Tatiana tried not to gawk and rubbed her ring finger instead. The coveted white tattoo hadn’t had time to appear yet and Tatiana couldn’t wait to see the proof of her eternal bond to Azor.
The girl finished her exam and gestured for Tatiana to stay. Then she swam past the mermaid statue in the foyer and disappeared through an arched doorway. The statue looked familiar. One she’d remembered being in the outer courtyard before. Had he moved it? Twin beams of light illuminated the statue’s bare breasts from hidden sun tunnels in the ceiling. Tatiana couldn’t stop staring at her, feeling inadequate about her own anatomy.
In the servant’s absence, a chilling emptiness consumed Tatiana. She moved inside farther and her gaze panned the interior of the Prince’s home, realizing this was hers now, too. Though wide and spacious, the inside lacked décor—a direct opposite of the palace’s lavishness. A stone table surrounded by rock stumps for chairs stood before a hearth, glowing from trapped lava behind the gel cover. Above, bluish light from sconces illuminated bones of fish heads on one wall and weapons resting in harnesses on the other. Straight ahead, down a long hall flanked with arched doorways, were the iron doors to the dungeon—the ones she’d broken Fin out of not too long ago.
Incessant ringing assaulted Tatiana’s brain. Then vertigo set in, spinning the room. Quickly, she rested her backside on the nearest stump and clutched her queasy stomach. Where was Azor? Why hadn’t he returned?
Unable to stay upright, Tatiana doubled over, wishing her body would heal itself already. Gloved fingers prodded at her shoulder. Tatiana looked up as the dark-haired girl produced two fluffs of cotton and put them into her ears. A warm sensation flooded into Tatiana’s skull and traveled down her neck. She hummed in relief as the horrible ringing lessened.
The girl then showed Tatiana a green seed and motioned she eat it. Nauseous and riddled with fresh memories of the effects of the healer’s drugs on her earlier, Tatiana declined.
“I need to stay alert and wait for Azor. We need to help him. Where are the guards? He can’t defend himself alone. Not against sharks.” Tatiana eyed the wall of tridents and spears, tempted to grab one and lead a rescue attempt herself. Her body, on the other hand, veered sharply to the right and Tatiana practically toppled off the stump.
The girl grimaced and held out the seed more urgently. Her lips moved and she pointed to Tatiana’s ear. “No—help you.”
At the vision of Azor being torn limb from limb, Tatiana’s heart pumped harder, amplifying the pain with each excruciating beat. She doubled over, cupping her ear, and moaned. The girl forced the seed into Tatiana’s mouth and, desperate for a reprieve, she swallowed. Within seconds, relief and sleepiness overtook her.
The girl tugged on Tatiana’s hand and led her past the naked mermaid statue, through the arched doorway. On the left, Tatiana discovered a kitchen, and on the right, more doorways covered in seaweed strands that led somewhere else. At the end of the hall, a hole was cut out in the ceiling. They glided through easily to the second floor. The same eerie blue glow illuminated another hall lined with iron doors, ending in a set of two at the end.
Tatiana yanked her hand free. “But what about Azor?”
The girl’s mouth curled into a frown. She shook her head and spoke slowly so Tatiana could read her lips, “Gone—to the palace.”
“But how? All the sharks!” Tatiana ran her hand through her hair, forgetting the multitude of pins and golden chains that had held her tresses for the happiest day of her life. A few launched errantly into the current like falling stars, but Tatiana didn’t care. Azor needed her.
Numbness deadened her limbs as flashes of her last visit to the compound surfaced. The thrill of breaking in, her heart racing like mad, the ink, the dumbfounded guards passing out, the fumbling of keys, the effortless escape from the dungeon, freedom with her brother in Tahoe, short-lived freedom that seemed a lifetime ago. Azor’s compound stood empty today. Where were the guards? Had they all attended the ceremony?
Again, the servant girl persuaded Tatiana to go with her and took her by the arm. Tatiana almost pulled away, but the warmth through her gloved fingers was comforting. Together, they floated into the closest room, the fight melting inside.
On the floor was a grouping of sea sponges in a perfect square. Tatiana wanted to laugh, and probably would have if her lips weren’t so anesthetized. She’d rather sleep in the current than rest on slimy sponges. In truth, she’d rather not sleep at all. There was a rescue plan they needed to execute.
The servant ignored her hesitation and motioned she lay on the sponge bed. Without warning, blackness drenched the room, enveloping everything around them. An odd sensation rolled over her and her body tilted parallel to the floor. Something heavy draped over her fin and settled her slowly to the floor.
: : :
Muffled voices outside the door woke Tatiana. Groggy, she sat up and winced, gaining her bearings. The sunlight filtering through the window was dim—morning perhaps? Sponge slime covered her skin and face. She wiped off the goo, then pulled the fluffs from her ears and almost squealed in joy. She could hear without the incessant ringing.
“Nothing’s changed,” Azor said in the hall, “I promise you.”
“But…” The longing in the female’s voice froze Tatiana in place.
“You know the delicacy of the situation. If I could have done things any other way, I would have. Just be patient. I have a plan,” he finished.
Tatiana strained to hear, her joy he’d survived the hungry sharks short-lived. Her heart constricted like a fist. Only men occupied the compound and female servants. Who was this woman and what situation was he referring to? After another moment of silence, she flipped the woven kelp blanket off with her tail and swam to the door, pressing her ear against the crack.
“Azor?” she called out before opening the door.
An empty hall greeted her. From the first floor, angered voices from mermen filled the water. Anxious to see Azor and the source of the commotion, Tatiana swam down through the porthole. She had so many questions. What had happened? Who had he spoken with in the hall? Why hadn’t he checked on her? But most important, when were they leaving for their honeymoon? She closed her eyes and corrected herself: promisetide.
In the main room, a dozen mermen milled about, stinking up the place with their fishy musk. Problems surrounding the destroyed gate and the sharks dotted the mermen’s conversation. Jealousy arose in Tatiana as she scanned the area for the woman, finding no one.
“I say we go through the Pacific gate if we can’t reopen Tahoe’s in time,” a man yelled from the other room. “We’ve already shown those sharks who’s boss!”
Tatiana’s chest jolted at the mention of Tahoe. She snuck past the mermaid statue to the corner and peered around. Mermen cheered and clanged their metal weapons against one another as if toasting glasses, happy to go after her parents and her brother. She recognized none of them, save Badger. Their eyes met at once and his bearded lips remained still, his eyes apologetic.
Upon seeing Azor, everything faded as her blood sang through her veins. Like a sunrise, she wanted to bask in his love, feel his arms around her, enjoy his tenderness he’d briefly shown after the explosion, and get to know every inch of him.
A few others saw her and fell silent, glaring at her and her white promising gown. Azor turned to find the distraction and frowned. Her shoulders sank at his disapproval.
“Tatiana! Go back to your room!” he yelled with a jab of his finger.
The rest in the room quieted and stared. Her mouth turned dry like a desert. Shocked and hurt, she choked down a swallow of seawater to loosen her vocal cords.
“I-I can hear you just fine,” she said.
“Oh.” He dipped his head to the side. “Well, Love… this meeting is for men only. So why don’t you go find something else to do.”
She frowned at his lack of concern. Never mind the fact she wanted alone time with her new husband. Their last interaction inv
olved his suicide mission through shark-infested waters. As the stares continued to linger, she waited for him to suggest, at the very least, a short conversation in private.
“Azor? I’d like to talk—”
“Later,” he said, his voice clipped.
She winced at his harshness then turned with a loud huff, but not before she locked eyes with him—blue-grey eyes she could pick out anywhere. The merman’s gaze returned to Azor, his jaw clenched tight as if he didn’t notice they’d recognized one another. She could have sworn he’d been the one—the rebel who’d dragged her from the palace, the one she’d bitten.
She immediately searched his forearm for signs of a bite wound, but he moved his arm out of sight. Her body iced over. What was he doing here?
3
: : :
Friends and Rebels
Jacob moved his arm out of sight, his heart racing. Yes, his wound from Tatiana’s bite had not fully healed, but with everyone else’s cuts and wounds, it didn’t stand out—except to her. A tremor hit his fin, remembering her attack—fierce and fiery, and oddly a turn on. And yet she still stared, questioning.
She saw me. She knows.
He locked onto Azor, well… more like burned holes into him, and concentrated to keep his breathing easy. Visions of what Azor had done to Tatiana the day prior continued to gnaw at his gut and boil his blood. He couldn’t believe, even after Jack interrupted the ceremony, the asshole still kissed her.
He fingered his trident, keeping track of Tatiana in his peripheral vision. If she’d suspected something now, just wait until she found out Jacob was to be her bodyguard. He smiled slightly, imagining her response.
At the sound of the stone front door leading outside scraping against the floor and opening, Jacob turned and straightened his shoulders.
No!
Darrellon, the leader of the King’s guards—the Dradux—appeared with a smile on his face. Behind him he towed a string of rebels, all chained and recently flogged. Jacob’s muscles tensed, ready to spring into action. Badger clasped his shoulder.
“Wait, son,” he mumbled.
Wait? Was Badger mad? He, Badger and the rest of the undercover rebels here could take Azor and the enemies out, even though they were outnumbered two to one. They could free the rebels—free Tatiana—and be the heroes. Badger just needed to give the word.
Jacob stared into the helpless faces of the men, his friends, when he saw Maugin, a Council member’s daughter among the group. She bowed her head in an attempt to hide her face, while furtively scanning the room through her veil of hair.
Outrage swelled in Jacob’s chest and his fins bristled. He turned, the point of his trident aimed at Azor’s chest when Tatiana swam from her hiding place, glaring.
“What have these people done to deserve this?” she demanded of him.
Azor’s head whipped around and he clamped onto her arm, pulling her into the hall past the statue. Jacob watched them carefully as the commotion of the room picked up in volume.
With a lift of his chin, Azor frankly replied, “This is not your concern, Love. Let me handle the rebels while you adjourn to the privacy of the sitting room upstairs.”
“The rebels?” Conflict stretched over her face and she yanked back her arm from his grip. She gestured, appalled, at the line of injured mer. “This is inhumane and these people did nothing wrong.”
Azor moved closer to her, his poisonous barbs extending. Jacob, noting the hostile stance, left his seat and floated closer. He’d stab Azor outright before he’d allow Tatiana to be abused in any way.
Azor only lifted his chin and smirked. “They’ve admitted to their crimes of treason and must fulfill their punishment. It’s only a few days in the dungeon, that’s all.”
“Treason? For helping my father?” she asked.
With quick movements, Azor pulled her close and brushed his lips against her hair, making Jacob want to vomit. And like magic, she softened, her eyes glazing over. Azor traced the neckline of her dress with his finger. “You should probably go change out of this dress, don’t you think?”
She nodded, leaning into him with a look of longing in her eyes. “Okay.”
What the—? Jacob couldn’t believe his eyes. Where was all the fire he knew she had? This was an atrocity. She needed to tell Azor where to stick his so-called punishment and free her people.
With a smile of victory, Azor kissed her temple and then left to deal with the prisoners. Jacob worked to keep his face indifferent, smirking only slightly when Azor nodded his direction. Helplessly, Jacob watched Tatiana’s bliss evaporate and she floundered in the current, a mix of sadness then disgust on her face.
That’s right, Tatiana. He’s a snake and doesn’t deserve you, Jacob thought. Fight the promise and give him hell.
Her blue eyes bore into Jacob once again, hitting him with a raised eyebrow. A hot bolt of lightening zinged down his tail and he turned away, caught. He fought to catch his breath, dialing down the internal heat that had blazed temporarily out of control in his body. What was it with this woman that she had such an affect on his self-control?
He focused his attention on a messenger boy who’d swum up beside Azor and whispered in his ear. Azor’s grin vanished, his color graying slightly. “I’ll be there shortly,” he told the boy before he addressed Blanchard. “Have the rest of the sharks been contained?”
“As far as I know, yes. We’ll put up more permanent bars tomorrow,” he said. “Is there a problem?”
“There’s one that we didn’t…” Azor looked over his shoulder at Tatiana and paused, as she peered from behind the mermaid statue, gripping the plinth with white knuckles.
Blanchard nodded, anticipating what Azor was to say anyway.
“As for the prisoners, set up a guard detail. I’ll interview the ones who haven’t confessed later.” Azor’s face hardened, and he turned to his charges. “Men, scour the city. Anyone who’s wounded, or was unaccounted for during the ceremony, find them. Bring them here for questioning. Grommet, Eron, Cyanen, Peridge, and Badger, come with me.”
Jacob closed his eyes for a second. Of course Azor would, unknowingly, summon most all of the secret rebels for assistance.
As his friends passed by, they exchanged knowing glances. The plan was that if anyone’s life was in jeopardy, they’d overthrow the palace and take over. Otherwise, they were to wait for Jack to return with backup. Jacob had expected only days would pass, but now with the Tahoe gate demolished and Azor’s growing Dradux squad, he had no clue when that would happen. They didn’t have time to wait, especially where Tatiana was concerned.
Jacob noted Tatiana still hung in the shadows, watching everything, when Xirene swam up behind her and led her away to the kitchen.
: : :
“Come away from the warriors, Princess,” the ebony haired healer said. “I’m sure you’re hungry after your long day.”
Tatiana quit protesting when the girl struggled with her deformed fin to pull her forward. The thought of food sickened her, but she did need space to think.
Ugh! She cursed herself again for her weakness. Under Azor’s touch, Tatiana’s brain turned to mush, unable to process, let alone carry out a functioning thought. There were mers in the dungeon, locked up for trying to stop her promising ceremony, taking the blame needlessly. She had to do something.
In the kitchen, two other mermaid servants were arranging plates on a granite table in the middle of the room—both brunettes. Behind them a huge slab of shark meat bled into the current. Tatiana imagined the head would join other rotting trophies on Azor’s wall. Oh the joy.
“Princess,” they said, bowing their heads.
Tatiana recognized them immediately and smoothed her hands down the front of her white gown, now torn and missing most of its gems. They’d helped her get ready for the ceremony—but only after she’d been drugged and cooperative.
“I—thank you,” Tatiana said to the healer. “My ears feel so much better.”
&
nbsp; “Good.” She grinned and pulled a plate from the grouping, and handed it to Tatiana.
Tatiana tried to lift her lips in an appreciative smile, but leered instead. The last time you gave me something, you drugged me to sleep, you slippery little grunion.
“What did you use to heal me?” Tatiana watched the healer closely, hoping for a snippet of fear to flood the water.
Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin a notch, she casually stated, “Just something I whipped together.” Her smile didn’t touch her eyes, just as cold as Azor’s compound.
“And the sleep aid?”
The healer cocked a brow. “That’s never happened before. Your constitution is most delicate.”
Tatiana smirked. Delicate, my fin. She took a seat and removed the woven lid weighed down by colorful rocks attached at the edges. On her plate was a live lobster nestled within a collection of green plants and an orange. Her mouth watered at the site of the golden ball that took flight into the current. Fruit, a true delicacy in Natatoria.
“Careful,” the yellow-tailed brunette warned, “don’t let that sucker get away.”
Tatiana wasn’t sure if the girl meant the orange or the lobster. Thankful the claws were tied, Tatiana put the lobster under the lid and snatched the escaping orange and tore off its rind.
“Didn’t you help me get ready earlier?” Tatiana asked her, embarrassed she couldn’t remember her name.
“Earlier?” The healer interrupted, cocking her head.
“Weren’t you at the palace yesterday, Xirene?” the blue-tailed brunette asked. “For the ceremony?”
Xirene flipped her dark hair and looked away in disgust. “No. I was here.”
The blue-tailed brunette cleared her throat. “I’m Shanleigh and this is Coralade, Princess. Yes, we did help you get ready to promise Prince Azor.” His name floated off her tongue like a butterfly.
Everlost (Mer Tales, Book 3) Page 2