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And then we were off, traveling toward land at over a hundred miles an hour.
Mark laughed, whooped. “This is a kick-ass ride,” he called to me.
His response made me smile, and despite everything, I relaxed and enjoyed the sun beating down on our backs as we raced through the water to safety.
We hit Sydney Harbour about an hour and a half later. I laughed when I saw the Opera House. “You were right,” I told Mark.
“I usually am. But, Tempest, what are we going to do here? I don’t even have a passport.”
“I know. One of my dad’s friends from his surfing days docks in Sydney most of the time during the winter. Dad and the boys are planning on visiting him next month, but if we’re lucky, he’ll be here already.”
It took a while for us to find Sergio’s boat, simply because there were thousands docked around the harbor. But my family had visited Sergio here two or three times in the last few years, so I had a pretty good idea of where to start looking. Eventually we found it—a small, pretty yacht named Surf’s Up.
It was early morning in Sydney, so I was hoping I’d find Sergio around. Last time we visited, he’d slept on the boat, but a lot could change in a year. I was proof of that.
Still, when I called to him from the dock, his shaggy black hair appeared within a couple of minutes. “Who’s there?” he asked, his Italian accent sounding completely out of place down here.
“It’s Tempest, Sergio. Bobby’s daughter.”
“Tempest?” His whole head came out this time and he eyed me in surprise. “You’re looking good! But what are you doing here?”
“It’s kind of a long story. Can we come aboard and tell you?”
“Of course, of course.” He ushered us in with a wave of his hand. “Just let me put some pants on and get the coffee started. I’ll be up in a minute.”
It was more like seven minutes (I knew because I was fidgeting the whole time, trying to figure out how long it would be before I could get back down to Kona), but when Sergio finally made it topside, he had a tray of coffee and croissants with him. Mark and I tried not to fall on them like starving wildebeests, but we failed miserably.
Sergio eyed us with amused indulgence. “Been swimming?” he asked, taking in our wet clothes. Mark had shed his wet suit a while back and was now in just a pair of board shorts.
“Something like that. Look, I know this is awful, but I can’t really explain how we got here. Can you just trust me when I tell you we weren’t doing anything illegal and help us out?”
He laughed. “You sound more and more like your mother every day.” But he was quick to offer his help. “Can Mark’s parents send a passport to him? If so, he can stay here until it arrives and then we’ll get him on a plane home.”
“In a few days. He can’t fly yet. He’s been … diving.”
“He can stay as long as he needs to,” Sergio replied.
It was exactly what I hoped to hear. “Thank you, Sergio. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”
He just smiled his easy surfer’s grin. “Hey, no worries. I’m looking forward to surfing with the two of you this afternoon—seeing if you can still hold your own Down Under.”
I laughed, then made my excuses. Much as I wanted to stay with Mark, I needed to get back to Kona as well. To make sure he was okay, and that Mahina had gotten him to a healer. I also had to check on Hailana and the state of her clan. My clan now.
Mark walked me as far down the harbor as we could go, then wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. I breathed him in, the salty, sweet scent of him melting me inside a little, like it always did.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” At my very unamused look, he said, “Oh, right. That whole kidnapped by the evil sea-bitch, nearly blown apart by some crazed merman, running out of oxygen under the water thing. You’re sorry for that?”
I laughed, as I knew he wanted me to. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“No problem. It was a hell of a date.”
“Is that what you’re calling it? A date?”
“I don’t know. What should I call it? A one-night stand?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Tell it to me straight.” He stepped back. “Am I ever going to see you again?”
“Yes! Of course. But Tiamat and Sabyn ruined almost everything. I have to go help fix it.”
“Of course you do.” He looked out over the harbor. “What about Kona?”
I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to fix this whole ridiculous love triangle thing we were embroiled in. “I don’t know. I have to talk to him. He’s got a lot going on right now.”
Mark’s jaw worked back and forth. “Does he?”
“His parents just died. He’s got to become king—”
“He’s a king? Seriously?” Mark turned his back on me and walked a few steps away. As he did, I thought I heard him mutter, “No wonder I’ve never stood a chance.”
“It’s not like that, Mark.” I chased after him, got in his face.
“Then how is it, Tempest? How the hell is it? I love you. You say you love me. And yet every time I turn around, you’re running back to him.”
“I have to make sure he’s okay. And I’m not running to him. I’m running back to my clan. It’s devastated, the merQueen is injured. I have to do what I can to help.”
“And then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“After you’ve done all your mermaid stuff, and you’ve checked on Kona and he’s told you he loves you. What. Happens. Then.”
“I don’t know,” I told him. “Okay? I don’t know.”
“Well, then, you better figure it out. I can deal with all the mermaid stuff, even deal with crazed sea creatures that are the things nightmares are made of. But I will not be your sometime boyfriend, hanging around waiting for you to come back to land after you’ve had your fun with Kona.”
And then he turned and walked away, the too-small flip-flops Sergio had loaned him slapping angrily against the dock.
I didn’t try to stop him. But then, how could I, when everything he’d said was true?
Chapter 36
By the time I found Kona and Mahina, they were halfway home. Mahina had gotten Kona to a healer, and he’d done enough good that Kona was swimming on his own. There was still a scar on his side, red and bumpy and angry looking, but all of the important things were healed.
Is Mark okay? Mahina asked when I caught up to them.
He’s fine. I didn’t look at her or Kona as I spoke. I couldn’t, not while Mark’s ultimatum was echoing in my head.
Good. Kona smiled at me, but it was strained. Tired.
It’s going to be okay. I brushed a hand over his shoulder.
I don’t think I can do this, Tempest. I’m not ready to be king. This time he was the one who couldn’t look at me.
I know. But you’re going to do a great job. Everyone knows that you’ll be amazing.
I miss them. I know my mom was a pain, but the idea that she’s never going to nag me again, never try to get me to settle down and be more respectable, is awful. And my dad—I still had so many questions for him about what it means to rule wisely.
