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“Father.” In my mind, he’d deserted me when I’d needed him the most, but I had to put on a good show. At least for now—I had plans that required him to be on my side of things, so insulting him would be childish and stupid. He smiled at me—a beautiful smile that caused my heart to thaw just a bit as old memories flooded in.
“I see you haven’t changed much, son. Still beautiful as ever. Your eyes are so much like your mother’s. Lord Alyxsander will have his hands full with all of your many admirers.”
This group of me around him laughed politely. I hadn’t liked to be compared to my mother—mainly because it hurt too much. He was reminding me of how she once had been when she was part of our family. How she had once been his loving consort and my dearest mother. He was breaking my heart, and he didn’t even realize it.
Thankfully, Alyx remained perfectly quiet and completely still. He obviously knew my father was swimming in shark-filled waters.
I took a deep breath. I might as well start laying the groundwork for what was to come. First, I needed to harden my heart a little, so I moved away from Alyx and closer to my father. I had a plan to keep Alyx and Keion far away from danger when I went to get Adan. I knew how strong they were, but I also knew if she hurt or, gods forbid, killed either of them, it would take both me and my brother out of action, and we’d be lost. No, this had to be done.
“Yes, Father. I’m here…finally. Lord Alyxsander sent me away to live on land with a ‘guardian.’ Were you aware of that?
“Yes, son, I was.” He glanced over my shoulder at Alyx and gave him a dark look. “I didn’t approve at the time, but I had given you over to his care. He thought you’d be safer on land.” He looked back and forth between us. “I thought King Cleotus said the two of you had worked out your difficulties, and you were ready to become officially betrothed. Is that not true?”
Betrothed?That was the first I’d heard of it. I glanced back at Alyx to find him staring right back at me with a raised eyebrow, daring me to deny him. This was going to be even harder than I thought. But I had to stick to my original plan.
“No, I haven’t heard of any betrothal.”
The king glared at Alyx. “Really? Then we need to talk about this, Kailar. Urgently.”
He took my arm to draw me away from Alyx, but I’d had enough of being “handled.” He glanced down at me in surprise, and I could well imagine. The boy he’d last seen had been only a child. I was a man now, and it was time he realized that.
“Enough!” I said, firmly, glaring at him as much as I dared. I mean, I could talk about Alyx badly, but I was the only damn one. “What’s done is done. Alyx and I have resolved most of our differences. We’ll talk more, of course, but I’m exhausted now, Father. We’ve had a long journey to get here. I’ve been very ill, and I’d like to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll rescue my brother. After that, we’ll make a plan to destroy the Sea Hag—the creature once known as my mother.” I glanced up at him and gave a slight bow. “If it pleases Your Majesty.”
My father looked troubled. “I know you’re angry, son. I’m angry, as well. I can’t believe your mother has done the things she has, and I agree something needs to be done. But I’m not comfortable with the words you’re using.”
Was he serious?Something needed to be done?He wasn’t comfortable with the words I was using—oh, like the word “destroy?”Was this why hadn’t something already been done months ago when my brother went missing? I knew he must have been notified and yet he’d sat on his hands and done nothing while Adan was suffering.
I didn’t even realize I’d said all that out loud until I saw my father’s face turn red and heard the loud murmurings from his entourage, some of whom had even drawn their swords in outrage.
My father turned and made a violent downward motion, which immediately cut them all off, though they still gave me dark frowns and looked as if they wanted to fight. Behind me, I could hear Alyx and Keion growling back at them, and Alyx stepped up beside me.
My father turned back to me, and I saw for the first time how much he’d aged since I’d seen him last. “Kailar, I understand your frustration. My queen—your mother—is a difficult thing for me to even discuss. Imagine, if you can, that someone you loved suddenly turned into something evil. Something monstrous. Our people are immortal and once we find our true loves, it’s forever. Ican’tjust kill her, don’t you see? Can you understand how hard this is for me?”
His voice was so full of anguish, it gave me a start. I saw how wrecked his face was and for the first time, I thought about what I would do if I had to kill Alyx. I shuddered, as it didn’t even bear thinking about, and I hadn’t even really known my Atlantean that long. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. But damn it, something had to be done. She wasn’t the woman he knew anymore—that person was long gone, caught up in profound wickedness. She had to be destroyed.
I stepped forward and embraced my father, because I wasn’t sure either if I could really kill my mother when the time came, despite my brave thoughts. Most of that had been nothing but bravado on my part, because I remembered when she was sweet and loving to us. Yet, I knew deep down that she had to die. Immortality didn’t mean that our people couldn’t be killed. It was difficult to do, but it was possible. I was determined to save my brother, though, and between us, we would find a way to do what we had to. I just had to trust that.
My father turned toward Alyx and Keion. “I’m sorely disappointed in both of your soulmates, though, son.Sorelydisappointed.” He took a deep breath and kept talking. “I couldn’t reach out to either of you boys for fear that somehow, with her powerful magic, your mother would be able to read my mind. She’s around me often, and I can feel it. I-I think she’d like to kill me too. I feel her rage toward me at times. Then she changes and is more like she used to be.”
I remembered that from not long ago when I’d traveled to see Adan. I thought then and I knew at that moment that she had gone completely insane.
“Your mother never had an…intimate connection with your Atlanteans, and thus she never could get a close enough relationship with them to be able to read their minds or influence them. I truly thought you both were safer away from me.” This time his gaze drifted back between Alyx and Keion, and his eyes turned gold with fury. “I never expected to be betrayed by those who were supposed to be our most loyal allies.”
I stepped to my father, hugged him, and whispered in his ear, “I understand your pain. I feel it too, and I do forgive you Father, if that is worth anything to you. But all of us have made mistakes. One day soon, I’ll ask a favor of you and you must agree. If not, I’ll walk away now, and you never see me again.”
I looked deeply into his eyes, and he slowly nodded his agreement.
I looked over at Alyx and Keion. “You left my twin brother and me in the hands of others and they betrayed us all. They clearly weren’t prepared to protect us the way we should have been.”
Might as well put it out there for everyone to hear. “They both left us to fend on our own.”
“Damn it, Kailar,” Alyx said, reaching for my hand. “I thought we were working on building our relationship.”
“And I thought you were my protector,” I whispered back, a fake smile on my face. “Guess we were both wrong.”
I loved him…always would. That didn’t, under any circumstances, mean he and Keion got a free pass on what he’d cause to happen in the lives of me or my twin.
“I’m here to protect you now,” he retorted, a frustrated look screwing up his handsome features.
