
veritable sea of candidates and came up with only a few.

Which was why, Ben reflected sourly, he was now in his boss’s

office arguing against a transfer he neither wanted nor needed. He
narrowed his eyes at his boss speculatively. What could they do to
him if he refused? He leaned forward in his chair, holding the papers
on his knees. “Look, chief,” he started earnestly, “I don’t think this is
such a good idea. I don’t like Earthians, boss.”

John raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.
“You handled your last case where they were involved very well.

Better than some of your colleagues,” he pointed out. Ben winced. He
remembered that. It wasn’t even his case, but he was helping and
interviewed an Earthian in the course of an investigation. John clearly
remembered it all too well.

“That was a fluke.” Ben waved his hand. “I don’t dislike them,

either, but I don’t really want to work with them. If I understood
correctly, for this job I would have to be paired with an Earthian. I
can’t do that. They give me the creeps.”

“I’m aware of that, Jordan, and yes, you are right. You would

have to work closely with Earthians. But what can I say?” John spread
his arms. “The Agency needs to be up and running. They are founding
a school that will produce their agents in the future, but for now, they
had to work with what they got, and in this case that means you. You
passed the screening. You are not prejudiced against them, they don’t
turn you on, and that gets you the job. You aren’t allowed to refuse. I

Siren’s Tail

know it isn’t fair, but that’s what you got. Neither you nor I,” he
added when he saw Ben wanted to argue, “can do anything about it. I
will be sorry to see you go, but maybe it won’t be as bad as you
think.” Damn it. Ben scowled.

“I don’t want to go, boss,” he insisted stubbornly.
“It’s out of my hands, Jordan,” John said, not unkindly. “I got

orders, same as you.”

Ben let out a frustrated sigh, raking his fingers through his hair.
“Surely there is someone else. Why me, for god’s sake?”
“That I can answer. Partially because of your screening results and

partially because of your personal situation.”

His eyes narrowed. His personal situation? He’d always tried to

keep his private life separated from work, but it wasn’t like his
colleagues didn’t know he was gay. Some of them were decidedly not
happy about that, but he had mostly been able to ignore them.

“What does that mean?” he asked sharply. John snorted.
“Simmer down, Jordan. It’s not what you think. Actually,

Earthians would be a step up in that direction since they honestly
don’t seem to care who other people are sleeping with. What I meant
was,” he continued seriously, “that you don’t have family who could
object at your working with the Agency. There won’t be an irate
partner threatening with divorce because you work with
abominations. Such kind of pressure can lead to…accidents. The
Agency isn’t without its own problems,” he said truthfully. “The brass
is trying to deal with them as best as they can, and that means that
your objections don’t matter in the larger scheme of things. You have
been drafted.”

He could see the point in that. “So that’s it? I don’t have a

choice?”

“None whatsoever, I’m afraid,” his boss said grimly. “As of this

morning, when that report came on my desk, you have no longer been
working for me.” The words sounded final. Ben shivered. There was a
pang in his chest.

12 Sunny

Day

“That was quick,” he murmured, avoiding his boss’s eyes. He

leaned back into his chair.

“I can’t possibly go so soon, I have cases…” His words trailed

off. He knew protesting wasn’t going to help, but he was decidedly
unhappy about the way the decision was taken out of his hands. If
they’d only asked—

“They will be reassigned. Someone from the Agency will contact

you and give you further details.” John hesitated, obviously
uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “I need to ask for your
legitimation, Jordan.” Ben just stared at him.

His jaw tensed. Slowly, he reached for his belt and unclipped his

badge. He dropped it on the desk and stood, feeling strangely bereft.
His fingers curled into a fist, wrinkling the transfer papers in the
process. He didn’t care.

“Do I need to give you my weapon, too?” he asked tersely. He

couldn’t believe what was happening and how quickly his life had
spiraled out of his control. This was not what he’d anticipated when
he’d gotten up this morning, not in his wildest dreams.

John shook his head. “No. Keep that one. They will no doubt issue

you another, but until then, it’s not smart to leave you without one.
There may be incidents when word gets out.”

So he was in danger, on top of everything. Ben could easily

imagine it. Some humans disliked Earthians and humans who worked
with them intensely.

“Great,” he said in a bitter tone of voice. “I’ll be leaving then.” He

tossed the folder on John’s desk and got out without another word. He
barely resisted the impulse to slam the door. He marched past his
desk, refusing to look at anyone. His jaw was to tense it hurt. He
almost collided with Frank Warden on his way out. Startled, the other
cop took a step back. “Whoa, Jordan, what—” Ben ignored him. He
heard Frank exclaim, “What’s his problem?” He heard Max’s voice
answering but didn’t bother to turn and explain. He needed to get out.
The boss had said his cases would be reassigned. He kept few

Siren’s Tail

personal items on his desk, and none that he couldn’t replace. He just
couldn’t stay at the station among his former colleagues, some of
whom he actually liked, endure the questions, and offer explanations.
He wanted to go home. At least there he would be alone and could try
to come to terms with the mess that was now his life. The elevator
doors pinged as they closed after him. Ben sighed and thumped his
head against the cool metal wall.

Today was, without doubt, the worst day of his life.

* * * *

Eight months later

“Phaedran?” Ben asked, rummaging through the stack of papers

on his desk. “Did we take the statement from Mrs. Bianchi in the
Blanchard case?”

Phaedran looked up from his share of reports and frowned. “We

did. It should be there.” He reached for the papers scattered over the
desk, his arm nudging Ben’s in the process. His breath hitched as
Phaedran’s warm breath ruffled his hair. He shifted uneasily in his
seat as Phaedran looked through the papers. “Damn it,” he said in
annoyance. “I could have sworn it was there.” They both looked up as
Samantha Collard, one of the Agency’s human employees, marched
into the room, her high heels clicking ominously as she moved,
fuming. She slammed her purse on her desk.

“She looks mad,” Phaedran said out of the corner of his mouth,

still leaning over Ben, his lips dangerously close to Ben’s ear. He was
talking quietly, but apparently not enough since Samantha whirled to
face them, eyes blazing.

“Do you believe Francis had to drop me off again?” she

demanded. “You know why? It’s impossible to use a car to get here
since we have demonstrators on our doorstep. Again!”

“Uh-oh. So that’s why,” Phaedran murmured.

14 Sunny

Day

“Notice that Francis isn’t here to deal with the fallout.”
Phaedran smothered a laugh, pulling back to his own chair. Ben

eyed Samantha thoughtfully.

Francis was a dragon, so dropping off probably meant that he flew

her over from her home to the roof of the Agency’s building. He
surreptitiously checked the way she looked. Yep. Her hair was blown,
her face flushed, and her clothing in disarray. She also looked pissed,
and that meant that Francis, who adored acrobatic flying, as much as
annoying his straitlaced partner, was up to his usual tricks. Ben
looked back at Phaedran, who was still staring at Samantha. With his
dark-blue eyes and black hair, Phaedran looked almost completely
human. The only hint of his Earthian heritage was a faint sheen to his
skin, but it was something most people wouldn’t notice if they
weren’t looking for it. He usually wore dark sunglasses when they
were outside, but that wasn’t much of a giveaway either, Ben had to
admit. Most of the Earthians did that since they disliked the sun and
dust that abounded in human cities, but a lot of humans did that, too.
There were Earthians who, even in their semihuman form, were easily
recognizable. Phaedran wasn’t.

He dragged his attention off his partner and tried to focus on

Samantha.

“I’m sure that Francis didn’t mind,” he tossed in her direction.
She gave him a dark look.
“No, he didn’t mind.” Pulling her chair out with unnecessary

force, Samantha sat behind her desk and tried to straighten her
clothes. Her mouth twisted in annoyance. “You know, Ben, one of
these days I’m going to throw up all over his shiny skin, and then he
is going to regret every sharp curve and upside-down maneuver.” She
went slightly green and closed her eyes. When she opened them
again, they were filled with relish. Ben heard Phaedran snort. Clearly,
he thought Francis deserved it.

“Why didn’t you?” he asked.

Siren’s Tail

Sighing, Samantha slumped in her chair. “He would tease me to

no end afterward,” she muttered in a cross tone. “One of these days,
though, that isn’t going to be enough of a deterrent. Sometimes I
positively loathe him.”

“Well, he was nice enough to offer to bring you here,” Phaedran

pointed out. “You didn’t have to drive.”

Samantha slammed the drawer closed.
“I want those people off my parking place. I like my car. I like

driving it. I even like sitting in it during traffic jams. I have an excuse
for being late to the job, and I don’t have to suffer that—prick!” The
last word was filled with meaning.

As if on cue, Francis breezed into the office. “Did someone

mention me?”

Ben had to cough to cover his laugh. He caught a ghost of smile

on Phaedran’s lips, too.

“Samantha was just commenting on our guests,” he drawled.

Francis went over to Samantha’s desk, hopping up until he was sitting
on it. She looked at the reports he was sitting on and then up at him.
Her eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem to notice, preoccupied with his
thoughts. Samantha opened her mouth, but before she could say
something, Francis spoke.

“I saw them. They are unusually active.” He sounded thoughtful.

His tone struck Ben wrong. He threw a sharp glance in his direction.
What was on Francis’s mind?

Phaedran, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned. He shrugged.

“They have a right to be there. You know that.” Ben sneaked a look at
him. Demonstrators in front of the Agency of Earthians weren’t an
unusual occurrence. They protested against the Agency, against their
members, against the existence of Earthians. They were persistent.
Their numbers varied, but usually they could be counted on to show
up. The Agency of Earthians’ Affairs was one of the rare
establishments connected officially with Earthians. Ben sometimes
wondered if it bothered his partner to hear humans yell filth and

16 Sunny

Day

curses at him just because of who he was. It started bothering Ben,
even if Phaedran and the other Earthians didn’t commented on it.

Francis’s mouth tightened in annoyance.
“I’m not disputing that, but I think this crowd is somewhat more

organized than the rest. They are very quiet, and their spokesman is
very smart.”

His curiosity piqued, Ben leaned back in his chair. After more

than eight months working for the Earthian Agency, he’d gotten used
to demonstrators. Maybe that wasn’t smart. They had become
complacent.

“You actually listened?” he inquired.
Francis shrugged like it was no big deal.
“I was bored.”
And giving Samantha time to cool off, no doubt. “It’s a branch of

Humans Active Movement,” Francis continued in the same bland
voice. “They do have some nasty members.” Ben winced. A cursory
look at his partner showed that Phaedran’s face was blank. Ben hadn’t
actually paid that much attention to the demonstrators on his way in,
which, he could admit, was stupid. Just because they hadn’t proven to
be a danger up until now didn’t mean they wouldn’t be. He wondered
idly if Phaedran recognized HUAM members, too.

“Are you sure?” he asked, noticing that Samantha had tensed, too.

HUAM was an organization whose members were the object of one
of his first cases as the Agency’s employee. They hunted, kidnapped,
tortured, and killed Earthians so they could sell their body parts. The
case was splashed all over the media since the humans running the
smuggling ring were respectable members of their communities. It
was also a point for those Earthians who objected to going public. For
some Earthians, it was an especially sore point as it revived old fears
and practices that got them into hiding in the first place. There were
few dragons, and Francis knew the two that got killed by HUAM. It
wasn’t unexpected that he would feel threatened and angered by their
presence. Many Earthians felt that HUAM should get disbanded

Siren’s Tail

entirely, and that marketing wasn’t done only by one isolated group,
but that they all were aware of it. Since there was no evidence, they
could do nothing. HUAM was still a legal organization, and their
members were allowed to meet publicly. Still, many of the Agency’s
men, human and non-human alike, kept a watchful eye on HUAM
members.

Francis snorted.
“I recognized some people.”
That couldn’t be good. Samantha objected, “Why would HUAM

show up here? It’s not how they work. They are usually much more
circumspect, and protestations in front of the Agency aren’t their
thing.”

“They have organized protests before,” Phaedran reminded her.
“Not like this, and besides, they have been quiet lately.”
Phaedran’s mouth twisted.
“I know that. They are careful, Samantha. We would have gotten

them otherwise.”

“You are assuming they are doing something illegal,” Ben said to

his partner.

“They are. We just don’t know what,” Phaedran stated.
His eyes glittered dangerously. A tense silence stretched between

them. “I don’t know, Phaedran,” Samantha said. She tapped the desk
with her fingers. “There have been reports lately about some project
they are working on. None of our informants know what, so it didn’t
raise many alarm bells.” She sounded apologetic.

“Considering their history, it can’t be anything nice,” Phaedran

said, standing up suddenly. “It doesn’t matter really. But it’s not like
we can do anything. We will have to wait for them to make the first
move. Ben, are you coming? We are supposed to meet with Argyle in
an hour.” He leaned over Ben to pick up his jacket, the folds filled
with his scent dragging over his shoulder and arm. Ben shivered,
desire starting to churn inside him.

18 Sunny

Day

He shook his head to clear it. “What time is it?” he asked,

checking his wristwatch. He’d gotten buried in paperwork and lost
track of time. Samantha and Francis worked a different shift from him
and Phaedran, which meant it was late afternoon. He cursed silently,
remembering that the meeting Phaedran mentioned was with Argyle,
an old satyr who hated to be kept waiting. Ben actually liked the wily
old man. He just didn’t like to work with him because getting any
kind of information from him was worse than pulling teeth from a
dragon’s mouth. More than once they went chasing false leads or got
back to Argyle for something he could have told them in the first
place. He claimed he was doing it for their own good. Personally, Ben
thought he just liked jerking them around.

If they were late, Argyle was likely to be even more insufferable

than usual. He gathered the reports he’d been working on and put
them back in their folder, then closed the drawer.

“Yeah, I’m coming. See you guys later,” he said as he went past

Samantha’s desk.

Phaedran waited for him at the door, playing with his sunglasses.

Since unnecessary movements were so unusual for his partner, Ben
paused after pressing a button to call the elevator. He arched his
eyebrows at Phaedran. “We going to the basement?”

There was more than one reason why this building was chosen as

the Agency’s headquarters. Besides the landing area on the roof, there
was actually a tunnel leading from the basement. It ended in a small,
Earthian-owned bar, where people could come and go
inconspicuously.

Phaedran carefully tucked his sunglasses into his pocket.
“No. I want to take a look at the people outside.” Ben had

expected something like that. After working over eight months with
the man, he’d gotten to know him pretty well. Not as well as he would
like, his traitorous mind reminded him, his gaze sliding over
Phaedran’s broad chest.

Siren’s Tail

“You have something concrete in mind? I mean, Rob’s people

must have already taken their photos and identified them, matched
them with information we have in the database. It’s standard
procedure. If there is a possibility of something happening, they know
to take precautions.”

The elevator door pinged as it opened. Phaedran didn’t look at

him as they stepped inside. “I know they did, and I may want to riffle
through their information later.”

“But?”
“I’m not really planning anything, Ben. I just want to see if I

recognize someone. Who knows, maybe we’ll stumble upon some
information.”

Ben pursed his lips. Phaedran slanted a look at him. “Well?” he

asked expectantly. He wanted to do this, but he was waiting on Ben’s
decision.

“If we are late, Argyle will be mad at us,” he pointed out.
“I’ll take care of Argyle.”
Ben sighed. “What the hell. He’ll get over it.”
Phaedran flashed him a smile. “Thanks, Ben.” He sounded

sincere. His tone and the look in his eyes warmed Ben from the
inside. Snap out of it, Ben. Was Phaedran aware he was flirting with
him? Ben wasn’t sure. The elevator door opened again, and Phaedran
stepped into the lobby. Ben hurried after him.

Ben gave his partner a sidelong glance. Walking beside him,

Phaedran presented him with his profile. When he had first come into
the Agency, he had been ready to dislike his partner on the first sight,
not knowing anything else except the fact that he was Earthian.
Phaedran must have sensed it, but he gave no outward signs of his
reaction. He was ready to confess that he had been worse than an
asshole in those first days. He resented the Earthians’ forceful
intrusion in his life. He still nursed bitter resentment for having his
neat life turned upside down. However, Phaedran didn’t let that rattle
him. He continued to work alongside him, ignoring his sometimes

20 Sunny

Day

pointed barbs and generally insufferable attitude. Slowly, his bad
feelings dissipated. The job wasn’t uninteresting, the pay was better,
his coworkers were okay, even if some of them obviously weren’t
human, and despite not choosing it of his own free will, he found he
didn’t dislike the circumstances in which he found himself. He even
thawed a little toward his partner. It helped that Phaedran never, never
took his other form in his presence or even alluded to the fact that he
was Earthian, not human. How he figured out that that would put Ben
at ease, he had no clue.

After months of working with the man, Ben still didn’t know what

he was.

Which, he admitted ruefully to himself, now presented another

problem.

As his ex-boss had pointed out, Ben was single. And humans were

attracted to Earthians like moths to flame. Their otherworldly
appearance only served to fuel erotic fantasies.

And Phaedran wasn’t an exception. He was an attractive man, Ben

thought, studying him. If he had met him somewhere else, he would
probably have made a play for him. But they met at the Agency and
he knew Phaedran was Earthian. They got along well. Even off duty,
they could spend hours together and enjoy them. Ben loved to sail.
Not to fish, although he sometimes took his fishing rods out. No, he
liked to take out his boat, smell the salty air above the sea, and listen
to gulls’ cries as they mingled with the sunrays. He would stand on
the deck and survey his surroundings, elation filling him inside. He
had invited Phaedran to join him once. He had almost regretted it, but
Phaedran seemed to enjoy the sea as much as he did. Sometimes they
would both sit on the deck. Phaedran also turned out to be an
enthusiastic swimmer. He had even talked Ben into hopping into the
water once or twice. They both enjoyed it. Ever since, Ben had been
toying with the idea of inviting him again. The problem was, he
wasn’t sure he could spend that much time with Phaedran without
letting on about his feelings.

Siren’s Tail

And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do that yet.
Phaedran was Earthian, but what kind of Earthian? It was one

thing to work with some of the…creatures. Ben grimaced in distaste
at the word. It was another thing to sleep with one. And if he couldn’t
handle it, would it ruin their otherwise good working relationship?
Was he willing to risk their friendship for that?

His gaze landed on Phaedran’s backside. His cock gave an

interested twitch.

He guessed he was willing. Ben sighed.
He could, he supposed, ask Phaedran what he was then make a

decision.

That wasn’t without its pitfalls. How was he going to explain his

interest after so much time had passed? And if he asked someone else,
Samantha for instance, wouldn’t she wonder why he didn’t ask
Phaedran?

He sighed in annoyance. He appeared to have landed himself into

a fine mess. He was so occupied with his thoughts he didn’t notice
Phaedran had stopped and practically ran into him. Phaedran turned
his head to look at him over his shoulder. His dark-blue eyes bore into
Ben’s. He quirked one eyebrow up.

He hadn’t moved, so that meant they were still pressed against

each other, Phaedran’s warmth seeping into him and making his blood
heat. His gut clenched. He took a hasty step back.

“Is something wrong?” Phaedran asked.
“Sorry about that. I was thinking.”
“What about?”
“Nothing especially.” He prayed Phaedran wouldn’t press the

issue. His partner stared at him for a couple of minutes, then shrugged
and started walking again. “Come on, then.”

To Ben’s relief, they reached the wide arched hallway that was the

entrance into the building.

“Hey,” a voice called from behind them. They both turned to see

Rob Paris, the head of the Agency of Earthians. His shrewd blue gaze

22 Sunny

Day

took in both of them. He wasn’t armed, or at least Ben didn’t see him
wearing a weapon. He had no doubt Rob could handle himself even
without it.

Was Rob human or Earthian? Ben never dared to ask.
“You boys want out?” he asked, jerking his head toward the wide

door.

They nodded.
Rob raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have to tell you that might not be

the smartest idea in the world,” he drawled.

Ben looked through the deceptively fragile-looking glass door to

the mass of people waiting outside. It wasn’t real glass, although it
looked like it. They were, Ben was assured when he first came here,
dwarven made and interwoven with spells that made them practically
impenetrable.

“Nothing is indestructible, of course, but this comes damn close,”

Alisia, the water nymph that usually worked at the desk, had told him
cheerfully.

“Why? Did you have problems?”
Rob heaved a sigh and shook his head.
“They are behaving nicely now, but I suspect it’s only so they

won’t be asked to disperse. They want to stay here.”

“Wonder why?” Phaedran mused.
Rob scowled. “Of course I wonder. Some of them are known

HUAM members. They are too well behaved to be simple
demonstrators. No. There is some brain behind this operation, and that
means that they’re planning something. What, I don’t know.” Out of
the corner of his eye, Ben noticed Kieran, another member of
security, leaning nonchalantly on the door. He wasn’t fooled by the
man’s easy stance. Kieran was Rob’s bodyguard. He was more than
capable of taking out both Ben and Phaedran if he judged them to be a
danger to Rob.

“That means we should be reasonably safe,” Phaedran said,

drawing his attention.

Siren’s Tail

Rob’s hard gaze slid from Ben to Phaedran. He didn’t appear

convinced. “I guess so.” He drummed his fingers on his hip. “I can’t
talk you out of it?” he addressed Ben. He shrugged.

“We are just going out. Nothing strange about that.”
Rob heaved a sigh. “I had to try. Fine. Kieran, let them out.”
Phaedran slipped his sunglasses on.
“Let’s go.”
He reached for the doorknob.
Noise exploded in his ears once they stepped out of the building.

The protesters were loud. Some of them wore hand-written signs and
almost all had HUAM’s badges.

“Free the Earth!”
“Protect the humans!”
“Nicely sized crowd,” Ben muttered. “It’s a wonder some of them

didn’t lose control.” He saw Phaedran shrug out of the corner of his
eyes, but couldn’t afford to look at his partner. He had to focus on
other people, a sense of danger looming in his mind.

He started for his car, weaving his way through the crowd. At

first, it appeared no one even noticed them. Then the crowd stirred
and thickened around them. They started yelling at them, chanting
their slogans even louder, but were careful to keep their distance. Ben
noticed them exchanging nervous glances and wondered what that
was about. It seemed like they were hesitating and unsure of
themselves. He couldn’t figure what would be the reason, except…

Ben had to smile to himself.
“Everything all right out there?”
It was Rob’s voice, coming through his earpiece. Ben snorted. It

took him a minute to remember he had to answer. He reached with
one hand to adjust the microphone. “They don’t know which one of
us is Earthian, if one of us even is. It’s hampering their reactions.
They don’t know which one of us needs to be saved and which one
should be condemned.”

24 Sunny

Day

He heard Phaedran snort behind him. He quickened his steps.

Danger or no danger, his ears were becoming pained. No need to
listen to this filth more than he absolutely had to.

A man jostled his way through the crowd toward them. He

blocked their way, moving determinedly, his shoulders squared. Ben
slowed then stopped, aware of Phaedran coming to stand beside him.

“Mister, you need to move away,” he said, attempting to be heard

over the noise.

“Abomination!” the man screamed, his eyes wild.
“I have heard that before,” Ben muttered to himself. He could feel

Phaedran’s reassuring presence at his shoulder.

“What was that?” Rob demanded. Ben ignored him.
“I shall uncover the abomination,” the man continued, waving his

hand. From the corner of his eyes, Ben noticed some in the crowd
taking a step back. Interesting. He filed that information for later.

A handful of glittering, green dust flew through the air. Ben

hesitated. That didn’t seem dangerous. It settled over his shoulders,
leaving a fine sheen on his clothes. A distinctive smell rose around
him. He wrinkled his nose.

With narrowed eyes, he grabbed the small man. His eyes widened

even more. “I have done my duty!” he babbled, not even trying to pull
out of Ben’s grip. He was sweating profusely. “The creature will now
show itself!”

Phaedran! Ben’s eyes widened. Cursing himself for forgetting his

partner, he quickly turned around, keeping his grip on the man’s arm.
He couldn’t allow him to escape.

His heart sank.
Phaedran was on his knees on the pavement, one hand on his

throat. The crowd was getting wild. He yanked the man forward,
drawing his gun.

“Everybody back away! I mean it.” He inched closer to Phaedran,

keeping himself between him and the crowd. Phaedran was still
choking.

Siren’s Tail

Panic flooded him. “Rob!” he yelled into the microphone.
“On the way!” came the answer, Rob’s voice breathless. He could

hear the pounding of feet in the background. Seconds later, Rob’s
men burst into his field of vision. They were in full riot gear, armed
and shielded. They started pushing the crowd back, forming a
protective semicircle around the two agents.

“Here!” Ben pushed his prisoner toward one of them and went

down to his knees next to Phaedran. One of Rob’s men was already
doing the same.

“Phaedran! What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he asked

anxiously, putting his hands on Phaedran’s shoulders and shaking him
to get an answer. Phaedran shook his head. His sunglasses slipped.
Ben grabbed them.

He tipped Phaedran’s jaw up, forcing him to look him in the eye.

Phaedran blinked at him. He looked dazed, and his eyes were glazed.
Fear kicked him in the stomach. “Phaedran!”

“He must have inhaled the stuff, whatever it was,” the man from

security said. Ben jerked, his grip on Phaedran’s shoulders slacking.
For the first time he noticed the faint green dust covering Phaedran’s
jacket. He drew his hands away as if scalded. He took first Phaedran’s
then his own jacket off, noticing that it wasn’t in better condition.
Bunching it up in his hand, he used clean patches to gently wipe
Phaedran’s face. There were green spots in Phaedran’s hair, he
noticed, running his hand through the soft waves to shake them off.
He threw both jackets at the man next to them, not taking his eyes off
Phaedran. “Someone take this. We’ll need it later.”

Rob materialized next to them.
“Can he walk?” he yelled into Ben’s ear, eyes on the men around

them.

“I don’t know,” Ben answered, shaking Phaedran again.

Something lurched in his chest. Phaedran hadn’t moved from the
beginning. “Phaedran?”

26 Sunny

Day

Phaedran wheezed, leaning toward Ben. “That…tastes terrible,”

he said, clutching at Ben’s shirt.

A wave of relief went through Ben’s body. “Is that all? You

scared me to death!” Feeling immensely better, he hauled them both
to their feet. Phaedran appeared composed now, though his eyes were
still watering. Ben quickly checked them both. Most of the dust had
ended up on their shoulders and chest. Without their jackets, which
took the brunt of the attack, they should be reasonably safe. He hoped.
He looked at Rob.

“I think we need to go.”
Rob nodded. “Probably a smart idea. We have the man, and now

that one of them actually attacked, we can force the crowd to
disperse.”

“Some of them should be arrested,” Ben protested. “I don’t know

what this was about, but they knew what he was going to do. We need
to ask them what they know. You have to get them arrested.”

A feral smile showed on Rob’s mouth. Behind him, Kieran had

his weapon out. “Don’t worry. They will be.”

All around them his men grinned with anticipation.
“Take our jackets inside,” Ben ordered to the man who was

holding them. “Phaedran doesn’t appear to have taken any ill effect,
but we should still check what that stuff is.”

“On it,” Rob answered, motioning with his hand to the man to go

inside. Ben threw an arm around Phaedran’s waist, feeling stupidly
pleased when the other man leaned into him with a sigh.

They were escorted to Ben’s car. He quickly settled himself then

turned to check on Phaedran, who was helped into the car by Rob. He
reached to adjust Phaedran’s seat belt, brushing over his throat for a
moment, checking his pulse. He got a weak smile in return, and then
Phaedran covered his hand with his own.

“I am not dying yet.”
Ben swallowed. “That’s good to know.”
He turned the engine on and pulled out of the parking space.

Siren’s Tail

Chapter 2

Ben pried his fingers from the steering wheel, forcing himself to

relax. His heart was still beating madly, adrenaline filling his blood.
They left the building behind them and with it, the danger. He had
almost managed to calm himself when Phaedran said, “Hurry.” His
voice was strained.

Ben started.
“What’s wrong?” He would have turned to look at Phaedran, but

he needed to keep his eyes on the road. Fear clenched his insides.
Something cold slithered down his spine.

“Phaedran!” Did they leave too early? Maybe he needed to take

Phaedran back to the Agency, which had a completely equipped
medical facility.

“No, I’m fine,” Phaedran hurried to reassure him.
He snorted.
“Well, almost fine,” Phaedran amended. “What that guy said,

about revealing the creature? I think whatever that powder was, it’s
meant to do exactly that. It’s forcing me to change.” He sounded
apologetic. He also sounded uneasy. Ben froze.

His heartbeat sped up, part in anticipation, part fear. He

shuddered. Stop it. Now is not the time.

“How do you mean, forcing you? Are you hurting?” He started to

turn around, but Phaedran’s hand landed on his shoulder. Ben
swallowed, heat arcing up his arm.

“No. But…I won’t be able to hold it for much longer.”
Ben cursed aloud. He didn’t need to be told that they didn’t want

that to happen on the road, surrounded by prying eyes. He’d never

28 Sunny

Day

seen Phaedran’s true form. “All right, all right.” He breathed out. He
stepped on the gas.

“Hold on, we should be at my place shortly.”
Phaedran didn’t say anything after that. Ben listened to his labored

breathing and willed the car to go faster. By the time they arrived to
Ben’s apartment building, Phaedran’s strength was sagging. He didn’t
react when Ben got out of the car and threw the door open.

He practically had to drag Phaedran up the stairs into his

apartment, thanking his lucky stars that late afternoon meant there
was not many people around to witness it. Having broken numerous
traffic rules to get them there, he was now starting to panic. Phaedran
was pale and sweating. Strain was visible on his face. He clutched at
Ben like at a lifeline. “Shush, it’s okay,” Ben whispered, letting him
lean onto him while he fished his key out of his pants. The hallway
was blissfully empty.

“Ben,” Phaedran breathed, his lips warm on Ben’s neck. He

squeezed his eyes shut.

“Please, Phaedran. Just a little more.”
Phaedran chuckled tiredly.
“I’m here. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”
Phaedran murmured something unintelligible. Wrapping both

arms around him, Ben carefully led him inside.

He deposited him on the sofa in his living room and punched

Samantha’s number into the phone, glancing uneasily at Phaedran the
whole time. Phaedran sunk into the couch, his head moving listlessly
against the cushions. His eyes were closed, and he breathed in shallow
gasps.

“Come on, pick up, pick up,” he chanted. He brushed Phaedran’s

forehead with his fingers. Was it his imagination, or was he hotter
than usual? Phaedran’s eyes opened. Ben’s heart skipped a beat. His
pupils were wide blown, and he didn’t appear to see Ben.

“What?” Samantha demanded irritably. “Some of us have to

work.”

Siren’s Tail

“Don’t hang up!” Ben practically yelled. “Something is wrong

with Phaedran.”

“How do you mean it? Rob said he was mostly fine,” Samantha

demanded. Ben clutched the phone.

“He said the stuff was forcing him to change.”
“Forcing him? How could…hold on.” She went off the line. He

could hear voices in the background and assumed Samantha was
checking with other Earthians in the building. Seconds later she was
back on the phone.

“What’s he saying?”
Ben looked at Phaedran. “He is out of it.”
“How out?”
“I don’t know. He is still conscious, but he is struggling.”

Phaedran moved his hand feebly, found Ben’s, and gripped it. “He
still recognizes me. He didn’t say anything else was wrong,
just…that.”

“Good then.” Samantha sounded relieved. “Where are you?”
“My place.”
“You should be reasonably safe then. I will send someone to keep

an eye on the building, but if that’s all, you should be fine. We have
our hands full. I need to go.”

“Wait!” he pleaded. He crossed the room and lowered his voice.

He could still see Phaedran, but with luck, he couldn’t hear him.

“What am I supposed to do? I don’t even know what his other

form is.”

“You don’t?” she exclaimed, surprised. “How could you not?”

Ben gritted his teeth.

“It hadn’t come up in conversation. Please, Sam. I’m out of my

depth here.” There was a sound coming from the couch, and Ben’s
ears strained. On the phone, Samantha snorted.

“Boy, are you not. Okay, here is what you could do. Take his

clothes off.”

30 Sunny

Day

A choking sound emerged from his throat, but Samantha

continued undeterred. “Do you have a bathtub?”

A bathtub?
“Yes?” he answered dubiously.
“Good. Fill it with water and put him inside. That should be

enough.” She disconnected. He stared at the phone in his hand.

A bathtub? What was Samantha thinking?
Still, he went to his bathroom and turned the tap on. He checked

the temperature. Good. Not too cold, not too hot. He hurried back into
the living room. Phaedran was slumped on the sofa. Ben gently shook
his shoulder.

“Hey,” he said softly. “You awake?” He was breathing a little

easier, and he seemed to relax a little. He must have stopped resisting
the change so much.

Phaedran opened one eye to look at him. If it was possible, it was

even bluer than before. Ben breathed in relief as he realized his
partner was looking at him.

“I’m sorry.” His expression was pained. “I didn’t want to do this

to you.”

“Shh.” Ben sat next to him. “You haven’t done anything to me.

That guy hurt you.”

A choked laugh escaped his partner. “We will see what you are

going to say tomorrow.”

His words stung, but Ben knew what Phaedran was talking about.

He was going to switch forms, and Ben was going to see how he
really looked.

“Calm down. It will be all right,” he soothed.
He started unbuttoning Phaedran’s shirt. He still had his shoulder

holster on, so he first had to dispose of the weapon. Phaedran was
eerily quiet, not resisting Ben’s manhandling. Despite being worried
about Phaedran, he couldn’t help but notice his partner had a beautiful
body. A strong, masculine chest, almost devoid of body hair, tapered
to slim hips and long legs. He avoided looking lower. His blood was

Siren’s Tail

starting to heat, humming with anticipation. His cock stirred,
reminding him he had a very attractive, naked male in his arms.

He is sick, you pervert. He chastised himself. Resolutely keeping

his mind off that particular track, he carried Phaedran to the
bathroom.

The tub was almost full now. He carefully lowered his burden.

The water sloshed. Phaedran sighed. His eyelashes fluttered.

“No, stay still,” Ben warned, biting his lips. Phaedran’s arms

flailed until he gripped the edges of tub. He relaxed once he was in
the water.

“You can let go now,” he said, his voice thick.
Straightening up, Ben gave him a long, questioning look. The

water seemed to agree with Phaedran. Some color started to return to
his cheeks. He didn’t look so strained now.

And him being immersed into the water hiding him from view did

wonders for Ben’s fluttering stomach and his straining cock. His
mouth was dry.

He sat on the edge of the tub and reached to remove a wet strand

of black hair from Phaedran’s forehead.

“Better?” he asked.
Phaedran nodded, his eyes holding Ben’s. He rubbed his cheek

against Ben’s fingers.

“Thanks.” He pulled back. “Can you bring me a glass of water?”
Ben spent a moment mourning the loss of contact. He wondered

whether Phaedran was really thirsty or just wanted Ben away.

“Sure,” he said reluctantly. He stood up. “I will be right back.”
One of Phaedran’s little quirks was that he never drank tap water,

only bottled. But the rest of the Earthians did the same, so Ben didn’t
pay much attention to it. Actually, after drinking that water all the
time in the office, he couldn’t drink tap water at home anymore. So he
bought bottled water, which was good, since he now had what to give
to Phaedran. He grabbed the small bottle from his kitchen counter and
headed toward the bathroom.

32 Sunny

Day

There was no sound from the bathroom as he approached.
“Phaedran?” he called, alarmed. “Are you okay?”
There was a loud sigh from the bathroom. Phaedran sounded tired.

Resigned.

“Yes.” Pause. “But I am no longer in my human form.”
Ben felt his knees buckle. He had to lean on the wall to steady

himself. His fingers grabbed the neck of the bottle. He heard the
plastic creak.

“Oh,” he managed to say. He sounded strangled even to himself.
“Yeah.” Phaedran laughed without humor.
Ben shut his eyes. Calm down, he ordered himself. You knew he

was not human. He is not going to hurt you. Half an hour earlier you
were so worried about him you almost crashed the car. It’s still him.

You wanted to ask what he was. Now you are going to find out

without any prompting. No big deal. You have seen other Earthians in
their natural forms, and some of them were scary. Hell, you have seen
Francis.

He was still rooted to the spot.
I’m not attracted to Francis!
He heaved a sigh. And that’s the problem here, isn’t it? You like

him. You want him. You are just not sure that you want all of him. Ben
Jordan, you are one shallow, brainless jerk. Since when do you care
about appearance so much? You aren’t better than those ignorant
demonstrators that hurt him in the first place.

“Ben?” Phaedran sounded worried. “Are you all right?”
Jolted out of his thoughts, he almost laughed at the question. Am I

all right? Wasn’t I the one asking him that? Boy, we are one sorry
pair.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah. I am.”
He paused.
“Oh.” Phaedran sounded dubious. “Okay, then.”

Siren’s Tail

Ben took a deep breath. “I should probably have asked this earlier,

or at least made it clear that you can tell me, and I apologize for that.
What, exactly, is your other form?”

He held his breath. There was only a silence from the bathroom.
Too long a silence.
“Phaedran!”
“I’m here. I’m just thinking how to answer.”
Now Ben got irritated. “How do you mean that? Just spit it out.

You still sound like you,” he added hopefully. Something eased in his
chest.

“Of course I sound like me. I don’t totally change appearance.”

Phaedran sounded affronted.

“That’s good to know,” Ben answered dryly. “So why can’t you

tell me?”

And why can’t I just go in? It’s my bathroom, after all.
“Does the word mermaid ring any bells for you?”
Ben’s eyes widened. He exploded into the bathroom. “A

mermaid? You are a fucking mermaid? That’s it?”

Phaedran appeared startled by his outburst.
“Yes.”
“I thought it was god knows what! Do you have any idea what

you just put me through? A mermaid?”

He sat back on the tub’s edge and thrust the bottle at Phaedran.

“Here. Your water.” He folded his arms over his chest. “A mermaid.
Mermaid.”

The weight of the bottle disappeared from his hand. Tense silence

filled the tiny room.

“You aren’t freaked out,” Phaedran said.
“Because there is an overgrown fish lounging in my bathtub? No

wonder Sam almost laughed at me.”

“You didn’t want to know before, Ben,” Phaedran pointed out

reasonably.

34 Sunny

Day

“I didn’t think you were this! Damn it, Phaedran. My boat is

called Ariel. Didn’t that give you any clue?” His eyes narrowed.
“Wait a minute. When we were swimming. Did you change then?”

Now Phaedran looked annoyed. “Of course not. I didn’t want you

to know.”

Ben huffed. “No wonder you were swimming that good. You are a

fish!”

“I’m not!” Phaedran straightened, sending water lapping at the

rim of the tub. Ben’s mouth twitched. He was starting to see humor in
the situation.

“Half-fish, then,” he amended, reaching with one hand to play

with black hair wrapped around one delicate earlobe. Phaedran
opened his mouth then closed it. He leaned into Ben’s touch and
sighed contentedly. Ben forced himself to look through the gently
swirling water.

Phaedran’s hips ended in a shiny, glittering mass of something

blue and green. It shimmered, ending in a wide, curved flipper. He
stared at it.

“Is it very ugly?” Phaedran asked in a low voice. Ben’s head shot

up. Phaedran’s eyes were wide and filled with shadow.

“No,” he said gently. “I don’t think it is ugly at all.”
Phaedran didn’t appear convinced.
“Can I touch?”
His hand itched to touch, but he knew better than to do it without

asking.

Surprise showed on Phaedran’s face.
“If you want.”
He had to kneel at the tiles next to the tub and plunged his hand

into the water. His fingers brushed across the merman’s tail. He
hesitated then laid his palm over it. It was warm, smooth, and softer
than he expected. A lump formed in his throat. His fingers moved of
their own volition. He glanced up at Phaedran and bit his lip.

“Does this hurt you?”

Siren’s Tail

Phaedran shook his head. “No.”
“It’s…different.” He hesitated before moving his hand. “Can you

feel it?”

Phaedran’s eyes unmistakably darkened. “Yes.”
He slid his fingers upward until they danced on warm, human

skin. He circled Phaedran’s navel, teasing him. His thumb dipped
inside then rolled over the rock-hard muscles of Phaedran’s abs.
Phaedran hissed. His breath quickened. Ben stared at him, licking his
lips.

“You…” Phaedran started. Ben started to lean in. Their breath

mingled. Phaedran’s lashes were dark and damp. His lips parted. Ben
stared at him, the damp lock brushing his cheek as he moved close
enough for a kiss. Phaedran’s lips opened on a gasp.

The sound of the doorbell startled them both. Ben jerked back.
“Who’s that?” Phaedran mouthed at him.
Ben shook his head. He stood up, quickly going through the living

room. Both his and Phaedran’s weapons were there. He picked the
gun up and checked the safety. Only then he went to the door.

“Who is it?” he yelled, keeping the gun at the ready.
“Kieran. Sam sent me,” came the answer. Ben relaxed

fractionally. He knew the name, and he knew the man, er, the elf, too.
He opened the door.

Kieran raised one eyebrow, not moving from where he was

leaning against the wall.

“Phaedran?” he inquired, looking as if they were chitchatting over

coffee at the headquarters. Ben wasn’t fooled. Kieran was dangerous.
He blew a breath as he lowered his weapon.

“Fine. Still in his other form, though,” he added, frowning. He

hadn’t thought of that, but it was unusual. Why didn’t Phaedran shift
back? A tiny frown appeared between Kieran’s brows.

“He can’t get back?”
“Not yet.”
Kieran nodded.

36 Sunny

Day

“I’ll let Sam know. I’m going to hang around. Call if you need

me.”

Kieran moved from the wall, his lithe body moving with the grace

characteristic for elves. Ben just nodded before closing the door. He
knew better than to invite the elf inside.

“Who was that?” Phaedran was leaning almost half out of the tub.
“Get back inside,” Ben ordered absently. “Kieran. Sam sent him

to watch out for us.”

Phaedran relaxed.
Ben studied him. Now that he had gotten used to the idea, he was

finding the sight strangely erotic. He snorted. Like you needed a lot of
nudging.

“Can you get back now?”
Phaedran twisted his lips and looked down at himself ruefully.

“No. Whatever that powder was, it’s potent.”

Ben hesitated. “Should you stay in there, or…” He vaguely

indicated the bathtub.

Phaedran snorted. “No. If it’s all the same to you, I would rather

sleep in the bed than in this tub. It’s not really comfortable.” He
braced himself to move then stared with dismay at his body.

Ben raised one eyebrow. “Having some problems?”
Phaedran shot him an annoyed glance. “It’s not funny.”
“I didn’t say it was. Come on. You are going out the same way

you went in.”

He tucked his gun in his belt then leaned in.
“This is embarrassing,” Phaedran muttered, wrapping his arms

around his neck. With some effort, Ben picked him up.

“How come you are heavier in this form?” Maybe it wasn’t just a

question of weight, he reflected. The tail was slippery and hard to
hold. “Stop wiggling!” he ordered. He staggered into the bedroom.
Luckily it wasn’t far. They both landed on the bed, Ben on top of
Phaedran. The feeling wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

Siren’s Tail

“You have made me all wet,” he muttered, disentangling himself

from Phaedran. He sat, starting to take his shirt off. He paused once to
look at the merman on his bed.

“Er, do you need a towel or something?”
Phaedran rolled his eyes, twisting himself to lie straight on the

bed. He threw Ben an amused glance.

“Not for modesty’s sake, no.”
Ben flushed then busied himself with disrobing. Keeping only his

boxers on, he went once again to the other room to pick up
Phaedran’s gun. He handed it over to his partner.

Phaedran accepted it and put it under his pillow. Ben went to lie

on the other side of the bed. With some surprise, he realized he was
tired and barely keeping his eyes open. The day’s events were taking
their toll. He squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position. He froze
as his arm brushed Phaedran’s side.

“Um, sorry.” He grabbed the pillow and rolled over.
“Night,” he said.
“Night.”
Silence.
“This is stupid.”
Ben rolled until he was lying flush with Phaedran. He put an arm

around his waist, pulling him closer.

Something inside him loosened as Phaedran’s body rested against

his, his heart beating steadily. “Are you sure, Ben?” Phaedran asked
quietly. He let his palm drift to Phaedran’s scaled thigh.

“Phaedran,” he said. “Look at me.”
He waited until Phaedran did so. “I’m not freaked out. I’m not

angry, or disgusted. I’m a little…weirded out, but that’s not
surprising.”

Phaedran sighed, tucking his head against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask earlier,” Ben said after a pause.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was…thinking about that.”
“Go to sleep, Phaedran.” Ben closed his eyes.

38 Sunny

Day

“Ben?”
“Yes?”
“Can I get that kiss now?”
Ben moved back so he could look at his partner. Without an

answer, he leaned in until his lips brushed Phaedran’s. He didn’t wait,
spearing his tongue inside Phaedran’s mouth, making them both
moan. Phaedran gripped his forearm and rolled them until he was on
top of Ben and Ben’s awakened dick was pressing into his belly.
Phaedran broke the kiss, cursing.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked, dazed.
Phaedran sighed. “Can’t get back to human form,” he said

mournfully. “No sex until then.”

Ben grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ben buried his nose into damp, black hair and went to sleep.

* * * *

He woke up with a warm, willing body tucked into his arms.
“Nice,” he murmured, inching closer.
Silky lips caressed his ear. “Wake up, Ben.”
He knew that voice. His eyes fluttered open. He stared at amused

blue eyes. Phaedran’s tongue darted out to tease his lips. Ben opened
them and welcomed that questing tongue in.

“Mmm.” Phaedran moved closer, plastering himself against Ben.

His all-too-human, very aroused body pressed against Ben’s. His skin
was both hot and cool at the touch, sliding easily over Ben’s body,
sensation gathering where they touched. Ben woke up completely. His
hands roamed down Phaedran’s sides, stopping at his waist. He
hesitated just a second before reaching down to cup Phaedran’s ass.

“You are back to your usual self, I see.” He moved his fingertip

up the hollow of Phaedran’s back, goose bumps tickling his skin. He
shivered. A low burn of arousal twisted into powerful and demanding
want.

Siren’s Tail

Phaedran nodded, rocking his hips against Ben. His dick, hard and

suspiciously damp, dragged over Ben’s belly. A low moan tore from
his throat. He buried his head into Ben’s shoulder, teeth skimming
over Ben’s collarbone. Ben obliged, spreading his legs to allow him to
settle between. Phaedran grunted in approval. His movements became
more frantic. He let out a frustrated sigh. He was naked, but Ben was
still wearing his boxers.

Rolling his hips up, Ben used Phaedran’s distraction to switch

their positions, pushing Phaedran down with a hand splayed on his
chest. He straddled his hips. He ran his hand down over the expanse
of naked chest and paused before wrapping his fingers around the pale
column of Phaedran’s cock. Phaedran gasped, the stiff organ
quivering in Ben’s grip. Phaedran’s smoldering gaze held his as Ben
caressed his balls. He felt his eyes widen, realizing they were
completely smooth. His own cock jumped at the visual. Ben gritted
his teeth, holding his reactions in check.

“You mentioned last night,” he said, gently playing with the

flushed dick in his hand, “you can’t have sex in your other form?”

Phaedran growled, Ben’s weight holding him essentially captive

on the bed. He tried to push into Ben’s hand. His pupils were
completely blown, blackness swallowing the blue irises. He let his
head fall back onto the pillow, eyelashes fluttering. His hungry gaze
fastened on Ben’s slow-moving hand. “No. It’s one of the
reasons…ahh”—he hissed when Ben’s thumb swiped at his tip—
“why we prefer human form.”

“You do?” The cock in his hand was now slick and damp, butting

teasingly against his wrist.

“Yes.” Phaedran’s hands gripped the bedsheets. “Ben. Do we

have to have this conversation right now?” His voice was rough.

“Not really.”
“Good. Could you then…” Apparently out of patience, Phaedran

rolled them both on their side. Ben yelped. A hungry mouth came
down on his. He moaned into the hot mouth above his, his whole

40 Sunny

Day

body melting into Phaedran’s. Using his distraction, Phaedran tugged
at his boxers.

With a groan, Ben raised his hips to help him get rid of the

cumbersome piece of clothing. He shuddered when Phaedran pressed
against him, skin on naked skin. He gripped Phaedran’s shoulders,
gasping even as he pushed his hips up. He let his thighs fall apart,
sighing in obvious enjoyment when Phaedran fitted their bodies
together.

Phaedran meant business. He started grinding against Ben, in a

hard, determined rhythm, pushing them both toward orgasm.
Sensation swirled inside him, pleasure rising and washing over Ben.
His lips parted. Phaedran’s breath hitched. He swooped down, his
mouth crushing Ben’s, swallowing his shouts as they both rode out
their completion.

Sweaty and breathing hard, they slumped against each other.
Ben tried catching his breath.
“That was…that was very nice.”
Phaedran snorted, not bothering to open his eyes. He nuzzled

Ben’s throat, aftershocks of pleasure bursting in the wake of his kiss.

“Makes you wonder why we hadn’t done that before.”
Ben shivered. “Something like that.”
Phaedran sighed then rolled over with obvious reluctance.
“Much as I would love to stay like this and try for a second round,

we better go back to work. I’m sure they are waiting for us at the
Agency.”

Ben nodded, sitting up and swinging his legs over the bed. He

glanced at the clock. It was still pretty early, but there was no sense
waiting, considering everything that happened yesterday. Was it only
yesterday? He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Probably. Samantha has most likely squeezed the guy that threw

that powder dry and is itching to hear what you have to say.” He
watched appreciatively as Phaedran disappeared into the bathroom.

Siren’s Tail

Standing up on unsteady legs, he frowned at the mess on his belly

and used an end of the sheet to clean it. He started to dress. He
nodded at Phaedran when he showed up, going to the living room to
pick up his things. Soon they were both dressed and ready to go.

Ben checked his weapon once again before throwing his jacket on.
“Think Kieran is still here?”
Phaedran paused to let him exit.
“He will show up when he sees us.”
“Good, then.” Ben hesitated then leaned over for a quick peck on

the lips. He blushed, pulling back.

“Hey.” Phaedran’s hand on his forearm stopped him. He all but

melted under the heated gaze Phaedran gave him.

“I meant what I said. I would love to have more time to spend

with you. And we will. Just”—he hesitated—“not right now.”

Ben nodded. He could understand that. Warmth spread through

his chest. He was ridiculously pleased.

* * * *

Kieran, who had indeed stayed outside for the whole night, on the

lookout for other HUAM members, had followed them up to the
rooms dedicated to Medical in Agency headquarters. He must have
also alarmed others, because they were surrounded with agents and
ushered inside with frightful efficiency. Both Samantha and Francis
showed up soon and that was when Kieran departed, after a terse
exchange with Samantha. Ben wondered what that was about, then
focused his attention to Phaedran.

“Well, you seem to be fine.” Zigorlan, the Agency’s chief of

medical staff, nodded and stepped back from Phaedran, his lined,
tanned face relaxing.

Ben heard himself sigh in relief. A quick glance at the other

agents present showed that they felt the same. Ben reached out to put
a hand on Phaedran’s naked shoulder.

42 Sunny

Day

He gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Told you so,” Phaedran said, giving him a quick smile and

starting to pull his shirt back on since he had to take it off for the
examination. “I didn’t feel so hot last night, but the effect wore off
this morning. If that’s all, it’s not that bad.”

“Are you sure, doc?” Samantha frowned, turning to Zigorlan. “No

aftereffects?”

Zigorlan shook his head. “It doesn’t appear to be. I think he is fine

and he will stay that way.”

“We are still trying to find more information about this stuff. The

guy we picked up hasn’t been giving us a lot of information. We think
he may be only a pawn,” Samantha explained to Zigorlan.

“They used him to see if this will work,” Ben concluded.
“It seems to be so.”
Phaedran listened to them then said, “They couldn’t be sure it

would work, so they had to test it. But perhaps it’s not designed to
damage us, only to force us to reveal our true forms. For fanatics like
they are, that may be enough.”

“You were really ill last night,” Ben reminded him. Phaedran

rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

“I was, but that may have been because I was resisting the change.

If I wasn’t, maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.”

Ben read something in his eyes. Panic engulfed him. He crossed

his arms over his chest and glared at him. “No. You are not trying it
again. No way.”

He was appalled that Phaedran was even considering it.
“He should not,” Zigorlan put in. Ben had almost forgotten he was

there. “It may appear harmless, but until I’m sure of it, we are not
giving it to any Earthians. Even now, only humans are handling it.”
He raised his bushy eyebrows.

“You haven’t had any adverse reactions, have you?” He was

addressing Ben.

Siren’s Tail

Ben shook his head. “No. And I must have inhaled as much as

Phaedran did.” His mouth twitched. “The guy wasn’t sure which one
of us he needed to hit.”

Francis, lounging against the wall, just snorted. “Right. I can see

how that could happen.”

“But I don’t get it,” Ben said, frowning. “I mean, how is it

possible that the only thing that stuff is supposed to do is make you
change shape? What use would that be for HUAM? Let’s face it.
Even in your other forms, most of you aren’t that scary. Are they?”
He turned to Samantha, as the only other human in the room. “He”—
Ben pointed at Zigorlan—“he looks almost human.”

“He is right,” Samantha agreed. “Hell, most of you look very

appealing in your other form.”

She shot a warning glance at Francis, daring him to say something

to tease her. Francis just grinned, his eyes glinting. He was not going
to let his partner forget she said that.

Phaedran and Francis exchanged looks. “It’s not that simple,”

Phaedran finally said. “Both of you were chosen because, well,
because you didn’t have any negative feelings toward us. For HUAM,
just the fact that we are not human will be enough. It is enough. They
see it as ugly and disgusting. It doesn’t occur to them that anyone
would think different.”

Ben thought it over.
“That actually makes sense,” he admitted unwillingly.
Francis nodded. “And there are some people who will react

negatively. I mean, it’s one thing to be fine with Earthians when you
read about them in the papers or see them on TV. It’s quite another
matter when your first neighbor is one of them.” He frowned. “There
are some Earthians who don’t want to reveal themselves. This is
going to take their choice out of their hands.”

Ben hadn’t even considered that.
“It can’t be legal to drug someone against their will.”
Phaedran shrugged.

44 Sunny

Day

“There aren’t as many laws pertaining to Earthians, as you well

know. They may actually go unscathed.”

“What about our prisoner, then? Are we going to have to release

him?” He was loath even to consider the possibility.

Samantha shook her head.
“No. That’s something different. Both you and Phaedran are

members of the Agency. That should carry some weight.”

Ben grimaced. “Not really fair, but it’s going to be useful.”
“Undoubtedly,” Zigorlan said in a dry voice. “I want to take blood

samples from both of you. Since I can’t inject anyone with the drug, it
may tell me something I don’t know.”

“Oh. Fine.” Phaedran looked at Samantha and Francis.
“We will leave then. I’ll tell the others you are fine,” Samantha

commented, heading toward the door.

“Say thank you to Kieran,” Ben yelled after her. She just nodded.
Zigorlan raised expectant eyebrows at the two of them. “Well,

then.”

* * * *

“I can’t believe you were willing to risk going through that

again,” Ben said, fuming, as they walked through hallways toward the
interrogation room. The room was actually made to hold Earthians, so
it was warded with spells and isolated from other parts of the
building.

Phaedran shrugged, looking unconcerned. “We already know it

doesn’t cause much damage.”

Ben whirled to face him, appalled.
“That’s what you think. Even Zigorlan said he didn’t know long-

term effects,” he reminded his partner.

Desperate, he gripped Phaedran’s arm, stopping him in his tracks.

Their eyes met.

Siren’s Tail

“You are really worried about this,” Phaedran said, sounding

surprised. Ben sighed impatiently.

“Of course I am worried. And it’s not only because—” He

stopped. His face flushed. He lowered his voice. “Because I am
sleeping with you now.”

“I know that.” Phaedran rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I am not as

reckless as you think.” Ben snorted at this announcement. Phaedran,
seeing his expression, backtracked. “All right, maybe I am,” he
conceded. He didn’t try to dislodge Ben’s grip. “But we need to find
out as much as possible about that drug.”

“I am aware of that,” Ben said through clenched teeth. “I just want

you to be more careful.” He didn’t think it was a lot to ask. His
partner was usually more careful. An idea occurred to him, causing
his blood to freeze.

“Phaedran? Are you sure you are fine? You aren’t usually this

reckless.”

Phaedran appeared taken aback.
“I…I don’t know.” He visibly hesitated. “I know that all turned

out all right, but I almost lost you last night. I was sure I was going to
lose you,” he repeated vehemently.

Ben stared at him, confused. “You lose me? I wasn’t the one

who—” He cut himself off. His eyes widened. “Not because of the
drug. Because of the transformation.”

Phaedran refused to look him in the eye. His jaw tensed. “Yes,” he

replied tersely.

“But that didn’t happen.”
“I know. I know. But it didn’t change how I felt. It really upset

me.”

“How do you think I was feeling? I thought you might die,” Ben

argued. The fear was still fresh in his mind.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Phaedran objected.
“I didn’t know that!” Ben couldn’t stop his voice from rising.

46 Sunny

Day

“No, I suppose you didn’t,” Phaedran said slowly. His free hand

brushed over Ben’s forearm in a comforting gesture. Ben exhaled
sharply. “Sorry about that,” Phaedran said gently.

“Yeah. Right.” Ben took a deep breath to calm himself. He let go

of Phaedran, taking a step back. He checked the hallway in front and
behind them. It was still empty. No one saw them argue.

“We should probably get going,” he announced. Phaedran

followed him down the hallway.

“You know, something occurred to me,” Ben said, as they

approached the interrogation room. “Last night, when Kieran was at
the door…”

Phaedran looked at him curiously. “I remember. Why?”
“I had to leave you unprotected. Your weapon was in the other

room. Were you in danger?”

Phaedran stopped. “Shit. I didn’t even think about that.”
“I don’t know much about mermaids,” Ben continued, “but

Samantha said to put you in water. Do you have to be in water, then?”

“No,” Phaedran answered. “I think not.” He hesitated. “We should

have asked Zigorlan. I don’t really know. I never spent a long time in
that form on dry land.”

“You are not forced to shift, then?” There were some Earthians

for whom human form wasn’t natural and who couldn’t hold them
indefinitely. They had to spend a specific amount of time in their
natural forms.

Phaedran shook his head. “No. I like to, but I don’t have to. I

could spend a lot of time outside of the sea, and it wouldn’t hurt me.
There are some of us who prefer it, actually.” He flashed a smile at
Ben, reminding him why mermaids preferred human form. Ben’s
cheeks heated and his balls tightened, reminding him of their interlude
this morning. He dragged his attention to the matter at hand.

“But they don’t shift.”
“There is no reason to. However, our other form is made for the

water. I don’t know if longer exposure to the air would damage us.”

Siren’s Tail

Ben snorted.
“With the air pollution in the city? The dust? I think it likely.”
“That may very well be.” Phaedran appeared to consider it. “And

that’s another thing. In that form I’m pretty much helpless, water or
no water.”

Ben nodded, a sliver of fear skidding down his spine. “You

wouldn’t be able to move.”

“No. I could lash my tail. My ancestors have evaded capture by

humans that way. But they could have escaped by sea. I won’t have
that option. Shit. Even without any other effect, that will make at least
some of us vulnerable.”

“We need to get rid of that drug, then. Come on.”

48 Sunny

Day

Chapter 3

Francis was once again lounging against the wall. He raised his

eyebrows when he saw them approach.

“Hey,” Ben said. “Samantha inside?”
Francis nodded, turning to look through the one-way mirror. “She

was the one who interrogated him.”

“Not you?”
Francis shook his head. “No, not me. Just her.”
Phaedran glanced over Ben’s shoulder. Only Samantha was

actually inside the room with the human. She sat on the one end of the
table, him on the other. She appeared coldly professional, her
expression grim.

“Samantha is good.”
Francis grimaced. “Not that it’s helping right now.”
“Why? Is he not talking?” Ben eyed the man with interest.

Yesterday he was too worried about Phaedran to even think about
their confrontation. Their prisoner appeared to have shrunken into
himself. He was pale and sweating.

Francis scowled. “Nothing for now. We did get his name, and Rob

ran a check on him. They are still talking with other demonstrators,
but this one seems to be our best shot. Others are denying they knew
anything.”

“While he can’t,” Phaedran stated flatly.
Francis handed Ben a folder he was holding in his arms. “While

he can’t. Here, this is what we got.”

“Larry Baker,” Ben read aloud from the file. “Registered member

of the HUAM, works in marketing. Divorced, two children, in his

Siren’s Tail

early fifties. No prior contacts with Earthians.” He scanned the pages
and frowned. “Nothing exceptional here.”

“That was my impression, too.”
“Maybe that’s why they chose him. His file wasn’t going to

implicate anyone else,” Phaedran offered, taking the file himself.
Francis appeared unconvinced.

“Could be. However, we are still investigating him.” Francis took

a sharp breath. “Our people are outside talking to his family, friends,
and coworkers. We might still find something.”

Ben didn’t think so.
“Doubtful, but we have to try. Did someone warn the rest of the

guys about the drug?” he asked sharply. While Phaedran appeared to
have suffered no ill effects, they couldn’t be sure it was going to be
the same with the rest of the Earthians.

Francis nodded. “Actually, the warning went out late last night,

when it became obvious there was something wrong with you. That’s
why we were there when Zigorlan examined you. Kieran is even now
informing everyone that there appear to be no ill effects.”

Ben shot Phaedran a warning glance. “That doesn’t mean they

should be careless.”

Francis gave an exasperated sigh. “I know that, Ben. I’m not an

idiot. We were lucky last night that it was Phaedran in more ways
than one.”

“What do you mean?” Ben’s voice rose. He didn’t think there was

anything lucky about last night.

“Whoa, easy,” Francis said, backing up a step. “I didn’t mean it

the way you took it.” He gave Ben an apologetic glance. Phaedran put
his hand on Ben’s shoulder, squeezing gently to remind him he was
there and hale and whole. “What I meant was,” Francis continued in a
soothing tone, “the change for mermaids isn’t volatile or forceful.
There are some among us”—he hesitated, obviously searching for the
right word—“who would have reacted much worse than Phaedran.
Second, well, it was good that Phaedran resisted the change.”

50 Sunny

Day

Ben felt his own eyes widen. “That’s right. We know their

experiment worked. They haven’t actually seen him change. As far as
they know, last night’s attempt may be a complete failure.”

“That should buy us some time, at least,” Phaedran commented,

closing the file. “If they…”

“Not very much, I’m afraid,” Kieran’s voice said. All three of

them turned to look at him. Kieran’s hands were balled into fists. It
was the first time Ben had ever seen him ruffled. His expression was
neutral, but his voice was grim. “There were more attacks last night
and this morning. Some of them worked.”

Francis cursed. Ben reached for Phaedran, skimming his hand

over his arm, offering comfort.

“Was anyone hurt?”
“No, but the change can be stressful for some of us. It wasn’t

exactly painless. And some people are starting to panic,” Kieran
admitted.

“Humans or Earthians?” Ben demanded.
Kieran grimaced, acknowledging the point. “Both.”
That was not good, Ben thought, focusing again on Samantha,

behind the glass. That’s not good at all.

“Let’s go inside,” he said suddenly.
Both Earthians gave him a puzzled glance.
“Why?”
Ben gave them a tight smile.
“Because he attacked us last night. He knows one, possibly both

of us, are Earthians. Does he know Samantha is human?”

Francis blinked. “Yes, he does. We figured it may help.”
“Good. Let’s go and scare him, then.”
Francis hesitated. Kieran shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”
Ben looked at Phaedran and nodded.

* * * *

Siren’s Tail

“Remember us?” The smile on Ben’s face was positively

malicious as he straddled a chair next to their prisoner. “From last
night? You threw that dust on us?” he prompted when Larry looked
like he wasn’t going to answer.

If it was possible, Larry had gotten even paler. He threw a

pleading look at Samantha and inched away from Ben. It was not
really an improvement since Phaedran was standing on his other side.
He blanched.

“I have nothing to say,” he said in a quivering voice. Ben put his

chin onto his arms.

“Sure you have,” Ben said conversationally. “Like, for instance,

who gave you that drug, and what it’s supposed to do.”

He looked at Samantha. He had guessed she didn’t tell the guy

they knew drug had an effect. She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Larry sneered. “You would like to know that, wouldn’t you?”
Ben kept his face impassive. “Larry,” he said “don’t be an idiot.

My friend’s told you you’re in trouble, hasn’t she?”

“I did,” Samantha said. “I pointed out that he did attack the two of

you, and that the government takes a dim view of attack on their
employees. I also told him that the men who sent him couldn’t have
cared less about him since they wouldn’t have sent him with a
weapon that doesn’t work.”

The same thing must have occurred to Larry, judging by his

expression. “I did my duty. Earth belongs to humans.” But he didn’t
look overly confident as he said it. His words lacked conviction.
Good. He was starting to crack.

“Of course you did,” Ben agreed. “But the only thing they asked

for, the only thing you needed to do was throw that powder on
Earthians, wasn’t it? They wanted to see if it would work.” That
seemed to wake Larry up. Some color showed in his cheeks as his
head jerked up.

52 Sunny

Day

“It works,” Larry insisted. “They tested it and—” He abruptly shut

up. Phaedran shifted uneasily. Ben didn’t dare look at him. Fuck. That
meant HUAM had some Earthians.

“I don’t think so. Nothing happened to either my friend here or

me,” Ben remarked, leaning back on the desk. He deliberately didn’t
call Phaedran his partner. It wasn’t a secret that the Agency of
Earthians almost always paired human with Earthian. This guy didn’t
know they were partners. As far as he was concerned, both of them
could be Earthians. For now, it was to their advantage that he
continued to think so. “So you see, you have been betrayed. You did
your duty, but they have lied to you.”

“I was sent to expose freaks. That’s what they are, nothing more,”

Larry said, his gaze darting from Samantha to Ben. His shoulders
shook. “They should not exist.”

Phaedran leaned over him, his lips pulled back and showing his

teeth. “Careful what you are saying,” he warned. “This building is full
of freaks. Some of them don’t like humans, and here you are. Alone.”

“You can’t do anything to me. The law doesn’t allow it,” Larry

said. There was fear in his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sure we can find a way around it,” Ben said

nonchalantly. “And if we don’t…well, we can’t do anything to you
and get caught. Once you leave this building, anything that happens to
you is really not our problem.”

“They won’t let you hurt me,” Larry insisted.
“Who are they, Larry?” Samantha asked. “I don’t see them

coming to get you.”

Larry twitched, realizing he had let slip more information than he

intended. His jaw set stubbornly. He licked his lips. “They will.”

“But they haven’t yet. We have time to…get acquainted, don’t

we?” Ben all but purred.

* * * *

Siren’s Tail

“The boss is waiting for you,” Kieran informed them once they

were out. Ben and Phaedran exchanged looks.

“He wants a report,” Francis informed them. “Go on. I’ll stay to

back up Sam.”

With one last glance at the interrogation room, Ben followed his

partner and Kieran. Rob’s office, the one he used to meet with his
people, and not the one he brought people outside the Agency to, was
one floor up. There was a guard in front. He raised his head when he
saw Kieran and, with a respectful nod, let him take his place. Kieran
knocked then pushed the door open without waiting for an answer.
Rob, still in his full gear, gave them a curious glance. He was talking
on his headset, but waved them to come inside.

“It’s done, then?” he asked, twisting in his chair to look at them.

Ben shrugged.

“He talked.”
“Good. So he spilled the beans?”
Ben relaxed into his chair, feeling the glow of a job well done.

“Most of it. Samantha is working with him right now. She will get
what we didn’t. He appeared to be scared of us. I don’t know why,”
he commented wryly.

“We did our best to scare him, Ben,” Phaedran reminded him. He

didn’t seem upset about it. Ben shrugged. Something felt off. He
wasn’t above exploiting Larry’s fear, but he didn’t get it.

“Ben? What’s wrong?”
He rubbed his forehead. “We threatened him with Earthians.

That’s all we did. It’s not like any of them even showed up.”

Phaedran opened his mouth.
“You know what I mean,” Ben said irritably. “You were in your

human form, and even if you weren’t, what’s scary about a mermaid?
We didn’t…drag a goblin inside to glare at him.”

“We didn’t have to,” Rob said, crossing his legs. “Think about it,

Ben. He belongs to HUAM, and we know what their opinion is about
Earthians.

54 Sunny

Day

“His masters have trained him well. He is terrified of Earthians,

all Earthians. It’s not rational. It’s just the way he is conditioned. You
made that fear work for us.”

Ben blinked at him. “Wow. That actually…sounds reasonable.”
He twisted his shoulders. “What happens now, then?”
“It depends,” Rob admitted. “Even with the information we got,

we’ll need to check it before any action.”

“Kieran said there were other attacks.”
“There were,” Rob admitted. “Similar to this one, though. We

either didn’t get the attacker or it was some poor sap working for
HUAM.”

“They are not going to expose their main members for this,”

Phaedran said. “They aren’t stupid. They know this is serious.”

“No, they will be careful to avoid that,” Rob agreed. “Still, with

the information I’m getting”—Rob frowned at his monitor—“we need
to act quickly to get a handle on this.”

“Larry claimed to know where they are manufacturing it,”

Phaedran informed their boss. “He said he wasn’t supposed to know,
but he does know.”

Rob looked intrigued. “You think he was telling the truth?”
“Can’t hurt to check. I think he was.” Phaedran rubbed his

forehead like he had a headache.

“We need to do something about that.” He hesitated. “I will have

to recruit humans for that operation, though. And maybe some
Earthians, but I’m still waiting for Zigorlan’s report.”

Ben winced. “That could be a problem.”
“You are telling me.”
Not all humans who worked with Earthians were truly their

friends. Some were spies. Hell, there were some Earthians who were
happy to work with Earthians’ enemies, as long as it suited their plans
or paid well.

“I know. Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice. I’m not risking any

of my men. I mean…” Rob flushed.

Siren’s Tail

Ben waved a hand. “I got it. Earthians, you mean.”
Ben became aware of Phaedran’s long silence. His partner was

never talkative, but this was strange. He swung a worried glance at
him. “Phaedran? What do you…”

His words died on his tongue. Phaedran’s eyes were vacant. His

skin had an ashen tone. Ben grabbed him, jumping out of his chair.
Blood rushed in his ears.

“Shit! Phaedran!”
Phaedran swayed and almost fell. He clutched at Ben. Alarmed,

Ben gently lowered them both to the floor. Cradling Phaedran’s head
to his chest, he carefully loosened his collar and jacket. Rob was
shouting for Zigorlan. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. You saw him yourself. He was fine.”
Ben pushed his hand inside Phaedran’s shirt, his own heart

hammering madly in his chest. What was wrong with Phaedran? He
was fine. He was supposed to be fine. How could they have missed
that something was wrong? He swallowed heavily, his hand shaking
as he tried to take Phaedran’s pulse.

“His heartbeat is speeding,” he said, worried.
“It may be nothing. That’s usual for mermaids,” Rob said,

crouching down beside them. He looked calm and collected. He gave
Ben an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder.

“Oh.” Ben calmed a little. There were footsteps outside.
“Let me in, let me in.” The grumpy voice belonged to Zigorlan.
He lowered himself down to the floor next to them with a grunt.

He peered at the downed Earthian, muttering under his chin.

Ben waited anxiously. Phaedran stirred, opening his eyes.
Zigorlan pulled back. “He is fine.”
“Fine? Why is he collapsing then?” Ben snapped, wincing when

Zigorlan gave him a look under his bushy eyebrows.

“He is tired. The shape-change takes it out of us,” he explained

matter-of-factly.

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Day

Phaedran blinked at him. Some color had started to return to his

cheeks. He started to sit up, leaning heavily on Ben. “Tired? I don’t
usually have that problem.”

“You have never been forced to change, and you have never

resisted it,” Zigorlan reminded him.

Phaedran actually looked embarrassed. “That’s true.”
“Your blood work has come back fine. You are just very tired. We

should have expected it. I didn’t think,” Zigorlan admitted ruefully.

“I guess not,” Phaedran sighed, settling back in Ben’s arms. Ben

rubbed his nose against Phaedran’s cheek. His own fear was starting
to abate.

“Go home, then,” Rob ordered. “Stay together, just in case, but I

think the danger is over. We’ll call you when we have more
information.”

* * * *

Phaedran let himself sink into the couch cushions. He didn’t

change often since he didn’t need to, and as a consequence, it always
left him feeling excited. He stretched his arms in front of himself,
feeling goose bumps jump on his skin.

“Something wrong?”
Phaedran cracked one eye open to see his partner hovering on the

edge of the sofa. He let his arms drop into his lap. “Ben. Stop
fussing.”

“I’m not!” his friend denied. Phaedran laughed, feeling giddy. He

reached to grab Ben’s wrist and tugged him down. Ben yelped as he
landed in his lap. Phaedran shifted to let him settle more comfortably.

“Zigorlan told you I’m fine. I’m fine.”
“Yes, but—” Ben started to protest. Phaedran grinned, pushing his

hands upward. He could feel his blood heating, arousal building
slowly in his belly. His more-than-half-hard cock pressed into Ben’s
belly. Ben groaned, burying his head into Phaedran’s shoulders. His

Siren’s Tail

nostrils flared. He ran his hand down Ben’s back, stopping at the
mound of his ass, and gave him an encouraging squeeze. Ben gasped,
pushing into him.

“All right, you’ve convinced me.”
His mouth found Phaedran’s, tongue slipping in hungrily.

Phaedran gasped as he allowed himself to be pushed down on the sofa
on his back. Ben straddled him, giving him a heated glance.

Impatiently, Phaedran tugged on his shirt. “Off,” he said. “Off

now.”

He took a deep breath as Ben whipped his shirt over his head,

inhaling the scent of his sweat tinged with arousal. He ran both hands
up his chest, stopping to pinch his nipples. Glancing up at Ben in the
moment, he saw his pupils dilate and his lips part. He rubbed the
nipple with his thumb, only to have Ben take a sharp breath. There
was a noticeable bulge in his jeans now. Phaedran dropped one hand
down to palm it, feeling the jean-clad cock harden and strain under his
touch. Ben growled, leaning down to capture his mouth. They warred
for dominance, Ben nipping at his lips and licking the small hurt
away. His need skyrocketed. He snapped the buttons on Ben’s jeans
open, tugging them impatiently over Ben’s hips and down his legs.
Ben at least cooperated with that, raising his body to let them slide
down easier. He hissed as Phaedran finally got hold of his naked
cock, wrapping his fingers around the hard column and giving it an
experimental tug. He panted into Phaedran’s neck, a shudder going
down his body. A thrill shot up Phaedran’s spine. Ben was so
responsive.

“You like this, don’t you?” Wetness spread over his palm, making

his grip slick. Instead of an answer, Ben bit into his shoulder.

His cock jerked.
“What was that for?”
“I like this,” Ben agreed, pushing up to sit on his heels, “but we

are going to do more than last time.”

58 Sunny

Day

Phaedran frowned at him, his whole body protesting Ben’s

absence. It wasn’t until Ben started to turn him over that he realized
what Ben intended. Desire spread through his body, the force of it
making him dizzy.

“Yeah,” he breathed, “fine.”
He settled onto his hands and knees, Ben a warm weight on his

back. Ben murmured something before pushing his shirt up to his
shoulder blades, licking at the exposed skin. Phaedran shivered.

Ben licked a long stripe up his spine. “You going to do,” he tried,

his words ending in a moan, “more than taste?”

“I will,” Ben promised.
“Should be…lube on the table.”
“Hand me.” Ben shoved Phaedran’s pants down, reaching

between his legs to squeeze Phaedran’s cock. Phaedran gasped. Ben’s
lips were still on Phaedran’s shoulder as he slowly jacked him off.
Phaedran was having trouble concentrating. He reached for the bag
carelessly left on the coffee table.

“What’s this?” Ben asked curiously.
“It’s for…scales,” Phaedran breathed, his back bowing as Ben slid

a finger into his hole. It was cold, and it sent prickles over his flesh.
He moaned and pushed back on the intruding finger. “Francis left it
for me.” He groaned as Ben added another finger. He was now
moving his fingers in a steady rhythm, and combined with the friction
on his dick, it brought Phaedran dangerously close to coming.

“Damn it, Ben!” he said in frustration.
Ben released his dick and pulled his finger out at the same time.

Before Phaedran had time to complain, Ben was gripping his hip and
pushing into him. His dick slid into Phaedran’s ass, making him
whimper. Bursts of pleasure flashed through him. Harsh breath
escaped his throat. He dug his fingers into the couch arm. Ben’s balls
slapped his ass, the sensation going straight to his dick. He gasped as
Ben wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him upward. He
yelped. Ben was now kneeling on the couch, and Phaedran was in his

Siren’s Tail

lap. He pushed back, impaling himself on Ben’s dick. This position
allowed for deeper penetration, and both of them shuddered in
pleasure. Phaedran growled in frustration, his legs still tangled in his
jeans.

“Come on, Phaedran,” Ben murmured in his ear, reaching for his

cock again. Phaedran’s head dropped onto Ben’s shoulder, and he
howled as he came, spurts of cum filling Ben’s fist. His muscles
spasmed around Ben’s dick. He heard Ben choke on a scream as he
came inside him. They were both trying to catch their breath after that
explosive orgasm. Phaedran was totally limp. His ass was sore, and he
was sticky and sweaty. He felt better than he had in a long time.

“Yeah,” he said smugly, “definitely prefer human form.”

* * * *

Ben was jarred out of sound sleep by the sound of his phone

ringing. He started, unable to figure out where he was. There was a
warm body tucked against his, and he had started to drift back toward
sleep. His grip tightened. Then Phaedran shifted, his blue eyes
looking up at Ben.

“Phone?” he said, apparently in no better state than Ben.
The meaning of the noise penetrated Ben’s brain. With a sigh, he

rolled over and reached to grab the annoying thing.

“Hello?” he said in a clipped tone. He was already missing the

warmth that radiated from Phaedran’s body. He relaxed somewhat as
Phaedran’s body followed his, coming to rest half on top of him, his
cheek on Ben’s shoulder so he could eavesdrop on the conversation.

“It’s Sam.”
Ben blinked. “Did something come up?”
He heard a sigh from the other side. “You could say that. Can you

come back?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He gave Phaedran a quick look. “I’m actually at

Phaedran’s place. I should be there shortly. We should be there

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Day

shortly,” he amended, catching Phaedran’s look. His partner nipped at
his skin then rolled off the bed, heading for the bathroom.

Samantha huffed. “I know. That’s why I’m calling. We will wait.”

She disconnected. Ben looked up in time to see Phaedran exit the
bathroom and start dressing.

“Did she say what it was about?” Phaedran asked.
“Not really. I guess we will hear when we come up there. You

feeling all right?”

Phaedran nodded, checking out his weapon before putting it in his

shoulder holster.

“You sure about that?”
Phaedran actually paused before answering. “I think so.”
“Good.”
Ben hurried into the bathroom himself.
In less than fifteen minutes, they were back at the Agency

headquarters.

Ben had kept his old apartment. Phaedran’s was, he suspected,

actually leased through the Agency and was intended for its
employees. It was fitted to suit the special needs of its occupant. Back
when he and Phaedran had first gotten partnered, he had wondered
what it was that constituted special needs for Phaedran. He didn’t find
anything. Now he snorted. He never even suspected an enormous
bathtub to fall into that category.

“What is it?” Phaedran asked, looking curiously at him. He raised

a hand in greeting to the nymph behind the reception desk.

“Nothing. I just remembered your bathtub. Do you use it

sometimes to change?”

They stopped to wait for the elevator. Leaning against the wall,

Ben’s gaze skimmed over strategically placed guards around the
hallway. There were more of them than usual, he noted. Rob must still
be on alert.

“Sometimes. Very rarely. Why do you ask?”
The elevator had arrived.

Siren’s Tail

“I was just curious.”
Phaedran didn’t have time to say anything more as they entered

the room where the rest of their team was waiting for them. Samantha
waved at them.

“Good, you are here. Come here and take a look.” She nudged

some papers and a stack of photographs at them. Raising his brows,
Ben picked them up.

“These guys look like they belong to HUAM.”
“They do,” Samantha confirmed. “They are also low-level

members, but highly educated. We think they are the ones who
concocted the drug.”

That got Phaedran’s attention. “Offhand, I would say some of

them have to have at least some Earthian blood.”

Francis grimaced. Kieran, also present, kept his face unreadable.

“That’s a possibility,” Samantha admitted grudgingly.

“What’s the building?” Ben paused at the photograph of a

nondescript gray building.

“According to our informant, it’s where they are manufacturing it.

Rob had his men take pictures.”

Samantha tapped them with her finger. “We figured it’s better to

leave them alone for a while, see what else we may find out.”

“They are going to move if you keep the guy,” Ben cautioned.
“True. But we are transferring him and maintaining that he kept

his mouth shut. It should buy us some time. In the meantime, we
should try to find out as much information as we can. This stuff is
dangerous.”

“Hey, I know this guy.”
Phaedran sounded surprised. Ben, about to ask Samantha another

question, switched his attention from her to his partner. He wasn’t the
only one, as they all turned to stare at Phaedran, who was frowning
and staring at one of the photographs Ben had passed him.

“You do?” Samantha looked startled then intrigued. “Well, I

suppose that is possible. Which one is it?”

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Day

Phaedran flipped the photograph he was holding so they could

look at it. It was of a middle-aged, blond-haired guy in a designer suit.
Ben frowned. The guy did look familiar.

“That’s Marc Hanes.” Samantha frowned. “Where did you see

him?” Phaedran frowned, apparently trying to remember. He pursed
his lips.

“I’m not sure, but I did see him. I think it’s important because…”
Sam ruffled through some more papers scattered on the desk. “I

barely glanced through his file, but I don’t think you could have seen
him anywhere. There is nothing to indicate he is in any way
connected with Earthians, and I—”

Phaedran suddenly looked up. “Ben’s boat.”
Samantha frowned. “What?” She swung her head to stare at Ben.

Equally baffled, he accepted the photograph from Phaedran. “What
about the boat?”

“When I went with you. He was there, in the marina. I think he

has a boat, too,” Phaedran insisted.

Ben focused on the photograph. The guy had tightly pressed lips,

and a slightly balding forehead. His lips were twisted in a perpetual
sneer.

“You may be right,” he said finally. “I didn’t recognize him right

away, but yes, I have seen him at the marina before.” He looked at
Samantha. “He is a surgeon, right?”

“He is.”
“Then that’s the guy. He has a twelve-footer, a beauty of a boat,

but it’s more of a status thing for him. He doesn’t care about it.
Always comes with company, lets the marina staff do his job for him.
I haven’t seen him there often.” He handed the picture back to
Samantha.

Samantha pursed her lips. “But he has a boat, you said?” She

appeared intrigued.

“Yes. Why’s that important?”

Siren’s Tail

She and Francis exchanged glances. “We talked about this. We

think, though we are not sure, that the easiest way to distribute this
thing would be by the boat.”

Ben was startled.
“By the boat? But, why—” He swallowed his words and forced

himself to think about Samantha’s words.

“Oh. Too much control at the airports.”
“True. Same for the trains or bus stops, and there may be

Earthians about. Zigorlan is convinced that most of them should be
able to feel this stuff, no matter how packaged it is, especially the
large quantities. And the guys Rob sent to take a look at the factory
definitely felt…something. They weren’t sure what or why, but they
all picked up on it.”

“That’s interesting.”
“It is. But back to our subject. If their people have boats, they

could go out on the sea, pick up the boxes, get back, stow it in their
car with no one the wiser. It’s a great setup.”

“And you think that this one is involved?”
Ben waved the photo at her. She shrugged. “I don’t actually know

it. At this point, I’m only suspecting it. But,” she continued, “it’s
worth looking into it. We are not going to arrest Hanes, not right now.
Let’s wait to see if he is going to take any trips to the sea.”

“And I guess you want me to be around to watch him take that

trip?” Ben asked dryly.

She appeared uncomfortable. Francis threw them an apologetic

glance.

“We actually called you to ask to have Ben reassigned.”
Ben’s head jerked up. He stared at them in incomprehension.

Phaedran shifted, coming to stand beside him. Their shoulders
brushed. The brief touch went a long way in reassuring Ben.

“Why?” he asked in a calm voice. The Agency’s rules were

different from the ones governing human law enforcement. Among
other things, it meant that his boss and colleagues didn’t give a damn

64 Sunny

Day

about who he was sleeping with, even if that someone was his partner.
But then, Earthians had a much more relaxed stance about sex.

It wasn’t like he and Phaedran were advertising the change in their

relationship, but then again, they weren’t hiding it, either. He
supposed it was possible one or two of their work partners had figured
it out, but he didn’t think that was why they wanted to separate them.

Samantha shifted uneasily on her feet. She took a deep breath.

“Actually, under this new threat, we are pulling in all agents whose
shape-changing can cause troubles.”

Ben blinked as he processed it.
“All shape-changing can cause problems, depending on who is

around,” he said slowly. “But that’s not what you meant.”

“I’m vulnerable when I’m on dry land and can’t change back to

human,” Phaedran spoke up. He glanced at Ben. His shoulders tensed.
His lips twisted. “And that makes you vulnerable, too. If you can’t
count on me and have to protect me, then that endangers us both.”

Ben felt his shoulders relax a little. He could deal with this.
“Zigorlan is trying to find a way to circumvent the way the drug

works,” Samantha continued. “But until that happens, we have to
figure out some way to counter it, at least a little.”

Francis shrugged. “Which means we are going to have to rely

heavily on elf and human agents. But if Ben goes out on the boat,
there is no reason for Phaedran not to go with him. You said you
already went together.”

A fleeting memory flashed in Ben’s brain. “Yes,” he said. “And

now that I think of it, Marc saw us both. He was…acting a little
strange, unfriendly even, especially toward Phaedran. I didn’t pay
much attention to it then, since, hey, Marc isn’t exactly warm and
welcoming toward me either. I’m not really in his circle. But…he
wasn’t overly hostile before. Condescending, yes, but not hostile.” He
frowned at his friends. “Does that tell us something?”

Samantha nodded, obviously excited. “Yes. He knew you were

working for the Agency, and he also knew what Phaedran was. Now

Siren’s Tail

that is interesting since Phaedran looks human. Very human. Between
him and Francis, it’s easier to pinpoint Francis as Earthian.”

He had noticed that, Ben remembered, when he first started to

work for the Agency and Phaedran was assigned as his partner.

“I haven’t hidden it,” Ben admitted. He rubbed his jaw

thoughtfully. “And he may have checked on me, or his friends would.
That would get him information on Phaedran, too. He could be some
levels up in HUAM’s organization. Not very far up, but more than
common foot soldier.”

“Wait a minute. If he knows about you, won’t he be suspicious of

you watching?” Francis demanded.

Both Ben and Phaedran shook their heads.
Even Samantha agreed. “Why should he? Being a member of

HUAM isn’t illegal. Ben and Phaedran had both seen him before.
They hadn’t acted suspicious toward him. He wouldn’t have any
reason to be wary of them.”

“True,” Ben agreed. “I have always ignored him. He may think

I’m not too smart, either,” he admitted ruefully.

“You can’t be if you are consorting with Earthians,” Francis

muttered. “Okay, that might work.”

“Could be we are chasing shadows,” Phaedran said

philosophically.

Samantha didn’t appear unduly worried about this. “At least we

will know the guy isn’t dangerous.”

“Point taken.”

* * * *

“Don’t you feel a little bit guilty?” Ben asked, without turning

around to look at Phaedran. Instead, he tipped his face up to feel the
wind. A faint sea breeze was teasing them, caressing his hair. The sky
above them was actually still and gray, and the water under them

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Day

barely wrinkled, looking soft and asleep. The air was crisp, with just a
touch of cold.

Ben’s boat, Ariel, was slowly sliding over the waves, shifting

obediently under Ben’s touch on the wheel.

Ben enjoyed it.
Phaedran snorted behind him.
“Because we are here, lazing about, while our friends are busting

their asses trying to get a handle on the situation?”

“Something like that.”
Phaedran moved to stand behind him. This time he had foregone a

lifesaver jacket. Ben didn’t comment on it, though he remembered
Phaedran strapping it on without comment the first time he was on
Ben’s boat. His chin came to rest on Ben’s shoulder.

“A little.” He shifted to blow in Ben’s ear. His hand burrowed

under Ben’s jacket. Ben squirmed, not quite trying to get away. He
was sort of driving, but the sea was calm and there was a freaking
merman on the deck. “But, hell, Samantha sent us.”

“Samantha thinks we are cute.”
“Samantha thinks Francis is cute…under all that bravado,”

Phaedran amended, “but you don’t see her cuddling up to him.”

The image that popped up in his head was so ridiculous Ben

stifled a laugh.

“You mean, she wouldn’t have sent us if she thought this wasn’t

important.”

Phaedran shrugged, his body flush against Ben’s.
“Maybe she wouldn’t have sent us if we weren’t so conveniently

on hand, but she did send us. And you have to confess, she may have
had a good reason. The good doctor’s boat wasn’t in his slip, was it?”

It wasn’t. They had heard it from a helpful dock worker. It had

gotten Ben thinking, in the light of recent events and Samantha’s
suspicions, but just by itself, it wasn’t overly strange.

He hadn’t said anything as they loaded the boat and prepared to

sail. It was only later, when they were clear of the marina, that he

Siren’s Tail

said, “It’s not his kind of weather.” He frowned at the overcast sky.
Dark clouds crawled over the horizon. Phaedran did the same.

“It’s not going to blow,” he said after a moment of thinking. “It

may rain, but that’s it. It’s not dangerous.”

“I didn’t say it was. He would think it is. I told you, he doesn’t

sail for pleasure.”

Ben frowned as he steered the boat a little to the left. Marc’s boat

was far in front of them. They didn’t want to arouse suspicion getting
too close.

Phaedran gave him an amused glance. “While you do.”
“I like the sea,” Ben muttered absently. Then he flushed.
“I mean…”
“I got what you mean.” Phaedran had to grin. “And Ariel?”
Ben blushed even worse. He looked over the wheel at the vast

expanse of the sea around them.

“I expected to get some ribbing about that,” he muttered in a

grumpy voice. “But then you haven’t said anything.”

“I kind of did a double take when I saw it. I mean…” Phaedran

stepped around him so he could stare at Ben. “You are a guy, and you
were a cop. And your boat has the same name as the mermaid from a
children’s fairy tale?”

“I always liked the story,” Ben said defensively. “And when I got

the boat, I thought, why not?”

“I like it,” Phaedran said softly. He brushed his palm over Ben’s

cheek. “You know, when we started working together, I never thought
we would end up sleeping together.”

Ben choked on a laugh. “I was a pain in the ass, wasn’t I?”
“An attractive pain in the ass,” Phaedran teased, flicking his ear.
Ben slapped his hand away. “Keep your mind on the job.”
Phaedran went to the railing and looked into the sea. He glanced

at Ben over his shoulder. Ben groaned. “I know that look. What’s on
your mind?”

“I could go in, swim toward the yacht, have a look around.”

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Day

Ben stared at him. Phaedran raised one shoulder. “What? It’s a

suggestion.”

“What do you think you are going to find out?” Ben asked finally.

He wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but he wanted to know what his
partner was thinking.

Phaedran shrugged. “I don’t think anything. I was just going to

poke around.”

Ben cocked his head and leaned on the wheel to keep it still and

the boat on course, such as it was.

“You want to go swimming.”
Phaedran grinned, his teeth flashing. “That, too.” Mischief danced

in his eyes. It sent a spark of wild longing through Ben’s blood. He
felt himself flush.

Ben rolled his eyes. “It figures. You do know the water is cold,

don’t you?”

Phaedran raised his eyebrows.
“I forgot who I was speaking to,” Ben mumbled. He let out a

long-suffering sigh. “Fine. Go then, but be careful.”

Phaedran nodded and started undressing. Ben watched as, one by

one, his jacket, shirt, and jeans hit the deck. He slowly dragged his
eyes up the lean, muscled body of his partner and now lover. Hunger
flowed in his belly. He licked his lips and caught Phaedran’s equally
heated look. He stalked over to Ben, his hair in disarray from the
wind.

“That’s not really helping me focus on the mission,” he

whispered, his voice low and husky. Ben swallowed. He stepped
closer, one hand reaching to cup the back of Phaedran’s head.

“It’s not meant to.” He paused, staring into Phaedran’s eyes. “You

will be careful. It’s not only because I would hate to break in another
partner at this late date.”

He leaned in until his mouth found Phaedran’s. Phaedran’s lips

had a slightly salty taste to them, no doubt courtesy of the sea-
saturated atmosphere. His mouth opened, and their tongues touched,

Siren’s Tail

warring briefly before melding into an intricate dance of want and
need.

The kiss was stirring something in the lower part of his body. He

pulled back, breathing hard and uneven. Phaedran was equally wild-
eyed. He raised one shaking hand to rake his hair.

“That was”—he swallowed—“something. I…” His voice

catching, he had to pause before speaking again. A wobbly smile on
his lips, he looked at Ben. “That should make me come back, all
right,” he said.

Ben’s lips twitched. “Keep that in mind.”
Phaedran nodded, crossing to the railing. Ben had a moment to

admire the perfect globes of his ass. Then he was over the railing and
there was a loud whoosh. Seconds later, his head popped out of the
water, wet hair plastered over his scalp. He looked over at Ben to
indicate he was all right, his eyes laughing. If he strained his eyes,
Ben could just see an outline of murky shadow in the water behind
him. His merman’s tail.

Then he disappeared.

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Chapter 4

It had been hours since Phaedran had swam away. Ben glanced at

the sky, frowning at the darker shades of blue and gray stretching over
it and the setting sun bleeding red on the horizon. The wind had
picked up only slightly.

Ben’s gaze went over to the white glimpse of yacht sitting on the

ocean’s surface in front of him. It had floated idly all the time he was
keeping an eye on it. It was good because it meant he could watch it
without rousing suspicion since he was doing the same.

But where was Phaedran, and what was he doing for so long?

Worry seemed to knot in his belly. He was getting upset.

Of course, if something happened, chances were the yacht would

move. But it didn’t, which probably meant that everything was fine
and he was working himself up for no reason.

Damn it.
He huffed out a breath and pushed a stubborn strand of hair out of

his eyes. He kept his gaze on the murky surface of the sea.

Would he have been this worried if Phaedran wasn’t his lover

now, but just his partner? He stopped to consider it. Yes, he would.
He actually liked the guy, sex notwithstanding. It was just icing on the
cake.

And, heck, he was probably overreacting. None of them thought

this expedition was going to amount to anything significant. Yes, they
were suspicious, but he was here more as an insurance thing, kind of a
safety measure. If something happened to go wrong…

And there he went again.

Siren’s Tail

Something changed, jarring him out of his reverie. He was lifting

his head to look ahead even before it registered what was actually
happening.

Then it dawned on him.
The yacht was moving.
Back toward the marina. And him.
It could be a coincidence, so he kept his course steady. The yacht

didn’t veer away, coming steadily closer.

His eyes narrowed. If he didn’t know better, he would have

thought it was heading for Ariel. And for him.

He cursed inwardly as the boats neared each other, the sea lapping

at their sides. He slowed, keeping his hands on the wheel.

Marc wasn’t alone, he noticed. There were two guys with him,

one on the wheel, turning it with the assurance of someone who sailed
often. The ship moved obediently under his hand. He really had a
beauty of a boat, he thought absently, watching the other men as they
approached the railing. Ben nodded at them, trying to hide his
growing tension.

They smiled at him.
“Hey,” the black-haired guy yelled at him.
“Hello to you, too,” he answered. “Going back?”
The guy kept smiling, but his eyes skimmed over Ariel’s deck,

lingered at the mouth of the cabin, then returned to stare at him. Ben
barely suppressed a twitch. If he wasn’t mistaken, the guy was
checking if he was alone.

“Yeah, we had about enough. What about you?”
He shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly. Marc appeared worried.

And a little sick.

It was making alarm bells go off in his head. And where the hell

was Phaedran?

“Soon, I guess.”
“Nice boat,” the guy said.
“It’s mine. I like it,” Ben answered noncommittally.

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“Marc said he has seen you around a couple of times.”
He nodded to acknowledge Marc. “Yeah, he has a slip next to

mine at the marina. We have bumped into each other a couple of
times.”

“Sure we have,” Marc said, avoiding his eyes. He took a large

gulp of breath. “You alone today, Ben? Or is your friend with you?”

He kept his expression mild. He had gathered Phaedran’s clothes

and put them away. They shouldn’t know he was here.

“No, I’m alone this time. Long day at work.”
“That’s right. Marc said you work for the Agency.” A slight sneer

accompanied his voice at the last words. Disliking it, and not caring
who knew about it.

“I do.” Ben’s hands moved on the wheel. He started to turn Ariel

around. He was fed up with this conversation. “If you don’t mind…”

“I do.” A gun materialized in the guy’s hand. Ben blinked at it.

Shit. Standing on the deck as he was, he presented a very large, very
accessible, nearly impossible-to-miss target.

“What the hell—” he started, shifting so his side was turned to

them, trying to make himself as small a target as possible.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Marc started, reaching for the guy, but he

just waved him off with his weapon.

Not enough time for Ben to do anything. He gritted his teeth.
“Don’t move, Agent, or I will shoot. I’m sure you already know

me and my friend belong to HUAM.”

Ben’s gaze flicked to Marc then back to the guy. The guy smiled,

baring his teeth.

“And as you know, we can be very, very dangerous.”
“The Agency isn’t monitoring HUAM members. The organization

isn’t illegal. I’m on my free time. That’s all.” Ben didn’t hold out
much hope that he was going to get out of this scot-free, but it
couldn’t hurt to try. He had to fool them into thinking that he wasn’t
dangerous. A chill ran up his spine.

Siren’s Tail

“Maybe you are. Maybe you are not. I confess, you being here

may be an accident. Either way, you are coming with us. I’m sure my
bosses would be happy to get to know you better. Who knows what
kind of information could be found in that pretty head.”

“You are making a mistake,” Ben said. “They are going to look

after me.”

“I don’t think so. They are going to be fairly busy in the next

couple of months, and anyway, why should they look after someone
who is dead? “

Ben kept his face expressionless.
“Your boat is going to have an accident. Shame, because it really

isn’t a bad boat. Tragically, your body won’t be found…at least for
the foreseeable future.” Then his eyes hardened. He motioned Ben
with his gun.

“Now move.”
Ben stepped over the deck, keeping a careful eye on both of them.

His brain was working furiously. He needed to find a way to get out
of this. And where the hell was Phaedran?

If it was only Marc, he could have gotten off easily. But if it was

only Marc, he acknowledged, he wouldn’t be in this position.

What did Marc think about this? Mouthing off about Earthians to

his friends was one thing. Actually being involved in the kidnapping
of one of the Agency’s employees was another.

He sneaked a look at him. He didn’t look happy but didn’t make a

move against his…friend. He may be able to work that angle later,
maybe. They didn’t want to kill him, not right now.

He took another step forward. The boat lurched slightly, waves

pushing him forward.

“Get on with it,” he was ordered impatiently. The guy was getting

nervous.

Something flicked in the water beyond them, but it was gone

before Ben could identify it. He frowned, doing as he was told. The
guy was getting nervous, but by the way he was handling that gun, he

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knew how to use one. Who was he, then? He tried to remember names
and faces of known members of the HUAM. None of them looked
like this guy. Still, that didn’t mean anything. It was obvious that this
was a dangerous one and that Ben would have to be careful in his
dealings with him, or he could easily end up dead.

He needed to stay alive, at least for now. Samantha and the guys

knew who he had been sent to watch. When he didn’t show up, they
would quickly connect the dots. They would launch a search
immediately and hopefully find him before anything scary happened.
He just had to keep this guy calm.

Something else gnawed at him. Where was Phaedran? Did Marc

and his oh-so-helpful friend notice him? Was that why they had gone
after Ben?

Fear coated his insides, his vision blurring. It was quite possible

Phaedran was hurt, alone at sea.

His hip brushed the railing. He raised his head to give a cold look

to his captors.

“What now?”
The barrel was still staring at his face. Ben refused to let the sight

unnerve him.

“Now you move. Slowly. No sudden movements.” The guy

retreated a couple of steps. His lips curved into a cruel smile. “We
don’t want any accidents, now do we? I don’t really care if you stay
alive or not.”

Ben nodded, throwing a leg over the railing. For a moment he

regarded the darkened depths of the patch of sea between the two
boats. Its glossy surface reflected the grayness of the sky.

Ben jumped.
The loud splash was followed by the sound of a gun firing, once,

twice.

“Son of a bitch!” someone yelled. Ben dived deeper into the

water. It was cold, and its coldness hit him with the force of a strong
wind. His limbs were going numb. Water was still caressing him, cold

Siren’s Tail

seeping under his skin. He tried to steer himself away from the boats.
A slow burn was starting to spread in his chest. He ignored it,
frantically moving forward. He had to escape.

An arm wrapped around his chest. Something big brushed against

his back. Then cold lips were pressed against his, a precious swallow
of oxygen passing into his mouth. He gulped. Blinked.

Phaedran.
Relief flooded him. He wrapped both arms around the body that

was holding him, feeding him much-needed air.

“Shit!” he cursed out aloud when their heads broke surface and he

was once again breathing clear, damp air over the sea. “That was
close.”

He pushed wet strands out of his eyes then smacked Phaedran on

the head.

“Ow! What was that for?”
“Where the hell were you? I was afraid you were dead!”
He glared at his partner, only to be glared at back.
“Me? You were the one that was held at gunpoint!”
“I didn’t get shot!”
“I suppose that has to count for something,” Phaedran answered

sarcastically. “I would like to point out that it was a close call.”

Ben subsided a little. He gave Phaedran a lopsided smile. “Yeah,

it was.” His clothes were now hampering him, damp and heavy
against his skin. He briefly toyed with the idea of ditching them. He
looked behind them to check on their persecutors’ progress. They still
weren’t out of deep water, no pun intended. He did a double take.

“Wow. Just how fast can you swim?”
Phaedran glanced in the direction of his gaze.
“Pretty fast, actually. And I had to get us away as fast as

possible.”

Both Ariel and Marc’s yacht were still gently rolling on the

waves. Obviously, Marc and his cohort were expecting him to keep

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hidden close to the boat. It was a good guess, Ben thought, if one
didn’t have a mermaid to get him out of trouble.

“They are going to move that boat eventually,” Phaedran said,

reading his thoughts. “We are still not safe. Better move.”

Giving one last, regretful glance to Ariel, Ben reluctantly nodded.
“I don’t like leaving her,” he grumbled, letting Phaedran pull him

close. Phaedran’s naked shoulder flashed above the water for a
moment. He started to move, this time keeping them above the
surface.

He felt cold lips touch his forehead. He turned his head to look at

Phaedran.

His blue eyes had an unusually soft look about them. “I don’t like

it either. She is a nice boat, but between her and you, I would always
choose you.”

Remembering the coldness that had gripped him while he

wondered earlier what happened to Phaedran, Ben just nodded. “I get
that.”

He squirmed in Phaedran’s hold. Phaedran’s grip tightened.

“Relax. I can take us both to the shore, no problems.”

“You sure about this?”
Phaedran rolled his eyes. “Yes, I am sure. There is no sense in you

tiring trying to swim. It’s easier this way. And you are still dressed.”

“Everything to get me out of my clothes,” Ben muttered, twisting

until his head was resting on Phaedran’s shoulder. They were chest to
back, with Phaedran’s arms tightly wrapped around him.

He felt Phaedran laugh behind him, the faint movement of his

shoulders and chest. “You can keep them for now.”

“I guess,” Ben muttered unhappily. He shuddered, moving closer

to Phaedran. The merman seemed to actually exude heat. There were
parts of his body which were extremely unhappy with their current
surroundings. “Christ, it’s cold. How can you stand it?” he
complained.

Siren’s Tail

Phaedran hummed soothingly in his ear. He kept moving. The

faint rumbling of a motor reached them from a distance. The yacht
was finally moving. Ben twisted to get a better look.

“I can keep us away from them,” Phaedran said. “We should be

reasonably safe.”

Ben just sighed. He looked up at the fast-approaching night.
“This is going to be a very long night.”
The fact that there were two, maybe more, gunmen hunting for

them should have kept him awake. Instead, the purring of the waves,
the night smelling of salt and Phaedran, the heat bleeding from
Phaedran into his exhausted body, the firm grip Phaedran had on him,
all of that served to lull Ben into sleep. Blackness descended.

* * * *

“They have sunk Ariel,” Samantha said, giving Ben a sympathetic

glance. “We can try and get it out, but it’s going to be expensive. The
Coast Guard has found her.”

Ben winced, gathering the blanket close to him. His hair was

almost dry, but he had a feeling he was never going to get warm
again.

Francis pushed another mug of tea into his hand. “Sorry about

that. I know you were attached to that boat.”

Ben rubbed his gritty eyes. “Yeah, I figured as much. They must

have thought I was dead.”

Samantha nodded. “Probably. You said they shot at you. When

they couldn’t find you, they probably decided you were as good as
dead and sailed away. We know that they both got off Marc’s yacht.
We have checked it at the marina. We don’t know where they are
now, but are looking for them. We will find them.” Her lips twisted
into a snarl. She was seriously displeased.

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“We didn’t think to look for you until it was late. Nothing was

supposed to happen. Apparently we miscalculated. They had enough
time to disembark and disappear.”

Ben took a sip of tea, swallowed, and waited for the welcoming

warmth to spread through his limbs. He looked at her.

They were once again at the Agency headquarters, the same room

where they plotted yesterday to send Ben and Phaedran after Marc.
An easy assignment. He shuddered again when he thought how wrong
that assignment had gone. They could both have ended up dead. He
was going to be displeased about Ariel after, but now he was almost
deliriously happy to be dry, inside, and mostly warm.

And Phaedran was somewhere in the building, but he should be

back. He resisted the urge to ask for him. It was going to be some
time before he would be comfortable with letting him out of his sight.

He suspected Phaedran felt the same.
“Don’t feel bad about that. We all did. Miscalculated, I mean. I

would never have believed Marc capable of murder. I don’t think he
expected, or wanted it to end that way.” He frowned. “Who was the
other guy?”

Francis and Samantha exchanged looks.
“We are not sure,” Francis said. “We had a picture done by a

sketch artist and are running it against photographs of known HUAM
members, but for now…”

“You didn’t get a match.” Ben frowned. “He may not be a

member of HUAM, just someone who was in it for money. Hired
muscle, so to speak. He knew how to handle himself, so I would
guess he has experience. The serious kind.”

“If we don’t get a match from the HUAM database, we may look

into others,” Samantha agreed. She grimaced, distaste obvious on her
face. “This has gotten more complicated than we expected.”

Ben snorted. “Tell me about it.”
“Drink your tea,” Samantha muttered. “Phaedran should be back

soon and ready to take you off our hands.”

Siren’s Tail

He had to grin. “Where is Phaedran anyway?”
“Phaedran was following another boat. It was supposed to

rendezvous with Hataru, Marc Hanes’s yacht. Phaedran heard them
talking about it. He went to look after it, found it, hung around
enough to get a good description of it and the guys on it. He thinks it
was loaded with the drug.”

Ben whistled. “So Marc was involved.”
“Apparently. We don’t know the extent of his involvement, but he

will be in deep shit when we manage to get our hands on him.”

“He is in deep shit right now,” Ben murmured. “I don’t think his

accommodations are what he is used to. And the company is
definitely not high class.”

The thought of Marc roughing it was almost enough to cheer him

up. He perked up. The blanket slipped, and he had to gather it closer.

A hand appeared on his shoulder. Phaedran nodded at Sam and

Francis and positioned himself at Ben’s side.

“Feeling better?” he asked, his hand still on Ben’s shoulder. If he

moved his fingers for an inch, they would be on Ben’s naked skin. He
shivered and swallowed as heat splashed him from inside. His cock
twitched.

“Warmer,” he said. He sneaked a glance at his partner. Phaedran’s

expression was closed off. Ben couldn’t read what he was thinking.
Phaedran was usually easy to read. He frowned. What was wrong?

“Any luck?”
That was Samantha, business as usual. Phaedran shrugged.
“Some. We have hit on one guy, and the Coast Guard is looking

for the boat, but that’s it.”

“It’s more than we had before,” Francis reminded them, giving his

partner a worried look.

“True. By the way, you two are off.” She turned to both Phaedran

and Ben. Her mouth quirked. “By the looks of you, you both need it.”

Phaedran had shifted and was fine. He was wearing a borrowed

suit and looked more or less like his usual self. Ben, who had gotten a

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little chilled, was still wrapped in a blanket. His hair was still damp,
and he was so exhausted he was ready to drop.

Phaedran looked at him. Ice in those blue eyes took Ben aback.
“Your place or mine?”
“Yours is closer,” Ben answered. He yawned, raising his hand to

cover his mouth. “But I just want a bed and to stay in it. I’m not
particularly choosy at this point.”

“Probably a smart decision,” Samantha quipped.

* * * *

As soon as they were inside Phaedran’s apartment, even before

the door closed behind him, Phaedran grabbed and pressed him into
the wall. Whatever protest Ben may have had at the rough handling, it
was swallowed by a demanding, passionate kiss Phaedran bestowed
on him.

Once his mouth was free again, Ben hungrily sucked in air.

Phaedran’s gaze locked with his, a storm brewing in the blue depths.

His head was still spinning. Dazed, he let himself slump against

the wall. Phaedran’s hard body was pressed against his. He
shuddered, blood rushing into his groin.

“You scared me,” Phaedran whispered, his mouth resting under

Ben’s ear.

“You scared me, too.”
Phaedran moaned then pushed himself away. He started to

unbutton his shirt, dropping it carelessly to the floor. Ben reached for
him, tempted by the expanse of naked skin. Phaedran took another
step back.

Eyes glazed with lust, Ben stared at him in incomprehension.
“What?”
Instead of answering, Phaedran moved down the hallway, tugging

him behind.

Siren’s Tail

Ben blinked then grinned as he saw a huge bed in the room. He

pushed Phaedran down on it, straddling his hips.

“So that’s the way you want it?”
“Something like that, yes.” Phaedran was running his hands over

Ben’s body. Ben let his gaze slide over Phaedran’s naked chest and
belly. He licked his lips in anticipation. He leaned down and nipped at
Phaedran’s shoulder then slid down his body, mouth leaving a wet
trail on Phaedran’s skin. Phaedran sucked in a breath, raising his hips,
seeking more contact. Ben gasped, letting go of Phaedran’s skin, and
shivered as Phaedran’s hard cock pressed into his ass.

“Damn,” he said aloud.
Phaedran hummed in answer, tugging him down and running his

arms over his back. He reached down and tugged at Ben’s pants. Ben
groaned as Phaedran’s hand closed around his dick, biting at
Phaedran’s lip in retaliation.

“Wait,” he said, “wait, wait…Phaedran! Don’t make me come. I

want—” he panted.

“What do you want?” Phaedran whispered into his ear, and he

remembered Phaedran holding him, water lapping at their shoulders, a
low hum of arousal that persisted despite everything. Heat blossomed
in his belly.

“Fuck me,” he whispered. “I want you to fuck me.”
Phaedran flipped him down, climbing on top of him, pulling until

Ben’s pants were off and he could spread his legs, welcoming
Phaedran. Their fingers intertwined on Phaedran’s belt buckle.
Phaedran nuzzled his neck.

“Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I’m going to do that.”
He slipped down Ben’s body and swallowed his cock. Ben

shouted, gasping. He arched off the bed, arms tangling into the sheets
helplessly as Phaedran sucked him off. Arousal climbed up his belly.
His eyes fluttered closed.

Phaedran cradled his balls, fingering them gently before his

fingers slipped lower. Ben groaned. His body resisted as Phaedran’s

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wet finger opened and caressed him inside. He panted, vibrating on
the border of pain and pleasure. Phaedran released his dick, crawling
until he was once again over Ben. His belt dragged over the inside of
Ben’s thighs. He wrapped both legs around Phaedran’s waist.
Phaedran murmured as he kissed him, angling his body the right way
to slide inside him.

Ben gasped, and his fingers tightened on Phaedran’s shoulder.

Phaedran was big, and his dick stretched Ben’s hole mercilessly. His
wet dick slapped against his belly. Ben panted.

Phaedran’s eyes glittered as he braced himself on both arms and

started to move. Ben writhed helplessly under him. With the position
he was in, he could do nothing but lie down and take it.

“Come on, Phaedran!”
He choked when the pleasure became too strong to bear, and he

came. Phaedran slowed his movements, dragging his orgasm out. He
panted. Phaedran froze, spilling inside him. He collapsed down on
Ben, his breathing fast and uneven. He nuzzled Ben’s cheek.

“So,” Ben said when he could speak again, “I lost my boat.”
Phaedran grunted.
“Want to go with me to help me pick another?”
“No naming it after a mermaid,” Phaedran said, already half-

asleep.

“That’s okay. I already have one.”

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sunny Day’s main preoccupation in life is reading and writing

books, though she much prefers reading what someone else wrote.
She is thirtysomething, single, and can usually be found attached to
her laptop. Her only form of exercise is bouncing up and down when
whatever story she is working on shapes well. She hopes readers will
enjoy this one.

For all titles by Sunny Day, please visit