Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

Colbie

I only have enough time to take a deep breath before I plunge through the surface of the pool. The freezing cold water steals the air from my lungs, and my body seizes up. I struggle to move as my body temperature plummets, and I start to panic, trying to claw myself to the surface, but my limbs refuse to cooperate.

My chest heaves with the need for air, and I try to toe off my shoes, but my legs refuse to move. Glancing upwards, I see the cloudy sky through the surface and pray it won’t be my last sight, but then warmth pulses deep inside me, and power rushes through my body, wiping away the numbness. My pants shred, and my shoes fall to the bottom, then I look down and watch on in awe as a change occurs. Pain ripples through me as my legs fuse together and form a tail covered in pretty, shimmery pink scales, then a blinding pain slashes across my neck, like someone took a knife to either side. The agony is too much, and I can’t stop myself from screaming. As I part my lips and surrender to the pain, water rushes into my mouth, but instead of drowning, fresh air infuses my lungs, and they expand in relief. I feel around for a wound, because a pain that bad must mean I’m about to bleed out, but instead of a gaping lesion, I feel gill slits. Holy crap.

Trying to make sense of everything, I look around in surprise. My eyesight has sharpened, and I’ve stopped descending. Instead, I’m suspended, my tail waving back and forth gracefully, and I can’t help but gape in shock. That sure was a dick move by Liam, but it seems it was effective. Fuck him, though, I plan on making him panic a little. The longer I stay down here, the more they are going to worry that I actually drowned. I wonder how long it will take before they send Micah in to rescue me. Stupid shifters don’t realize how fragile humans actually are. If I were still human, there would have been no hope for me whatsoever. I would have gone peacefully to a watery grave, but that asshole was right, and launching me into the pond triggered my shift.

The material of my tank top floats around me with the gentle current, so I peel it over my head, leaving me in just my sports bra. I release the tank and let it drift to the bottom of the pool, relieving myself of the tangled fabric. I give my tail a little flick and shoot forward. Holy crap, that thing has some power. I giggle, bubbles rising to the surface above me. I’m a freaking mermaid. The cold water is no longer affecting me, and I might go as far as to say it’s energizing. I feel more alert and focused than I have since I first stepped foot into the palace. Maybe the water has rejuvenating properties. I will have to ask Micah.

I decide to explore my new underwater environment, letting the guys sweat for a bit. It only seems fair. I don’t want them to start this relationship thinking I’m a rational, logical woman. Nope, I hold grudges, and there is nothing more terrifying than a woman with a grudge—Liam is going to find this out the hard way. I want to explore this pool, so I swim toward the churning water at the base of the falls. Fish dart away as I approach, making themselves scarce at the sight of a much bigger creature. I guess I’m at the top of the food chain now. I wonder how merpeople fare against sharks, or if they are still an apex predator in the ocean.

I reach the tumultuous, swirling water at the base of the falls and swim through it. The water pounds over my back for a brief moment, but instead of being painful, it’s almost like a massage, and when I exit on the other side, the water is serene but much darker. Light from the sky has been blocked out by a rock formation, so I swim to the surface to get a better look. Sure enough, the sky is obstructed by a cave carved out of the rock, but the ceiling is high above the pool. Turning in a circle, I notice the pool ends, and there is an opening—a small space with a dirt floor and not much else—but then I notice a tunnel that leads further into the mountain. I consider trying to get out and explore, but I’m not sure how to make the tail go away. The first time I shifted, I returned to human form because I was exhausted. I can’t do the same here and be stuck, unable to swim back out.

Turning to face the thundering wall of water, I notice there’s a weird glow, something that looks unnatural as opposed to the filtered daylight from outside. It starts off small and grows larger, spreading out and up, and just as I begin to become concerned, a familiar woman steps out of the glow and walks toward me across the water. My mouth drops open in shock as I take in the now familiar form of the goddess. Her long blonde hair and fitted red dress are completely dry despite her having just stepped out of a raging waterfall. She giggles with delight at my surprise and passes me, stepping up onto the dry land, wrinkling her nose with disgust before waving her hand. A surge of magic shimmers over the area, and a cozy couch appears right in the middle of the dank cavern. She takes a seat, crossing one shapely leg over the other, then tilts her head and looks down at me, smiling.

“Hi, Colbie, how are things?” she asks casually, and I continue to gape at the woman who got me into all of this in the first place.

“Aramis?” I stammer, looking down at my body and wondering how I’m supposed to bow or curtsy or show whatever sign of respect she requires in this form.

“Call me Ari, and I think we’re past the whole groveling at my feet thing,” she tells me, obviously able to read my mind or something. The smile drops, and she becomes serious, leaning forward in her seat. “We need to have a little chat.”

“We do?” I ask, and my heart races. What have I done wrong that could warrant a visit from the shifter deity?

“You’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, you’ve completely met my expectations. I’m so proud of you. You’re already doing exactly what I hoped you’d do.”

I frown, annoyed that she’s pulling my thoughts straight from my mind. “So why are you here?” I ask bluntly.

She sighs heavily, and I see the heavy weight of responsibility in her eyes. My tail slowly flicks back and forth, keeping me on the surface as I wait for her answer. I kind of wish I could get out, but I don’t know how to shift back, and if I could work it out, I’d be naked from the waist down. That isn’t really how I want to have a heavy conversation with a goddess.

“First, I have to give you a little bit of backstory. When my sister goddesses and I created humans and all the supernatural races, we didn’t want to rule over you like tyrants. We were lonely and wanted to have purpose in our never-ending existence. You were our beloved children, and we were thrilled when we saw you not only survive, but thrive. We allowed our creations autonomy to grow, asking for nothing in return. We gave our creations the freedom of choice, of self-regulation, hoping against all odds that they would coexist peacefully, and for a while, you did, but jealousy is an insidious power, and it easily corrupts. Humans hated that the supernatural races were more powerful than them and had longer lives, but then we gave humans the ability to procreate easily, unlike supernatural races. We thought it would create balance, but I guess we were delusional. War came, and so many people died, but we were powerless to do anything because we had given the freedom of choice and never forced obedience. That’s when we came up with the idea of selecting a human every forty years to rule over the supernatural races if the humans gave up their fighting. Eryx had her doubts, but it was surprisingly effective, and the kingdoms were at peace once more.”

I scoff. “The chance for one human to rule every forty years was enough to stop a war?” I always had my doubts about that being the whole truth.

She shrugs. “The humans were losing badly. Supernaturals were stronger and had abilities that even human weapons couldn’t match. Eventually, they would have been wiped out, and their leadership knew this, but humans are stubborn as a whole and were willing to die on the hill for their cause. This gave them an excuse to back down without losing face.”

Ah, okay, this makes a lot more sense, but it’s been conveniently spun so that humans don’t look bad. That is unsurprising.

“And for hundreds of years, it has worked fairly effectively, but once again, humans are no longer happy. Like you said, it’s only one human in each of the kingdoms who gets a chance to become more, and they are no longer happy with the status quo. They have forgotten how decimated their population became after the great war because their ability to procreate repopulated their numbers very quickly, and so once again, there are rumblings of war—not to mention a small portion of the supernatural population resent that a human is gifted with powers to rule over them. Things are changing, Colbie, and I’m not sure if there is anything I or my sisters can do to stop it this time around.”

“But what can I do? Hell, I’ve been queen for less than a week. I’m hardly qualified to stop a revolution. Surely it would have been better to leave Lucas in charge if war is coming.” I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster, but it does, and my body tightens with tension.

“Lucas was a kind and just king, but he wasn’t able to unite the shifters like I hoped. You can do this. You’ve already made decisions that align with my goals. Inviting the mer, fairies, and equine shifters to join the council is the first step in repairing the relationships that have troubled the shifters for years. It’s also why I gifted you with two more mates—mer and fairy shifters. You have already found your mer mate, and your fairy one will appear soon.”

“And Nox is an equine shifter?” I ask the question that has been on my mind since I realized he was one of my mates, and we assumed I am able to shift into the same form as him.

“Yes. You will need to find him as soon as possible. You have forces working against you from both the humans and the shifters, and I can’t physically interfere. Both of them have their own agendas, but for now, they are united in their quest to see you remain uncrowned. It is why I gifted you a fully formed bond group instead of marking random people. They would have been picked off one at a time until none remained for you to choose from, thus causing you to be uncrowned. You won’t have access to your full range of gifts until that crown is on your head. I can’t change that. You are in danger, Colbie. The faction of unrest will do what they can to kill you before you can be crowned in the hopes that they can then control the magic. For now, it is in limbo. Lucas no longer wields it, and neither can you. That crown and the book in the vault are the keys to the rebels’ goals.”

“The magic to change humans to shifters?” I ask, and she nods.

“Yes. If they can change humans without them becoming feral, then they can create their own army to defeat the shifters. They can also fix the feral shifters they already have in their ranks,” she admits, and my jaw drops as she confesses the truth about feral shifters.

“They can be fixed?” I ask, my tone hard, and she nods sadly.

“Yes. The crown magic can fix a feral shifter, but it was decided long ago not to allow it so shifters didn’t go around biting unwilling humans, and humans didn’t go looking to be bit for the chance of possessing magic. It was a harsh but necessary decision to make execution the punishment to discourage these actions.”

My anger recedes as I acknowledge the truth of her words, even if I don’t like it.

Her eyes soften in sympathy, and she leans forward, resting her forearms on her knees. “I know this is difficult for you to wrap your head around, but I need you to seal the mating bonds as soon as possible. I have gifted you the most powerful form I could and gave you exceptional mates and the ability to share their forms, because you are my final human queen. You will no longer rule for only forty years. From now on, the reign of shifters will be the responsibility of your bloodline. Your first born child will be the heir to the kingdom, and once you decide to step aside, they will take over. After the rebel faction has been dealt with, humans will be given the choice to receive a bite from a shifter if they so wish it. We were wrong in creating two species that differ so drastically, but any human wishing to remain will also be granted their wish.”

“Is this only happening here in Aramis or everywhere?” I ask, a thought niggling at me that I can’t quite grasp hold of.

Her expression turns cold. “What my sisters choose to do with their kingdoms is up to them. All I can do is ensure peace here in Aramis, although I will tell you the other kingdoms have their own struggles. The rebels seem to have infiltrated all four kingdoms and stirred up a revolution. Only the King of the Chaos Kingdom has been successful in retaining complete control, but he doesn’t have humans to contend with. Although we have allowed our creations autonomy, to outright flaunt our directives has done nothing to endear us toward their agenda. We have never asked for anything but peace between the races and given them everything, and now they will know what comes from flouting our wishes.”

“Extermination of a species? Surely that isn’t the answer!” I argue, and she shakes her head.

“No, not extermination. Any human who wishes to remain so will have their wishes adhered to, but how many do you think that will be? Maybe the older generations. Becoming a shifter will not make them younger, but how many young ones will remain as such? As the ruler, you will oversee everyone, humans and shifters alike. I’m pretty sure their leadership didn’t see this coming, and they will pay for their envy in ways they never saw coming.”

Fuck, the goddess is sneaky. I need to make sure I never get on her bad side.

She tilts her head to the side like she is listening, and the anger drifts away. She smiles then stands, smoothing her dress down. “Well, I have to be going. This won’t be the last you see of me. I expect you and I will get to know each other well over the coming years, but for now, seal those mating bonds and find those children. Cut the rebels off at the knees. Without access to the crown and spell book, they are just creating a bigger problem for themselves.”

“I won’t execute any of the ferals,” I warn her. “Especially if they have been changed against their will.”

She nods, looking pleased. “Of course you won’t, but your fairy mate will be able to help you discern who did or didn’t volunteer to be changed. Those rebels will need to be punished, but I will leave it to you to decide what that punishment will be.”

My fairy mate? Violet didn’t mention fairies have the ability to read minds.

“How do I seal the mating bonds? In my hydra form? That seems like it could be difficult.”

Her smile turns mischievous, and her eyes sparkle with mirth. “Well, I mean you could shift into hydra form—you’ll find you have eight heads now—and bite them all at once. A hydra bite will transfer your regenerative properties to them. Do you fancy having a nine-way orgy.”

I blink, speechless at her suggestion. Nine-way orgy? In hydra form? What the fuck?

She chuckles, slapping a dainty hand against her thigh in amusement. “Colbie, you should see your face. You have a dirty mind. God, it’s priceless.” I see her struggle to get her shit together as I glare at her.

“That’s not fucking helpful, you know. You’re the one who did this to me and didn’t include a manual.”

She collects herself. “Yes, you’re right, sorry. Shifters usually give their partner a mating bite during sex, but it isn’t required. A lot of shifters don’t mate the same species, so all you need to do is a partial shift of your jaw then bite them. Sex makes the experience better, more intimate, but as long as they do the same, then your bond will be sealed. If you bite them in hydra form, your regenerative properties will transfer to them, giving them all the protection they could need, but any form will do to seal the bond.”

I mull over what she’s told me and tuck it away for now. We’re not even close to being in the sex portion of our relationship yet, though I can’t deny my body doesn’t long to get up close and personal with those men, even Micah who I literally just met. The ache is real, but my mind is still fully in the human way of thinking, and I’ve never been a one-night stand kind of girl.

“Anything else you’d like to drop in my lap?” I ask dryly, and she shrugs.

“Probably, but where would the fun be in that? You’re about to have a visitor, so I will see myself out. Remember, I’m always watching, and if you need me, just call.” She disappears in a flash of light, leaving behind the couch she was sitting on. Oh well, I guess the cave could use a little sprucing up. Fuck, I hope she’s not always watching. That would be creepy.