Immersion (Apalala Clan Book 1)

by Dzintra Sullivan

  “Oh,” Jo exclaimed excitedly cutting him off, as he linked his hand through Payton’s arm. You really must meet our father… he is the king you know?” Jo grinned at his brother, Volos barely contained his rage, his fists were clenched so tightly at his sides. Jo could see nothing but white knuckles and the sound of Volos’ teeth grinding.

  “Will he let me go?” Payton asked quietly. “I just want to go home.”

  “I’m sure Father will sort this all out.” Jo threw one last smirk at his brother and almost skipped with glee toward his father’s office.

  How the king was going to take the news that Volos had all but kidnapped a human on suspicion of espionage, was yet to be seen.

  Volos looked to Attor, shook his head and slowly walked after the human and his brother. “This could go either way, Attor. Just remind me to thump Jo later for this.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think you will need reminding.” Attor laughed as he followed along, he wasn’t going to miss this potentially flammable situation.

  Jo flung open the door to his father’s office, walked in with Payton still hooked on his arm, with Volos and Attor following behind closely but not too close.

  “Jo?” the King spoke as he looked up from the pile of paperwork that covered his desk. The king’s eyes flicked between his three sons and a… female, a human, a strange human female.. that accompanied them. The crinkle of confusion appeared across his forehead as he silently waited for an explanation.

  “Father, I would love you to meet someone,” Jo spoke gleefully. “This is Payton. Payton this is our father, King Basilisk.”

  Payton didn’t know anything about the etiquette of meeting a royal member, let alone the king. Rummaging through her memory banks for movie references, Payton decided on a lowered head and a small knee bending curtsy, followed by, “Your Majesty.”

  The king nodded at the woman, turning his eyes past Jo to seek out Volos. “Explain?”

  “This is nothing, Father, just an overreaction. I’ll take her and go.” Volos started to step toward the woman, the sound of her footsteps running toward the king made him stop instantly.

  “Please… don’t let him take me.” Payton fell at his feet, she looked up with tears streaming down her face. “That monster put me in a cell, he wouldn’t give me water or food.” The king’s face showed a growing degree of shock at what he was hearing. “Then he said the only way I was leaving was if I was dead.” The king’s face shot like lightning to Volos, who had hung his head at the sound of the woman’s statement. “I just want to go home. Please… let me go home.”

  King Basilisk reached down and gently patted her shoulder, he hated a woman in distress, a woman should never be forced to cry. “Don’t cry, Payton… is it?” She nodded as her breath caught. “Payton, I will make sure you go home, just give me a minute to sort out my son?”

  She nodded and smiled softly. “Thank you,” her voice whispered.

  His eyes hadn’t left his eldest sons. “Volos…” the king stood and walked toward his son, “… explain yourself?”

  Volos gave his father a shortened version of events, from finding the dead woman floating at the bottom of the ocean to giving her the gift of life. But with the latest threat to their home, assuming she was a spy, he needed to get the information from her for the betterment and protection of the clan.

  The king listened intently, only after Volos had finished did he look from the scared young woman back to his son and asked, “She looks like a spy to you?”

  “Well, spies can look like—” Volos started when his father interrupted him.

  “That was rhetorical. It wasn’t meant to be a question, Volos. Saving her life was indeed a valiant deed, one which brings me great pride. Kidnapping her, interrogating her, and threatening to kill her is, however, mortifying. As a father, the disappointment I feel flowing through my veins is like acid at this moment. I certainly didn’t bring up my sons to abuse women, any women, EVER.”

  “But Father—” Volos said.

  “Silence!” The king’s command made them all flinch, as the powerful sound bounced around the room. The king walked back over to the small woman, he took her hands gently in his and smiled kindly. “I apologize wholeheartedly, Payton. This should never have happened. Will you please accept my apologies?”

  Payton nodded softly, her eyes flicked to Volos who was hanging his head in shame. A stark contrast to the smile beaming from his brother with the white eyes—she suspected the two of them didn’t see eye to eye.

  The king smiled and continued, “This isn’t as simple as it sounds, Payton. You will have to trust me. If you’re able to trust me, I will have you sitting on your sofa at home within the hour.”

  Payton nodded. “I will do whatever you need me to do… I just want to go home.”

  King Basilisk nodded with a contented sound of confirmation. “Good, Attor…” He looked to the brother who was standing at the back of the room.

  “Father?” Attor stood tall at being called into the conversation.

  “Payton is now your responsibility to take home. Please take all safety requirements into account. I instruct you to personally deliver her home, not to leave until she’s safely inside and content,” the king explained directly to him. “Do you understand? All safety requirements.” The king was making reference to keeping their dragon-side a secret, the Oasis a secret, and getting her home without her knowledge of where she’d been, or in fact, who she’d been talking to.

  Attor nodded his understanding, a tilt of his head indicated that Payton should follow him and he would take her home.

  Payton paused to look at the king, a sudden urge had her arms extend and wrap around him as she gave the king a tight hug, full of thanks. With a smile left lingering, she took off toward Attor, not even casting a glance in Volos’ direction. Payton wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

  “Progress report!” It was dark in Mr. Embah’s office. Everyone had gone home for the night, everyone except Mr. Embah, his two sons, and a personal bodyguard who stood silently in the corner of the office.

  The only light was from a small desk lamp that he had turned on. They were falling behind schedule and he knew if he didn’t find what the investors wanted, unpleasant reactions would be the world’s greatest understatement.

  “Nothing to report,” he stated, as his sons watched the small speaker phone device sitting on the table. Not knowing what the reaction might be.

  “We’re not happy,” was the voice’s reply. The voice had an inky tone, one that, once it had infiltrated your eardrums, left you feeling icky. The man on the other end of the line was his uncle. Mr. Embah was considered a powerful and important man, but compared to his uncle, he was nothing more than a guppy in a stream full of urine.

  “I’m just awaiting the geological rights to the area,” Mr. Embah said, doing his best to sound confident.

  “I’m not a patient man. Our family has waited far too long already, it needs to be sourced, drained and disposed of as quickly as possible. I want to be the one to do this for the family.”

  “Understood.” Mr. Embah nodded to himself in the dark. “I will have the rights before the week is out.”

  “Make it so.”

  Click, the line went dead.

  Mr. Embah looked to his sons. “We need to find that lawyer.”

  “Is the blindfold really necessary?” Payton swung her hip to the side as she crossed her arms. “I’m hardly a blabber mouth.”

  “Darling,” Attor said as he tightened the material around her head. “This is just the way it has to be.”

  “Why?” She tilted her head. “I don’t understand. After my time spent with Volos, I can promise you this is not one of the places I ever want to return to.”

  “Volos is a good guy…” Attor paused, a small impish grin crept across his face. “He isn’t very good with the ladies, but he’s a loyal and protective brother. I stand beside him no matter what.”

  “He�
�s an oaf, with all the sensitivity of a fresh cut cactus shoved up your ass.”

  Attor burst out into a loud, rumbling laugh. “Shit woman, you’re priceless.” Attor struggled to breathe between bouts of snort-inducing laughter. “He did save your life… a thought to ponder among those of indecent sexual acts with vegetation.” Attor started to laugh again.

  “Mmm…” Payton thought. “There is that. I guess.” She shrugged. “Pity he had to follow it up with death threats.”

  “We’re ready,” Attor said firmly, having checked all the safety procedures were being followed. “Are you ready to go home, Payton?”

  “Can’t happen fast enough. But if you let me fall on my ass with this blindfold on, you might be the next to get up close and personal with a cactus.”

  Attor laughed at his pint-sized human who was as feisty as a pit fighting dragon. Her hands were on her hips, her head tilted, and she wore Volos’ oversized shirt. She was ready to take on anyone or anything. She would make an awesome dragon, Attor thought.

  He looped his arm through hers, making her reach up to attempt to make his height, and started to walk to the chamber.

  Payton stopped suddenly. “What’s he doing here?”

  “Huh?” Attor asked. “Who?” Looking back, he saw Volos standing at the doorway, silently watching her leave. Attor couldn’t nail the emotion that was crossing Volos’ face at that moment.

  “It’s him, what’s his name?” Payton knew his name, but she wanted him to know she didn’t care enough to remember. “Swallows? Follows?”

  “Volos,” Volos stated firmly, barely separating his teeth as the word left his tongue.

  Volos’ eyes were locked on her blindfolded face. How dare she not know his name! He was a future king and he saved her miserable human life.

  Attor looked back at Payton and asked out of curiosity, “How did you know he was there?”

  She shrugged dismissively. “I can smell him.”

  Volos’ eyes went wide as he took a sharp step back.

  Attor knew that dragons had no scent, it was an evolutionary gift. Scents were traceable, they allowed a potential predator a way to track and locate them. Dragons had lost any scent thousands of years ago, it had kept them protected, safe and undetectable. This, of course, had one small tiny loophole. When a dragon met their life mate, a scent would emanate. This odor was only able to be recognized by the one person destined to claim your heart.

  “What does he smell like, Payton?” Attor’s voice was soft if this was what he suspected then a certain amount of delicacy would be needed.

  Payton shrugged. “I don’t know, something sweet.”

  “Payton, what does he smell like? Concentrate… it’s important,” Attor repeated with more intensity into his voice. What she smelt could change everything, or it may just be a scent of her own. He looked at Volos, whose face was becoming whiter by the second.

  “What’s important about his stinky royal oafness?”

  “Payton,” Attor and Volos both commanded her name at the same time, making her jump with surprise.

  “He smells like a warm brownie, vanilla bean ice-cream, and some sweet caramel shards… happy?” She crossed her arms defiantly.

  “Get her out of here,” Volos shouted. “Get her the fuck out of here.” He spun and bolted down the hallway. Attor could hear his boots thumping for quite a distance. He didn’t blame him for running, the fact that Payton smelt a dessert, meant… she was his. Considering she was a human, Attor guessed this was Volos’ worst nightmare.

  “What on earth was that?” Payton asked.

  Attor shook his head. “Nothing you need to worry about,” Attor lied. “Let’s just get you home.”

  “Best thing I’ve heard all day.”

  Attor helped the blindfolded Payton into a small room, making sure she didn’t trip on the small step. “Going up, hold on to your stomach.”

  She tightened her arm in Attor’s as she braced herself. He reached over and pressed a small lever, it had been a long time since he’d even used this form of water travel. He would normally just get his wings out and fly, but with a human and the secrecy code being enforced, it had to be the bubble.

  Attor looked up and saw the rock open, up floated a large bubble with them completely enclosed inside, dry and safe. It would float gently to the surface and feel exactly like an elevator to any passengers using it to ride to the surface. Attor had checked the time before he left, it was night, and they would be able to get to the shore without anyone seeing them.

  When they reached the beach, the bubble popped with a convenient ding sound and they stepped directly onto the sand. Attor hurried Payton along, to walk a few streets into the town before he took off her blindfold.

  “Now… your home?” Attor asked.

  “It’s fine…” she rubbed her eyes from where the material had been tightly wrapped around her head, “… I’ll get myself home from here.”

  “My instructions are to take you home. All the way home. Please don’t make me return without fully completing my mission.” Attor smiled and looked at her with his best puppy dog look.

  “Sheesh.” Payton rolled her eyes and sighed. “Way to make a girl feel guilty.” Payton took a step and looked back at him. “Come on then, my home is this way.”

  As they two of them walked silently in the night’s air, Attor’s mind wandered to his brother Volos. How he was going to take this new development would be interesting. It’s not like you can ignore what destiny has chosen for you, can you? Attor contemplated.

  Payton paused and pointed to a small white house on the left. The door was painted blue and had blue trim on the window frames. The front yard was small but well kept, Attor assumed there was a bigger space out the back.

  “Yours?” Attor asked.

  Payton nodded and walked by him. Opening the small gate, she walked up the weathered concrete path to the door then she stopped and exclaimed, “Shit.”

  “What?” Attor’s heart spiked as he was about to push her to the side and take on whatever danger was making her fearful.

  She looked back at him and laughed. “I don’t have my bag, so no keys. I guess it was still on the cliff. I’m sure Kylee will have them.” She laughed again, not because it was all that funny, but her laughter was more from exhaustion.

  “Want me to break a window?” Attor looked around for a rock to use.

  “Not unless you want to be paying for a new window.” She looked at him and snickered. “I’ll just use the spare.” She reached over to the pot plant, third from the left, and under the top layer of soil Payton pulled out a small silver key. With a wiggle of her eyebrows, Attor smiled as she opened the door, flicked on the main lights inside and walked in.

  Attor walked in behind her, he swept his eyes around the small living and kitchen area. Apart from some dirty dishes still in the sink, it all appeared safe and secure. Payton walked back into the living room and smiled, she looked relieved and contented to be back in her own space.

  “All good?” he asked her.

  Payton nodded. “You have completed your mission, and I’m very grateful.” She walked over, stood on her tippee toes, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Attor paused for a second. With recent developments, he wasn’t sure what was protocol. So with a shrug he wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her back. She was so small and light, compared to him and his brothers she was virtually the size of a child.

  “Thank you, Attor…” she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, “… for everything.”

  Attor smiled. “My pleasure, Payton.” He turned to go when a small glass case caught his eye. Bending down, he looked in and saw a collection of dragons. Big, small, colored, crystal, all sizes and shapes of dragons. Looking back up to Payton who was smiling at his discovery he said, “You like dragons?”

  “I adore dragons. I’ve always collected them since I was a small child. There’s something magical about a huge scaled beast who can fly. They’re ver
y protective you know?” Payton chirped.

  “You don’t say?” Attor grinned.

  “Don’t make fun of me.” She pouted. “I’ve wished on many a star for a dragon to come, save me from danger, whisk me away to a distant location where we would live in blissful happiness.” Payton’s smile was lost in memories. “My granny used to tell stories, wonderful, magical, and fascinating stories about dragons. Her passion for the scaled beasts is something I will continue ‘til my last breath.”

  Attor’s eyebrows went high as he listened to her. This was the real thing… Shit! Volos has a mate, whether he wants her or not.

  With his mind spinning, Attor bid his final farewell. Payton waved with an invitation to come back and visit, but with a ‘just don’t bring the oaf, he wasn’t welcome.’

  Attor walked back toward the ocean. Shit was about to get very real for his brother, and he wasn’t about to miss a single second of it. Attor dove into the water and vanished down to his underwater home.

  Payton dialed the number and waited patiently, she wasn’t sure what reaction she was going to get.

  “Someone better be fucking dead, I only just got to fucking sleep,” the gruff voice grumbled down the line.

  “What if it was more like I wasn’t dead?” Payton asked.

  “Payton?” Kylee’s voice suddenly cleared.

  “The one and only.” Payton grinned at the phone as she heard her best friend pulling on her jeans, and running through the house. The slam of the front door and the click of the phone going dead, made Payton assumed she was on her way over. So, she got up and popped the kettle on to boil. Placing two cups on the bench, she scooped the coffee and sugar into the cups. Sure enough, just as the sound of bubbling water rampaging under an intense heat signaled the water was ready, she heard the squeal of tires coming around the corner, then the sudden stop of the car out the front and Kylee’s shoes thudding up the path.

  Payton stood at the opening to the kitchen as Kylee lunged open the door. “Fuck me, it’s true, you’re alive.” Within two strides Kylee had engulfed Payton into a breath-stealing embrace. “Where the fuck have you been?”