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  Brendan suddenly began to cough and I rushed to his side in a panic. He tried to wave me away, but when his hand pushed against my arm, I felt something sticky cover my skin.

  “You’re bleeding!” I yelled at him. There were several smears of blood around his face where he’d tried to stop the coughing. “Why are you spitting up blood?” I asked in desperation. He shook his head and took several deep, soothing breaths as the coughing fit subsided and he regained his composure.

  “It’s the skin,” he panted. “The sickness.”

  I stared at him in confusion for a moment. “But I thought it’d take weeks before you’d start feeling bad?”

  “Yes,” he pushed out. “But I’m already weak…” His eyes began to drift shut again and I reached over to pull his head close to my face.

  “Brendan. Brendan!” I shook him, not caring about the pain I could be causing. I was scared and I didn’t know what was happening to him. “Brendan, wake up!”

  A shadow of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips and I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m okay, Evs. I just need to rest.”

  Kissing the top of his head, I let him lay back and fall asleep again. I walked to the kitchen to grab a wet towel, all the while thinking about what was happening. My incompetence over protecting Brendan and his seal skin may now cost him his life. I’d already ruined any semblance of a family when I chose to run away, and now the only person in my life was getting closer to death at an alarming speed. Why would a mermaid command selkies to kill? What would be the benefit to their domain?

  While gently wiping the blood off of Brendan’s sleeping face, I tried to step into the mindset of a clan leader. Kain had mentioned political unrest amongst some of the clans, but this couldn’t possibly be related, right? Stealing the skin of a selkie doomed them to a life on land that would eventually kill them. How could the death of one lone selkie be a factor in mermaid politics? It just didn’t make sense.

  Brendan was right in suggesting that Kain may be able to shed some light on the situation, but contacting him for the sole purpose of asking for help was out of the question. I couldn’t do that to him. I already felt bad enough.

  Two more days passed, albeit slowly and painfully. Brendan’s conditioned worsened and he spent most of the time sleeping or coughing. The wounds didn’t get any worse but it seemed as if his healing had stopped. My selkie’s normally tan, taut skin withered and paled like a rotting apple. The spark in his beautiful green eyes hid behind the tragedy of the situation, only peeking through briefly when he smiled at me.

  Still unable to come up with a solution, today I decided to put my feelings and fears aside and do what I could to save Brendan. Using a prepaid cell phone that we’d purchased just after our arrival, I locked myself in the tiny bathroom and slid down to the uninviting floor.

  My heart hammered in my chest, threatening to escape its boney enclosure. I needed to get a handle on my emotions before I could make the call. It took thirty minutes. Thirty minutes of me sitting on the cold tile floor with my back pressed up against the dollhouse sized vanity, sweating and shivering with dreaded anticipation. Thirty minutes trying to decide if I was making the right choice. Finally, I dialed the familiar number and sucked in a breath.

  “Hello?” the voice asked in trepidation. When I didn’t say anything it continued pressing, “Who is this?”

  “K-Kain,” I stammered. “It’s Eviana.”

  The deathly silence on the other end of the line cut through my heart like a thousand tiny glass shards. He hated me. I never should have called.

  “Eviana,” he said after a full minute of silence. “Where are you?” He sounded curious, but he wasn’t asking out of concern for me and my safety. That was clear by his tone.

  “In Maryland,” I replied softly.

  He made some sort of noise that might have passed for a laugh but it was way too wicked. “Couldn’t get far enough away, could you?”

  I swallowed the giant lump in my throat and tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears. “Kain, please don’t do that.”

  “Do what?” he snapped. “It’s bad enough that you ran away, but to find out you ran all the way to the opposite side of the country? What am I supposed to say?”

  He was so angry and hurt and I deserved every bit of his wrath. I wasn’t denying that fact, but knowing it still didn’t take the sting out of hearing him vent his frustrations with me.

  “Do you even have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused our families? Your mother shunned you, Eviana. Shunned you! I’d be relieved of my duties and expelled from the clan if someone knew that I was speaking to you right now.” He sucked in a deep breath and I heard him blow it out a few seconds later.

  “I’m sorry I called, Kain. I don’t want to make things any worse for you.”

  “They can’t really get much worse now, Eviana.” His tone turned cold and harsh. I was saddened that my actions had made this caring, virtuous guy into the hateful creature on the other end of the line. “What are you calling for anyway?”

  My heart was torn. Brendan sat in the other room, fighting for his life as it dwindled away each day like a leaking bucket. But Kain hated me and it wasn’t right for me to ask him to help save my boyfriend.

  “Eviana, what do you want?” he asked more loudly but with a slightly softer attitude.

  “Brendan’s sick and we need your help,” I blurted out.

  Kain laughed deep and strong, but the sound froze the blood in my veins and nearly stopped the beating of my heart. “Wow, you have some nerve. Asking me to help your boyfriend? Are you crazy or just that inconsiderate?”

  I knew I should have been humble and apologetic, but my emotions snapped at that point.

  “Okay! I get it! I’m the most horrible person in the world and believe me when I tell you that I truly feel that way some days. But I made my choice and we all have to live with it.” I continued before he could reply. “I called you because Brendan thinks a clan leader is controlling the selkies. We were attacked the other night. They stole his skin and I need to get it back. He thought maybe you’d know more about what’s going on since you’re a leader now, but forget it. Just forget it! I’m sorry I called!”

  My hands shook uncontrollably and I realized I was standing up hunched over the phone, yelling into it like that would help to get my point across.

  “Eviana, stop screaming,” Kain said with more command in those words than if he would have yelled them himself. “Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.”

  His sudden change in attitude caught me off guard. “What?”

  “Just take a breath and tell me exactly what happened.”

  He suddenly became Kain Matthew the Leader, and all semblances of hurt feelings and angry attitudes disappeared. I slunk back down to the floor and told him everything from the beginning of that horrible night up until my phone call to him. He only asked a few questions, but I think it was because he was having a hard time understanding me through my sobs and snotty nose. I wiped at my face and took a few calming breaths.

  “Have you ever heard anything like this before?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  When he didn’t elaborate I continued forward. “Merfolk can do that? We can control other beings?”

  “Some can, yes.”

  “And do you know anyone on the east coast who is strong enough to build an army of selkies?”

  “Possibly.”

  I started to get irritated with his short answers, but he spoke again before I could complain.

  “Give me your address.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re coming there,” he stated.

  I told him where we were staying and he said to keep the phone close by and to expect them in a day. He hung up before I realized that he said ‘we’ and ‘us’ as though he wasn’t the only one coming to our rescue. Who could he possibly be referring to? I’d been shunned, which by merfolk standards, was pretty much the worst thing tha
t could happen next to death. Everyone was to act like I was dead; like I never even existed. Kain was taking a big risk for me and the guilt I’d been carrying for so long roared to life again. He would put everything on the line to help us. Or would he? Perhaps there was more going on in the political underworld than anyone had ever let me know, and maybe this was all part of the bigger issues Kain had mentioned at his appointment ceremony.

  But as I sat there and overanalyzed our conversation, I realized I wasn’t being totally fair. Although I’m sure Kain would have some understanding about the political tension and know whether or not these events were connected, he was still coming to see me at great risk to himself and his future. Plus, whoever planned to come with him would know they could be excommunicated from their clan as well.

  I climbed into bed next to Brendan and cried. I’d abandoned everyone who’d been good to me, and now at least one of them was coming to my rescue. I didn’t deserve that, but Brendan did and regardless of how tough this would be for me, I vowed to do everything I could to save him.

  Even if that meant dealing with the people who hated me the most.

  The knock at the door awakened me from the first bit of sleep I was able to grasp over the past twenty-four hours. Wiping my eyes and running my fingers through my hair, I rolled out of bed to greet my guests. Brendan hadn’t moved, so I tried to walk quietly and quickly even though the fear of seeing Kain slithered through my bones.

  I opened the door to see one stern face and two unexpected companions standing just behind it. Kain’s height blocked the rising sun from my view but his dark, ominous silhouette trapped the words in my throat. His expression was blank yet cold, reminding me of something dangerous and on edge. He wasn’t happy to be here and he made no attempt to ease my discomfort. I looked up at him and tried to smile. When I was met with an unemotional stare, I peeked around his frame to welcome the two others instead.

  Daniel pushed his way past Kain and gave me a hug that nearly caused me to cry. He kissed my check and stepped away, glancing over his shoulder to address Kain. “I can give her a hug,” he chided as if needing to justify some unspoken rule. Turning back to me, he said, “Where’s Brendan?”

  Wordlessly, I stepped aside and waved my hand toward the bed. Daniel promptly entered our hotel room, threw his bag on the kitchen table, and walked to the injured selkie. He knelt down on the floor and had a whispered conversation with Brendan who’d just woken up. I was curious to know what they were talking about, but a nudge against my shoulder drew my attention to the other familiar face.

  “So, this was your plan?” Carissa’s sultry voice and crooked grin only added intrigue to her persona. Kain snapped his head around to glare at her.

  “You knew about this?” he asked.

  His body shook with anger and if I was on the receiving end of that rage, I would have wilted away. But Carissa ignored him and stepped closer. She kissed me on both cheeks like a European and flipped her sunglasses up to the top of her head. Looking around our modest home through the half opened door, I watched her take in all the flaws and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She made a noise of either content or disgust before stepping back away from Kain and me to resume her aura of nonchalance.

  “Daniel’s going to stay here and we’re going for a drive,” Kain broke the tense silence.

  I wanted to make some kind of mafia joke but it wasn’t appropriate in this situation. After all, with the way Kain felt about me right now, maybe he did want to “take me on a drive” to make me “swim with the fishes”.

  “Who’s going?” I asked quietly.

  “We are,” Kain replied nodding his head at Carissa and me.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To see someone.”

  All of the fun and the life that made Kain such an amazing person had disappeared. I knew I had contributed to that and it saddened me more than I wanted to admit. Behind that hardened exterior, he was hurting. His father was gone, he was a leader amongst our people, and worse than anything, I’d betrayed him.

  “Eviana?”

  I must have been staring at him. “I-I’ll go get dressed. Do you want to come in?” Carissa turned toward the door, but Kain stopped her in her tracks.

  “No. We’ll wait here.”

  It was such a cold, hard response. I quickly turned around and ran inside before he could see the tears running down my face. Slamming the door shut a little harder than necessary, I slumped against the frame as though it could absorb all of the pain and remorse consuming my body right now.

  “Just give him some time,” Daniel said from the other side of the room.

  I belatedly noticed Brendan staring at me with concern and curiosity in his eyes and before I said something to make things worse, I ducked into the bathroom like a coward. The boys spoke in hushed voices and after a few minutes I heard Daniel banging around in the kitchen, presumably finding something for breakfast. Not knowing how I felt about leaving Brendan and Daniel together, I brushed my teeth and hair concentrating instead on making myself presentable.

  Brendan was standing outside the door when I opened it, startling a small scream from my lips. “Why are you out of bed?” Without answering, he pushed me back inside the bathroom, closing the door behind us. In the tiny room, we nearly pressed up against each other and I could see just how horrible he looked. I laid my hand on the side of his cheek to feel his overly warm skin pressing back. “Brendan,” I whispered.

  He pulled my hand away from his face and smiled at me. “Thank you.”

  Kissing my forehead, he allowed me to wrap my arms around his waist even though I was sure it hurt him.

  “I know what this took for you. Just try to focus on the task at hand and let your friends come to you when they’re ready.”

  It was probably the best advice anyone could give me and it was exactly what I needed to hear.

  I helped Brendan back to the bed just as Daniel walked over with two bowls of oatmeal for each of them. I thanked my friend who didn’t seem to hate me at all and joined the two outside that I wasn’t so sure about.

  The sun had broken free of its nighttime prison highlighting the sky in brilliant reds and oranges. I briefly recalled the old saying about red mornings and sailor’s warnings, and considering the company I kept, perhaps I needed to heed the omen. Following my two silent companions to the parking lot, I wondered what I’d really asked for when I called Kain. I just knew that there was more going on in the merfolk politics than anyone ever let me know, and now we may be getting ourselves right into the middle of it. But then I thought of Brendan and the way he looked right now, and there was no question in my mind that I was doing the right thing.

  At the far end of the parking lot sat a black Lexus sedan with dark tinted windows and a sleek body design. I stopped to look up at Kain, but Carissa answered my silent question instead.

  “One of the perks to being in charge.”

  “This is yours, Kain?”

  He extended his arm and I heard the beep that unlocked the doors. There was another sound and the car suddenly started while we were still ten feet or more away. Kain never did answer my question but I saw the slight smile he tried to hide from me. Maybe there was still some life left in him after all.

  We were all in the car heading south along the coast before I finally spoke again. Kain drove and Carissa sat in the passenger seat, leaving me alone in the back like a criminal. “Who are we going to see?”

  Carissa turned to look at Kain, but when he stayed silent she resumed her pretend fascination with the scenery outside.

  “Hello. Is anyone going to speak to me?”

  “Jeremiah Williams,” Kain finally answered.

  “What?” Jeremiah Williams was a legend amongst the merfolk, but more importantly, I thought he was dead. I said as much to my disgruntled car mates.

  “He’s very much alive and we’d prefer him stay off the radar,” Carissa added.

  “How do you know him?” I
asked, directing my question to Kain.

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and seemed hesitant to tell me. “He’s a distant relative.”

  “You’re related to Jeremiah Williams?”

  The questionable merman had been a famous actor in his younger years, but once he retired from the spotlight, the rest of the clans seemed to act like he didn’t exist anymore. I’d always wondered if he’d been shunned, although until recently, I didn’t think that was a punishment practiced anymore. Now the more I thought about it, the more I had a feeling that is exactly what had happened to him.

  “What did he do?” I asked in a barely audible whisper.

  “I don’t know,” Kain replied solemnly.

  Instead of asking more questions, I just sat back in my seat and thought about what was happening. We were going to see a merman who’d done something bad enough to be shunned from the community. Granted, I was also facing the same kind of treatment, but something in my gut was telling me that Jeremiah’s punishment was for a far worse crime than being a runaway bride.

  We drove for another half hour along the barren Maryland shores, passing a car only every few minutes. The white dunes were trimmed with green grasses and the occasional scrub pine, reminding me of the pine trees that surrounded the lake where Brendan and I met the naiad. I almost wanted to ask if either Carissa or Kain had ever seen a naiad before, but decided to keep that to myself for now.

  We pulled into a sand driveway leading up to a large beach house. Three white columns held up the aluminum roof of the plantation-like brick home. Lush green landscape bordered the perimeter of the acreage even though the surrounding environment was full of sand dunes. The driveway gates opened as though we were expected and Kain parked the car beside an impressive water feature consuming the majority of the front yard. The fountain masterpiece boasted three different ponds interlaced and connected to a raised structure in the middle. Water spewed from the highest fountain and trickled over the faux rocks and lily pads supplying a constant rhythmic beat of drips and splashes. Carissa and I were admiring the gorgeous pink flower at the edge of one of the lower ponds when the water before us suddenly shot up toward the sky, sending droplets raining down all over us.