Tempted by the Forbidden Mate, page 3
He laughs. “Everyone is upstairs. Are you coming? Castor took your mate to Mother’s.”
A Glyden elder steps to my side.
“Soon.” I long to see Annabelle, but this is important.
After a few minutes, Merrick steps forward. I’ll give it to the guy. He doesn’t say cut it short, but I get it. House arrest doesn’t mean the lobby of the Glyden Dome. I’ve already gotten more time to change a few minds. The lift doors are sliding shut when Pertusio jumps in with the guards and me. He’s a Glyden bureaucrat. The rest of the gathering continues with hardly anyone noticing I’ve left.
4
Annabelle
The two-story circular door rolls into place, and we step into a crystal-clear tunnel until lights illuminate the ocean. Neither the sky nor the ocean floor is visible. Colorful fish dart around, like I’ve seen in the Boston aquarium. Only now I’m in the aquarium and they’re the ones outside looking at me. A large octopus floats by, its tentacles grabbing at the curved outer walls. The sides of its suckers move along the glass, and I want to stop and watch. So fluid, yet articulated. I loved going to the aquarium during my first years in Boston. I’d drag anyone I could. Mostly it was my freshman roommate, and she was scared of the glass breaking and all the animals floating down around us—mostly the sharks. She was scared to death of the sharks. But the eels too. No amount of my logical math and theories of volume helped; the fish would be left without any water, too busy gasping for oxygen to menace us. I suppose now I understand. Kind of. I can breathe underwater now. Still, I hope this glass doesn’t go anywhere.
Castor’s hand rests at the base of my back, gently guiding me along the tunnel. Everyone who passes him greets him or inclines their head. One mermaid we pass stops to curtsy and gives him a ridiculous giggle when she says hello.
Castor is not stopping, though. He deftly guides me through the crowd and out of the tunnel, into a room even larger than the one for the docking. But here, instead of the dark opulence of the docking dome, the atmosphere is light and airy. It’s enormous, the size of two stadiums built side by side. The soaring ceiling is taller than anything I’ve ever imagined, with stalagmites jutting up around the space reaching for ones dripping from the ceiling. Everything is glass. It’s like we’ve stepped inside a grand cavern made of ice. I’m not cold, but I’m shivering. It is beautiful in its own way.
“Are you warm enough? It’s only a little longer, but you can have my coat.”
“I can make it.” While I wouldn’t mind his coat, he’s already putting himself out by being seen with me. If I’ve learned anything in the last few days, it’s that the Veiled City likes their appearances. And I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize his future. “What is this place?”
“This is one of the showcase domes. Our form of art.” Castor craned his neck around. “We’ve got a moment.” He veers us off to the side of the dome to look out the window.
Beyond the glass, fish swim around but also mermen. No, not mermen, children . . . five, no six. They swirl above the large stalagmites, their hands trailing along the glass as they dart in and out chasing fish, chasing each other’s tails.
“Children.” I laugh. The sight of them playing brings me such joy.
“We call them podlets. It’s a playground like you have in your human schools.”
“They’re all boys.” I cock my head at Castor.
“In my mother’s generation, there was one mermaid for every seven born a male. In mine, it was one female for every ten males. Now, it’s one for every fifteen. We won’t last long if we don’t solve our problem.”
I nod, watching a boy, a podlet with a long green fluke, chase another with a deep blue fluke. “Do the colors of their flukes”—I pause because everything is still so new to me—“mean anything?”
“No, nothing really. The folktales say that a great royal will have a purple fluke. Which isn’t a color that’s been born in a long time. Most have green.”
I saw him dive into the bubbler. His was a dark gray-blue. “Yours isn’t purple.” More swimmers have arrived.
“No. I’m not concerned. It’s just an old tale for the elders to spew on about.”
People mill about, and as long as we stand next to the window watching the podlets play, no one grabs for Castor’s attention. The young ones are so graceful in their games, doing flips and floating between the rocks.
Castor laughs and nods his head at a group near the corner. “They remind me of me and my friends as kids.”
I smile and watch them. They’re tossing a ball of sorts back and forth. Until a slow fish gets in the middle of their circle and one male scoops it up, taking it outside their play zone.
Castor laughs again. “That would be Holter. Always taking care of everyone.”
I nod. “That makes sense.”
“The one who’s pointing at things? Atlas. The one who just cheated—did you see that? He totally cheated.”
I shrug because I don’t know what the rules are.
“That’s Eros.”
“Which one are you?”
“The one who scored, of course.”
“And Nico?”
“He’s the one doing the real work.” Castor inclines his head to a male in the back.
I would have thought he’d call him something else, like the grumpy one or the one with no social skills, but no. Castor really does love Nico. I glance up at him.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to save him. We’ll get your mate back.”
“It’s crazy, but I believe you.”
He guides me through the building to a Veiled City valet. There’s a canal system running down the side of the building with different-sized and -shaped floating vehicles.
“Mr. Drakos,” a male says, his voice deep but his eyes on me. Or rather, on my cleavage. “Your solo is up front. You should be able to get out, no problem.”
“Traffic—it’s not just for humans.” Castor holds my hand while I get into the gold, mini-submarine-shaped vehicle. The doors slide open and the roof slides back. I’m hoping it’s just paint, because a golden submarine sounds too much like a sinking ship. The yards of fabric puff up around my waist as I sit. The door clicks into place and the roof moves above us, closing us in with a hiss.
“I don’t think Keppler Bannard designed this dress for sitting.”
Castor glances at me. “I’d tell you to take it off, but I think there might be people watching.”
“Ha, ha,” I say, trying not to let him know how much heat is pooling between my legs. The male is drop dead gorgeous. The things he did to me on the Centauri . . . Thinking of them has me squirming in my seat.
He pulls the seatbelt across my shoulder and clicks it into place, just like in a car. Because that’s what this feels like right now. A convertible boat.
“Other than the sub, I’ve only been on one boat.”
“And what was that boat?”
My stomach hardens. I’ve been trying to not mention my college friends. Friends who turned out to be mermen and enemies of the Dorian. “Freshman year. I’d been drinking the day before, and I was hungover. It doesn’t take me much to get drunk. And I tend to sleep the next day. But my friends took me out and gave me some hair of the dog. Which they all laughed about. I know now that one of them is a wolf shifter and what hair of the dog means. We went out on the Boston duck boats. They’re amphibious tour buses. And when we hit the Charles River, my stomach didn’t like it. Although the rest of my group got to see dolphins following us. Which isn’t normal for the Charles.”
“Well, you didn’t miss much.”
“You don’t like dolphins?”
“No, they are horrible creatures.”
“Dolphins? I’ve always thought they were cute.”
“Cute? Try too inquisitive. They’re always getting in the way. I spend a lot of time traveling between here and my human office, and they’re always coming over to me. It’s annoying.” Castor’s face screws up. “Hit that button right there.”
The dashboard of the solo is more like an airplane control panel. I hover my finger over the black button, then turn to confirm with Castor it’s the right one. He nods, and when I push it, a hard shell slides up from the back, covering us.
Castor pulls back on the steering wheel, and we zip into an airlock.
My heart trills as the water in the chamber rises. I remind myself I’m not going to drown, even if the roof caves in or the window bursts. There is air in the solo. I can breathe, I remind myself again.
Castor concentrates as the gates open, and we float out into the city.
“Whoa.” I lean forward. “It’s amazing.” My skin tingles. The city goes on for a long way in a multitude of glass domes, and hard-shell ones too. All different sizes. Some rocket to the surface. “How have humans not—”
“We have an advanced shielding technique that makes them believe this area of the ocean is shallow.”
I nod. Because the scientist in me wants to know how that works. But that’s not what this is about. Then I realize . . . “If it keeps humans out, does it keep things in too?” I twist the ends of my braid, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
“Yes, no Dorian can leave without having the codes to the shield.”
“Do you leave?” I smile at him, all the while taking in the city as we whip past the wild architecture. Things aren’t only about function here. Every building is a masterpiece.
“Yes, Annabelle. I leave the city all the time, if that’s what you’re asking? Planning on going somewhere?”
I turn in my seat fast enough for my knee to swivel and hit him. “No. Of course not.”
“You’re a horrible liar, Annabelle.”
I face forward, missing the warmth of his skin already. My chest heaves.
“I hope you don’t go anywhere, Annabelle. I’ve grown awfully attached to you in the short time I’ve known you.”
“Nico is adamant that we can’t mate. That it will ruin your chances of becoming king.”
“Nico is my friend, not my father. And I don’t listen to any of them anymore either.”
“Oh.” I can’t help but wonder if that means he wants to mate me or not. The golden boy is confusing. And I’m angry at myself for letting him know I want to escape. Of course, it should be obvious, but then he’s the first to pick up on it. Everyone else just assumes I should be happy with my new gift and behave.
I’m not about to behave. I did that back at home for too long. I didn’t speak up. I didn’t defend myself. This is the new Annabelle, one who takes care of herself.
Castor pilots the solo around a series of silver buildings. “That’s the Seolfor Dome. They’re fine.”
“Do you like any of the other domes?”
He laughs. “Yes, Annabelle. I like the other domes. I just like my own dome more. Glyden. And there she is.”
The golden series of buildings reaches for the surface. Archways stretch toward us. They’re connected by a web of gold. Anchored to them are pink and red sea anemones like roses on a trellis waving in the wind.
We enter another airlock, the reverse happening this time. Water drains out, followed by a burst of air that dries the solo. Castor pulls forward and motions for me to hit the button again, retracting the hood. He holds his hand out for me. Amazingly, there isn’t a drop of water anywhere. I look back at where the gold and glass hold the ocean back. It’s truly incredible, and I want to go study the mechanism up close. But I’m wearing a ball gown, and I want to know what’s going on with Nico more.
“This is my family’s entrance. This tower belongs to the Drakoses. It’s mostly my mother’s, but lots of other families live here, extended relatives and trusted family friends. Most of my siblings live here too.”
The doors of the portico slide open, and we step into an atrium of marble and golden tapestries. On the wall is a portrait of a woman who looks familiar to me. I step toward it. The figure in the portrait is wearing a dress similar to mine. But her hair is braided up in the same way as the Flemish paintings of the fifteenth century.
“That’s Theodora Drakos. She was a grand dame duchess, a long time ago. A little secret, though: she wasn’t born a Glyden but a Seolfor.”
“She looks like a girl in my book club.” I’m not going to tell him the girl is my cousin. I’ve already figured out they’re looking for others like me. But we paid a lot of money to hide my aunt and cousin from my uncle. I hope it’s enough to keep them from finding her.
“Interesting.”
The room smells of honey and Meyer lemons, and it reminds me of the lobby of the Back Bay Grand in downtown Boston. I went to a wedding there once, a few years back. And I thought that was luxury. That’s nothing like this. This is over the top. “So, this is like your living room or the Glyden community space?”
“No, this is our family meeting area. The Glyden Dome has a separate area. Many, actually. This is, well, a room we walk through. I’ll take you up to my mother’s apartment, and we can wait for her there.”
“Okay.” I step into the lift, and it zips up. I know we’re moving fast, but I don’t know how far we’ve gone.
The doors open, and I swear I’m running out of words for amazing.
5
Castor
I hold the elevator open for her. If she was overwhelmed by the opulence of the entryway, my mother’s penthouse apartment is going to send her into shock.
Annabelle’s blue dress trails behind her. She was stunning before, but in the golden light of my childhood home, she’s even more beautiful.
“What do you think?” I hold out my hand for her.
Annabelle’s dress rustles with each step. I guide her around the massive sculpture of Poseidon. He’s twelve feet tall and has a strong jawline and a remarkable resemblance to my grand papa who commissioned it.
I let go of her hand as she walks around it. I’ve seen it most days of my life and haven’t given it a thought, but watching Annabelle take it in . . . It makes my heart flutter. Coming around the other side, she backs away from it, finally settling near the window.
“What do you think?”
“It belongs in a museum.”
I laugh.
Her shoulders drop. “Really it does.” Behind her, outside the window, there’s a hammerhead shark. I tilt my head at it.
Annabelle turns and jerks back. “They’re just swimming right by the window. Are they waiting for us?”
“Sort of. They’re waiting for breakfast. My mother’s last mate, Constantine, trained them to swim by the window with a steady stream of bait. Mother calls them his guppies. They’re mesmerizing to watch. He must not have fed them yet due to the early docking.” I move next to her. “Do they make you nervous? I can close the blinds.” I take my block out of my pocket. It’s the device I use for everything. We’re all overly dependent on them. They’re more than a human cell phone. It’s what gets me through the security shield at the edge of the city when I go to land, and how I run the company when I’m in the Veiled City. The company which I’ve thought very little of since meeting Annabelle. Since hearing about her existence, really.
“No.” She eyes the block in my hand.
I slide it back into my pocket. Our little mermaid is overly interested in our technology. I can’t help but think that she’s looking for an escape again. She hasn’t accepted her life here yet. I’ll have to be sure to tell Nico about it. “Are you hungry?”
“A little. I’d like more to take off these shoes, though.”
“Yes, of course. I believe Mother said you’re to stay with her in my sister’s old room.” I reach for her hand, and she takes it. Any opportunity to touch this female, I’ll take. My cock hardens. Fuck. “This way.”
She follows me down the long corridor, and I try to see the place through her eyes. The vast floor-to-ceiling paintings. The golden doorframes and large sculptures sitting on the floor. She’s right, they do belong in a museum. I open my sister’s door without knocking. She’s two floors down now with her pod. But it still makes me laugh when I open the door without knocking.
“This is your sister’s room?”
“Yeah. She had a thing for light blue growing up.” The pod bed has been made up, and the curtains are open. The ocean outside is illuminated to bring a brightness to the room.
“Castor?” My mother’s butler stands behind us in the hall.
“Augustine.” I greet him with the traditional handshake.
“Ophelia said to make up Kai’s bed.” He raises eyebrows at me.
“Oh, yes. Annabelle is Mother’s guest for this evening. Annabelle, this is Augustine.”
She curtsies as she did at the docking ceremony.
“No need for formalities with me. The room is prepared, and Ophelia said for you to help yourself to anything in Kai’s closet. She’s left quite a few things.”
I jerk my head back. “You’ll, of course, go get new clothes as soon as there is time.” Her lips are parted, her eyelids slits. I want nothing but to strip down and lay her on the bed. She shakes her head at me. “What?”
“Nothing. Thank you for making the bed for me, Augustine. It’s very kind of you.”
“Yes, thank you Augustine.”
“I will bring you some food if you like?” Augustine’s posture is perfect.
“Please.”
He nods and leaves.
“What is it?” I touch her shoulder, brushing her hair away.
“It’s a really big bed.” She runs her hand along the edge of the footboard.
“It’s Kai’s old bedroom, and it’s tradition for mermaids after the change to have pod beds. You would think it’s easy to sleep in a big bed, but one that size takes getting used to. It’s a lot of work to get out of at night.”
“It’s all feeling a lot more real, seeing this. Nico’s bed on the sub is big, but this is . . . real.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this has to be for you.” I search her blue eyes for an answer. While she’s beautiful, she’s smart too and a bit awkward, but I like it. The way she glances at me, turning like my stare is too much? She glances at Nico and Holter the same way. She’s dangerous. Because I want to give her the world, and in doing so, I could give up a lot.
