Now there were only three of them, and from what I could tell, the leader was shouting out orders to take me deeper where Mason couldn’t get at me after my wolf went back to the surface for a breath.
I thrashed as best I could, trying to strategize as my fear of drowning came full circle. I had no weapons, and my movements were labored and slow in the water, while the Siyokoy were quick. My scar from Kabayo glowed, drawing the eyes of the Merman who held me. I wanted Kabayo to somehow come to our rescue, but knew he was in a completely different country. And mighty as he was, I wasn’t totally sure how stellar my favorite horse could swim in comparison to a fish.
My eyes locked in on the one who was calling the shots. He had a sinister smile that, as soon as I stopped panicking, I knew I’d be creeped out by. He had a flat nose like the others, but unlike his friends, he had a face tattoo of a wave that went straight up between his eyes and I’m guessing finished on the back of his bald head. It was him – the Merman Finn had too many run-ins with. Atius of the Western Waves. The facial tattoo was a dead giveaway, but so was the calculated malice in his glassy eyes.
“You’re Finn’s pair of legs. He’s had enough luxuries,” Atius ruled. Though we were underwater, he spoke clearly. “He took our wives and daughters into his harem? You’re ours now.” He turned to the Merman who restrained me from behind. “Go ahead and make good use of her legs, boys. Send Captain Finn her clothes as a souvenir.”
I screamed, thrashing around so they couldn’t make heads or tails of where they could grab me, though they hit their jackpots quite a few times, tearing my shirt in the process. Of all the things I’d survived, I vowed to myself I wouldn’t go out like this, my life ending with a tragic barely-there splash. I’d worked too hard to die now. I had too much left to do, too many wrongs to right.
I reached into the mouth of the man who’d been breathing for me once he pulled away for a second. Without thinking it all the way through, I yanked on his slithery snake tongue, surprised I could wrap it around my wrist. His head flung back in pain. He could’ve easily bit down on my arm, but he hadn’t counted on needing to defend himself against me – the girl who couldn’t swim. I yanked on his tongue, pulling something that wasn’t meant to be ripped so heartlessly. I sawed his long tongue against his upper row of teeth, shrieking when he tried to bite at me, but dude only managed to slice open his own tongue. I wasn’t able to remove his tongue completely, but I’d done something that damaged him enough to render his mouth and his concentration useless. He fell away from me, hand over his mouth as he cried out in a deep howl. The pained sound had a simultaneous high-pitched screech to it that made me cringe.
Now the man who’d been breathing for me was temporarily down. I wasn’t sure if I should rejoice about that one just yet.
Garrick was bleeding; I hadn’t seen how he’d been hit, but it didn’t seem to deter him. He swam with his knife clutched in his hand. He reached for Atius, brushing the Merman in charge with what I’m guessing was a bliss-level dose of pulling. I was fascinated and terrified all in one go.
Once the top Merman was subdued, Garrick stabbed him in the gut and ripped downward, cutting a slice from his belly button down to where his knees would be. Purple strings and slime bubbled out of the broken fishtail like the worst kind of carbonation. The others yelled and turned away from trying to rid me of my clothes so they could attack Garrick. Mason bit down into one of their tails, ripping off half the dude’s flipper like the barbarian my wolf Viking was.
The Mermen were pissed and dropped me to converge on Garrick, who was going up to the surface for another breath. Just before he broke the surface, they yanked him under.
Mason swam to my flailing form, waiting until I grabbed onto his fur before he moved us upward. I knew he was struggling for air, but his slate eyes remained determined, never panicking as he remained ever my beacon of strength. He guided us through the water, leaving Garrick to fend them off as best he could.
When our heads broke the surface, Mason doggy-paddled me to the boat, nudging me up and giving me a look of almost satisfaction that I was safe before he disappeared below to go help out Garrick. I shivered in my shock and fright. The cool sea air hit me before the horrors of the traumatic happenings did. I screamed into my hand, counting the seconds Garrick went without oxygen. I rocked back and forth, trying to calm myself but knowing it was impossible at this point. Every breath that dragged in and out of my lungs was a blessing I didn’t take for granted.
I held myself, realizing that my shirt was torn clear open and my skirt had been hiked up around my ribs. I shuddered to think of the permanent damage that could’ve been done as I situated my clothing, holding my white t-shirt closed. I was shivering so hard, my muscles started convulsing. Tears fell down my cheeks as I wondered what they could possibly have wanted my legs for if they only had fins. They had a rapey M.O., but I couldn’t puzzle through the mechanics of just what they expected they’d be able to do.
Fear. Curiosity. Insecurity. Torture. Same as every sex offender. They wanted to take Finn’s prize and mangle it at the bottom of the sea. I’d never understood the minds of the rapists I’d patched up in prison, and as I shivered in the boat, clutching my shirt closed, the degradation made even less sense now.
Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds since I’d come into the boat. Surely it had to have been over a minute or even close to two since Garrick’s last breath. The ocean was pissed beneath me as the fight below made waves. I held tight to the boat while all my fears smacked me in the face.
At forty seconds, I started hyperventilating, terrified for the brave men who’d tried to save me. I didn’t know how to express how not worth the sacrifice I actually was.
Garrick’s hand separated the small waves that rocked me, and I grabbed for it with so much zeal, I almost tipped the boat. I didn’t expect Garrick to be so light, but the arm lifted from the ocean effortlessly.
I was crying with relief until I realized only his arm came into the boat. The rest of Garrick was somewhere underneath still. Mason had pushed the arm up, his furry head just above the surface, howling out a warning I could barely hear above my unending scream.
Forty-Six.
A Moment of Silence
I reached out and snatched at Mason, somehow pulling him up and over the edge of the rowboat without tipping us clean over. I kept my mouth closed through my noise of angst at the appendage and the impossibility it represented.
Garrick’s arm survived, but not Garrick. “Is he… Did you see him?”
Mason nodded, nudging the paddle with his nose.
“I’m not leaving without Garrick! We have to go back down and find him! You don’t know! Some people can hold their breath for minutes on end!” I was frantic for a way to undo the damage I’d somehow been part of.
Mason was at a loss for words, since he couldn’t speak to me in his wolf form. He shook his fur and stretched out his neck, his gray wolfy hair disappearing as his body lengthened and became smooth. He snatched up the oars, sat his bare butt down on the bench and began paddling us toward the shore, which looked at least two miles away. “He’s dead,” Mason gusted out, eyes wide and muscles tensed as he rowed like a seasoned fisherman. “I saw them rip out his throat. I got his arm for his fiancé to bury, but that’s all I could manage. We have to get out of here.”
Mason had lost most of his supernatural strength when Geon had his hair cut, but even without the bulk of The Hulk, Mason was no one to be trifled with. His muscles bulged as he rowed us in long strokes, never stopping for a breath or looking behind him toward the shore to see if we were close.
He was naked and bleeding from his side, but didn’t seem to feel any of it. He was a man on a mission, and anything outside of getting us to safety would have to be bothered with later.
I sobbed as I turned from him and fished through my pack, taking out a clean blue silk blouse and removing the ripped t-shirt that could no longer be classified as a garment. I shoved my arms throu
gh the undamaged blouse, my back to Mason as he gasped. “Is that the scar Serena left on you?”
“Oh, sorry,” I answered through my tears. “I just didn’t want to keep showing you my breasts. I forgot about my back. It’s all healed, just a little marked up. No big deal.”
He cursed under his breath as he rowed with renewed vigor. The reminder of the last time I’d been snatched away made him use everything in him to get us to safety. Each pull of the oars caused his side to dribble with a little more fervency, his blood dripping and puddling on the floor of the boat.
I took my shredded shirt and knelt at Mason’s feet, dabbing at the blood oozing from his side with trembling hands as I tried not to break down completely over the loss of Garrick. It was too sudden, too unreal. I fought with everything in me not to scream on repeat. The man who’d been telling me romantic stories about his upcoming nuptials just yesterday was now torn apart at the bottom of the sea.
Because of me. Because he’d been sent to help me.
I had to switch my focus, or I knew I’d be useless to the world. I would crawl into my den of self-loathing later, and heap the grieving and guilt atop me like a warm blanket.
Mason. He survived and no doubt needed help. His side looked like one of the Siyokoy had bit into him with his razor teeth, shredding as he gnawed. “I don’t think he hit anything vital, but I need to get a closer look at this.”
“It’s fine. Take care of you first. Then we can worry about me,” he worked out through gritted teeth as he put all his strength into rowing. He didn’t stop until the boat hit the sand, gusting out a shudder of relief that we’d made it. Despite his nudity, he slid off the bench onto his knees, reached forward and grabbed me to him. Mason clutched me to his chest not to pull stress from me, but to alleviate some of his own anxiety.
I loved when he did that.
Holding each other gave us both a portion of peace and reminded us of our purpose. I hugged him back, burying my face in his neck as we shook through our adrenaline that didn’t seem to see an end in sight. “Are you alright? I did everything I could, but I saw them grabbing at you, trying to take your clothes off. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe. That’s the important thing. I thought I lost you! You took so long coming back up. I thought for sure they’d… But you’re here.” I gripped him, unsure how we’d gotten to the point where I could hug his naked body and not feel weird about it. I suppose that’s where we were in our no holds barred friendship. We knelt in the boat, sopping wet and shivering, grateful our strange partnership was solid enough to be able to give reassurance through a horrifying time in our lives.
“I’m here,” he promised. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save Garrick. I tried my best, but there were too many of them. Maybe if I hadn’t been shaved I could’ve done something, but now?” He closed his eyes as he held me, ashamed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh. It’s not your fault. Hey, look at me.” I angled his chin so he was staring into my eyes. “You’re my hero. You saved my life, Mason. You’re not responsible for saving everyone.”
His hand migrated between us to my stomach, his knuckle brushing over my abdomen. “Do you think the baby’s okay? I didn’t see them punch you. Finn would never be the same if his baby was lost.”
My nose crinkled as I brushed Mason’s hand away. “I told you all, I’m not pregnant, least of all with Finn’s baby. I’ve never had sex, Mason. Let it be.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”
“I’ve got no reason to lie about that.”
Mason nuzzled his nose to mine, adding a touch of sweetness that increased my awareness of his nudity. “I believe you, then. But somehow, someway, make no mistake – you’re pregnant, hani.” His stomach growled. “I’m Matruculan. I can smell a fetus a mile away.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. You have to have sex to get pregnant, and I haven’t.” I kissed his cheek. We held each other tight and simply breathed, taking in the gift of oxygen with renewed appreciation. My eyes swept shut, clenching in pain. “Garrick,” I whispered.
“I know. Let’s take some time and just be sad for a moment.”
I pressed my torn shirt into his wound while we held each other in the boat on the shore, the waves lapping and mocking us with how peaceful they sounded. The silence between us fell softly, knitting together a little of the tearing our hearts suffered at the loss of one of our teammates.
The longer we clung to each other, the more I began to see things with a sliver of clarity I’d been missing, giving my feet new purpose. “I think we should go to the palace and meet up with the others. See if they need help.”
Mason released me after pressing a quick kiss to my lips. He looked down at his physique that would make any bodybuilder jealous, and gave his chest a rub before bending over on all fours. His back sprouted gray hair and his body transformed back into the wolf I loved.
I wrapped Garrick’s arm in my torn and bloody t-shirt, tucked it under the bench of the boat, and ran with my backpack and my wolf toward the trees. I stumbled in the sand as my movements grew desperate and uncalculated through the trauma and exhaustion that was still hitting us in waves.
Mason howled at me to slow down, but I knew what I had to do. In the wake of Garrick’s horrific death, I knew I couldn’t let anyone else do dirty work I was equipped for. I wouldn’t let anyone else risk their life when mine was at my disposal. A plan began to form in my mind, my fists clenching as the details cemented, giving me a clear picture of what must be done.
Forty-Seven.
Meeting Finn’s Family
I hadn’t had the chance to properly appreciate the grand nature of the palace my first time there, what with me being a bloody mess on the brink of death and all. This time around, I requested to see Finn when the guard stopped me at the gate. I insisted I was the new Omen, but apparently that was something that needed to be verified by the up and ups.
Finn ran to the gate, barking that I was who I claimed to be. I ran to Finn, crashing into his arms that were stiff upon my welcome, but melded easily with my body after a few seconds. The half dozen guards with gills like his turned to gape at their fearsome captain, who was fawning over my minor abrasions. “Why are you shaking? What happened to you?”
Mason growled while I explained as best I could. “The face tattoo guy, Atius! He was waiting for us outside your house. Mason and Garrick fought them off, but they got him, Finn! They killed Garrick! They killed Garrick, cut up Mason and tried to…” I gulped, unable to work out the rest.
“What? Why?” Finn gripped my arms as if gearing up to pounce. “How’d they even know you were there? Don’t they know who you are, what attacking you would do to Terraway?”
I shook my head, holding tight to Finn’s shirt as he clutched me to him. “I don’t think they know I’m the Omen. All they knew was that I was with you. They’re pissed about the harem, so they were going to take me to hurt you.”
“Take you?” he inquired, searching for the thing I didn’t want to say aloud. When I stepped back and clutched my silky blue blouse to my chest and wouldn’t meet his eyes, he seemed to understand for what purpose they dragged me under. Finn postured, his arm around me as he clicked his fingers to the guards. “You heard her. An attack was made on the Omen, which is to be treated as an attack on our soil and on the whole of Terraway. Find Atius and his men, and bring me their fins.”
“Garrick and Mason killed Atius, I think, but he had four other guys with him – all Mermen.”
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about a thing. I can fix this.” Finn nodded to a soldier, who was armed with a triton, a knife and a scaly breastplate. The man saluted Finn and led a battalion of two dozen out into the water to finish the fight. “You’re trembling.” He ran his fingers through my hair, massaging and drying as he kissed my face. “Come in and sit down. You too, Mason.”
“N-need to talk to Banak,” I insisted.
“About what? No, sinta. You’ve just been through it out there. Rest a minute.”
“Banak,” I insisted, knowing I had a small window before my adrenaline ebbed.
Finn sighed, offering me his arm to lean on as he led Mason and me further into the palace, my pack slung over his shoulder. “You can’t see him right now. He’s occupied. He’s been occupied with my mother since this morning before we got here.” The grave note in his voice told me Banak was in his sex room making a perfect mess of the poor Mermaid’s psyche. It also informed me that Banak wasn’t even close to being offed, since Finn hadn’t been able to swap out the victim for someone who was secretly armed.
“It’s an emergency.”
Mason looked up at me with a curious tilt to his head. I was grateful he didn’t have the words to ask what the crap I was doing. Finn led us down a series of corridors, my plan pushing out my panic over Garrick or the fact that Von was nowhere in sight. Finn frowned at my request. “What do you need Banak for? We’re not to interrupt him unless it’s a national emergency.”
“This qualifies,” I ruled, frustrated when Finn didn’t take me at my word. “Look, this is the only way I can bust your mother out of there. Let me help you. I can interrupt them with some Topsider emergency, and you can get your mother out of there.”
Finn’s eyes looked hopeful for a moment, but then crashed. “No. I’ll not trade you for anyone. You’ll not take her place in Banak’s bed.”
“Of course I won’t. Let me try, Finn. This is the only way.”
“No. I won’t stand for his eyes on you.”
“Do you think my title’s for show?” I cried, pulling the I’m-a-tool card just to get him to go along with whatever I said. “If I say I need to see your king, I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to refuse me.”
“So that’s how it is?” Finn’s jaw tightened as he nodded. “Right this way, Lady October.”
Treat (Terraway Book 5) Page 25
