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Oh, I see them, just not like you do, he teased.
Why are they all here? I glanced between the different types of sea life that surrounded us. Shouldn’t they be trying to get away from the sharks and viperfish? I looked all around. There was even a giant squid following us—I’d never seen one this close before—and yet none of the fish or other creatures seemed the least bit concerned.
He kissed my back, his lips soft and sweet against my shoulder blade. They’re here for you, Tempest.
What do you mean? It was hard to concentrate when he was doing that, especially knowing that there were thousands of eyes watching us. I shrugged, tried to get him to stop, but he wasn’t quite ready to let go. Instead, he trailed his lips up my spine until I all but melted into a puddle of goo.
Only then did he lift his head.
And that’s when I knew. He was claiming me in front of the whole ocean—letting every creature out there, including those loyal to Tiamat, know that I was under his protection. It was a warning, pure and simple, to anyone who tried to mess with me.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, wasn’t sure if I should argue or appreciate it.
In the end, I decided to just let it go. Obviously, Kona was taking Tiamat’s attack even worse than I’d imagined.
Are you doing this? I asked, struggling to think clearly through the medication. Are you calling all these fish to us?
No, baby. They’re here to protect you.
To protect me? I was baffled.
By now, news that Tiamat attacked you again has to have spread through most of the Pacific, as has word of your injury. They’re here to make sure you get home safely.
Why?
No one’s forgotten what you did eight months ago, Tempest. The sacrifices you made to keep us all safe. This is their way of giving back.
And you know this how? I asked, suspicious.
Because they told me, of course.
Right. I’d forgotten that another one of the talents selkies had was being able to talk to almost all the other species in the ocean. It made my electric show seem kind of pathetic in comparison.
I looked back up at the rows upon rows of sea life surrounding us, hammerhead sharks swimming next to sea turtles, squids drifting along next to clownfish. Predators and prey organized into a gauntlet of sorts—not one meant to harm, but to show the selkie prince support. It was an awe-inspiring, if intimidating, sight.
They stayed with us the whole way—all six hundred miles through Kona’s territory to Hailana’s. Some of the smaller fish grew tired, dropped out, but they were quickly replaced with others of their kind.
Less than four hours later—even in human form, Kona was a faster swimmer than I—we reached mermaid territory. Coral Straits was about twice the size of the waters ruled by Kona’s father, stretching thousands of miles and covering some of the Pacific’s most prosperous areas.
It was ruled by the merQueen Hailana. She’d been my mother’s queen, and her best friend, if everything I’d heard about the two of them was to be believed. Now she was my queen, and we were still working out the kinks in that system. To say we had a volatile relationship would be something of an understatement.
I think when she took me under her wing, she’d expected me to be a carbon copy of my mother. To behave exactly as Cecily had.
Unfortunately for her—and for me, I sometimes thought—I wasn’t any better at conforming than I was at taking orders. Which meant Hailana and I butted heads. A lot. So much so lately that she would probably be disappointed to hear I hadn’t perished in the deep-sea attack. It would certainly have made her life easier if I had.
As we cruised the last hundred miles to Hailana’s castle, we slowly lost our escorts. The selkies were the first to go, followed by most of the large predators, so that by the time we reached the deep, narrow trench we needed to take to get into the city, we were alone except for Kona’s guards.
Kona dived into the trench, his natural silver phosphorescence guiding the way through the long, winding tunnel. In places, it narrowed so much that I thought he would crush me between his arms, but somehow we made it through. The closer we got to the city, the more uncertain I became about returning here.
Part of me wanted to head to Kona’s place instead—there I would be coddled and taken care of. Here, with Hailana, it was a different story. She would have heard about the attack by now, and I was sure she would find some new and unique way to make me pay for my mistakes. Of course, now would probably be a great time to get my punishment over with, considering I felt so drowsy and floaty that I could barely focus. It might very well be the most painless encounter I’d ever had with Hailana, besides the time we first met.
We took the final, twisty upturn into the center of Coral Straits at dazzling speeds, bursting like a minicyclone into the place I’d called home these last eight months. I clung to Kona, more than a little dizzy after that last wild ride.
What was that for? I asked, trying to make sense of the crazily spinning world around me.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. He sounded so innocent that I almost bought it, probably would have bought it if the first thing I saw when I was finally able to focus hadn’t been Hailana. She was floating a few feet away from the trench’s opening, arms crossed over her chest and blue eyes completely disapproving. So much for being summoned to her chambers—she’d been so pissed off she’d actually come to me.
You did that on purpose, I accused Kona. You knew she was going to be here and you wanted to make her mad.
I guessed she was going to be here and I wanted to send her a message.
What message? Kill Tempest now instead of later?
More like: you mess with Tempest, you mess with me.
I didn’t know whether to be charmed or annoyed, so I settled on a little bit of both. I can fight my own battles, you know.
I never doubted it—especially after today. But since I’m amazed you’re still reasonably coherent after the pills you took, I figure you could use a little break before she starts in on you.
I can deal with Hailana.
He shrugged. Okay, have at it, tiger. He dropped his arms from around me and pulled back, leaving me dazed and disoriented and at Hailana’s mercy.
I see you’ve been busy, Tempest. She thrust the words into my head, her voice reeking of disapproval. For a woman who looked every one of her centuries of life, her words slammed across our personal connection with incredible force.
You know me, I returned with a guileless smile.
I do, indeed. Her eyes, faded with age but still sharp, shifted to Kona. What’s wrong with her?
She’s had a rough day. She needs to go lie down.
I noticed he didn’t refer to my injuries at all, and briefly I wondered if perhaps Kona knew more about what was going on between Hailana and me than he let on. But trying to think about it made my head hurt, so I resolved to figure things out later when I was back to normal.
Playing nursemaid, Kona? The queen opened up our conversation as she watched him with careful eyes.
Better than playing sea witch, Hailana.
I’mstillhereyouknow, I interrupted. StoptalkingaboutmelikeIdon’t haveabrain. I wanted to say more, to tell both of them to stop posturing, but it was obvious I had garbled the words so badly that neither of them had understood a word I’d just said. I tried to start over, but now that I was finally home, I was crashing quickly, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open.
