Page 6

6

Leander

“ W hy do you think your pet wants a bucket?” I followed Kai closely, cautiously watching my step.

The Pacific dunes were covered with so many fucking rocks. Seriously, what had made King Darias think this was the best place for his kingdom to settle down?

Kai hopped between rocks like he’d already crafted a game out of it, humming an obnoxious tune under his breath as he went. “You mean Laverne? No clue.”

I didn’t understand him. Not one bit. Claira was gone, and yet, here he was, able to hum, think, and breathe . Kai was carrying on with his usual playful whaleshit like nothing had even happened. Like his mate wasn’t in danger.

Like his heart hadn’t been fucking torn apart.

I knew he was hurting—I’d seen it. Yet how was he able to suppress his pain, covering it up with smiles and laughter? I would never understand that level of resilience.

The closer we got to the Pacific kingdom’s new home, the louder Kai’s humming became. So damned annoying.

Fuck the Pacific’s trident—I didn’t even want to be here. Who cared about the power to create? It seemed about as useless as my trident was in getting Claira back to us.

No, our time would be better spent back at Barren’s place, stalking the ocean for signs of dark spawn.

“I’m sure she knows what she’s doing,” Kai chirped, jumping another rock. “Laverne might not look it, but she’s pretty crafty!”

I rolled my eyes at Kai’s nonchalant response. We were supposed to be here for a trident, for fuck’s sake, and here we were tracking down a bucket instead.

We approached a sun-bleached boulder, and Kai leaped straight for it. He spun around, leaning on it with an elbow. “The campground is just past this hill.”

“Great,” I muttered. “Let’s hurry this up.”

I hadn’t noticed before, but Kai’s face was flushed. Although we hadn’t walked for long, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “Um, Leander?” His gaze flitted around like he was expecting us to be discovered by some passing mer at any moment. “I, uh... When we get there, y-you see—” He couldn’t stop stumbling over his thoughts. “Well, my brothers, th-they...”

I took a step toward him only to roll an ankle on a fucking rock. “Shit?—”

“Dude, watch it.” He caught me by the arm. “There are rocks all around here.”

“You don’t fucking say,” I shot back, glaring at the boulder right beside us. “What were you stuttering about? Something about your brothers?”

Kai’s face took on an even deeper shade of coral. “Yeah, um… They might not be thrilled to see me.” He let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. “We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”

“So?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “We’re not here for them. But if you’re nervous, I’ll go grab the damn bucket. Just tell me where to look.”

He shook his head vigorously. “No, no, that’s okay. They’ll recognize you.”

“Well, naturally,” I said with a casual shrug. “I am the crown prince of the Atlantic.”

“No, uh, you’re sort of... well known in the Pacific.” There was a little pause when his voice cracked. “For different reasons.”

“Yeah?” A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. “And what exactly am I known for? My prowess as a warrior? My charming personality?”

“Errr...” Kai’s smile fell as an awkward silence filled the ocean air. He gulped before finally saying, “B-both, actually. But mostly the warrior prowess thing. Yeah.”

I snorted. “You’re a terrible fucking liar.”

“I didn’t lie—they do speak of your prowess.” His shoulders slumped. “Just not… in the way you’re thinking.”

“Spit it out, Kaius.”

“Okay, well—there are rumors that the crown prince of the Atlantic…” He cleared his throat before muttering the rest of it in a jumble of words. “… is a flashy, sexual deviant.”

“ What? ”

Had I heard him correctly? Sure, I was known to be flashy, but I didn’t realize Kai even knew what a sexual deviant was. “They think I’m a deviant?”

He gave a single nod. “There have been stories passed around about you seducing and engaging in scandalous affairs with…” He gulped yet again. “Sea creatures.”

“What the fu—” I was so completely caught off guard that I couldn’t even finish the intended curse. “ Sea creatures? ”

Kai waved a hand, the deep color of his face hinting that he had barely touched upon the depth of these stories. “Dude, look, it’s just rumors, okay? The Pacific prides itself on being modest, and the Atlantic is known for being, well, shameless. I’m sure you know that.”

Fucking spike-tails!

I scrubbed a hand over my face, muttering, “And your kind wonders why the rest of the kingdoms hate you. Sea creatures? That’s fucking disgusting .”

Kai’s nose pinched. “Not everyone hates us. We’re currently on good terms with the Southern Ocean.”

I huffed. “Of course you are. Those orca-toothed bastards hate the Atlantic even more than King Darias does.”

At the mention of his father, Kai’s gaze averted. “Well, I don’t hate the Atlantic. And now that I know you, I don’t believe the rumors about you, either.” Then he coughed, looking down at the sand. “But the rest of the kingdom... they might.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I clawed a hand through my hair. “So, this entire kingdom thinks I get hard-ons for what? Dolphins or something? Fucking hell.”

“Look, that’s not the point.” Kai looked like he wished he hadn’t mentioned the rumors at all. “The point is, someone is bound to recognize you, so it’ll be better if we go together so I can be sure to have your back.”

“Whatever, fine,” I grumbled, kicking a rock across the sandy path. “Let’s get this over with.”

It took me three more steps up the hill to realize I wasn’t ready to let this go. “So, if Laverne had come with us,” I started, my gaze snapping back to Kai, “your kingdom would think that I’m fucking her because she’s a sea creature? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Umm...” Kai paused to fidget, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I’d rather not think about that.”

“ You’d rather not think about it? How do you think I feel?” I shot right back, overwhelmed with frustration I didn’t currently have the capacity to handle. “ I’m the one who supposedly has a fetish for sea creatures.”

I’d never understood my father’s hatred for the Pacific, but now I was getting it. I’d known the Pacific kingdom was idiotic, shunning land and forcing their subjects to live under the strict laws of their king, but this was beyond ridiculous.

“And who the fuck started these rumors?”

After some hesitation, Kai finally let it slip. “Um, Laidon, I think. After a trip to the Atlantic with our father. He claimed he bumped into a sea turtle who swore that you?—”

“Enough!” I snarled, cutting Kai off mid-sentence. “I don’t want to hear another fucking word.”

“You asked!”

A growl built in my throat as I stormed up the hill. Aside from Kai and the crown prince, I couldn’t tell the difference between the rest of King Darias’s sons. Laidon, however, was a name I wouldn’t soon forget.

If our paths ever crossed, I’d make him regret uttering his damned lies. “Stupid spike-tailed fucker.”

When I reached the top of the hill, I stopped abruptly, turning to face Kai with a clenched jaw. “No one better fucking talk to me.”

Kai nodded nervously, his eyes darting around as he stepped ahead to take the lead.

The top of the hill opened up to a flat clearing dotted with colorful tents and a fire crackling in the center. Merfolk scurried around it, clad in peculiar clothes resembling stretched whale skins that hugged their forms from neck to toe.

I blinked, wanting to fucking punch myself for getting sidetracked by thoughts of sea creatures, but no—they were really wearing clothes that looked like actual whale skins. Fucking dammit .

I scowled at Kai’s back, fixing my gaze straight ahead to avoid locking eyes with anyone daring enough to glance our way. Whispers swirled around us like an incoming tide, and I nearly collided with Kai when he suddenly halted.

A swift glance around him told me why we’d stopped.

In front of us, the Pacific’s crown prince sat at the head of a table constructed of smooth wood, surrounded by more of his rowdy, purple-haired brothers.

Drusian Corentine . Although his close-cropped purple hair was a dead giveaway for his lineage, it was the jagged scar that etched its way alongside his left eye that set him apart from his brothers. His calculating stare was one that couldn’t be easily ignored or forgotten.

The air around the table buzzed with restless energy. It wouldn’t surprise me if any one of King Darias’s sons were on the verge of standing up to cause chaos. Drusian, however, exuded a much different energy. His shoulders were relaxed, and his demeanor was calm as he examined Kai, taking in his every detail.

Then his gaze slid to me, and ice crept into the shadows surrounding his eyes.

His lips curled into neither a smile nor a smirk, the sharp-tipped points of his teeth catching glints of light.

If it weren’t for the black whale skin he wore up to his neck—fucking ridiculous—he might have been intimidating.

Gradually, the rest of the table took notice, but I couldn’t tell one face from another as they turned to us. They were King Darias’s sons, obviously, but aside from Kai, only one other Corentine mattered.

“Which one of you is Laidon?” My voice sliced through their murmurs, lingering in the air like a challenge. Shoulders shifted, and elbows were thrown, but no one spoke up.

Kai squirmed beside me. “I don’t think?—”

Prince Drusian stood from the group, and Kai’s voice seemed to shrink back into his throat as silence settled over the campground.

I crossed my arms, ready for whatever Drusian was going to say, when two figures emerged from an open tent flap nearby.

“How is the meeting progressing, my son?”

Drusian’s gaze narrowed as he turned toward the source of the voice, his father, King Darias. Similar to the rest of the camp, the Pacific king wore a black whale-skin suit that bulged to accommodate his ample gut. He looked older on land. Regal purple hair hung well past his shoulders, marked with countless streaks of silver threads.

One of my father’s scribes had once observed that the silver increased with each new son born to King Darias. Now that I’d seen them all together, I understood why.

Beside him, Queen Nevieva stood tall and elegant despite her whale-skin suit. Her dark green hair was uniform in both color and length and sleek enough to catch the sunlight like a mirror.

She stepped toward the table to plant a kiss on the crown prince’s cheek—right next to his battle scar—her disinterested gaze barely noticing Kai. When she pulled away, a hint of pink had risen over Prince Drusian’s face.

“The meeting is progressing as expected, Father,” he responded with a bow of his head. “However, we have had an unexpected intrusion.”

King Darias grunted, and when his eyes fell upon me, I could feel the weight of his displeasure seep into my bones.

The king’s voice rang out once more, tinged with a hint of cold amusement. “And who might this intruder be?”

He knew fucking well who I was. I’d met King Darias on more than one occasion.

I straightened my shoulders, preparing to introduce myself to him again, when Kai stepped in on my behalf.

“I have returned, Father.” I’d never heard his voice pitched so high.

The entire camp seemed to hold its breath as King Darias’s eyes bore into his son’s face.

“So?” he replied finally, unmistakable disdain in his voice. “You speak as if I should care.”

Kai swallowed audibly, his eyes shifting to the table where the rest of his family sat. “You look well, Mother,” he added.

Queen Nevieva showed little more than a fleeting flicker of interest in her youngest son. Disappointment soaked her voice as she said, “Oh, Kaius, where is your wetsuit?”

Kai’s face flushed, his arms coming in to cross over his shirt to shield himself. “Oh, I… I-I’m sorry, Mother,” he stammered, eyes darting between his family and the onlookers in the nearby tents, all clad in the same absurd outfit.

As I witnessed Kai struggling to find his voice, not a single member of his family spoke up for him. Not one. No, they were letting their indifference press heavily upon Kai’s shoulders. And they were enjoying it, too, like they were deliberately aiming to crush his spirit.

He was their blood, a part of their family, and this was how he was treated?

Until now, I’d thought Kai had been born lucky—I’d envied him for his many siblings, for having the love of both a mother and a father. But how was this any different from how things were for me?

No, this was no fucking family. This was little more than a gathering of sharp-toothed, spike-tailed predators. With parents and siblings like these, it was no wonder Kai considered a sea lion his sister.

“What kind of greeting is this?” I spat, cutting through the silence to firmly take hold of Kai’s shoulder. “Kaius is worth more than your indifference. Even my father, King Eamon, gave him a warmer reception than this.”

At the mention of the Atlantic’s ruler, King Darias’s eyes blazed. “I will not tolerate having my conduct and authority questioned in my kingdom,” he snapped at me before turning to Kai. “You want to be greeted with respect? Then you will wear the appropriate attire before you dare to address this court again.”

King Darias brought a hand up to where his whale suit sank between the rolls of his neck as if proving his point.

“Proper attire?” I snorted. “Yeah—okay.”

“Wetsuits are proper,” one of the other princes chimed in, his eyes gleaming with superiority. He looked proud to be wearing the same suit as his father. “We Pacific mers like to maintain a civilized appearance. Although I doubt we have one to spare for a fan-tail.”

The prince beside him dug an elbow into his brother’s ribs.

“That’s too bad. Personally, I find them to be very attractive,” I lied, smoothing out my voice. I leaned in closer to the table, presenting them with my most charming, flashy smirk. “It almost gives you the appearance of sea creatures. Like a pod of whales all swimming together... Or maybe sea turtles.”

Instead of blushing like the rest of his brothers, the prince with the longest hair went deathly pale.

Laidon —I was fucking sure of it.

But before I could reach for him, Kai was already pulling me back.

“I’m glad to see everyone’s doing so well.” His voice cracked with forced cheerfulness. “I think we’ll go look for that wetsuit. Right, Leander? ”

I let him drag me away, but only because there were so many of those purple-haired, spike-tailed bastards and only the two of us.

As soon as we were out of earshot, Kai all but crumbled. “I can’t believe I forgot to put on a wetsuit,” he murmured to himself, his hands shaking more than his voice.

“Why?” I didn’t bother keeping my voice down. “So you can dress up like a whale? They look fucking ridiculous.”

He gave me a pleading look. “I know they’re ridiculous, but I—I don’t know, Leander. When we came to land, we needed something . My kingdom isn’t used to showing skin.” He let out a wistful sigh, his gaze turning distant. “I knew they wouldn’t be happy to see me.”

I clapped a hand on the back of his shoulder, guiding him away from the commotion, even as curious merfolk trailed behind us. “You can call me Lee.”

Kai blinked rapidly. “Really?”

“Really. And listen, Kaius, we’re not here for them or their fucking whale suits.” We walked past an empty table, and I slammed a fist down on the wooden surface. “We’re here to find a bucket,” I murmured, watching the merfolk scatter back into their tents like spooked crabs. “Or did you forget?”

Kai smiled weakly. “Right, yeah, the bucket.” Then he frowned, moving my fist away to check where I’d struck the wood. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, gesturing to a sign posted on a pole nearby. “The campground rules say to treat these picnic tables like they’re family.”

“Like family?” I scoffed and pointed back to where Kai’s brothers sat on the other side of the campground. “Then we might as well throw it in the fucking fire.”

Kai’s hand froze over the table, but I wasn’t done. Not yet.

“All this time, I thought you were happy. With your mother, your father, all of your siblings. I thought the Pacific was different, that big families were supposed to care about each other.” Thunder rumbled in the distance as my anger grew. “My father said it was your kingdom’s greatest weakness, but I always thought—I thought…”

Kai waited until it was clear that I’d said all that I was going to say.

“Well, they do care... about Drusian,” he said softly, his gaze dropping. “And my father cared a lot about Freechia. They’ve got a lot of sons. Too many to keep up with.”

“So, King Darias cares about his heir.” At the very least, it was more than I could say about my own father. “But not the rest of his sons.”

“Well, yeah. There’s a lot of us, and the throne is only big enough for one,” Kai reasoned. “Drusian is going to inherit the kingdom and wield the trident one day. The rest of us are just... extras.”

“No, Kaius.” I squared in front of him, placing my hands on his shoulders to look him straight in the eyes. “That trident is going to be yours.”

“Mine?” He looked up at me, and I could see his shock take form as my words sank in. Like he’d known we were after the trident, but he never considered that it would actually be his.

Kai pulled away without another word, heading straight for the fire. He picked up a bucket, raising it above the smoky haze, and a ridiculous grin stretched over his face as he dumped its contents out next to the fire.

When he returned, he was humming a tune under his breath. “Do you think Laverne will be mad that there’s soot in it?”

“Look, I don’t know, man. She’s your sister,” I said with a shrug. “What’s the worst she can do? Bark at us?”

The corner of Kai’s mouth curled. “Spit at us, probably. But that’s okay. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s done it.” He chuckled. “Let’s see if she’s had any luck tracking down Albert.”