Page 27 of Making Out With Mermaids (Haven Ever After #6)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

BETMAL

I stalk to the king, pushing reassurance through my bond with Ama. Her concern fills it, overwhelming every other sensation. Behind me, the sounds of her scrambling to rush off the stage echo throughout the room.

The auditorium is busy, still full of monsters eating and drinking and enjoying the new welcome book and all the displays. Iggy zips past my face, shouting at someone to come see his portrait.

But my eyes remain locked on the king. To my right, Arkan and Abemet join us, along with most of the rest of Ever’s leadership. The other monsters stand in a half circle around me as I halt in front of Ama’s uncle.

I lift my chin in defiance of whatever he’s planning. Balling my fists, I spread my shadow wings wide enough to cover any view of the room from him. Just behind Malakat stands a merman I haven’t seen yet. His stance and the way he looks around the room tells me he’s royal, and probably a warrior too.

This must be the suitor.

I glare at them all. “If you are here to ruin this night for her in any capacity, I will strike you down . That is a promise,” I hiss.

The King’s Guard starts forward, spears raised, but the king lifts a hand to stop them. Eyes the color of emeralds narrow, and he sighs. “I know what this looks like, given how I?—”

“Uncle!” Ama slides under my left wing and steps in front of me. “Please don’t cause a scene.”

He sputters, “I did not come for that, Amatheia.” He gestures at the room behind us. “Malakat convinced me to come and see your work, and that is all we are here to do.”

Thatraeia joins us, glaring at her father. “Father, this is?—”

“Show me your work, please.” The king waves at the full auditorium as he takes it in. When he offers Ama his elbow, glancing at her leg then quickly into her eyes, I bristle further.

Nothing is right about this. I can’t imagine he’s had a change of heart, given that the suitor stands just behind his daughter. When I look at the other male, he’s not looking at me—surprising because I’m the closest threat. But, no, his eyes are firmly on Amatheia in a way that has me ready to rip his wavy amber ears bodily from him.

I glance at Arkan, but he’s staring at Caralorn with a suspicious expression, the same sentiment in my gut. If the king wanted to start a fight, this would be the perfect place to do so. I keep my fists loosely balled, scanning Malakat and the guard behind her. Caralorn would have to be an idiot to fight us in such a public way. Especially with me here.

Thankfully, no one else seems to notice anything amiss.

The shifters spread out along the perimeter. Another half dozen are outside waiting to respond if needed.

Arkan clip-clops forward. “Thrilled to have you, Your Majesty. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind leaving the guard in the hallway so we don’t frighten your lander neighbors?”

The king looks at Malakat. “You may come, if you wish, but leave the rest behind.” He turns and looks at Ama as Malakat barks orders at her men. She shoos them toward the door but remains just behind her father.

Fuck me, she looks…curious?

Ama loops Thatraeia’s arm through hers, declining Caralorn’s elbow, but looks at Malakat and the other male. “If you’d like to join me, I’d be more than happy to show you around the room and explain what my mate and I have been working so hard on.”

The tall, muscular merman blanches but recovers quickly. Malakat’s frown twitches as emerald green eyes flicker between her father, Stefan, and me.

“After you,” Caralorn murmurs, gesturing for Ama to lead the way.

Arkan pauses beside me. “I’ll stand here if you want to accompany her. We’ve got this, friend.”

Still on edge, I trail behind Ama and the other merfolk as she starts on one side of the room.

A quarter hour later, they listen raptly as she explains Wren’s green witch power, and the vine crawling up her forearm in that particular portrait.

Ama is in her element like this. It’s not lost on me how much the discord between her and her uncle weighed her down. I still find myself glancing at the door every few moments, but Arkan and his wife stand there. Around the edges of the room, the protector team is fanned out, eyeing the crowd and ready for anything that might come at us. So far, Caralorn hasn’t tried anything.

By the time we get to the stack of books on stage, there are just a few left.

Ama rounds the table and hands a book to her uncle, then each of her cousins. “You can see inside that Betmal married my paintings and sketches with the core of the welcome data. The typography is perfect, and it beautifully fits his desire to make the welcome packet something more …something better .” She smiles tentatively at Caralorn. “And this version is printed on waterproof paper, so it’ll be accessible for anyone in the lake, if they want one.”

Caralorn takes the book and hands it to Stefan, then picks up another for himself.

I notice how the supposed suitor barely glances through it before setting it aside on an empty table.

Malakat flips through her book until she lands on a page with a painted view of the black stone beach and the lake. Ama added Thatraeia’s head popping out of the lake, a smile on her sweet face as she looks at the viewer on shore. Malakat looks at her youngest sister. “Did you pose for this painting, or…”

Thatraeia shakes her head and takes the book, smiling at Ama. “I didn’t. How did you do this, Ama?”

My mate smiles with pleasure. “From memory, Cousin. You’re in my heart, always. I could paint you with my eyes closed.”

Malakat stiffens, but Thatraeia rounds the table and slings an arm around Ama’s waist. “Will you sign this for me?”

The green mermaid barks out a laugh. “What will you do with it, Sister? You already know all about this haven.”

“I don’t, actually,” Thatraeia snaps back. “Because I was never encouraged to come take part in the community outside of the lake.”

I glance at the king, who purses his lips, nostrils flaring as he looks off into the distance. If he’s surprised to see this sudden confidence in his daughter, he barely seems to acknowledge it.

Perhaps that’s because this is the moment he chooses to unleash on us. I’m ready for it, if so.

But the moment passes, and he looks at Ama as she tucks her hair over her shoulder. Her claiming bite is clear, two pinpoints that are still healing.

He turns to me with a ferocious look, stalking until his chest hits mine. “Claimed? She is claimed?”

Ama shoves her way between us as I glare at the puffed-up merking.

“Uncle, yes, I am,” she says, her tone pleading. “Happily. And this is what I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time. I’ve always been different. I’ve never wanted to stay in the lake. I need something different to be happy. And that’s…okay. It’s more than okay.”

He glares at her, then me, then back at her. After a tense moment where I resist the urge to call my wings back, he visibly slumps. “You’re like her, you know, your mother. She was always torn between the land and the sea. She always worried about how dangerous the sea could be, and she was right to. It killed her, in the end. But she always loved the land, just like you. She would have loved this.” He waves at the busy auditorium around us.

Ama, Thatraeia and Malakat all stare at Caralorn in apparent shock.

The suitor stands quietly next to Malakat, but his muscles bunch and stiffen.

My intuitive gift pings, sensing darkness in the king just as all hells break loose.

Caralorn tosses a small disk to the ground, Malakat lurching toward Ama at the same time.

I shove Ama out of the way as I leap for the younger merman, my biggest threat. Caralorn sidesteps around the disk on the ground just as it lets out a great cracking noise and a small green surface appears in the floor.

Oh gods. It’s a fucking portal.

Time slows for me as multiple things occur simultaneously. The younger merman lurches toward Caralorn, whose eyes spring wide in shock. Thatraeia reaches for Ama even as Malakat drags them toward the shimmering green hole in the floor. Ama flails and struggles, but Malakat’s got a hold on her neck.

Intuition tells me the males remain my biggest problem, even as the portal expands until it’s big enough for someone to go through. Not a male.

But a female.

One Ama’s size.

Realization courses through me as I burst over it and knock into the males. At the edges of my vision, I sense Arkan, Abe and the others rushing toward the fray.

Ama screams for me, and I leap up to see Malakat shoving her toward the portal. Thatraeia scratches and tears at her sister’s arms and hair.

Caralorn roars in triumph until I leap for Ama, knocking all three girls to the floor. I rip my mate from Malakat’s arms and swoop halfway across the room, setting her down near the door. The room is in chaos, screams echoing and shouting off the ceiling as Evertons flee the scene.

I focus as Malakat, Caralorn and the other merman stand in a line on the opposite side of the portal. Caralorn and the bigger male stare daggers at one another.

“What the depths are you doing, Stefan?” Caralorn barks, even as the shifters form a half circle around him.

Malakat comes quietly behind her father, swinging her spear and pressing the pointed tip to the base of his spine.

He growls and spins, reaching for it, but is halted by Stefan’s arms around his throat, yanking him away from his daughter.

“Your reign is done, Caralorn,” Stefan snarls.

In my arms, Ama gasps and pushes free, running toward Thatraeia.

I swoop behind her, slinging an arm around her waist as I watch the scene unfold. The merfolk are surrounded. My woman is safe.

“You’re done, Father,” Malakat announces loudly. “This nonsense with Amatheia stops now.”

Caralorn sputters, the sound choked off as Stefan’s arm tightens around the king’s neck. The bigger merman kicks the back of the king’s knees, dropping him quickly to the ground. “Not to mention I think Hearth HQ will be very interested in your possession of this bit of portal tech. Possession of anything related to the portal system is illegal, but I suppose you knew that, didn’t you?”

Caralorn glares at Malakat and Stefan. “You were in on this plan. You’re no more innocent than I!”

Malakat shakes her head and takes a step back, glancing at Amatheia. “No, Father. We went along with it only to put an end to this. Oh, and to seat Stefan on your throne, of course.” She grins at the younger man.

Caralorn sputters and attempts to rise, but can’t when Stefan backhands him across the face.

“You do not deserve the beautiful kingdom you have,” Stefan growls. “So I will be relieving you of it and taking your throne, in partnership with my queen.”

I snarl as I pull Ama into my arms, daring the other male to even think of taking her from me.

“Not Amatheia,” Stefan says with a glittering, triumphant smile. Bright amber eyes flick to Malakat. “My vicious, perfect princess.”

Ama and Thatraeia let out matching gasps as murmurs float through the gathered crowd.

Malakat looks at Arkan, who appears by my side. “Can you house my father somewhere until we’re able to file a formal report with Hearth HQ?”

Arkan nods as he stares at the merfolk. “We’ll need to fill out quite a bit of paperwork.” He waves at Caralorn who’s still crouched on the ground on his knees. “This is all quite unexpected.”

Malakat grins, the look sinister on her. “I imagine so, Keeper. Let me assure you that Stefan and I plan to usher in a new age between the merfolk and Downtown Ever. You’ll remove the magical bindings, naturally. We won’t be needing those.”

Arkan harrumphs. “As long as you don’t plan any further bullshit like what your father did to Amatheia, you’ll have a partner in me.”

Stefan grips Caralorn by the braids and drags him around the portal as it slowly begins to close. He shoves the king at Ama’s feet and smiles at us.

“No. My own clan is constantly at war with others in our region. I don’t want that in my future. I want peace and stability. Mala and I will work hard alongside you.”

Ama surprises me by pulling out of my arms and joining Malakat and Stefan. She takes their hands in her own. “Thank you both. Truly, I cannot thank you enough for putting a stop to all of this.” She eyes Caralorn warily. “Although to be honest, I never imagined it might go down like this.”

Stefan’s smile is wry. “I knew when I met you that I couldn’t allow the farce of our marriage to continue. You were as trapped as I felt, Princess. Once Mala learned of Caralorn’s plan, it was easy enough to figure out how to subvert him.”

“The portal was engineered to take you directly to Stefan’s kingdom,” Malakat says quietly. “You and I have never been…close. But I know what it feels like to love someone you can’t have. I couldn’t be party to what he was doing any longer.”

“That’s surprising, Malakat,” Ama says, her tone slightly less friendly. “To say we aren’t close is the understatement of a century.”

Malakat blanches, cheeks blushing a darker shade of green. “You’re right, Cousin. I can’t change what I did in the past, but I hope you’ll give me the chance to learn and grow. I want to be a good queen, now that I have a chance to.”

Thatraeia rushes forward into Ama’s arms. “Then Ama can come home whenever she wants to, right?”

Malakat smiles, and this smile finally appears genuine. “Anytime she wants, Little Sister.” Her focus moves to Ama once more. “Any time you want, Cousin. I’m serious.”

I’ve been watching this little scene play out, wondering how the chips would fall. But I step forward now, staring at Malakat. “I trust you do not hold your father’s desire to keep Ama from me, and this issue is now fully resolved?”

She lifts her chin. “Yes, Vampire. Distasteful as I find it for Ama to pick a bloodsucker, you’re welcome in the merkingdom as well.”

“Depths, Malakat,” Thatraeia barks. “That was crazy rude.”

Malakat lifts both hands. “Whaaaaaat?”

I sigh. Hopefully Ama won’t want to spend too much time with her blunt, discourteous cousin. Perhaps I should plan to keep my mate too busy traveling to have any time to spend with Malakat in the lake.

Arkan claps me on the shoulder. “Well, Betmal, looks like things turned out fine in the end, my friend.” He glances at Caralorn. “Mostly fine.”

I glare down at Caralorn in a grumbly, crumpled heap on the floor. “Oh, if only you’d let me deal directly with this, it would be delightful, Arkan.”

The big keeper laughs. “No murdering today, Betmal. Sorry. I’m not sure even you could get out of that one.”

Sighing, I spin my woman in my arms and bring my lips to hers. “Mine,” I murmur.

She smiles up at me, dragging me into the beautiful depths of those dark azure eyes.

“And now nobody will ever part us, Betmal.”