"Stop!" He"d already killed Abhainn, I believed Kain would be next. "Why are you doing this? What is wrong with you?"
He tossed Kain into the wall and marched over to me. Grabbing my upper arm, he yanked me to my feet. "I told you that you would convince the Council to follow The Legacy, and now I"m gathering my insurance." His mouth was so close to my face that I could feel his hot, angry breath. For the first time since all of this began, I was really, truly afraid of this man.
"How...how am I supposed to do that?" I could barely speak.
He started to push me toward the door. "You will tell them that you discovered the error in your ways, and now you see the need for us to take control."
I looked up at him with uncertainty. "But I don"t feel that way. How am I supposed to convince them otherwise?"
Before I knew what happened, I felt my cheek burn and tasted blood in my mouth. Lucian had slapped me so hard, it took seconds before the pain settled in.
"You will obey me," he snarled. "You don"t...he dies." Kain was trying to push himself up off the ground, so Lucian bounded over and kick him hard in the stomach. Tears began to flow down my face.
"Please, don"t hurt him."
"Then do as I say, and don"t even think about trying to leave here tonight." I nodded. Lucian would kill Kain. I didn"t doubt it for one second. All of our plans to escape tonight and gather up those against Lucian and his ideals shattered like the sprite that had been my friend.
Someone slammed the outside bathroom door shut and we all froze. In the second I went to yell for help, my emotions evolved from hopeful to devastated to furious. Graham"s perfectly healed face and designer suit made me want to scream.
"You!" I growled. "You have some nerve coming back here..."
"I missed you too, tart," he interrupted. "I"m so glad we can have this reunion. My life has been dreadful since I left your side in the arms of your selkie." His flippant att.i.tude infuriated every cell in my body.
"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" It literally it felt like my blood was boiling inside my skin. If Lucian still hadn"t had a tight hold on my arm, I would have attacked the traitor. Then I remembered what Kain said. "Oh. Have they seen you yet?" Graham lifted his eyebrows in question. "The Council"s going to love to hear from you, especially since they know everything." My focus briefly turned to Kain struggling on the ground and Graham laughed.
"Are you referring to Adele? Yes, well, I"m afraid Mistress Lyonetta won"t be spilling any secrets tonight."
My stomach plummeted and all of that blood seething at the surface, drained to my toes. What had they done to her?
"Enough of this. It is time," Lucian said. He yanked me forward and turned me so that I was facing Kain. Lucian"s fingers dug into my shoulders, forcing me to look. "Remember, you will convince the Council to celebrate in our success or your precious boyfriend will die."
In that moment, Kain and I shared a look that spoke a thousand words. Love, devotion, fear, and obstinacy. Kain smiled at me and I knew that we weren"t giving up just yet.
Graham walked over to Kain and picked him off the ground. Using his forearm, he pushed Kain against the wall. He looked back and forth between the two of us. "Ah come on, let me tell the bloke. Please?"
Lucian didn"t respond. Instead, he made me step closer. I saw his head lean out past my right shoulder and then suddenly felt his left hand caressing my face. He spoke to Kain. "Say one word, alert one protector and I will take her away from you permanently."
Kain"s eyes widened as he pushed against Graham. "You wouldn"t hurt her," he said.
"No?" Both of Lucian"s hands wrapped tightly around my head. I could feel him pushing into my mind, but instead of telling me sleep, all I felt was pain. I grimaced and tried to break free, but I couldn"t get past the throbbing in my head. "It is true that I want her by my side, but she is not a necessity."
"She"s your daughter..."
"Kain!" I yelled out. Not because he revealed what he knew, but because my breath had been ripped from my lungs. I felt like I was drowning. Searing waves of pain shot through every limb until I wanted to collapse and die.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Kain screamed at Lucian. I didn"t know what he was doing to me, but it hurt like h.e.l.l. "I won"t do anything. Just don"t kill her, please." For as much as Kain tried to be a stoic leader, his persona crumbled into pieces. Fresh tears glistened in his eyes as he pleaded for this to stop. He cared about me so much, and the little part of me not in agony understood how deep his love went.
"Good." Lucian said and all of my pain instantly went away. I sucked in a few gasping breaths of air, aware that there was nothing to cough out. Even though it felt like water, my lungs were clear.
"Let"s go."
Lucian pushed me out the door, and I had one last chance to look at the puddles that used to be Abhainn and then back to Kain before the door closed shut. Lucian had hurt so many of my friends and family, and now it appeared that he was going to hurt more.
I had no choice but to obey.
Sixteen.
Kain The second the door closed, I fought back. Graham was distracted by Lucian and Eviana"s exit, and the pressure from his forearm pushing against my throat lightened enough for me to strike. I hit him as hard as I could in the side of his face with my left hand. It wasn"t pretty, and Troy would probably laugh at me, but it worked. And when he let go of my throat to face me, I slammed my forehead into his nose. The move sent shock waves through my head.
"What the..." Graham said, holding his nose and taking two steps backward. "You son of a..." I kicked him in the stomach and watched him fall to the ground. In a split second, I was holding the traitor by the throat and getting ready to land another punch.
"I wouldn"t do that if I were you," he managed to spit out past the blood in his mouth. "Something happens to me, she dies."
I froze. Did I chance it? What would one more hit do anyway? I swung my fist forward and enjoyed the sound of it making contact with his cheek. It wasn"t like the noise in movies, more like the slapping of a wet towel against the floor. Not fancy but effective.
I felt my knuckles split with that last blow and shaking my hand, I lowered my face close to Graham"s. "That was for Abhainn. And now you will help me out of this. Do you understand?"
He smiled. "Are you trying to persuade me or force me?" I looked down at him in confusion. "I can feel you pushing against my mind, but it won"t work." What was he talking about? Merfolk couldn"t use compulsion against each other.
My head suddenly throbbed, and the night Lucian stabbed me came flooding back into the forefront of my mind. Eviana and I had a physical reaction to Lucian"s compulsion of the selkies. Something similar to what I was feeling now.
Without a conscious thought, I sat down on the floor, off to the side of Graham. There was an overwhelming urge to sleep. Why was I so tired? Graham pushed himself up and grabbed a paper towel. After running it under the faucet, he wiped the blood off his face while keeping an eye on me.
"You don"t stand a chance, bloke. One wrong move and you"ll die or she"ll die." He shrugged his shoulders. "I"d prefer it if you disappeared since I am very much looking forward to spending my nights alone with her. She is a feisty tart. It will certainly make for an interesting marriage." And then he had the nerve to wink at me.
Whatever hold he had over me at that point shattered into a thousand pieces. Graham was a pompous a.s.s, a powerful Council member, and an all around jerk. But I think it was the idea that I could lose Eviana to yet another guy who didn"t deserve her. Not again. I wouldn"t sit back and let that happen this time.
I threw out my hand and commanded the water still falling from the faucet to lift up into the air and wrap around Graham"s throat. Caught off guard, he dropped the towel and pulled against the strands. His fingers pa.s.sed through to no avail. The mix of water and blood made for a horrid site. I felt an evil sense of satisfaction I didn"t know I possessed.
Forcing the water to squeeze tighter, Graham"s eyes widened just before a smile pa.s.sed over his face. He wrinkled his forehead and glared at me. A piercing pain sliced through my head, causing me to lose my concentration.
"You can"t beat me," he spat. With his accent, it sounded less like a threat and more like a royal reprimand. It made me laugh. Until he forced me to walk toward him.
"How are you doing this?" I asked. Apparently he wasn"t able to control my thoughts completely.
"I"m gifted," he replied. "And you...you will remember that the next time you try one of your little stunts." He reached out and punched me so hard in the stomach that it brought tears to my eyes. I made a move toward him and got shoved back into the wall in response.
"Enough of this. I tire of your games." Graham"s hands wrapped around my throat tight enough that I couldn"t breathe. "Make one more attempt you ignorant syrenka, and I will kill her myself." Something in his demeanor had changed. For the first time tonight, I believed in his threat.
Holding my hands out to the side, I signaled my surrender. Fighting Graham would only get Eviana killed. We needed to know what Lucian"s game was, and being stuck in this bathroom with a guy I hated would not get us anywhere. Eviana was out there, doing her part. It was time for me to do the same.
Seeing my resolution, Graham stepped away and picked the towel up off the floor. "Make yourself presentable. I may tolerate your actions, but Lucian certainly won"t. If he sees us like this, he will do something horrible to you." Then he looked at me, deep in thought. "No, he"ll hurt her and make you watch. It"s a thing of his."
"Why are you going along with this? I thought you cared about her?" I don"t even know why I said it. I certainly didn"t want to discuss this with him, but it I had to ask.
He continued wiping his face, using the mirror to find every last blood speck. "This is the way it has to be. We are too powerful to sit by and watch humans destroy everything. Besides, Eviana will come around. She will see the light."
It took everything I had, mostly my loyalty to Eviana and my clan, to stand still and listen to his nonsense. I kept telling myself that I"d have my chance to get even with him, I just had to bide my time.
Without another incident, I followed him out of the restroom and into the meeting area. When we got close enough for people to notice us, Graham slowed so that he moved behind me.
"Don"t even think about trying anything." He pushed my shoulder forward, turning me so that I could see Eviana and Lucian standing on the far side of the room. Her eyes searched frantically through the crowd until she spotted me. We exchanged another knowing look that sent my heart into a free fall. I couldn"t let him take her from me.
"Ain"t love grand?" Graham whispered behind me. I shot him a look that went unanswered. Instead he chuckled and pushed me further into the room and toward the closest wall. There were several rows of chairs facing one direction with a center aisle that led to a lone microphone in the front of the room. A perfect way to demand attention from all.
My only other ally in this meeting was Adele. As the leader of the American Council, she was devastated to hear about Graham"s betrayal. She had taken him under her wing when his parents couldn"t manage him and his powers anymore. Together they worked to control and master his skills, only to have him use them against his own kind. I will never forget the look on her face the moment it all sunk in. Disappointment of that magnitude was hard to overcome.
As if on cue, the American Council, with their maroon cloaks and solemn faces, made their way to the chairs in the front row. Or at least some of them did. I counted only four moving to the left side, while two others broke to the right. The seventh one was playing guard duty next to me.
"Won"t they suspect something if you aren"t with them?" I asked in a whisper.
"They already know," he said. Something about his tone worried me, but I was distracted by the screech of a microphone.
"Sit," Lucian commanded from his new position behind the microphone. The right side of the room obeyed instantly, including Eviana. Although she moved stiffly and I swear I saw tears in her eyes. I would kill him for putting her through this.
The left side of the room, a mixture of cloaks representing Council"s from all over the world, hesitated. I caught Adele staring behind me at Graham. If she would have been able to compel with her look, Graham would have been dead. Instead he smiled at her and bent forward in a mock bow. Without thinking, I elbowed him hard in the ribs, and then resumed my stance so as to not attract attention.
Eviana jumped to her feet, obviously watching the exchange. Graham recovered quickly and in retaliation, he forced himself into my mind. I was frozen, stuck to the floor like a concrete statue. I hated that he could do this.
"You try that again and I will show you the extent of my power," he threatened.
I wanted to reply with something witty or sarcastic, but I couldn"t speak. If I got out of here, I needed to work on my compulsion. On merfolk.
Lucian"s eyes flashed in our direction and I felt Graham stiffen behind me. In just a few seconds, Lucian had control of the room and our little scuffle was getting too loud. Graham released his mental hold on me, but placed one hand on my shoulder as a reminder of his presence. We were both conveniently facing Eviana, and I knew that wasn"t a coincidence. I had to behave for her sake.
She finally sat back down. A look pa.s.sed over Lucian"s face that I couldn"t interpret as he watched her succ.u.mb like the rest of the merfolk in the room.
"I must thank you all for coming on such short notice," Lucian began. I finally took in the atmosphere. There must have been at least fifty powerful Council members here, somewhat equally divided between the two sides of the room. I feared this division had a greater meaning.
"As a courtesy, I will get right to the point," Lucian continued. "It is time for our kind to take back what is ours. No more hiding behind humans and watching them destroy our heritage. For too long they have been allowed to believe that they rule over all, and for too long we have stayed in the shadows and let this atrocity unfold." He spread his arms out wide and turned to face the left side of the room.
"I blame you for their arrogance and ignorance. Your unwillingness to keep them in line has led to war, famine, and overpopulation. They are slowly killing us. All of us. The sprites, the nymphs, the ratchets...we are all suffering because of your incompetence." He turned back to the other side of the room which I now realized contained his supporters. It was where Eviana sat, along with two of the American Council members. Adele and Christopher. My stomach dropped. What did he threaten Adele with? It must have been horrible for her to be a part of this charade.
"We have decided that it is time for a new leadership to guide us toward The Legacy. No longer will we be weakened by those too scared to act. Effectively immediately, there will be one united Council comprised of eight members chosen by me and supported by all of you."
I watched the crowd closely. Most were looking at him in awe, but some showed fear and wariness. Unfortunately, one of them decided to speak.
"You do not have the privilege of making those demands, Lucian." It was an older man, ancient really. His Spanish accent and black cloak lead me to believe that he represented one of the South American Councils.
"My old friend, Gabriel. How you have been mislead. I can make these demands and you all will listen to me."
Without uttering a sound, Lucian focused on Gabriel. The ancient leader gasped for air and clutched at his heart. Those seated around him jumped up and cleared a s.p.a.ce encircling the ailing merman like a noose. Lucian smiled until Adele stood. He gave her one look, so menacing and wicked, that she stopped herself from doing anything more.
Gabriel took one last painful breath that squeaked more than it should, before collapsing to the ground. He never moved again.
"What did you do?" Another mermaid with a gold cloak screamed at Lucian. She appeared to be more afraid than angry.
"I did what we all should be doing. I controlled him." A chorus of gasps and whispers made their way through the room. The sheer panic written on the faces of those who"d sided against Lucian was evident.
"How?" someone yelled.
"It is my legacy, fools. You"ve heard the stories since you were children. My family has always held enhanced powers of compulsion, but you were all too ignorant to accept this."
It was almost as if I could see each person digging through their minds. I remembered the stories told at parties to scare the younger merfolk. Stories about those like us who had the ability to kill you with one look. Those who had the ability to compel other merfolk. Like Graham and Lucian. And maybe like me.
"This is the way it should be. Survival of the fittest. And a new pecking order will be established today." Lucian motioned to one of his selkie guards who promptly joined him by the microphone. "I have already taken the first steps in conquering this new world of ours." The selkie handed him an electronic device with a small screen. Lucian turned it toward the audience and pointed to a map. "I have found that humans from this part of the world are particularly favorable of war, even without compulsion. With a little push from me and my colleagues, we have created a situation where a nuclear attack is eminent. One suggestion, one push from us and millions of humans will die." He actually smiled while the merfolk shifted in their seats. "Humans are weak. A flood, famine, disease, war...it won"t take much to rid us of these overpopulated rats."
Lucian handed the device back to the selkie and held up his hands. "However, we don"t have to resort to extreme violence and death right away. We can utilize humans to do our bidding, to work for the merfolk. Many of us already have contacts in powerful positions, now is the time to make more. With changes in policy and the quick destruction of those who get in our way, the world will be back under our control in no time." He paused dramatically.
"I will lead you all in this endeavor, but I will not do it alone," Lucian continued, his tone daring someone to challenge him. "My daughter will rule by my side." He lifted his arm during the chorus of whispers, beckoning Eviana to come stand beside him.
I saw her hesitation, as did Lucian. He jerked his head in my direction forcing Eviana to look at me. At the same time Graham squeezed the back of my neck, and once again I struggled against the urge to fight back.
She mouthed the words "I"m sorry" to me and shuffled to Lucian"s side. I shrugged off Graham"s hand and took a step in her direction, but was cut off by Lucian"s next words.
"There are six more of you chosen ones that will accompany us in this new world. Christopher Walters, please stand."
The Council member who"d always seemed partial to Lucian"s behavior, stood with smirk on his face that made me want to punch him.
"Elizabetta Morganti." A middle aged female in a gold cloak stood while the rest of the Council members around her made little attempt to hide their disgust. Her dark hair flowed down the back of her cloak like silk and her confident stance let everyone know how honored she was. The look she gave Lucian, like he was the only man in the room, had me wondering about the extent of their relationship, and then immediately trying to scratch it from my mind.
"Dominique Bene, Petra Zukov, and Peder Borja, I welcome you to my side." Three more Council members from the Caribbean Nations, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavian factions walked to the front of the room, oblivious to the hateful glares they received from their fellow leaders.
That made seven, until I heard Graham shift behind me. "And last, but certainly not least, Graham Forrester," Lucian bellowed.
All fifty heads turned to the merman still standing beside me with his hand on my shoulder. I saw Graham nod out of the corner of my eye and Lucian actually smiled. It was a real smile too, like a public display of a father"s pride. I feared we"d greatly underestimated the dynamic between the two of them.
"Graham Forrester is not only a very powerful merman and leader of our kind, but he will soon be my son-in-law." Eviana hung her head and my heart stopped. It was bittersweet. On one hand I knew she hated to be forced into marriage, and on the other, I"d been the one she"d refused in the past.
"My beautiful daughter will be married in two days, securing the future of our beliefs and the abilities that should be celebrated not feared." Members of the newly formed Council clapped their hands together, as did the entire right side of the room. It reminded me of human political speeches where the supporters stood and clapped at every word uttered by their party leader.
"To honor this occasion, I will be holding our first official meeting in the same evening, and I expect you all to attend." He glared at the left side of the room. "Your presence is required. As representatives of our kind, you owe it to your people to understand how things will be done from now on."
I watched in awe as not a single one of them argued with the insanity behind what Lucian was asking them to do. They simply sat there...like zombies. Could he control that many merfolk at once?
"Adele Lyonetta will provide you with the location and details. We will celebrate the birth of a new union and a new way of life." I swear his teeth glimmered in the light. Half of the room erupted in cheers while the other half sat silent and still. I wondered if they would really follow through with Lucian"s idiotic demands.
"You will have a front row seat, mate." Graham slapped me hard against the back and I gritted my teeth together.
"Get your hand off me," I growled.
"Now, now," he continued patting my back. "There are plenty of fish in the sea for someone like you. Don"t be a sore loser."