by Devyn Quinn
Kenneth looked at the tall, blond Cyntheris. She definitely stood out among the rest of the darker- haired, and in some cases, darker-skinned Mer. “Tessa told me you helped get us out of the cell. But aren’t you one of the ones they consider part of the elite?”
Cyntheris paused a moment in thought, then replied, “I am, but that does not mean I do not see the folly of their ways.” She indicated a dark man working to sharpen several spear points. “Brison is my husband, though few know that truth. We must conceal our union because he is not acceptable as a Breema for a Mer of my status and rank.”
Kenneth sneaked a glance at the strong, barrel-chested man. He had curly black hair and skin the color of dark toffee. Brison was handsome, a real stunner. He was the kind of man that made women pant. “And he’s not acceptable because of his looks? That’s all that makes him inferior?”
“That is all.” Cyntheris frowned. “In order for me to take a mate, I must apply to the queen’s council and wait for a suitable male to be chosen from the breeding pool.”
“One they consider genetically perfect?”
“Yes.”
Sperm donor? That raised his brows. “And the Mer want one uniform look, which they consider to be perfect?”
The blond Mer regretfully nodded her head. “Somehow the old ways have become so terribly twisted.”
“Yet you’ve defied them.”
“Many do, but our numbers are still so small.” Cyntheris sighed. “If my treachery were discovered, I and my husband would both be executed.” She sent a fond glance his way. “But I think he is worth the trouble.”
They didn’t have any more time to talk further. Tessa ducked into the underground cavern, followed by several other rebels.
“Everything almost ready here?” she asked.
Cyntheris answered, “Yes, we are almost ready to go.”
Kenneth’s gaze strayed to her slender figure. Her long red hair shined like a beacon in the low illumination emanating from the stone walls. But it was her eyes that really got him, a deep jade green. Sometimes her gaze was hot, filled with heat and passion. Other times her gaze went cold, distant and detached. He’d felt both the heat and the ice. No doubt about it, a raw energy radiated from her.
But the one thing he’d never gotten out of those eyes was love. He’d never seen Tessa look at him the way Cyntheris looked at her husband.
Emotion tightened his throat. She said she loved me, he reminded himself. He had to believe it, hold on to it. Right now it was the only thing getting him through this nightmare. He had to hold himself together. For both of them.
As if drawn by his thoughts, Tessa walked his way. “Wow, you look all medieval.” She eyed the blade in his hand.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Not exactly a Smith & Wesson, but I guess it’s going to have to do.” He gave Kleio a look. “It even came with a little lesson on how to use it, so I think I’m all set.”
Tessa hugged her arms around herself. “You think you could actually use that on someone?” Her voice was strained, a little thin.
Looking at the deadly blade in his hand, Kenneth felt goose bumps form. Aside from a few bar fights in his younger years, he’d never seriously scuffled with anyone, male or female. Without even stopping to think, he already knew what his answer had to be. “I don’t want to, but I will if I have to.” He lifted his gaze toward hers. “I’ll do anything I can to defend you.”
A weak smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. “You’re braver than I am,” she admitted in a rush. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Kenneth watched her wrestle with her emotions. She was clearly having a hard time with the idea. She looked so alone, so afraid.
He took a step closer, wrapping his arms around her. That’s all he’d really wanted to do through these last confusing hours. Hold her. Just hold her. “It’s going to be all right,” he murmured into her silky hair. “Somehow, we’ll get home.”
Releasing a tremulous breath, Tessa tipped her head back to look at him. “Do you really think we can?”
Kenneth’s heart lurched. “We’ll make it,” he said to reassure her. “I swear to God I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.” He meant what he said, one hundred percent.
Tessa snuggled deeper into his hold. “Promise me you’ll always be there.”
Lowering his head, Kenneth brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ll never leave you, Tessa.”
And then he kissed her, long and deep.
The Mer rebels had decided to strike as quickly as possible. In an hour, the dungeon’s guards would change. Cyntheris’s treachery would soon be discovered.
Since they could not enter the city of Quanous, where the queen’s palace was located aboveground, it was decided to make the attempt from belowground. Thanks to an elaborate system of plumbing, a grid of tunnels stretched beneath the metropolis. Reaching the Temple of Thiraisa would be a simple matter.
Taking care of what they might find there wouldn’t be.
“Getting inside is going to be easy,” Cyntheris said. As one of the few armed with a Ri’kah, she had taken the designated role of leader. “There is a grill for drainage and overflow in one of the purification chambers. Once inside, we can make our way toward the threshold. Hopefully we can get you through before Magaera’s guards stop us.”
Tessa nodded. “You think the sea-gate is guarded?”
Cyntheris nodded. “Most definitely. But at this hour, the number will be few because Magaera believes you are still imprisoned. We must act with haste before you are discovered missing.”
Tessa shivered, remembering that cold, awful place. “You took a terrible risk helping to free us.”
Cyntheris didn’t glance back as she continued up the narrow passage. It was cold and damp, and everyone was miserable from the dirty sludge water seeping into their shoes. “I would like to cross into your world myself. I want my husband to see the land of his ancestors, perhaps even raise our children there.”
Tessa’s throat tightened. “I hope you can.”
The small band of rebels continued on.
Just as it seemed they would be doomed to wander the twisted passages for all eternity, Cyntheris at last halted. “We are in the main bathing chambers.” She peered through a narrow iron grate.
Kallixeina stepped up. “Do you see anyone?”
Cyntheris did a quick count. “Two guards.”
Brison stepped up behind his wife. “They must die quietly. Quickly.” He made a slicing motion across his neck.
“I agree,” Cyntheris said. “We don’t want to alert others who will be in the main temple. One scream will carry through the entire place.”
Brison lifted his weapon, a small, elegant athame, or short-bladed dagger. “I will take care of them.”
Kenneth moved in. “What’s going on?”
Tessa hastily relayed the plan in a low whisper.
Kenneth nodded and eyed the grate. “Going to need some help lifting that,” he said, and went to work. Trying to keep noise to a minimum, the two men carefully moved the grate. Kenneth supported its weight and Brison slid through the constricted opening.
Everyone watched, breathless, as he darted around a wide oval pool of shimmering, ethereally blue water. The pungent aroma of incense, a cloying mix of musk and cinnamon, scented the air.
In a split second, Brison and his deadly blade moved into action. Creeping up behind the unsuspecting guards, he killed both Mer guards before Tessa could think to blink. He moved with grace and speed, intent on carrying through his mission. The first woman had not yet begun to fall before the second drew her last breath.
Quickly securing the area, Brison did a little bit of scouting. He disappeared, a move that forced everyone to hold their breath.
The ongoing silence pumped up the tension another notch.
Tessa gritted her teeth and swallowed hard.
Seeing her waver, Kenneth reached for her hand. “You okay?”
Tears
welled in her eyes and it was all she could do to hold them back. “I’ve never seen anyone die before,” she admitted, blinking hard. “It’s horrible.”
“I know. Trust me, I know.” His grip on her hand tightened. His skin felt warm. Solid. Real. “If you need to stay here, we can handle things.”
Knowing he was trying to spare her further horror, Tessa looked into his face.
Kenneth truly was one of the good guys. She’d known that all along. Without considering his own safety, he would sacrifice himself for others. He’d done that since they’d arrived in this hellish place, without complaint. He’d even offered his life to give her the chance to go free. Men like him didn’t come along every day. He was a rare prize.
Good grief! she thought, swallowing hard. She’d almost pushed him away with her own petty selfishness.
That wasn’t going to happen again. Somehow she’d figure a way out of this mess. And when they were home, and safe, she’d treat him like a king instead of a convenience.
“I’m going, too.” She steeled her nerves. “There’s no way you’re leaving me behind. Wherever we go from now on, it’s together.”
Though she suspected their chances of getting back through the sea-gate were slim to none, there was no way she was going to let him walk into the battle alone.
Kenneth lifted his hand. His warm palm curved around her left cheek. “I’ll try not to let them get close to you, Tess. Somehow I’ll get you through.”
Lifting her hand to cover his, Tessa smiled at him. “I know you will.”
There was no time to talk about anything else.
Brison appeared a few minutes later. He made a motion with his hand. “Magaera has posted only half a dozen of her guards. If we move quickly, we can take them.”
Cyntheris considered his report. “That is reasonable,” she allowed. “Magaera believes she still has you imprisoned, so she has no reason to expend her soldiers’ efforts. Soon enough, though, that ruse will end with the changing of the guard.”
Tessa’s heart accelerated. “Then I guess this is it. We’re going in.”
Wiggling through the narrow gap, she vowed not to let fear distract her.
Staying focused was absolutely essential.
Chapter 20
Crouched behind a pillar in one of the purification chambers, Tessa felt defeated. So many of them had died already.
Though they had initially overcome the guards posted at the sea-gate, one of them was able to escape and alert Queen Magaera’s defense forces. In moments, they easily outnumbered the rebels. Kallixeina and Kleio had already sacrificed their lives in the initial push to take the sea-gate. Their bodies lay near the bodies of their husbands.
Tightening her grip on the dagger she held, Tessa swallowed painfully. She’d managed to kill one Mer, but she wasn’t sure she could do it again.
Death. It was a smell she would remember all her life.
Which might be shorter than she thought. Magaera’s soldiers had them boxed in like rats in a trap. Attempting to retake the sea-gate had been the errand of fools.
Not that they’d had a choice.
A desperate whisper came her way. “Holding steady, Tessa?”
Tessa shot a glance toward Kenneth. Sword clutched in his hand, he looked pale but determined. They’d managed to hold off the first attack, but Magaera’s soldiers had regrouped.
They were coming back, stronger than ever.
“Not so steady,” she called. “But I’ll do my best.” Anticipation sent her heart into a faster rhythm.
He ducked as a stray energy bolt from a Ri’kah smashed into the stone above his head. Sharp pieces of debris rained down on her. “Now would be a good time to try that teleport thing.”
Swallowing hard, Tessa quickly shook her head. “I wish, but the stones of the temple have been negatively charged. No Mer can draw off them—to them it’s a sacred space.”
“But not one I want to die in.”
A sudden movement behind Kenneth caught her attention. A blast coming out of nowhere took down a portion of the wall shielding them. Stone turned to rubble as a half dozen heavily armed Mer poured through the newly made opening. Catching sight of the enemy, several of the women lifted their weapons.
“Tessa, look out!” Kenneth warned.
Paralyzed by the sight, Tessa barely felt her dagger slip from her numb fingers. For ten, maybe twenty seconds, she couldn’t move.
One of the Mer tackled her. The two hit the ground, rolling.
Gaining the superior position, the Mer slammed a knee between Tessa’s shoulder blades, stealing her breath. She fought the woman viciously, thrashing like a wild horse attempting to buck out from under its rider.
The vicious Mer refused to be shaken. She dug her fingernails deeply into Tessa’s brow, wrenching up her head. The cold blade of a dagger slipped beneath her neck.
Tessa clenched her eyes shut. Shit. She was about to die.
“Do not kill her,” she heard a voice say. “This is the one Magaera wants alive.”
The weight on her back lifted.
Two more Mer soldiers stepped up. Grabbing her arms, they hauled her to her feet. She struggled, but her captors held her in an iron grip. Three more Mer moved in, cutting her off from the rest of her comrades.
Kenneth swung into immediate action. By the look on his face, he was ready to take it all the way. Catching the closest Mer with a tackle, he slammed his opponent into a nearby wall.
Kicking and twisting against his weight, the Mer screamed with rage. “Die, inferior!” she snarled. The blade she carried flashed in an upward arc, slashing a long slice in his arm.
Weapon skittering from his grip, Kenneth hissed in pain. “Shit!” Catching the woman’s wrist, he twisted hard. The bone beneath his grip snapped like a stick. “Sure do hate doing that to a lady.” He panted. “But you ain’t no lady.”
Dropping her dagger, the wounded Mer howled in agony.
Catching sight of another attacker, Kenneth caught the strap of the first woman’s belt. Digging his fingers in deep, he slung the Mer around in front of him. At the same moment, her comrade thrust the spear intended for Kenneth. The serrated point impaled the Mer all the way through, back to front.
With a sharp sound of surprise, the first Mer sank to her knees.
Kenneth immediately spun toward the third female soldier, swinging his bare fist in a roundhouse blow. His hand made contact. Hit with a full- force blast, she dropped like a stone.
He whirled on the women who’d captured Tessa. He narrowed his eyes, and a half smile came to his lips. For him the fight was just beginning and he intended to keep on kicking ass.
One of the women surrounding Tessa stepped forward. She drew her finger across her throat in a crude gesture of execution. “Stay back,” she warned. “Or I will kill her myself.”
Kenneth came to a dead halt. He immediately raised his hands to show he wasn’t armed. “I’m staying,” he said. “No fast moves.”
More Mer soldiers came through the destroyed wall. Half the great temple was in a rubble, but it didn’t matter. In less than an hour, the rebels had fallen.
Swarmed from all directions, Kenneth cursed as a couple of Mer came to avenge their slain sisters. They retaliated without mercy, driving him to his knees. Scant minutes later his body bore the deep cuts and bruises—wounds not deadly enough to kill but sufficiently vicious nevertheless.
“Deliver the death blow,” one soldier urged.
Another shook her head. “We are commanded to take the outsiders alive.”
Struggling to escape her assailants, Tessa kicked and screamed like a madwoman. “Stop it, you bitches! Leave him alone.”
One of the Mer gave her a hard slap. “Hold your tongue, animal! He gets no less than he deserves.”
Tessa blinked, recognition flooding her mind. Chiara, her mind filled in. But the woman who had greeted her and hailed her as a goddess was not the same. Outfitted in a tight leather jumpsuit and boots, she
’d shaved her long blond hair. Only a Mohawklike strip remained. On one side of her scalp was a small tattoo, a symbol Tessa recognized to mean death.
Magaera’s warriors were prepared to follow the bidding of their queen. To fight and to conquer was their sole purpose. They wouldn’t stop, not even when faced with death.
Such was the true nature of the Mer.
“Are you so blind that you can’t see what your queen is doing to Ishaldi?” Tessa demanded.
The priestess laughed. “The chance to be immortal, to be a true goddess, is worth the price. Your world has the resources we need to make it so.”
Tessa’s heart sank. Nothing stood between the Mer and the human world. Nothing at all. “I wish I had never opened it.”
Chiara frowned. “Unfortunately, you didn’t. The sea-gate still blocks us.”
Shoved by rough hands, Tessa and Kenneth were hustled to the undamaged portion of the massive temple. The wide stone stairs leading up to the sea-gate were perfectly intact, as was the altar. Several of the rebel Mer and their human mates huddled at the base of the stairs. Faces pale, their eyes were rimmed with fatigue and defeat.
Tessa recognized Atheia, Cyntheris, and several others among the group. At least a few had survived. Though probably not for much longer. No doubt they’d all face the executioner.
And that was definitely something she didn’t want to contemplate.
Hands on her hips, Queen Magaera stood at the top of the altar. Arta Raisa stood on one side. Jake stood on the other.
Seeing him, Tessa frowned. Bastard. It wasn’t fair that he’d walk out of this disaster unscathed.
Chiara prodded her in the back. “Walk.”
Barely giving them a chance to lift a foot, the Mer soldiers practically dragged them both up the stairs. They couldn’t seem to deliver the prisoners fast enough.
Queen Magaera’s gaze raked her captives. “There you are, you silly little bitch.” She arched a brow. “Did you honestly think you were going to get away?”
Reckless bravado surged through Tessa’s veins. “Gave it my best shot.”
