“What?”
“You heard me. More is at stake than just your connection to your realm.”
“You’re threatening me?” She fisted her hands at her sides, but the elder held up a hand.
“No, merely making a promise. That man isn’t going to wait much longer. You will speak for us, but make no decisions.”
Then they were gone, leaving her alone, wondering what in the goddess’s name had just happened.
“What was that?” Tristan asked, coming towards her.
“They told me I need to talk to him. And figure out what he is.”
“Alone?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“I have a feeling if I don’t do it alone, they’re going to do something far worse.”
“They’re not allowed to have that kind of power.”
“It seems they do. I’m going to go figure out who and what he is.”
“You shouldn’t. Not without help.”
Caly just shrugged. “I’m okay. I promise. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
And then she chased after the man, going back the way he had come through, past the large, gilded doors. She really hoped like hell she knew what she was doing. Because, honestly, she had no idea what to do other than just come right out and ask him.
“Looking for me, pet?” a deep voice asked as soon as she was outside the large marble building that housed the Conclave.
She skidded to a halt, her heart racing. “You. What do you want?” she asked, looking at the man with the dark hair and hooded eyes.
“Well, things just got interesting, didn’t they, pet?”
Before she could ask exactly what he meant, he winked once, then vanished into thin air.
Chapter 2
Misha slid between the shadows, thankful for his glamour. No one could pierce through it, not even another of his kind. Although his kind could detect if a glamour were being used, just not who was beneath it. Thankfully, no one who knew him or could ever know him, was near.
Not that he enjoyed the idea that he was alone, but he was used to it.
This time, however, gave him time to look at her. A mermaid. Of all creatures, she would be the one to call to him. Well now, that was interesting.
He had spent centuries alone, helping his people, trying to keep them alive, but he had never truly searched for a mate. After all, what was the point when they would just die long before he did?
Because he was already dead, at least according to legend. Why add life to it?
“So, are you going to stand in the shadows all day, cousin?”
Misha smirked, having sensed his cousin Broderick near him right when the man glimmered. Glimmering was how his kind went from one point to another. It was another form of transportation, but it took immense power that not all had.
The truly strong didn’t need to see the end point of their glimmer in order to end up there. Some, most of the young, and those who had used far too much of their power over time couldn’t glimmer without knowing exactly where they were going. Others of their kind couldn’t glimmer at all, but Misha and Broderick were not those.
“I think I made my statement,” he said, ignoring Broderick’s taunts.
“And what kind of statement would that be?” Broderick asked, his voice low.
Misha looked over at him. “It’s whatever we need it to be.”
His cousin sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t trust any of this. We’ve been hidden for eons for a reason. The Conclave has never liked us, even in whatever iteration they were in when they knew we existed in the open.”
“I think two of the elders knew exactly who and what I was, even though they lied about it.” That worried him, but it shouldn’t. He wasn’t too surprised.
“The elders of the Conclave, lying? Shocking.”
He raised a brow at Broderick. “They will be our elders if we join the Conclave like we want.”
“I still don’t know why we have to. We’ve been fine alone.” Broderick looked off into the distance, worry in his tone.
“That is a lie, and you know it.” He turned to face his cousin.
“We don’t need them. We never have.”
“We have always needed them, and you know that. We’ve done fine on our own because we’ve been forced to, not because we’ve thrived. Our members are dying, and there’s no coming back from that without protection and treaties and a realm. The best way to accomplish our goals and keep our people safe is by letting the Conclave know we exist. By joining their numbers. By having a voice.”
“So you say.”
“Don’t growl,” Misha said, looking over at his cousin. “We all voted on this. We’ve spent years fighting over it, trying to find a better way. But this is it. This is our legacy. And we need to protect our young, Broderick. You have a child, a mate. Do you want them to die because we’re not strong enough to protect them?”
“You question my strength?” Broderick asked, his eyes glowing red.
Misha shook his head. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, but the two of us together aren’t enough to protect everyone. We’ve known that for a long time.” And he hated himself more every day because of that glaring fact.
“I still don’t like it.”
Misha held back a smile, his body tense, ready for whatever would happen next. “I don’t like it either. But we’ll figure it out.”
“So, you went in there, did a little show, and then what?”
“I told them they’d have to recognize us or I’d do what they feared the most.”
His cousin was silent for a moment. “You would really tell the humans who we are?”
“I would do anything to protect our people, and threatening to do that is only the first step.”
“It’s against all our laws,” Broderick growled.
“I know. I don’t want to do it. And, hopefully, they won’t make us. I would do anything for our people,” Misha whispered.
“I know. You’ve sacrificed so much for us over the years, and I will be forever indebted to you.”
“There’s no debt between blood. You know that.”
“So,” Broderick said after a moment of silence, “Is the plan the same? To make friends with the dragon?”
Misha frowned and stared over at the large building where the Conclave was held. It had been dismissed after his announcement, so most people had already left, including Dante the dragon—the one that Misha had always admired from afar, though the two had never truly met. It was safer for his kind, and himself, if he stayed away from Dante. Dante was one of the most famous of all of the paranormals. He’d saved their worlds countless times over his eons of existence.
The plan had been to meet up with Dante and try to form an alliance with him and his mates. It was said that the seven lightning-struck women were all connected to him, as well. If Misha and his people were to join forces with them, maybe the Conclave would recognize his kind as having the right to exist. And if that happened, then his kind would finally be safe. Or, at least, on the way to becoming so.
“I think…I’ve found another way in,” Misha said, his chest growing tight.
Broderick frowned. “Better than the dragon? Who does the Conclave look up to more than the dragon?”
“I don’t think anyone, but I might have another connection to the Conclave. Someone close to the elders.”
“Oh?”
“I found my mate.”
Broderick’s eyes widened. “What?”
“My mate.”
“You were only gone like thirty minutes.”
“And, in that time, I went to the Conclave, told them our demands, and I found my mate. It’s been a productive day.” He still couldn’t quite believe it.
“I’ll say.” Broderick paused. “So, your mate? What the hell? What are you going to do?”
“That remains to be seen. However, she’s young. A mermaid.”
Broderick blinked. “One of our kind with a mermaid?” Broderick
said, contemplating. “You know, that works.”
Misha looked over at him, his brows raised. “Really?”
“Well, it does. If you think about it. We’re both myths, ones that the humans think they know are true. And there’s that whole breathing thing.”
“Yes, the breathing thing would be interesting. However, I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do next.”
“So, wait. You’re going to use your mate to get us into the Conclave?”
He frowned. “I don’t like the word use.”
“Well, what other way would you say it? Because we need to protect our people. And you said yourself that you would do anything for them.”
“And use my mate? Am I truly that bloodthirsty?” Misha looked over at his cousin, and Broderick just rolled his eyes at the joke.
“I believe you’ll do anything for our people, including using her.” Broderick was silent for a moment, so Misha looked over again.
“What’s with that tone?”
“Our people need peace. They need a home. They need the right to exist. Just don’t taint your soul in the process, dear cousin.”
Misha stared at his cousin and shook his head. “You say that as if I’ve ever had a soul.”
“You know you do,” Broderick said, shaking his head.
“Don’t give in to the lies about us and the darkness just because we’re on the brink of destruction.”
“I will do whatever I have to in order to protect your young. To protect all of our people. And if that includes finding a way to use my newfound mate, I will.”
“Would it be better to fight?” Broderick asked. “To fight the dark ones?”
“We’ve been fighting them for centuries. And we’re losing.” He shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be better. We have to find another way. We’ll die if we don’t.”
“And how will your mate help?”
“She works for the Conclave,” Misha said simply.
“Really?”
“I believe she’s a council member, one of the mermaids. And she was sent to find out exactly what I am.”
Broderick’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Well, that’s going to make things very interesting for your courtship.”
Misha snorted. “There might not be a courtship.”
“Don’t ruin your fate.”
“If I don’t protect my people, I won’t have a fate. But I won’t be too much of a complete bastard.”
“So, you’re going to change your entire existence, then?” Broderick asked and then ducked Misha’s punch.
“You’re the bastard, dear cousin.”
“Yes, but I’m happily mated and have a child. You are about to fuck up your chance.”
“Well, I do have one chance at happiness and all that other crap that comes with mating. However, before I can ponder too hard on any of that, I need to make sure my world can actually survive. So, I’m going for a swim.”
Broderick’s eyes danced with laughter. “Really? A swim?”
“She’s gone home with her family. That means, I need to follow.”
“Don’t ruin your chance,” Broderick repeated.
“What’s a chance without a little danger?”
“You’re not that much of an idiot.”
“Sometimes, I truly feel like I could be. But, no worries, I won’t hurt her. Only if I have to use her to protect our people. Then, so be it.” And before Broderick could say anything else to that, Misha glimmered and followed the scent trail of his mate.
Like shifters, his kind were trackers. It was how they hunted their prey and found their food source. After all, sometimes, those two weren’t the same.
He followed the path through the portals, using his glamour to get through any barricades in his way, and then found himself at the edge of the mer-realm.
The realm itself had an above-the-sea section. It wasn’t all under the sea, not like a realm that you just plunged into the depths of the ocean. Although, that would be a deterrent for anybody who dared come to their lands uninvited.
However, the mer-kin knew that some of their mates and friends would not be able to breathe underwater without a special charm or the kiss of life as some were able to give.
Misha himself didn’t need that. After all, his kind didn’t need to breathe.
Oh, his lungs functioned just fine, and he even breathed in and out when he felt like it. He could scent and needed that to hunt. He could enjoy the smell of a flower, or freshly brewed coffee. However, he could also hold his breath indefinitely if he needed to.
It was just the way his kind worked. And probably why so many were afraid of them.
That was, if they knew they existed at all.
So, being a mate to a mermaid? Well then, perhaps it was fate, after all.
He looked down at his tattered black jeans and Henley, as well as his leather work boots, and wondered if he should have changed before he decided to dive in. However, there was no time for that now. He had a mate to find, and one he needed to convince to help him. Whether she liked it or not.
He rolled his shoulders back and then dove off the cliff that he stood on, right into the ocean below. Perhaps if he had a submersible or fins, he would have been able to make the trek faster. However, he did swim faster than a human. So, he kicked and used his arms and slowly made his way down below, tracking his lovely mate’s scent.
He ducked out of the path of a shark, one that was just prowling and hadn’t really noticed him. However, he really didn’t want to be shark bait at the moment, so he kept his distance. There were a few mer-warriors on patrol, so he did his best to avoid them, as well.
They had a great defense system. However, he had spent his life amongst the shadows, in the darkness. They would never be able to catch him. However, if he were going to mate with this woman, he would do his best to train those soldiers better than they were. After all, his mate needed to be safe. What if he wasn’t around all the time? They needed to be able to sense that he was near and not let an enemy into their midst.
He’d been to the mer-realm before, though it had been decades. He’d met with another of his kind who had been on patrol within the realm itself. He hadn’t talked to any of the true inhabitants of the realm, much like he hadn’t done with many of the other paranormals.
His kind lived in the shadows, much like the magic users of that particular realm. Secrecy even amongst the secret kept them alive.
However, the time had come for change, and Misha was going to be on the forefront of that—and, hopefully, with a mate who could aid him in that quest.
He followed his mate’s scent towards an underwater dwelling that seemed to have multiple sections with bubble tops so the entire place could either be open to the sea’s viewing, or fully opaque. At the moment, he couldn’t see through the tops, but he could sense a few heartbeats within. He passed over what seemed to be a family of four, one of them a small child, and made his way to the other wing of the large home.
His mate moved around the room, her heartbeat strong.
Misha swam under the large dome and came up through a pool on the other side of the room where his mate stood. He couldn’t sense anyone else around, but he still kept his predator senses on alert. It wouldn’t be good to get in a fight now when things were just getting interesting.
The place looked welcoming, even if it felt like he was also in a fishbowl under the ocean. He wasn’t quite sure how mer-kin lived like this all the time, but he wasn’t one to judge. After all, his people literally lived within the shadows, constantly ducking from one enemy after the other. Usually, within their own ranks.
He pushed those thoughts from his head for the moment, though. Right now, he needed to focus on his mate. He walked past the bedroom, thankful that a towel had been placed on one of the benches so he could at least begin to dry off. He did his best to walk softly along the path so as not to make too many wet sounds on the tile as he walked past her bedroom to where she currently was.
The fact that she was in the shower? Well, this was officially an interesting way to introduce himself to his mate, beyond how he had outside the Conclave.
Nerves crept up his body, but he ignored them.
This was just like any other meeting. She had something he needed, and hopefully, he had something for her. The fact that he had never done anything like this before, and never thought he’d ever find a mate notwithstanding. In fact, he wasn’t going to think about that at all.
Because it wasn’t safe for her to be his. Not until they figured out exactly how to protect his people.
He made his way past the door to the bathroom and grinned as he saw her standing there, a towel around her back as she dried off.
She whirled, her arms outstretched, the water in the tub as well as in the sinks pouring out as she stretched her fingers.
“You,” she whispered.
Misha grinned. “Me.”
“How dare you just show up at my house. How did you get past the guards?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, goddess, did you hurt Seth?”
“Seth?” he asked, tilting his head as he studied her, the way her dark hair slid over her body. He purposely tore his gaze from a droplet of water as it trailed between her breasts.
She was all curves and heat, and he had to hold himself back from wanting more.
The predator within him wanted her, needed her.
Sadly, there wasn’t time for that.
He needed to get the Conclave to understand his people. And that meant he needed to use this mate of his.
Even if it hurt them both in the end.
“Who is Seth?” he asked, his voice low.
“My brother, you asshole. You better not have hurt him.”
The water trailed over her, and he grinned. Ah, she was a water bearer. Not all mer-kin could move water like she could. But perhaps it was only when she was beneath the depths of the sea and not out in the realms. After all, she hadn’t used water against him before.
“I have not harmed anybody. Nobody can sense me, so they are safe. Is Seth the one with a family at the other end of the home?” he asked, honestly curious.
“If you hurt them, any of them, I’ll kill you.”
Dante’s Circle Reborn: A Dante’s Circle Collection Page 14