MERCILESS (The Mermen Trilogy #3) (25 page)

Also, Dana and Lyle already lived here, as did Dr. Fuller and Holden, along with about one hundred mermen and five hundred mermaids. Some of them were couples who’d decided to come back and live as humans. Some were single. At least for now. The rest, however, had taken human form and returned to living as landlovers or stayed at sea. Liv had only seen the creatures a few times with her own eyes, but she’d seen plenty of the photographs taken by Dr. Fuller and Holden for their studies. The mermaids—even the ones who’d been unable to change back—looked exactly like the beautiful creatures from fairytales—happy, ethereal, and majestic with long flowing green or blue sparkling tails. The mermen, however, well…dear God, they were even bigger when in their natural state—larger muscles, broader shoulders, and yes…a very impressive dangly penis. Liv still wasn’t sure about how all that mer-anatomy worked, but the thought of learning someday intrigued her.

If only I could get Roen to stop drinking that water for a few days.

“So are you ready to go unpack?” Roen asked, nuzzling her neck.

Liv turned in his arms. “You just want to have sex.” Frankly, so did she. She could never get enough of Roen in bed.

“Yes.”

“Well, Pike’s with Cruise, taking a nap at Lyle and Dana’s. I suppose we could go and do some unpacking over by the lagoon. Naked.” She winked.

“I was thinking we might try for another.” His greedy, greedy gaze stared at her breasts.

“You just like seeing me with big boobs.”

“Yes.” He smiled. “You know your breasts have always held a special place in my heart since the day we met.”

She laughed and walked away from him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he griped.

“We can have another baby if you show me your tail.”

“You just want to see what my mer-penis looks like!”

She kept on walking toward the house. “Yep!”

A deal’s a deal, merman.

~~~

Concentrate, Salla. You are not weak. You are strong.
Salla watched the tiny dinghy approaching the sandy beach. All she needed was for the man to get close enough.
That’s right, you fucking bastard. Come to Salla.

The tiny boat slid up onto the sandy bank, and the fisherman hopped out. She wasn’t strong enough to see him, but she could feel him. His energy, his thoughts. And he was heading straight for her.

That’s right. Just a few more steps…

“Hello there, big man.”

The man stopped walking. “What the fuck?”

“Do not be afraid, my sweet strong man. My name is Salla. And if you come just a little closer, I can make all of your dreams come true…”

THE END…?

AUTHOR’S NOTE

All right. So I don’t know if I’ll make a habit of this, but some of you may have noticed how every book I write always has a hidden meaning—acceptance of self, letting go, embracing adventures, striving for the impossible, looking beyond appearances, being grateful even when life isn’t perfect.

FUGLY was the first book I ever actually said anything about because the theme was so near and dear and raw to my heart. But your touching emails and messages made me think. Maybe no one cares about why I write a particular story, but maybe some do.

So if you’re into hidden meanings, be sure to check out the breakdown I did for you at the end here.

For those who just want to know one thing
: “Mimi, got any swag?” The answer is yes!
I have a lovely pile of signed MERCILESS bookmarks with the evil Shane on them and I have thank you magnets (“I am a merman. What have
you
done for the world lately?”) for those who mention that they posted a review. Just shoot your snail-mail address to
[email protected]

And KING FANS!!!! I’m now working on MACK for a February 2016 release.
PRE-ORDER for Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, and NOOK, here:
http://www.mimijean.net/mack.html
Or sign up for my mailing list and I’ll shoot you an alert once it’s available.

HAPPY READING!

Mimi

2016 Release Schedule:

MACK (King “Trilogy” Book 4) February

TOMMASO (Immortal Matchmakers, Inc., Book 2) May

TAILORED FOR TROUBLE (Happy Pants Series) August

Note: GOD OF WINE (Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Book 3) will release either May or October, depending on how well my boys behave. Haha…

THE MERMEN TRILOGY.
What’s it really about?

While
Mermen
is an adventure about a young woman who faces some very difficult situations to survive and ultimately be with her true love, it’s also about a man and a group of people who’ve been robbed of their humanity, hearts, and freedom. When I see the devastation happening to refugees around the world, families and lives destroyed by political agendas, I think of the island. There’s no soul or love to be found. Just greed, darkness, and want. The oppressors often hide behind religion, but it’s a mask. They don’t care about God (in any form), they don’t care about their people, the children they scar, or anything but their own power.

And the soldiers who fight on behalf of these “leaders” rarely start out as bad men. They get sucked in. Poverty and violence towards their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, and children turn them into people who commit heinous atrocities to those who are weaker. They rape, murder, and torture in the name of their cause. If we look at the ones who start out on the peaceful side—the victims—then it’s the victimizers’ cruelty that will eventually change them.

Either way, it’s a zero-sum game. What’s left behind is a culture of hate that is so strong, so powerful, that generations from now, they’ll still be fighting and killing. (Sound familiar?)

The mermen, obviously, aren’t as cruel as some of the groups we see victimizing entire populations in the Middle East (not even close) or in other regions, but they do represent this particular breed of mindless obedience that allows a person to justify violence. “My god tells me to do this.” “The island says we must.” Fear is a big part of what drives this behavior.

So then, how do these people, who’ve endured so much (the soldiers and their victims), rise above the pain and oppression instead of fighting and suffering for the next hundred generations?

Love.

Hands down, it’s the most powerful thing anybody can get, give, and feel. I believe it’s more powerful than hate and fear, and it’s why I write Romance.

Hell no! I’ll never be an advocate of sitting idly by while men who’ve been corrupted with hate and fear rape women or little girls and kill mindlessly (as we’re seeing in Syria, Africa, and in so many other war-torn places around the world), but when and where, if ever, will this stop? With the men who fight and are too gone to know any better? Not a chance.

Hope lies with us—the mothers, sisters, and daughters who have the ability to shape what our children think. Even if it’s just a quiet whisper, telling our children to believe in something greater, to believe in love…It’s the only path forward that I can see. Hate and killing equal more hate and killing.

The mermen were wrong when they said that life is only about eating, fucking, and killing. Liv showed them all that there’s also a time to love and that it’s far more powerful than anything else. Yeah, it’s corny. But that’s the breakdown of the story. Hope you enjoyed!

With Love,

Mimi

Acknowledgements

A huuuuge GARGLE-GARGLE-ARRRR… (maid speak for “thank you”) to my MER-ciless peeps! I think I might have been certifiable for a few weeks there, but your encouragement and support were like sacred water to my poor writer brain. Thank you: Kylie Gilmore (oh, yeah—I made you read another bloody book!), Dali (run while you can!), Ally, Bridget, Latoya, Pauline, Su (awesome cover), Period Images (sa-weeet photo shoot!), and Stef @ writeintoprint.com!

Thank you to my dude-crew for many Peet’s Coffee runs and for putting the toilet seat down every once in a while. Love you.

Mimi

MACK (from the King Trilogy)

Coming February 2016

PRE-ORDER NOW!
www.mimijean.net/mack.html

He won’t break you. But his story will tear your heart to pieces…

TOMMASO

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Book #2

COMING MAY 2016

FOR BOOK EXTRAS, BUY LINKS, and NEWS:

www.mimijean.net/immortal_matchmakers.html

GOD OF WINE

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Book #3

COMING 2016

FOR BUY LINKS, BOOK EXTRAS, AND NEWS:

www.mimijean.net/immortal_matchmakers.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff is a
New York Times
&
USA Today
best-selling author of Paranormal and Contemporary Romance. Her books have been #1 genre sellers around the world. Both traditionally and independently published, Mimi has sold over 600,000 books since publishing her first title in 2012, and she plans to spontaneously combust once she hits the one million mark. Although she obtained her international MBA and worked for over 15 years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream.

When not screaming at her computer or hosting her very inappropriate radio show (
Man Candy Show
on Radioslot.com), Mimi spends time with her two pirates in training, her loco-for-the-chili-pepper hubby, and her rat terrier, DJ Princess Snowflake, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She continues to hope that her books will inspire a leather pants comeback (for men) and that she might make you laugh when you need it most.

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