‘We were there,’ Demon said. ‘It’s true.’
‘Why you, my king? If it didn’t—’ Iason protests came weeks too late.
‘Because it was his duty as king to lead the way up for his people,’ Demon defended, even though he himself had made the same protest when they were making their way toward the surface.
Realizing he gripped the king, Iason let go and swam a few inches back. He searched the king as if looking for injuries. ‘And, it worked?’
‘Aye,’ Lucius said. ‘I breathed the surface air and I lived.’
‘What was it like?’ Iason asked.
‘It tingled,’ Lucius answered, unable to describe it beyond that. He’d seen Olivette falling into the water and the experience of being the first merman to breathe surface air had paled in comparison.
‘Look at the fallen king, as he realizes everything he rules is about to crumble.’
Lucius spun around. Lotis held her arms wide and swished her tail as she held her place in the water. She wore a metal crown.
The mermaid reminded him of blood in the water. Her red hair, eyes, and scales were unlike any other in Atlantes. There was evilness inside her, a diabolical nature that she couldn’t hide. It shone in her eyes and revealed itself in the way her lips curled into a smile. She was an empty vessel that some force had filled with every negative substance they could find—hatred, vindictiveness, selfishness, murderous impulses. Add all that to the boredom of centuries and a true sea witch was born.
‘Nothing to say?’ Lotis taunted. The mermaids Electra and Carmenta swam up behind her in support. Electra seemed to be ever changing, glistening like water in sunlight.
Carmenta was a blonde with purplish-gray fins. He had not remembered her to be a cruel woman, but in truth it had been decades since he’s seen her.
‘You killed Maia,’ Lucius stated. What more was there to say to this woman? She had clearly lost her sanity long ago. Only a madwoman would lay such horror at his doorstep.
‘I did.’ Lotis said the words with pride.
‘You don’t even try to deny it,’ Iason spat.
‘No one is talking to you, peasant.’ Lotis glared at Iason.
‘Quiet your tongue in front of royalty,’ Electra ordered.
Carmenta’s expression did not match the others. She glanced at the king and then away.
‘I recognize no queen,’ Iason returned.
‘Surrender now and you will be shown mercy,’ Lucius offered, hoping at least Carmenta would take it. He did not wish to hurt anyone, even these disillusioned women.
‘I was about to say the same thing.’ Lotis’ laughter clouded the mind link. ‘But we all know you will never bow to a woman.’
Lucius thought of Olivette.
‘I grow bored with this,’ Lotis stated. ‘Deal with them.’
Mermaids surged from below as if they’d been creeping closer in silence. The ocean became a flurry of blurred movements. The Olympians attacked, trying to slash with their sharp fins to tear the mermen’s chests and necks with deadly force. Lucius fought back, joining the hunters as they defended themselves. He knew none of them wanted to hurt the mermaids.
Blood clouded the water. He felt his fin meet flesh. Lucius did not want to kill. He ordered them to surrender through the mind link but they kept coming. He caught Lotis swimming in the background, grinning at the chaos she’d created.
The water began to vibrate. Sea creatures came from the darkness and charged the dome. They had done this once before when Maia had called them to create earthquakes within. But now the dome was cracked. Gigantic squid sacrificed themselves on the barrier, slamming so hard it instantly killed them. They fell to the sea floor, polluting the waters with their death.
Lucius tried to focus his mind on turning the sea creatures back.
Lotis closed her eyes, summoning all she could. A mermaid grabbed his arm and he tried to shake her off as she broke his concentration. Another squid hit the dome.
‘You must stop her,’ Carmenta’s voice whispered through the insanity. Her eyes pleaded with him to listen. ‘She destroys everything she touches. She won’t stop until Atlantes falls—’
Carmenta’s mouth opened as blood spurted from between her lips.
Lotis jerked her fin out of the woman’s back. ‘Traitor.’
Lucius pushed Carmenta aside and swept his arm toward Lotis. He met with flesh. Lotis’ scream filled his mind as she quickly called a retreat.
He turned to access the damage. The crack had fractured its way up the side of the dome. He saw air leaking out, bubbling at a faster rate. Lucius wanted to give chase, but another squid came to join the others.
‘Turn the creatures,’ he ordered. ‘The dome won’t last.’
They used the mind link to warn the creature away. The giant squid turned at the last moment, surging and bumping along the dome. The creature barreled through the retreating Olympians, throwing them in every direction. Their screams died, some on impact with the squid, others as they were flung hard onto the rocks below.
Lucius watched a squid dragged Lotis along the dome wall. The animal crushed her repeatedly before it pushed away from the dome and changed direction. Lotis’ dead body slid along the dome before dropping once more.
The dome crack had spread at the impact from the squid. Iason swam upward to assess the damage. Lucius darted down to examine the carnage of what had happened. Lotis lay like a broken mass on the ocean floor, her red eyes still open as if they held on to the rage of her life. They had not meant to kill so many as they’d tried to save the dome.
‘Water drips in,’ Iason reported. ‘Air escapes. The crack is spreading in too many directions.’
‘What does this mean?’ Brutus asked. ‘How do we fix it?’
‘I don’t know that we can,’ Iason answered. ‘We would have to encase the dome in stone, even then it might not be enough, and who knows if the dome would support the weight.’
‘This is the beginning of the end,’ Lucius answered. ‘The days of Atlantes are numbered. We have no choice but to evacuate the people, and hope that the gods will bless us to walk on the surface world once more.’
The fear they all felt at that moment did not need to be spoken. It flowed in every gesture and look. Lucius saw Lotis’ crown caught on a rocky ledge, a strange symbol. Now that the chaos had died down, the scavengers of the abyss began to return, coming for the food left for them from the battle.
‘Leave them. They chose their fates. We will send someone back for them if there is time.’ Lucius thought of Olivette. Had he saved her from one horrible death, only to condemn her to another? ‘Right now, we need to get home.’
Chapter Thirteen
Lucius found Olivette standing by the saltwater pool, staring at the surface. She breathed heavily as she contemplated the still water. He imagined he felt the fear coming from her, but it might have been his own.
“You felt the tremors?” he asked as he approached.
Olivette nearly jumped out of her skin at his voice. She gasped sharply and stumbled back from the water. She clutched her hands over her heart.
Lucius stopped walking and held up his hands as if to reassure her from a distance.
Olivette hurried toward him. “You’re back. Word came while we were in the village that you were out in the water. Then we saw the dark shadows over the dome and felt the earthquakes. I was trying to…” She gestured to the water. “Lyra told me how Laurel drowned herself in the pool and had Bridget sneak her out into the ocean so that she could help save Brutus.”
“You were going to drown yourself to save me?” he asked.
A tear slipped over her cheek. “I tried, but I was scared.”
Lucius pulled her into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re not hurt,” she whispered before pushing back to look at him. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No.” He held her close once more, not wanting to let her go.
“I’m sorry I’m suc
h an idiot.”
“What do you mean?” It was his turn to try to study her face.
Olivette lifted up on her toes and kissed him. Her arms moved around his neck and she kept him from pulling away. Lucius moaned, trying to keep his wits enough to realize they were in the swimming area. He lifted her in his arms and carried her through the halls. The feel of her mouth made him stumble as he made haphazard patterns through the halls instead of walking a straight line.
“My king,” Bridget gasped in shock, having caught them making out in the palace halls.
The sound broke them apart long enough for him to correct his course and continue to his home. He hit the door with his shoulder, knocking it open and weakening the latch. He bumped it a second time, forcing it to close and give them privacy.
“I do not find you to be an idiot.” Lucius let her feet drop to the ground.
“I’m an idiot for not doing that sooner. I hated it when you went away,” she confessed, taking a small step back. “I should have listened to what my heart and body were telling me, not my stupid brain. I want to be with you, Lucius. I know you’re not looking for a queen, and I’m all right with that, but I want to be with you. It hurts—actually hurts—when you’re not near me. I can’t breathe when you’re not around. There is an emptiness I can’t describe.”
“Who says I am not looking for a queen?”
“I thought…” She gestured helplessly at nothing in particular. “After Maia, and well…”
“I love you, Olivette.” He closed the small distance between them. “I never loved Maia. I never made her promises. I never felt the connection with her that I have with you. I’ve known how I’ve felt since the first time our lips met under the water. It is the Merr way to know the other piece of our heart when we find it. The knowledge may be one of the few blessings the gods gave us. You weren’t even conscious then. And later when you kissed me, really kissed me, it cemented my feelings.”
“You didn’t say anything, didn’t let on.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed him. A soft moan escaped her lips.
“I didn’t want to force you. I imagine coming down here is not easy. I’m sure it can be confusing.”
“Yes, it’s not exactly easy but I’m not confused.” Olivette tugged at his clothing, lifting his shirt so her hands could glide over the flesh at his waist. “When I’m near you, I feel the pull. My wanting to be with you has never been in question.”
“Then what is in question?”
Her hands paused in their exploration. “I don’t think I’ll make a good queen. I know nothing about it. And the position of the king’s lover feels like it comes with a little too much public responsibility. Then I went to the dining hall, and to the village. I heard the people talk about you, about this place. I saw the beauty that was created under your rule—that mermaid statue in the village, the palace murals, the carvings on the houses, the vases, and plates, and…everything.”
“That is nonsense. You would make a lovely queen.” Lucius threw his shirt over his head and reached for her gown. He lifted it from her and tossed it aside. The passion he had for her burned so brightly that it outshone everything else. When he touched her, he knew that this was where he was meant to be. And if his world was going to end, then selfishly, she was who he wanted to be with when it did. However much time the gods gave them, the centuries before would be worth it to have this moment with her. One kiss, that is all he needed to be happy.
Olivette did not know it but she had rule over him. By extension, she had rule over all of Atlantes. He wasn’t worried. He knew that they would be safe in her capable hands. He trusted her like he trusted no one. The feeling was both strange and exhilarating. To trust somebody so fully, to know them with such certainty. For all that he believed swimming an eternity in the ocean was a curse, there was one thing about being Merr that gave them an advantage over when they were human. As a shifter, when he knew, he knew. Looking at her, it was incredibly clear. They were meant to be together.
There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he should tell her. The worry about his people stayed in the back of his mind. But how could he wipe that smile off her face? How could he end this beautiful moment? He wanted it. He needed it. He needed her.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Before she could respond, he kissed her again and urged her into the bedroom. Hands roamed over bodies. The more they touched, the more desperate he became. He lifted her briefly and then laid her on the bed. He had to protect her. He had to protect all of them. He drank in the comfort of her mouth, the reassurance of her touch.
He had been without it for so long, and the affliction was so deep, that he had a hard time holding back. Luckily, he did not have to. She was as urgent as he.
Olivette wiggled as he pulled the pants from his hips. There was no hesitation. He surged forward. They joined hard and fast, sliding together as if they were always meant to be. He wanted it to last forever, but the pleasure was too hard to resist. Her body trembled, and he met her release with his own.
Afterward, he rolled back, pulling her next to him on the bed. He held her close in the dim light.
“How do people get married here anyway?” she asked.
“They announce their intentions and I bless the union.” He leaned his head back to study her. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“You know, crazy as it sounds, I think I might be,” Olivette giggled.
“Then you have my blessing,” he whispered, holding her close. “For what good it’s worth.”
“What are you not saying?” She touched his face.
“I’m sorry. I brought you here right at the end, and as much as I want you to be my queen, I feel I must tell you what it is you will face.”
“Are you changing your mind already?” She frowned.
“I love you, Olivette, have no doubts about that, but as my queen, you join me at our most dire time.”
As if to punctuate his words, a tremor shook the room.
“All right. Now you seriously have me worried.” She sat up on the bed.
Lucius told her all that had happened, before saying, “Lotis is dead, but before she died, she sealed the fate of this dome.”
“How long?”
“Days? A week? We can’t be sure. I should have told you the second I came back, but you looked so lovely by the pool. I wanted a moment with you before—”
“Before we come up with a plan to save our people,” she inserted firmly. “Either we sit here and accept fate or we do something about it. If people need to eat seaweed to breathe air, then bring on the salads.”
“It is already being gathered, and we are calling everyone in from the countryside, or sending them to the Olympian tunnels we discovered. It’s not the safest route, but I’m not sure they have three days to get here by land. People will start to arrive at the palace soon, but—”
“No buts.” Olivette held up her hand. “I’m from Florida, the land of hurricanes. So we treat this like an oncoming disaster. Best to be prepared. If it doesn’t come, great. If it does, we have an emergency plan in place. Make sure people only pack items of importance and what can be carried in the water, and if there is time, we’ll go back to secure the rest. People tend to place misguided importance on objects during times of panic. If the dome doesn’t hold, then maybe someday someone will come back and find that which is lost.”
“Yes. Already you show much wisdom, my queen.” Everything about her amazed him.
She stood, looking around the room. “As beautiful as this palace is, these are just things. Life must come first.”
Another earthquake hit, lasting longer than the others. Olivette cried out and covered her head. The wall cracked under the disturbance and chunks began to fall in heavy thuds. Lucius tugged her from the bed moments before the wall caved in. It might already be too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Olivette coughed as the dust drifted into the living room from the bedroom She c
overed her mouth and took several deep breaths. The sound of water trickled loudly. As the tremors stopped, she looked at the ceiling. The outside air filled the room. Water trickled down the side of the wall from a busted pipe.
“We need clothes.” Lucius passed her to go back into the bedroom. He tossed a nightgown at her before taking his own tunic and pants. As he made a move to leave, his feet hit the puddle of water and he slipped.
Olivette cried out as she went to catch him. His legs slid in the water, the skin transforming with scales and his feet half-shifted to fins.
Lucius touched the puddle and lifted his hand to see it also transformed. “Saltwater.”
They both looked up.
“That’s not a busted pipe,” she whispered.
“The dome is breaking,” he said.
Fear filled her, reflected in his gaze. She grabbed his arm and pulled him from the wet rubble. When they were out of the bedroom, she let go and tugged the gown over her head. Her heart beat in fear. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to drown. But her fears did not matter now. There were things that needed to be done. People they needed to help.
Lucius pulled on his clothes and limped on his half-shifted feet after her as they ran out of the home. As they dried, he was able to pick up the pace. The palace halls were filled with noise. They heard shouts and Lucius ran toward them.
“Stay close to me, boys,” Bridget ordered her sons. They whimpered in response.
“This way,” Rigel called out, waving his arms at a gathering crowd. She recognized a few people from town.
“The king,” someone said, seeing Lucius. The words were repeated throughout the hall. “The king. The king. King Lucius.”
All eyes turned to him, so trusting and willing to follow his lead. He looked at them, and she knew the weight sitting on his shoulders. When he didn’t speak, she joined him and took his hand.
“Lady Bridget has found a way for the Merr to breathe on the surface,” Lucius said.
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