Thereus blinked at him.
“You heard me, centaur. Hit me. It’s an ord—” His first mate clapped him a good one on the jaw. The force knocked Arsenius backward and the sting was incredible. He swung his legs and bounced back onto his feet, aiming his fist at the centaur. Thereus dodged him at the last second.
Arsenius growled. Hell yes, this was what he craved—an opponent who matched him. Well, so long as he didn’t sink into his war frenzy.
Thereus kicked at him with his front hooves, dodged another of Arsenius’s punches, and spun to kick him with his hind legs. Arsenius grabbed onto one and heaved, flipping the centaur onto his back.
In a blur, he was on top of Thereus, punching, and the two of them grappled for control. As Arsenius squeezed his neck, the centaur managed to get one leg under him and, grunting, he kicked Arsenius off him and into the wall.
The burst of pain was as addictive as an opiate. He had to have more.
Arsenius barreled into Thereus, who had launched to his feet. His friend froze while he pummeled his fists into him. Just as he was about to ask why Thereus wasn’t fighting back, the centaur stepped to the side and Arsenius’s fist made contact with a wooden beam behind him. As he snarled at the pain, Thereus attacked him and it was his turn to hold nothing back.
Damn, this was the other reason why he liked brawling with the centaur. Few men dared to hit him. For some vile reason, he delighted in being struck. He required the pain. Craved it. Perhaps because of those months of being tortured as a slave. At any rate, after his morphos, any act of violence had always satiated his frenzy, helping him to keep the beast in check.
He stopped protecting his body and let the punches ram into him, until bruises covered them both. Panting, they slumped together on the floor. The two of them weren’t the sole casualties in the room. A couple of chairs were shattered, tables were overturned, and holes dotted the walls and splintered posts.
“Remind me to pay the carpenter a bonus this month.” He grinned at Thereus, who handed him a bottle of rum. Passing the bottle between them, they rested in silence and nursed their wounds. In Arsenius’s case, both external and internal.
“Captain, Captain.” Jason scampered down the stairs and gaped at the destruction in front of him, the words he’d seemed so ready to blurt stuck on his tongue.
“Focus, lad. What were you sent to tell me?”
His smile widened even more, now with excitement. “A maiden, sir. A mermayde. On the rocks. We think she might be dead.”
Aye, to be ten years old again, when such a find was exciting, not horrific. They scrambled to their feet, and Jason led them to the source of the commotion.
Kyme perched in one of the longboats. The man she’d convinced to row it for her stepped aside as Arsenius seized his place.
She scowled at him as he climbed in. “What are you doing? What are those bruises from?”
“This is my ship, Kyme. I might ask you the same question.” He ignored her other inquiry. His body must appear in shambles, but he’d clean later, after most of his injuries had healed. No need to view what the centaur’s fists had done to his face, the blood which would cause him to succumb to his frenzy.
It was good, though. The pain helped him focus.
The crew lowered their boat into the water and he followed Kyme’s directions. Sure enough, as they approached the shore he spotted her. Mermaydes, or Water Borne as they called themselves, weren’t rare, yet they were only detected if they aimed to be.
This one was clearly not out for an afternoon of sunbathing. As he rowed closer, her moans filled the air. She writhed on a rock, half in, half out of the water. He steered the boat alongside the embankment. Before he could stop her, Kyme hopped out and approached the creature.
Arsenius froze in his seat. Something wasn’t right. A cold sweat broke out across his skin and an ache seeped into his groin.
A blue radiance rippled over the mermayde’s body. His gut told him to turn the boat around and get back to his ship. Water Borne were dangerous, unpredictable—why he kept several of them as crew.
“Don’t touch her,” he shouted as Kyme crouched beside the creature. As usual, she didn’t listen to him. Instead, she placed her hand on the maiden’s shoulder and rolled her over.
A loud gasp escaped her.
The instinct to defend his mate shot through him. Arsenius leapt onto the rock, his fists clenched, ready to tear the creature apart if it attacked.
***
“Amazing.” She’d never been so close to a female mermayde. Arsenius kept a few males as crew on his ship, but no females—the more fascinating of the species.
This one before Kyme was incredible. The sea maiden was exquisite, with long locks as dark as squid ink and a deep turquoise tail. As the sunlight beamed across them, her scales shimmered like gemstones. Her glistening skin was creamy and pale, her small body lithe and strong.
An aquamarine luminescence rolled off her in waves as though the creature wasn’t controlling it. When she exercised her skills, what powers did this Water Borne possess?
She’s just like me. Kyme had never met anyone else who glowed as she did. The gods and goddesses did emit an ethereal radiance. It permeated their very essence and dimmed or brightened with their moods.
Kyme’s glow was different. Hers didn’t signify divinity. It spelled out one thing only—power. As did this sea maiden’s.
As each ripple surged from the mermayde, power pulsed through Kyme’s veins. She laid her hand on the maiden’s shoulder and it burned with her amber light. The two powers connected, and as blue-green and amber mingled, Kyme’s powers strengthened.
The mermayde’s bright turquoise eyes fluttered open. “Help me.” Her plea cut straight through to Kyme’s protective vows.
Two large hands wrapped around her waist and wrenched her away. Kyme blinked, dimly registering those hands as Arsenius’s. He shouted in her ear, but she was too mesmerized by the creature before her to discern his words.
A mermayde. A power like mine. Another creature subject to the whims of the Moon, and a female who desperately needs my protection.
Arsenius whipped her around in his arms and shook her shoulders with vigor. “Kyme, Kyme, listen to me. We must go. Leave her. There’s something very wrong with her.”
Like a mother bear protecting her cub, she snarled, “I will not abandon her. She’s mine.” She shoved out of Arsenius’s grasp and scrambled to the maiden’s side. A primal instinct burned within her as she gathered the mermayde in her arms. As they weighed about the same, she wasn’t able to carry her into the longboat without dragging her long tail on the rocks and possibly injuring her.
“Help me,” she barked at Arsenius.
He folded his arms. “Nay. I know not this female. She appears to be as powerful as you. If you can revive her and inquire who she is, I might allow her on board. As it is, her identity is uncertain, and I will not put my men at risk.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Something is…wrong with her.”
Kyme glared at him and refocused her attention on the mermayde. The maiden’s skin was flushed and her tail thrashed against the rock. Ignoring the growl from Arsenius behind her, she stroked the mermayde’s forehead.
Truthfully, even she was apprehensive at the surge she detected when they connected, though she’d be damned if she told Arsenius that little bit of information. The less he knew the better.
“Can you hear me?” The maiden’s eyes flickered open. “My name is Kyme. I’m going to help you. Can you tell me your name?”
She blinked twice. “Aedre. My name is Aedre.”
Kyme shot a scowl at Arsenius. We have to help her, she mouthed. He glowered back at her.
Aedre grabbed Kyme’s arm, jerking back her attention. “My mate, you have to find him. Take me to him, please. My mate.”
The love this Water Borne had for her male laced through her desperate plea. To be able to care for someone so deeply. Kyme shook herself at the twinge of en
vy in her gut. Not relevant. Focus.
“I will if I can. Where can I find your mate, Aedre?”
“I don’t know.” She sobbed and her tears shimmered down her cheeks.
“Shh… Tell me, where did you come from?”
“I’m not sure. Oh!” She cried out in pain and curled on her side.
Kyme rubbed Aedre’s back. “Where did you last see him? Aedre, focus, please, you must tell me so I can help you.”
The mermayde panted in labored breaths. “Halcyon, where the Wind and Water Borne train their armies. But, oh.” She gasped and then winced. “You wouldn’t know where it is. You’re not—”
“I do.” Arsenius stepped forward.
Kyme smiled, but Aedre recoiled in fear.
“No, no, stay away from me.” Terror widened her eyes. “Please, keep him from me. Please, you must.”
Kyme shot to her feet between them and blocked his path to the mermayde. Perching her hands on her hips, she waited for his explanation.
He crossed his arms and huffed. “I do not know this maiden, I swear to you.”
“Then why is she terrified of you?”
“Mayhap she has heard tales of the captain of the Adrasteia?” He cocked a brow at her, the corner of his mouth turned upward in a smirk. “I am familiar with the place she speaks of. It’s on our course, so I’m willing to give her passage. I will make this offer once. What say you?”
At last, Arsenius was being helpful. Kyme knelt next to Aedre. “Listen to me. You can trust me and you can trust him. I will take you to his ship and I vow I will return you to this Halcyon.” She extended her hand to aid the maiden to sit.
Aedre clasped Kyme’s hand and eased forward. “This ship of yours, is the crew male?”
She nodded, frowning at the odd question.
The color drained from her face. “No, I cannot. I cannot come with you.”
“Whyever not?”
“The Moon. The Tide.” She cried out as more pain shot through her. This time, the poor maiden fell unconscious.
She rubbed her own shoulder in memory of such agony. Determined not to let the Water Borne suffer, she waved to Arsenius to help her. Shuffling to her side, he bent and scooped the mermayde into his brawny arms. They returned to the boat and once again, she admired his strength. Even with the body of the limp mermayde in his lap, he easily maneuvered the longboat toward his ship.
Once onboard, she barked orders for the tub in Arsenius’s cabin to be filled with sea water. As she followed them, an odd sensation spiked the hairs on the back of her neck.
The curious gazes of the crewmen became heated. She caught more than one adjusting his breeches. A few of the more feral creatures snarled or growled lowly. Several fights broke out, followed by Thereus’s booming voice ordering them to cease.
Kyme increased her pace and caught up to Arsenius. Drawing upon her powers, she searched for the Moon. Aedre had warned… Oh, no. No.
How had she missed this? Aedre wasn’t afraid of Arsenius, or of his crew. She was terrified of all males. Because at midnight, the Proxigean Spring Tide would arrive.
The Tide which occurred every one and a half years.
The one that signaled the breeding period of Water Borne females.
Oh, hell.
***
Arsenius cradled the frail form of the sea maiden as a few of the powder monkeys deposited buckets of sea water into his tub. Kyme paced the room, glancing between him and Aedre. After the lads scampered off, she sprang to lock the door.
He placed the maiden in the water. Whether it was the sight of the bed, or of Kyme, he was struggling to halt his impending arousal from making an appearance. He flipped through his usual set of deflating images. Thereus with his sister Adrasteia, being chained, peering into the sordid leer of his master.
“Arsenius, Arsenius.” Kyme snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Look at me. We have a problem. How long will it take us to reach Halcyon?”
He lowered his gaze onto her. His Kyme, so perfect. Aye, no image on this earth was powerful enough to block out the heat he felt for her. Right here, right now.
Kyme cursed. “Focus, Arsenius.” She raised her hand and slapped him.
He roared, whipped her around, and pinned her against the wall with his body. Grinding his rock hard cock into her hip, he bruised his lips against hers. He needed to claim her, now. To hell with the consequences. He yanked up her tunic. Her body melted against his, becoming limp in his arms. Oh, aye. She craved this, she—
Kyme raised her leg and kneed him.
Snarling and cursing, he clutched his throbbing groin and sank to the floor. She didn’t back down. Damn, nothing frightened this woman. His woman. He loved that she opposed him. Not precisely in moments like these, but…most of the time.
“Listen to me, Arsenius. I figured out what’s wrong with Aedre. It’s the breeding season for females of her species. Do you fathom what this means?” She crouched beside him. “If you don’t locate Halcyon, find her mate and deliver her by midnight, well, over a hundred men on board this ship are going to share one purpose and one only.”
She swallowed hard. “To breed with her. And me.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Arsenius growled at the threat to his female, even though it came from her own lips. “I told you she was dangerous.” He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides, and inhaled a deep, calming breath.
Kyme scowled at him before settling beside the mermayde. “I didn’t know what was wrong with her. Besides, Tide or no Tide, she needs our help. We couldn’t have abandoned her to be raped by whatever male she drew near.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he grated, “Amazone, you brought a bloody siren on board my ship.”
Kyme tilted her head up at him from her post beside the mermayde. “She’s not a siren, and she can’t help it. Now, she’s in need of aid, and I vow I will protect her. No matter what.” Those midnight blue eyes spun to steel. No point in arguing with her. Her protective streak coursed as deep as his. Bloody hell, if she had chosen to protect this mermayde, he’d better stand behind her or throw them both overboard.
“Fine. I’ll secure the cabin and the men.” He huffed in defeat but shot her a glare. “If I have to kill any of my men over this, it’ll be on your head.”
She beamed back at him, the gratitude in her smile cutting through his anger. Though he may not agree, he would do this for her. Even if it meant another detour from his destination, and Lena. Damn.
The tenderness in her eyes eased his apprehension and heat flowed through him again. “Do you require anything?” At least his voice now sounded calm and in control.
“No, thank you.” She hummed as she dipped a cloth in the water and pressed it to the mermayde’s forehead.
For whatever reason, this creature was special to Kyme. Hell, if his mate wished for a pet, he wasn’t going to tell her no. When had he melted into such a romantic sap? He grimaced. He didn’t have the strength to deny her anything. Rising, he paused at the entry. “Lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone. Not even me.” He would never forgive himself if anyone harmed her…especially himself. “When she revives, ask her what the name of her mate is. If a male answering to that name knocks at this door, it will be safe to open.”
Her brows drew together. “How will you know who her mate is?”
He shrugged, that would be the easiest part. A bonded male, separated from his mate, hours before she would go into her breeding season? Even a blind man would be able to distinguish him. “Trust me, I will. Just be safe, Kyme.” Gods, he ached to grab her and crush her in his arms, to leave her with words meaning more than “be safe.” He didn’t trust himself, though. The Water Borne’s pheromones tempted him to the edge of his control.
“Arsenius, wait.” Kyme dashed to his side and rose on her tiptoes to feather her lips across his. “Thank you.”
He closed his eyes and savored the sweet scent of her breath. Just as his control slipped a
nd he grasped for her neck to draw her closer, the point of her dagger pressed into his neck. The beast inside him scoffed. A simple blade wouldn’t stop him. Still, he admired her resourcefulness.
She leaned in and claimed his mouth again. As their kiss deepened, as his tongue demanded more of her, she drew back. Growling, he grabbed the back of her head and dragged her closer. The sweet bite of her blade was worth it. A warm trickle of blood bubbled where the knife pierced the flesh of his collarbone. He made sure not to glimpse his blood as he pressed the collar of his shirt against the wound.
Though his chest rumbled, he released her. Ignoring the apology on her lips, he strode from the cabin. One thing he would never regret was a kiss from her—no matter if he paid the price with his own blood.
Arsenius stepped away after the lock clicked. As his first task, he organized a barricade of half a dozen powder monkeys at the door. The lads weren’t strong enough to fend off any of his men, but they were quick and able to run for aid. They were also the only ones on board not affected by the mermayde. Judging by the beams of pride on their faces, they would not fail him.
Next, it was time to gather some Wind and Water Borne. He had a vague idea of Halcyon’s location, but he’d not been entirely truthful. He’d never sailed there and he was sending out heavy prayers to Poseidon that they would in fact reach Halcyon by midnight.
***
The mermayde was beautiful and delicate, yet it’d been foolish to bring her on board. Not only had she sworn to protect Aedre with her life, she’d defend her with her body as well.
Males affected by the intoxicating mating pheromones perfuming from Aedre wouldn’t care to differentiate one female from another. Kyme wasn’t concerned. She had faith in Arsenius. If anyone could navigate them in time, it would be him.
If any male were motivated to mate with her, it would also be Arsenius. A tingle crept down her spine. Though he should have been eager to claim the closest female to him, his intense stare had stalked only her. Whatever words had been spoken between them, she had proof that his desire rivaled hers.
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