A bump against my leg barely registers as I struggle to not take in more water. Another against my back, this time harder, forces my eyes open. A sharp pinch on my bum has me spinning around. The sight I’m met with is my undoing. My lungs demand air. My mouth opens. I drag in more water. Black spots dot my vision as a shark speeds towards me, its mouth open wide.
THE WORLD AROUND ME is quiet. Unnaturally so. I force my eyes open, expecting to be back in my room or even on the sand in the training field but that's not what I see. Blue. Everything around me is tinted blue. I'm still in the ocean! I scramble to twist my body in an attempt to find the way back out. Gordon swims towards me, his body fluid as he lazily glides through the water. I try to shout, to get him to realise I can't breathe. But he just smiles at me, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. He looks so shark-like I scream. He’s either going to eat me, or let me drown. Either way, I'm fucked. I spin and drag my hands through the water and propel myself away from Gordon. Looking around, I try to find a way out or something to help me fight against him.
There’s nothing but the ocean surrounding me. Something glints in the sand below me, so I head straight for it. As my fingertips touch the cold metal, pain radiates through my leg. I spin, my mouth wide open to see Gordon smiling as he floats behind me.
It's then I realise that I'm breathing. But I'm not drowning.
Congratulations, sister. You've earned your gills. Gordon says inside my mind.
Holy shit. Lifting my hand to the side of my neck, I rub them across the skin there. Once smooth and flat, it’s now bumpy and rough. I press my palm over them. My mind struggles to take it all in and I almost choke because I can hardly breath as I block one of my airways. My eyes flick to Gordon's.
Look down. He orders lightly, excitement in his voice.
Reluctantly, I look below me to see I have floated high off the seabed and now hover over a variety of fish and mammals.
They offer you their elegance, Queen. He interprets their actions for me.
My eyes pop out of my head at his words. He reaches for me. I let him pull me as he swims forward. I stare into the knowing eyes of a dolphin. I sense it's trying to tell me something, but I can't hear what. It doesn't take long to realise Gordon is pulling me towards the dome over the city when I catch its glowing light in the corner of my eye.
KARL
Day 42
"Pathetic! What kind of consorts do you call yourselves when you cannot remain strong for your Queen!" William shouts loudly over Leyland and his mother arguing. "Maybe my sister chose wrong with you four?" He adds sadly then walks through the door, out into the whiteness of a snowstorm. Mickey, William’s human consort, sits with his head bowed on the threadbare couch.
"He's right," Garrot speaks for the first time since yesterday. "We are pathetic. Everly would be ashamed of us." Pushing off the cold, wooden floor, Garrot leaves the room. I notice his eyes darting to the spot he was just sitting in, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. Is he hallucinating Everly?
"Fuck Everly." Leyland sneers, a wicked smile on his face.
Chapter Fourteen
WILLIAM
Day 42
Tiny cold needles batter my face as I slog through the knee-high snow. Fuck, fuck, fuck. My whole life, my mother, Amphitrite, prepared me for meeting my sister. It was my job to train her on how to use some of the powers she had, so my life was filled with learning, practising, preparing to help her save the world. No one told me that when I met her, I'd love her unconditionally. I didn’t realize her aura would meld with mine during the marking, changing me forever. When she first read my inner light, she told me it wasn't all black, that there was cyan in there. I scoffed; told her it was impossible. But in reality, it was the catalyst to many things. For days after, I couldn't stop thinking about Mickey. We had been having sex with each other for a few months. The other two men I was bedding went off on errands for my mother. Neither came back. I wasn't in the least bit bothered. They were fun to pass some time with, but other than that, I felt nothing. But Mickey. When Everly marked me, everything changed. Love, so powerful, grew within me. He became the sole focus for my affections. Granted, I teased beautiful Karl, but my heart lies with Mickey. I guess it always has.
Then my mother was killed, I lost my arm and my sister was stolen from us. She had no choice but to go with Poseidon. He chased her for more years than I was alive. When he found her, nothing would have stood in his way. He would have killed us all without blinking. But by jumping off that cliff, Everly saved all our lives. Now, her consorts are bitching, falling to pieces without her. Leyland has fallen. I raise my good arm to shield my face from the burning snow. Gods, if they don't get her back soon, I fear they will be lost, and the world will be swallowed by the ocean. I know exactly what I must do. It's a good job mother isn't here. She wouldn't agree with my plan. But she left. Now it's my turn to sacrifice for the greater good. Mickey, I love you.
Karl
Day 48
Leyland's mother flickers in and out of the light as she stands over his limp body. He passed out an hour ago after she shoved so much magic into him, I had to heal him as it burned him from the inside. He isn't responding to anything she has tried. Even with other cupids visiting and adding their power to hers, they cannot bring his soul back.
"I'm going to get some air," I tell no one in particular. Garrot’s in his room. The noises coming from there worry me. Giggling, one sided chatting, sometimes shouting. Victor left before the sun rose over the snow-covered mountains, leaving me to watch as our brother slipped further and further into the darkness.
No one says or does anything as I step out of the door and into the blizzard raging outside. Mickey and William left late last night. There’s someone they know in Germany who apparently knows every single other on Earth. They've been scrying for the guy`s location since the day after Everly left, some forty-eight days ago. I hope they bring good news. The wind picks up throwing my hood back exposing my face to the harsh elements. I can't wait to get out of Russia. The frozen Earth doesn't speak to me here. Unable to connect with it through the thick snow, I feel more alone than ever.
I WALK FOR MILES, TRYING to find an exposed patch of Earth. I miss our home, where the land has soaked up Everly's inner light. When I walked around barefoot, it soaked into my body, making me feel connected to her even when we were apart. I need to ground myself often, otherwise I will fall to pieces like my brothers. If I was being fully honest with myself, the darkness called to me, too. It whispers in my ear constantly, offering peace from the pain in my heart. Pain that Everly being gone has brought. Pain at watching, helpless, as my brothers crumbled and fall.
Spotting a small area of snow-free land, I rush towards it, desperate for contact with the Earth. The ground is brown, covered with the roots of trees and vines. It looks like an animal was recently here. Despite the cold, I slip my shoes off and dig my toes into the frosty mud. The relief is instant the second I make contact; I feel so much better. I sit and push the tips of my fingers into the dirt, I'm half tempted to strip down, but it's too cold for that. With the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet touching my element, I feel more at ease than I have in weeks. I sit for a long time until fresh snow starts to fall and my body aches with the chill. Just as I'm about to stand, the ground in front of me moves.
Chapter Fifteen
GARROT
Day 48
Everly throws her head back and giggles, distracting me from my task.
"You're no fun anymore, Garrot. Why don't we play strip poker?" She offers while I whittle an old piece of wood, I found near the shack we are staying in. "I'll let you win, here" she stands up, but the bed we are sitting on doesn't move, "I'll even give you a head start." She smiles coyly while unlacing the ribbon of her corset. Dressed all in red, Ever is the vision of all that is beautiful. Her curvy body is shown off by the tight bodice, her boobs only just contained by the material. Her skirt is short, and her heels are high. I look up when th
e corset hits the floor with a thunk. "Play with me, Garrot. I need your help, they're so heavy." I watch in fascination as she palms her generous breasts and jiggles them.
"Bloody hell," I mumble and lick my lips. She turns and pretends to be picking something up, revealing a barely-there thong between her beautiful arse cheeks. "Oh, Everly, bloody gorgeous." I quickly stand and shove down my jeans, then take myself in hand as she wiggles her arse in my face as I kneel behind her. My other hand reaches out and pulls the scrap of material to the side, exposing her to me. I dive in as my hand pumps my cock, the tingles of release already zapping down my spine. I lick her arse over and over, fucking her hole with my tongue. Her moans spur me on, I add two fingers to her pussy, curling them into her g-spot. She comes wetly on my fingers, making my cum shoot from me and onto the floor in front of me. "Oh, Everly!"
When I open my eyes again, she's gone.
Gordon
Emotions. They crawl against the inside of my rib cage. They confuse me. Cloud my judgement. I let a thief live earlier today. I gave him no punishment for his crime. I do not know what is happening to me.
Everly
Day 9 in Atlantis
I sit on the sand in front of the opening to the ocean, Gordon at my side. After I sprouted gills, he took me back to my room. The only thing he said was I needed to rest and eat before going into the sea again. He didn't come the next day.
Darcy kept trying to let my mother come forward, but she didn't appear, so we spent a lot of time in the huge bath, just staring out into the ocean. I feel stuck. Like I'm waiting for something. Maybe I'm delaying because I'm interested in learning what I can really do. William taught me so little, I feel if I tried to go up against Poseidon now, he would kill me within seconds. I know I'm not ready. Only practice will give me even a small chance of being able to win. I really need to focus, to learn what I can do. My emotions are all over with pregnancy hormones, which isn't helping the situation I'm in.
When Gordon came for me about an hour ago, he seemed different. Quieter. He’s barely spoken a word since. My stomach grew overnight. I now look around six months pregnant. Darcy brought me a bigger tunic to wear, and we fashioned a belt from the rope that held one of the curtains back in my room. I feel a bit like a whale.
"Gordon?" I ask as I dig my bare toes into the warm sand. He turns to face me, a blank expression on his face. "What will happen to my baby if your father kills me?" For a second, his emotionless facade slips and is replaced with one of true horror. His eyes slip to my stomach and I wrap my arms around it protectively.
"He... he won't kill you, sister. That is not his intention." He replies without conviction. He swallows thickly and then turns back to the crab in his hands.
"What does he claim his plans are?" The crab jumps from his grip and side steps over to me, its claws clicking the whole time. For what feels like an hour, Gordon doesn't answer. He stands and lifts the seemingly incensed crab into his hands then gently places it back into the ocean where it scurries off.
"For you to be Queen, as is your destiny and birthright." He doesn’t turn to face me, but I can tell by his tone he is repeating something that has been drilled into him for a long time.
"You don't believe that, do you?"
"Yes." he replies automatically. "I don't... know anymore."
"Then help me escape, Gordon. If he truly means me no harm, he’ll let me go. Right?" I ask, sensing a chink in his armour. Gordon reaches a hand into the water and lets out a sigh.
"His word is law, sister." he says as if that explains it all.
"What if it wasn't, Gordon? What if I take the crown and order him to leave?" I ask while pushing myself to my feet. I struggle, my stomach bigger than I'm used to. He moves to me and laces his arm under mine, gently pulls me to my feet. "Would you try to kill me?" I ask, looking into his deep blue eyes.
"Never." he answers without hesitation. His grip on my arm tightens. "You are my kin, I would never harm you."
"You're hurting me now, by keeping me here. My baby,'' I run a hand over my bloated stomach, feeling the baby kick as I do. "He or she misses her daddies, and so do I. I can't have this baby in Atlantis. Gordon, we need to be with my family." He watches my hand circling my stomach, his mask completely gone. There are so many emotions playing across his features, it's difficult to put names to them all. My next words change everything. "Have you met our mother, Gordon?"
Before I can blink, he yanks his arm back and steps away from me. His face filled with fury.
"That wench abandoned me here as a baby. Like offal, she threw me away to be fed upon by sharks! Little did she know they and I have more in common than she thought." He laughs without humour, his eyes turn even darker, "Do you know what I am, dear sister?" Without waiting for me to answer, he spins on his heel and throws himself into the gap in the glass dome. His body changes as I watch, open mouthed. A long, slender fin slices its way out of his back and his skin turns a deep blue. When he turns to face me, I'm met with a being who looks more shark than human. Not quite a shark, not quite human.
This is what that witch did to me, sister, she cursed me to shift into a shark. Look at me, I am a monster of her creation! Our father rescued me, saved me, when none of the sea creatures would even look at me. He swims further into the inky deaths of the sea, his skin making him blend in the further out he gets.
I'll never have the life you have; no mates await me after this is over. I have nothing. No one. It’s all because of Amphitrite.
Just like that, he's gone. I look around the empty sand field. He left me here, in a city that steals babies from mothers’ tummies because their King is evil and won't let them have more than one child, sometimes none at all. I wrap my arms around my tummy and decide to walk the barrier. If I can find some way out, a door or a weak link, then I can get the fuck out of here and go home. A stab of pain hits my heart, I miss my guys so bloody much, it's like a physical ache. As I walk, I run my hand over the barrier.
Several creatures follow me, some bump against the glass in an attempt to get to me. I suddenly stop and turn around. Gordon didn't shut the opening when he left. It's wide open. I rush back towards the missing piece in the armour around Atlantis. Excitement and nervousness roll through me. Can I really leave Darcy/my mother behind? I wonder as I stand before the opening. I mean, I can come back for them. I can bring the guys back and rescue them. Maybe that's a bad idea, I think as I let my hand slip into the cold, welcoming ocean, we would be caught and one of them might be hurt. I know for sure Poseidon would use them against me if he caught them. The baby kicks, making me jump.
“It's ok, little one. We’ll get back to your daddies, but the time isn't now. So much could go wrong. We can't leave auntie Darcy or Nanny, can we?” They would think Gordon killed me or I left without them. No. I must choose the perfect time. Darcy needs to come with me. I turn and make my way back to the city. Just as I step off the field, Gordon jumps from the opening, his face puffy from crying.
Gordon
My sister knows not what she speaks of. She grew up around humans. Believing she was one of them. They have so many feelings. Such complex wants. Here in Atlantis, it’s very different. I was raised by a slew of slaves. Father never kept the same ones for long. I never knew love. My days were filled with training. I awoke, trained, ate and then slept. There was no school, no motherly figure, no friends. I have nothing in common with my sister. Yet, I’m drawn to her inexplicably. I constantly switch between loathing her for her emotional outbursts. Her constant whining and silly escape attempts. Then in brief shameful moments, I find myself in envy of her. She has four consorts. I have spent time on land observing her with them. I have listened to reports of their bond. How they would put themselves in the face of threat for her without thought of their own safety. They love her. She loves them. Equally. I do not understand it. I do not wish to. Love is for the weak. I am not weak.
Karl
Day 54
Listening to Leylan
d yell untruths about Everly is more than I can take. His mother is tiring. Her energy drained with every attempt to reach her son, to find his soul and return it to him. Today is day fifty-four, a blackness has appeared on the tips of Leyland's fingers, as each hour passes, it grows. Soon, he will be a true demon, in form and in soul. Then, not even the devil himself will want him. I check the clock above the roaring fire, six pm, it's time for my meditation. I pick up the remnants of my sandwich and throw it in the bin.
"I’ll be outside, shout if you need me." I murmur to the Goddess of love. She neither acknowledges my words nor blinks as she stares into Leyland's eyes. Pushing open the cabin door I walk outside into the snow. The cold doesn't bother me, so I slip out, unnoticed, without a coat. Knee-high snow doesn't slow my pace, my powerful legs make light work of the icy snow as I stride away from the wooden building. Everly would have loved it here, I think as I look into the starry night's sky. With a distinct lack of lighting in the mountains, the stars shine brighter here than they do in populated areas. I would have liked to have taught her their names and meanings, but a cold feeling in my gut tells me I'll never get the chance.
Leyland
Day 54
"Follow me, son. I've got you." My mother's soothing voice enters my mind at the same time a flash of light almost blinds me. She enters my mind without so much as a pinch. I wish she would fuck off, who knew the Goddess of love was so clingy?
"Nah, I'm good, thanks. Can you unshackle me though? Coz, these invisible chains are chafing my wrists." Surrounded by white, I can barely see, but I can still feel the weight of the chains around my wrists. Clearly, dear old mumsy has a few tricks up her sleeve.
The Everly Davis chronicles Page 46