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Zeno’s head broke the surface of the water in front of me, a broad grin on his face. I had felt him drawing near, so I didn’t so much as blink at his sudden appearance.
“Do not worry, Maridákia. I have taken care of the mermaid. She is safe in Atlantis.”
The growing jealousy that had been simmering under the surface since I had thought of Fynn examining Kosta had finally reached its boiling point.
Zeno had been with her. Alone. I snarled at Zeno, completely incapable of finding the words to express these unfamiliar emotions that threatened to undo me.
Zeno grinned, flashing his own fangs at me. “I find your jealousy amusing. Are you upset because I handled part of your mission? Or are you angry because I touched another woman?”
He touched her. He touched her, and he was telling me about it. The man must have a death wish. Why else would he be goading me like this? The Siren wanted to have another go at our dominance dance, and remind him she wasn’t to be toyed with.
“You. Are. Mine.” I ground my teeth together as I spoke. My exhausted body longed to lunge for him, but I was still too weak.
“Calm down, Siren. The girl you saved is my sister. We had quarreled over an idiotic merman who she is determined to marry. She stormed off in a huff to sulk. Kosta knows better than to travel so far from Atlantis alone, but she was angry and had expected no one to be in this area. All vessels usually avoid it.”
At the words ‘my sister,’ the rage that had been building inside me like hot lava in a volcano vanished just as quickly as it had come, leaving me more exhausted than before. “Your sister?”
“Yes, my sister. I have three sisters, and Kosta is the youngest. She is also the most headstrong and determined to gray my hair before it is time.” He reached out for me, pulling me into his arms and tucking my head beneath his scruffy chin.
“See? I told you she would be fine. Now, come on. Time to eat.” Lokene looked each of the men up and down. “You guys definitely need to eat something, especially if you’re even thinking about giving Zosime more blood.”
Fynn caught my eye and winked. “I definitely plan on giving blood. Do you have any rare meat, or do you plan on feeding me these grapes while I work on my tan?” There was a laugh in his voice, and he turned to push past Lokene on his way to search for food.
Each of my men blew me a kiss before following Lokene and Fynn into the dark interior of the boat. They left me alone with Zeno.
I stiffened, not quite ready to be touched so soon after believing he had touched another woman. Sister or not, this jealousy thing had no bounds.
“Stop being so stubborn. You know we are bonded. There will never be another for me.”
I forced my body to relax against him, relishing the pleasure of feeling his arms around me as it chased away the last of my jealousy. “Why didn’t you come with the men? You could’ve reached me much faster than that pitiful excuse for a boat.” I nodded toward the dinghy.
“Because we weren’t even sure where you were. I knew the men could protect you if you could not protect yourself. I was raised to put Atlantis before my own needs and desires. I vowed to protect her people above all else.”
He nuzzled the top of my head before continuing, “I sensed my sister was near and found her easily. Knowing that Kosta was out in the open, where humans could potentially see her, was a risk I couldn’t take. I was the only one who could return her safely to Atlantis.”
In the human world, it was assumed our mate would put their partner first. Love demanded it, right? However, that was not always the best decision. I would give my life to protect Atlantis, just as I would give my life to protect humans on earth.
If I knew my men were able to protect themselves, I would not hesitate to help the weaker person in need first. He was not picking her over me; rather, he was lessening my burden by safeguarding Atlantis and her people when I was otherwise indisposed. Not only that, but the way he held me against him using his body as a barricade showed me he knew how weak I’d become, and he wasn’t willing to let anyone else see me like this. My heart swelled. He’d taken his sister to Atlantis so her people would not have seen me weak, the ultimate disgrace for an Atlantean Warrior.
“Have you fed?” His warm breath blew tendrils of hair against my ear, and I shivered.
“Yes. Storm fed me,” I answered tiredly.
“Tell me the truth, Maridákia. Are you injured badly? Will you need to feed again?”
I didn’t answer him at first, not wanting to admit verbally to my powerful merman how truly weakened I was. Although, I had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew how bad it was.
“Bad enough.” I tried to dodge his question.
“How bad? How many times will you need to feed to recover?” He repeated his questions, not satisfied by my half answer.
“If I were not a Siren, the injuries I sustained would have been fatal.”
His arms tightened around me.
I continued, knowing that he would not let this go, “I will probably need to feed two or three more times to heal fully.”
“I had wanted to introduce you to Atlantis tomorrow, but I think it is best we wait until you’re at full strength. Perhaps Lokene will allow us to spend time on the boat for the next few days. This will give you time to feed on each of us, as well as time for your mates to replenish themselves. We could all use the rest.” His large hand brushed at the damp locks of hair covering my face.
