“Get off our ship, Tullius.” Storm pulled out his sword and pointed at his grandfather. “Before I forget the promise I made my lass.”
“Fine. Your mother is okay. I’ll make sure I deliver her to you. Just name the place. But we can’t swim back to our ship.”
“I don’t care. Go down the ladder, or I’m throwing you off.”
“Guards! Get them!” King Tullius yelled.
His crew didn’t move, their gazes on me. The king noticed and moved to see what they were staring at, until he could see me, too. His eyes widened as though he recognized me, yet the oracle’s vision hadn’t been clear enough for her to describe me.
I moved to stand beside Storm, unclasped the bow, and pulled out an arrow. Fear flicked in the king’s eyes.
“You heard Storm. Get off our ship.”
The king swallowed and nodded. “Okay. We’ll leave. But first tell your people to let us go back to our ship.”
“The ladders are still there, and despite their weapons, our people are not going to hurt you.” I waved to indicate the crew with their swords and daggers.
“I’m not talking about Storm’s ragtag misfits.” He pointed at the sea. “Them. The women who lured us to the bottom of the sea and kept us captive until you arrived.”
Storm and I exchanged glances. Could the music I’d heard but no one else could have come from their captors?
I wanted to run to the edge of the deck and look, but I refused to show King Tullius how clueless I was about these women he claimed were my people.
“No, I’m not calling them off or escorting you and your people to your vessel, unless…” Sounds came from behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Gwyn waved me over. “You apologize to my people for calling them a ragtag of misfits.”
“I’m not apologizing to anyone,” the king bellowed.
“Throw them off the ship, starting with him.” I turned and headed toward the cabin.
“Fine,” Tullius spat out. “I’m sorry.”
I glanced at him. “Really? You can do better than that, King Tullius. Be sincere. Speak slowly and clearly so everyone can hear you.”
If I were within his distance, he would have slugged me. Grinning, I walked to Gwyn. “What is it?”
“The queen mother wants to talk to you.”
I put my bow and arrow away and glanced over my shoulder again. “I can’t hear you, King Tullius. Louder. They are swordsmen and shieldmaidens of Vaarda. And apologize to each captain by name. I know you remember them. After all, you had so much fun hanging them.”
If his eyes could shoot fire, I’d be barbecued. I wondered why he didn’t try to get inside my head like the queen mother had said he often did. Maybe the women who’d trapped them under the water had also messed with his abilities.
“I’m sorry, swordsmen and shieldmaidens of Vaarda,” the king said as I disappeared into the cabin.
The queen mother was seated and had even put on her cloak. Gwyn had brushed and styled her hair.
“Should you be out of your bed, Queen Mother?”
“No, mo leanbh. Call me Mother, please.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
“Now, I need to see the look on Tullius’s face when I come outside. The people of Hy’Brasil deserve to know I was never crazy.”
“Do you want to talk to him?”
“No. I don’t care about him. I want to talk to his crew.” She gripped my hand. “Do you want to know who Tullius fears out there?”
I nodded. I was sure they were sirens. It was the perfect explanation for the song I’d heard.
“Morgens. Water spirits. They have unusual eyes, but violet is the most common. They lure men into the sea with their beauty, songs, or visions of their golden cities. There’s a large population of Morgens in Frisland because the headquarters of the Undine Court is near that island. Morgens work for the court.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t expected this. Water spirits. “What do they do?”
“They keep peace between our kind, deliver justice or punishment as fits the crime. Mermaids and Sirens are part of their system. If they are out there, they won’t leave until they have the one they came for.”
Could my mother or someone down the line in my gene pool have been a Morgen?
“Do they marry Tuh’rens?”
“Yes, but like Selkies and Kelpies, they can’t fight the urge of the sea and they always come back.” She glanced toward the door and frowned. “Go. It’s quiet out there, and that’s never good when dealing with Tullius. Gwyn will help me outside.”
“Just a second.” I removed my bag of arrows and rummaged inside it, until I found the golden hair piece with pearls. I had planned to add it to the island treasures. But after what the queen mother had said about Tully, she might want to keep it.
“Tully gave this to me, but I think you should keep it instead. It would look nice on your hair.”
Her lips pinched and her eyes grew luminous.
“Thank you, mo leanbh. You are both kind and very generous.” She squeezed my hand. “I want you to remember one thing. No one wins against the Undine. Let the Morgens deal with Tullius if they are here for him. Otherwise, his crew will die with him, and those poor young men do not deserve that.”
Spoken like a true queen. She would have made a better ruler of Hy’Brasil than the king or Tully.
“Yes, Mother.” I found myself curtsying, and she chuckled.
The captains, including Nerissa, stood next to Storm when I stepped out of the cabin. With their backs to the door and spread out, I had a feeling they’d created a barrier between us—the occupants of the cabin—and Tullius. The king faced them from the middle of the main deck while others watched from the periphery. Storm pulled me to his side, tucking me between him and Zale, who was wet from their brief swim.
“Did he apologize?” I asked.
Storm nodded. “Amazing how much he remembered when his life was on the line. The humiliation will be good for him.”
“I did as you asked, Morgen. Escort us to our ship or talk to your sisters,” King Tullius said.
“You are in no position to demand anything, King Tullius. There’s one more thing we need to do.”
He protested, but I ignored him.
“Your mother wants to talk to Tullius’s crew,” I whispered to Storm.
Storm glanced over his shoulder, concern flickering across his face. “Do I need to carry her outside?”
“No.” I grinned. “She wants to walk out like the queen she is. She looks and sounds stronger.”
“What is this about your sisters, Lexi?” Nerissa asked.
I shrugged, not ready to mention the song. “The mad king is delusional. Just because my eyes are violet, he thinks I’m a Morgen from Frisland. The queen mother said Morgens are part of the justice system of the Undine Court, along with Mermaids and Sirens. If they are here—”
“They are,” Levi, Kheelan, and Zale spoke in unison.
“Then we won’t stop until they get the person they came for,” I finished.
“Resisting them was impossible,” Kheelan said, and the other two nodded.
“How come we’ve never met them before?” Nerissa asked. “What do they look like?”
“Glowing eyes and long hair,” Levi said.
“Seductive,” Zale added.
“Irresistible,” Kheelan threw in. “Even more so than Mermaids because they look human except for their glowing eyes. And they get inside your head fast and don’t let go. I tried to fight them, but I couldn’t. They are a lot more powerful.”
“Since Frisland is by Iceland, they must be part of the Northern Undine Court,” Storm said. “We’ve only dealt with the Southern Undine Court.”
“Does that mean you have Morgen blood in your veins, little sister?” Nerissa asked, grinning. “It might explain a lot of things about you.”
“Or it’s just a coincidence,” I said, still struggling to process everything. “We should let them deal with Tulliu
s.” I explained about the possibility of the Morgens taking the royal ship and the men on it to get to the king.
“Damn, that’s cold,” Zale said, shuddering.
“Even colder than Mermaids,” Kheelan added. “At least they only went after Ryun instead of his crew.”
“So, do we let them deal with Tullius?” I asked.
The captains looked at each other and grinned. One by one they nodded. Then their attention shifted when the door opened behind us.
The queen mother stepped out with Gwyn trailing behind her. The heavy, royal blue cloak over the chemise gave her a regal look. She looked better than I’d ever seen her, the smile on her face radiant. She must have pinched her cheeks because they were rosy and the hair piece was a nice touch.
A hush fell over the deck as the crew moved closer to see her. Most of them were seeing her for the first time, and it was better this way. She looked like a queen, not the skinny, shaking prisoner I’d met in the tower.
The captains stepped aside for her to pass then fell in behind her. I stayed with Gwyn. Tullius’s jaw had dropped when he’d recognized her, but now he watched her with rounded eyes. She looked right through him as she walked to his crew.
I didn’t hear what she told them, but they bowed and kissed her hand. It was obvious they were moved by her presence and still considered her part of the royal household. She patted arms and hands as though reassuring them.
When she started the trek back, she smiled at our crew. Once again, she passed Tullius without acknowledging him. His crew was busy vying for the captains’ attention. I had a feeling they were appealing to them to be returned to their ship.
No one saw what happened next coming. One second, the queen mother had passed Tullius. The next, he’d grabbed her, pinned her to him with one arm, and wrapped a hand around her neck. His eyes darted at the captains as he dragged her backward toward us and away from them. I reached for my bow and arrow.
“Get off the ship or she dies,” he muttered. “Only my crew stays.”
“That’s not going to happen, Tullius,” Storm said, sword drawn. “Let her go, or I’ll prolong your agony before I kill you.”
“You step closer, Storm, and I’ll snap her neck.” His grip tightened around the queen mother’s neck. “I’m not going back into that water.”
Storm kept moving while talking. “You’re making a big mistake, old Kelpie. We were planning on letting you live, but you don’t change, do you? You don’t care who you hurt as long as you get your way. And as usual, you underestimate how far people will go to do the right thing. Do you have a clear shot, mo ghrá?”
“Yes,” I called back.
“Take him down.”
I released the arrow. Tullius tried to turn, but he was too late. The arrow pierced his back and lodged in. He cried out and let go of the queen mother. Storm caught her before she fell and swept her into his arms.
Tullius staggered while trying to reach behind him for the arrow, but he couldn’t reach it. The entire time, he yelled to his crew to help him. They didn’t move.
He tripped, lost his balance, and landed on the edge of the deck. He tried to break his fall but couldn’t, and he fell over the edge, screaming the entire time. The crew ran to the side to watch as he fell with a splash. No one jumped in after him. A disturbance in the water followed, bubbles and gurgling sounds filtering to the surface. I was sure I saw glowing green-tinged lights and flimsy material float beneath the surface before the water cleared.
Dang. I’d really wanted to see one of them. As though responding to my thought, a sweet, lone melody floated from the depths of the ocean. The way the people started talking at once and moved away from the edge of the deck told me they couldn’t hear it.
I closed my eyes and let it wash over me. The music was beautiful and familiar. Could Mom have sung it for me? I hummed along.
“I’ll dance with you this time,” Storm whispered. Arms wrapped around my midsection and lifted me off the deck. “Wrap your legs around me.”
Without opening my eyes, I obeyed him, looped my arms around his neck, and rested my cheek on his nape. The music swelled as he turned around. The muscles around his neck moved and grew, so I knew he’d gone into a partial shift. Whooshing sounds followed by cool air brushing my other cheek told me we were in the air.
The music grew in pitch. Then it ebbed until it disappeared. I opened my eyes and looked into my Kelpie’s silver ones.
“The music stopped?” he asked.
I nodded. “I wish you could hear it. It’s really beautiful.”
He shuddered. “I’m afraid the effect on me might not be the same, mo ghrá. I might end up sinking to the abyss. But I know how you feel when you hear it. Blissful. “Ready to go to our ship?”
I nodded. Below, Lord Conyngham’s ship was already moving toward the other two. We beat Storm’s crew to the Mac Lir.
~*~
Storm, Levi, and I stood on the aftcastle as the ship drifted south behind Lord Conyngham’s. The Royal Army’s headed north toward Hy’Brasil.
I wondered if Tully would believe their story. Storm had told them to tell him the truth—the trap by the Morgens, our arrival, the attempt on their mother’s life, and my arrow in the king’s back to save her. If Tully were smart, he’d let go of the feud between him and Storm and learn to be a better king than his grandfather was. The queen mother was on the other ship along with the captains, except Levi.
“Ready?” Storm asked.
The moment I’d been waiting for. “I’ll race you.”
He laughed and scooped me up.
“Swordsmen and shieldmaidens,” he called out.
“Captain speaking,” his quartermaster repeated.
“We do not want to be disturbed until we are docked outside the Great Hall.”
A cheer erupted while my face burned. I didn’t scold him. Instead, I palmed his cheek and turned his face toward me for a kiss. I knew he continued walking, and I heard the cabin door open and close. Then it was only us.
He lowered me to the floor, lips still locked. He eased off the kiss to create a heated trail down my neck. A string of words in Gaelic escaped him. They were new, and I couldn’t wait to learn what they meant. Just not now.
He stopped at the neckline of the gown and lifted his head. Without missing a beat, he gripped it and ripped it off.
“I hate it,” he growled, throwing it behind him. He’d never given any indication.
“The chemise came from your mother,” I said quickly before he tore it.
He cupped my cheek, his gaze roaming my face before he captured my lips in a searing kiss while backing me to the bed. The back of my thighs hit the bed. His hands skimmed down my sides while bunching the chemise. He lifted it over my head and flung it aside.
His breath caught as he studied me. “Beautiful. You take my breath away.”
I didn’t dare have him ask about the silk and lace bloomers. I pulled them off and sat on the bed to get rid of the boots while he ran the tips of his fingers up and down my back, gently removing the bridle. I wasn’t sure when I’d bond with it. I didn’t want to ask yet. I needed to be one with him first. Questions would come later.
“Your skin is like silk,” Storm whispered. “Soft. Warm. Responsive.”
Nice. I reached for the buttons on his breeches. “Let’s go for less talk and more stripping,” I said.
He chuckled. “Why didn’t you say so?”
He stepped away from my greedy hands and removed his coat. He tugged off his boots and stockings. The entire time, his gaze trekked from my face to my feet. I leaned back to give him a better view, and the silver turned smoky.
Bare foot, he shrugged off his coat. He started on his shirt.
“Faster,” I urged him.
“No, lass. I’ve waited a lifetime for this, so I’m doing it right. Slowly.”
What? The anticipation was going to kill me. I swear.
Or maybe not. I watched him, starting from his
feet. Storm’s bare feet were downright sexy. And those long, tanned, powerful thighs… My palm itched to stroke every inch of them. My stomach fluttered when I reached the bulge straining his breeches. I licked my lips, and a groan escaped him. My gaze flew to his face.
“Lass, you need to stop that,” he warned and pulled the shirttails from his breeches.
“What?”
“Looking at me like that.”
“You’re taking too long.”
I got up as he pulled his shirt over his head. I caught him by surprise when I gave a peck to each corded muscle of his six-pack, working my way up and paying attention to the scars on his sides. Scars he’d received trying to rescue me.
“You are beautiful. Every inch of you. Every precious scar.”
He groaned and pulled me up, our skin finally touching. We both gasped at the same time. The feel of his heated flesh against mine was so stimulating I wanted to feel it from head to toes.
I reached for his breeches, and this time, he didn’t try to stop me. He covered my mouth with his, tongue sliding between my lips to find mine. He sucked hard on my tongue, and my fingers forgot what they were doing.
I took a small nip of his bottom lip, then soothed it with my tongue like he’d done two nights ago with mine. Storm’s breathing grew heavy, his kisses intense. I skimmed over his back muscles, loving how they tensed and trembled at my touch. His body… was sheer perfection.
I dipped around his waist, then slipped my hands under the waistband of his breeches to caress his firm, masculine butt. At the same time, my body rocked against his erection, wetness and heat pooling between my thighs. Another groan rumbled through his chest.
Storm tore his mouth from mine, and a moan escape me as he began kissing down my neck, nipping and licking spots along the way. I attempted to remove those damn breeches again, but he thwarted my efforts when he lifted me high and buried his face in the valley between my breasts. I trembled as the stubble on his jaw from not shaving for days brushed against my breast.
I grabbed his head and held him, panting and my chest heaving with the effort I put in trying to stay focused. He licked my skin, soothing areas he’d scraped, before taking one nipple in his mouth.
Storm Unleashed: Phantom Islanders Part III Page 26
