“We do need him,” Azor said, voice hard. “He’ll be a witness against the rebels. Then they’ll pay—all of them. But not until I find Tatiana.”
“But he saw me. He knows.”
Azor paused a beat. “Well… after he wakes and tells me where Tatiana is, you can dispose of him.”
Jacob’s skin crawled. Azor’s vitriol proved he wasn’t promised to Tatiana, couldn’t be
.
Was Xirene his secret lover after all? Had he had everyone fooled? With Tatiana hearing them laugh and the secret trap door leading outside, it all made sense. Azor could come and go, and no one would know. But how’d he get away without her conceiving? Was she sterile? He knew Azor to be a son of a bass, but set up an ambush to mer-nap his mate and frame it on the rebels? He’d kill him, if he lived.
Silence followed, and Jacob’s feeble mind drifted.
Too easy to sleep.To just let it all slip away.
27
: : :
Twin
Reminded of all the previous waiting, Tatiana’s gut ached and she began to pace. She’d grown tired of time’s double-edged sword, passing too quickly in good times, and painfully slow otherwise. After being free from her promise to Azor, she never wanted to feel so trapped by someone again. But why wasn’t Jacob here? Something had to be wrong—terribly wrong. Listening to the eerie silence beyond the walls, she wished for a song, even a sad one. Something to break the monotonous quiet.
Instead, a song of regret, soft and low, birthed off her tongue. Quiet, so as not to travel outside. The echo reminded her of when her mom used to sing—when she cleaned or made dinner. Even in the shower in Tahoe.
She snuggled in the soft blanket and sang the Natatorian anthem, then a few human songs she knew.
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
and
I See the Moon
, when a frightening thought hit her.
What if Jacob wasn’t coming back for her? What if he’d staged the ambush and only planned to break out the rebels, leaving her behind?
She sat up and clutched her chest, rising to her feet. He’d promised he’d always be there for her, saying, “where you go, I go.” But this time he hadn’t. He merely pushed her into a shark-infested tank with only a trident, leaving her alone.
Had he grown tired of her? Maybe the fear of arrest over the naked incident made him run. Or that she’d continually refused his pleas to leave: in the palace, the compound, here. She gulped back her tears, dragging her bare foot over the spot he’d knelt, remembering everything. She could have left with him then, before Azor fitted the bracelet on her. Had Jacob finally given up on trying to convince her?
“No,” she whispered. He couldn’t. Not now. Not when she’d finally freed herself from the bond. But his warning not to siren, when that’s exactly what someone else did, hit her hard. He’d made her escape alone because he couldn’t tell her the truth. That he’d finally decided to leave Natatoria without her.
She scanned the house again for a sign, a clue he’d been there, and ran to the kitchen. Had he left her the food?
She clutched the counter, overwhelmed with dread, when a cramp crippled her leg mid-thigh. Her thoughts immediately went to Fin. A flash hit her eyes, blinding her. Water. Blood. Kids voices heckling her. Then the pain shot like fire, seizing her muscle.
“Oooh owww!” she screamed, grabbing at her leg. The pain burst stars in her eyes and the world spun topsy-turvy. Everything faded to black.
28
: : :
Awake
Falling through the air-filled blackness, Jacob tumbled head over fin, clutching his chest as the blood spurted from the open gash, oozing and red. He screamed in pain, but nothing would come from his mouth. And the ground, rushing at him at such speeds through watery eyes—he could see it now—closer and closer. He’d die and this nightmare would all be over, all for nothing.
Jacob’s body jolted. He yelped, the pain careening through his ribs.
“Whoa, don’t move, Jacob,” Sandy’s hand pressed gently on his shoulder. His rushing pulse rocketed through his veins. “You’ve been injured and you’re healing. I know it hurts, just take deep breaths. It’ll be over soon.”
Jacob took small sips of air; his eyes remained firmly shut. The air smelled dank and dusty, like leather and pipe smoke. He pried his eyes open and stared at an old chandelier attached to a brick ceiling. A dull thud repeatedly hit at his temple.
“Where am I?” he asked, his voice horse. He panned to Badger and Sandy examining him in concern.
His hand grazed the white bandage drenched in sparkling blue liquid across his chest.
“You’re at our house,” Sandy said, while squeezing his hand.
“Good to see the squirrely-get has his father’s spunk, eh?”
“Badger,” Jacob said in relief, throat crackling. “You’re out?”
“Aye, I am.” Badger knocked his burley hand on Jacob’s foot. “Good to have ya back.”
Jacob inhaled deeper and looked around for others, finding no one. “Where is everyone? What happened?”
Badger bobbed his head. “That quiet orphan boy took one look at the Dradux comin’ to skewer us and he let loose. Screams like a maid, I tell ya.” He rubbed wildly at his ear with his index finger. “But packs a wallop’n like a tank.”
“Screams?” Jacob asked, his mind askew.
“Ferdinand. Ya know. That kid that used to hang out at the practice field, organizin’ the weapons. He don’t talk much.”
Jacob’s eyes glazed over with a slow blink. “Oh, right. Ferdinand. He broke you out?”
“Right outta solitary.” Badger’s beard lifted with his smile. “Ya’d never know it, but his yockers are bigger than all of us gits put together. I’m sure Azor’s vent cheeks are pinched right about now once he sees what Ferd did to the dungeon.”
Jacob remembered the big hole in the wall, at least.
“And Jax?”
“Jax?” Badger clasped Jacob’s shoulder. “I don’t remember see’n ‘im. Right bloody mess in dat there shite hole. I could barely see me hand in front of me face. After Ferd broke me outta me cell with his tail, me and the rest of ‘em plundered the armory and fought our way out. From there we scattered. I didn’t even see you.”
Jacob closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. When at the compound, there wasn’t anyone inside the cells that he could see. He must have just missed them. “Poseidon.”
“I’m sure he broke out with the rest.” Badger straightened his shoulders.
Jacob slowly raked his hand through his hair. Jax, was a catfish with his nine lives, but he’d need to get the bracelet off before leaving for Tahoe or for Florida to find Galadriel. And avoid the cassava barbed nets. “How’d I get out?”
“Grommet brought you to me,” Sandy said with a soft smile. “He told us everything. He said he created a diversion so he could sneak you out of that secret door you two found.”
“And Nicole?”
Her lips turned down. “No. She’d lost too much blood and…”
Jacob pinched his eyes tight, the past returning in snippets. The blood. The sirens. “Where is Grommet?”
“He went back. With the jail break, he thought it best to stay undercover. Said he’d check on Tatiana for you, first.”
“We have to go,” Jacob moaned, trying to sit up.
“Whoa.” Sandy and Badger moved forward with their hands outstretched for him to remain flat. “Your insides are arranging themselves. You must not move.”
“But Tatiana,” Jacob said with a groan, grabbing his ribs.
“Yer not goin’ anywhere, lad,” Badger said quickly. “As long as she stay put, she’ll be fairin’ until we can get the supplies and weapons to escape. Besides, you need a bit more time.”
“No, we can’t leave her there,” Jacob growled. “The Dradux weren’t at the compound to kill off the rebels. They were after the Princess. A staged ambush to look like us so Azor could pin it on the rebels. Grommet had to cut off Darrellon’s head to stop him from killing me to get to the Princess. But I’d managed to help Tatiana escape through the shark tank and…” He lay back, eyes rolling into his head in exhaustion. “She’s waiting for me and Azor will know to look for her at her parents’ first.”
“Aye,” Badger said, palming his hand through his hair. “That nutter. I understand him hatin’ us, but why would he want to hurt his Princess? He needs her so he can be king.”
Jacob moaned softly, too tired to explain about his theories with Xirene. “We owe it to Jack to take care of his daughter—Azor can’t get to her before we do.”
“Hmmm—” Badger said, scratching his beard. “Fine, then. I’ll go.”
“No. I’ll go,” Sandy said quickly.
“It’s too dangerous. You’re both wanted mers.” Jacob let out a huff. “I’m her bodyguard. She’s my responsibility.”
“Aye, but with yer ribs busted and yer lung a mendin’, ye ain’t goin’ nowhere fer awhile. I’m goin’ so quit yer bellyachin’.”
“You can’t Badger. If they catch you…” he groaned, struggling to sit up. “I’ll do it.”
Sandy pressed down hard on his shoulder. “You’ll do no such thing. Lay flat, you hear me? I didn’t waste my precious essence to have you end up a cripple.”
Jacob stopped struggling and relaxed into his pillow.
“Don’t you be worryin’,” Badger said with a tap to Jacob’s shoulder. “Sandy’s got a little ink left. She’ll be back in a pinch. And I’ll keep me eye on ya. I need to brush up on me nursin’ skills anywho.”
Jacob raked his hand through his hair, frustrated with Badger’s lack of concern. “But she has the bracelet on, too.”
Badger held up his wrist with a surly grin. “Aye, we all do, mate.”
Sandy sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t worry, Jacob. We have enough herbs stored to make an antidote for everyone, even the Princess. Now rest. I’ll go.”
Jacob closed his eyes and pounded the table he lay upon, stuck in a worthless body, healing. He didn’t have time for this. He had to get to her. Didn’t they see the disaster at the compound? If his injury took Tatiana from him… he couldn’t bare the thought.
Jack’s plans be damned. There’d be hell to pay, and Azor would owe it… with interest.
29
: : :
Lovely
Frustrated cursing and muffled commotion woke Tatiana with a start. She stared up at the ceiling of her parents’ home, a vision of Fin in her mind.
Fin?
She listened harder, wondering if she dreamt she’d heard a voice, and felt down her leg, expecting a mass of hot blood pooling around her. Though she found nothing, her sixth twin sense wouldn’t stop alerting her something was wrong with Fin.
“Riri, this isn’t funny. Come here and move this thing, please.”
Azor.
Tatiana gasped at his cordial yet impatient tone filling the hall.
With a shake of her head, she sat up. She winced as if her leg would hurt, but felt no pain. Only the dank taste of dirt filled her mouth. She tried to swallow the grime away.
“I wanted you to be careful, but this is a little extreme. You shouldn’t even be lifting things in your condition. Please, lovely, help me. I’m trapped and I miss you.”
Lovely? Miss you?
Tatiana rubbed at the knot on the side of her skull, still thinking she was hearing things, before slowly maneuvering to her feet. Their last interaction ended when he’d threatened to impregnate her. Then he’d disappeared in the morning without a word before the ambush. How did he even know she was here?
“I have more food, and you won’t believe what happened at the compound… complete bloodbath like you thought,” he continued. “I’m going to have to make sure there’s Hades to pay, considering what they’ve done to the place.”
Food? Bloodbath?
Her heart leapt at the words. How did Azor know ahead of time what Jacob and the rebels were planning unless… the ambush really happened.
Jacob.
She shuffled to the living area, stars flickering in her vision as she walked to discover the truth.
“Come on,” he whined. “Are you sleeping? I don’t have long. I need to return and schedule a search party. I can’t believe…” At her entrance, Azor’s mouth froze half-way open, his eyes wide. “Tatiana?”
Tatiana glared at him, one hand holding her head and the other firmly resting on the wall. “I assume you were expecting someone else. Riri perhaps?”
“H-how’d you get here?”
Tatiana faked a laugh. “Swam, just like you did.”
He blinked a few times, his mouth flapping on its hinge. “You need to come home.”
“To a bloodbath?” Tatiana perched a brow. “I think I’ll pass.”
Azor gained composure. “It’s all clear now. The rebels involved were apprehended. But I’m so glad you’re safe. We’ve been looking for you.”
She squinted at him and everything clicked into place, sickening her. He’d set up the ambush so he could be with Riri.
“And…” He lifted his box of food, setting it on the porthole ledge. “I thought you’d be hungry… Love.” He smiled weakly.
She laughed again at his lies. “What happened to
lovely
?”
“Lovely, Love. Same thing.” He held out his hand. “Are you okay?”
Instead of taking his hand, Tatiana staggered over to the couch, falling into the cushions. “Who’s Riri?”
“Riri? I don’t know.”
She leveled him with a glare. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Who is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know any Riri.”
Tatiana snorted. The food, the moved furniture, the pillow, everything. It wasn’t Jacob, but Riri who had moved in and made herself at home.
“Is Riri the one you’re cheating on me with?” Tatiana asked plainly, holding up the pillow.
“We’ve already been through this,” Azor said adamantly.
“Have we?”
“Yes, and frankly, I’m sick of hearing about it. First it’s Xirene, now it’s Riri.”
“You’re such a horrible liar, Azor.” Tatiana cocked her head to the side. “We both know they’re one and the same. And maybe I wouldn’t have to accuse you of cheating if you slept in your own bed and stopped treating me like a freaking pariah!” The pillow sailed across the room and glanced off his head.
“Well, maybe if you didn’t start fights with me every time I came home—”
“You’re not going to turn this around on me.” Tatiana gritted her teeth.