"I...I don"t like being in the dark," Daniel said. "Plus I can use it as a weapon." I looked down at the four inch piece of metal and smiled. "I could crush your skull with this," he added as soon as he saw my reaction. I laughed. "Fine, but I could temporarily blind you."
"That is true," I conceded, and had to shield my face when Daniel tried to prove his point. "I said I believe you."
In a move so quick I hardly saw it, Abhainn reached out, grabbed the flashlight from Daniel"s hand, and threw it into the ocean. "I guess ye will need to use yer natural abilities now, lad."
Daniel looked from the sea to Abhainn and back again. "Why did you do that?"
"I didn"t want ye to hurt Master Matthew here and ye looked like ye were going to do some serious damage." There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Abhainn"s voice and the glimmer in his eye.
Daniel huffed and threw up his arms. "Very funny, Abhainn." He moved into the sprite"s personal s.p.a.ce. "I think I saw a water bottle over there. Maybe you"d like to spend some time thinking about how you don"t have to be so rude?"
There was a hint of stiffness to Abhainn"s shoulders. Daniel"s water control was probably good enough to capture the sprite if he took him by surprise. For a moment I wondered if he was serious, but when I saw Daniel wink, I knew he would never do that to our friend.
"So do you know where she is?" Daniel asked, moving a few steps away and getting to the real reason why he was here.
"Not yet," Abhainn said.
"But we should know soon," I added before Daniel could say anything else.
"Aye, I think..." Abhainn"s words were suddenly cut off by the soulful howl of a hound. Shivers ran down my spine, recognizing what that sound meant. I looked at Daniel who was frozen in place, and then to Abhainn. His face lit up as we all turned to face the water. "I think we will know now."
In an instant, Abhainn"s body exploded into millions of water droplets and fell quietly into the surf. Daniel and I backed up, trying not to get any on us. ""I really hate it when he does that," I said.
"Is he okay?" Daniel asked. I looked out into the glimmering sea and saw the sprite"s head emerge next to the ratchet that was calling for him.
"Yeah," I said. "I"ll bet that"s Isabel."
"That ratchet?"
"Yes. I think she"s Abhainn"s girlfriend." Eviana and I had a chance encounter with the two of them in a nearby park. Apparently we"d interrupted a private moment leading me to believe they had a romantic relationship. "She"s the one who found Brendan"s attackers."
"Interesting," Daniel said quietly while watching the two water fairies converse in their human forms. "I hope she found Eviana."
"Me too." I sighed, trying to relive some of the tension in my neck. The movement sent a wave of pain through my side and I cringed. I was tired of being in pain.
"You should sit down," Daniel said.
"I"m fine."
"You"re not. You were skewered. By a sword." He stepped in front of me. "Stop trying to pretend it doesn"t hurt."
"I"m not."
He huffed. "I don"t get that macho thing you all do. Why can"t you just admit when you need help?"
"I"m fine," I said a little louder.
"Whatever. Be in pain." I had to smile. Daniel couldn"t be mad at anyone. He was simply too nice and nurturing. "Here he comes."
I turned to see Abhainn walking out of the surf and marveled as he shifted himself into clothes. I was slightly envious of their abilities to turn into anything or anyone. Although, I"d rather protect humans than eat them, so I suppose I was better suited as a merman.
"Well?" Daniel eagerly asked.
"Did Isabel know anything?" I added.
Abhainn smiled and slapped both of his hands on our shoulders. My body protested, but it was a secondary concern. We waited for him to say something. Finally he spoke.
"We found her."
Eight.
Eviana Due to my late night escapade, it was almost noon before I opened my eyes. My plan was in place, along with a backup. Now, I just had to find Lucian and swallow my pride.
It wasn"t hard. Well, the finding Lucian part anyway. My pride was another story. Making my way downstairs, I noticed the dining room table overflowing with fresh fruit, breads, and juices. It was a spread fit for a queen. Or king.
Lucian sat on end of the table adorned in his trademark red and black. Only this time, he wore a pair of red parachute pants made for the beach and a short sleeve black silk shirt that hung open to display as much skin as possible. My appet.i.te disappeared instantly and I frantically wished I had another backup plan.
"She wakes," Lucian cooed. He stood to greet me but I diverted my path to avoid his touch. Then I remembered that I needed to play along.
"Good morning," I said. "What"s the occasion?"
Lucian watched me skirt around his presence and I could see a hint of disappointment cross his face. Masking his reaction, he smiled obnoxiously wide. "Why, this is all for you. Our first breakfast together. Or, more like brunch at this late hour."
There was something knowing in his tone. My heart pounded and my breath caught, worried that he found out about my late night visit with Graham. Picking up a piece of pineapple to avoid his stare, I shrugged. "What can I say? It"s the fresh air."
"And how do you like your new accommodations?"
"It"s okay," I said nonchalantly.
He laughed and moved back to his seat. "I imagine it is. Please, sit down. Our main course is almost ready."
I reached the heavy wooden chair but the women selkie pulled it out for me before I had a chance to refuse. Putting on my best sarcastic smile, I nodded my head and accepted the favor. If her snort was any indication, she knew that we were just playing nice.
"What"s the main course?" I asked, stuffing another piece of fruit into my mouth. It was simply too delicious to refuse.
"Ceviche and truths," Lucian replied then chuckled when he saw my face. "I think it"s time that you and I got to know each other better. Ask me anything you want."
I thought about that for a moment before shaking my head. "Nope, I think I"m just fine living in blissful ignorance."
"Why must you behave that way? You are a clan leader now, not a spoiled brat."
I tried to stay calm but it was taking a lot for me to remain seated. "I"ve already learned everything I want to know about you," I managed to say through gritted teeth.
"You know what they want you to know." Lucian waved his hand around and took a long sip of his drink. "I"ll bet Marguerite never mentioned me, did she?"
My heart ached and tears blurred my vision the second he mentioned my mother"s name. I stayed silent. Not because I didn"t have anything to say, but because I couldn"t force the sound past my clenched throat.
"She was something else." He stared out the window with a look of someone who deeply admired my mother. It was an expression he didn"t deserve to wear.
"Then why did you murder her?" I asked, seething with emotion.
"You know the answer to that already," he replied without looking at me.
I was ready to argue but a loud crash by the front door interrupted our conversation. Someone yelped in pain just before the sound of rattling chains echoed through the room. Two large selkies dragged Graham across the threshold and into the dining area. Lucian smiled in a way that chilled me to the core, especially when he turned to watch my reaction.
Graham"s arms were pulled tightly behind his back, exposing his chest under the unb.u.t.toned shirt. His hair pointed in all directions and his right eye was red and swollen. Bruises still covered his body, leading me to believe they were fresh from this morning since he should have recovered a little with his change last night. Why did they continue to beat him?
"Ah, another meal for you and another chance to torment me, I suspect," Graham said with sarcasm all the more defined by his accent. "Isn"t this swell."
The selkie on his left pushed him forward and Graham tried to fall to his knees. Although the position of his arms wouldn"t allow him to reach the ground, his body weight was enough to pull his guards off balance. I watched with amus.e.m.e.nt as the three of them toppled to the floor. He certainly didn"t make their job any easier and I knew that this was why Graham was still being abused. It would probably stop if he would be a good little prisoner like me.
I tried to relay that through my eyes with no luck. Graham wasn"t looking at me, but Lucian was. His face twisted with delight. Without missing a beat, Lucian stood and pulled out a chair in the center of the table. Once Graham was sitting, Lucian motioned to the guards who promptly removed the chains from around Graham"s arms.
He ma.s.saged his wrists and smiled up at the selkies. "Well, it"s been fun mates. I must say that I usually enjoy that kind of treatment but with faces much prettier than yours."
The largest selkie slapped him on the back of the head in reply. Graham laughed then winced when his neck snapped forward a little too hard. It was almost as if he enjoyed being in pain.
"Why is he here?" I asked Lucian, afraid that I would have to witness another beating while trying to eat.
Graham, with his mouth full of bread, looked up at me with sad eyes. "I missed you too, tart."
Lucian chuckled and motioned the selkie woman back into the room. She set a plate in front of each of us and began dishing out something from a large bowl. When she got to me, she made no attempt to hide her annoyance as she slammed the large spoon against my plate, splashing ceviche juice and octopi tentacles everywhere.
"He"s here because we all need to talk about the future," Lucian stated. Graham coughed loud enough for me to know it wasn"t an accident.
"You mean the one where I die in your retched little prison?" He still had a mouthful of food, making it hard to understand him.
Lucian took another sip of his drink and smacked his lips together. "No, Master Forrester. I mean the one where you marry my daughter and help lead the revolution." This time I was the one who nearly choked.
"I will not marry him," I replied at the same time Graham said, "Excellent!"
"I"m afraid that you have no choice in the matter, daughter. It has been arranged for a long time."
I stood up fast enough to knock the chair over. "I don"t care and you should know that I won"t marry someone just because I"m told to do so."
"She does have a point," Graham added before shoving a bite of ceviche in his mouth. I glared at him but Lucian distracted my response.
"You don"t understand, Eviana. You and Graham were always supposed to be together. It"s in your blood."
"What are you talking about?" I yelled, aware that the selkie woman was trying to reset my chair, but not giving her any room to do so.
Graham stopped chewing long enough to look at Lucian. "Our bloodlines?" The way he spoke led me to believe he knew something about this already. Sitting back in his chair, Graham smiled. "That explains a lot."
"Will somebody please tell me what you"re talking about?" I grabbed the chair from the woman"s grasp and dared her to challenge me. After a few seconds, she threw up her hands and stomped away, muttering something in Spanish.
"Please sit down," Lucian said calmly.
"I"d rather stand."
"It"s okay, tart. You can tell him the truth now," Graham added.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, taking a step in Graham"s direction, still holding the chair. Perhaps it could serve as my weapon.
"The fact that you have and always will be attracted to me," he said, tipping his gla.s.s.
"I am not attracted to you."
"Liar."
"Enough!" Lucian interrupted and slammed his hand against the table. "Eviana, please put the chair down and have a seat so I can explain."
"Or you can sit right here," Graham said while patting his lap.
"Or I can smash this over your head," I sneered and lifted the chair slightly. It was always so intense around Graham. Every feeling I had seemed exaggerated when he was nearby.
Graham stood abruptly and raised his arms out to the side, inviting an attack. "Oh, how I"ve missed our sparring sessions, tart."
His smile made my heart skip a beat and I scolded myself for that. Letting Lucian"s words finally sink in, I turned toward my estranged father and ignored the beautiful man in front of me. "Why do you think that he and I are supposed to be together?"
Without saying a word, Lucian motioned for me to sit again, so I reluctantly pulled my chair back to the opposite side of the table. Perhaps there really was an explanation as to why I"ve felt so fiercely attracted to Graham, even after he betrayed me.
"Have you ever heard of genetic compatibility?" Lucian asked me.
"Maybe," I said, trying to search my brain for a reminder.
"It"s basic mate selection. Those with compatible genes tend to seek each other out."
"Like I said, I"m irresistible," Graham joked and I threw an orange at him. He laughed while proceeding to gorge himself with the pastries.
Lucian sighed and continued. "This process seems to be especially prevalent in merfolk. Particularly now that there aren"t as many of us left in the world." He paused long enough for me to realize I was holding my breath. "However, there are some bloodlines where that selection has waned and others where it has intensified over the centuries."
"Why is that?" I asked, suddenly interested in this history lesson.
"To preserve our powers." He stood and walked gracefully over to Graham. Placing his hands on his shoulders, Lucian leaned forward close enough to whisper in Graham"s ear. "There aren"t very many of us left so our bloodlines subconsciously choose each other."
I was confused. "You and Graham have the same blood?" And he wanted me to marry him? "Wouldn"t that make us siblings?"
Lucian and Graham both laughed. "Oh no, that is definitely not the case. But just like your mother and I, Graham is genetically predisposed to be your mate."
"My mother loved my father very much," I said through my tight throat.
"I"m sure she did. But just like you love that selkie and Master Matthew, your blood is still attracted to Graham."