by L. C. Mawson
“Just a moment,” Naveen eventually said, and I saw that he was clutching a translation rune.
So, he was just focusing, and he would be done soon.
But my fire refused to stay under control, and I feared that staying in the library wouldn’t end well.
“Naveen?” I repeated after what felt like an eternity. I had to get out of here.
“What?” he snapped, and it took every last ounce of restraint to keep my fire from flaring out and burning every book on the surrounding shelves.
Tears fell down my face as he finally turned to me.
I think I heard him call my name as I rushed from the library, but I was too distracted by my attempts to not explode to hear him.
“Skye!”
That broke through as I made it to the corridor, the shout breaking my focus as I turned to him.
I managed to redirect the flames to the ground, rather than incinerating Naveen, creating a wall of fire between us.
I just raced off at that, trying to outrun the fire surging through my veins.
The more I practiced, the less easily I tired, which meant that I couldn’t rely on exhaustion to stop my fire from erupting over my skin.
Dammit, why had I thought that I could trust Naveen?
I knew that I didn’t have the monopoly on his attention, but after James’ rejection...
I just needed to know that someone didn’t hate me.
That someone wanted me here.
That someone didn’t think me a monster.
That I wasn’t as unwanted here as I was in the Dragons’ city, or the Human world.
I had to know that I belonged somewhere.
Of course, I didn’t remember that my room wasn’t a safe harbour until I’d already stormed inside, finding myself face to face with Lorelei.
I immediately brought fire to my face, scorching away evidence of tears as I glared at her.
Why the hell did she have to be here? Didn’t she have anywhere else to be?
Lorelei just looked me up and down. “What happened? Did your Demon boyfriend ignore you again? Are you so delusional as to not be able to take a hint after the first time? Still think he might actually care about you?”
Instinct kicked in at the mention of Naveen and my fire finally broke free, wrapping around the Mermaid and holding her tight, just as I’d done with the figure in class.
“What the hell is your problem, Lorelei?! Why can’t you just not be a bitch for two fucking seconds? You can’t possibly like everyone hating you.”
I expected her to bite back, to give me something more to rail against.
But no. She just looked away.
“Damn it, Lorelei. Aren’t you lonely? Don’t you want just one fucking place where you can be accepted without question? Why the hell are you throwing away the possibility of finding that, as if it means nothing?”
She didn’t answer, but her gaze darted across the room.
She glanced away again, but it was too late. I’d already followed her gaze to her bedside table and letter sitting on it.
Well, if she was going to pry into my personal life to get details about Naveen, then her letters from home were fair game.
I stormed over and picked up the letter, scanning it over.
Princess Lorelei,
I regret to inform you that your cousin, Kyren, has been killed. The matter is still under investigation, but he died of the same poison administered to both your late aunt and uncle. Kyren’s younger sisters have been placed under heavy guard and your mothers wished to remind you to stay safe on Earth.
Take care,
Jiel
Shit.
Lorelei wasn’t just any old Mer-hybrid.
“You’re not just Atlantian nobility. You’re Atlantian royalty,” I said as I turned to her.
She glared at me. “Yes, fine, you’ve figured it out. And as you’ve probably also figured out–”
“Your cousin just died,” I said with a sigh. “That doesn’t excuse you taking a cheap jab about Naveen, though. Damn it, how did you even know about him?”
“I... I did some digging after I got the letter. It wasn’t that hard to discover.” She tried to step forward, but my fire stopped her, reigniting her glare. “I’m sorry if my words hurt you, but I needed you to leave. Do you think they killed my cousin for fun, Skye? They killed him for the same reason they’ve killed everyone else. Someone is murdering the Royal Family and the closer I get to the throne, the more danger I’m in. And the more danger the people around me are in. If anyone realises that I care about you, the more danger you’ll be in as well.”
I knew that I should have probably given the rest of her words more weight, but my brain got stuck on one thing. “You care about me?”
Lorelei cringed, finally dropping her gaze. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t care about you, Skye. If I do... Skye, I couldn’t bear it if you were hurt because of me.”
“I can protect myself,” I said, my voice more than a little sharp as I responded instinctively, the weight of everyone treating me like I wasn’t Dragon-enough pushing me. But as I looked at the fire I had trapped Lorelei in, my expression softened.
I’d been defensive about my abilities before, but now?
Whatever had happened to my powers, I was in control of them. And they were powerful.
I really could look after myself.
And not just myself.
“I can protect both of us,” I said as I finally extinguished the fire around Lorelei and stepped close to the Mermaid that I hadn’t been letting myself think of as beautiful since she’d been so cold with me.
But unlike James and Naveen, her coldness was based in something I could change.
Maybe one person didn’t hate me after all.
Lorelei gave me a pained look. “Skye... I wish that I could believe that. I want nothing more than to believe it with all my heart.”
“Then believe it because I would rather risk death than have one more person push me away.” I stepped closer again and heard Lorelei’s breath hitch in her throat. “Aren’t you as lonely as I am? Don’t you just want to let one person close?”
Lorelei’s gaze searched mine for just a moment before she closed the space between us, her lips finding mine in a desperate kiss.
I gripped her waist tight, holding her close and never wanting to let her go.
Chapter Fifteen
I arrived in Xiatyan’s cave with a smile, wondering what he was going to teach me tonight.
But when a figure approached, it wasn’t Xiatyan as I knew him.
No, they were familiar – the hair colour and eyes were the same, as well as the sharp smile – but the figure that approached me was all feminine curves, their hair down past their voluptuous chest.
“I thought you might prefer this form tonight,” the figure said in a voice that was somehow both clearly Xiatyan’s and also much more feminine.
“Xiatyan?”
They grinned. “I’m a shape-shifter, remember? All my gender means to fellow Great Dragons is that I prefer to sire children, rather than carry them. Those quaint gender terms of yours – ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘he’, ‘she’ – are all things we adopted to make Humans feel more comfortable.”
“Just like the Mers.”
“Exactly. We might have opposite elements, but that makes us complementary in some ways, don’t you think? Perhaps that’s why you felt so drawn to that Mermaid of yours.”
I shrugged, not exactly wanting to put too much thought to what had happened last night. We’d both been upset and lonely, and...
And I couldn’t bear the thought of her getting up in the morning and pushing me away again, but I couldn’t imagine any other outcome.
Everyone always pushed me away.
I didn’t belong anywhere.
Xiatyan approached, placing their – her? – hand beneath my chin and lifting my gaze to meet theirs. “You’re worried about this new relationship.”
“Of
course, I am. Everyone always pushes me away. Andrea, Naveen, James... Why would Lorelei be any different?”
“Maybe she is the only one capable of understanding you. You are a woman trapped between worlds, yet more powerful than most. The Princess in hiding is likely the only one who can understand that.” She gave me a soft smile. “Aside from maybe the Great Dragon trapped in a prison beneath the ground.”
I returned her smile. “Perhaps. Though, while that makes sense for Andrea... Naveen is the son of two powerful Demons and all three of his mothers built the foundations of the magical community that we consider home. But he’s also a Demon who can never go to the Underworld. And James had to grow up as the only magical being around, powerful yet isolated.” I looked away again. “They’re the two people who maybe should have understood the most.”
“Then the fact that they can’t is evidence that they are not worthy of you. And for now, you do have your Mermaid.” Her smile took on a sharp edge once more. “And, you know, many shapeshifters, including Priestesses, choose to use their powers to change their human form. While you seemed rather adept at using your hands, you could shape-shift a different set of equipment.”
Her hand went down to my lower abdomen, ghosting just above my groin in a way that made it clear exactly what she meant.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, though I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or intrigue affecting me.
“I haven’t really done much shape-shifting yet,” I finally said, once my thoughts were straightened out.
“Yes, you’ve been so focused on this competition of yours. And while I understand that you want to win, you shouldn’t neglect your shape-shifting powers for it. After all, there is nothing as exhilarating as growing wings and taking flight.”
I nodded, having no doubt that she was right.
“I just need to get past this competition,” I said. “I just need to prove that I can do this.”
Xiatyan gave me an understanding nod. “I know. And you should soon start to remember your visits here. Then you can choose to strengthen the bond between us, solidifying it. Once you do, you will be able to draw on my power to help you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, not sure that that wasn’t just cheating as the dream ended.
Chapter Sixteen
I awoke with a cool figure in my arms and snuggled close in an attempt to warm them up as my memories from the night before came trickling back.
Lorelei.
Well, that had been...
I found myself smiling, despite myself.
Like I’d told Xiatyan, I was worried that this would all fall apart as soon as Lorelei awoke, but for now...
Wait, Xiatyan?
I frowned as vague snippets of my dream played through my mind.
Why was I dreaming about a sexy Great Dragon claiming that I was their future bride?
Creator, just how lonely was I to have dreamed that up?
And it had to have just been a dream. I mean, I knew that magical bonds like the one Xiatyan described were possible, but I found it hard to believe that there was a Great Dragon trapped under the Earth that no one else knew about.
And that they would be incredibly attractive and want me as their future bride.
Yeah, that was definitely the fantasy of a lonely young woman, not a likely reality.
Lorelei stirred at that, bringing my attention back to reality.
She fluttered her eyelids open as she turned to see me.
She frowned slightly before sitting up, and my stomach churned.
That probably wasn’t a good sign.
Lorelei sighed before turning to me. “I’m sorry, Skye.”
“Sorry? What for?”
She gave me an unamused look. “You know what for. I told you last night, getting close to me is dangerous, and I let my loneliness get to me and I’ve dragged you into a potentially fatal position.”
I smiled, leaning closer. “And I told you last night, I can take care of myself. I mean it, Lorelei, I don’t care about the danger. I would rather get to know you than stay distant, no matter the risk.”
Lorelei frowned, looking away. “But how can you be sure? I haven’t let you get close before and last night... We weren’t exactly having a heart-to-heart. What if you start to get to know me and...”
“You think I won’t like what I find? That I won’t want to be with you once I’ve gotten to know you better?”
Lorelei took several moments before answering. “Do you know what kind of person you have to be to survive Atlantian politics?” Her voice was soft and low as she still refused to meet my gaze.
“Whatever kind of person it is, it sounds like you don’t like being it.”
“No, I don’t. But even admitting as much can be dangerous. If I let my guard down for even a moment...”
“You don’t have to anywhere else,” I assured her. “If you have to be that person to survive outside of that door, you can be. But if you want a break... Well, you don’t have to be that person with me.”
Lorelei turned to me, tears welling in her eyes. I didn’t think that Mermaids cried, but I supposed it was something she picked up from her half-Witch mother. “I think... I think I would like that, Skye.”
At that, I leaned close and kissed her, though I went slow, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted.
She didn’t.
“I don’t have anywhere to be today,” I admitted. “Or for the rest of the weekend. So, if you want to spend it together...”
Lorelei finally smiled. “I would definitely like that. Though, I didn’t find time to eat last night. Maybe we should find some breakfast?”
“Yeah, breakfast sounds good.”
WE QUICKLY GOT DRESSED and headed out to one of the cafés. This was one that I hadn’t been to before and the route to it took us through the gardens, which I also hadn’t visited before.
I turned to Lorelei, who had suggested it, as we made our way through the plethora of greenery and brightly coloured flowers that seemed almost overgrown but kept just tame enough for the paths to be easy to walk through. “Do you come here often?”
She nodded, her hand brushing close to mine as we walked, and I wondered if I should take it, or if her worry about putting me in danger meant that she wanted to keep things low-key. “The training grounds for elemental powers are through here.”
“Really? Nyssa didn’t mention that.”
“I think it was in the welcome pack.”
I frowned, realising that I’d probably skimmed past it.
“Also, the area for fire magic is never really used. Even the high school doesn’t have a lot of Dragon students. I think everyone with Dragon blood sticks to the Dragons’ City.”
I folded my arms. “All except those of us they don’t want.”
Lorelei turned to me with a sympathetic look. “Is that why you’re here, instead of there?”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “It’s all right. I don’t want to be somewhere I’m not wanted anyway.”
“Well, the training grounds are just up here, and you could come here to train when I do. Here.” She led me through to an area with large stone walls surrounding the path until it opened up to a large circle, with a fountain in the middle.
As we reached the fountain, the walls opened up to reveal four walled off sections, each with symbols on the ground for fire, water, earth and air.
Lorelei had already led me to the fire section before either of us realised that it wasn’t empty.
No, James was standing in the centre, gently guiding a stream of fire around him.
He stopped dead as he saw us and I stiffened.
“We should go,” I said to Lorelei, tugging on her sleeve in the hope that she would take the hint.
But she took one look at me before turning to glare at James. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing. It was my fault. I just...”
But Lorelei had drawn a kn
ife from beneath her skirt. “If he hurt you, then he needs to pay for that.”
“Where the hell did you get a knife?”
She turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “It’s my dagger.”
“You say that like having a dagger on you is normal.”
She just stared at me. “Is it not for Dragons?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I shook my head. “No, I think that might be a Mer thing. Along with threatening someone with it if they hurt me.”
“Well, how would you deal with someone hurting your girlfriend?”
My heart melted a little at her referring to me as her ‘girlfriend’. “Probably by leaving if she asked.”
“Ah, right.” She put the knife away. “Sorry.”
At that, James spoke up and I realised that he must have heard everything. “So, you’re not going to stab me?”
Lorelei turned to him. “No. But if you have not apologised to Skye, then I am still honour-bound to duel you.”
James turned to me and I just shrugged. I guessed that not letting anyone close before meant that Lorelei had never had any reason to learn the differences in etiquette on Earth compared to Atlantis.
Though my friendly shrug probably wasn’t welcomed by the man who clearly thought I was a monster, as his gaze turned cold once more.
I turned to Lorelei. “Seriously, you don’t have to. Like I said, it was my fault. Let’s just go.”
Lorelei sighed. “All right. I probably would have killed someone so weak anyway.”
A blast of flame shot past her head and it took everything I had to keep my instincts in check and not dampen anyone’s magic this time.
We turned to see James glaring at Lorelei, flames coating his hands. “If you want to fight me, then fight me, but don’t be so sure you’ll win.”
“Then let’s fight.”
I stepped back as the water from the fountain moved into tendrils to surround Lorelei, the same way James’ fire was surrounding him.
As I reached the edge of the training area, I realised that we weren’t alone. No, it seemed as soon as someone said the word ‘duel’ anyone even vaguely within hearing range – which was pretty far for magical beings – had made their way over to form a crowd, that more and more people were joining as soon as they realised that something potentially exciting was happening.