Page 33

33

Leander

“ W here the fuck are we?” My patience was already fraying as I awkwardly unfolded myself from the back seat. The car groaned as I twisted and turned, struggling to extract my stiff, too-long legs from the tiny space.

I would never understand why humans were so obsessed with traveling in these cramped boxes on wheels.

The driver scratched his head from the front seat, looking as lost as the rest of us—everyone except Laverne, who was already marching toward the water.

As soon as the driver passed Kai back the plastic square Barren had given us to pay for our journey, he was gone, leaving us stranded with nothing but powdery white sand and palm trees that stretched as far as I could see.

Laverne spun around, letting out a loud, exasperated snort. “Why are you all just standing around?”

Better question—why was she so eager to jump into the fucking ocean?

She stomped back over, grabbing Kai by the sleeve with one hand and Archernar’s arm with the other. “Come on, guys! Are we going to Ren’s place or not?”

Kai hesitated, glancing nervously ahead. “There’s nothing here, Laverne.”

“Unfortunately, he’s right,” Archernar added, which really got her eyes rolling. “Unless your friend lives in the ocean, in which case, you can count me out.”

“This is Ren’s place, you jellyheads! We were just here,” she snapped, pointing out to the water. Her eyes narrowed at Archernar. “His den is on the ocean, not in it.”

If you asked me, she was the jellyhead. Whatever the fuck that meant.

Kai let out a soft gasp. “It’s an illusion.”

“An illusion?” I muttered, squinting at the shimmering water. Fucking dammit. I should’ve known.

“Hold on. You guys really can’t see it? The dens? The boardwalk?” Laverne let out a cackle as she sauntered forward, coming dangerously close to the water’s edge. “Ren made it so only I can see it?”

Kai shook his head. “I don’t think it’s you specifically. I’m guessing he just doesn’t want merfolk to find him. Queen Javalynn, especially, now that he has her trident.”

Surprisingly, Laverne didn’t look offended. Instead, she planted her hands on her hips and grinned. “Well, it’s a good thing I came along, isn’t it, Big Brother? Saving the day, as usual .”

Archernar froze, his initial disbelief shifting into something colder, more calculating. “The Indian Ocean’s trident is here?”

I clapped him on the back, hard enough to rival the slap Laverne had given him back at the airport. “Don’t even think about it,” I warned, knocking the wind out of him.

He stumbled forward, regaining his balance with a scowl pointed in my direction. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand years old, and he still didn’t know how to take a hit.

“What are you two blabbering about?” Laverne asked, circling Kai.

“Nothing important,” I said, all innocence.

Her eyes narrowed like she didn’t believe me before she declared, “I’ll take Kai-Kai there first, and then I’ll come back for you, Bradley.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, watching more of Archernar’s pride crumble away every time she refused to call him by his name.

“Hey, at least she’s taking you next,” I offered with a shrug. “She didn’t even mention me.”

Archernar’s scowl deepened. “If she truly sees me as her husband, then shouldn’t I have been first?” he grumbled, watching as Laverne guided a very nervous Kai toward the water.

“You should know that with Laverne, her brother always comes first.”

A growl rumbled through him.

Was that jealousy? Maybe Kai was right, and Archernar cared about Laverne more than I’d thought. “You’d better get used to it,” I said, noticing how the muscles in his shoulders had bunched. “She’s planning on starting a whole harem of males.”

He spun around to face me, eyes wide. “She’s what? ”

So, he did care. “Oh, she hasn’t told you?” I smirked. “She’s always talking about it. Wants five or six mates.” And the crazy part? I wasn’t even exaggerating.

His mouth snapped shut, a hand moving to where Laverne’s coat rested on his shoulder. Without another word, he turned away, bringing my attention back to Kai and Laverne.

When they vanished into the illusion, my gut clenched. It was like watching them take a step off a cliff. “Well, fuck .”

Archernar looked just as unsettled. He took a step forward, then back again, fingers digging into his biceps.

Moments passed with no sign of either of them. When Laverne’s silver head finally popped back through the illusion, both of us took a breath.

“Your turn, Brad.” I gave him a helpful nudge that sent sand flying as he stumbled forward. He was more fragile than I’d expected, both in body and mind. It made sense why the Southern Ocean no longer saw him as their king.

“Excuse you!” Laverne shrieked, rushing over to grab Archernar by the hands in concern. She glared at me with the fury of a storm. “Why do you keep picking on my husband?” she demanded, and I barely stifled a snort.

Picking on her husband . The moment her words landed, more of Archernar’s spine seemed to wither, his pride taking yet another hit.

Maybe I was picking on him, but the bastard clearly deserved it.

“Well, since you asked…” I shrugged. “He’s already scheming how he’ll get his hands on Barren’s trident.”

“Ren’s trident?” She gasped. Without missing a beat, Laverne smacked the hands she’d just clung to so tenderly. “Scoundrel!”

Archernar’s uncovered eye widened, shock mixing with something feral. “I’m not a scoundrel,” he insisted with the same fake whaleshit conviction he’d just used on our driver. “I didn’t come here for the tridents, my love,” he said, a soft hand reaching up to caress her cheek. “I came here for you.”

“... Seriously, Bradley?” Laverne glowered, swatting his hand away. “I’m not some lovesick trollop mooning over your musk, you know!”

Oh, she definitely was—the lovesick part, at least—but I had to admire her ability to still see through him.

“You’re not even that musky,” she added with a dismissive jerk of her chin. “If you’re going to treat me like a clueless jellyhead, then you can stay out here.”

Damn , she could be ruthless.

Laverne snatched her bag back from his shoulder, leaving him with nothing but her coat. The moment she brushed past him, Archernar’s facade crumbled. His face fell, leaving him standing there, alone and abandoned with his hand outstretched in vain.

Soon, he’d realize this trip wouldn’t go as he’d expected. Even if he had somehow become interested in Laverne romantically, I didn’t trust him, and I was more than ready to be proven right about what a bastard he was.

“Come on, Lee,” Laverne called, bounding up to me. I crossed my arms preemptively, blocking her from grabbing my hand like she had with Kai.

As we passed Archernar, I shot him a warning glance. “If I were you, I’d try to keep those thoughts pure. Barren will know exactly what you’re planning.”

For all the noise Southern mers typically made, Archernar had nothing to say to that.

Even staying close behind Laverne, I nearly tripped over my fucking feet when the sandy ground abruptly turned to solid wood beneath me.

“I can’t believe you guys can’t see the boardwalk,” she cackled, keeping up a brisk pace.

My stomach tightened as the illusion of water rolled beneath my feet, but I kept moving, deliberately avoiding looking down again.

How long was this fucking boardwalk?

Like stepping through a curtain, I found myself suddenly in front of Barren’s door, with Kai standing beside it.

Panic had already etched its way across his face. “I keep knocking, but Barren still hasn’t answered,” he said, his voice tight with worry.

“Yeah?” Leaning in, I gave the door three sharp knocks.

No response.

Kai was nearly overflowing with nervous energy, his fingers tightening around the trident as he shifted it from one hand to the other. I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, although deep down, I shared his unease. Barren had to have known we were coming.

I knocked again, hard enough to worry about the integrity of the door frame.

Nothing.

“Come out, Ren!” Laverne called, throwing herself at the door.

“Why don’t you check the back, Laverne?” I suggested, and she peeled off the door with a glare.

“Why don’t YOU go check it?”

Some savior she was. I’d only asked her to do it in case the illusion prevented Kai and me from seeing it. “Fine,” I said, stepping away to handle it myself when something behind the front door clicked.

The door opened slowly, and Laverne gasped, leaping in delight. “Ren!”

Barren stood just inside the doorway, the shadows under his eyes rendering his expression difficult to read. His hair was flattened on one side as if he’d been lying on it, though he didn’t look like he’d slept—maybe not in days.

His eyes blinked slowly, his gaze drifting over each of us in turn before settling on the only one of us who was bouncing.

“Laverne,” he mumbled. His voice was hoarse, weak in a way I’d never heard before.

Her eyes brightened. “You recognize me?” she sang, and Kai had to grab hold of her before she tried to bounce right into his arm.

“Mmh.” Barren nodded, a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he took in the three of us again.

Relief spread across Kai’s face. “Dude, thank the seas you’re all right,” he said, looking like he might try to leap into Barren’s arm next. “We’ve been so worried about you. Is everything okay, man? You look like you’ve been through… well, a lot.”

Barren’s smile fell as he stepped back, giving us room to enter. “You should come in,” he muttered, and that was all Laverne needed to wriggle free from Kai’s grasp and rush inside.

Before I followed, I glanced back to check up on Archernar. He was standing a few paces down the boardwalk, his face as pale as a frag of sun-bleached coral. He was trying to follow the path we’d taken on his own?

That was exactly what he was doing. He shook his head as if trying to clear it, then took a step forward, coming dangerously close to the edge of the wooden planks he couldn’t even see.

“Laverne, you should come get your husband,” I called out into the room when a loud splash erupted behind me. … Fuck.

I turned around to see Laverne’s coat and Archernar’s clothes floating on the water’s surface.

“What?” Laverne chirped, popping back up in the doorway. Her eyebrows lifted as she looked out at the beach. “Where’s Bradley?”

Barren let out a deep sigh. “I’ll go get a net.”

A shriek pierced the air when Laverne saw the water rippling beside the boardwalk—or perhaps it was her floating coat that had triggered such a noise.

Evading Kai’s desperate attempt to hold her back, she sprinted down the planks and dove headfirst into the water.

Now Kai was the one shrieking. “Laverne!”

I understood that her coat was precious to her, but did she even know how to swim in her human form?

Kai must have had the same thought because he dashed forward, and I could tell the exact moment the illusion hit him. His legs buckled, and he wobbled, struggling to get his bearings as he skidded to a halt. Undeterred, he turned the points of his trident toward the ocean.

Energy buzzed in the air as magic swept across the water. The ocean churned, placid water turning frothy and violent as a massive shape erupted from below. When the tumult subsided, there was Laverne, perched on the surface of the water as if it were solid ground.

Because it was solid, although its rippled surface didn’t look quite like ground. The fuck had he made?

Laverne’s eyes widened as she choked down a huge gulp of air. Her coat and Archernar’s clothing were clutched in her arms.

“Are you all right?” Kai asked, his voice cracking with worry.

She was soaked but looked otherwise unharmed.

“Is this a clam? ” Laverne sputtered back, glancing down between her knees, then back up at Kai.

“A, um, giant clam,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “It was the first thing I could think of.”

A giant clam? Those were four feet tall at most. This fucker had to be at least three times that size.

“Can’t be good for the ecosystem,” Barren mumbled, returning with the net.

Choosing to hold onto her coat, Laverne slung Archernar’s wet clothes over to the boardwalk. Water dripped from every part of her, her long hair dipping back in the water as she stretched from the clam to the wooden boards. When she managed to crawl across, she let out a maniacal laugh.

“Did you catch him?” I asked, noticing that she was clutching something other than her coat.

“Of course!” she announced proudly, smoothing her coat out in the center of the boardwalk and releasing a flailing betta fish onto it, its coloring primarily black with patches of white.

Orca-toothed bastard . That was one way to get her attention.

“What were you thinking, Laverne?” Kai asked, relief and frustration warring in his tone. “You could have drowned.”

Laverne grinned down at the betta fish, cupping her hands back around him. “But I didn’t, now did I? And look, isn’t Bradley adorable?”

She cooed at the fish as it fluttered helplessly in her grasp. It almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost.

“He isn’t happy,” Barren said, setting the net down to rest against the front of his home.

“No, he’s not,” I agreed, knowing that much without needing to read Archernar’s thoughts. “But I am.” With a grin, I clapped a hand over Barren’s leather-clad shoulder in greeting. “Good to see you, man.”

Whether or not he meant to, Barren sagged into my touch, his exhaustion evident as I helped hold up his weight.

“Is anyone else hungry?” Laverne asked, abandoning Archernar on top of her coat to rejoin us. Salt water flew off her as she moved, and the three of us couldn’t help but flinch at her approach.

“Maybe it would be best to wait until he transforms back and then help him inside?” Kai suggested gently. “Since he is your husband.”

Laverne’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, right!” She hurried back, scooping Archernar up in her hands. With a proud lift of her shoulders, she showed him off. “I’m married now, Ren! Can you believe it?”

“Congratulations,” he said, although I could see the concern lingering in his eyes as he watched the betta fish squirm. Soon, he would know Archernar’s true motives better than any of us. That was, if he didn’t know them already.

“And he’s a king ,” she added, exaggerating the word. “Which means that I’m a queen now, obviously!”

“He doesn’t seem to like being held,” Barren pointed out, which made Laverne’s cheeks puff.

“He probably doesn’t like being a fish either,” she said, rolling him into one palm to give a carefree wave with the other. “But it’s his own fault for turning into one in the first place, now, isn’t it?”

Archernar’s beady eyes looked up at us with such pleading desperation as Laverne paraded him in her hand, his gills fluttering in distress.

“Well, shall we get settled inside?” Kai asked cheerily, lifting his trident and hiking his bag back up on his shoulder. I followed him through the door, only to wince at what was inside.

What the fuck happened here?

The air was heavy, stagnant in a way I didn’t recall it being the last time we were here. Aside from the light coming in through the back windows, the rest of his place was shrouded in darkness.

Barren came in behind us, finding a switch that illuminated the room.

“Barren…” My voice dropped as I scanned the space, noting the clutter scattered across every surface. While it wasn’t necessarily dirty, this wasn’t like him.

Kai unslung his bag, setting it down next to the couch with a frown. “I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone for so long.”

Being alone shouldn’t have been a problem. Barren had been alone for as long as I’d known him. He was unshakeable and stronger than any of us would ever be. Yet, the scene in front of me was a side of him I’d never seen.

Barren stood among the clutter, looking broken and overwhelmed, as if he were far too tired to take it all in. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, a deep sigh escaping him. “Things have been busy.”

“I can see that,” I replied, swallowing back my concern. Crumpled papers, discarded clothes. It was like everything he’d used in the last week was on display, except for his trident. “This isn’t an illusion, is it?”

Barren’s jaw tightened, and he shook his head. “It’s been hard to focus,” he admitted, exhaustion heavy in his voice.

Kai exchanged a worried glance with me before stepping closer to Barren. “What’s been going on, man?”

Barren’s gaze fell to the floor, his hand bracing against his chest as if he were trying to ease a deep ache. I watched those fingers pressing and kneading, making my heart begin to pound.

Wait a fucking minute…

“You didn’t, Barren.” My voice, my fear, sliced through the stale air. “Tell me you didn’t.”

The muscles in his jaw jumped, his silence saying everything.

“Dammit!” I grappled with my hands, clenching and unclenching them, feeling the familiar pull of the trident’s energy within me. He’d taken in the fucking trident. “Why, Barren?” I demanded, not understanding what he was thinking. “After all that shit you gave me about absorbing mine—and your father—” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that thought.

I was desperate, fucking desperate, to understand why he would ever make the same reckless decision as I had. I had signed my own death sentence, and now here he was, doing the same. “You know what will happen to you now that you’ve taken in a trident.”

“You took in a trident?” Kai yelped, his grip tightening around his own.

Barren didn’t offer any excuses or explanations. But the expression in his eyes, that sorrowful, distant look I recognized as heartache, told me more than words ever could.

Fucking dammit . With just that look, I could feel it. The weight of what he’d done and the reason he’d done it. I moved closer, pulling him into a tight, brotherly embrace. At first, he stiffened, but then his massive arm wrapped around me, his colossal frame becoming a solid wall against my own.

“Is that what we’re doing?” Kai asked. I thought he was referring to the hug until I saw him blinking at his trident. “Should I do it too?” he whispered.

Before I could move, Barren had ended our embrace to seize Kai’s trident, locking it in place.

“No,” both of us said firmly.

“Oh—okay.” Kai still looked uncertain, his eyes shifting from his trident to the center of Barren’s chest. “So, you really took it in?” When Barren nodded, Kai gulped. “Are you going to be okay?”

Barren hesitated, a shadow crossing his face. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “But it had to be done.”

I understood, even if I didn’t want it to be true. Just as I had to ensure my father never laid eyes on his trident again, I had to trust that Barren had his own reason.

“And now what?” Kai asked.

“And now we go to her,” Barren said, placing his hand on his chest, over his heart.

“Go to her?” I didn’t understand what he meant. “Even if you have your sister’s trident, I don’t see how illusions can help us reach Claira.”

“It’s my trident.” Barren’s gaze hardened. “And you’re right. Illusions can’t help us. But breaking one will.”

Kai’s brows creased. “Breaking one? Like the illusion you put around your place?”

“Mmh.”

Kai gasped, looking like Barren had suggested something unthinkable while barely mumbling a word. “No way. You can’t be serious.” He paused as if hoping Barren would deny it, but when he didn’t, Kai’s voice raised in disbelief. “You’re thinking about breaking the illusion that’s keeping Malkeevo safe?”

Barren nodded grimly.

How the fuck had Kai made that leap with so little information?

“I’ve already lifted it,” Barren said, his confession hanging heavily in the air between us. A sinking sensation swept through my chest as I stared at the two of them.

“Wait a minute,” I said slowly, trying to piece it together. “Your kingdom was protected from the dark spawn, but you broke that protection because?—?”

A muscle ticked in Barren’s temples. “Because I needed to use it as bait. A way to bring Claira closer to us.”

“Bait?” Kai’s mouth fell open. “And what if they don’t take the bait? And even if they do, why would you think they’d take Claira along?”

“They will take it,” Barren said with a distant, almost eerie certainty. The fuck was wrong with him? Yeah, he could read minds, but he couldn’t predict the future.

“And how would you know what the dark spawn will or will not do, Barren?” I asked.

Barren cleared his throat. “Because I’ve been in contact with the dark spawn who took her.”

Kai recoiled as if he’d been physically struck. “Contact with the dark spawn?” His voice was a tight whisper, laced with a slow-building rage. “With Abyssal?”

Barren’s nod was solemn. “Mmh.”

“You can’t trust him.” Kai’s voice sharpened with the resolve of someone whose greatest nightmare had suddenly come to be in front of them. His arms trembled, his eyes blown wide with a volatile mix of cold fear and simmering anger. “He’s a demon, Barren. You know that, right? Whatever he told you, he’ll betray it—the first chance he gets if he hasn’t done it already.”

Barren tilted his head back, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to meet Kai’s gaze. “I understand I’m taking a risk.”

“A risk?—”

“At first, I thought she would be safe.” Barren’s voice was steady, even as he cut Kai off. “But I’ve learned that things have changed. If there’s a chance I can bring her somewhere safer, I have to take it.”

Wait a fucking minute. “You thought she was safe down there?” I questioned, my frustration quickly mounting. “Why the hell would you think that?”

Barren’s jaw locked tight, refusing to provide anything else.

Kai looked torn, a war raging behind his eyes. “And what if this is all a trap?” When Barren still wouldn’t answer, Kai turned to me. “What then?”

Honestly, I didn’t fucking know—about what Barren was thinking, about anything related to any of this. All I knew was that I was tired of being apart from my mate. “If Barren’s right… If there’s a chance that we can get close enough to Claira to save her, then we have to take the risk.” I met their gazes in turn. “If it’s a trap, then we’ll fight our way out.”

Barren drew a deep breath, his jaw finally unlocking. “I’ve vowed to keep her safe, no matter the cost.”

Kai’s gaze lingered on Barren, searching his face before letting out a resigned sigh. “You’re not the only one of us who’s made that vow.”

He was right. “So, we’ll do this together,” I added, clasping my hands on their shoulders.

A flicker of gratitude softened Barren’s face before he nodded. “We’ll need to prepare.”

“Do you still have Claira’s bag?” Kai asked suddenly, giving us both pause.

“Mmh.” He nodded, his gaze drifting toward his bedroom.

Kai’s eyes lit up. “Perfect! I hope you haven’t washed anything.”

Okay, that required an explanation. When Kai moved toward Barren’s bedchamber, Barren joined me in cutting him off.

“Yeah,” I said, raising an eyebrow, “I’m going to need you to clarify why you’re interested in our mate’s unwashed belongings.”

Kai hesitated under my scrutiny, his throat working through a hard swallow. “Because if I’m going to create creatures to track her, I’m going to need something with her scent.”

“What?” I stared at him, baffled. The fuck was he even talking about?

“Creatures to track her…” Barren’s voice trailed off as realization dawned on his face. “You can create something like that?”

Kai nodded eagerly. “I can! Well—at least, I hope I can. When Freechia disappeared, I watched my father take all the hair accessories from her chamber to create a run of chinook that could follow her scent.” His voice suddenly took a sullen turn. “Hours later, the curse happened, and there wasn’t enough time for them to find her. But if I had something of Claira’s, maybe I could do the same. Although I’m not sure how well salmon will fare in these waters.”

“You’re telling me you can create creatures to track her down?”

Kai nodded, and I almost hugged him on the spot.

“Then get to it, Kaius.”

Just then, Laverne burst through the door, her face flushed bright red. “Bradley will be in as soon as his clothes are dry enough to put back on,” she announced, not that any of us had asked.

Kai tilted his head curiously. “You did help him get past the illusion, right?”

“Um. Yep. Sure did,” she replied quickly, then ducked her head into the cold box Barren used to store his food. “Uh, excuse me?” She poked her head out, affronted. “Barren, where are the fish?”

He rested his hand on his stomach, shrugging. “No fish.”

Laverne’s jaw dropped. “NO FISH?”

With a nod to Kai, I led the way to the bedchamber, leaving Barren to deal with Laverne and her attitude.

“It’s like a storm went through here,” I muttered, noticing a creature blinking up at us from one of the pillows on the bed. Although I recognized its furry face, I couldn’t remember what Barren had called it.

Kai immediately honed in on Claira’s bag among the mess and began rummaging through it. When I noticed him burying his face in what looked like one of her shirts, I couldn’t help but raise a brow. “Fuck, man. Did you just sniff that?”

Kai’s face flushed red enough to match his sister’s. “Um, maybe,” he whispered, starting a pile with the shirt before going back into the bag to sift for more. “I can’t help it. Everything in here smells just like her.” He lifted a new handful of clothes to his nose and ended up burying his face in them as well.

“Focus, Kaius,” I said, snatching what he was holding away. Then I turned, bringing the articles of clothing up to my nose. Fuck . My heart lurched as Claira’s delicate scent sank in. I closed my eyes, enjoying the memory it brought back with it, the soft warmth of holding her in my arms on top of my bedroll.

“These will work,” I said finally, handing all of it back to Kai to add to his pile.

He nodded, determination lighting his face as he gathered up more items from Claira’s bag. “This was the main reason I wanted to find my father’s trident,” he explained, pulling the weapon up beside him.

“Smart move,” I admitted. It certainly seemed more useful in our quest to get our mate back than summoning storms or illusions.

“All right, I think this will be enough,” he said, adding the last of Claira’s things to the pile. “I don’t trust whatever that dark spawn is planning, but this way, we’ll be able to know where she is before we even get down there.”

And then we’d find out if Barren’s bait actually worked. “Are you sure you can make these creatures, Kaius?”

“Hmm.” He didn’t look the least bit worried as he got to his feet. “I guess we’re about to find out!”