Envy

by Katie May

  Healing magic.

  Most Mages didn’t have that type of powerful magic, the magic capable of defying death itself. From all I knew about my Mage brother, Bash didn’t have it either.

  So how the hell was he healing her?

  As I watched, transfixed, the skin on her leg kneaded back together, taking on a light pink pallor. My stomach twisted when I thought about how she had obtained those bruises and red welts.

  How she had broken her leg.

  Disgust filled me, disgust directed at myself, but I pushed it aside. I had been trying to protect her. Who was better to take on a sea creature than a sea prince?

  Bash finally removed his hands from above Z. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes, when he opened them, were clear. They flickered to my naked stomach, the skin between his brows crinkling.

  “You’re hurt,” he said stiffly, and I followed his gaze. I must’ve bruised myself when I had landed. The skin was already taking on an onyx black and light blue color. I knew that cuts marred the length of my body - both from the tentacles and my fall through sharp branches - but it was nothing serious. I would live.

  “I’m fine,” I said, pushing his hands away when he moved to heal me. Healing magic took a lot out of a person, and the last thing we needed was Bash incapacitated. Speaking of healing magic... “What the hell was that?” I blurted, nodding towards the mended flesh on Z’s legs. Her chest was rising and falling steadily, and I couldn’t help but inch closer to her, peering down at her beautiful face. She looked so peaceful asleep. Younger. Vulnerable. Her golden hair, matted with blood and dried seawater, was splayed around her.

  Keeping my gaze on Z, I addressed Bash. “And what happened back on the boat with the Kraken? Why the hell did you help him grow?”

  Bash made a nonsensical noise in the back of his throat.

  “I don’t fucking know,” he admitted harshly. “I don’t know how I was able to heal Z when I never had healing magic before. I don’t know why my spell misfired and made the Kraken grow instead of shrink. I. Don’t. Know.”

  I glanced up then, only to see Bash’s eyes fixed on Z. There was a tenderness in his gaze I had never seen before. A warmth. His hand absently reached out to stroke the smooth skin of her inner wrist.

  “My magic,” Bash continued softly before breaking off. He swallowed hard. “My magic is acting...wonky. It’s not listening to me. It’s not behaving the way it should.”

  “Do you think it’s because of the tension?” I asked, stroking Z’s hair out of her face.

  “Tension?” Bash glanced up in alarm.

  I nodded towards our sleeping mate. “Between you guys. It’s not normal.”

  He bit down on his lip, expression contemplative. He didn’t seem angry by my observation, only a little sad. I knew that he cared for her more than he had ever cared for anyone before...and I also knew that it terrified him. He had these feelings, feelings for her, that he didn’t know how to deal with because he was afraid of getting hurt. Afraid of the consequences of falling in love.

  It was tearing a wedge between the two of them. A chasm that one of them would have to jump before they could be a whole.

  “Maybe,” Bash agreed after a long moment.

  A splashing sound had us both turning. Immediately, Bash jumped to his feet, swaying slightly from his depletion of magic, and held Z’s dagger out in front of him. I must’ve lost my sword in the woods, but I begged the water to heed my call. Instantaneously, the water rose from behind the creature, an impenetrable barrier trapping it with us.

  The Kraken pulled its small body onto land and crawled over to Z, long tentacles digging into the grass. Bash lowered his dagger, preparing to stab the ugly fucker, before he paused.

  The Kraken was cuddling against Z’s prone body, desperate sobs escaping it.

  “What the hell?” Bash asked.

  Friend, the water whispered to me. Don’t kill friend.

  “Friend?” I asked in disbelief, and Bash turned to look at me as if I was crazy. Ignoring him, I stared out into the ocean. “How the fuck is this asshole my friend?”

  Friend, the water insisted.

  The Kraken slipped underneath Z’s arm, curling around her body like some damn spider monkey. My poor mate moaned, and I immediately dropped to my knees beside her.

  She moaned again before she flickered her beautiful eyes open, and I was lost in her fiery gaze.

  “Z?” I whispered. Bash moved to kneel on her other side. His hand was desperately gripping at her wrist, releasing it, only to grab it once more. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I had my leg broken by an asshole Mermaid who thought I couldn’t protect him and myself,” she said dryly, and I winced, smiling sheepishly.

  Yup. She was pissed about that.

  She blinked rapidly, no doubt blinking away the fatigue, before her gaze rested on the tiny asshole still curled around her side releasing pitiful cries. Z glanced back up at me.

  “Why the hell is the Kraken cuddled up to me?” she asked. Her eyes roamed over my body, and my cock hardened when heat rose to her gaze. “And why the fuck are you naked?”

  THIRTY-ONE

  Z

  I named him Slippy.

  Why? Because the damn bastard constantly slipped through my fingers. Trying to hold him was like trying to push back a wave. And yes, it was a he. I made a very reluctant and pissed off Bash look.

  Now, the two of us sat huddled on the dock where we had gotten the boat from while Slippy swam in the water. One of Bash’s palms was pressed down on the ground behind my back, and I used his position to lean against his shoulder.

  The water rippled against the shoreline, an endless abyss of blue green and glimmering pseudo-diamonds.

  After two, excruciating hours, Dair returned. We had unanimously decided for him to swim to the spot the map had indicated. Not only was he faster than an average boat, but he knew the area better than anyone. Whatever the King wanted us to find, he would find.

  Only...

  “There was nothing there,” Dair said, climbing out of the water. Dair’s clothes were destroyed in the boat, so Bash handed the Mermaid his shirt. Dair immediately wrapped it around his waist. His golden skin was freckled with bruises and red welts, but if he felt any pain, he didn’t show it.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, moving to my feet. I held out a hand for Bash to take and pulled him up as well. “There wasn’t supposed to be anything there. That’s the point.”

  Dair was already shaking his head before I had even finished speaking. “You don’t understand. I searched everywhere. Bottom of the ocean. Miles in either direction. There was nothing there. No clues. No hints. Nothing to indicate who the traitor is. Z, it was a dead end.”

  I heard him, I did, but I couldn’t quite process the words. They went through one ear and out the other, circulating in my mind constantly like a whirlpool. I couldn’t quite grasp a coherent thought.

  “So it was a diversion?” I asked numbly. “A trap?”

  “Do you think your father knew about the Kraken?” Bash seethed. “Is that why he sent us here?”

  Dair shrugged his shoulders, reaching up a hand to push dark golden hair out of his eyes. It only flopped back down, refusing to be tamed. “I don’t know. It could be a coincidence, but the map led to nothing. Dad must’ve known that I would recognize the extra island. He was trying to confuse us and lead us in the wrong direction.”

  The numbness iced over turning into a tundra of snow. Anger thrummed through my veins. The King had led us on...what was the saying?...a wild goose chase. He knew we would find nothing, yet he sent us there anyway. He might be behind the Kraken attack as well.

  My eyes flickered to Slippy splashing in the water, a strange cooing sound emitting from its - his, I had to remember - little mouth. I wanted to say that the little, murderous guy was cute, but that was a lie. Even not trying to kill me, the monster was butt ugly.

  “How much time do we have?” I asked, swiv
eling my head to face Bash. His expression was tight, answering my question without words. We had no time. It had taken us more than six hours to get here and would take us just as much time to get back. The fight with the Kraken. Dair’s quest. Both had taken time, time we didn’t have. We had to get back to the castle, to the dungeons, before at least five men, maybe all six, were wrongly sentenced to death.

  And we still didn’t know who the traitor was.

  My heart beating, hammering, breaking my rib cage, I glared up at the sky. “Fuck!”

  LUPE MET me the second I stepped into the mansion’s foyer. His large, muscular arms wrapped around me, pulling me to him. I allowed myself to relax in his embrace only for a moment before I pulled away and met his gaze.

  “Ry?” I asked, voice terse.

  Lupe shook his head sullenly, and my stomach dropped through the floor.

  “I’m sorry, love. I couldn’t find him.”

  “It’s okay,” I whispered, though it was anything but. I secretly wished that Ryland had left me, left the mate bond, left his brothers, though I knew that wasn’t the case. I would rather have him hate me than be dead or harmed. The mere thought nearly sent me into hysterics.

  I was doing fine before these men came into my life. Maybe I wasn’t happy, but I was alive. Or, at least, a version of it. Now, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had spent my whole life holding my breath, my lungs screaming for air. Drowning, almost, in too deep water. With them, it felt like I could breathe. Could finally reach the pocket of fresh air that had constantly been just out of reach.

  Quite ironic, if you asked me, because they constantly took my breath away and made me scared shitless.

  “You’re back!” Tavvy glided down the staircase, arms extending as if he meant to give me a hug. He was freshly showered and wore a form-fitting black suit. “I didn’t think you were going to make the deadline.”

  “Bring me to the dungeons,” I demanded coldly. Tavvy’s grin widened further, but he elaborately gestured towards the doorway.

  “Ladies first.”

  “Then go,” I retorted oh-so-maturely. His eyes flared briefly though I couldn’t tell if it was in anger or arousal. I really, really hoped it was the former.

  Without another word, Tavvy peeled the door open and stepped down into the dungeons. Piss, mildew, mold, and blood blended together, and I wanted to gag at the pungent scent. Lupe kept his hands on my shoulders, steering me through the darkness. Candle flames flickered intermittently, something I hadn’t noticed during my first trip down.

  Bash and Dair moved to stand in front of me, shoulder-to-shoulder, a wall of muscle Tavvy would have to go through to get to me.

  The little psychopath chuckled.

  “Z! Z! Z!” he called in a singsong voice. “Do you know who the traitor is?”

  Shouldering past Bash and Dair, I faced Tavvy with a defiant set to my chin. He stood in front of the now opened cage, hands sweeping wildly as he gestured.

  Seven men were kneeling inside the cell, hands bound in front of them and brown bags over their heads.

  “How the fuck am I going to identify the traitor if I can’t see their faces?” I asked harshly.

  Traitor.

  Who I still didn’t know.

  Nausea churned in my lower stomach.

  “That’s the second part of your test, my sweet Z.” He dared to venture a step forward, hand raised as if he wanted to brush my hair, but Lupe’s threatening growl stopped him in mid-stride. He glanced at the large Shifter with only mild annoyance before turning back to me. “You have five minutes.”

  “Five minutes?” I asked in disbelief. “I have at least a few hours until my timeframe is over.”

  Tavvy clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Rules change. Timelines change. You now have five minutes. If you don’t choose by the end of the allotted time, the chains around their necks will tighten and kill them.”

  I was shaking so hard that I thought I would pass out. Not even Lupe’s hands on my shoulders could provide me comfort.

  The seven men...

  Wait? Seven?

  I narrowed my eyes, and my gaze immediately latched on a pair of dark hands, directly in the middle.

  Horror filled me.

  “Ryland...”

  Tavvy laughed maniacally, throwing his head back. In the next second, he was behind the seven prisoners and removing their hoods.

  The first three were the red-heads I had noted before, including the young teenager, but the fourth was my Shadow mate. His eyes burned with a ferocious anger, blood coating the edges of his lips. Around his neck, a silver chain dug into his skin.

  His scars were more pronounced now that he couldn’t hide behind his shadows. They covered every inch of his dark face. His cheeks, his forehead, his lips, through his eye. There wasn’t an expanse of skin on his face that wasn’t mutilated.

  He turned towards me, and the anger ebbed immediately, replaced with relief.

  “Z, you’re okay,” he whispered.

  “What the hell?” I took a trembling step forward. My fingers went to my bottom lip. “How did this happen?”

  “The damn twins,” Ryland said, venom spewing. “They ganged up on me. Put this collar around my neck that prohibits the use of my powers.”

  I had never heard of a collar like that. With that weapon...it was a game changer. The Alphabet Resistance would love to get their hands on it.

  It was no wonder only the royal families had access to it.

  “Enough!” Tavvy moved to the end of the line and removed the hood off the last man. “Choose who to kill before the five minutes are up, or else they’ll all die, including your mate.”

  “Just pick one,” Lupe whispered into my ear.

  But what if I accidentally chose an innocent man? How could I live with myself? What type of person would I be if I chose myself and my mates over innocent people? It wasn’t a person I wanted to be.

  “Four minutes,” Tavvy said cheerfully.

  My eyes flickered over the men present, absorbing every detail. The scatter of freckles on Man One’s arms. The abnormally long hair that might’ve made me believe he was a Shifter if I hadn’t known he was a human on Man Two. The missing finger on Man Three. The tattoo on Man Four. The unblemished skin on Man Five, and the scars zigzagging Man Six.

  Something niggled at the edges of my mind, a memory. I reached for it desperately only to have it slip through my fingers.

  “Three minutes.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Tavvy,” Lupe growled.

  Six men. One traitor.

  Nine fingers.

  The random thought came to me suddenly, Jax’s ramblings echoing through my head.

  “I have five fingers on one hand. Four on the other. Five plus four equals nine. And nine is the number. I heard the devils talking. Five plus four equals nine. Nine fingers. We need nine fingers.”

  It was the senseless ramblings of a mad man, wasn’t it?

  I gazed harder at the man missing a finger. He had garnet colored hair with streaks of black in it. His hair was longer than the others, and his face was unremarkable. Nothing about him screamed “traitor”, yet I knew. I knew it as surely as I knew my name was Z and I had seven mates.

  “He’s the traitor,” I whispered, lifting a trembling finger in the man’s direction. His eyes widened in horror even as the other men collapsed in relief. One of the older men began to sob.

  “That’s quite the accusation,” Tavvy said, tsking at me. “Do you have proof to back it up?”

  “Do I need proof?” I responded harshly.

  I had to rely on myself, my sixth sense. It had never led me wrong before, and I knew it hadn’t this time.

  “I suppose not.” He shrugged like he couldn’t care either way.

  “Now let my mate go.” My hands were clenched tightly into fists, nails digging into the palm of my hand.

  “Isn’t it funny,” Tavvy drawled, “that the magical binding spell placed on you to protect
us doesn’t work on Ryland as it does me. I wonder why that is?” When I merely quirked a brow at him, he met my gaze with a malicious smirk. “The spell the Mage King put on you would have you running to his rescue at this very moment, not strategically playing my game. It just confirms what I always suspected.”

  “What did you suspect?” I asked, though his words caused a chill to brush through me.

  “That the seven perfect princes aren’t actually related to the royal family.” Behind me, Lupe’s breathing hitched. Ryland had gone rigid where he sat, still in my peripheral vision. I didn’t dare pull my gaze away from Tavvy’s to read the expressions on my other two mates’ faces.

  “Enough of that.” Tavvy waved a hand dismissively and stepped behind the man I had deemed a traitor. He pulled on his red hair sharply, and the man let out a cry. “Why don’t you tell the beautiful Z here what you did to betray the crown.”

  The man began to cry in earnest, large, fat tears cascading down his sunken face.

  “Please,” he sobbed helplessly, and my heart lurched.

  “Tell her,” Tavvy instructed darkly, and his hand tightened on the red strands.

  The man opened his eyes and turned to meet my gaze. Begging me. Pleading with me. I instinctively stumbled further into Lupe’s warm embrace.

  “Please,” he cried again, this time directing his plea at me.

  Once more, Tavvy pulled at the red chunks of hair and more than one handful broke free. The man whimpered in pain.

  “I fell in love!” he choked out at last. Tavvy released his grip, and the man’s head swung forward, lolling against his chest. “I fell in love with a Mermaid.”

  “And?” Tavvy asked darkly.

  “And she loved me back. We planned to run away together.” He finally looked up, meeting my gaze. I hated the anguish in his eyes, the pain. It stabbed me repeatedly in the chest until I was nothing more than a puddle of blood. “She was the wife of the Mermaid King.” This confession was said around an exhale of air. His head dropped as if he wasn’t able to hold it up any longer. “Not his mate, but one of his wives. She told me I was her mate. Me. A human.