Under (Titans, #0)

by Lazu, Sotia

  Fresh tears stung Halie’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “Well, we won’t be for long. I’m to be mated soon, remember?”

  The understanding and sadness in her mother’s gaze felt like a punch to the stomach. “I do remember, child.” Doris held out a hand, and Halie knelt by her legs, letting Mother cup her cheek. “I only want you to be happy. You know that, do you not?”

  “I do. And I will be. The witch assured me.” Halie sounded way more certain than she felt.

  “If you are not, you will return to us without second thought.”

  Halie nodded.

  “Promise.”

  “I promise.” But deep inside she knew she’d never be happy without Delphinos.

  She’d tried so many times—went to the surface, met a man who could be right for her, and did her best to win his heart. Did she honestly come close to falling for any of them, though? Even before the first time she gave her body to Delphinos, she’d been more drawn to him than to any human male.

  She couldn’t think that way. Things would change.

  Besides, Delphinos told her he desired her, not that he loved her. If he really wanted her to stay, he’d insist. Fight for her. Break something. Scream at her that she’d be lost without him.

  No. She was to him as he was to her—a warm companion for the lonely nights.

  And this was over.

  “Can you ask another of the sea daimons to take me up tomorrow?” she asked her mother.

  “So soon?”

  Halie forced cheer into her voice. “The sooner I go, the sooner I come back with my intended.”

  Mother furrowed her brow and seemed about to disagree. In the end, she said, “As you wish. I will have Palaemon come to you in the morning.”

  “Thank you, Mother. Goodnight.”

  Tomorrow, she’d go meet her destiny.

  Chapter Seven - Delphinos

  When Halie left him behind like she was hounded by Poseidon’s seals, Delphinos didn’t give chase. If she wanted to talk, she’d have stayed. He asked her not to go to the surface, to look for yet another man, and she ignored his wishes. He had his pride. He wouldn’t grovel. Halie’d blow off some steam and come to him again, like she did earlier.

  Only, the hours passed, and she didn’t.

  He waited until the palace darkened, and then entered the great bubble, turned himself into a lizard, and crawled along the castle’s outer wall and through her open window. Inside, he changed back into his human form. His naked human form. She should be reminded of what she was giving up.

  Halie lay in bed. He ached to join her and slide along her skin like the silk beddings. Instead, he sat beside her and caressed her cheek. “Hey.”

  She opened her eyes, and her gaze was too clear for someone who was sleeping seconds ago. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  Her question stung. He’d always come and gone from her rooms at will. “I wanted to check in on you. See if you were all right. When you left—” Anger roiled up his throat, but he swallowed it and kept his tone even. “Why did you leave that way? We shared a moment on the beach. You felt what I did; I saw it in your eyes. Why run? Did I hurt you?”

  “No. Of course not.” She sat up and gathered the covers around her, like she was afraid he’d tear them away.

  “Then what?”

  “I thought we were done.”

  “Done?” he hissed, although he wanted to roar his fury for the world to hear.

  “With the fucking.” She flinched, but her expression turned defiant in the blink of an eye. “Was there a new position you wanted to try, before I go? I can stay up a little longer, if you have any good ideas.”

  He recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “You know that’s not what I mean. When you came to me and asked me to take you to Santorini, I thought you’d reconsidered leaving. Can we at least talk about it?”

  “Okay. Let’s talk. Why do you want me to stay? Are you tired of seeking me out when my memory fades?”

  He slammed his fist on the mattress, the lack of resistance adding to his ire. Why was she being so stubborn? “I’m fucking in love with you, Halie. How can you not know it? Every time you go seeking a man who isn’t me, it’s like a spear wound to my chest. I ache for you. Burn with a hunger that won’t be sated in a million years. Oceanus be my witness, I’d let you go if I thought a mortal could make you half as happy as I can, but none of the males you chase after will ever deserve you. They won’t even know you, because you’re not yourself with them. You’re who you think they’ll love.”

  She stared at him blankly, and he grabbed her arms, clenching his jaw to keep from shaking some sense into her. “You love me too. I know you do. I saw it on the beach today, when you yielded to me and came apart above me. Don’t leave again. We don’t have to stay in Vythos. We can go somewhere together, until Callianassa finds her mate.” Callianassa was the next Nereid in line, according to the witch’s predictions. “We can disappear forever.”

  Halie let her eyes drift shut, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Halie?” he whispered.

  “You should go. It’s getting late. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  One of his hearts skipped a beat. She wasn’t saying no. They’d figure things out. They had at least a couple weeks till she had to decide. “Come to my cave in the morning. We’ll have more privacy and can discuss our options.”

  She nodded, not looking at him.

  Delphinos pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. “Please consider it. We could be truly happy.”

  It sliced through him that she didn’t admit she loved him, but he’d taken his sweet time, coming to terms with his feelings. He couldn’t begrudge her the reluctance.

  Assuming he wasn’t wrong and she loved him too.

  No. She wouldn’t give herself to him with such abandon if she didn’t.

  He swam to his cave and willed the night away, while he tossed and turned in the seaweed pile he used as a mattress. He’d need to update things in here if Halie came to live with him. Maybe they’d find another cave all together—one with a bubble, so they could couple whenever they felt like it. Or they might move to the palace. Nereus loved his daughters, and he was a good man. He’d accept Halie and Delphinos’ love and root for their happiness. If he didn’t, they’d swim away, and keep swimming until they reached a land on which they could build a home.

  Chapter Eight - Halie

  Delphinos did come for her. He did insist she stay. He wanted to be with her.

  He was in love with her.

  She could no longer pretend what they had was casual.

  Did she ever believe that to be true?

  Last night, she ached to tell him she returned his feelings and ask him to make love to her one more time, but it would only make saying goodbye harder, and it already cut too deep. If she just left, he might find it easier to move on without her.

  But he made plans for a future they couldn’t have.

  And she ran. Swam. Whatever. She could never be happy, knowing she’d cost Vythos an entire generation of merpeople.

  “We’re here,” Palaemon said in her head.

  Halie let go of his hand and propelled herself upward until her head was out of the water.

  Here was L.A. again. Halie would rather see a new place, but the witch was the one who decided her destination. Not like Halie could run into someone she knew; humans forgot her after she returned to the sea. The occasional exception who couldn’t make sense of their memories told stories about her—like the poet in Ancient Greece, who wrote that terrible legend about her. Halie shivered at the memory and searched the empty beach with her gaze. The witch always sent her to relatively deserted places, so nobody would be snapping pictures of the girl in the soaked white shirt appearing from the sea, but there was a man within sight every time. All she saw now was a large golden-haired dog, rolling in the sand.

  “Are you sure this is it?” she asked Palaemon.

  “It is whe
re Circe told me to bring you.”

  The sea hag’s name was mentioned so sparingly, it took Halie a second to realize whom Palaemon meant. She nodded and swam closer to the shore beside him. Soon, her tail separated into legs, and she walked the rest of the way to the beach. The oversized man’s shirt she’d worn for her trip up top clung to her, heavy with water. She checked the pocket that hung beneath her breast. Yup, pair of soaked panties was in place. “Will you come get me, if things don’t work out?” she asked.

  “You are on your own from here. I must return to Vythos.”

  Palaemon’s reply came from farther away than she expected. She turned to see him walking into the sea, and rushed after him. She was in no danger of losing her legs to a tail unless, all of her was submerged in saltwater. “Hey. Wait. Will you check in tonight?”

  Palaemon stopped and faced her. “Have you talked to your father?”

  “What about?”

  “Are you certain Delphinos can’t come for you?” He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “I’d rather he didn’t. What does my father have to do with this? Is he coming ashore?” That would be a surprise. He hadn’t set foot on land in centuries.

  “If he hasn’t told you, I probably shouldn’t,” Palaemon said.

  “Now you have to. What’s wrong?” She wanted to ask, is it Delphinos, but she held back. First off, if something had happened to him, Palaemon wouldn’t have suggested he pick her up. And also, the king of the sea might have different priorities than her.

  Palaemon looked around, as if someone could be listening. “You didn’t hear this from me, but there’s talk of an uprising.”

  She gasped. “In our world? Who by?” King Nereus was a kind and fair ruler, and they’d had no issues since Poseidon faded with the rest of the Olympians.

  “They say the Titans are waking.”

  She’d never in her long life spared them a thought, and now it was twice in less than twenty-four hours she’d heard them mentioned.

  Before she could ask more, Palaemon said, “I do have to go. Good luck,” and dove under the foam.

  Chapter Nine - Delphinos

  The moment his inner clock told him it was daylight on the surface, Delphinos jumped up and dashed to his cave’s entrance, to look outside. She’d come. She said she would.

  Schools of fish passed by, as the sea world awoke, and he squinted to make out every female form he saw by the palace, but Halie didn’t show. He waited for her until long past noon, his mood oscillating between anger and heartache. Finally, he went for her. There was no room for ego in matters of the heart.

  He took the time to pull on a robe and entered the castle the proper way. He might run into her family or servants, and this time he was here as a suitor, so appearances mattered. He smiled and nodded at people who crossed his path, but barely registered their faces, as he made his way to her room.

  He reached the floor where the unmated Nereids lived and saw Nerites talking to a maid. She was a pretty thing, lithe but busty, with long, blue hair and big, silver eyes, and she seemed taken with the prince, but Nerites’ posture was stiff. Aphrodite had done a number on him all right; he never noticed how females gaped like halibuts when he was near.

  “Nerites.” Delphinos nodded.

  “My friend.” Was Nerites avoiding his gaze?

  Delphinos’ gut twisted in on itself with a sense of inescapable doom. Nah. He was reading into things. Nerites was always gloomy.

  Delphinos picked up his pace. As expected, nobody tried to stop him. They never did. He was Halie’s escort to the surface and seen with her all the time.

  He halted outside her door. Should he walk straight in? He would, under normal circumstances, but Hades, today wasn’t normal. If he got through to her, it would be a new beginning.

  He rapped his knuckles gently on the wooden surface and listened for her response, but heard nothing. Perhaps she was showering. He tried the door knob, and it turned easily in his grasp. “Halie?” he said as he pushed the door open.

  She wasn’t here. Which made sense. What would she be doing in her room, in the middle of the day? She might be anywhere in the palace. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye. A piece of paper on her bed. He approached it cautiously, as if it might attack him, and his hearts stuttered when he saw it was a note, folded in half, his name printed on it in block letters.

  He took the paper with trembling hands and read.

  Delphinos,

  I’m sorry. I had to go. Don’t come for me. We weren’t meant to be in this life. Maybe one day we’ll both be constellations on the same stretch of blue sky.

  I won’t forget you again,

  Halie.

  Had to go? She left? He crumbled the paper in a tight ball, tossed it onto the floor, and stormed out of the room.

  He marched to where he last saw Nerites, and caught him on the staircase to the first floor. “Who—?”

  “Palaemon,” Nerites replied, as if he’d anticipated the question. “They left before dawn.”

  “Is he back yet?”

  Nerites nodded. “He’s with Father in the council room.”

  “Do you know where he took her?”

  “Los Angeles.”

  Shit. Seashore for miles. Still, he had a better chance of finding her there than in—say—Australia. “Why there?” he asked.

  Nerites gave him a half-shrug. “The witch suggested it.”

  Damn that hag. She’d given him nothing but sorrow.

  Chapter Ten - Halie

  Halie huffed and crossed her arms. It was late afternoon here, and the breeze raised the tail of her shirt and reminded her she was wearing no underwear. Nudity was natural to the sea folk, but humans were weird about it, so she slipped her underwear out of her shirt pocket. She bent at the waist and raised her left foot. Teetering on one leg, she bunched the panties and aimed for the leg hole. Her foot was covered in wet, sticky sand, which shouldn’t touch the panties’ crotch, unless she was into crazy itching—which she wasn’t.

  Her foot had almost cleared the leg hole, when she caught a glimpse of something approaching fast. She looked up. The dog was coming at her at full speed.

  Halie thrust her foot down, but the heel got snagged in her panties. She swayed and managed not to lose her footing. Until the dog jumped on her.

  Halie’s bare ass hit the sand, as the dog proceeded to thoroughly lap at her face.

  “Hey. Stop this. No.” But she couldn’t stop laughing at the glee with which the dog bounced around and barked between doggy kisses.

  “Buffy, get back here. Where are you?” The deep male voice came from further up the beach, and Halie saw a handsome, fair-skinned man coming down the stairs of a house, shoulder-length blond hair flopping with each step. He had to be who the sea hag sent her here to meet.

  She stuffed her underwear back in her pocket and hurriedly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the matted tresses, all the while keeping the happy beast at arm’s length.

  “I’m sorry. Is Buffy bothering you? He doesn’t bite.” As if he had to tell her. The only danger here was of being licked to death.

  She managed a loose hold on the dog’s snout. “I’m fine. I’m just... Is this your beach? I didn’t know, and I thought a swim was a good idea.”

  “My—? No, there are no private beaches here.” He leashed Buffy, who sulked behind him, and then gave Halie a proper look.

  His eyes widened, and his cheeks reddened.

  Halie followed his gaze to her chest. Her nipples were clearly defined despite the waning light, the water rendering the shirt practically see-through. Shit.

  No. This was good. She was supposed to be beguiling, and boobs were expert beguilers.

  “I... Umm... Can I get you a towel? No. You probably want to be alone.” The man covered his eyes with his palm and shook his head. When he looked at her again, his gaze didn’t stray from her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to gawk, but you’re beautiful.” He was ador
ably awkward, and she couldn’t bite back a smile. If she couldn’t have Delphinos, this guy might do.

  Her mood soured. “I didn’t think this through,” she said with a scowl that didn’t take much to fake. “Actually, I could use a towel. I’ll return it in the morning.”

  “Of course. Yes. Do you want to come shower at my place and dry up?” He rolled his eyes. “What am I saying? I’m a stranger. You shouldn’t go into strangers’ houses.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m rambling. I don’t usually ramble. Or invite random women over for showers. Sorry. I’m an idiot.”

  Halie gave him her most seductive smile. “I think it’s cute.”

  “Cool. Yeah. A gorgeous woman practically lands on my feet, and I go for cute.” He tugged his dog closer and cleared his throat. “I’m Anthony,” he said, “and this is Buffy.”

  “Isn’t Buffy a girl’s name?” she asked.

  “I didn’t realize he was a he when I named him. He was tiny, and I was always useless in biology. I thought... it was his belly button.” Anthony snorted. “And if he and I haven’t freaked you out too much, we’d like you to join us for a late coffee or a glass of wine at our place.” His newfound self-confidence faltered. “If you have nothing better to do.”

  “As a matter of fact, I lost my job yesterday, so I have absolutely nothing on my planner.” Halie made to stand, but for the first time in forever, she felt too vulnerable, practically naked in front of a man. She’d been the seductress and the ingénue more times than she cared to remember, using her body as a weapon to win men over but never giving in to their advances, yet now she felt like she was showing Anthony something she shouldn’t be sharing.

  Or maybe she was shy because he was The One, and she just didn’t know it yet?

  “So?” Anthony’s eyes were a pale blue, and the crinkles at the corners showed he smiled a lot. She liked him.

  “I don’t drink”—wouldn’t make that mistake again—“but I do appreciate a good cup of coffee,” she said with a grin. If things went as they should, Anthony would be enamored with her before the evening was over. “Give me a second, to rinse off the sand?”