Escaping El Dorado

by Helen Scott

  "Got it," Finn said, while I just nodded. My beast was itching for a good fight so I wouldn't turn one down if it came our way, but hopefully this went smoothly.

  "When we get in there I need you guys to think of something that won't give us away, something that will make people not want to read your thoughts," Dres said as he stood and straightened his uniform.

  "Like what?" I asked.

  "I don't know." He sighed and rubbed his nose once more. "The last time you had sex, so long as there is nothing identifying about it, especially for you," Dres said as he pointed at Finn. "You cannot think about Tessa under any circumstances."

  "The last time I had sex before Tessa was with an Atlantean priestess in the depths of the ocean over a decade ago. I think that would raise more suspicions that it would quell."

  "Fine then think about food, or beer, or lemonade, I don't care, just nothing that would give you away as Atlantean, or Agarthan," he added, turning toward me, "and nothing that would tie us to Tessa. We need to make it through security and up to the queen's suite before anyone realizes we aren't part of the usual guard."

  "Got it," I said, having just the situation in mind to make anyone not want to delve into my thoughts. She had been a sweet little blond, and we had had one very wicked weekend together where nothing was off limits and there were no holds barred.

  As soon as we were all set with our game faces on we headed into the palace. Security was a breeze, it was like they didn't expect anyone to get that far, and then we were in the elevator going up to the penthouse suite. My heart hammered in my chest at the thought of seeing Tessa and the state she was in.

  I hated how long we had taken to get her, but there hadn't been another way around it. First it was just making it to the capitol, then it was getting information from the guards, and finally procuring the uniforms so we could get in, and theoretically out, without raising any suspicions. There were too many ways it could have gone wrong until we reached this point. This was our best bet, and then the queen mother had to persuade Tessa to stay. I wanted to scream at the woman for being selfish.

  As the doors opened I saw what looked like a reception desk, but it was empty. A moment later Niall came striding around the corner. He was covered in dirt, as though he'd been climbing through a vat of mud instead of a secret passageway.

  "This way," he said with a jerk of his head before turning around and walking away from us.

  I glared at his back as it retreated before we all started following after it. A few turns later and my breath caught in my throat. Tessa was black and blue and had lost weight. What the hell had these people been doing to her for that to happen in such a short amount of time?

  "Siren," Finn sighed as he strode toward her.

  When she backed away from his touch it made my blood run cold. There were more injuries than those we could see. The bastards had messed with her mind as well as her body.

  It wasn't just the color of her skin or the sunken shape to her cheeks that made me angry, but the fact that she was filthy, that she was wearing a sack of some kind that still had markings from a farmer or salesman on it, and no one had given her anything else to wear or anywhere to get clean.

  "I need time," I heard her whisper as she verbally soothed the frown that had appeared on Finn's face while holding her chest as though she was going to break apart any minute.

  I glanced over at Dres and saw the same shock and anger in his eyes. They darted to Niall and the other man nodded. I wasn't sure what had just been exchanged but whatever it was eased the tension that had Dres's shoulders rising up to his ears with tension.

  A woman appeared behind her. From the lack of fear and anger coming from Tessa I assumed that this was Ulrika. The crown didn't hurt either. She was cleaned up and in a silver dress that was cut so that it covered her back and her chest but was open from shoulder to shoulder where long sleeves descended. A large silver necklace, which coordinated with the spiked crown that sat on her head, hung around her neck.

  At first I thought her white-blond hair was short but it was the way she had twisted and braided it up that made it look that way. She turned to Tessa and sighed before saying, "Your turn, my dear. Once you are clean and feel more like yourself we will deal with my daughter."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty."

  "Pick anything you wish from the closet," the queen added before she stepped toward Niall.

  The two of them started talking but I wasn't paying attention, my gaze was locked on the woman I'd fought so hard against who now looked frailer than ever, and yet somehow more determined. She had such inner strength, such purpose driving her that it practically radiated out of her.

  Griff clearly wanted to go with her into the bedroom or shower or whatever it was, but Tessa wasn't having any of it. She wanted her privacy and that's what she got because even Griff knew when to back off and give someone space. When she disappeared behind a frosted glass door that gave no indication of what lay beyond I felt like my heart had gone with her. A hollow, empty feeling had taken up residence in my chest and I wasn't sure how to get rid of it.

  "Where's the bitch that did this?" Griff said, clearly out of patience.

  "Weren't you here?" I asked, confused.

  "I was guarding Tessa and the passageway while the rightful queen and Niall took Ailsa off the throne," he responded, with enough venom that it made me want to slap the pissy tone out of his voice.

  "She is chained in the next room. You can go and see if you like. She's just through those doors," Niall said with a shrug, as though he wasn't sure why we didn't completely trust him.

  I strode off and opened the door. He was right. The other woman was chained there along with three guards, who were all still unconscious.

  "Well, aren't you delicious?" the woman said looking me up and down. Her white-blond hair was exactly like her mother's, as were her stormy eyes. What surprised me was that while her mother was dressed conservatively Ailsa was the complete opposite. Silver was plastered to her body in a way I had never seen before, almost like it was a second skin that she was in the middle of shedding.

  "What did they say they were going to do with you?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous even to my own ears.

  "Why don't you tell me what you want to do with me?" she asked as she spread her legs open, revealing herself to me. I looked, but I couldn't see anything attractive about her, which was strange because she was conventionally beautiful. I could see it as though I was looking through a camera. Everything looked the way it was supposed to, and yet, nothing appealed to me.

  "Nothing," I said simply before walking out.

  When I exited I found everyone else had fallen into a deep discussion about something. I didn't particularly care what. What I needed was to make sure that Tessa was okay. If that was the bitch who had been torturing her, then I was sure there would be some things that she'd need to work through before she was able to get over this experience.

  I slipped through the door before anyone even noticed I'd come out from the other room. Part of me wanted to wash after just sharing the same air as Ailsa, but I knew it wasn't necessary. The sound of water splashing drew me to a door on the opposite side of the room. I knew I should leave her alone, give her the privacy that she asked for from Griff, but I couldn't. My hand was gently knocking before I could second guess myself.

  "Griff, go away. I told you I didn't need a guard to take a bath," Tessa said, her voice raw and quivering slightly as though she'd been crying.

  "I thought you might like some help washing your hair," I said. When I heard a sharp, surprised intake of breath from the other side of the door it was like a knife to my heart. "I can put a blindfold on if you want, you'd just have to guide me on where to sit and reach," I added, not wanting her to think I was just trying to see her naked.

  I stood there, my heart in my throat as I waited for a response for what felt like ages. The answer I had expected was to be told to go away, that I wasn't needed, but that wa
sn't what I got. Tessa's tentative voice said, "I've got bubbles, you can come in if you want." Just like that my heart took flight. She trusted me enough in this moment to let me in to check on her, because I was under no illusion that she thought I just wanted to wash her hair.

  16

  Tessa

  Kai knocking on the door had been the last thing I expected, but when I thought about it having him check on me was better than any of the other guys, except maybe Dres. The latch to the door opened and my heart thudded in my chest. I had to force myself to take a few deep breaths and realize that it was Kai walking through the door not one of the guards from before.

  When he finally appeared through the opening, my breath caught at how handsome he was when he let his guard down, and it was definitely down in that moment. All the vulnerability and concern were front and center and it made my stupid heart melt. The guy could be a complete jerk, but there was something so soft and sweet at the center of him that I couldn't help but want to figure out what it was.

  "Hey," he said as he shut the door behind himself.

  "Hey," I replied. I was sure it was obvious I had been crying but coming in here and being able to clean some of that filth off me was the first time it felt like this was all real and not some mind trick of Ailsa's.

  An awkward silence descended between us and I went back to resting against the tub. My whole body ached and there had been some salt looking stuff next to the tub that I shook into the water hoping it would help. It didn't seem to do much so I had added an oil looking substance that turned out to be bubble bath.

  A noise behind me had me jumping up away from the edge of the tub and spinning. When my eyes finally figured out what they were seeing I realized that it was just Kai moving a chair over to the edge of the tub.

  "Sorry, Angel, I didn't mean to scare you," he said quietly and kept his hands where I could see them as though he was dealing with a feral animal.

  "It's okay. I just got used to quiet. Noise meant..." I trailed off. What could I tell him? Noise meant beatings? Watching the queen have sex with him in my head? Noise meant that I was going to experience some sort of pain, whether it was mental, emotional, or physical, it was just a matter of time before it happened.

  "You don't have to explain." Kai's words were soft as though he knew all too well some of what I had experienced, which made me wonder what Ulrika had told them once I was out of the room. "Do you still want me to wash your hair?" he asked quietly. "If you would rather not have anyone touch you that's fine too."

  I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted. The memory of going to the salon and having my hair done seemed so damn distant in that moment that it made me want to cry all over again. "Can you wash my hair but be really gentle?" I paused for a moment and debated how honest to be with him. "It's been falling out, so if that's going to gross you out you don't have to do it, you know?"

  "Your hair has been falling out?" he repeated, as though he was surprised.

  "Yep. I think it's because I have barely had anything to eat except a few bread crusts." I tried to keep my tone light, but I felt him go still behind me, even though it hadn't been my intention.

  "Do you know which one is the shampoo?" Kai asked. His voice was barely above a rasp, and I could feel the emotions radiating out of him like sunlight. The only reason I had let him in was because I thought this wouldn't happen. I thought he would be more detached. I guess I was wrong.

  "I think it's this one," I said handing him the white jar that had a creamy, shampoo-like substance in it. I was beyond grateful that it didn't smell overly floral like Ailsa usually did. God, if I'd got that scent on me I probably would have been gagging over the toilet right about now.

  My hair was already wet from dunking myself so many times trying to get all the dirt off. The light, almost cucumbery scent filled the air as Kai started massaging it onto my scalp. He was as gentle with me as I would be with a baby. He didn't rush, didn't try to get me to move much except to turn my head this way and that as he rubbed the shampoo in soothing circles, and it was bliss.

  I had been worried about my head being tender from some of the beatings, but it wasn't overly so, or at least not so much that it couldn't be touched. His hands worked down the back of my head and nudged me forward so he could reach the nape of my neck. I complied and felt his hands pause. I wasn't sure if anyone had ever left a bruise on my back, but it wouldn't surprise me.

  Kai scooped up some water from behind me and let it run down my back. I assumed that there was still dirt there and that was why he was helping. As I moved I noticed that the water was black from everything that had come off me.

  "Do you mind if I drain this?" I asked.

  "You do whatever you want, Angel." His voice had softened even further than before. I wasn't sure what was going on inside that head of his, but I wasn't going to complain about this new side of him.

  I reached over and pulled the plug, watching the water swirl out from under me. The bubbles mostly disappeared with it although some still clung to my body. We sat in silence while the tub drained and refilled. I didn't put any more salt or bubble bath in because I wanted to be able to rinse my hair.

  "Can you hand me the soap and a washcloth?" he asked. I had remembered he was there so his voice didn't startle me as much this time, but there was still a slight flinch to my response.

  Thankfully soap seemed to look the same no matter what realm we were in, at least so far. Once he had them and the water had refilled slightly, I felt him dip the cloth into the water behind me and heard the soap being rubbed over it, working up a lather. When his touch came again it was still just as gentle as it had been on my head. Each stroke worked some of the dirt away from my back, and as he worked his way down I could feel the dips between my ribs that hadn't been there before.

  When the water slowly turned brown once again, we repeated the process of draining and refilling with Kai washing my back and eventually my hair as the water slowly cleared. He worked in silence mostly, only asking me to move or lift something occasionally.

  In all honesty I had no issue with any of the guys seeing me naked at this point. We'd been through too damn much together, even Kai. That didn't mean when he moved around to the side of the tub I was completely ready for it. I watched him carefully, looking for any sign of annoyance or irritation, and found none. He was so focused on cleaning one part after another, one arm, one leg, one foot, then the other side.

  When he came to my chest I didn't stop him because I knew it was just a task to him at that point, something that needed to be completed. He certainly wasn't ogling my breasts like most normal men would. It was only when his hand dipped below the surface of the water that I gently placed my hand over his and moved it back to an area I was more comfortable with.

  My touch seemed to break him out of whatever trance he'd fallen into and a slight blush stained his copper cheeks as he realized I was sitting there completely nude in front of him. It was only the slight cloudiness to the water from the shampoo and soap that hid my features a little bit.

  "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he mumbled.

  "I know. It's okay. Could you help me get out?" I asked. The water had damn near worked miracles on me. I felt a million times better than I had when I first got in, but I still hadn't eaten in a few days and was feeling dizzy.

  "Anything you want," he said quietly.

  When I stood with Kai's help he averted his eyes like a gentleman. It was when I reached for the towel without his help and almost fell that I ended up in his arms. He picked me up and set me back down outside the tub before grabbing the towel for me and wrapping it around my body. Apparently there was another towel there as well because the next thing I knew he was wrapping my hair up and tucking it in some weird formation that I'd never used before. It was enough to keep my hair from dripping down my back though, which I appreciated.

  Without talking, he took my hand and led me back into the bedroom area. The carpet here was plush and soft
under my feet, making it feel like I was walking on a cloud. He made sure I was stable before he let me go and went to the long line of doors on the other side of the room. When he opened them they revealed all different styles of dresses in silvers and blues, as well as creams and whites, with even a light purple thrown in here and there. I didn't want to wear a dress though.

  I wanted armor.

  I wanted a weapon.

  One I could wield and use against Ailsa.

  Apparently, the queens and princesses of Hyperborea didn't wear pants though, at least not from what I could see in the closet. Kai came back holding a few different pieces, all dark in color, which I appreciated. I certainly wasn't in the mood for fucking pastels.

  I looked at each of them as I stood there trying not to shiver and it was only the last one that caught my interest. There wasn't much frilly about it, but there was some structure, which I appreciated. When Kai moved the front part of the skirt, which I had assumed was attached to the side pieces, and revealed that the side parts were actually pants, I knew that was what I would wear.

  The material of the jumpsuit was somewhat sheer, but it was a dark enough blue that I didn't mind, and add to that the lace that looked more like branches and beading that covered it, and I was sure I would feel protected. It had long sleeves and long pants with a sweetheart neckline that was a cutout for a choker collar. It left a pentagon shape open over the chest, but I didn't mind that. The only part not covered in beading was the two pieces of material that made up the skirt part, one of which draped from the inside of each of my hips in the front and the other which would hang over my butt in the back.

  I had no choice but to go commando since I didn't know anything about any of the underwear around, and as much as I appreciated the queen letting me have something to wear, I wasn't going to wear someone else's panties, that just grossed me out too much.