by Ashley Meira
“I don’t know them,” he said. “And they live in the middle of the ocean in a village surrounded by protective magic meant to keep outsiders away.”
I pursed my lips. “So, we’ll need scuba gear?”
“Do you know how to use scuba gear?”
“I could learn,” I said. “But scuba divers move slowly, right? Not everything in the ocean is friendly, and I don’t want to be encumbered in case we get attacked.”
“There’s no way to contact them from land.” Adam tugged on his hair wearily. “We need to make direct contact or find a way onto that island ourselves.”
Pulling my hand from his, I thought of the Gem of Anathasia. It could get us there easily. Adam would be drained if he used it, but if there were any mages around, I’d be back at full capacity in no time. I’d need to tell Adam the truth first, though. Ghostly fingers strangled my heart as I looked at him. Sex wasn’t the only thing I still wasn’t ready for.
But Adrienne could be on that island. Was I really risking my best friend’s life to protect my secret? Not just mine, I forced myself to believe. If Adam turned me in, Fiona would be arrested, and if he didn’t, then he’d be at risk too. A noose around his neck was as scary as the thought of him rejecting me.
“I’m guessing a portal won’t work,” Fiona said.
A few more ideas were tossed around, each less plausible than the last. Groaning, I buried my face in my knees. So much for my plan to hide out with the merpeople if I was ever discovered. I couldn’t even reach them. I suppose breathing underwater was the bigger issue.
I nibbled on my lip, trying to find a solution that didn’t involve outing myself. The knife to Adrienne’s throat made thinking hard, and the restrictions surrounding us made it even harder. If we couldn’t get to the island, we had to get to the tribe. The tribe resided deep underwater, so finding them meant we needed to find a way to survive underwater. But even if we did, how were we supposed to communicate with them? Humans couldn’t speak underwater, and from what Symeon said, they weren’t likely to be friendly. We’d only have one chance.
“Darling, your teeth are going to tear right through that pretty lower lip of yours.”
My head shot up, and I looked at Symeon with wide eyes. “Say that again.”
“Ah, did I finally find something that pushes your buttons?”
Adam’s magic bristled around him like a porcupine. “Symeon—”
“Boy fight,” Fiona cooed. “Do you have any Jell-o I can toss on you two?”
“Teeth,” I said, pausing to shoot Fiona a bemused look. Why did that sound like such a good idea? “Do you still have the Teeth of Poseidon, the artifacts you showed me last month?”
Symeon pursed his lips. “You want to play deep-sea diver with my priceless, unique, and extremely ancient artifacts?”
After “saving” him from a gang of vampire assassins that he’d already driven to the point of insanity, Symeon showed me the reason they’d been sent after him. The Teeth of Poseidon were charms that allowed the wearer to breathe underwater and speak the language of its denizens. They were ancient and being in their presence felt like standing before the embodiment of history itself. Using them felt like defiling that history. It was selfish, but I was already being selfish by hiding the Gem of Anathasia to protect myself. Why break pattern now?
“You have a better idea?” I asked.
Symeon stared me down, his normally doe-y blue eyes thinned more than his lips. The silence was deafening and seemed to stretch on forever. Even Adam didn’t push the issue, knowing how much Symeon valued his treasures.
Apparently, he valued his home and life here more, because eventually, he sighed and said, “Last week’s dry spell, now this. And I’d already penciled getting assaulted by your doppleganger as the worst thing about this week.”
“How’d you know she wasn’t me, by the way?” I asked. I couldn’t even tell she wasn’t me, and I was me.
Symeon pushed the blankets off and slid out of bed. “Well, she was much nicer for one.”
Adam grabbed me mid-leap. I didn’t struggle in his arms, but I did try to kill Symeon with my glare. Shame I couldn’t shoot lasers from my eyes.
“She never did that, for example,” Symeon said.
“I’m sure she was thinking it,” I hissed.
“Also, she wasn’t wearing any rings,” he continued. “I thought it odd but it wasn’t until I noticed the sapphire ring—”
“Ring?” I pulled Adam’s arms off me. “A sapphire ring?”
“Mhm. Besides that, it looked exactly like yours — platinum band and carvings around it. I couldn’t tell exactly what those carvings were without pulling it from her blouse, however. What?” he said innocently. “She was leaning forward. It’s not like I was looking down your blouse.”
“You do look down my blouse.”
“And you never wear necklaces,” he said, purposefully missing my point. “You told me you hate them. Yet there it was, a sapphire ring hanging from your dainty little neck. That was enough to set off an alarm.”
I twisted the ruby ring around my finger. A sapphire ring exactly like mine. Who the hell were we? Did she know? Her memories seemed to be intact. Maybe she remembered how we were kidnapped, why we were kidnapped.
She could remember our parents.
But I couldn’t ask her a damn thing. She wouldn’t answer.
A set of fingers snapped at me. “Yoohoo, darling.”
“Sorry.” I ran a hand down my face. “What did you say?”
Symeon sighed. “You will bring these very valuable things back intact, won’t you?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered bitterly. “Sounds like something a nice person would do.”
He gasped dramatically. His energy was back, it seemed. We never should’ve fed him. “Sophia Charlotte Sinclair—”
“Don’t you dare.” I rolled my eyes. “That’s not even my middle name.”
“It could be,” Fiona said, stroking her chin. “It’s pretty.”
“It is pretty,” I agreed. “But no.”
“How about as a codename?” Symeon said excitedly. “Instead of telling you to rush over, I could just say ‘Charlotte, darling—’”
I turned to Adam. “You have people who can clean blood out of your carpet, right?”
“Huh?” He looked at me, not altogether there. “Um. No.”
“It was joke—”
“To the name. Charlotte… would be a terrible name. Can we go now?” he said quickly, his voice higher than usual. Did it just crack? “Now. Right now. We’re on a schedule.” He stood and pulled out his keys. “I’ll drive.”
The three of us watched him rush out the room, his magic hidden deep inside. What the hell just happened? Slowly, we turned to look at each other, green to blue to brown, each as clueless as the next.
Fiona opened her mouth, then closed it. Then she opened it again. “If one of us is staying behind again, it’s not going to be me.”
“Symeon can stay with Ollie,” I said, too distracted by Adam to think clearly. “But we do need to go. Who knows when they’ll perform the ritual?”
Fiona nodded and grabbed our arms, dragging us out the door. “Let’s hurry.”
Chapter Twenty
While Symeon searched for the Teeth — and by searched I meant was likely looking at them with tears in his eyes while saying goodbye — the three of us milled around his living room. Well, Adam was milling. Fiona was pacing while I stood in the corner trying not to throw up. Her hummingbird on a sugar high impression wasn’t helping my churning stomach.
I wasn’t sure why Adam was on the opposite side of the room. Maybe Fiona had finally trained him to keep his distance when we were together. Or he was scared of the possible girl talk. Both were happy theories, and I could really use some happiness right now.
“Okay, I’ve been thinking about it,” Fiona said when I yanked her onto the sofa. If she took another step, I’d lose my breakfast. “I think you
r fight with Snow was a good thing. Except for the part where Adam saw. That kind of sucks.”
“Kind of sucks?” I hissed. “Stubbing your toe kind of sucks. This doesn’t suck. Suck is too light a word for this situation. I don’t even think they’ve invented a word for it yet, though ‘catastrophe’ comes to mind.”
“Sorry.” She bit her lip and looked at me like I’d caught her stealing a cookie from the jar. “I just think the more you learn about Fireborns, the better. Plus, you have a twin — that’s really cool. Now that you’ve met her, maybe more memories will spring up.”
“Have you not been listening when I talk about my dreams? Who would want memories like that?” My hands were shaking, but before I could shove them into my pockets, Fiona took them, lacing our fingers together. We’d been doing that since we were kids, and the nostalgia calmed me, if only a little. “What more did that man do, Fiona? What more did he make me do?”
She squeezed my hands. “I don’t know, but I know that’s not who you are.”
“I am the way he made me,” I said, my voice cracking. “Every skill, every violent urge — everything was created in his image.”
“Good. Now, you have someone to blame for that hair.”
I glared at her, but it was halfhearted. “Adam asked me about it this morning. Or he would have if Jeffery hadn’t called. The Council can’t locate Thomas.”
“I’m surprised they don’t inject each member with a tracking chip,” she said. “I don’t think Adam is going to ask you again until this is over. He’s too job-oriented for that kind of thing. Also, he hasn’t said a word since he flipped out over Charlotte. Wonder what that’s even about. Ex who broke his heart?”
I shrugged, refusing to think of the women Adam had been with before we met. I needed happy, not petty jealousy. “What if he does ask again?”
She bit her lip. “That’s up to you.”
Realization came flying in like a ninja with a grudge. “You think I should tell him.”
Perfect white teeth dug deeper into her lips as she repeated, “That’s up to you.”
She must have realized I was about to strangle her, because she tightened her grip on my hands. “If you really like him — and you do — then it’s going to be impossible to keep this a secret for much longer. Especially with him on your ass about using your magic, and Snow, well, existing.”
I shook my head, clinging to the last solid thread I had left. Ollie almost died, Adrienne might die, I was using my magic and gaining new Fireborn powers, Snow was my twin, Adam was my… Adam — and we’d recently done some things that might make him my… more-than-Adam. Plus, a giant tidal wave might destroy Santa Fae and its neighboring cities. My entire world was collapsing around me. Hiding what I was to the world at large was the only sense of normalcy I had left.
I looked up as Adam turned. Our eyes met, and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of him. How many times had I gotten lost in those pretty grays? We’d only known each other for a month, but it felt like I’d been staring into them for an eternity. Doing things with Adam had always yielded positive results — maybe telling the truth would be the same.
“Here they are.”
Symeon entered into the room, his head bowed low. Every step he took was slow and deliberate, like an elaborate death march. I’d have rolled my eyes, but the magic emanating from the bronze box washed over me, its magic ancient. The scent of the ocean filled my nose, and I swore I could feel waves lapping at my fingertips. My legs twitched, wanting to kneel before such power, such history. These artifacts had stood the test of time, had survived what many civilizations hadn’t. I was honored to be in their presence, and more than a little guilty to be removing them from dormancy.
But fear froze my tongue. I couldn’t force myself to tell Adam the truth and show him the Gem. Not yet. Soon, I hoped, despite the very thought bringing breakfast up my throat.
I swallowed it back down and joined everyone at the coffee table. A variety of blue gems decorated the outside of the box, with detailed engravings of waves on the front. A sea creature was chiseled onto the lid. I didn’t know which, but it reminded me of Cthulu.
Symeon opened the box, and a soft breeze brushed my hair away, leaving me smelling of salt water. The Teeth rested on a teal satin cloth. There were eight of them, each shaped like large fangs and attached to a delicate string of pearls. The Teeth were pearl too, as long as my finger and curved to a blunt point. Opening the box allowed the Teeth’s magic to diffuse into the air. It covered us in a veil of ancient history and magic. I stood silently, paying my respects to such a treasure.
A hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality, and I found myself immediately leaning into Adam’s touch. His lips grazed my forehead, and we watched as Symeon lifted one of the Teeth out.
“There’s no spell required to use these. Simply put them on and you’ll be able to breath underwater. Speaking will come just as easily, and the words you speak to the depth’s residents will sound native to their ears — as theirs will to yours.”
Fiona took the offering and slipped it over her head. The tip dangled just before the swell of her breasts. “These pearls look so delicate. Will they be okay?”
“They’re enchanted,” he said. “They shouldn’t break unless someone rips them off with excess force.”
The pearls felt like an icy hand around my neck, but I chased away those thoughts with worries about Adrienne and the ritual. “Will it help us swim faster?”
“No,” Symeon said. “But I can take you to the boundaries of the nereid’s spell. You’ll have to swim to the village from there. Your boat or mine, Mr. Pierce?”
Adam pulled his keys out. “Unless yours is faster?”
“I imagine they’re about the same,” he said. “Let’s go then.”
Adam nodded, then turned to me when I didn’t move. “What?”
“You have a boat?”
“Actually, it’s a yacht,” Symeon said.
Fiona shoved her face past mine. “You have a yacht?”
Adam didn’t take his eyes off me. He looked…. Was that guilt? “I was going to tell you. When we had time. I have a lot I want to tell you.”
Me too, though it made chewing my arm off seem painless. “When there’s time. But now we have to go.”
Ollie peered at the four of us, his eyes wide with confusion. “Why am I here? I was in the cafe, and now I’m on a boat. A freakin’ gigantic boat. Don’t you dare make an Old Spice joke.”
I pursed my lips. Even the threat of death couldn’t stop my smart mouth. We were on Adam’s yacht, ready to depart, when the thought hit me. Having Ollie so close to the blast zone felt like the opposite of keeping him safe, but if that ritual was completed, we were all dead anyway; might as well be with family. And he was family — my overbearing younger brother that acted like he was older.
“Fiona brought you here,” I said, as if he hadn’t noticed the red-haired fairy yanking him through a giant green hole. “To keep you safe. Anna’s working today, right?”
“You’re supposed to ask that before abducting me.” Ollie crossed his arms. “And good job. I doubt any assassins will come for us in the Pacific Ocean.”
“You’d be surprised,” Symeon said. “There’s a reason Veronica Sutton doesn’t invite me on her yacht anymore. But traumatize the poor boy after I’ve told you what you need to know.”
Ollie frowned at the word “traumatize” and took a seat with the rest of us in the living room. That’s right: living room. This wasn’t a yacht, it was a damn house boat. Mansion boat, actually. There were four bedrooms. Four. My house didn’t even have four bedrooms. Or four bathrooms. Or two living rooms. Who needed two living rooms, especially on a boat? Honestly, if the world was destroyed by a flood, all Adam would need is a fishing rod.
Fiona screamed when she saw it. Literally screamed. People stared. If she didn’t want me to tell Adam — or marry him — before, she definitely did now. I wouldn’t be surprised if she w
as picking out wedding flowers in her head. I gulped, trying to chase away thoughts of white rose bouquets surrounded by smaller pink and purple flowers. I definitely hadn’t been this much of a girl before.
“What’s there to tell?” Fiona asked. “We dive in, probably get chased around by Jaws, find the village, and make nice. I can be very nice. Sophia….” She pursed her lips. “Well, I’ll be there, so we should be good.”
“I’ll rip that necklace off your neck the moment we touch water,” I warned.
“You will not be ‘ripping’ anything,” Symeon said quickly. “And it won’t be that easy. The tribe of nereids living down there might be open to diplomacy. It is their people who will be sacrificed, after all, and the threat of Seraphine should prove enough to cement their temporary cooperation — assuming they don’t think she’s a myth. However, they live away from human society for a reason.”
“I thought nereids liked people,” I said, chasing the last picture of roses from my mind. “Adrienne said her tribe loved swimming alongside ships. You know, back in the day.”
“Ah, yes,” Symeon said wistfully. “The time before cameras documented our every move. Well, as with any species, not everyone is the same. Nereids are certainly social creatures, but just as many satiate themselves with the company of their own kind. Due to fishermen, I assume. Nothing like a land-dweller cooking dear old granny for dinner to make you hate anything without gills.”
“Fair enough,” Adam said while the rest of us grimaced at the imagery. “What else?”
“There are a great deal of magical creatures in the sea,” Symeon continued. “Some are a little more, well, terrifyingly huge with a penchant for flesh. But I doubt you’ll swim deep enough to encounter them. Most tribes avoid settling near such creatures lest they be put on the menu as well.”
“And yet you’re telling us about them,” Adam said.
“Very astute, Mr. Pierce.” Symeon tapped his forehead. “One species you will have to be on the lookout for are the charybdis. Cannibals of the sea, they prefer dining on nereids and other sea life more than humans. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll pass up an opportunity for a free meal. Be careful. They possess great physical strength and are exceedingly aggressive.”