Envy (The Damning Book 2)

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Envy (The Damning Book 2) Page 23

by Katie May


  done fast.

  “Give me your sword, Z!” Dair called up to me. I hesitated, only a

  second, before releasing the sword from the strap on my back and tossing it

  into the water. Dair caught it expertly before taking a deep, shuddering

  breath.

  And then his body cleaved in half. Before I could even scream, those

  halves turned into fourths and the fourths turned into eighths. Soon, there

  were dozens of fishes in the place of my mate, all swimming in separate

  directions to surround the Kraken. I had no idea what had happened to my

  sword, but I trusted Dair had a plan.

  The Kraken opened its mouth and released a roar. Row after row of teeth,

  various shades of brown, sat crookedly in its gaping mouth, and air from the

  roar blew my hair back. It smelled of decaying fish and blood, permeating the

  air in a sickly perfume.

  That one eye remained trained on me. All it needed to do was reach out a

  tentacle...

  I hooked the arrow into the bow and leveled it at the monster. Pulling the

  taut string back, I waited until that one eye was in my direct line of vision.

  And then, I released the arrow.

  It flew through the air with a blistering speed, landing directly in the

  Kraken’s eye. Its cry this time was anguished, pained, and the sea creature

  withered. The arrow protruded from the milky, sunken eyeball, black blood

  drizzling down the creature’s face.

  With a newfound vengeance, the Kraken wrapped its tentacles around the

  boat, shaking it. I let out a squeal as I was roughly thrown against the siding,

  my head hitting metal and black spots forming in my vision.

  “You okay, Bash?” I asked, staggering back to my feet.

  He ignored me, eyes still squeezed shut and lips moving rapidly even

  though he was on the ground.

  The tentacles crushed the side of the boat, and water gushed through the

  many holes now adorning the side.

  “Shit. Shit. Shit.” Apparently, I was encompassing Bash’s use of

  language. There was not a word in the dictionary that could encompass the

  epic clusterfuck we had found ourselves in.

  I turned my attention back towards the Kraken’s head just in time to see

  two dozen fishes lunging from the water. One of the tentacles retreated from

  the boat to swat at the onslaught of fish, and panic tightened my stomach.

  Dair...

  The man in question materialized on the top of the Kraken’s meaty body,

  sword in hand. Without preamble, he jabbed the sword into the creature’s

  head.

  Once more, the Kraken bellowed and bucked its body. Dair held the hilt

  of the sword, but the movements of the Kraken were getting more and more

  volatile. With a cry, Dair was brutally tossed off its body and landed with a

  deafening splash into the water.

  “Dair!” I screamed, but I didn’t have time to worry about my Mermaid

  mate. The Kraken had already turned its attention back to me, a tangible

  incandescent fury burning in his one bloody eye.

  Bash’s voice grew to a scream as he finished his incantation, and he

  smiled in smug satisfaction.

  Only to have the smile change to horror as the Kraken grew. And grew.

  And grew.

  His form continued to expand until it blocked out the sun, coating the

  water and surrounding landscapes in darkness.

  “What the fuck, Bash?” I screamed, not daring to pull my attention away

  from the hideous monster.

  “Shit!” My Mage scrambled to his feet, eyes wide. “That wasn’t supposed

  to happen!”

  “No shit!”

  I grabbed a second arrow and placed it in my bow, pulling the string

  back. The second I would’ve let it loose, I felt something slimy wrap around

  my feet. I only had a second to scream before I was dragged off the edge of

  the boat and into the water.

  My ears rang, head reverberating with pain from where it had bounced off

  the railing.

  And then, I was submerged completely in water.

  The change was so sudden, so abrupt, that I didn’t have time to inhale

  before I was pulled beneath the freezing water. Panic clawed up my chest as I

  desperately twisted my body. The Kraken’s tentacle still held my leg in an

  iron vise.

  I was going to die, I realized with a vivid clarity. And my death wouldn’t

  be from assassins or from Kings.

  But a damn sea creature.

  I was going to drown.

  Black spots penetrated my vision, and I desperately wanted to gasp for

  air. The need was so strong, and my lungs were burning. One tiny inhale...

  I was yanked from the water abruptly. Coughing, I only had a second to

  see that I was dozens of feet away from the boat and still clutched in the

  Kraken’s grasp before I was pulled back under.

  Like the others, the Kraken didn’t seem to want me dead. Instead, he was

  taking me somewhere.

  No, not somewhere, but to someone.

  Aaliyah.

  The she-bitch had some explaining to do.

  Strong hands wrapped around my arm, tugging. I didn’t even have to

  open my eyes to know that it was Dair. Relief filled me instantly.

  I wished I could open my eyes, could see, but I had to rely on sound and

  touch instead. The guttural roar of the Kraken. The release of the tentacle

  around my leg.

  The sweet, sweet air as I was pulled out of the water.

  I gasped, coughing wildly, and Dair patted my back.

  The Kraken continued to roar, and it was only then that I noticed one of

  his tentacles was shorter than the others. Dair must’ve cut it off to save me.

  “Are you okay?” Dair yelled. Even treading water inches from me, he

  was difficult to hear over the Kraken’s bellow and the rippling waves.

  I nodded to tell him I was, though my throat burned and my body felt

  leaden. Still, I couldn’t focus on the many aches and pains vibrating down my

  body.

  He cupped the back of my head and brought me into a quick, desperate

  kiss. His hands rested on the back of my thighs as he lifted me.

  And then I was flying, flying, flying through the air, landing sharply on

  the nearest landmass. I screamed as pain radiated up my now broken leg.

  “Fuck,” I cried. Unbidden, my eyes traveled to the skin. From the

  Kraken’s tentacles, black and blue bruises covered the pasty skin of my leg.

  Red welts, like ones you would get from too tight rope, intermingled. And

  from Dair’s throw...

  My leg was twisted backwards, the brittle bone peeking through.

  The pain was immediate and intense, unlike anything I had ever felt

  before. A strangled sob got caught in my throat.

  Still, I tried to amble to my feet, using a nearby tree as leverage. The

  shooting pain clambered up my leg, and I immediately fell back down with a

  cry and curse.

  In the water, Dair still fought the Kraken. Or, at the very least, attempted

  to fight. It was apparent to me that it was a losing battle.

  He dodged and parried, sword stabbing any expanse of skin it could find.

  The Kraken cried, obviously in pain, but did not relent its ruthless assault.

  I watched in horror as the Kraken batted Dair away as if he was nothing


  more than a pesky bug. My Mermaid mate went flying, blond hair

  disappearing into the thicket of trees.

  He didn’t return.

  I waited, breath held.

  Please, Dair. Please. Please be okay.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, the Kraken turned his face towards me. I didn’t

  know how he knew where I was, how he sensed me, but the single eye in his

  head seemed to narrow into a thin slit. I remained frozen on the ground,

  shivering.

  Dair, please. Please.

  The Kraken, oblivious to my desperate pleas, unfurled another long

  tentacle. It slithered through the water and onto the grassy shoreline that I

  was lying on.

  The monster suddenly released a wailing sound, head canting backwards,

  before it began to shrink.

  And shrink.

  And shrink.

  Soon, it was the size of a large fish bobbing inside the water, single eye

  wide and fearful.

  I whipped my head in the direction of the now sinking boat. Bash stood

  on the railing, one hand tightly gripping the white sail and the other raised.

  “That,” Bash called, breathing heavy, “was what I meant to do the first

  time.”

  All I managed to do was release a giddy, dazed laugh/cry mixture before

  darkness consumed me.

  THIRTY

  DAIR

  Ishook my head rapidly from side to side, but it did little to clear the

  fogginess in my brain.

  My body ached, pain radiating down my sides and to my legs.

  I tried to recall what had happened, how I had ended up here, but the

  memory eluded me. I squeezed my eyelids shut, waiting.

  Something had happened...

  Water…

  Monster…

  Z...

  I scrambled upright, wincing at the initial stab of pain in my stomach,

  before running through the trees.

  Memories bombarded me with a dizzying clarity. The Kraken. Z. The

  fight. The asshole monster tossing me through a forest and into a tree.

  Z.

  Her name echoed in my head, giving me the strength to run through the

  pain. What felt like hours later but was probably nothing more than a few

  minutes, I broke through the treeline and landed waist deep in water.

  Immediately, I felt my body change. The stretching sensation wasn’t

  uncomfortable, just strange. My tail emerged, and I kicked it out wildly,

  splashing up water.

  Holding my breath, I surveyed my surroundings.

  The ship was completely submerged in water, only the side railing

  visible. It must’ve tipped at some point, water greedily swallowing it whole.

  There was no Kraken that I could see, and the sea was almost calm. It was a

  direct contrast to what we had just experienced.

  On the shoreline, Bash knelt over Z. It was there that I headed, pushing

  the water aside with each breast stroke.

  “Is she okay?” I asked roughly, pulling myself out of the water. My tail

  was instantly replaced by two long legs.

  Bash ignored me, perspiration beading on his forehead. His eyes were

  closed as his hands hovered over Z’s form, a golden glow emitting from his

  hands.

  Healing magic.

  Most Mages didn’t have that type of powerful magic, the magic capable

  of defying death itself. From all I knew about my Mage brother, Bash didn’t

  have it either.

  So how the hell was he healing her?

  As I watched, transfixed, the skin on her leg kneaded back together,

  taking on a light pink pallor. My stomach twisted when I thought about how

  she had obtained those bruises and red welts.

  How she had broken her leg.

  Disgust filled me, disgust directed at myself, but I pushed it aside. I had

  been trying to protect her. Who was better to take on a sea creature than a sea

  prince?

  Bash finally removed his hands from above Z. His breathing was ragged,

  but his eyes, when he opened them, were clear. They flickered to my naked

  stomach, the skin between his brows crinkling.

  “You’re hurt,” he said stiffly, and I followed his gaze. I must’ve bruised

  myself when I had landed. The skin was already taking on an onyx black and

  light blue color. I knew that cuts marred the length of my body - both from

  the tentacles and my fall through sharp branches - but it was nothing serious.

  I would live.

  “I’m fine,” I said, pushing his hands away when he moved to heal me.

  Healing magic took a lot out of a person, and the last thing we needed was

  Bash incapacitated. Speaking of healing magic... “What the hell was that?” I

  blurted, nodding towards the mended flesh on Z’s legs. Her chest was rising

  and falling steadily, and I couldn’t help but inch closer to her, peering down

  at her beautiful face. She looked so peaceful asleep. Younger. Vulnerable.

  Her golden hair, matted with blood and dried seawater, was splayed around

  her.

  Keeping my gaze on Z, I addressed Bash. “And what happened back on

  the boat with the Kraken? Why the hell did you help him grow?”

  Bash made a nonsensical noise in the back of his throat.

  “I don’t fucking know,” he admitted harshly. “I don’t know how I was

  able to heal Z when I never had healing magic before. I don’t know why my

  spell misfired and made the Kraken grow instead of shrink. I. Don’t. Know.”

  I glanced up then, only to see Bash’s eyes fixed on Z. There was a

  tenderness in his gaze I had never seen before. A warmth. His hand absently

  reached out to stroke the smooth skin of her inner wrist.

  “My magic,” Bash continued softly before breaking off. He swallowed

  hard. “My magic is acting...wonky. It’s not listening to me. It’s not behaving

  the way it should.”

  “Do you think it’s because of the tension?” I asked, stroking Z’s hair out

  of her face.

  “Tension?” Bash glanced up in alarm.

  I nodded towards our sleeping mate. “Between you guys. It’s not

  normal.”

  He bit down on his lip, expression contemplative. He didn’t seem angry

  by my observation, only a little sad. I knew that he cared for her more than he

  had ever cared for anyone before...and I also knew that it terrified him. He

  had these feelings, feelings for her, that he didn’t know how to deal with

  because he was afraid of getting hurt. Afraid of the consequences of falling in

  love.

  It was tearing a wedge between the two of them. A chasm that one of

  them would have to jump before they could be a whole.

  “Maybe,” Bash agreed after a long moment.

  A splashing sound had us both turning. Immediately, Bash jumped to his

  feet, swaying slightly from his depletion of magic, and held Z’s dagger out in

  front of him. I must’ve lost my sword in the woods, but I begged the water to

  heed my call. Instantaneously, the water rose from behind the creature, an

  impenetrable barrier trapping it with us.

  The Kraken pulled its small body onto land and crawled over to Z, long

  tentacles digging into the grass. Bash lowered his dagger, preparing to stab

  the ugly fucker, before he paused.

  The Kraken was cuddling against Z’s prone body, desperate sobs

  escaping it. />
  “What the hell?” Bash asked.

  Friend, the water whispered to me. Don’t kill friend.

  “Friend?” I asked in disbelief, and Bash turned to look at me as if I was

  crazy. Ignoring him, I stared out into the ocean. “How the fuck is this asshole

  my friend?”

  Friend, the water insisted.

  The Kraken slipped underneath Z’s arm, curling around her body like

  some damn spider monkey. My poor mate moaned, and I immediately

  dropped to my knees beside her.

  She moaned again before she flickered her beautiful eyes open, and I was

  lost in her fiery gaze.

  “Z?” I whispered. Bash moved to kneel on her other side. His hand was

  desperately gripping at her wrist, releasing it, only to grab it once more.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I had my leg broken by an asshole Mermaid who thought I couldn’t

  protect him and myself,” she said dryly, and I winced, smiling sheepishly.

  Yup. She was pissed about that.

  She blinked rapidly, no doubt blinking away the fatigue, before her gaze

  rested on the tiny asshole still curled around her side releasing pitiful cries. Z

  glanced back up at me.

  “Why the hell is the Kraken cuddled up to me?” she asked. Her eyes

  roamed over my body, and my cock hardened when heat rose to her gaze.

  “And why the fuck are you naked?”

  THIRTY-ONE

  Z

  Inamed him Slippy.

  Why? Because the damn bastard constantly slipped through my

  fingers. Trying to hold him was like trying to push back a wave. And

  yes, it was a he. I made a very reluctant and pissed off Bash look.

  Now, the two of us sat huddled on the dock where we had gotten the boat

  from while Slippy swam in the water. One of Bash’s palms was pressed

  down on the ground behind my back, and I used his position to lean against

  his shoulder.

  The water rippled against the shoreline, an endless abyss of blue green

  and glimmering pseudo-diamonds.

  After two, excruciating hours, Dair returned. We had unanimously

  decided for him to swim to the spot the map had indicated. Not only was he

  faster than an average boat, but he knew the area better than anyone.

  Whatever the King wanted us to find, he would find.

  Only...

  “There was nothing there,” Dair said, climbing out of the water. Dair’s

  clothes were destroyed in the boat, so Bash handed the Mermaid his shirt.

 

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