“What do you have a problem with? Hearing that he wants you or thoughts of him biting you?”
“My relationship with Storm is really none of your business, Ryun.’”
“And the claws are back. I like it. I spent the day explaining Selection to the girls in the east wing, and they got into it. I told them the same thing I’m about to tell you. Make sure the man claims you with a bite. Too many of our kind claim they’re mated without it, then move on to another female and bite them, forging a stronger, lasting bond. That’s what’s happening in Hy’Brasil because of Tullius’s stupid laws. Here on the island, we do things differently. Properly. For over a century now, Storm has made sure we stay true to the old ways.”
“Which are?”
“First, we scent the females. When we like her scent, we nip and lick her rump and claim her as ours. We have to be in our horse forms to do that. It’s different when we mate with Tuh’rens. We go for the wrists or behind the ears, sniff and lick. Very boring, but some lads are very shy and scared of offending the lasses.” He gave me a slow smile. “Some like to go where the scent is stronger between the breasts. Personally, I like to go down where the scent is the strongest and the taste the sweetest.”
He licked his lips and watched me like a hawk. I didn’t rise to the bait even though I wanted to bury my face in my hand.
“And when pleased, we sink our teeth into one juicy cheek and claim her.”
The morning with Storm flashed through my head. “You explained this to the others this morning?”
“In detail. Like I said, they were into it, asking questions, blushing. Some wanted to know if they get to bite the men back. I told them my woman had better mark me. The bite strengthens the connection.”
“Do women have a say at all?”
“Of course. Just because a man loves your scent doesn’t mean you are meant to be with him. Sometimes a lass has to choose between two potential lads whose scent calls to her. At times, she doesn’t want to choose and becomes a shieldmaiden.”
“What happens if she has to choose between two?”
“The lads court her until one wins her over. There’s a lot of fighting and it gets messy, but it’s very entertaining.” He grinned. “Luckily, we’ve never lost an islander over a lass. When she’s claimed another, it’s usually better to accept gracefully and move on.”
“What if she is the one? Your true mate.”
He groaned. “Storm has filled your head with this true mate nonsense.”
“He didn’t. I’ve always believed in soul mates, as we call them,” I lied. “So what if the one taken is your true mate?”
“Then you spend the rest of your life pining for her, or move to another island and settle for a second best. Stupid ones try to eliminate the competition, but our kind doesn’t take kindly to murder. Once branded and ostracized for taking a life, there’s no safe haven for a Kelpie. Every island will see the brand and kick you out of their land. Ever hear stories of Kelpies eating Tuh’rens?”
I shook my head. The little I knew about Kelpies couldn’t fill a paragraph.
“Those are some of the ostracized ones. They live alone. Go a little…” He pointed the knife at his temple and drew air circles to indicate crazy. Then he went back to cutting the mangoes and dropping chunks inside the bowl. “They can’t shift back and forth as often as they should because they have no island to call home. So they move closer to Tuh’ren lands and shift there. Unfortunately, fresh water is not good for our kind. It makes us crazy. Before you know it, they are feeding on Tuh’ren babies.”
I shuddered. Storm had jumped into the pool at the hotel to clear his lungs in order to scent me better and he’d done it again here to get me pearls. To risk his life like that was humbling.
Ryun scooped the skins and seeds of the fruit he’d cut and dumped them in the fireplace. I popped a few grapes into my mouth. I took a piece of mango next.
“Every story in Tuh’ren books talks about Kelpies living in fresh water and terrorizing their people. They don’t know anything. No wonder they believe we live in fresh water. Like their puny lakes, ponds, and rivers could accommodate our numbers.” He chuckled when I scooped pieces of mango and one slipped from my hand and fell on the table. He knifed it and offered it to me. “We need the expanse of the sea to swim and be one with the water, and a private place where we can take both forms. Shifting back and forth is important for our mental and physical health. Not just Kelpies, but Selkies and Dragons, too. Mermaids don’t have that problem, but they also need the sea. I haven’t shifted in the sea in almost two years, and I tell you, it’s been a nightmare.”
Something in his eyes said he wasn’t kidding. “How long before your sentence is completed?”
“Seven weeks and two days.” He grinned. “But we are digressing. We were talking about Selection. We still bite our females when we claim them, and they bite us back. Then we complete the mating ritual in private, but we usually know.”
“How?”
“It’s the way the couple is when together. The lasses’ scents changes, and the lads can’t hide the smug look in their eyes whenever they look at their mates. I’m far from ready to be mated. Maybe in another decade or two.”
A decade or two, he would be much older for some teenager. “You said for a century, Storm made sure you followed the old ways. Did you mean a century or a decade?”
“Nope, a century. He’s about one hundred and forty eight.”
My jaw dropped.
“Muh’rens can live for thousands of years because of the water. I’m a year younger than Storm, which means nothing. Deck is the oldest by three. Levi and Max are Storm’s age, and pretty boy Kheelan is the baby. He’s only one-forty. Call him a baby and he’ll screw with your mind for a week. He holds grudges forever.” From Ryun’s smile, he often messed with Kheelan. “We age slowly once we hit puberty, which is why we try to harvest Tuh’rens when they hit puberty, too. We like them young—seventeen to twenty-one. Single, but of marriageable age. We steer clear of older women, because we have to confirm they are not married, or have children, or are in a serious relationship, and that takes too long. Most Harvests are done in two to three days. There’s no time for background checks.”
He regaled me with stories of their wenching days, as he called it. In all his stories, Storm often turned down women. Was it because of what Nerissa had told me?
“Why does Tullius kill the women Storm sleeps with?” I asked, hoping Ryun would tell me the truth. “In every story, you mention him turning down maidens and wenches, and I overheard him tell someone it was dangerous to sleep with him.”
“No one knows what goes on in the mind of the mad king. You don’t have to worry about the bastard, though, because he’ll never enter this island. Therefore, he will never hurt you. As long as you stay on the island, you are safe. Eat more fruit.” He placed a fork in my hand. “Go on.”
I had a feeling he wanted to shut me up.
The door flew open, and a hard-breathing Delia entered. Her eyes narrowed on us with disapproval. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, Ryun.”
“And I’ve been here trying to seduce Storm’s violet-eyed beauty with fruit. Who knew running an orchard would one day pay off?”
Delia harrumphed. “You’re looking for trouble when we already have it.”
Ryun stood, his expression becoming serious. “What’s wrong?”
Delia glanced at me as though she didn’t want to speak in my presence.
“Out with it, Delia. Storm already claimed Lexi as his, so she is one of us.”
How the hell did he know? I didn’t have a chance to ask because Delia spoke.
“Three of the girls killed themselves, and the others are panicking.”
Ryun was by the door before she finished talking. I started to follow him, but Delia blocked my path.
“No, lass. Stay out of this.”
“No, let her come. She might be useful.”
I was
n’t sure how I could be useful, but I ignored Delia’s disapproval and raced after Ryun.
A crowd of hall workers, including kitchen staff I recognized, stood outside the bathhouse with Kai and three of her shieldmaidens. They all stepped back when they saw Ryun.
“What happened?” he asked.
“They cut their wrists inside the wash tub,” Kai said. “I’m not sure what they used since the kitchen followed protocol and only gave them wooden utensils and we always kept an eye on them.”
“Wooden utensils can be broken and turned into weapons, and you can’t be with them all the time,” Ryun said. “Everyone go back to work. Delia, send word to—”
“Storm?” Kai asked, and Ryun cut her a quick glance.
“No. Send word to all the elders to gather in the conference room.” A weird expression crossed Kai’s face. “Yes, even Moria. A decision needs to be made now. How many of your maidens are on watch in the Hall?”
“Eight,” Kai said. “The others are in their quarters.”
“The men?”
“Outer towers. We just switched places.”
“I want this hallway blocked off, and someone should be with the lasses upstairs. They should not come downstairs to use the bathhouse.” He studied the faces of the workers who’d gathered with Kai. “No one discusses this with those outside the Hall. The fewer islanders who know about this the better. We haven’t dealt with suicide in decades, and I don’t want anyone spooked.” He indicated I follow him into the bathhouse.
I averted my eyes from the bodies of three girls by the washtub, which was tinged with red. Two girls were crying a few feet away. The tall one had ombré hair—black and blue. Next to her was a shorter curvaceous brunette with wavy hair like mine.
Ryun went to talk to them while I tried not to look at the dead bodies. Someone should cover them. When I’d done the rounds with Delia, she’d explained how the bathhouse worked. There were several washing pools for lathering, and the large one in the middle for rinsing. The water was pumped from the canal, but the dirty pools drained into the ocean along with gifts from privies around the island. The drainage dump was hidden by a waterfall. She said they drained the lathering water once a day, and the larger rinse pool once a week.
Ryun appeared by my side. “Take the Tuh’rens upstairs and talk to them. Nothing I say seems to work.”
I glanced at the girls. “What could I possibly tell them?”
“That we’re not monsters. You’ve adjusted quickly. Explain to them why and how.”
No wonder he’d wanted me to accompany him. Was I the poster child of a well-behaved Tuh’ren? I had Storm to thank for that.
“Don’t you have the ones you harvested last year or the years before to talk to them?” I griped.
“Yes, we do, but like I said, the fewer islanders who know about this the better. Death is not something we are used to, and these girls killed themselves because of us. I’m not sure how our people would see that, especially the young ones. I don’t want them thinking we’re so terrible Tuh’rens would rather kill themselves than be mated to us.”
That sounded bad. I studied the two girls hugging each other at the other end of the pool, their eyes red from crying. Okay. I can do this.
“I’ll try,” I whispered to Ryun. “You should cover the bodies.”
He frowned. “Why? They are dead.”
“You do it out of respect to them, so people don’t stare at their bodies.” I left him and went to join the two girls. They eyed me suspiciously.
“You are the girl from the ship,” the tall one with ombré hair said. “The one who stood up to the captain.”
“Yes. My name is Lexi Greendale.”
“How long have they kept you here?” Ombré Hair asked.
“I came with you guys.” Surprise flashed on their faces. When they’d seen me, I had borrowed Nerissa’s outfit. “Did you know the three girls well?”
“Not in the beginning, but we’ve come to know each other very well,” Ombré Hair said. She looked like she could be twenty or twenty-one. “Gracie was from Canada. She was visiting a friend in Florida. She kept to herself. Kendall and Murphy had summer jobs in Port Canaveral. They cried the most. Both of them just turned eighteen.”
“Could we go somewhere and talk?” I asked.
“Andy, we haven’t told the rest of the girls yet,” the second girl whispered, sniffling.
“Don’t tell them what happened until we talk. I can explain things you have problems with. I know some of you are scared just like I was.”
“Some?” Andy glanced at the curvy girl. “We’re all scared. Right, Jen?”
Jen nodded while studying me as though not sure whether to trust me. “I think you should come and talk to all of us. You came with us, yet we haven’t seen you since we got here, and you don’t look scared. Did you know about them before? That they’re shifters?”
“I’ll answer all your questions as soon as we are out of here.” My eyes met Ryun’s. He had dragged screens from nearby walls and placed them around the three bodies, nicely hiding them. “Captain Ryun and the elders need to take care of the bodies.”
“Do you think they’ll give them a proper burial?” Jen asked, her eyes watering.
“Yes, Jen. They will. Let’s go.” The girls followed me to the door. “We’ll be upstairs, Ryun.”
He nodded.
The girls’ eyes lingered on him, but no one spoke. The crowd outside the bathhouse entrance was gone. Kai and one of her maidens manned the hallway, and two of her girls were upstairs outside the Tuh’rens’ quarters. I recognized them from before. They didn’t stop me this time.
I entered the solar, a large room with sofas lining the walls, bookshelves, and a billiard table on one end and round tables with several chairs on the other. Tapestries of Muh’rens in their animal forms and seashell-shaped sconces added to the striking but comfortable chamber.
Several girls were playing pool while others talked in groups of twos and threes. But all of them were dressed like me. Whoever did their clothes had worked faster, unless theirs were hand-me-downs, too. The second we entered the room, they stopped whatever they were doing and moved closer.
“They said we couldn’t leave to use the restrooms,” one girl said. “What’s going on? Why is Jen crying?”
Andy explained the suicide to the women. Stricken expressions stared back at her. A few of the women began to yell, blaming the islanders. Some even glared at me. How the heck was I going to calm them down when they looked at me as though I was the enemy?
“Please, let’s calm down and listen to Lexi,” Andy said. “She’s here to answer any questions you may have. I don’t know if you remember her from the ship when we arrived. She—”
“Defended my cousin,” a girl said, stepping forward. “I’m Rita, Skylar’s cousin. How is she doing? They refused to allow me to visit her.”
“I tried to visit her, but she’s on a hunger strike and she, uh, doesn’t want to see anyone.” The lie slipped out, and I realized why. I was protecting Storm and his people. I had no idea when I’d switched allegiance. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” one woman yelled. “Your men kidnapped us and brought us here against our will, and for what?”
“Whoa, Dee,” Andy said. “Lexi arrived with us on the same ship. Like Skylar, she’s been kept apart from us. We want to know why.” She got their attention, and all eyes focused on me.
Here goes nothing. “I’ve been staying in the west tower with Captain Storm. When we crossed the Veil, I was in his cabin.” They looked at each other. “I was kidnapped like you, but I’ve interacted with the islanders more.”
“Are you mated with the captain?” Andy asked.
“Not yet, but I know that whatever I do or say is not going to make him take me home. He is my…” I almost said soul mate. “Let me explain about Storm. Ryun told you about scents and how his people use them to find mates?”
The women nodded, the room growing
quiet.
“About seven weeks ago, Storm caught my scent while he was sailing from one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. I was working in Malibu at the time, and I’d play in the ocean with the little girl I was watching. He came looking for me, but he lost my scent. For whatever reason, when I was in the water, he could scent me better. But once I left it and stayed on dry land, he couldn’t. I can’t explain it, and neither can he. I was traveling along the west coast with my boss, so he kept following my scent.” I told them everything he went through to find me, including jumping in the pool at the hotel to clear his lungs just so he could scent me better.
The silence was eerie.
“It took Storm weeks to locate me. Does that justify kidnapping me? No, but it does to him. He believes my scent called to him because I’m his soul mate, or ‘true mate’ as they call it. And he wasn’t leaving me behind. I’d love to go home and see my family and maybe reassure them that I’m okay. Maybe one day I will. But right now, that’s not going to happen. While we were on the boat, I tried to escape and failed.”
I told them everything I did to try to escape.
“This place is magical, and its inhabitants are magical. We are not. I know you lost three friends today, and I’m truly sorry about that. All I can tell you is what I’ve learned. If you give the islanders a chance, you’ll find out how amazing they are. Is it wrong of them to kidnap us? Yes, but we all know why they did.”
“The survival of their species depends on it,” a woman said and rolled her eyes. The others looked at her and frowned. That alone told me these women understood what was at stake and were already adapting.
“Yes, the survival of their species depends on it,” I said. “Maybe they could come to the mainland, find their mates there, and convince them to move to the islands. I don’t know. It might work, or it might not. All I know is they believe in soul mates and that means they won’t force you to mate with just anyone. He has to be the right person for you. And like Ryun probably told you, if you’re not sure, you don’t have to accept a mate—or two.”
I got a few chuckles.
“It’s their job to prove they are worthy of your love. You know they’re immortal.” Nods followed. “Most of them have been waiting and searching for their true mates for a very long time. Believe me, each will go the extra mile to convince you that you are the one and only woman for him.”
[Phantom Islanders 02.0] Storm Revealed Page 11
