by A. K. Koonce
Can he?
Chapter Three
Another Merman
Cohen
I’ve never felt anxiety like this.
I’m fucking terrified for her to be here. The world down here isn’t the same as the one up above. Rules don’t apply here. Survival applies here.
My hand tightens on her’s as I pull her deeper into the sea. The light in my palm guides us. Heavy darkness shrouds our bodies. The anxious darting of my eyes takes in every move in the darkness. I’m thankful for the shadows that hide the creatures from her but i’m also cursing them for hiding the dangers from me.
I’ll protect her with my life but I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her.
Princess.
The word echoes through my mind with a hissing sound. Her hands cling to my arm, her body pressing tightly to me as the word continues to chant around us.
Then I see him.
Adam was the first. He was the first merperson I ever met. He says he’s the first of our kind. The eldest. And the cruel waters have not been good to him.
With a slash of his black, glossy tail he rushes toward the light. The slick angles of his face are pulled tightly over sharp bones. White eyes eat up her appearance and the smile that tilts his features is filled with razor teeth that he drags his colorless tongue across. A gray color tints his skin as if he’s decaying from the outside in.
He’s what nightmares are made of.
It’s her isn’t it, Cohen? You brought her to us. Will she save us?
He reaches his frail hand out to her and she flinches back from him just as I move between him and her.
The appearance of weakness isn’t what resides within him. There’s dark power in his veins and I want it kept far away from Wrenley.
Where is my father? My thoughts reply.
Wrenley’s body inches closer to mine as Adam’s head eerily tilts to one side, his tongue flicking in and out his mouth. Gently, I squeeze her hand against mine, attempting to reassure her.
Adam swims closer, his deep-set ivory eyes never leaving my companion before he attempts to reach for her. Her hand drops from mine, only long enough for me to shove him out of our faces. Many more jagged teeth show as his mouth opens for a large smile.
Sea Witch, he hisses into my mind.
Somehow I knew. I knew he would be with her.
Chapter Four
Love
Wren
My legs kick, steadying my spot next to Cohen. As soon as the eerie creature appeared, my legs began to move, the urge to flee snapped through my body. Yet, I can’t leave him. Cohen’s been down here a hundred years with these creatures. I refuse to leave him here alone for even a second.
His palm presses against my lower back until we’re almost chest to chest. The strength he holds surrounds me. Then he moves so quickly my hair tangles around my face. It feels like soaring except the weight of the sea is pushing against us, trying to slow our rapid pace. The shadows pass in a blur and I’m just thankful to no longer be looking at that mercreature’s haunting face any more.
My hand brushes against his neck and I cling to Cohen’s strong body as if my life depends on it. The water stills around us as we come to an immediate stop.
Cohen, my beautiful, scowling love, you’ve really kept me waiting.
Her voice is like the smooth edge of a deadly knife and it cuts through my thoughts as if they’re my own.
Atop a mound of white coral sits the sea witch. Her long wafting tail is the color of iron and it glitters against the light of Cohen’s magic. The fine ends of her fins drift along the silt of the ocean floor as she lies in a seductive pose against the coral. The coral appears as a sort of chair for her and she lounges lazily on it. Her back is arched ever so slightly, exposing her pale breasts to the gleaming light. Long red locks frame her face, floating around her beautiful emerald eyes.
She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Thank you. She replies with a wicked smile on her full lips. Cohen’s father thought so too.
Where is my father? Cohen’s jaw is strung tight. Every muscle in his body is corded and ready to strike.
With quick movements, her tail lashes at the dark waters until she’s surrounded by our hue of golden light. Her sparkling eyes take in my every feature.
Do you love her?
For a moment, I’m distracted by her question. It feels dangerous. It’s a poised question filled with intent. But at the same time, I too am interested.
Does Cohen Ryken love me?
Where is he? Cohen asks once more with anger stinging his deep voice.
A playful smirk bites her lips.
Love got us all into this mess, she tells us. King Ryken told me once he loved me. He spoke in circles of how he would make me his new queen. How he would get rid of that stupid woman. Her lips curl with disgust. It was a lie. Every word he ever spoke was a lie.
How do you know? My question startles even myself. I need to be more careful with my thoughts.
What do you mean how do I know? Rage burns through her beautiful gaze like an ember.
Love isn’t restrictive. The heart can love many. How do you know he didn’t love you, as well as Cohen’s mother?
Cohen’s attention dips to the ocean floor, staring off into his thoughts.
I know because I gave him a dagger, a dagger you might be familiar with. This particular dagger is cursed with love and hope and desire. It was enchanted by my heart and soul. I was cursed to the sea simply for giving him the dagger. I would be released once it had done its deed. It was intended to kill in the name of love. It was intended to kill that woman. But King Ryken couldn’t do it. Because he did not love me. Your ancestor was mistakenly murdered all because he didn’t have the gall to tell me he did not love me.
She glares at me hard before starting up on another rant before anyone can even respond.
Tell me, do you ever wonder if it is you that’s cursed and not them? If perhaps that blade cursed your bloodline for generations to come? Here, down below the surface, we tell tales of the legend of the cursed princess. What will be the outcome of this legend?
What if I said I don’t believe in curses? Magic, spells, enchantments, sure, but I refuse to believe our lives are intertwined because of something evil residing within us.
That flashing smile is blazing back across her lips and just as the whisper of her voice meets my mind, Cohen cuts her off.
Where is my father? It’s all Cohen seems to be able to say to this witch. The ticing of his jaw tells me he doesn’t wish to speak with her at all.
Where he belongs. Her words are tinged with cruel happiness. Buried at the bottom of this cursed sea.
Her words sink into me, weighting my stomach until I think I might throw up.
Where’s my sister? Cohen’s arm shakes against mine and I look up at him to find his entire frame shaking.
The light held in his palm blazes with intensity. Each of his fingers are fisted as if he might shatter the magic he’s holding.
Do not threaten me, boy.
Her delicate fingers arch and tendrils of black smoke fill her palm. Power twirls within her grasp, seemingly ready to destroy whatever it touches.
I will take good care of your darling little sister. Her gaze flashes to me. Renounce your title.
What?
Renounce your families title to Nash Turningten. You should have married him you stupid, stupid girl. Her snarling words strike out with vengeance. Once you do what you know you must, then all of this will be over. And after it’s all over, I want my great-grandson on the throne as he should be. King Ryken’s shamefully secret family deserves the respect they are owed. I refuse to allow this all to have been for nothing.
Nash Turningten is an heir to the crown of Aveil.
And the heir to more dark magic than I could ever imagine.
Chapter Five
The Thief
Ledian
The instant I hea
r the words, something begins to bloom inside my chest. Perhaps I would label it as joy, though, I could count on one hand the amount of times I’ve felt that in my life. The heat from the emotion fuels me as I jog along the old roads of Aveil.
It was a murmur, something spoken so quiet as it spread through the town, but it didn’t seem as hush hush to me. I want to shout it from the rooftops. Wren had not married Nash.
Hopefully, that smug bastard was hiding away from this embarrassment, never to return to any social circle again. A smirk tugs at my lips at the thought.
I had to find Wrenley, hold her in my arms. Tell her how fucking glad I was that she would never have to be bound to that nasty man.
The wind nips threatening to create ice where sweat runs down my body, pooling just slightly along my collarbones. None of that bothers me though. I have to see her.
I weave my way through the crowds of people along the streets. Subtly, I glance around a vacant spot before I pull myself up and over the iron fencing. The sharp rods bite into my skin. Not a single person seems to even notice me as I slip through their conversations until I stand under the Princess’s balcony. It has to be her balcony. Everyone on the street keeps pointing here, as if waiting for her to step out and make a statement.
It’s not even dawn. I want to scream at the intruding audience to just let her sleep. Give her peace for once.
Except for me. She’ll want to see me, I’m sure of it.
Now or never. Grunting, I grip at the uneven stone walls of the castle until my hands meet the smooth marble of her precious window.
As I hoist myself over the edge with a sloppy smile plastered on my face, I speak, “Oh, my little wild one, I can’t believe you—”
It isn’t Wren with her beautiful ebony locks, eyes that cut through me with each glance, or that tongue, the one that kept up with my every quip. Inside her enormous room, I find two of the brothers she’d introduced me to. My steps falter, my smile falling.
One sits wrapped in heavy silk blanket on top of her bed, while the much more muscular one stands off to his side, holding a smoldering cup of liquid. The smaller one, the one with little to no interest in my help, frowns through the shivers that shake his body.
“She isn’t here,” Cormac mutters.
“Do you know when she’ll return?”
When he doesn’t answer I continue, ignoring the questioning look on his brother's face. “Look, Connor & Carson, I’m glad we can all be buddies and all, but I was really hoping for a much prettier face to be looking at right now.”
The smaller man rolls his eyes, tightening his grip on the blankets with one hand and reaching out for the warm cup from his brother. The hulking man watches me, his features tilting in amusement.
“I don’t figure she’ll be back for quite some time. Cohen took her out for a bit of an adventure.” He steps back finding a small cozy sitting chair and plopping down into it despite the protesting creak it gives from his solid body. “Also,” he clears his throat, “it’s Cason. The human one with his first puny cold in a hundred years is Cormac.”
Human.
My gaze holds Cason’s. I know they’re the reason she found me in the first place. They’re the reason I took her to the witch. They’re the reason for all of this.
But what are they?
His build is intimidating, not that I’d ever tell him that. He looks … entirely normal. What’s so special about these three? She likes them.
She likes them enough to seek out an asshole like me in a dangerous pub.
Maybe I shouldn’t be here.
White morning light magnifies the golden hue of the room. My attention trails the velvet furniture, the glossy bed frame, the high arching ceilings. I don’t belong here.
“I’m gonna go.” My brows pull together as I step away from it all. My boots shift against the smooth balcony, leaving behind bits of mud.
Cason turns fully to me. His eyes trail over my features. He does not like me. Not at all. I can see it in the way he looks at me. I’ve gotten that look a lot in my life.
“Do you want me to tell her you stopped by?” He raises his large hands from his sides in a shrug.
“No, don’t do that.”
I breath out a tense smile as my hand grips the smooth marble railing. My back is against it. I shouldn’t be lingering outside her room in plain sight, it’s dangerous. She’s going to get me in trouble. And I don’t need that in my life. My life is easy. I don’t need this woman screwing it all up.
I nod to myself and begin to turn away, but I halt in my tracks the moment he speaks again.
“She’d want to see you.” His words are spoken slowly, as if he doesn’t really want to say them. “She likes you. And maybe you’ll prove to be more useful than you look.”
My spine stiffens and I turn back to him with my brow arched high.
“Which one of you is she even with?”
The little one, who’s shivering uncontrollably on the bed, barks out a laugh that only confuses me more.
“Our lives are a bit more complicated than that,” Cason says as if that explains it all.
Suddenly, I’m walking back into her bedchambers. In the nearest chair, I take a seat, my legs lazily crossing in front of me. My hands rest on my stomach and I look up at him.
“Explain it to me.”
Chapter Six
All Three of You
Cason
Well, he seems to be taking it rather well. Better than I would've, given the circumstances. My mouth has gotten ahead of me somehow. It’s my mistake to have assumed that Wrenley had explained this all to Ledian. One would have thought, if you had enlisted a thief to help on a grand adventure involving curses and mermen, or if you had slept with the man, that you would have explained this already.
She could have brought us up once, at least.
Clearly, I’m the fool.
Wren is so young, so protective. My heart aches at the thought of her. The thought of her down in that wicked sea. I have to trust that Cohen can protect her. In a way I do, he would give his life for hers. However, it still doesn’t stop the pangs of guilt that it should be me down there with her instead of babysitting Mr. No Gills, and the thief.
“So, you’re a fucking merman?” Ledian says, pointing at me, his head cocked to the side.
“That's what the man just said,” Cormac deadpans in response.
With a roll of my eyes and a wave of my hand, I dismiss my brother. “Yeah, but not for long if we can help it. If you and Wren can help us. The more the merrier, right?” I wink.
Ledian almost looks appalled at my suggestion of friendship before he relaxes against the white velvet chair he’s sunken into.
“Wait—so, which one of you is she with?” he asks once more, leaning forward with more interest.
A pause drifts between us. This is why I hate talking; it just gets me further into trouble and only leads to even more questions.
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business.”
Ledian’s lips part incredulously as his head tilts ever so slightly. It’s like I can literally see his mind working.
“All of you? All three of you? She’s with all three of you?” His brows raise high as a smile creeps across his lips.
Cormac smirks, “She is, but I have a feeling I’m her favorite.”
Ledian coughs, “Didn’t she stab you? Must be wonderful being the favorite. Plus, you must have forgot she slept with me, too.”
“Not that I wouldn’t enjoy watching you two spiral into a petty argument where you both puff up your chests, I don’t think Wren would like that.” I add. “Ledian, if you are good enough for Wrenly, you are good enough for me.”
“That’s nice.” His voice is flat while he rubs at his face. I’m making an effort. I’m playing nice. He doesn’t seem to give a shit about nice.
Wrenley and Cohen need to return before the facade of niceness slips away entirely.
Chapter Seven
&nb
sp; Fucking Uncomfortable
Wren
The burning magic that coursed through my veins disappeared the moment I had stepped foot on the sandy beach. Every inch of my body now shakes from the cold. Cohen holds me tightly to his bare chest, carrying me through the side halls of the palace. But it’s no use. I think I might freeze to death before I even get a chance to renounce my title as the sea witch demanded.
As if I’d ever let that happen.
With too much force, he shoulders open my bedroom door. The painful cracking sound of the wood splitting from the frame should worry me but I can’t manage to focus on it. All I can think of is how badly the tips of my toes hurt, how I’m shivering so hard I can barely catch my breath.
I clench my jaw shut to keep it from shaking and look up at him. The cold doesn’t seem to be clawing into his bones as it is me. He appears entirely fine.
Perhaps that magic within him burns wild and strong.
For a few moments, there’s nothing but words and anxiety swirling around me but I can’t manage to hang on to any of it. Cormac, Cohen, Cason and even Ledian surround me. Their deep voices race around one another. Question after question, anger and worry flurry around me but I can’t seem to focus on any of it.
Cohen sits me down. I slump into his chest as we kneel together. My hands desperately try to cling to myself to keep the meager amount of warmth from slipping from my body.
Then he’s stripping me, tearing the soaked gown from my body. With fluid movements, he shreds the corset from my frame and my white underwear follow.
We’re naked, he and I. Then their hands are all over me. The heat of Cason’s palms press roughly to my lower stomach as he lines his chest up with my back and Cohen pulls me to him. My nipples brush against his chest but I can barely feel either man against my skin.
Cormac’s hands tilt my head to the side until my face is buried in his neck and he leans into me, lightly cradling my neck. They surround me like that for several minutes, until I feel them deeper than just the surface. I feel something burning desperately through me, heating me to the core.