She shook her head, already knowing where he was going with his proposition. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “It’s just for the week.”
“Are you suggesting I wear that? Pretend I’m pregnant? Yes, we mermaids gestate quickly, but we’ve only been promised for a little over a week, Azor.”
“And we were so naughty.” He smiled evilly. “Unless you have a better idea.”
Did he not know the gossip mill at the palace? She was surprised Xirene’s bulging stomach hadn’t been detected yet.
“Pearleza knows. She
inspected
me.”
“And she knows to keep quiet, or we’ll dispose of her.”
Tatiana gasped. “You’ll what?”
“Like I said, if it’s for the betterment of the kingdom, then I make those tough decisions. It’s all part of being king.”
“You are not king yet.”
“I will be soon.”
“How about you fall on your trident and dispose of yourself, you slippery oyster,” she said with a smirk. “I’m not wearing that…
thing
!”
Azor leaned forward. “Oh, yes you will and this is why. Every minute you don’t cooperate is another Jacob will go without water. He can only last for so long before he dries up, and we wouldn’t want our hero to turn into a bag of bones, would we?”
She sucked in a breath. “I want to see him first.”
“You will, Love.”
“Don’t call me that,” she said, teeth gritted, “
ever
.”
“Fine. You’ll pretend you’re pregnant, give birth, then… you can see Jacob. After that, I don’t see why we can’t keep our private lives separate from our public ones… all for the sake of
our
kingdom, of course.”
“What are you suggesting? We pretend we’re promised to one another, but have secret lovers on the side?” She laughed. “What happened to killing me off in childbirth?”
“This way is less messy.” He quirked a smile. “Besides, you still need a bodyguard and I, a handmaid doubling as a nursemaid for our new merling. It solves both our problems.”
Tatiana cringed at the lengths he’d go, all for power. Like the dreaded deep-sea angler fish, he dangled Jacob’s life like a
bioluminescent
lure before her, thinking she must have kissed Jacob since she clearly was free of his bond. But Azor had assumed the wrong thing. Though she cared about Jacob and would do anything to save him, Azor had underestimated her. She was free. Free to think clearly. Free to outsmart him.
“What’s my guarantee you won’t
dispose
of Jacob or me when we’re no longer of use to you?” She gauged his reaction.
“Without Jacob, I’d be stuck with your whining love-sick self, trailing me around, begging I spend more time with you. I can’t stomach that again, Tatiana. And what’s a kingdom without their jewel that is the queen?”
Her lips pulled into a light line, angered at how cruel he was, tricking her with his kiss, then purposefully making her suffer. He had no value of life, of love, or even the promise. He only looked at the mers as objects to do what he wants.
“Why can’t Xirene just be the queen instead?”
“Xirene?” He laughed. “Now that’s funny. No… you’ll cooperate, or I’ll resort to using drugs, plain and simple. Your choice.”
She cringed. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would. But you have my word; I’ll return Jacob unharmed after we pull this off, My Queen. Freedom for your mere cooperation.”
His word?
She wanted to spit in his face. His word was worthless “It doesn’t bother you that it won’t be my child? Or Xirene?”
“Does that really matter? It’s mine, and he’ll be of royal blood, so the question of his mother won’t need to be discussed. And Xirene will still raise him.”
Tatiana tilted her head to the side. How could Xirene be okay with this?
“And what if you have a girl?”
The curl on his lips faded to a frown. “It’ll be a boy.”
“Confident much?” Her jaw tightened.
He leaned forward and stared her down. “I always get what I want.”
She glowered at him until he turned to leave the room, letting out a short whistle. She jumped off the chair when her leg—still throbbing over the merman’s sting—convulsed in a spasm of pain, tripping her to the floor.
“Aren’t you going to cut me free?”
Instead, two Dradux appeared with an iron gate. They fastened the monstrous thing over the doorway with homemade hinges, locking her in place. She rolled over and peered down the hall.
“Let my hands free at least, Azor! Azor?”
She slumped against her side and wiggled her wrists against the ropes.
Your word, my fin!
She knew better than to trust him, and she refused to be drugged. Her only hope was to pretend the promise paralyzed her, and once free, she’d find Jacob and high-tail it out of Natatoria. She just had to wait for the right moment, but first she had to get her wrists free.
32
: : :
Bondage
Jacob struggled against the chains binding his hands above his head. Darkness enveloped the air-filled cave, forcing him to remain finned. Only his tail had found solace in a nearby puddle. The water covered just below his lower fins, the amount adequate to keep him alive, just barely—but not enough to quench his thirst.
His eyes fluttered open to the sweet, soft voice.
“Tatiana?” he asked, voice raspy.
“I’m here,” she whispered, her arm extended just out of reach. Her body shimmered against the black obsidian wall, flickering in and out of existence.
He pulled on the chains in attempts to get closer to her. “Tatiana.”
“I’m here…” In a fleeting wisp, her image disappeared. “Fight for me, Jacob. I
do
want you.”
Jacob groaned, slumping into the wall, his mind floating in and out of clarity. What happened? Where was she? How long had he been here?
On his torso, the wet gauze no longer held the blue iridescent liquid. Only his blood, red and bright, dripped from his wound down his chest. If he survived, he’d have to depend on his own healing.
His thoughts fell back to Tatiana, the fullness of her lips, her beautiful smile, Chauncey and his goons taking him from her. Had he missed his only chance to kiss her? Why did he wait? He’d insulted her instead and assumed otherwise, when she’d already figured out how to break the bond on her own.
I’m so sorry, Tatiana.
His eyes slipped shut, his heart racing again. He had no idea where she was, what Azor had planned, or if she was even alive. He had to remain hopeful, and somehow outsmart the chains than bound him to the rocks. Where was Grommet? Did anyone see?
A throbbing ache radiated from his brow. They’d bludgeoned his skull before covering his head with the sack. After that, he’d blacked-out from the pain.
“Ah… the lucky bastard lives.” Azor emerged from the watery pool, a smile plastered on his face.
Jacob snarled in response. “What is this?”
“Justice.”
“For?”
“For kissing my mate.”
“What?” Jacob threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“You can deny it all you want, but within a week, all will know for sure. That is if you survive that long.”
Jacob groaned. “Don’t look too closely for a tattoo because when I get my hands free—”
“You’ll what?” He leaned in aggressively. “Murder the King?”
“Among other things,” Jacob grunted.
“Brave coming from a man whom I could finish off right now.”
Jacob snorted, curious why he hadn’t brought a weapon with him. “You’re too much of a coward to do your own dirty work.”
“Ha!” Azor glowered. “You know nothing about me.”
Jacob leaned forward as best he could. “I know enough to infiltrate your army, to gain your loyalty, to guard your most precious possession and take your girl from under your nose. Don’t underestimate the rebels.”
Azor gritted his teeth. “And it’s all worked in my favor, Jacob,” he said, mockingly. “You’ve lusted after
my
princess for nothing. I’ll be crowned king Friday and Queen Tatiana will proudly swim at my side. Once you’re dead, the promise will return to me and she’ll become enslaved to my wants again, and do anything and everything I say.”
“Like she did before?” Jacob said with an ironical tone. “She’s too smart for that and has figured out a way to break the bond, Azor, and you know it.”
“There’s no such thing.” Azor laughed, his voice echoing off the cave walls. “Your kiss has muddied her mind, that’s all. It’s only temporary.”
“She didn’t need my kiss to break it. But then again, I don’t even think you had a soul to give.” Jacob landed him a hard smile.
Azor’s face reddened. “Tatiana was mine and you stole her from me.”
“Think what you want, but your chance with her is over and she’ll never be yours.”
Azor’s nostrils flared. “Don’t lie, Jacob. You stole her kiss and my guards saw you do it. And for that, you’ll be executed, next to your brother, Jax, in the square. We’ll purge your family’s blood from our colony once and for all.”
“That doesn’t solve anything.” Jacob chuckled. “She will still own her soul, even if you kiss her again, and she’ll hate you even more if you take my life.”
“Believe what you want; I know the truth. She’s mine,” he said while spinning on his fin. “And I always get what I want.”
With a plunge underwater, Azor disappeared.
33
: : :
Pact
At the sound of metal scuffing against stone, Tatiana opened her eyes with a jolt.
Xirene stood in her doorway, her belly impairing her ability to straighten quickly. They briefly made eye contact before she moved out of sight.
“Xirene,” Tatiana called out to the soft, slow footfalls leading away from her door. “Please, I want to talk to you.”
Silence lingered. Only the occasional laugh from a guard broke the quiet.
The smells of the food on the tray distracted her, whetting her appetite: two flaky croissants, fresh berry jam, a cup of strawberries and a poached egg. She walked slowly to investigate, leery of what drugs might be lurking inside.
As of yet, she’d remained strong and hadn’t eaten anything. And like clockwork, in spite of Tatiana’s stubbornness, Xirene took away the untouched tray and delivered another for each meal since she’d arrived two days ago. The bedpan, embarrassingly enough, she had used, which someone faithfully emptied and cleaned.
She slumped down before the tray with her legs folded under her, and took a small sip of water and waited, testing to see if she felt woozy. Unable to control herself, she added a miniscule bite of the croissant along with it. The bread, flaky and buttery, slid down her throat easily, breaking her dam of self-control. With feral bites, she engulfed every speck of food and licked the plate clean.
With a burp, she leaned back and waited for the drugs to set in. Nothing happened.
Hearing heavier footsteps, Tatiana’s heart lurched, and she stood, expecting Azor.
“Princess,” Chauncey said with a wolfish grin. “How wonderful to see you again.”
Tatiana gave him a frosty glare and moved backward, pretending to busy herself with a book.
“What? Nothing to say to your rescuer? I’d be nicer to your potential bodyguard if I were you.”
“Bodyguard?” She spat, remembering Azor’s commitment she’d see Jacob if she cooperated. “As if.”
“The job is still open, but then again, after what’s been told you like to do with your bodyguards, I assume it won’t be open for long.” His eyes roved over her, making no subtlety at what he’d like to do if the bars weren’t in place.
Tatiana crossed her arms. “You aren’t qualified.”
He finally looked at her eyes, amused. “As head of the Dradux, my duties extend much further than your safety. And today, I’m to supervise your bath before I escort you to the palace. Azor wants you fresh and not stinking like a caged fish.”
Tatiana glowered. “You’ve blurred your job titles, Chauncey. You are a pathetic substitute for a handmaiden. But I’m sorry to say, you’ve come for nothing.” Tatiana smelled her armpit and smiled. “I’ve already washed and smell fresh as a rose. Do you even know what a rose is?”
Chauncey’s smile drooped. “You must change, at least. You’ve worn that tired thing for three days now.”
“Oh, Chauncey. You must think I’m stupid,” she said. “Prince Azor would never approve of me undressing in your presence. Now go, and send Nicole, my true handmaiden.”
“You haven’t heard?” Chauncey lifted his brow, curious. “She’s dead, Princess. Killed when the rebels attacked the compound.”
“What?”
“Oh, I guess you haven’t heard then. Too bad.” He laughed, disappearing out of view. “I’ll see who I can find.”
Tatiana’s legs wobbled.
Dead?
She moved to her desk, grasping onto the tabletop for support, her breath coming out too quick.
“Milady?” Xirene said from the doorway. “Are you alright?”
“I’m…”
Xirene put down her rag and a bowl filled with water, fumbling with the silver key tied on a ribbon around her neck. She padded over, waddling with her belly and maimed foot, and placed her hand on Tatiana’s shoulder.
Their eyes met; a look of pity crossed between them.
“I just heard about Nicole,” Tatiana said in defeat.
“Oh.” Xirene’s eyes hit the floor. “She pretended to be you, I heard. She was very brave.”
Tatiana bit back her tears, amazed this was happening. All around her was grief and strife, war and death. And now birth. Why, of all mers, did Nicole have to be the one who died?
She couldn’t hate or blame Xirene for their predicament, both of them stranded in Azor’s riptide of power. The only difference was he loved Xirene—something that would keep her alive and useful to him. Tatiana nor Jacob, on the other hand, would have that same security once Azor was crowned king.
After they’d secured a sheet over the doorway, Xirene removed her gloves and started Tatiana’s sponge bath. The warm water felt refreshing on her skin, but her conscience ached to make things right between them.
“I’m sorry,” Tatiana whispered while Xirene held up her hair and soaped her back. “I didn’t mean to be so cruel to you at the compound.”