Page 24

24

Claira

D espite it being almost bedtime back home, the sun was about to rise in this place. So, when Barren left to meet with his queen, I had taken time to freshen up for the day.

I almost moaned with appreciation when I first found a bathroom connected to his room. Although the narrow shower stall had me questioning if Barren could even fit in it, it was fully stocked with soap, shampoo, and fresh towels neatly folded on shelves within reach.

After my shower, I refolded my clothes in my suitcase, arranging them into neat stacks before choosing my outfit for the day. The bathing suit Barren had gotten for me sat at the very top, calling to me. I bit my lip, wondering if the hot tub I’d spotted out on the patio had anything to do with his request for me to bring it.

Idly separating my damp hair into sections, I made my way to the double doors leading to the patio situated outside his bedroom. A whole patio connected to his bedroom; I could hardly believe it. While I braided, I looked through the inset windows, admiring the different plants outside. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected Barren’s place to be like, but it wasn’t this. Was gardening one of his hobbies, too?

Now that the sun was rising, I could tell that the plants were potted—which made infinitely more sense, considering Barren’s home was built over water. Greenery sat in clusters of differing heights, their long fronds and delicate flowers caught up in the breeze. A covered hot tub sat in the patio’s corner—at least, I was pretty sure it was a hot tub.

“Watch it be a water softener or something,” I mumbled with a shake of my head. Now that would be a letdown. Not that I expected to have enough downtime to use a hot tub, but just knowing it was there felt like a possibility of its own.

When I got to the end of my braid, I secured it and walked over to the dresser mirror to take stock of my handiwork.

Yeah—not great.

Maybe Kai can fix it for me? The thought of him playing with my hair caused my stomach to flutter.

My hair was becoming increasingly unmanageable every time we went in and out of the water. So much so that I was beginning to dread looking at my reflection at the end of the day.

But would a braid even survive the water? Good question. I added a third hair tie, just in case Barren’s queen expected us to head right into the ocean in search of her trident when my gaze landed on the necklace atop Barren’s dresser. The single pink pearl, trapped in a cage.

“It was given to me,” he’d said. Had that truly only been a tease?

I tossed my damp braid over my shoulder and came out of Barren’s bedroom with a sigh. “I really hope he doesn’t mind us using up all the hot water.”

Leander glanced back at me from where he sat in front of the back windows. “Done already?” he asked, his head flopping back on the couch. Although he’d been the first to shower, his hair was still wet, and it spilled over his forehead in loose waves.

“Oh, damn,” I said, my breath catching as my eyes drew past him. Outside, pastel pinks and oranges spread across the horizon, highlighting where the endless expanse of the Indian Ocean met the sky.

I’d initially wondered why Barren’s couch was facing the window. Now that the sun was rising, I was sure there wasn’t anything worth seeing more.

That is, until Leander flashed me a grin laced with merman charm, doing his best to rival the view. “Care to watch the sunrise with me?”

My feet had me moving toward the couch even before my mind had decided on my answer. Then his bare shoulders came into view, and I paused. “You’re not wearing a shirt?” My eyes narrowed. Why wasn’t that surprising? “You’re not naked, are you?”

Readying my lecture, I made quick steps toward him. “You know Barren has a thing for cleanliness. He wouldn’t want your bare ass all over his couch.”

Leander stretched his legs out as I came around the front of the couch. “Oh,” I said, staring down at his bare ankles, puzzled. He was wearing pajama pants. The ill-fitting ones I’d given him months ago, turquoise and black.

“Disappointed?” Leander laughed, leisurely rolling his head along the back of the couch like he was really enjoying getting under my skin. His eyes were as clear as the ocean water outside.

“ No. Not at all.” I shot him a glare before settling on the unoccupied cushion on the other end of the couch. “It’s just that I know how itchy those pants are. It’s hard to believe anyone would choose to wear them on purpose.”

Leander shrugged, pulling his legs back in and causing them to hike up even higher over his calves. Ridiculous . “I don’t have a lot of clothes,” he said simply. “But even if I did, I’d still wear these.” Back to that charming smirk of his. He slid closer, throwing a well-toned arm over the back of my side of the couch. “They make me think of you.”

“Nice to know I’m synonymous with something that makes you itchy.” Regrettably, my comeback lost some of its bite about halfway through when the warmth of his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

Behind us, the door connecting the bathroom to the main room opened, and I wasn’t sure whether to jump up or dive in between the cushions.

“Whoa,” Kai gasped. He zoomed past us in a blur, almost pressing his face against the window. “Look at that sky,” he said, a hand brushing through his wet spikes of hair, flinging droplets on the glass. “The water… it’s amazing .”

“It’s great, isn’t it?” I said, scooting out from under Leander’s shadow now that it wasn’t just the two of us. I was quickly running out of room, but I wasn’t against sitting on the armrest if I had to.

“Did Barren ever tell you about this view, Lee?” I asked casually, though I kept my eyes on Kai’s back. His hair looked a few shades darker when wet, and his fresh button-down clung to the back of his shoulder blades where he hadn’t completely dried off from his shower.

Did these guys just not care about comfort, or what?

“Which view are you referring to, beautiful?” Leander’s voice, smooth and calming like a melody, filled my ear. Before I could turn to him on my own, a finger came under my chin, tilting me in his direction. Ice-blue eyes glittered with mischief. “Well?”

“Uh…” My brain blanked, completely stalling over the question.

The corner of Leander’s eyes crinkled with amusement, showing off that cute freckle of his. “You were staring at Kai.” As he spoke, his hand brushed back the weight of my braid off my shoulder. “Or were you talking about the sunrise?”

It was hard to think while his hand lingered next to my neck, and when his thumb traced along the ridge of my ear, I decided to rise to his challenge.

I licked my lips. “So what if I was talking about Kai?”

As I turned to look at Kai, unexpectedly, Leander leaned with me. He pulled me close, capturing my lips in a kiss.

I should have seen it coming. Leander’s possessiveness. But here it was, and I wasn’t ready for it. That first brush of skin left me momentarily breathless, and my head buzzed as he deepened the kiss. His arms cradled around me, pulling me off the edge of the couch and into his embrace.

When he finally let up, Leander’s breathing was ragged. “You’ll have plenty of time to look at him,” he rasped and—okay, I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But when his tongue returned, sweeping back over mine, my eyelids fluttered shut, and I found I wasn’t looking at anything at all.

“I hope Laverne’s having fun,” Kai’s cheerful voice said from… somewhere. With Leander all around me, the entire room seemed off-kilter. “Do you think she’ll remember which—” All the excitement seemed to knock out of him at once, a punch to the gut I felt as well. “— Oh .”

What the heck was I doing?

My heart raced with adrenaline as I pried off Leander. “S’wait!” I gasped out, a jumbled mixture of sorry and wait, as soon as my lips were free.

In front of me, a look of smug satisfaction came over Leander’s face. Like he was proud that his lips had caused my brain to melt. Damn pretty boy .

Kai was right beside us, yet he didn’t seem to care about him at all. But then again, why had I expected him to? He was Prince Leander, after all.

With his hand on the back of my neck, Leander drew me in for another kiss.

“Whoa, wait!” I slipped a hand up between us, effectively blocking his lips. “We can’t do this.” Even if I did want it.

A chuckle vibrated against my skin as he gave my palm a kiss. Looking at me from above my hand, lust sat heavy in his eyes.

He backed away, lowering my hand. His full lips parted in a way that made my lust-melted mind practically scream for me to kiss them. “Why not? Kai doesn’t mind.”

Kai doesn’t mind? Of course Leander would think that. But I knew Kai, and he for sure?—

“He can join us.”

And there my head went, sputtering and stalling out again.

I couldn’t even get words out, but it was okay because Kai got the words out for me.

“Join you?” he stuttered, wasting no time coming right over to the couch. Pink flushed his face as he awkwardly stood over us. “ Really? You–you wouldn’t mind?”

My stomach flipped. That… wasn’t how I’d thought that would go.

Kai was really considering joining us? Sure, they were both my mates, and that… that would be… wow .

But surely Leander wasn’t serious. He was far too possessive for that.

Wasn’t he?

Kai’s face was full of tentative hope, and I stared up at him briefly before turning back to Leander. He was locked on my lips, not picking up the importance of this moment at all. As he leaned back in like he was about to kiss me again, I pushed him away.

“This is Barren’s couch,” I declared. My eyes snapped back and forth between the two of them.

“So?” Leander said, though he stayed as far back as I’d pushed him this time, giving me space. “He knows you’re our mate. It’s only natural we?—”

“You don’t understand!” The words fell out of me. My heart fluttered, pumping so, so fast. “This is Barren’s couch,” I said again.

“Why does that matter?” Leander said, still not getting it.

I swallowed slowly, not sure if I was ready to admit it. But if not now, then when? I pressed my eyes shut briefly, finding the words. “It matters because his voice has called to me, too.”

Above us, Kai scratched at the nape of his neck. “All three of us?” he whispered, like he was thinking over the probability of all three of them being my mates. My face burned with fire.

Yeah, it didn’t make sense. I really was a harlot, falling for every merman who happened to speak to me. But what could I say? I hadn’t asked for this. I couldn’t help it. This was who I was, apparently.

It finally made sense why Poseidon had held out on my other gifts. He’d clearly given me a few too many extra doses of the thrall .

With uncertainty, Leander reached his hand out to mine. When I let him take it, he rested our joined hands on the couch between us. He took a deep, steadying breath before saying, “Good.”

“ Good? ” I scoffed. “Really, Lee?”

Leander breathed in deeply again, his eyes briefly closing while his thumb skimmed over the back of my hand. Outside, the ocean was as calm as ever. Was he truly not upset?

When his eyes reopened, he broke into a smirk. “All the more reason for us to use his couch.”

I shot him a glance, because seriously? But then he was on me, lips brushing over mine again. Beside us, Kai bit back a whimper that had me wondering if he was disappointed that Leander had been the one to reach my mouth first.

I pressed against Leander’s chest again, breaking the kiss. He chuckled, letting me push him away. This was apparently becoming a fun game for him.

“Wait a second,” I said. “Barren doesn’t even know that we might be mates .”

Cue more chuckling. “Sure he doesn’t, beautiful.”

Kai’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, might be? You said his voice called to you, right?”

I bit my lip, thinking back on it. “Well, yeah, but…”

“You’re mates.” Leander shrugged. “As I’ve said, mermen can’t glamour their voices.”

My eyes rolled. “I know that, of course. But he’s never mentioned my voice doing anything to him.”

Leander didn’t hesitate. “I never mentioned it, remember?” He shot Kai an annoyed glance. “I was waiting for the right fucking time until someone opened his damn mouth.”

He had a point. Could it be that Barren also thought we were under the thrall but was waiting for the right time to tell me? We hadn’t had a lot of time alone, except for the time he carried me back to his hotel room. Then there was the time in the kitchen when he made me coffee.

And the plane ride. And less than an hour ago, when he had me alone in his bedroom.

Okay, he’d had the time, so maybe we weren’t mates at all.

“Your face is so red.” With a soft voice, Leander approached me again, carefully cradling my cheek in his palm. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I lied. Goodness, I must have been blushing hard because his hand felt so soothing to my heated skin. “You guys aren’t upset?” My eyes bounced between the two of them as I held my breath.

“Well, Barren’s cool,” Kai said finally, his smile small yet genuine. “Honestly, hanging out with you guys is the most fun I’ve had. Hanging out like this forever?” His smile grew. “I’m down. As long as we aren’t constantly swimming into danger.”

Leander appeared to be carefully considering his words. “I know I told you to trust Barren. And at the time, I meant it.” He held in a deep breath before turning to me fully. “Do you trust him?”

Sure, I had doubted Barren. He had his secrets, but until he gave me a reason not to, I wanted to trust him. “I do,” I said with a nod. That protective feeling I had whenever Barren held me couldn’t have been a fluke. It felt like magic. Maybe fate.

Okay—I was getting way, way ahead of myself. “It’s not like it’s official or anything, though,” I said, backpedaling. “Like I said, he hasn’t even mentioned it to me. So, can we keep this between us three? Please?” I glanced over at Kai. “Laverne might murder me if she knew.”

Gosh, like she needed another reason to hate me.

“Keep it between your official mates?” Leander teased, and I rolled my eyes. “Of course, beautiful.”

“I won’t say a thing,” Kai said with a firm nod. The top of his ears pinked. “But I’m curious why he wouldn’t tell you. I could barely keep it in when I realized you were my mate.” After a moment more of thought, he snapped his fingers. “Maybe Barren doesn’t want to share?”

The words hit hard enough for my chest to go numb. What if he didn’t want to share me with them? I could never abandon Kai and Leander for Barren.

“Fair point,” I said, sounding suddenly weak. “Damn, this is a mess. You guys don’t even want to share. Adding Barren to the mix?”

Kai dropped to his knees in front of us, his gentle hand going to rest on my thigh. Our eyes met, and he merely smiled—a quiet reassurance that brought comfort to my heart in a way that only he could.

“Well,” Leander spoke up, his wide palm closing in on my other thigh. “Who said we aren’t willing to share?”

Kai’s face colored fiercely as he glanced over at Leander, and my breath caught as they seemed to come to an understanding I was suddenly more than okay with.