Our shoulders collide and subtly shove against each other, though neither of us breaks our forward gaze, opting to pretend like nothing’s amiss. Nothin’ to see over here, folks. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Definitely no childish power struggles happening between me and Madi’s ex-alpha.
Eventually, I win, of course. I’m not sure if it was Madi’s glare or my prowess, but all that matters is baby Branson stepped back.
Leading the group into the strange vestibule we started in, I startle to a halt when I realize we’re not alone.
“Phoenix, what the hell—” Hunter cuts off sharply when I step out of the way and he sees what I do.
There must be thirty heads and torsos bobbing in the water. Nearly all of them are male, with strange armor akin to a gladiator covering their muscled chests and deadly looking spears in their hands. Front and center is a woman—mermaid? She lifts higher out of the water, confirming my suspicion by revealing scales along her lower torso.
She’s ethereally beautiful. Not as gorgeous as my Madi, of course, but she’s still striking. She’s topless, but thick, heavy-looking necklaces drape low enough that they cover her nipples. Her skin is alabaster white, same as Caspian’s,but instead of blue hair and scales, hers are a soft pink with hints of purple. Her arms are laden with gold and jewels, and there’s an honest-to-gods crown sitting atop her artful updo.
I slide to the side, so that the rest of our group can file out of the passageway, never taking my eyes off the mermaid. She’s clearly dangerous, and we can all sense it. Each person in our small party halts as they spot our unexpected guests. The Prescott pack huddles close to the wall with their mouths gaping open like dead fish.
Caspian and Madi are the last to walk through. Caspian’s eyes widen, lips turning down.
“Mother,” he says, a hint of menace in his voice. I get the impression that he’s speaking the word for our sake as much as for hers.
This is his Mother? Sure, she looks a little older, but not old enough to have raised a whole ass man. Merman. Whatever. Granted I know nothing about merfolk so perhaps they just don’t age the same as humans. Lucky fuckers.
The mermaid’s violet eyes narrow at her son. “Is that how you address me now? You spent some time with these filthy land-dwellers and lost all decorum?”
“Hey!” Carter shouts. “We aren’t fil—” He’s cut off when Branson slaps a hand over his mouth. Maybe he isn’t a total idiot after all.
“My Queen,” Caspian grits out as he performs a stiff bow of his head. This doesn’t seem to be a joyous reunion. “You speak the human’s tongue? I was unaware.”
Now that he mentions it, I realize that they must be using human language for our benefit. Which is nice of them, I guess.
“You’re unaware of much of my knowledge, this primitivelanguage included.” The merqueenwaves him off, then gestures at his legs with disgust. “Now, if you’re done galavanting above, it’s time to fulfil your marriage pact with Princess Farrasea.”
She says the last part with a sneer, and I realize this is why she’s still speaking our language. She wants all of us to know he’s not available.
Behind me, Madi sucks in a breath. Oh fuck. Did she know about this? A low omega growl comes from the sweet little thing, but she’s smart enough to stay where she is. She can’t take on a small army of men with spears.
“I’ve found my mate, Your Majesty.” Caspian steps forward, blocking the queen’s view of Madi, or maybe Madi’s view of the queen. “I’ll not be heeding the terms of your arrangement with the kingdom of Sirena.”
“Your mate?” The queen loses a bit of her regal composure when she catches sight of Madi’s bite on Caspian’s neck. Several of what must be her guards drift closer, aiming their spears in our direction. She sighs. “You always have been a disappointment, Caspian. But this time you’ve gone too far. You’ll return with us at once.”
“No.” Caspian’s voice is firm, but his posture wavers slightly. “Madi and I are bonded. I cannot leave her.”
Our omega skirts around me, steps forward, and presses into Caspian’s side, lending him support. She looks as regal as a queen, herself. Chin lifted. Shoulder’s back. So brave.
“No matter.” The queen waves an elegant arm, and men I didn’t notice before come striding out of the shadows, naked as the day they were born. Before anyone can react, they grab Madi and Cas roughly by the biceps and fling their wholebodies into the water.
“Madison!” Hunter yells hoarsely, utter terror in his voice. He moves to dive into the water, but the Queen’s guards block his path with spears pointed at his chest. One wrong move, and he’ll be skewered. My lungs refuse to pull in breath. I stand in shock as the group of merfolk vanish a few at a time, leaving some to guard their retreat.
When there’re only two left, weapons still drawn, Hunter breaks out of my hold and runs the few steps to the pool’s edge. I barely catch him before he does something monumentally stupid and flings himself at the mermen. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. Hunter’s not a strong swimmer anymore and they have weapons.
He struggles against me, thrashing and trying to twist out of my hold. “Let me go, Phoenix! They took my mother fuckingmate!” He roars. “They took our omega!”
“I know, Hunt. I know,” I say calmly into his ear, though my heart is pounding a hundred miles a minute. “But you can’t kill yourself trying to swim after a group of fucking merfolk. Armed ones at that. You can’t breathe underwater.”
“Neither can Madison!” Hunter cries, but he stops fighting me, slumping into my hold, shoulders shaking.
When he’s calmed down enough that I’m sure he won’t run, I turn him to face me and grip his shoulders, putting my face inches from his.
“That queen woman won’t let Madi die,” I say.
“You can’t know that, Nix. What if she lets her drown? Or tortures her before killing her? I can’t… Nix, I can’t… I just…” He looks around.
