Pg. 255 Quince's senses

Quince had barely talked to Lily since their argument in the hallway, and she did not want him nearby for the duration of the swim meet, either. He still had to be close to her-whether it was the bond telling him so, or his own choice, he wasn't entirely confident, but he knew that he needed to be nearby when she told Brody how she felt. He'd been there to pick up the pieces of her heart last time, and he wasn't going to miss it for the second time. Lily and Shannen both walked past him, slipping out the back door out into the evening.

Is she… is she going to tell Shannen? There was no doubt in his mind that Shannen already knew about how she felt for Brody, but maybe she was going to share the mermaid secret with her, now. He had to trust Lily, she'd been keeping her secret for the entire three years that she'd been living on land, after all. It'd been secret until he stepped into that dark library just over two weeks ago and planted one on her.

He navigated through the crowd, going toward the restrooms where he could find a water fountain. Quince leaned down to sip from it, trying to calm the rush of thoughts flooding through his head. He felt confident, certain that Brody was just as shallow as he perceived him. But still, what he'd said was also right (or he felt it was). He was only interested in Lily after Quince had suddenly become a potential challenger. But he was a human with several casual relationships past him; he didn't think he would see Lily as the future that Quince saw in her. There was all the mer-rules about having a mate by her birthday, or whatever, a permanent mate by then.

A man who treated Lily the way Brody did, would not be willing to commit fully to her and a life underwater in time for her 18th birthday just around the corner. Since that was some kind of deadline she had to make. Or, that's what he kept telling himself.

Quince stood up from the water fountain, a weird knot of fear and weakness twisting in his stomach. It was all muddled and distant, difficult to explain, but he knew that it wasn't his own emotion. It wasn't the stress and anxiety he'd been going through all week of trying to deal with Lily's stubbornness and infatuation with Brody. This was something that Lily was feeling. He glanced over to the male swim team, where Brody had just been standing, a clear lack of him amidst the team. Heart racing, he jumped immediately into action, beelining for the same back door that Shannen and Lily had walked out of just minutes before. He swung the door open and looked around the dimly lit parking lot, surveying the scene.

"Something going on I should know about?" he asked icily, remaining on the steps. "You bothering my girl, Bennett?"

"Your girl?" Brody asked, practically scoffing. "Not according to her."

"I lied. I am his," Lily spoke up. Quince looked over at her, his heart swelling with joy, even if he couldn't appreciate the words. There were too many emotions to filter through and figure out if there was any honesty to what she'd said, but the two exchanged a look that meant something. "And he's mine."

"Does he know you're half fish? You know your girl's a-"

Quince's jaw tensed, clearing the stairs with ease and pulling his arm back to land his fist on the side of Brody's face. The rage, jealousy and pent-up anger that he'd felt toward Brody for years bubbled up, giving him the permission he needed to meet Brody down on the cement, letting loose. It was satisfying, relaxing, almost, to beat the shit out of him.

He heard the sound of a car screeching, looking up to check that it was Shannen. She must know the secret, now. "Come on, Lily! Let's get out of here."

Quince looked to Lily, sat over Brody with his torso between his knees. He nodded at her, "Go home. I'll meet you there later."

"No!" she shouted, shaking her head and jumping toward him. He felt her hands grab onto his shoulders, pulling him off and away from the jackass. "This isn't going to fix anything!"

"It's sure making me feel a hell of a lot better," he admitted.

"I know. But unless you're planning on killing him-"

"I might."

Now stood completely upright, Lily let go of his shoulders and stepped back. "No, you're not."

Quince's heart fell as he looked around, realizing the state of Brody as he was laying there in the parking lot and everything that he must know. He knew that Lily was a mermaid, that she wasn't a human, and probably that there were more. How much more did she tell him? He shook his head, turning to look back at Lily. "He shouldn't know."

Brody said something, but Quince didn't register it. "He can't be trusted to keep your secret."

Quince felt his chest clench, emotions gripping at his heart. He still couldn't tell whose they were.

"I know. Pulverizing him won't change that. Nothing you can do will make him forget," Lily answered.

Quince shook his head slightly, thinking carefully about what she said. He looked at her very seriously, "But you can."