Page 27

27

Claira

A lengthy creak signaled the door was, in fact, opening, and the one thought in my mind was that Barren could not see us like this.

With a sudden jolt of panic, I rolled off Leander and Kai’s laps and hit the floor in front of the couch with a heavy thunk .

Leander was the first to his feet. “Fuck, are you okay?” he asked, and I answered with frantic hand gestures, desperate to silence him before Barren overheard.

“ Hide! ” I mouthed as Kai stood from the couch. Staring wide-eyed up at both of them, I mimed for them to zip their mouths and drop to the floor with me.

Please, please, please let them understand.

Even though my stomach was empty, it churned at the thought of Barren’s stony expression if he caught us. How repulsed he would have been after realizing what we’d done in his living room. On his couch , of all places.

Why, oh why, had I gone along with it?

The delightful aftershocks still tingling through my legs served as one reminder. Okay—maybe it had been worth it. Maybe. But then again, it was possible Barren wasn’t the one at the door at all, right? Laverne could be back. Maybe Barren had given her a key when he left. Maybe?—

“Oh, hey there, big guy,” Kai said the moment he whirled around, and my spiral of panic strengthened into a full-blown tornado.

I waited for the inevitable, but nothing happened. Why wasn’t anyone saying anything?

As the silence stretched, I slowly realized what kind of scene Barren had walked in on. Sure, he couldn’t see me, but he could see Kai and Leander. Standing nearly shoulder to shoulder. Naked.

“How’d it go?” Kai asked finally, his tone pitched at least an octave too high.

The sound of Barren’s deep voice caused a fresh wave of anxiety. “You’ve become close.”

I covered my face with my hands, wishing I was anywhere but here. If there had been space under the couch, I might have crawled underneath it.

“Uh… Yeah,” Kai said, and I peeked between fingers to see his shoulder brushing against Leander’s arm as he spun back around. My heart skipped a beat, thinking he might turn down to me, but he only glanced at Leander.

Apparently, there was something about this situation that pretty boy found incredibly hilarious. And although Leander didn’t utter a sound, he was hunched forward, his chest shaking with laughter.

“The best of friends,” Kai added, somewhat mechanically, an eyebrow rising at Leander.

That’s when I noticed what it was Leander found so funny—the one detail I’d overlooked. All my breath left me as I stared at my scattered clothes sitting well away from the couch where I was supposedly hiding.

… Shit .

“Mmh,” Barren mumbled, and I stifled a yelp as the floor shifted with one of his heavy footsteps. “Getting a shower,” he declared, and I nearly cried out in relief as his footsteps moved further away. “Think about what you want for breakfast.”

Then his steps hesitated. “Mind if I grab clothes from my bedroom, Claira?” he asked, and my stomach plunged.

“Uh…” Kai looked straight down at me, and I covered my eyes with my hands, utterly mortified.

Leander’s amusement only escalated. “I think you’re good, man.”

The floor creaked with Barren’s departure, and when I heard the bedroom door ease shut, I was sure that my spirit had left my body. Ugh . Of course, he’d known I was down here. Why had I tossed my clothes around so carelessly? And most importantly, how would I ever look him in the eyes again?

Now that Barren was gone, Leander collected my garments from the center of the floor, his smirk growing as I scrambled to my knees. “Should I open a window so you can jump out of it?” he teased.

I ripped my clothes from his hand and huffed as I started working them back on. “Oh, so now you’ll open a damn window.”

“Why were you hiding?” Kai cut in, his eyebrows knitting together.

“It isn’t you guys, it’s just…” With my pants halfway up, I paused to collect my thoughts. “I didn’t want him to have to see us like this, you know?”

Leander shrugged. “There’s no point in trying to hide anything from Barren.” He waited until my pants were up my hips to toss me my bra and shirt.

“I know that. I know I shouldn’t be trying to hide anything from any of you,” I threw back, frowning as Leander vented another chuckle.

“No, I mean, you can’t hide anything from Barren. None of us can.” Leaning against the side of the couch, Leander crossed his arms. “Trust me, he already knows everything that happened here.”

Well, that sure was ominous.

“Hidden cameras?” I whispered, quickly fastening my bra. I pulled myself up on the couch, my eyes darting around the room. Every surface was nearly bare, making it difficult to imagine where a camera could be concealed. The wall decor, maybe? But why would Barren even need cameras, and why would Leander know about them?

“Forget it,” Leander said, moving my hair out of the way so I could pull my arms through my shirt. And although it was sweet of him to help me, my eyes narrowed at him as soon as my head was through the hole.

“What do you mean, forget it? You can’t just tell me Barren knows everything that happens and then?—”

The bedroom door swung open, and I sank down, shrinking onto the couch cushions. Barren’s massive shoulders filled the doorway as he moved out of the bedroom, but instead of coming out into the living room, he went directly to the bathroom Leander and Kai had used for their showers. The door closed, and I released a breath.

When I looked back up at Leander, his smirk was prevalent as ever. “You’re beautiful when you’re flustered,” he said, his icy eyes warming as he leaned in to press his lips against my forehead. He twirled an errant strand of my hair, and I swatted him away, remembering what a mess my braid must be.

“I’m glad this is amusing to you.” My nose pinched as I got to my feet. “I’m going to go get cleaned up.” Even though I’d just put them back on, I could already feel that a panty change was in order.

I crept toward Barren’s bedroom and realized Kai was trailing behind me. Spinning around, I pressed my hand against his chest. His eyes to widened.

“Putting your clothes back on might be a good idea,” I said with a smile that he immediately returned. He looked so adorable, like he might follow me anywhere I asked. “Though I’m a fan of this look.”

“Oh—” Kai’s laughter caught in his throat. He turned down to look at himself as if only now realizing he was naked. “Okay, yeah. Thanks.”

I gave Kai’s cheek a quick kiss before pulling away. “You, too, Lee.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, not looking bothered to collect his pants.

Barren must not have cared about having my things lying around his bedroom, because the room appeared exactly as I’d left it, my brush sitting askew on the dresser and all. After rummaging through my suitcase for some new panties, I headed to the bathroom attached to Barren’s room to get cleaned up.

Maybe Barren is too big for you , I thought, halfway stuck in a daydream while I stared at the bathroom’s narrow shower stall. Or maybe he knew I’d want somewhere else to hide and was giving me some space? That made sense. His place was pretty much the definition of open concept living except for the one bedroom.

I glanced in the bathroom mirror before heading out and cringed at how disheveled my hair was. “Dammit, Lee. This is your fault,” I mumbled. My mind brought back to how he’d massaged through my hair while kissing me. I shivered, pressing my knees together to settle down the growing ache, and rolled the hair-ties out of the end of my hair.

As I combed more of the braid out with my fingers, I wondered if this was something we’d be doing more often. Kai, Leander, and me.

I could hardly contain my smile as I walked across the bedroom and poked my head out of the door. Kai was absently working over his shirt’s buttons, staring out of the window as he did it, but he was off by at least two holes. Goodness, he was cute.

Leander, on the other hand, still hadn’t found his way to his pajama pants. Figured.

The sound of running water from the other bathroom told me Barren had started his shower. “Hey, Kai,” I called, and he spun around, shaking off his daze. “Would you mind lending me a hand?”

“Use my hands,” Leander said, immediately pushing off the side of the couch.

My eyebrows lifted. “You can braid?” I held up the ends of my hair.

He turned right back around.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” I said with a snicker as Kai came to the bedroom door.

His pink lips tilted. “I know how to braid.”

“Great.” Stepping aside, I let him through the door. “I was hoping you did. But first, let me help you.” Undoing his buttons, I lined up the sides of his shirt and started all over.

“Oh, thanks.” His voice warmed as he looked down, watching my hands work over his shirt. “My brain’s a bit scattered right now, if you can’t tell.”

“Only a little,” I said, offering him a grin.

But instead of returning it, his body language shifted, his face growing serious. “Claira, I—That was…” Face flushing, he cast his gaze to the floor. “Did you enjoy it?”

Our hands met, and I could feel the roughness of the calluses as his fingers brushed over the backs of my knuckles.

“So much,” I said, then I gave him a wide smile, so he knew I meant it. “But did you enjoy it?” I asked. “Even with Lee, well, being himself?”

Kai’s face flared red, but he nodded. “I never thought I could enjoy anything as much as I enjoyed that.”

Relief flooded over me like a wave. Leander could be mean, but maybe Kai could take it. “Then I hope the three of us can keep getting to know each other… in that way.”

Kai’s face lifted. “Really?”

“Really.” I turned around to grab my brush from the dresser and offered it to him. “Now, do you think you can fix my hair like I had it before?”

“I can try,” he said with a hum. As Kai worked on detangling my hair, my shoulders relaxed under his gentle touch. “Though I’ve never seen a braid look like that one.”

“That’s because I suck at doing hair,” I said, rolling out the rest of the tension between my shoulder blades. “Whatever you think looks good is fine. I just want it out of my way in case we go into the ocean later.”

Glancing in the mirror, I watched the way Kai’s fingers moved deftly as he worked, his face set in concentration. Already, it looked way better than what I’d done. I had no doubt he’d been an amazing brother to his younger sister.

“Almost done. Hair binds?” he asked, and I handed them back. Just as he finished securing it, there was a scratch at the door. The patio door.

“That’s odd. Think it’s Laverne?” I asked. I waited for Kai’s hands to release my hair before I moved over to investigate.

The scratching continued, growing even louder and more persistent.

“Doubt it.” Kai sprung past me, going to the door first. “Sea lions don’t have claws. Seals do, but not—” As soon as the door opened, a streak of gray bounded through it, darting right under the bed.

The back of my legs went flat against the dresser as I gasped. “Was that a raccoon? ”

Oh great. First, we soiled Barren’s couch with our nakedness, and now we let a wild animal into his bedroom. At this rate, Barren would never trust us to be alone in his place again.

“I’ll—I’ll catch it.” Kai dropped like he was about to dive under the bed after it.

“Wait, hold on! Don’t?—”

Kai had barely reached underneath the bed when the creature sprang out from the other side of it. Green eyes flashed up at me as the creature landed right on top of my suitcase.

“Oh,” I blew out, bracing a hand over my chest as I pulled away from the dresser. “It’s a cat.”

The gray tabby’s ears, tufted and alert, seemed to twitch with my every movement. Its tail flicked sporadically as Kai got back to his feet. “A cat?” he asked, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Yeah, and a very pretty kitty, too.” My heart nearly melted as I took in its sleek paws and striped markings.

From its position on top of my suitcase, the tabby seemed to observe me with curiosity and a touch of aloofness. I approached slowly, leaving enough distance for the cat to flee if it chose, and extended an open palm. “Hey there, pretty kitty. What’s your name?”

Cats were rarely chatty, but I still cleared my mind, just in case. I’d always had a soft spot for cats, but Dad’s allergies meant we could never have one in the house.

Clover green eyes pressed into a slow blink. “Sprout,” the cat projected, and I had to fight to hold back my grin. It was a boy cat, from the tight rasp in its voice.

Sprout touched his nose to my palm, only briefly, his tail flicking as he pulled away. My heart swelled.

“I bet you got that name because of your beautiful green eyes,” I said, watching his whiskers twitch. “Are you lost?”

I was almost certain he wouldn’t answer when a rush of loneliness seeped into me, a heavy blow to the chest. The cat jumped onto the bed and prowled a slow circle while I rubbed over my breastbone to recover.

“ Dude . This is the fluffiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Kai said, eyeing Sprout like he’d never seen a cat before in his life. Maybe he hadn’t. “Can we touch it?”

“Oh, um…” I hesitated, unsure if that was a good idea. I leaned in, hovering over the bed. “Can we pet you?”

Sprout’s mouth opened up in an adorable yawn that showed off all his tiny, sharp-tipped teeth. “Try it and see.”

“Yeah, better not,” I said, coming around the bed to pull Kai away before he experienced his first cat claw to the face. “Let’s wait until Barren’s done with his shower and see what he says. Maybe he knows the owner.”

My stomach twisted because, ugh , that meant I would actually have to look at and speak to Barren. Well, this was important, wasn’t it? Maybe this was the best thing that could have happened, and Kai letting a cat into Barren’s bedroom would be the perfect distraction from acknowledging the scene he’d walked in on earlier.

Before I dragged Kai out of the bedroom, I planted a firm kiss on his lips.

“What was that for?” he asked, panting a breath when I pulled away.

I grinned as I led him back to the living room. “Just for being you.”

Kai must have liked that answer, because laughter bubbled freely from his throat. As I stood near the bathroom door, Leander approached from behind, throwing his arms around me. And yep—he had still neglected to retrieve his pants.

“What’s this?” Leander asked, his voice going smooth as his arms closed around me. “Are we planning to pounce on Barren as soon as he’s done with his shower?”

The way his length stiffened against me had me wondering if a hurricane was imminent. He was clearly still sexually frustrated.

“Am I going to have to have you drag me out into the middle of the ocean just so you can get some relief?” I muttered, and his cock pulsed against my back. “Seriously, Lee, let’s not sink the island.”

“I think I like that idea… The dragging you into the ocean part,” he murmured, his voice deepening just as the bathroom door pulled open.

Steam emerged along with Barren, and he was still tightening his brace over his shoulder when he noticed all of us standing there at the door.

A million thoughts poured through my head in a panic. Did coming home to find us all naked in his living room really not bother him at all? Was he not bothered by the sight of Leander holding me now? As his eyes slid over to me, his face was as unreadable as ever.

“Barren—hi,” I blurted, and Leander chuckled in my ear as I fought to free myself from his grip. “Sorry to bother you.”

Barren’s jaw tensed, and I swallowed back a gulp. Was he upset? Disappointed? Did he feel anything at all? “We heard scratching and, well…” My voice tailed just as Kai chimed in.

“Dude. You won’t believe it—there’s a raccoon in your bedroom,” he said, causing Barren’s stoic demeanor to break with a rise of his eyebrows.

Uh, what?

I swerved to look at Kai. “No, no, not a raccoon.”

“I thought you called it a raccoon?” he said, bouncing on his toes like he already wanted to go back and see it. “A pretty kitty raccoon, I think, is what you said.”

“A cat ,” I corrected, then focused back on Barren. “We let a cat inside by mistake, and it jumped on your bed.”

Without a word, Barren headed straight to his bedroom.

“Have you really never seen a cat before?” I whispered as soon as Barren was out of earshot. “Or a raccoon?”

As Kai shook his head, I realized how much these guys had been missing out on land. “You’ve seen a dog, though, right?”

His face brightened. “Oh, yeah! Back in California, humans hang out with dogs on the beach all the time.”

Barren came back into the living room, and it surprised me to see him cradling the gray tabby in his arm. The cat rubbed his head against the leather strap of his brace like it had been coated in catnip.

“Is this… your cat?” I asked, blinking at the two of them. Was the cat purring?

Barren nodded, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. At least we hadn’t let a stranger’s cat into the house. “He missed you,” I said, eyeing the cat and resisting the urge to pet him. Now that he was in Barren’s arm, he seemed so much friendlier. “Didn’t you, Sprout?”

Barren shifted on his feet, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “Who told you his name?” he said stiffly while Sprout continued to purr and rub against his chest.

“Uh, he did, of course.” I blinked. “I think he was upset when he came inside and you weren’t there, because he also sent over a taste of how much he missed you.” I rubbed at my chest, where remnants of loneliness still lingered.

Barren’s only reaction was silence, his gaze steadily fixed on me. With the exception of Sprout, the entire room seemed eerily tense.

Then Leander’s sharp tone had me questioning everything. “This creature told you its name?”

“Yes?” I stared at him, noticing the way his muscles were bunched, and then shifted my gaze back over to Barren. “I know cats aren’t usually talkative, but this one is extra friendly. Right, Barren?”

I looked up at him, hopeful, but his dark eyes offered no reassurance. “Barren?” I said again, weaker this time, unsure of what was happening.

“This cat spoke to you,” Barren said carefully, and I gave a slow nod. He winced as if the simple gesture had scorched him. “Merfolk can only communicate with creatures who hold Poseidon’s favor. Sea-dwelling creatures.”

“I… was not aware of that,” I said sheepishly. For once, the way they were staring at me made me want to disappear. “Sprout wouldn’t happen to be some sort of water cat, would he?” A single laugh clawed its way up my throat. “A catfish, maybe?”

Barren’s jaw tensed as he swallowed. “No. He is only a cat.”

In my daze, the words seemed to fall out. “But I don’t understand. I’ve always been able to talk to cats.”

“First sharks and now land creatures,” Leander mumbled, running a hand through his hair as if my very existence puzzled him.

“Wait, why are sharks weird?” I pressed, desperate to wrap my mind around all of this. “They’re sea dwellers.”

Kai’s shoulders slumped. “Technically, yes. But sharks don’t hold Poseidon’s favor.”

“Because they’re too stupid,” Leander added, causing Kai to wince.

“Sharks aren’t stupid.” There was a trace of irritation in my tone, but I didn’t care. “That shark we saved tossed me a knife when I needed to stab a bitch, Lee. And it saved my boots for me, too.”

“That’s right,” Kai said, his grin nearly renewed. “It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I threw my hands up in the air with a shrug, knowing I’d made my point.

“Okay, fine. Most sharks are stupid.” Leander chuckled, and my tension eased now that they weren’t looking at me like I was some sort of merfreak.

Barren bent down, letting Sprout jump from his arms. “Have we decided on breakfast?” he asked as Sprout circled around to nuzzle his feet.

“I’ll eat anything you want to make,” I said, wondering if this was really the end of that conversation.

Barren nodded. “I’ll need to get groceries. Then after breakfast, we need to rest.”

“Rest?” Kai asked, glancing back at the rows of windows. The sun had barely risen.

“We’ve been summoned to meet with my queen tonight.” Barren pulled his phone from his pocket, his eyes scanning over the screen. “It’s best to be prepared for a long evening.”

* * *

After breakfast, Barren insisted that we get some rest. So here I was, lying in his bed. Alone .

According to him, the island came alive at night, which had me wondering what kind of business his kingdom conducted here.

Kai had been the most resistant, saying that he had a duty to go find Laverne first. Luckily, she’d resurfaced as soon as he left, popping up with a lionfish she’d supposedly made friends with. Unfortunately, that friendship came to an abrupt end when Barren mentioned they were highly venomous, and Kai had to lure her onto the deck to wrestle it out of her mouth.

I chuckled to myself, remembering the shocked ‘how dare you’ face Laverne had made when Kai threw it back into the ocean.

After the commotion had settled, we’d agreed to try to rest, so here I was. Compared to the workout mats Barren had set out for everyone else in the living room, relaxing on this massive bed should have been easy. Yeah, well… it wasn’t.

I never felt lonely back in my bed at home, so why was I feeling so lonely now?

As if sensing my loneliness, Sprout slunk through the pet door Barren had mounted in the window earlier. The gray tabby jumped up on the bed, and I fought to temper my excitement. He played coy for a minute, taking light steps down the perimeter of the bed before coming over to settle down on the center of my chest.

“You know, your owner is very thoughtful,” I murmured as Sprout stared at me with sleepy eyes. His paws kneaded my chest in a slow, careful beat. “He fed us breakfast and even gave up his bed for me.” I pulled a hand out from under the feathery comforter and offered it to him, smiling when Sprout bunted against it. “Though I bet you wish he was the one sleeping in here, not me, huh?”

“I am owned by no one,” Sprout projected with an airy yawn. “I am a traveler, and he is my friend. Here, I am Sprout. Elsewhere, I have other names.”

“So, you take turns visiting your friends?” I asked, petting Sprout’s silky ears while I glanced out the window. “I hear Barren’s a traveler, too. I get the impression he’s always busy with something.”

Despite telling us to rest, Barren hadn’t sat down once. Even now, he was outside on his patio, tending to his plants.

Apparently, a neighbor came by to care for them while he was away, but that hadn’t stopped him from going out there with a watering can to check on them himself.

“Does he talk to the plants?” I asked, noticing the slight movement of Barren’s lips as he moved between planters.

“Sometimes he sings.”

My eyes narrowed. “He sings … Are you sure?”

Sprout offered no more elaboration than a soft, rolling purr. Barren, singing? I couldn’t imagine it. But with such a deep voice, I was definitely curious how it might sound.

The window flap rustled, and Sprout’s ears twitched.

“ Spraut eve ,” Barren called from the window, and my face heated. Had he noticed me staring? “ Dhurah dhaasheve ,” he continued, and Sprout’s ears shifted sideways, clearly choosing to ignore whatever it was Barren was saying to him.

Barren released a heavy sigh. “He’s keeping you awake. I apologize,” he said, and I shivered. His accent was thicker than usual when slipping back from his native tongue.

“ Spraut? Is that how you say his name in your language?” I asked, wondering for the first time the intricacies of our power to send thoughts and feelings to certain animals. The fact that we could communicate seamlessly across languages meant our magic had to have some kind of built-in translator, right?

Barren hunched over the window. “ Spraut , yes. Or Spraut eve when I really need his attention.” As he spoke, the corner of his mouth curved.

“Seems to work well. You’ve got his full attention.” I gestured to Sprout, who was looking in the exact opposite direction, doing everything in his kitty-cat power to ignore him. Barren’s grin grew.

The way he was holding the watering can and the window flap open at the same time looked so uncomfortable.

“I left the door unlocked,” I said, glancing over at the patio doors. “You should come inside.” I gave Sprout’s head another pat. “You told us we should get rest, but I notice you haven’t sat down once since you got home.”

Barren’s body rocked against the window, a sudden tension forming in the air that even Sprout seemed to sense. His striped tail thrashed, beating side to side against the comforter as if he did not like the direction this conversation was heading.

Which was understandable. I’d practically given Barren permission to join me in bed, hadn’t I? A thrill shot through me.

“Better not.” Barren’s carefully spoken words caused my heart to ache.

Right—of course. I mean, I had just had a threesome on his couch. What the heck was I thinking, inviting him to rest in his room with me?

My hand curled over Sprout’s head, and he headbutted it just as numbness began spreading through my chest.

The window ledge creaked, but I kept my eyes on Sprout. Such a cute kitty. The bed wouldn’t feel lonely since he was here with me, purring.

“I’m… nervous,” Barren said suddenly, and there was a strange, hard emotion in his voice that gave me pause.

Nervous? I tossed a look over at him in question, but he was staring down at the patio.

He sat the watering can down at his feet, then opened the flap again to say, “I’m nervous about tonight.”

“About meeting your queen?”

When he nodded, it was like my heart had started beating again.

“Trust me when I say that I won’t let anything happen to you. But I cannot promise that my queen doesn’t wish you harm.”

That… sounded ominous. But despite feeling unsettled, I believed Barren when he said he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

Barren cleared his throat. “After our meeting, I will be much more relaxed.” He sank down, looking up at me through the open flap from under his dark fringe of curls. “May I come to you then?”

“Barren,” I said, my throat nearly catching on his name. The hopeful way his dark eyes searched my face for an answer made me feel like I hadn’t had water in days. “Are you propositioning me through a cat flap?”

“Mmmh.” The barest smile pulled at his mouth. “There’s something I’ve been curious about.” He wet his lips. “Did you remember to bring the swimsuit?”

“I brought it,” I said, feeling my body heat. The one he’d bought me was still sitting on the very top of my suitcase. Was this the real reason he’d insisted on rest before tonight?

“Good.” Barren nodded before easing the flap back down.

“C-can’t wait,” I called before it closed completely, hoping to see another hint of a smile. I wasn’t disappointed. When Barren straightened up, his hand curled in a brief wave at me through the glass. Goodness, I was thankful I’d kept that bikini.

When I turned back to Sprout, his eyes were half-closed. “You weren’t paying attention to that, were you?” I mumbled, and he yawned.

“Paying attention to what?”

I rewarded him with another pat. “Exactly. You might not want to come around tonight,” I whispered, and his tail whipped. “Just a polite heads up.”

“As long as I get a nap now.”

“Deal,” I said, cozying up under the covers. The peaceful way his eyes closed made me feel sleepy, too. Maybe a nap wasn’t a bad idea. Because if Barren was right and his queen did wish me harm, I would need my energy for what was to come.

My heart fluttered.

Plus, some energy in reserve for what was to come after.