Page 32

32

Kai

E ven after an entire day of traveling, when our final flight landed, it was a struggle to get Laverne out of her seat.

“I can’t believe I ever let you shove me in a cage and put me in the filthy cargo hold, Big Brother,” she snapped, pushing her bag into King Archernar’s chest with a dramatic sniffle. It was surprising she trusted him with it, considering how excited she was when I’d created it for her using the trident’s magic. “I don’t care what you say. I’m never riding in the bottom of an airplane again!”

King Archernar’s upper lip twitched as he accepted the bag, barely able to conceal his annoyance. With both her bag and her selkie coat slung over his shoulder, he was looking more like one of the pack rays we used to transport goods across the Pacific than he did a king.

“That was… my fault?” I questioned, rubbing the back of my neck as I thought back to the airplane’s policy on transporting sea mammals. But she didn’t seem to be listening at all.

“Now that I’m a queen, I refuse to be confined anywhere that doesn’t have a plush, cushy seat! Don’t you agree, Bradley?” She whirled around to face him, her eyes flashing with entitlement, and his mouth spread into the most hollow smile I’d ever seen.

“Actually, it’s Archernar,” he corrected, a deep rumble through clenched teeth. He’d been following us closely since leaving the Pacific, which should have given Laverne plenty of time to get used to his real name. But, in typical Laverne fashion, she seemed to take pleasure in calling him the wrong one.

Laverne’s eyes narrowed at the correction. “Excuse me?” She planted her foot on the concrete, halting the line of people exiting the plane behind us.

“Here they fucking go again,” Leander grumbled. He grabbed hold of the top of my arm to keep the two of us moving toward the airport. “If they want to waste more of our time with their pointless fighting, they can find us inside. Right now, we need to get your trident.”

“Oh—okay,” I said, letting Leander drag me along. I couldn’t blame him for being worried about the trident. Packing it up and passing it off as a ‘movie prop’ had felt risky, but according to Barren, it was the only way to bring it with us on the plane rides without attracting suspicion.

Evidently, the Isle of Lahkri was a popular location for movies, which was pretty exciting. I hadn’t seen many, but the ones I’d watched with Barren and Laverne in the Atlantic had been perfectly thrilling.

It was strange how the further we moved away, the louder Laverne’s voice became. “You seriously expect me to call you Archernar? Ha! That’s not a very attractive name, Bradley.”

Even Leander couldn’t help but chuckle at her boldness.

“ArcherNAR? Nar, nar . What a horrible sound!”

“All right. Archer, then,” he threw back sharply, his voice gradually rising to her level. “And you think Laverne is an attractive-sounding name?”

Uh-oh . Now he’d done it.

“OBVIOUSLY!”

I couldn’t help but look back. Sure enough, Laverne was tossing her hair over her shoulder, her nose pitched high in the air.

“It’s very attractive, Bradley. Just like I am.” Her voice oozed with confidence as she gestured to herself, and even from here, I could see the fire burning in the Southern Ocean king’s eyes. “Unlike Archernar , which sounds like an old bull’s sneeze!”

“Oh, fuck,” Leander muttered, shaking his head and trying to stifle a laugh.

An old bull’s sneeze.

That was Laverne for you—always quick to spit out a comeback. She rarely ever missed her mark.

I couldn’t stop chuckling until we were inside and their voices had faded into the background noise of the airport. “Do you think it was a mistake letting Laverne bring him along?” I asked, wiping tears from my eyes as I searched for the sign pointing to baggage claim.

“Naturally. It was a fucking terrible idea.” Leander let go of my arm to push back his hair, looking like he knew we were in for a rough time with those two. “But there’s no use worrying about it. Let’s focus on getting your trident and heading back to Barren before that orca-toothed bastard makes a move.”

My eyes fell on the sign for baggage claim, and I pushed down a nervous gulp. “Do you really think he’ll try to steal it from me?”

“Do you really think he’s not here to steal it?” Leander snorted, shaking his head. “Sorry to break it to you, man, but he didn’t come here for your sister.”

I wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know. They seemed pretty friendly on the plane, didn’t they?” King Archernar might have had his sights set on the Pacific’s trident at first, but I’d noticed recently that his eyes lingered on Laverne more often than not. Maybe it was because I was her brother, but I wanted to believe that his interest in her was something more than just using her to get to my trident.

“No way,” Leander said firmly as we approached the place where the baggage was being unloaded. “He fucking hates her.”

“Hate’s a harsh word…” My voice trailed because there it was—the long wooden box we’d used to stash the trident. Symbols and pieces of parchment covered the top of its surface, each detailing the precautions needed for it to be transported safely. Thankfully, it didn’t look like it had been opened.

Leander took one end of the box. “Let’s hold off on opening it for now.”

I nodded, taking the other end. “Good thinking.” The airport was packed with humans, but I knew it was likely that there were merfolk hiding among them.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m glad to be back,” I said, smiling as we carefully maneuvered the box to a quieter corner of the airport. Once we set it down, I rubbed a hand over my chest. “My heart feels better just knowing we’re closer to Claira. What about you? Do you think Barren missed us?”

Leander shrugged, but as I glanced away, I saw him brush a hand over his heart. “He didn’t want us to leave, remember? But I’m sure he kept himself busy while we were gone.” He raised an eyebrow, placing a protective foot on top of the box. “You going to get your bag?”

Oh, right! Unlike Laverne’s empty trident-made one, I’d actually had enough items in my bag to have to check it in. “Thanks, dude. I’ll go grab it real quick.”

When I returned with my bag, Laverne and King Archernar had joined us.

The Southern mer stood with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face, his sharp eyes fixated on the wooden box that held the trident. Laverne, on the other hand, was unusually quiet, a deep flush rising on her cheeks as she avoided eye contact with everyone—including me.

“Laverne? What happened?” I asked, a frown creasing my brow as I rushed to her.

“It’s nothing, really,” she mumbled, her usual brazen spirit nowhere to be seen as she fidgeted with the ends of the ocean silk dress I’d made for her. “Maybe you should ask my husband.”

Before I could react, Leander’s hand clamped onto King Archernar’s shoulder, his thumb hovering menacingly near the center of his neck. “What did you do?” Leander’s voice was calm, but there was an undeniable warning in it that made the king take a step back.

For once, I found Leander’s threat of violence entirely appropriate.

King Archernar’s smug demeanor faltered as he raised a hand in surrender. “It really was nothing,” he stammered, sweat beading his forehead. “I just told her that if she couldn’t say my name correctly, she’d lose the right to speak.”

Leander’s grip tightened, but I spoke up first.

“What do you mean, ‘lose the right to speak’?”

Cheeks still flushed, Laverne’s fingers rose to her lips. “He kissed me,” she said airily, as if mystified by her own words. “And when I still wouldn’t say his name the way he wanted… he silenced me with his mouth again.”

So, they’d been out there… kissing?

Leander and I exchanged a glance. “And are you upset about this, Laverne? Angry, maybe?” I asked, unsure of what to do next.

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, which might have been the first time Laverne had ever been genuinely unsure about anything. Finally, she looked up. “Bradley?—”

Before she could say more, King Archernar lunged forward. He broke free from Leander’s grip to press his lips to Laverne’s, silencing her instantly.

“Do not test me, whiskers,” he growled when he let up on her, their lips finally parting. “You will say my name correctly.”

Her hand shot up to strike him, and though I could have stopped her, I didn’t.

Slap .

King Archernar stood there, breathless and stunned, a hand lifting to a cheek that was now as red as Laverne’s face was.

“How DARE you?” There was a shake in her voice, something unhinged. “Bradley. Brad. Brad-Brad-Brad! ” Once she started squawking it, she couldn’t seem to stop.

A guttural, strained growl emerged from the depths of King Archernar’s throat.

“All right, that’s enough.” Leander snagged him by the chest, pulling him away before he could attack Laverne’s face again with his mouth. “If you don’t want to lose a lip, I suggest you calm down. She bites.”

Whoa . King Archernar was absolutely fuming, to the point where his hands were trembling at his sides.

“Let’s all take a moment to cool off,” I suggested, worried that at this rate, the four of us would never make it back to Barren’s place. “Can we all agree to refrain from kissing each other?”

“No kissing?” Both Archernar and Laverne snapped, turning to me in surprise.

Um…

“It wasn’t the kiss—” Laverne began to explain when Archernar cut her off.

“She enjoyed every kiss,” he boasted, that kingly smugness returning. “It was my words that she didn’t appreciate.”

“ Dude , if you know that about her, maybe you should rethink how you’re talking to her,” I said, anxiously twisting my hands. “This whole marriage thing between you two is complicated enough.”

He grumbled something unintelligible while rubbing the side of his face.

“What was that?” Laverne demanded loudly.

“I said fine, ” he replied, his voice steadying as he straightened up. “Let’s get on with this. If you need me to, I can help carry your box?—”

“Nice fucking try,” Leander interrupted, shoving him aside. “We’ve got the box covered, right, Kaius? You just focus on keeping your hands and your mouth to yourself.”

King Archernar shot him a cold glare but wisely kept his distance as we collected the box. When we started down the airport, Laverne slipped next to me.

“He really doesn’t know how he’s supposed to treat you as his wife, does he?” I said, glancing back at her ‘husband,’ who was sulking a few paces behind us.

To my surprise, Laverne was ready to defend him. “Don’t be rude! I couldn’t ask for a better husband. He even kissed me , Kai-Kai,” she gushed, her eyes shining with adoration at the memory. “ Three times! ” She sounded so delighted that it was almost contagious.

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy,” I said, although I knew we had to stay cautious around him.

“But you’re right,” she said wistfully. Her fingers brushed the moonflower tucked in her hair. Its petals, which should have withered, remained as fresh as the night it bloomed. “He still has so much to learn about being my husband. Can you believe he thinks he can get away with telling me what to do?”

“Maybe he just needs some time to adjust,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “Being married seems like a big change, after all, especially when it’s to a stranger.”

She gasped, almost tripping me from how quickly she stopped. “We’re not strangers! He’s been stalking me for ages.”

“Wait… Stalking you? ”

“Yes, while I was vulnerable and exposed in the moonlight!”

And now I wished I’d been the one to clamp onto his shoulder instead of Leander. But I held back, keeping myself in check for her sake. “I, um… I think that’s still considered a stranger, Laverne.”

“Then you and Claira are strangers too,” she said with a haughty snort. “Because I’ve known Bradley just as long as you’ve known your mate.”

Claira and I, strangers? Laverne’s accusation caught me off guard, stinging more than expected. “Okay, maybe you aren’t exactly strangers,” I conceded. “But he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t when you first met. Remember how interested you were in him because you thought he was human?”

“I knew I made a convincing human,” King Archernar chimed in over my shoulder.

Laverne threw her head back, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t remember inviting you to this conversation, husband.”

“I don’t need an invitation to speak to my wife,” he replied, smirking as he brushed his knuckles over the coat hanging off his shoulder.

Laverne’s face flushed with the same inexplicable longing she seemed to get whenever he brought attention to his possession of her coat.

As much as I wanted to dismiss their relationship, the reality was that as long as he had her coat, Laverne was tied to him. So, until he made a serious move for my trident, he was a part of the group, whether Leander and I liked it or not.

Once we were outside the airport, I immediately began searching for transportation options to get us to Barren’s place. A board filled with various choices greeted us outside the front doors, and my attention was quickly drawn to the most vibrant piece of parchment on display.

The cheerful little car symbol, with its wide eyes and big smile, beamed at me, and I couldn’t help but grin back. “We’ll try this one,” I decided. Shifting my end of the wooden box, I freed a hand to fish my phone out of my pocket, staring at it for far too long while trying to remember how to make it light up.

“Problem?” Leander asked.

“N-no. No problems here.” I fumbled with the buttons and thankfully pressed the right one. “Can you keep an eye on Archer while I call this car to take us to Barren’s?”

My attempt at using King Archernar’s nickname was met with a growl. Well, that sure was interesting. He seemed equally bothered by me using his nickname as he was with Laverne not using it.

“Simmer down,” Leander warned, stepping between the king and my boxed trident.

Honestly, it was hard for me to keep thinking of him as a king, even if he technically was one. He seemed so different from the grand ‘King Archernar the Undying’ I’d read about in the ruins. Archer seemed to fit him much better. Though I supposed he had been living up to the ‘undying’ part, at least so far.

Ignoring his grumbling, I started typing in the numbers. Tap. Tap tap.

As soon as the phone was to my ear, I heard, “ Heloa? Miee kaaku? ”

“Um, hello there,” I said, clearing my throat. “Is this the—” I glanced back at the parchment “—smiling car service?”

There was a pause before an enthusiastic voice crackled through the phone. “Yes, hello! You have reached the friendliest car service on the island.” Phew. Cell phones really were amazing.

“That’s fantastic news,” I said, matching his upbeat tone. “Because we’re at the airport and are in need of a car for four humans and, um, a really big box. Actually, it’s not so much big as it is long . I mean, it’s about as tall as I am, and it’s made of wood. Would you count that as five?” My voice trailed as I wondered what else there was to say.

“A wooden box?” the voice inquired.

I scratched the back of my neck. “It’s a, uh, movie prop.”

“No problem at all. We can accommodate that,” the voice assured. “We’ll send a car right over.”

“Great! Will it be red like the picture? I’ve never seen a car with eyes and a—” There was a strange click, and, when I looked at my phone, I noticed the call had somehow ended. Huh .

“We’ve got a ride coming,” I cheered, giving everyone a thumbs up. “Pretty sure, at least.”

Despite their skeptical looks, I kept my eyes peeled for a cheerful, friendly car.

However, when a car finally showed up for us, it sure didn’t look very cheerful. No wide eyes, no smiling mouth. It wasn’t even red.

“Box guy?” The voice came from the driver’s side window, which was so cracked it looked like a whale had taken a swipe at it with its tail.

“Um, yes, that’s me,” I replied, trying to maintain the upbeat tone we’d had on the phone earlier.

He kept the car running, but when he got out, he took a good look at the wooden box and shook his head. “No.”

Leander stepped forward. “What do you mean, no?”

The driver rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gesturing to our box. “I mean, no , that thing won’t fit.”

Every glare in the group turned to me, and I held up my hands. “Whoa, now, don’t look at me. The voice on the phone said they would accommodate! The car was supposed to be smiling .”

The driver, unmoved, was already heading back to his car.

“Wait,” I called out, darting to the box. “What if we open it up? Take out the… prop?”

“Hurry up then,” the driver said, and Leander wasted no time giving the top of the box a kick. The wood splintered, and I was instantly relieved to see the gleam of metal inside it.

“Why don’t you go pick out your seat, Laverne?” I said as I knelt down, grabbing the trident and yanking it free from the box while Leander kept watch on the crowd.

“Oh!” She darted off in a streak of silver, leaving even her husband behind.

When I stood up, Archer leaned in close enough to offer a hand. “I can carry that for you.”

Dude . He really thought I was that dense?

“Hey, box guy,” the driver called, grabbing my attention. “Hurry up. Time’s running.”

“Oh, um, okay.” Heat crept up my neck as I hurried to push the box debris closer to a green bin that looked like it was meant for trash, unsure of what else to do with it.

When I glanced back, the driver was busy giving instructions. “Bags go in the seat with you. The trunk’s already full.”

I made my way to the car and noticed that Laverne had already claimed the front passenger seat for herself.

“Wife,” Archer said, leaning into the window where Laverne was sitting with a triumphant smile. “Don’t you think you should let a handsome guy like me sit up front instead of cramming three grown men in the back?”

Laverne tilted her chin as if considering it, then shook her head firmly. “Nope.”

“Leave her alone and get in here,” Leander growled from the middle seat in the back. When Archer went for the rear passenger door, Leander snapped his fingers. “Other side.”

“You should mind your tone, prince, ” Archer grumbled as he finally slid into the back seat, struggling to get the door shut.

“And you should mind your fucking elbow. Get it the hell out of my ribs,” Leander shot back.

I took a deep breath and leaned in, trying to figure out the best way to wedge the trident into the car. “Heads up, Laverne. I’m going to slide the blunt end beside you.” Surprisingly, it worked, but when I slid into the car, I found myself staring down three sharp points aimed right at my chest. Yikes .

“It’s fine. Totally fine,” I muttered. As long as the car didn’t crash into anything, the trident would stay exactly where it was.

“Where are the car leashes?” I checked behind my shoulders and— oh no . There weren’t any. At least the passenger seat had one, but when I reached out to it to show Laverne, she slapped my fingers away.

“He’s not wearing one,” she snipped, throwing a finger at the driver. She really was getting comfortable with using her hands.

“Come on, Laverne,” I pleaded. “You need your leash.”

The driver glanced up. “Leash?” he asked, as if the word was unfamiliar to him.

“Just because he’s not wearing one doesn’t mean?—”

Laverne interrupted me with an exasperated groan. “ Fine, ” she huffed, sinking back into her seat to fasten her leash.

Once that was settled, I carefully maneuvered around the trident’s prongs to show the driver the message Barren had left on my phone. “Here’s where we’re going.”

The driver glanced at it, nodding. “That weapon is something,” he said as he pulled out into the stream of cars. “Very shiny. What did you say it was for?”

“A movie,” Archer said, flashing a grin even as he fought to get comfortable in his seat. “It’s for a paranormal romance they’re filming on the island. I am actually playing the leading role—a dashing king destined to live forever.”

“A romance, huh?” The driver sounded impressed as he glanced up at us through the mirror. “I would’ve thought you were more the action star type.”

Archer chuckled, giving him a charming wink. “You’d be surprised by how much action there is in a paranormal romance.”

Whoa, Archer was good at lying. It must have been a king thing.

The driver’s eyes lit up. “Paranormal… that’s with ghosts, right? Plenty of paranormal stories on this island. Plenty of stories. At night, we have lights that dance over the water. When I was a boy, I used to swim out and chase them, but I never thought of romancing one.” With an excited grin, he shook his finger at the mirror. “I’ll have to keep an eye out for you on the big screen.”

Leander snorted, but Archer remained unfazed.

“Yeah, definitely keep an eye out,” he said with the kind of sociable flair that Southern mers were known for.

I wondered what Laverne thought about all of this, but when I leaned over, she was busy chomping away at something.

When the strong smell of fish hit me, I gasped. “Laverne!”

“Huh?” she garbled around the fish’s tail dangling from her mouth.

“Where did you—?” My eyes followed down to where her hand casually rested on my trident. Redirecting the prongs to the car’s ceiling, I stretched over to pry her hand off it.

“What’s the big deal?” she asked once she’d swallowed the last bit of fish down. “I found it in the car. Thought I’d have a snack.”

Found it? More like created it. I’d bet anything that fish didn’t have a face.

The driver gave her a surprised glance before focusing back on the road. “You found a fish in my car, miss?”

“The airport—she meant she found it in the airport,” I rushed to say.

“Yep,” Leander said dryly, his gaze locking on Archer. “She loves picking up old throwaways.”

Archer shot Leander a warning glare before turning back to the driver. “My wife has many talents,” he said with a confident nod. “Quite resourceful.”

The driver nodded along with him. “We islanders are known for making the most of what we have, and we’ve got no shortage of stories. If you’re looking for more material for your movie, just ask the locals.” With a sudden burst of laughter, he nudged Laverne, who looked absolutely scandalized. “You should try Trident’s Treasure Casino! Your box guy would fit right in.”

“Trident’s Treasure?” Archer’s grin stretched. “Sounds like my kind of place.”

“Not a fan,” Laverne said firmly, her arms crossing in front of her. She followed up with a burp that was as unexpected as it was loud.

“Miss? May I ask what you did with the fishbone?” the driver inquired, looking suddenly concerned.

“What did I do with it? I ate it, of course!”

The driver’s eyes widened. “You ate the fishbone? That’s?—”

“ Wow, would you look outside,” I blurted, gesturing to the window for something to grab their attention and finding only the ocean. “Beautiful, beautiful. I mean, what do you… what do you even call that?”

“The Indian Ocean,” the driver provided with a touch of pride. “She is beautiful, isn’t she? Have you never seen the ocean back where you come from?”

I struggled to respond, my voice coming out wooden and awkward. “N-nope. Never.”

“WHAT?” Laverne gasped, her eyes locking onto mine as she twisted in her seat. “Never seen the ocean? Kai-Kai…”

“Oh, come on!” I mouthed, looking over at Archer and Leander for help. Her husband could tell all the lies he wanted, but I couldn’t? How was that fair?

“And here we are,” the driver said as the car rolled to a stop.

Perfect timing!

Only when I looked out the window, I was left scratching my head. “Are you sure we’re here?”

Because outside was only sand, water, and emptiness. There was no sign of Barren’s bungalow anywhere.