Von broke our stick-to-your-corners rule and made a beeline for me, sweeping me up in a kiss that neither of us were prepared for the fallout of.
Kissing the love of your life, I’ve learned, can be problematic when you’re trying to indulge in a grand union that spans more than one level of consciousness. On the first collision of our lips, the hallucination took us both under, ripping us from Finn’s home and transporting us to our park where Von’s tongue tied mine as he searched for a way to tell me without words that he appreciates me.
I appreciated the crap outta him, and wasted no time showing him just how much. “You love me,” he whispered.
“Of course I do, you idiot.”
His lips couldn’t bear to be parted from mine for even a few seconds, so he spoke quickly. “I know the kind of love it takes to offer yourself up in someone’s place.”
“I won’t let them take you.”
When the kiss picked up the pace, Von slammed me against our tree, knocking the wind from me while simultaneously spurring me on for more. I always wanted more.
It wasn’t until Von was ripped away from me that the beauty lost its gold and blue sparkle, crashing us back to Dagat where I tried to come down from the high gracefully. I reached for his outstretched arms that were trying to grab for me, but Mason and Finn held him back while Garrick restrained me. “Let me go!” I shouted. “Von! No! Don’t take him!” I clawed at Garrick, unable to tear my eyes from Von.
“Give her back to me! We weren’t meant to be apart.” Von was just as desperate to get to me as he thrashed in Mason and Finn’s grip. They were wild-eyed and looked a wash of confused and borderline scared at our ravenous hunger for each other.
I couldn’t help it. I flipped a switch or something. I mean, he was Mr. Brady, for crying out loud. Who could be demure around that kind of sex appeal?
“Get your bloody hands off her, Garrick! I’ll kill you!”
Garrick jerked me backward, indignant. “Would you listen to yourself? Get a grip, Von! I’m not hurting her, but you will if you slam her up against the wall like that again. She’s pregnant, mate! You have to be gentler. And maybe don’t snog like rabbits when you’ve got a roomful of people watching.”
“Huh?” Von slowed his struggle. “I didn’t slam her against the wall. It was in the hallucination. And if she says she’s not pregnant, then I believe her. November doesn’t lie to me.”
Garrick’s grip slackened, the chump, and I broke free and ran to Von, crashing into his arms. The smell and the sight of him felt like the home I’d been ripped from too many times. “I’m not lying,” I promised. “I’ve never had sex with anyone in real life. Only in my hallucinations.”
Von rubbed my back, kissing every part of my face except my lips, for fear we’d slip into our craze again. “Since that first kiss, it’s been only you for me. I tried everything to find you in my dreams, but I couldn’t. Never again. We don’t split up again. It killed me, not being able to go in and rescue you from that house Serena had you in. Killed me, Peach!” He gripped me hard, grinding his teeth. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get my blood cravings under control. I’m nearly there as it is. I don’t like having to stay away when you’re bleeding. It was torture to know you were barely alive, and I couldn’t do a thing to save you.”
I squeezed him, disregarding the very intimate conversation we were having in full view of everyone. “I wasn’t all that bad off. Everyone just overreacts because I’m the Omen. I’m good as new now. See?” I smiled up at him, looking into the pools of gold and blue I couldn’t get enough of. Von had never looked at me like that before, with such unswerving devotion. I thought I understood loyalty and oaths, but the mere look in his eyes took my meager definition to the next level.
Finn cleared his throat. “She’s lying, by the way. Buckets of lies. She is pregnant. And Serena carved her up with a knife. The skin was almost peeling clean off across her whole back. They’d beaten her so badly, there was more blood and bruises to her than regular skin. I found her holding a dead man, covered in blood from head to toe, her back almost skinned off, half naked, starved and probably a few hours away from death.”
I cast Finn a baleful look as Von gripped me tighter. “Finn, he doesn’t need to know that. I’m fine now. That’s the important thing.”
Von sunk down to his knees before me, hugging my butt and pressing my abdomen to his cheek. “No, no, no, no…”
Finn stood next to us, his arms crossed over his chest. “Point is, it was good you stayed back. As much as you’re beating yourself up for it all now, you made the right call. I got her out and ported her right to the palace, ran her in and got her fixed up. It’s the only reason she’s alive now.”
Von kissed my left hipbone and stood, slowly meeting Finn’s eyes and extending the hand that wasn’t wrapped around me. “Thank you for saving her.”
I could see the amount of putting aside old horrors this took for Von, to shake hands and be grateful for the man who’d sold him into slavery to Julius. But Von was a bigger man than most gave him credit for. I clung to him as if I feared he might be ripped from my arms again. Which, given the state of the last month, wasn’t too far a stretch.
Finn snarled at Von’s offer of gratitude and bygones. “I didn’t do it for you.”
Von shrugged. “I’m still grateful.” Von gripped Finn’s hand, a hard line to his jaw. “This thing you want me to do? Sell me back to Prince Julius so I can gut him?”
“Yeah?” Finn had a challenge in his eyes as the brawling bulls clutched hands beyond a normal time limit.
“I’m in.”
Forty-Three.
Owning Finn
It was a long time of me pleading with no one who would listen, and Von going through the plan with Finn over and over. Mason eventually escorted me to the kitchen where he made us both a sandwich. I tried to fight off horrible mental images of unspeakable things happening to the man I loved. Mason tried consoling me, but I was numb to any kind of talk that led to Von handing himself over to his former tormenter.
When the time came to go, Finn pulled me into the bedroom while the others were readying themselves for the boat ride over. “Are you packed?” he asked, not meeting my eyes. He looked like he was building up to what he really wanted to say, which gave me no uncertain amount of discomfort.
“I didn’t come here with anything, so there’s nothing to pack. I came here with barely the skin on my back.” I slapped my knee at my terrible joke. “Sorry. Just a little torture humor.”
Finn didn’t crack a smile. “The clothes I gave you. Take them.”
“Are you sure?”
Finn shrugged, his hands in his pockets. He looked younger when he did that, his insecurity somehow making him more impish than dominating. “What am I going to do with them?” His eyes combed my form that was clad in a too tight white t-shirt and yet another short skirt. This one was light green to match his eyes, and despite the fact that my legs were on display, I actually liked this skirt. “One favor? I know you weren’t comfortable wearing the nightgowns around me that I brought for you, but it would rip my heart out if you wore them for Von.”
I pursed my lips at the very adult conversation. I’d gone from kissing one casual boy my whole life to a legit man buying me sexy nightwear. It was a steep incline, and not one I was totally comfortable with. I banded my arms around my stomach. “I completely understand. And thank you for buying that stuff for me. The nightgowns really are beautiful.”
Finn nodded in reply, but said nothing more on the subject.
“Thank you for putting me up here, and for getting me into the healing waters. I honestly would probably still be in the hospital if it weren’t for you, if not, you know, six feet under.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, still not looking at me. “Look, you told me you were with some guy, but I didn’t know the level of… whatever that was between you two. I wouldn’t have… Or maybe I would’ve tried even harder. I don’t know. P
oint is, I shouldn’t have pushed so hard. I’m sorry. I didn’t get it, but I do now. Whatever Von’s putting you on hold for? It won’t last. He’s smitten.”
I nodded slowly. “Forgiven. I’m sorry, too. I let my crush on you get a little out of hand.” I tilted my head to the side and gazed up at him in surprise. “That was nice of you. You’re actually trying to be a good friend to me. I see it, and thank you.”
“It’s the only way I get to keep you in my life, so I’ll take what I can get.”
I tried to plead with him using my eyes, and when that didn’t work, I resorted to more words I knew he wouldn’t listen to. “I don’t like this plan. You’re handing Von over to that disgusting perv, using him as bait.”
Finn held out his hand to me, motioning me to him. When I wrapped my arms around his middle, sinking into his embrace, we both sighed at the contact. Somewhere through the ups and downs, we’d become friends who could lean on each other. I knew that Finn didn’t have many of those, so I gave him a reassuring squeeze. His voice was rough and laced with emotion. “I’ll do what I can to make sure we get Von out. My guards will be posted outside the door. We can trust them, sinta. This is the best way.”
“Who are you going to get to off Banak?”
“I’ve got a few solid options of women he hasn’t sucked the will to live out of. I don’t know them well, though. I’m worried I’ll choose the wrong one, and he’ll overpower them. Then we’re really up a creek.”
I shuddered. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you for stopping it all. Not so much the murdering part, but the whole disbanding the harem thing. It was the right thing to do, and you’re so strong to’ve done it.” I rubbed my hand down his spine. “I’m sorry about your mama.”
Finn stiffened, and then became pliable in my arms once more after the circles I rubbed into his back calmed him. He brushed his lips to mine, just lightly enough that we didn’t take each other under. “You’ll stay in the boat with Garrick and Mason. I don’t want you anywhere near Banak ever again. He’s got a thing for a pair of great legs. I almost snapped when he demanded to sleep with you. I need him to believe he still owns me, and that wouldn’t have helped.”
“Don’t worry about me. Worry about Von. I mean it, Finn. He has to be okay. He has to. I need him to make it through this.”
“You know I’ll give you anything that’s important to you.” He cast me a wounded look. “You know you own me now.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, making me blush as I stepped away. I moved to the dresser to pack up my short skirts, form-fitting tops and lacy nightgowns he’d gotten me to wear. I didn’t look at him again, closing my eyes and exhaling when he left for the living room.
Forty-Four.
Mason’s Hand on my Butt
I came out a few minutes later, ready with a new “let’s rethink this terrible plan” argument. I looked around, but didn’t see my favorite vampire. “Where’s Von?” I checked in the kitchen, calling to Mason. Dude was on the couch with his head laid back as he looked up at the ceiling.
“Finn took him. Left us with the boat.”
“What?” I ran out to the living room, gaping at Garrick and Mason, who didn’t look the least bit concerned at my burgeoning wrath. It was like they wanted me to sprout six heads and breathe fire down upon them, which is just about what I proceeded to do, if you can imagine it. “Which of you crackheads thought that was a good idea? Since when do we split up? Can we call them back?”
“Nope.” Mason stood, cracking his neck and stretching his arms over his head like we had all the time in the world to shrug through the upheaval. “We’ll take the boat and meet them at the palace. Garrick and I are helping with the cleanup.”
“Well, let’s move!” When both of them reached for me to pull some of my fury, I snapped. “Don’t you even think about it! I’m taking all this rage and using it for something good. Stand back if you know what’s good for you.”
Mason raised an eyebrow at me, and said nothing as he reached out and tweaked my nose, as if my fury was adorable. I slung my waterproof sack over my shoulder, shooting Mason a don’t-mess-with-me glower. I was running out of time and options, still unwilling to let Von subject himself to the terrible plan.
“The boat’s tied to the side of the house. I’ll go out first, and Mason, you take the rear.” Garrick shoved his socks and shoes in my pack to keep them dry, as did Mason.
“Um, problem. Do we have to swim to get in the boat?”
Garrick nodded, hand on the door. “Of course. Is that an issue?”
“Only inasmuch as I can’t swim.”
Mason sniggered under his breath, earning a light harrumph from me. “It’s fine, hani. I’ll take you.” He nodded to Garrick, wrapping an arm around my waist as Garrick opened the door to the submerged basement. “Don’t worry. It’s a short swim to the boat. Just hold your breath. Maybe twenty seconds, and we’re there.”
The basement was pitch black without Finn’s fingers to light the way. I didn’t want the guys to know I was punking out, so I didn’t ask Mason to light up his fingers for me. I was nervous stepping into the basement, something twisting in my gut to warn me away. “Twenty seconds?” I asked, clinging to Mason.
He chuckled and pecked my lips in that we’ve-been-married-for-decades kind of way I adored him for. “Twenty seconds, little chicken. I’m right here.” He held me tight to his side, smiling through a dramatic big inhale we did in unison before he dunked us under the water.
Let me tell you a little story about holding your breath for twenty seconds. It might as well be a hundred years. I held tight to Mason, unable to see through the murky basement. I had to just trust he knew where he was going. He swam not as fast as Finn, but well enough to support two bodies. He gripped me tighter as he dragged us through the door, shutting it behind him. There was light now. The clear blue water guided us upward where I could see the bottom of the boat that was our destination. Garrick’s legs disappeared from the water as he boarded, and my lungs felt like they might burst if we didn’t reach him in the next handful of seconds. Mason pinched my side just to freak me out, grinning when our heads broke the surface.
The fresh air was a welcome relief, but I couldn’t feel calm until I was in the boat. Something brushed against my thigh, making me squirm. “Knock it off, Mason. I’m freaked out enough as it is.”
“Knock what off?”
Now there was a clear hand on my butt that swooped down the slope of my thigh. “Not cool, dude.” I reached for Garrick, who leaned over the edge of the boat to pull me up.
“What are you talking about?”
“I can feel you grabbing my butt!”
“You’re imagining things. Got her, Garrick?”
Garrick gripped my palm, but no sooner did he lift me two inches upward did something jerk me down, forcing a scream out of me. “Help!”
Mason kicked out, making contact with something that I could hear letting out a sound like a rippling growl. “Mermen! Get her in the boat!” He pushed me up while Garrick pulled, but the hand tugging on my ankle was determined. If this were a fight on land, I would’ve been more clearheaded about the whole thing, but the sea was completely out of my element. I panicked, screaming and kicking as I clung to Mason, who started grunting, livid at our unexpected foe. “Got her?” he called to Garrick.
“Kind of!”
That was all the assurance Mason needed to give up on being a human and transform into a wolf. I’d been holding onto him with one arm while Garrick secured my other hand, but Mason slipped out from my grip when the hair grew coarse, and his nose and mouth mutated into a wolf’s snout. He dove down toward the hand that jerked on my leg, and pretty soon I felt two hands, then three, then five grabbing at me. It was too much for Garrick, who shouted as I slipped through his fingers. I gathered up one deep breath before the water closed over my head.
Forty-Five.
The Madness of Mermen
I’d seen a lot of craziness in my da
y, giving me no doubt at all why the Brady Bunch was my favorite show. The iconic housewife with the help of a maid, the loving father who always came home and never abandoned his kids, the kids whose biggest problems were usually of the variety that could be solved in half an hour. I knew with absolute certainty that not one of the Brady Bunch had ever been pulled under the water by a gang of tattooed fish Mermen mutants.
I say mutants because the Mermaids, from the distance I’d seen them at, were your typical Disney variety. The Mermen, or Siyokoy, as I recalled from Finn’s lessons, had the standard green and iridescent scaly fishtails, normal man torsos, but on top they weren’t the male counterpart of the pretty Mermaids. They had green tints to their skin, and their heads were mutated to look strikingly like a human mixed with a giant guppy. They had enormous mouths and lips, with tentacles stretching out from their elbows and faces. They had gills all the way up their necks and even peppering their ears like tiny slices from a razor. They were horrifying.
The ones that grabbed at me were tattooed with markings that looked like a bird in various stages of flight. It would’ve been poetic if they weren’t grabbing at parts of me I tried to keep off the map, and pulling me down faster than I could struggle away.
I screamed into the clear blue abyss, not sure if I was grateful or more scared when one of them breathed air into my mouth as Finn had. It kept me alive, but for what? The Siyokoy whose mouth was on mine had too many sharp teeth, each one jutting out at janky angles like a shark in desperate need of braces. My wolf bit clean through the dude’s ear, raking his teeth down his shoulder and chomping into his side, shaking his head with vigor as the Siyokoy howled his pain and dropped his grip on me.
Treat (Terraway Book 5) Page 24
