Page 29 of Cruel Tides (Queen of Tridents #2)

29

Leander

“H ow long has it been?” Claira asked, her boots grinding through gravel. Tension bracketed her lips as she curved her steps into yet another nervous circle. “We’re gonna go crazy, waiting around like this.”

“Relax,” I said calmly, feeling anything but.

We’d been so close. Made it almost all the way back to the palace, only to find the kingdom infested with dark spawn. Crazy was nothing compared to the storm of panic—how fucking desperate —I felt.

But what good would it do to let my panic show? Especially in front of the one I swore to protect. Sure, we’d been right there, so close to the palace walls. But in that moment, I knew Claira’s safety was more important to me than a hundred fucking thrones.

But my father? He would never understand. Dangerous or not, I still needed to retrieve the trident before his rage overtook him. And I’d do it in a way that ensured Claira’s safety.

If such a way didn’t exist, I would have to make my own. Ripping throats out one by one sounded simple enough. I’d yet to meet a creature who could survive a fucking hole in their neck.

“If you didn’t want to wait, you could have said you were full.” I kept my expression controlled, my tone natural, using the mesmerizing way Claira’s hips swayed as a distraction. “First, you acted like you didn’t even want me to call Barren. Then you practically ripped the phone out of my hands when he mentioned he was making food.”

Her footsteps crunched into an abrupt stop, and she shot me a look over her shoulder. “It’s not my fault I’m starving.”

It was her fault she’d chosen to fill up on vegetation. But seeing as I didn’t have a death wish, I kept that thought well away from my tongue.

I had a feeling her soured expression was meant to berate me, but the way her nose pinched only made me want to draw her into my arms and smooth it back out with a shower of kisses. Instead, I patted a hand over my stomach and taunted her with a grin.

“I tried to feed you breakfast,” I reminded, though she’d barely eaten enough to sustain a goby, let alone a fully grown mer.

“ Finally, ” Claira groaned, completely ignoring my taunt. Her head had turned seconds before the car’s approach even reached my ears.

She came up next to me and cursed under her breath. “ Poseidon’s balls , I hope Barren brought lunch with him.”

I stared at her with a new appreciation. “Poseidon’s… balls?” I chuckled, unable to hold back my amusement. “Now that’s a new one.”

The car pulled in front of us as she grumbled. “So what? I get hungry when I’m stressed, and I can’t think when I’m hungry, which makes me more stressed.”

Claira wrung her hands out like she was grasping for something unseen, and I laughed even harder. “That does sound like a problem.”

The dark glass on the car’s doors disappeared into thin air, letting the faces behind it come into view. Two faces, to be exact, and— damn it —neither of them was Barren.

“Oh, uh, hey, guys,” Kai rasped, his face straining into the same ridiculous shade as his hair. His fancy walrus-looking creature was crowding the rest of the shotgun seat, her substantial body extending well over his lap in every direction, crushing both air and life out of him.

Thrilled to show off how her master struggled in exchange for the privilege of holding her on his lap, the creature’s throat vocalized a ballad of clicks and purrs, her head bouncing like a buoy tumbling over rough water as she looked from me to Claira to Kai.

Maybe his pet wasn’t all bad after all.

“Geez, are you okay?” Claira gasped, leaning into the door’s opening. Fucking Kai . Why was she always so attentive when he was around?

“How are you even breathing?” she asked before quickly adding, “I bet you didn’t want Kai coming without you, huh, Laverne?”

I opened my mouth, but Barren’s voice carried from across the car, his tone gruff and final. “I couldn’t keep them from coming.”

I found that fucking hard to believe. Barren had forged his body into a weapon more powerful than a sturgeon. There wasn’t a mer alive he couldn’t stop from doing anything , but maybe he didn’t think the little spike-tail was worth the trouble.

“Fine.” Sighing, I went for the back door and motioned for Claira to get in first.

“Don’t forget your car leashes,” Kai said, struggling to turn his neck as I pushed in beside Claira.

Poseidon’s balls , it was cramped back here.

“We’ve got it,” I said sharply and pulled the door shut. I didn’t need his fucking reminders.

“Car leashes?” I mouthed, and Claira covered her lips to conceal her laughter. Her head shook as she pointed to the strap running along her lap and chest.

Oh, fuck .

The way the car leash sank between her breasts was a fine sight. I wouldn’t mind her wearing one all the—

My stomach lurched, my body jerking, as the car pushed forward. Claira’s arm came around me, reaching past my shoulder and extending a leash of my own until it clicked into a spot next to my hip. I’d sat inside cars before, but being leashed was a first. “Thanks.”

An insistent chirping overtook the low sound of music coming from the car’s interior, and I immediately took back my opinion of Kai’s pet.

The weight of a pearly eyed gaze pressed into me with an intensity that could not be mistaken, and a cold sweat broke out across my brow. Shuddering, I purposefully refused to trade glances with Lavaburn’s beady black eyes. Or was it Lavaney? Either way, I wasn’t interested.

I’d been courted by enough pushy females to pick up what this furry sea creature was trying to do, so I put an arm around Claira and pulled her in close, planting a possessive kiss on her forehead. Kai’s furry lap pet’s mouth jerked up with an indignant snort, her jaws wide with fury like I’d practically reached over and slapped the whiskers off her face.

Barren’s throat cleared, and Claira stiffened underneath my grip. “You want to talk about it?” he asked, and even Lavaney’s throat stopped its irritating vibrations.

Claira’s lips quivered open, just slightly, like she thought he’d directed the question at her.

“Let’s wait until after we eat,” I said, feeling my brows crease. “There’s no use trying to think while we’re hungry. Right, Claira?”

Her eyes flickered from the back of Barren’s head to the gray buildings out the window. She took in a long breath, and her shoulders seemed to relax under the weight of my arm. “R-right.”

Now that I thought about it, she seemed strangely nervous around Barren. Had something happened?

The car stalled a few moments later in the shadow of a palace, and I swung open the door, eager to stretch my legs and get this over with. Well, perhaps it wasn’t an actual palace, but the building grew to the sky like a bed of seaweed reaching for the tides, its long panes of glass polished and doors embellished with scrolling hand grips. Definitely more palace than any of the other buildings I’d come across, especially the fucking metal box my kingdom was confined to now.

“Looks nice,” Claira mumbled, crawling out behind me. Kai’s pet flopped to the ground with a loud clap of skin that startled me back a step. “Oof. You okay, Lee?”

“Yeah, fine. A little jumpy after this morning,” I said quickly. Claira’d been right to think it was crazy for Kai to take a sea creature along with him. Like this was all just a game to him. It was obvious, even to me, just how out of place she seemed in a paved lot filled with cars.

The wind shifted, bringing with it the comforting smell of brine, and I reconsidered that thought. With the ocean nearby, maybe she wasn’t so out of place after all.

Kai slithered an arm around Claira’s shoulder, and I steadied myself with a sharp breath.

“This place is awesome ,” he said, steering her away from me while his giant mouth hole started flapping in a way that put gulls to shame. “There’s this pool outside, but they tell me it’s closed for the season. Oh, and there are these cloud-looking things they put all over the bed. Can you believe it? I’ve been sleeping with them under my feet so I don’t thrash around so much in my sleep. I actually found two more hidden in a cave they built into one of the walls. Someone comes in and moves them around every morning, and I have to find them all over again. Like a scavenger hunt!”

My jaw set, and I was about to lunge when Barren’s arm stopped me. “Let them be.”

“Fuck that,” I ground out, pushing against his weight with all my strength, but the fucker didn’t budge. “ Fuck .” Claira was already disappearing into the building with that spike-tailed bastard, his annoying pet prodding at her heels.

Ignoring my struggle, Barren’s tone turned harder than this grip. “What is so important you couldn’t speak of it over the phone?”

“I didn’t want Queen Javalynn listening in on our conversation,” I said, relaxing against his arm. “It isn’t something I think you’ll want her to hear.”

Barren’s mouth hardened. I’d long suspected his sister could listen in on conversations over the phones, and he didn’t deny it. “What is it?”

“Cecaelia.” I took a long breath. “They’ve reached the Atlantic.”

“Impossible,” he dismissed, his gargantuan hand tightening into a fist that could knock my head clean off my body. “Unless—”

“Unless they took a portal,” I finished his thought, and we both nodded in grim agreement.

Barren’s arm dropped, his posture momentarily slumping like a warrior forced into admitting defeat. “Which means they already have my queen’s trident.”

He barreled toward the building in an instant. “I don’t think it’s in your best interest to tell her just yet,” I called, jogging to keep up with him.

“Mmh. You saw them too, then?” he asked after leading us into a room filled with rows of steps. He started up them, and his legs were long enough to skip levels in between.

“How would I have—?” I said, half distracted by the way the muscles in my legs stretched as I ascended behind him.

“Because I know what she can do,” he said simply. He kept climbing, his eyes set at the very top. “I’ve seen her power.”

Fuck . Well, that explained why she was acting so nervous. “Barren,” I warned, but he raised his hand.

“I haven’t told my queen.” Well, that was obvious. Because if he had, Claira would have been long gone by now.

He passed through the top door and into a long hall. “And you aren’t going to,” I said, huffing as I rounded in front of him. He was huge, and I knew he could tear me in two, but I wouldn’t let anyone take her from me.

“Mmh.” Unaffected by my threat, he pulled a flat square from his front pocket.

“I’m serious,” I ground out, but he swept me aside to wave his square in front of a door.

A voice called from down the hall. “Whoa! How’d you guys beat us up here?” I turned to see Kai’s arms waving wildly, gorgeous Claira walking leisurely beside him. How were they not winded? Had they not walked up all those levels?

The door clicked open, and Barren shrugged, not bothering to turn their way. “Took the stairs.”

Claira hummed with excitement as she passed me over to follow them through the door. “Gosh, I’m starving. You coming, Lee?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.” My teeth were still grinding as I walked into the room. It was Barren’s room, by the looks of things. Everything was perfect, down to the neat folds on the bedroll. Far too clean and organized to be inhabited by someone like Kai.

Claira walked right to a chair and took a seat, her arms resting over a table as she watched Barren fold in half, struggling to get into a white box. When he emerged, he held a long board filled with rows of food.

“Sushi,” Claira and I said in unison, and Barren gave a quick grunt of affirmation.

Claira turned to me, propping her head on an arm. “Remind me, how do you know about sushi?”

“Barren made it for me before. He came by after the curse first took hold.” I glanced over at him, surprised by the size of the knife he was suddenly holding. “Remember? That was a fucking day we had.”

He grunted again, and I nodded to Claira. “See? You’re not the only one who appreciates Barren’s cooking.”

“I appreciate it, too!” Kai chimed in. He was stealing pillows off Barren’s bed to hand off to his pet. One by one, she took them, nosing them into some sort of fort on the floor. “And so does Laverne.”

Despite our praises, Barren sat the board in front of Claira first. A look of awe formed over her face as she watched him artfully cut half of the rolls down into equal parts and plate an assortment with ease. He slid a colorful plate in front of her, and she murmured a soft thank you before digging in with her fingers.

“Cecaelia,” Barren began, cutting into another row, “are shadow creatures that spawn in the rifts. Their dark chasms share a border with my queen’s kingdom, yet most of our knowledge is mere superstition. When you go back down there—”

“ Cecaelia? ” Kai practically yelled, popping up from the middle of a cavern of pillows. “You can’t expect Claira to go down there if there are dark spawn — ”

“Go back to your playing,” I growled back even louder. “I will make sure she is safe.”

“ You? And what would you do?” he threw back, an unnatural scowl forming over his lips. “You couldn’t even keep yourself safe from one mermaid’s glamour.”

Claira’s eyes were wide as she turned to look between the two of us. Then she slowly stuffed another roll into her mouth.

“Mermaids are fucking ruthless ,” I spat, my hands clenching into fists. “Though I suspect you don’t know anything about that, huh? Considering how far back in line you are for your kingdom’s throne.”

Pillows went flying as Kai kicked his way out of the fort. He came behind Claira, arms wide, and her spine went rigid as he wrapped himself around her shoulders.

“It’s my duty to keep her safe,” he proclaimed, not even a hint of humor showing on his face. “Because we’re—” He hesitated then, his expression softening as he looked down at the top of Claira’s head. A light pink rose over his cheeks and spread down his neck. “Because we’re mates .”

… What?

“Whaaa?” Claira gasped, sputtering out pieces of sushi.

Lavaney popped out from underneath pillows to shriek her disapproval, and even Barren’s knife fell against the table.