Perfect Pride

by Kaye Draper

  The mermaid who had befriended Kai stepped forward and grasped my hand in both of hers. "The merfolk will watch over your kraken," she promised. "From a safe distance."

  The man nodded. "My sister is right. The kraken is sacred to us. A primordial creature of such power…that the sirens even thought to tamper with it is unforgiveable. The sea will set your kraken to rights. And if it chooses to return to you, we won't stop it, though that would be our great loss."

  I wrapped an arm around my stomach, feeling ill—and not just from the usual nausea. I didn’t like the way they kept calling Kai an “it.” I glared at the merman. "What's to say you won't try to keep her here, just like the sirens did?"

  The man and the woman shared a long look. "Perhaps it's for the best," the man said, as if they had just had a conversation we weren't in on. Which, maybe they could speak to each other telepathically? Shouting underwater seemed like it would be a pain in the ass way to communicate.

  "I'll go get him," the woman said, giving us all one last once-over, as if to make sure we were as trustworthy as she first thought.

  I crossed my arms and looked to the merman for an explanation.

  His eyes were pinched at the corners, but his voice was calm. "We will make a trade," he said firmly. "In exchange for watching over someone you clearly care for a great deal, we will…offer one of our loved ones."

  I stared at him.

  "A hostage?" Oisin said, head tilted. "How very medieval."

  Halstad's mismatched eyes bored into the merman and the rest of his silent companions. "It's a sound strategy," he said slowly. "But only if the hostage is truly of any value. They could just send us someone they wanted to get rid of."

  The merman's lips twisted into a wry grimace at that. He waved his hand at his companions. "Leave us."

  He must be someone important. They all trotted off to the water without a word. The merman stood there, naked and dripping wet, glaring. "I am offering you a fair trade. The person in question is someone I love more than life itself. My little brother."

  The woman returned, striding back onto the beach. She held the hand of a slender, androgynous boy with long lavender hair and big, sparkling amethyst eyes.

  "This is Chike," the merman said, gesturing at his brother. "He will go with you, and in exchange, we will look after the kraken."

  I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the pretty boy. I couldn't even begin to guess his age. I thought Oisin's beauty was feminine, but compared to this little slip of a thing, Oisin looked like a hulking brute. If he was wearing clothes, and someone hadn't told me, I would never have guessed he was male. "And what does Chike have to say about all this?" I said, watching the young man's face.

  He glanced at me, clearly surprised I was giving him a say. "I…." He glanced at his siblings, then turned those stunning eyes back on me. "I'll go."

  He didn't sound too fucking happy about it. Resigned, and beaten. But I supposed it didn't really matter. We'd host him for a few days until Kai came home, then he could go right back to his people.

  Oisin's voice was soft, subtly threatening. "Anything else we should know about our new hostage?" His emerald eyes bore into the head merman.

  The guy glanced at his sister, ignoring the younger brother. "No. Nothing that matters. Just…keep him safe."

  I glanced between them all one more time. "You two really love this guy, don't you?"

  They both replied immediately. "Of course!" the woman said, gripping the boy's hand tighter.

  "More than anything," the man said, swallowing hard.

  They were telling the truth. My gryphon abilities confirmed it.

  "Fine. It's a deal. Send Kai back to us as soon as possible and we'll arrange for him to come home."

  The merman nodded and we all backed off to give the siblings a minute to say goodbye.

  "You just can't go one damned minute without picking up another stray, can you?" Halstad groused at me.

  I shrugged. "Says the man who wants to teach outcast students."

  Oisin rolled his eyes. "It's just what she does. How do you think we ended up with you, mage?"

  Hisashi laughed as Halstad glared at the fae. I watched them wistfully. It was really too bad they wanted to murder each other. Because I'm pretty sure Oisin could tell me what Halstad needed from me. The fae knew everything when it came to sex and pleasure.

  The merman and his sister returned to the waves and we all watched the young one approach with dragging steps.

  "We don't mean you any harm," I told the kid, trying to ease the panic he must be feeling over being sent away with a bunch of strangers. "I just want my kraken back and then we'll bring you right back home."

  Hisashi smiled at him, turning up the "I'm-almost-your-age" charm he worked on most other teens. "Ever been to the US? We have a really cool apartment. You can even have your own room. It will be an adventure."

  The boy regarded us all with cold crystalline eyes and no expression on his face. "I don't care," he said, in a smooth, oddly accented voice that would put the sirens to shame. "Let's just go, already."

  Hisashi gave the kid his shirt, which came down to the guy’s knees. Then the fox half-shifted. We all grabbed a tail and warned the poor kid what was about to happen.

  Then we hightailed it through the otherworld and back home.

  Chapter 14

  Hisashi brought us through right outside the bookstore. Spring was making her lazy way to the area, and to your average Michigander, the fifty-degree day we stepped into would seem like a heatwave. It was certainly no worse than the temperature in the ghostly inbetween space. But I'm sure to someone who'd lived their whole life in warm turquoise water, it was a bit of a shock.

  I ushered our half-naked hostage through the door, followed closely by a shirtless Hisashi, a flamboyantly dressed fae, and a rumpled, fucked-up looking mage.

  We all stopped at the sound of voices and laughter. It was kind of second nature to expect the bookstore to be empty. I forgot we did actual business here sometimes.

  Con straightened from where he had been bent over a big book that was stretched out on some guy's lap. His brown eyes landed on us, widened, then filled with happiness. Troya sat on the other side of the stranger, all of them lounging on one of Hisashi's old bargain thrift store couches in the occult section, drinking coffee.

  We all just stared at each other for a minute.

  "Why do you guys look like you spent the night outside?" Troy said helpfully into the silence. "And…why are some of you not wearing clothes?"

  I sighed and paced forward. "Welcome to the bookstore," I told the merman. "Hey, Oisin? Can you let him borrow some of your clothes? You're probably the closest to his size."

  I grimaced at the stone-faced young man. "I swear to you, he has normal clothes. At least, more normal than that." I gestured at Oisin's tribal garb.

  The kid didn't even crack a smile. Just flicked his amethyst eyes from Con and the others to the bookshop, and back to me. Ugh. Not another asshole. I swear to the Gods….

  "Maybe Hisashi can show him around?" Oisin said smoothly. "Con, can I borrow your cell? Mine is missing in action."

  Con rose and came over to give me a hug before handing over his phone. Hisashi clapped the merman on the back and led him upstairs, rambling about what there was to do around here and how awesome Con’s cooking was.

  I tuned them out as I focused on Oisin. The fae seemed worried. My gryphon was suddenly on high alert.

  "They're kinda weird," I heard Troy whisper to the customer, who was flipping through his book while watching us with open curiosity. Of course she didn’t realize I had beast-powered hearing. "You just get used to it. It's still a cool place to hang out though."

  I walked over to them as Oisin grumbled something and punched numbers on Con's phone. "Hey there," I said, mustering up as much energy as I could. "Sorry for the weird show." I shrugged. "I'm a part-time uh, investigator. Sometimes investigations get…strange."

  I hel
d out a hand to the blond, broad-shouldered, chiseled perfection who was sitting on our second-hand couch. "I'm Gesa."

  The guy didn't hesitate to take my hand, his skin cool against mine, his eyes a yellow-green so pale they were almost colorless. "Rhys," he said in an easygoing baritone laced with some faint, old-world accent that was at odds with his early-twenties, college bro looks. "This is your shop?"

  I sighed and collapsed into one of the puffy cushions Hisashi had strewn about for readings and shit. "Something like that. Are you and Troy friends then? You go to the same school?"

  I wanted a bath and a long sleep like nobody's fucking business. But something was wrong. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

  The blond guy closed the book he was holding and set it aside on a nearby table, picking up a mug of Con's amazing coffee. "I'm new in town, actually," he said, looking down at his cup shyly, then giving me a boyish half-smile. "Usually, it's kind of hard to make friends in a small place like this—you know how it is. Everyone knows everyone else's business." He waved a hand. "But this place has been so welcoming. I stopped by for directions yesterday and Con and Troy were so nice. I should probably buy some books or something though, right?"

  I leaned my head back on the cushion and waved a hand lazily. Like I fucking cared right now. "Skulk around all you want."

  "Finally," I heard Oisin say into the phone in his best annoyed, haughty fae king voice. "I didn't call to flirt with your secretary. You might want to come to the bookstore."

  He hung up and his emerald green eyes bored into mine. Whatever the message was, I was still too tired to decipher it. The lingering soreness from being tossed around by a kraken was pretty much gone, but now all I wanted to do was sleep. And, oh…I had another fucking orphan sea creature to find a place for. Maybe that's what Oisin was up to. White could find Chike a place among the siren-rejects. Although, hopefully he wouldn't be here long, and we'd get Kai back. Then we could all just go back to our usual stupid lives.

  I was so done with oceans and international travel, especially via the ghostworld express.

  "I'm afraid I've made your redheaded friend uncomfortable," the blond guy said with a sigh. He held up his hands, that same open, boyish, puppies and ice cream smile on his face as he turned to Oisin. "Do you live here too? I promise, I only came for the books and the coffee. And, okay, I was really damned lonely too. It's hard relocating to a new place."

  Oisin crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the guy. "Perhaps you could go be lonely somewhere else."

  I lifted my head and sat up taller. "Oisin, seriously? I'm too tired for this shit. The guy's not hurting anything. People come in here just to sit and read all the time. You never cared before."

  The blond smiled at me again and I really looked at him, trying to see what the hell Oisin was so pissy about. Maybe he was jealous? The guy was damned compelling, even if he looked like he was still in college. I frowned. No, that didn't sound right. If that was the only problem, the damned fae would just be angling to get the guy naked, not trying to throw him out.

  I forced myself to focus. I felt so comfortable. I wanted to take a nap right here by my new friend.

  Sitting up, I shook myself. Con wandered by and handed me my own mug of coffee—heavy on the whipped cream and calories. "Thank fuck," I moaned when I took a gulp, earning a rich chuckle from the new guy. Rhys.

  Oisin tapped his foot in irritation. "You have to forgive Gesa. Sometimes she's an idiot. It's not her fault, you see. She's a natural blond." He quirked a brow at the other man's hair. "You know how it is."

  Rather than be offended, Rhys laughed and finished his coffee. "Well," he slid his gaze toward Troy. "I probably should be going. I didn't mean to upset anyone."

  I watched them and tried to interpret the weird undercurrents. The guy was a supe. I thought. Maybe. He was just a touch too smooth, his movements too fluid and preternaturally graceful. But hell if I knew what he was. He beamed like a fucking ray of sunshine. Maybe he was a unicorn or something. Clearly, he knew Troy wasn't in the know, though, since he was trying to be tactful.

  I studied him. I couldn't pick up any hint of his energy signature. Like…none. Not even the pale pastel aura that marked a plain old vanilla human. This guy's aura was as absent as…a corpse. He stood and patted Troy on the shoulder.

  "I should get going too," she said, getting up as well, slinging her bookbag over her shoulder. "I have stupid homework to do."

  Rhys chuckled. "I'll walk with you 'til the next block."

  Oisin made a tsk noise, shifting his feet as if he was about to do something violent.

  Then it hit me. Because I'm so fucking slow sometimes.

  I shot to my feet. "Why don't you stay for a minute, Rhys? I need to ask you something about…uh. What do you think of the selection? It's good to have an outsider's opinion about the stock, you know? Troy doesn't count," I waved a hand. "She's probably read every book ever written. Plus she just comes here to blush at Oisin anyway." I smiled at her as she pushed her glasses up on her nose and turned bright red.

  "I do not!" the flustered teen muttered.

  I grinned. "Don't let us keep you from your homework."

  She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Then she turned to Rhys. "You said we could exchange numbers?"

  I gaped at her blushing and stammering at her newest crush. If I was right…oh, Gods. White was going to fucking kill me. I was supposed to be protecting this chick, not watching her court death.

  Rhys glanced at me and gave me a what-can-you-do look, then set about exchanging numbers with Troy.

  He was handing her back her phone when the bookstore door was flung open so violently the bells above it fell off and hit the floor with a sad jangling thud.

  Derek fucking White was an asshole. But even I had to admit, his rage was awe-inspiring. The guy was dressed to perfection in one of his thousand-dollar-plus suits, charcoal gray with deep, blood red pinstriping. Very demon-chic. His black eyes were murderous. And the tall guy moved with murderous intent. He slowed down as he entered, stepping over the bells and straightening his suit. Orion slipped in behind him, quiet as a shadow.

  "You," the demon breathed, his deep, smoky voice promising hell. "I found you, you slippery little parasite."

  And…yep. I was right. I was an idiot.

  "Do I know you?" Rhys said, leveling that thousand-watt smile at the demon, a little bit of a twinkle in those pretty eyes.

  Oh Gods…he was egging White on. We didn’t need this. We’d only just repaired the damage from the fae attack. Now they were going to ruin the bookstore again. And I had no idea how many times the police could clean up a murder scene at your house before they started to get testy. Once really seemed like it should be the limit.

  White narrowed his eyes. Moving like smoke on the wind, he inserted himself between Troy and Rhys, making the teenager blanch completely white with fear. "Don't touch her."

  Oisin took Troya's arm and led her away, saying something about our business funder and his notorious temper. She clearly didn't want to leave the store when it looked like her new friend was about to get pulverized.

  I glanced between the two men.

  "So. You guys going to do this now, or…?"

  They both looked at me. Rhys—the fucking vampire—with silent laughter, White’s red-rimmed eyes promising punishment at a later date for interrupting his kill.

  Ripping his gaze from me, White stepped into the blonde’s space, and I didn't think the red color burning high on his pale cheeks was a blush. I'd seen White turn red one other time before, when he was using demonic power to pull my whole pride back from the otherworld.

  I did the only thing I could think of that wouldn’t alert Troya to the things that go bump in the night. I shoved him.

  The demon turned his red eyes back to me, and a scowl twitched at one corner of his mouth.

  Casting a wry glance at the elderly woman who had just wandered in off the street and made a beelin
e for the cookbooks, I said, "I have an office, if you want to go there to discuss…business stuff. Stop freaking out my customers. We don't get many as it is!"

  Poor Troy. She was still blushing and hesitating, casting glances between the beautiful redhead, the gorgeous blond, and the terrifying dark-haired guy who I suppose was probably also pretty good looking if you didn’t know he was a cold-hearted asshole. If only she knew all the hot guys around here were monsters.

  Oisin gave me a look. "Would you like me or your…Halstad to attend that meeting?"

  My mage, he'd almost said. Did I want someone with magic to back me up while I was alone with a fucking amoral demon and a strange vampire?

  I waved a hand at him. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

  White chuckled darkly. Rhys raised a golden brow at me. "Of course you will be," the vampire said sweetly. "It's a business…thing. Not some weird mafia sitcom."

  I followed the two deadly creatures into my office and shut the door, leaning back against the wood for a minute to brace myself. Then I stood.

  "Look, fuckers. I have been dragged through the otherworld—twice—attacked by sirens, mauled by a kraken, and I have sand in every crevice of my body. Figure your shit out quick. Because if I'm not clean, fed, and in my bed in about thirty minutes—well, I probably can't murder you assholes, but I can sure as hell make it hurt."

  The vampire looked at the demon, then threw his head back and laughed until his sparkling eyes watered. White crossed his arms and watched impatiently.

  "Why are you in my territory without permission, mosquito?" he demanded with that arrogant tone to his voice that just screamed spoiled, rich thug.

  The vampire shrugged, rubbed the back of his neck, and looked chagrined. "I didn't think you'd notice?"

  White let out a low, tearing growl. That was new. I'd never heard the demon make that particular creepy as fuck noise before. I hoped I'd never hear it again. Crossing the room, I got out the whiskey from my bottom drawer and drank it straight from the bottle. If the babies could survive the kraken assault, then they'd survive alcohol. Gryphon constitution and all.