Sunken Empire

by Brandy Slaven

  Zephyr doesn't bother to correct his brother nor be offended by his statement. We all know there's truth to it. He does, however, glue himself even further to my side as we make our way around the side of the Keep. Maybe one of these days, I'll stop being so surprised at the unknown around here because as it stands, my chin drops as I get my first look inside the second largest building under the barrier. Dark gray flooring covers the entire area with four matching walls home to a variety of weapons. Most of them look more lightweight than what the mer are using to spar outside and gleam under the magical lighting. I itch to take one in my hand, but refrain knowing it's best to wait for instruction instead.

  My toes sink into the material underfoot, and I realize it's the same thing the small depression in my room is made of. Quite spongy and hopefully won't hurt as bad if someone were to fall on it. A lot better than the original thought I had of it being concrete, which goes to prove I still have a ton of human conceptions I need to drop.

  "Have you had any self-defense training at all, your highness?" Easton asks, coming up to the side Zephyr hasn't suctioned himself to. His voice sounds exactly how I imagine that it would, airy like he doesn't have a care in the world. If I hadn't seen the male fighting a few moments ago, I'd have questioned the Z's sanity for choosing him. Then I remember he asked a question.

  "No, none," I reply quickly.

  He doesn't try to hide the corners of his lips lifting in response as if he knows what I'd been thinking.

  "That's too bad," Caelan mentions behind us, and I turn to face him as he adds, "It would be a good place to start, but we're on somewhat of a time schedule here. I'm sure your mates already told you the clunkers we're training with out there aren't your typical water weapon, but they aren't completely useless when paired with our magic."

  "What do you use if it's not those?" I ask curiously.

  He points to the wall at my left with the hunk of steel in his hand. "Those. Or a slimmer version of this."

  Those turn out to be kickass looking tridents. Dragging Zeph with me, I walk to the wall. Something sparks in my gut and I don't pull my hand away when it reaches out to touch the closest one. The object warms under my palm, but I bypass the first one to follow that sharp tug in my belly. I let my fingers brush over each of the magnificent tridents, knowing I probably shouldn't, but no one tells me to stop. They're all various colors and sizes. One is a thick gold yet the one beside it is a thin black. There's even silver and red.

  "What are these made of?" I ask as each one does the same as the last, warming at my touch.

  Zephyr answers, "A material that is found near our one and only volcano in the realm. It's much like obsidian as humans would call it. Only our version is much stronger and assimilates itself with the wielder’s own magic."

  I hum my response because as really freaking cool as that is, the purplish black trident we've stopped in front of seems to be vibrating with power. None of the others in the room make any note of it, so it might be a safe assumption they don't even feel it. My fingers have clenched into a fist inches short of touching it. The magic pushing itself towards me feels familiar. Almost like how it feels when I use one of my mate's given magics.

  Zeph presses his lips to the spot right under my ear, making me shiver. Being stuck between the mate pull and whatever magic is undulating off the trident has my fist unclenching and grasping the weapon. It comes off the wall with a pop-like noise. Now that it's in my hand, the humming stops and settles down into a low vibration. As that tingling feeling I've come to associate with magic snakes up my arm, one of the others behind us whistles softly. If there were ever a moment when my life should be a movie, this is it. I swear to Poseidon, I can almost hear the cue call for special effects lighting and theme music.

  "Ever seen anything like that?" Caelan's deep voice asks the room.

  Easton snorts quietly. "I think we could all live to be a thousand and will never see it again."

  I lift my eyes up to Zephyr and find a proud grin lighting his face. Gold dances around his pupils right before he seals our lips together. It'd be simple to get lost in the moment, but I can't dismiss the new people in the room as easily as he can. Regretfully, I pull away and smirk at the disappointment in his frown.

  "What happened?" Merrick asks strolling in through the doors we left open.

  Zanthus, arms folded across his chest and wearing a pleased grin that matches Zeph's from a few seconds ago, answers the question I had just been about to ask myself, "Just Rubi's magic claiming a trident."

  Merrick's forehead creases with his surprise. "Really? Her magic must be exceptionally strong. Excuse me, highness. I wasn't trying to talk around you. It's just we haven't had someone powerful enough for their magic to choose a weapon since..."

  "Our father," both Zanthus and Zephyr finish for him.

  The trident warms under my hand and I pull it in front of my face to get a better look at it before stating, "It sure is pretty too, huh?"

  All four of them laugh. It's okay, though, because it's true. Examining it further, I'm pleased to note that it shines from black to blue to purple depending on how the light catches it. The weight is just light enough to not be overbearing, and the height, standing tip to my shoulder when it's flat on the ground, is prime for not having to awkwardly haul it everywhere. I'm not one to brag, but I seriously have the coolest weapon ever.

  My gaze lifts with a grin to the five shirtless mermen in the room. "So, who’s first?"

  Hours later, I drag my limp noodle arms and legs up to my room. I don't think I'll admit most of that dragging was actually Zephyr carrying me. The trident and my magic may have gotten along well, but my hamburger loving ass is not in good enough shape for endurance. I'd shocked us all when Caelan had first come at me and the trident whipped out to catch him right on the back of the leg, dropping him to the floor like a stone. I wish I could claim the credit because it was so completely badass, but whatever happened with the claiming of it, I'd also picked up the ability to kick some major ass, too. Of course, Merrick had brought out the idea of it being all magic-related. Where I could read a language I'd never studied before by borrowing Zale's magic, he thinks Zanthus' had something to do with my skills. Can't argue with the logic either. I just wish those skills came with strong muscles.

  I had Zeph bring me to the bath in my room, and he’d reluctantly left me alone to relax. The words never left my lips, but he could tell I needed some time to think just as I could tell he didn’t want to leave. I'd hoped by some miracle I could sweet talk the water into a massage to take some of the pain away.

  As soon as my suite door closes behind him, I suck in a deep breath and let it float out disturbing the steam rising from the water. Life has been going ninety miles per minute since the moment I stepped foot in this realm. This right here is much needed before I go absolutely crazy.

  Staying in the water until my fingers look like raisins, I stand to get out, giving a silent thanks to the water and its gods. My muscles don't feel like they're cramping to the point of trying to crawl out of my skin and it doesn't hurt to move at all. I take my time brushing my teeth and drying the hair that has somehow managed to keep the same style despite fighting and the bath. Makes me wonder if Zephyr used some kind of magic on it, but I'll save the question for later. I'd love nothing more than to stuff my face full and catch a nap. Looks like the latter will be the winner, though. Once I plop down onto the soft mattress, it's not but a few seconds later that my eyelids start to droop. Considering I'm naked as the day I was born, I simply pull a sheet up to cover my body and succumb to the sleep yanking me down.

  When the smell of food and coffee wakes me a few hours later, I feel rejuvenated in the best ways possible. Adding to all the stress and information overloads, I guess I hadn't stopped to think about not getting as much sleep as I'm used to. Zanthus and Zephyr are partially to blame for that, yet I regret nothing. Stretching my arms and every other inch of my body across the soft bed, I end up h
aving to untangle my legs from the sheet. Hesitating for half a second, I debate on just staying where I am. Everything will still be as it is if I do. The only the thing that gets my ass moving to the side where I can throw my legs over and sit up is the sound of my stomach that rocks my insides like an earthquake. I'm just glad the Zs have given me this small amount of space. Not that I don't miss them already, it's just nice not having to hear their commentary as they witness my state of hunger.

  With a small groan, I heft myself out of bed and realize I'm still without a stitch of clothing. First order of business is a quick pit stop to relieve my bladder then grabbing a robe from the closet. As always, it's prepared to cater to my needs and desires. Subconsciously, I must not have wanted actual clothes. When the soft robe slips over my shoulders and I tie the sash around my waist, I send out another silent thanks because it's exactly what I didn't know I wanted.

  Next order, food. One of my mates must've brought the tray up here. There's no way in the hell of the deep would they let another male in here knowing I'm sleeping and naked, to boot. I pick it up and move it to the little sitting depression in the floor. Proper etiquette would demand I eat at the table where it was placed, but I'm going to do what I want. Plus, there's no one here to witness or chastise me for it. Once we get to the kingdom and I have to actually start acting like Queen Eurybia, I will. For now, I'm going to keep being Rubi. I do, however, take the time to chew my food and not inhale it like my stomach demands. Of course, it helps that I pick up one of my abandoned books and get distracted within the pages. My multitasking skills are subpar at best.

  Once I kill the whole platter of breakfast food and a small bowl of fruit, I set the book on lineages off to the side, leaving it open at the spine on Bruinen's clan. I place the tray back on the table before taking my cup of still steaming coffee to the open French doors. Sipping it slowly, I gaze into the dark water surrounding our barrier. It could just be my imagination, but it looks more menacing than usual. But that feeling can also be chalked up to my reading material, too. Bruinen's savage history and family are just as much mine as his now. I can't help but to wonder if he knew about me, or what the consequences might be when he does find out. It'd be too sinister and naïve to consider the thought of him perishing right along with those good folk of my mate's clan. My gut tells me that he's still out there, biding his time and waiting along with the rest for the curse to be broken.

  A knock at the door pulls my mind from the abyss it's been trying to fall face first into.

  "Come in," I call out.

  If the knock wasn't enough to keep me planted in the moment, the sight of my unclaimed mate would be. Zale's smile is soft as he lets the door drift shut behind him and moves to stand with me at the small balcony. He brushes a kiss against my cheek before settling into a relaxed pose against the opposite side of the door frame.

  "How are you feeling?" he asks.

  "Fine," I reply quickly. A little too fast if the look Zale casts me is any indication. Thinking about it, physically, I do feel better after the bath and sleep. Mentally, I'm weighed down by the burdens and unknowns we're having to face. Not to mention the ones that'll make themselves known once the curse is lifted. Bringing my eyes level with his again, I answer honestly, "Nervous. Worried. Scared."

  Nodding his head like he expects those answers, he offers, "Want to talk about any of it?"

  I take comfort in his presence. My mates may have similar appearances, but that's where they cut off. Zanthus is a brute and would likely try to argue my worries back into their box while Zephyr would make me laugh as they wait to spring on me at the last second. Neither option allows me to confront them head on, which is exactly what Zale is offering.

  Wanting to gauge his true reaction, I press my back into the door frame and watch his expression as I ask, "Do you think Bruinen is still alive?"

  "Absolutely," he replies instantly.

  "Do you think he'll come looking for me once the curse is broken, and he finds out about my lineage?"

  One side of his lips pulls up, but it's not the version of a smile he sauntered in here with. This one looks lethal as he assures, "Damselfish, he would have to make it through your three mates and an entire kingdom if he wanted to get his hands on you. That should be the least of your worries."

  He's right. I know it's true, but the inky blackness waiting outside the barrier is messing with my head. I let my eyes trace the sexy male in front of me instead. With his hands stuffed in his pockets and his shoulder leaning against the frame, his demeanor screams laid back without a care in the world. Anyone who truly knows him, understands just how much that isn't true. If I had to bet, I'd say his shoulders have more weight on them than mine. All of that sun-kissed blond hair draped down his chest just does better to hide it is all. Of course, I can't control the urge to keep my gaze moving further south past the ends. Zale may be a book nerd at heart and practically lives in the study, but his body says otherwise. The hard planes of his chest and abs are stacked like a man that visits the gym every day of the week. A bulge in the front of his jeans has me flicking my eyes back up to his face.

  There's a smile there, but it contradicts the next words to leave his mouth. "I didn't come here for that."

  "Then what did you come here for, Zale?" I ask, my voice a husky sound I barely recognize.

  His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure you're doing okay. Not just with the training that I know had to have been hard on your body. Caelan and Easton are known as the best for a reason; they go easy on no one. But, more than that, you were pretty much kidnapped and the mating between you and my brothers might as well have forced you to stay without your approval."

  "You're troubled because you think I feel like I didn't have a choice in whether I stayed or not?" I ask, trying to make sure I'm understanding where his head is. His short shrug is enough. I continue, "I don't see it as being kidnapped. I was going to drown or get eaten by sharks or die some other horrible unfun way out there in that ocean. The three of you saved my life. I felt like I owed it to you to at least try to break this curse. The fact that it turned into having all three of you for mates and being able to break it, was icing on the cake."

  Peeling myself off the wall, I set my half-empty mug of coffee on the rail before closing the distance between us until we're only separated by a few inches. Zale's chest rises and falls quicker, his eyes raking down the front of my body as if he's just now only seeing the robe clinging to my naked skin. I wait until he finally lifts them back to mine before I breathe. "You weren't stealing me, Zale. You were bringing me home."

  The words ring true in my head and heart as I say them. If there was ever a place I was meant to be, it was here. Curse or no. Threats of impending war or no. Enough unanswered questions to last a lifetime or no. My fate has always been tied to these three men. A fact no one will ever hear me complaining about.

  Not giving Zale the chance, I press our bodies together. Running my hands up his chest, I sink them into his blond mane and use it to pull his lips to mine as I lift up on my toes. How could I have possibly waited so long to kiss him again? Sure, we've both been busy, but kissing this mate of mine is precisely what coming home feels like.

  His tongue brushes mine, and I have to fight the urge to crawl up his body into his arms. I can feel the heat from his palms through the thin material covering my back, making me wish I'd never put the thing on in the first place. My head tilts back, giving him better access as his lips move down my chin and follow a path to my collar bone.

  Stepping back, I take one of his hands in mine and lead us toward my little reading spot in the floor. Slowly, I undo the sash tied at my waist and let the robe slip down to a pool at my feet. Sensing he needs a little more persuading, I move to lay down on the floor that's just as soft as any bed. I leave myself open and completely bare to him, letting him drink his fill while he brings a flush beneath my skin with each pass of his gaze.

 
Though the bulge in his jeans and the expression he wears are enough to say he's feeling the same thing I am, his hesitancy is something new. I'm sure it has to do with him still thinking I was pressured to stay. Contrary to how he kissed me before, he must've been thinking I was a temporary in their lives. It makes me sad to know that could have been the truth. Whatever his reasons, there's only one way to prove I'm not going back to the human realm anytime soon.

  Trying to push that button that I know must be hidden deep down inside somewhere, I remark, "Where's the Zale who held me down and kissed the daylights out of me, hmm? Having second thoughts?"

  I'm not sure if it's the first question or the second, but they do the job. His nostrils flare and his chest expands as he sucks in a deep breath. Dropping his hands to his jeans, he undoes the button before letting the material slide down his legs to the floor. Then my beautiful mate stands before me like a naked bronzed statue of a divine being. I love the defined muscles that stand out in his shoulders and arms, leading down to a sculpted chest and abs not to dissimilar to that of his brothers. Almost without conscious thought, my hand reaches out to play with those beaded strands that hang down the front of his body. Of course, he's too far away for that, so I simply flip it over and motion to him with one finger.

  When the wild glaze comes over his eyes, I expect him to march over the way Zanthus would, but he doesn't. Choosing to take his time in the way he swaggers to where I wait for him, he drops to his knees at my feet. I want that sexy mouth on mine again, but he seems to have something else in mind entirely. My head falls back on the soft padding as he lifts my leg and his lips press against the inside of my ankle. From there they come in small flits up the inside of my calf and then thigh. Just as I start to feel the tickle of those blond locks on spots that are craving his attention, he abandons that leg for the other one, repeating the process all over again. This time he doesn't stop at my thigh. Those lips blaze a trail up my hip bone and across my lower belly to the other side before he finally presses a kiss to the top of my mound.