Sunken Empire

by Brandy Slaven

  "That could be cause for concern," Zephyr starts, "but I can feel the magic, Zan. Can't you?"

  Now that he's brought attention to it, I do feel my magic reaching as though with an invisible hand. Taking a risk, I bring us to the surface just as the ship has passed us. There on the other side is one of the largest spouts I've ever seen playing across the water and that's saying something considering our mother could make a spout to rival the gods.

  My attention is still riveted to the magic I can feel leaking from the spout when Zale gasps. Before I can ask, there's a loud splash that hits me like a sucker punch to my gut. Then Zale and Zephyr are swimming away, leaving me to recover from whatever just happened. Maybe they hadn't felt it.

  I shout their names as I take off after them. This whole thing could be an elaborate scheme, and I refuse to let my brothers rush headfirst into danger.

  In the twenty seconds it takes for me to catch up with them, my mind has reeled with the names of which enemy could be at the root of this. Our list is a long one, but it's gone in an instant as I see the small form of a female in my brother's arms.

  "What in the name of-" I start, but Zale cuts me off. "She fell off the ship, Zanthus."

  "Then leave her to her fate," I demand, my chest screaming at me to take the words back.

  "No!" Zephyr yells at the same time Zale shakes his head, echoing the answer.

  I point to the ship growing smaller on the horizon. "It's too late to put her back. What are we supposed to do with her? We can't even take care of ourselves right now."

  "She's not a pet," Zephyr growls, pushing the hair away from her face.

  In all our years, I've seen my brother have many lovers, but never has he looked at one the way he does this female. Nor have I heard that tone from him in ages.

  Looking to Zale for his support on this, I'm shocked to find the same enamored look upon his face as well. I know it's been a long time since any of us have seen a woman, but this is just ridiculous.

  "How do you expect us to get her into our realm?" I argue.

  Not missing a beat, Zale replies, "Give her your talisman. It'll have the magic for us to get her to the Keep. If we leave her here, she'll die. I can already feel the presence of a predator down below."

  "And just how am I supposed to make it?" I ask, tossing out the problem these fools haven't considered yet.

  "Zephyr will bring it back as soon as we've got her inside. You know he swims like lightning anyway. He can make it," Zale says assuredly.

  I'm already shaking my head. "It's too risky. We're cutting our time cl-"

  "Just give her your damn necklace, Zanthus," Zephyr snaps.

  Neither of them is going to give me much choice in the matter, and if I'm honest, my whole being rebels at the thought of leaving this female to succumb to her fate.

  "Bring her to the spout," I tell them taking charge again. "There should be enough magic for a portal close enough to the barrier."

  "I wonder who created the other one that brought us here," Zale mutters more to himself than us.

  "One problem at a time," I tell him, coming close enough that I'm able to siphon magic from the spout and open the portal back to our realm. Facing my brothers and the female held aloft between them, I place my talisman around her neck while uttering, "I hope you two know what you're doing."

  My head pounds like the seventh gate of hell. Any movement above my neck causes pain behind my eyelids so intense that I feel as though I'm going to puke. Using distractions to my advantage, I run my fingers through the soft sheets surrounding my body. They caress every inch of my naked skin, and it feels marvelous. Wait a minute, naked?

  After a quick inspection, it's confirmed. Damn, I must have gotten drunker than I thought last night. That dream was something else, but it makes me seriously glad that I never left my room. I couldn't even imagine being stranded in the ocean. Bile tries to rise again just thinking about it. However, I will take those sexy voices any day of the week. Leave it up to my imagination to tease me.

  Speaking of those voices. "Do you think she'll wake up soon? What if the spell was too strong on her?" one of them asks.

  Shock overrides my pain as I jerk straight up in bed. At the last minute I remember to grasp the sheet to my chest, but the three strangers standing around me still get a quick glimpse underneath.

  Jackhammers pound my skull as I demand, "Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?"

  "Actually, Damselfish, you are in my room," says one of the blonde ones.

  His long hair hangs down to the middle of his back. There are braids with tiny beads lavishly woven in. The thing that captures my attention the most is his eyes. They are the most startling shade of seafoam green.

  I finish my perusal of his body and can't stop gaping like a fish. He is naked from the waist up with only a pair of soft blue jeans covering his legs. Tan skin leads down into that sexy man v.

  The other blonde one shifts from one foot to the other off to the side, pulling my attention to him. Twins. Very sexy twins.

  He looks identical to his brother. The only difference being the scowl directed at me and their eyes. This one’s color is a tang fish blue. He crosses his arms across his chest, and I lift my right eyebrow at him. I don't want to look away and lose the staring battle that we have going on, but curiosity gets the best of me. Rolling my eyes, I turn to the last person in the room.

  He is standing halfway behind and to the side of the first brother at the foot of the bed that I am laying in. His features match the other two exactly. Though this one has harsh laugh lines marking his face, and the color of his hair and eyes are different. The sandy brown locks make his gold eyes stand out. He's got less beads braided into his hair, but it's just as long as his brothers'. If those things didn’t set him apart, the tattoos definitely would. They cover every inch of skin that is visible from the neck down. I can’t make out all of them, but I sure would love spending the day doing an inspection. Especially the ones that trail out of sight.

  My gaze travels back over the three of them. So, triplets then? Smokin’ hot triplets, who are all standing in front of me shirtless and looking all too much like the cat that ate the pet goldfish.

  I turn back to the one who spoke first. He seems like the safest to get answers from considering his replica looks ready to kill me and the other one is eyeing the sheet covering my body just a little too hard.

  I think since I'm lying naked in a bed in front of three strangers it might be a good idea to introduce myself.

  "Rubi," I blurt.

  Subtle, Murphy. Real subtle.

  "I mean, my name is Rubi," I say, correcting myself.

  The dark-haired one smiles widely, accenting those laugh lines while his green-eyed brother introduces the three of them.

  "I'm Zale. These are my brothers, Zanthus and Zephyr," he says pointing at the other blonde and then the darker-haired one, still grinning.

  Zanthus? Why does that name ring a bell? I brush it off because I've got bigger problems at the moment.

  "Nice to meet you, really. But look," I admit, "I'm not sure how I ended up here last night. I was super drunk, and to be honest, I remember nothing but this crazy-ass dream I had. How is it I came to be in your room exactly? And not to be rude, but where are my clothes?”

  Zanthus somehow manages to keep his scowl as he huffs, "You call that scrap of material you were wearing clothing?"

  Zephyr chuckles, and it raises my hackles.

  "I don't need your approval on the choices of my attire, you brute. Just give me back my dress and I'll be on my merry way out of here," I snap at him.

  Probably not the smartest or politest I could have been, especially considering I have a blank memory about last night. He must not have contributed much considering I'm lying naked in his brother's bed. My guilt dies down at that and the fact that I refuse to let him think he has any control over my emotions.

  "You want your dress, woman?" he asks.

  His
muscles flex as he reaches down into the small trash can beside him. The flimsy black material hangs from the end of his fingertip as he taunts, "Come get it."

  I don't know who he thinks he is or who he thinks I am for that matter, but I don't scare easily. Tori always said I was the crazy one out of the two of us. She even banned the game truth or dare within the first year of knowing me.

  I couldn't possibly care any less about them seeing me naked. At least one of them has already. Tossing back the covers, I take a deep breath to steady the drumbeat in my head. When it drops to a low lull, I stand and make my way over to him. To his credit, his eyes never stray from my face. I'm pretty sure I can't say the same for his brothers. Which is confirmed when I hear one of them whistle under his breath.

  I snatch the material and head towards the connected bathroom door. Only when I turn the knob and open it, I see that it's a closet. I cut my eye over to Zanthus, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed brute, just in time to see a mocking smirk on his face.

  Zale tries to hide his smile as he points to the door on the other side of the room. I march past them, and Zephyr chuckles under his breath. His tattoos move as though they are trying to come alive when he lightly skims his hand down my arm. Goosebumps break out over my skin. As tempting as it is to lean into his touch, I am stark ass naked in a room with three very sexy males. Things could get very ugly or very delicious, very fast.

  Down girl, I chide myself. You more than likely made a fool of yourself last night. Just keep walking. So, I do.

  Following Zale's instruction leads me straight to the bathroom. I shut the door and lean against it for a second. Shaking my head, I plop it down into my hand. I cannot believe I just did that. Taking another deep breath, I move over to the sink. In the mirror above it, I finally catch my first glimpse of myself. I look like death warmed over. My hair sticks out in random spikes around what looks like bird nests. Something catches my eye. Reaching up, I yank a piece of grass out of my hair.

  What in the hell?

  Ok, maybe I don't want to know exactly what happened last night. I use my fingers to splay out the dress in my hand. It's soaking wet.

  And it just keeps getting better and better.

  Staring at the ceiling, I let my eyelids drift closed while trying to ignore the embarrassment and pounding in my skull.

  A knock at the door has me flinching right before Zale's striking green eyes and blonde head peeks around a crack he makes. I watch, fascinated, as some of his beaded braids fall over his shoulder. Trying to cover myself with the wet scrap of fabric seems futile, so I give up, letting it drop with a splat to the floor.

  He smiles as he ventures the rest of the way into the room. "I brought you a few things."

  Coming to stand directly beside me, he sets a folded dress on the counter before sitting a glass beside it and confessing, "This is all we have for you to wear right now."

  Zephyr pipes up from outside the door, "I can give you one of my shirts if the dress doesn't fit."

  I know it’s him because the tone doesn’t hold the frustration Zanthus expressed moments ago.

  "And here I was beginning to think none of you owned a shirt. Thanks for ruining that image," I joke.

  Zale's face says he's happy with my teasing of his brother. "Seriously, if it doesn't fit, we can find you something else."

  "Well, I guess we should find out," I say, carefully removing it from the counter. My breath catches as it unfolds. The purple material is soft, unlike anything I've ever felt before. When the light catches on it, the fabric changes colors like scales on a fish.

  "This is beautiful," I tell him. "Thank you."

  He nods his head, and I go to slide the dress up my legs. Of course, my foot catches on the hem and sends me tumbling right into Zale's arms where we meet with an oomph from me.

  I glance up to his no longer amused face. He flicks his eyes down to my lips and there's an undeniable hunger there. I know in that moment that he's going to kiss me, and I fully intend to let him.

  That's when the door flings open.

  "What the hell?"

  I jump away from Zale like I was just zapped. A very pissed of Zanthus stands with his arms crossed in the doorway and Zephyr behind him, amusement dancing in those golden eyes.

  "It was an accident. I fell," I snap, trying to cover myself with my arms.

  Zephyr is full-on cackling at his back with his brown hair swinging, but Zanthus' face never changes. I retrieve the wet mess of my dress off the floor and chuck it at him.

  "It's none of your business anyways. Now get out!"

  The shirt smacks him dead in the chest, and I see water splatter in every direction. He growls at me and makes a move to come into the room, but Zale stops him one step in. He shoves him back out before turning around to face me. "Dress and drink that. We'll talk when you come out."

  "What is it?" I ask as he grabs the door.

  He grins at me. "Just a small concoction of herbs. It'll help with the headache."

  "Thank you," I tell him.

  Still smiling, he shuts the door. I hear the three of them on the other side having a heated discussion.

  "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Rubi?" I ask my reflection.

  The door closes behind the most beautiful female I've ever laid my eyes upon, and I can’t stop the grin from spreading over my face. I know the others must be feeling what I am. They've been hovering since we brought her past the barrier. There wasn't even enough time to warn Merrick or any of the others, so they'd all worn their surprise on their faces as I carried the small woman into the Keep while Zephyr went back for Zanthus. It was a risky move and we all knew it. But I'm not big on coincidences. One, maybe, but not on the path the fates took us a few hours ago. All the way from the pressure I'd been feeling in my chest for days before, then abruptly ending the moment my skin touched hers. Also, the fact that she fell off a boat unnoticed loaded with the rest of those humans. Then to us even being there in the first place. Not to mention the spout that gave us just enough power to get back to the Keep alive. I don't know about the other two, but I feel like the fates could've slapped me in the face and it still wouldn't be as strong of an understanding than I have right now. This is exactly where we're supposed to be.

  Zephyr directs a laugh at Zanthus. "Finally found someone other than me to stand up to you. Life just got interesting."

  Our unhappy brother huffs a reply before walking over to my closet. Through that one small sound, I can tell he isn't as upset about the prospect of having her here as he wants us to believe. He might have an ounce of hope left in that shell after all. Smiling to myself again, I hurry to answer the knocking at the door, which can only be Merrick with the drink I ordered for our lady friend, or Rubi, as she called herself. She'd reeked of alcohol when we brought her in, so I knew she'd be feeling as down as Father used to after his kegs of ale post-battle.

  Merrick had, of course, asked no questions when I called for him to bring it up. Though, as I open the door, there are a million written in his expression.

  I have less answers for him than I do for myself and my brothers, so I give him a short nod in thanks, knowing we'll be discussing everything soon anyway. Shutting the door almost in his face, I turn to find a dress being shoved at me. It's long and flows all the way to the floor, essentially covering the wearer from shoulders to ankles. Shifting my gaze to my brother's, I notice Zanthus' lips twitch as though he's fighting a smile. This must be his version of payback for Rubi's comments about her dress moments ago. I shake my head but take it with me to my bathroom where she'd disappeared.

  Knocking, I know I should wait until she gives the okay, but I'm eager to check and make sure she wasn't just a figment of our imagination after all. As I poke my head around the corner, it's to those deep indigo eyes falling from the ceiling to meet mine. I could swear my heart stops in my chest before picking up a racing pace. It only gets worse when I notice her interested perusal of my body. I feel like one of the s
peckled tario fish that live close to our kingdom, wanting to flash color in hopes a mate will notice me.

  My mer instincts take over and do the next best thing, walking inside and allowing her to more intimately observe the family stones and hard-earned pieces of decorated glass throughout the tips of my hair.

  Drawing her gaze back up to my face, I step close and set the items on the counter. "I brought you a few things. This is all we have for you to wear right now."

  Technically, it's not a lie. It's all I was given for her to wear, though, I'm sure we could find something else if she truly desired. Then, of course, Zephyr has to open his lips and offer a shirt. We never wear them because it's just one more thing tying us to this curse and reminding us that we aren't allowed to be as we were created. There's a small scuffle outside the door, and I'd say Zanthus smacked him. If there's anything worse than this pretty little female walking around in that skimpy material we rescued her in, it would be one of our shirts with our scent marking her.

  She has a ready retort for Zephyr, not at all bothered by either offer. A smile breaks out across my face before I can stop it. Never have I met a female fierce enough to dare match Zanthus head-on, plus a wild temperament to match that of Zephyr. Her eyes narrow in amusement and I realize I've been staring with that stupid grin, so I offer to fetch something else.

  When she declines and unfolds the dress, I get to watch that pretty face light up in surprise as she appreciates it. But then she wants to put it on immediately, and my attention drops to the one thing I've been trying to avoid since walking through that door. The fact that the most perfect female I've ever set eyes on is as naked as can be. Trying to be a gentleman, I haven't looked further south than her face and get ready to retreat so she can dress without an audience.

  I've barely lifted my foot off the ground before she slips and crashes into me. All of those luscious curves are pressed against me, making it hard to think. I hear the breath in my chest hitch and my eyes drop to her lips without my permission. There's a magnetic pull towards her, the likes of which I've never felt before.