“Azor? I’d like to talk—”
“Later,” he said, his voice clipped.
She winced at his harshness then turned with a loud huff, but not before she locked eyes with
him
—blue-grey eyes she could pick out anywhere. The merman’s gaze returned to Azor, his jaw clenched tight as if he didn’t notice they’d recognized one another. She could have sworn he’d been the one—the rebel who’d dragged her from the palace, the one she’d bitten.
She immediately searched his forearm for signs of a bite wound, but he moved his arm out of sight. Her body iced over. What was he doing here?
3
: : :
Friends and Rebels
Jacob moved his arm out of sight, his heart racing. Yes, his wound from Tatiana’s bite had not fully healed, but with everyone else’s cuts and wounds, it didn’t stand out—except to her. A tremor hit his fin, remembering her attack—fierce and fiery, and oddly a turn on. And yet she still stared, questioning.
She saw me. She knows.
He locked onto Azor, well… more like burned holes into him, and concentrated to keep his breathing easy. Visions of what Azor had done to Tatiana the day prior continued to gnaw at his gut and boil his blood. He couldn’t believe, even after Jack interrupted the ceremony, the asshole still kissed her.
He fingered his trident, keeping track of Tatiana in his peripheral vision. If she’d suspected something now, just wait until she found out Jacob was to be her bodyguard. He smiled slightly, imagining her response.
At the sound of the stone front door leading outside scraping against the floor and opening, Jacob turned and straightened his shoulders.
No!
Darrellon, the leader of the King’s guards—the Dradux—appeared with a smile on his face. Behind him he towed a string of rebels, all chained and recently flogged. Jacob’s muscles tensed, ready to spring into action. Badger clasped his shoulder.
“Wait, son,” he mumbled.
Wait?
Was Badger mad? He, Badger and the rest of the undercover rebels here could take Azor and the enemies out, even though they were outnumbered two to one. They could free the rebels—free Tatiana—and be the heroes. Badger just needed to give the word.
Jacob stared into the helpless faces of the men, his friends, when he saw Maugin, a Council member’s daughter among the group. She bowed her head in an attempt to hide her face, while furtively scanning the room through her veil of hair.
Outrage swelled in Jacob’s chest and his fins bristled. He turned, the point of his trident aimed at Azor’s chest when Tatiana swam from her hiding place, glaring.
“What have these people done to deserve this?” she demanded of him.
Azor’s head whipped around and he clamped onto her arm, pulling her into the hall past the statue. Jacob watched them carefully as the commotion of the room picked up in volume.
With a lift of his chin, Azor frankly replied, “This is not your concern, Love. Let me handle the rebels while you adjourn to the privacy of the sitting room upstairs.”
“The rebels?” Conflict stretched over her face and she yanked back her arm from his grip. She gestured, appalled, at the line of injured mer. “This is inhumane and these people did nothing wrong.”
Azor moved closer to her, his poisonous barbs extending. Jacob, noting the hostile stance, left his seat and floated closer. He’d stab Azor outright before he’d allow Tatiana to be abused in any way.
Azor only lifted his chin and smirked. “They’ve admitted to their crimes of treason and must fulfill their punishment. It’s only a few days in the dungeon, that’s all.”
“Treason? For helping my father?” she asked.
With quick movements, Azor pulled her close and brushed his lips against her hair, making Jacob want to vomit. And like magic, she softened, her eyes glazing over. Azor traced the neckline of her dress with his finger. “You should probably go change out of this dress, don’t you think?”
She nodded, leaning into him with a look of longing in her eyes. “Okay.”
What the—?
Jacob couldn’t believe his eyes. Where was all the fire he knew she had? This was an atrocity. She needed to tell Azor where to stick his so-called punishment and free her people.
With a smile of victory, Azor kissed her temple and then left to deal with the prisoners. Jacob worked to keep his face indifferent, smirking only slightly when Azor nodded his direction. Helplessly, Jacob watched Tatiana’s bliss evaporate and she floundered in the current, a mix of sadness then disgust on her face.
That’s right, Tatiana. He’s a snake and doesn’t deserve you,
Jacob thought.
Fight the promise and give him hell.
Her blue eyes bore into Jacob once again, hitting him with a raised eyebrow. A hot bolt of lightening zinged down his tail and he turned away, caught. He fought to catch his breath, dialing down the internal heat that had blazed temporarily out of control in his body. What was it with this woman that she had such an affect on his self-control?
He focused his attention on a messenger boy who’d swum up beside Azor and whispered in his ear. Azor’s grin vanished, his color graying slightly. “I’ll be there shortly,” he told the boy before he addressed Blanchard. “Have the rest of the sharks been contained?”
“As far as I know, yes. We’ll put up more permanent bars tomorrow,” he said. “Is there a problem?”
“There’s one that we didn’t…” Azor looked over his shoulder at Tatiana and paused, as she peered from behind the mermaid statue, gripping the plinth with white knuckles.
Blanchard nodded, anticipating what Azor was to say anyway.
“As for the prisoners, set up a guard detail. I’ll interview the ones who haven’t confessed later.” Azor’s face hardened, and he turned to his charges. “Men, scour the city. Anyone who’s wounded, or was unaccounted for during the ceremony, find them. Bring them here for questioning. Grommet, Eron, Cyanen, Peridge, and Badger, come with me.”
Jacob closed his eyes for a second. Of course Azor would, unknowingly, summon most all of the secret rebels for assistance.
As his friends passed by, they exchanged knowing glances. The plan was that if anyone’s life was in jeopardy, they’d overthrow the palace and take over. Otherwise, they were to wait for Jack to return with backup. Jacob had expected only days would pass, but now with the Tahoe gate demolished and Azor’s growing Dradux squad, he had no clue when that would happen. They didn’t have time to wait, especially where Tatiana was concerned.
Jacob noted Tatiana still hung in the shadows, watching everything, when Xirene swam up behind her and led her away to the kitchen.
: : :
“Come away from the warriors, Princess,” the ebony haired healer said. “I’m sure you’re hungry after your long day.”
Tatiana quit protesting when the girl struggled with her deformed fin to pull her forward. The thought of food sickened her, but she did need space to think.
Ugh!
She cursed herself again for her weakness. Under Azor’s touch, Tatiana’s brain turned to mush, unable to process, let alone carry out a functioning thought. There were mers in the dungeon, locked up for trying to stop her promising ceremony, taking the blame needlessly. She had to do something.
In the kitchen, two other mermaid servants were arranging plates on a granite table in the middle of the room—both brunettes. Behind them a huge slab of shark meat bled into the current. Tatiana imagined the head would join other rotting trophies on Azor’s wall.
Oh the joy.
“Princess,” they said, bowing their heads.
Tatiana recognized them immediately and smoothed her hands down the front of her white gown, now torn and missing most of its gems. They’d helped her get ready for the ceremony—but only after she’d been drugged and cooperative.
“I—thank you,” Tatiana said to the healer. “My ears feel so much better.”
“Good.” She grinned and pulled a plate from the grouping, and handed it to Tatiana.
Tatiana tried to lift her lips in an appreciative smile, but leered instead.
The last time you gave me something, you drugged me to sleep, you slippery little grunion.
“What did you use to heal me?” Tatiana watched the healer closely, hoping for a snippet of fear to flood the water.
Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin a notch, she casually stated, “Just something I whipped together.” Her smile didn’t touch her eyes, just as cold as Azor’s compound.
“And the sleep aid?”
The healer cocked a brow. “That’s never happened before. Your constitution is most
delicate
.”
Tatiana smirked.
Delicate, my fin.
She took a seat and removed the woven lid weighed down by colorful rocks attached at the edges. On her plate was a live lobster nestled within a collection of green plants and an orange. Her mouth watered at the site of the golden ball that took flight into the current. Fruit, a true delicacy in Natatoria.
“Careful,” the yellow-tailed brunette warned, “don’t let that sucker get away.”
Tatiana wasn’t sure if the girl meant the orange or the lobster. Thankful the claws were tied, Tatiana put the lobster under the lid and snatched the escaping orange and tore off its rind.
“Didn’t you help me get ready earlier?” Tatiana asked her, embarrassed she couldn’t remember her name.
“Earlier?” The healer interrupted, cocking her head.
“Weren’t you at the palace yesterday, Xirene?” the blue-tailed brunette asked. “For the ceremony?”
Xirene flipped her dark hair and looked away in disgust. “No. I was here.”
The blue-tailed brunette cleared her throat. “I’m Shanleigh and this is Coralade, Princess. Yes, we did help you get ready to promise Prince
Azor
.” His name floated off her tongue like a butterfly.
Coralade swished her blue tail and giggled a quick, “hello,” before she continued with tearing greens. Behind them, Xirene cleaved the shark’s flesh.
Tatiana worked to keep her composure. Mentally she once again tried piecing together who the woman in the hall earlier could be. Another princess? The Queen? The jealousy surged inside her once again. Why hadn’t Azor informed her of this situation? And why were there unsupervised female servants allowed in the compound anyway, and so close to the adjoining barracks? No proper mermaid would be caught here alone, knowing about the temptations of wayward guards, the main reason for the dating parlor and chaperones in the first place.
“Do you all live here?” Tatiana asked.
“No, well, not yet. Maybe…” Coralade tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as her eyes darted coyly to Xirene. “Depends if the infirmary overflows to the conservatory. And with all the extra
unpromised
guards in the barracks now…”
Shanleigh nudged Coralade. Together they giggled.
“That’s enough.” Xirene hovered in the current, looking down her nose at both of them. Shanleigh and Coralade exchanged anxious glances and went back to work. “I don’t know why the Queen sent these two. They have a bad habit of being loose-lipped and disrespectful.”
“Are there really that many injured?” Tatiana asked.
“No. Coralade would like an excuse to be in close proximity to the guards. For that reason alone, I’ll never allow her to stay here. I can’t understand why I’ve been issued bottom feeders for help.”
Tatiana caught Coralade waggling her tongue out of Xirene’s view and withheld a smile. Instead, she focused on the orange rind floating in the current, angered and frustrated. Though she’d never dreamed she’d be promised to Prince Azor—the man she’d despised and every mermaid loved—now that it had happened, she wanted nothing more than to be together with him, away from the drama and onlookers. But between the rebels being arrested and the gate explosion, the divide between the people kept increasing—as well as the divide between her and Azor. More servants moving into her home meant her secret wish was far from coming to fruition, not to mention Azor having more to deal with.
Tatiana sighed. “Were many hurt by the blast?”
“A few of Azor’s guards were, but they’ve all been attended to. Men have stronger eardrums.” Xirene said with a syrupy smile. “Though, it seems poisons were used on blades during the skirmish. Poison that our blood doesn’t want to heal as quickly.”
“Oh?” Tatiana said softly, running her hand through her tangled hair. “I didn’t know such a poison existed.”
“Yes, well…” Xirene paused and cleared her throat. “It’s supposed to be outlawed. Makes the healer’s job more difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Tatiana lowered her orange, wanting to ask more questions, but getting her intel from servants didn’t seem proper or entirely accurate—considering the gossip mill at the palace. Maybe later, once she stopped by her home to pick up her clothes, she could visit the palace and ask Princess Girraween.
The servant girls continued to work in silence, as the tension grew thicker.
“I’m finished. Should we serve the men now?” Coralade asked as she pulled the hair-stick from her bun and fanned her brown hair around her shoulders.
She took off her apron and Tatiana gasped, noticing she wore nothing but her white servant skirt, trimmed in blue over her blue tail. Coralade lifted her tray stacked high with plates and began to swim to the doorway.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Tatiana blinked in shock at her blatant nakedness.
Her face blanched. “To serve the meal.”
“Without a top on?”
“I—” She raised the tray to cover herself and looked to Xirene in a panic. “Azor likes us to be natural in his presence.”
Tatiana clenched her jaw and glared at the three of them, appalled. To her shock, both Shanleigh and Coralade were naked under their aprons, confirming the gossip floating around at mermaid school.
“For the love of seaweed, do you have no propriety—with the rumors, and—?” Tatiana bit her lip. She didn’t want to mention the threat of tempting pregnancy. Many an orphan were birthed from unknown women and delivered by servant mermaids to the orphanage. “I don’t care what you did before, you will not be topless in my mate’s or any guard’s presence here in my home. Do you understand? You’re to be chaste at this compound, no excuses.”