Tempted by the Forbidden Mate, page 4
She’s on the other side of the room and turns back to me. “It’s a really big bed.” Worry lines form on her forehead.
“It’s a really big bed.”
“Are they normally this big?” She puts her hand in the middle of the bed and motions to half.
I shake my head. “Not everyone has a bed this big, but they’re normally bigger than half.”
“This big?” She moves to around three quarters.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“That’s still really big.”
“That’s what she said.” Holter is standing in the doorway.
“Holter!” Annabelle jumps straight up in the air a foot or more, and she darts across the room to him.
“Belle.” He wraps his arm around her and pulls her into a hug quickly. “You did so great.”
She gives another curtsy and then does the steps from the docking ceremony to Holter. And laughs. “I didn’t think I was going to make it through.”
My stomach tightens. Holter is getting close to Annabelle, and I’m . . . not jealous. “Where did you go?”
“Where’s the commander?” Annabelle says at the same time.
Holter glances at me and back at Annabelle. His chin juts out. “I went to find Alder.”
“Alder?” Annabelle asks.
“Our dad.”
“Oh. But where is Nico?” Her eyes are wide. And I’m wondering where the hell Alder was. But I’ll ask Holter that in private later.
“I know he didn’t want to tell you.”
Her lip trembles, and she chokes out the words. “Did they execute him?”
“What? No. That’s not something that happens in the city.” Holter moves her braid to the back of her slim bodice.
I hold back my side-eye. Because it most definitely does. Defying a superior can get you killed anywhere. But Nico didn’t defy the admiral. The admiral probably agrees with him. Who knows? They’ve been gone for almost a year fighting the Vikings. While the governors do have control, they’re a different branch. “Nico was taken to the magistrate.”
“Oh, and what happens there? Why weren’t you there?” She turns first to me and then to Holter. “It doesn’t work so quickly at home. At least, I don’t think it does. I’ve only seen it on TV.”
I nod. “No one can be in with the accused and the magistrate except three witness-guards.”
“He doesn’t get a lawyer?” she asks.
“We don’t have lawyers.” I nod. She’s not going to like the rest of the process.
“Oh.” Her voice goes quiet. “Can the magistrate sentence him?” Red splotches are spreading up her skin.
“It’s okay. He’s fine for today. We should hear something soon.” Holter takes her hand in his. “Are you hungry? I can find us something to eat.”
“Augustine can do that.”
“Yeah, it’s his kitchen.” Holter crosses his arms over his chest, not moving from the spot at the end of the bed.
I march over to my sister’s closet and find Annabelle something comfortable to wear, dropping a set of casual leggings and a tunic on the edge of the bed. My sister’s mates have spoiled her, and she has enough outfits to never wear the same one twice. I smile at Annabelle. When the presents started arriving for Kai, I thought the males were nuts. But now I get it.
“Do you want me to help you take your gown off?” I mean it for her to be comfortable, but Holter glares. “I can leave the room. We both can leave the room.” I put my hand on Holter’s shoulder.
“I don’t need you to leave the room.” Her eyes flare, her inner mermaid rising to the surface.
“Castor?” My mother thuds down the hall like she did the year Kai lived here with her first two mates, before they moved downstairs. Mother’s bedroom is in the opposite wing.
Annabelle takes a big step backwards, away from me and Holter, like she’s been shocked.
Ophelia steps into the room, her ever-present smile on her face. “Oh good, you’ve found something to change into. We’re having a dinner soon enough. I do hope you can stay.”
Holter’s shoulders ease. “Actually, I was going to take Annabelle down to the apartment.”
“The apartment? As in Nico’s apartment? Oh, that simply won’t do. It’s not fit for a female down there.”
“Our apartment is one of the finest in the city,” I add.
“It’s not set up for a female.” Ophelia pulls her nose back like she smells rotten seaweed. I’m not going to go up against the duchess.
Holter laughs.
“I should be with Nico.” Annabelle shifts back on her heels.
“If the duchess thinks you need to stay here, you should stay here. I’ll see that Nico is brought up here.” Holter smiles at Annabelle before turning to Ophelia. “If that’s okay with you, Duchess?”
“That’s perfect with me.”
“Oh, well, thank you.” Annabelle smiles at my mother.
“I’ll go get our things, then.” I move to the door.
“Will you, now?” It’s not a question my mother is asking. “I think only Annabelle’s pod should stay in the room.” The golden feather in Mother’s hair sparkles when she cocks her head at me.
“But Holter can stay here?”
“He is a geminae. He can do what he likes with whatever mermaid wants him. Come, Annabelle. Before you change, I want to show you the rest of the apartment so you know your way around the place. I wouldn’t want you to get lost. But if you do, you can call out to the apartment’s system, and she’ll help you.” Mother holds her hand out to Annabelle, and the two of them glide down the corridor. “Now this is where you can exercise if you . . .”
After the females turn the corner, I step back into the room. Holter’s damn smirk is cocked to the side, and the damn lighting in here has his light brown hair shining like gold with his light blue eyes. He looks like a muscular cherub. He shrugs at me. “Guess you get the apartment to yourself some more.”
“Fuck you,” I whisper under my breath.
“Not tonight, dear, I’m staying at the duchess’s,” he laughs.
“Where was Alder?”
“Yeah, about that . . .” Holter shifts back on his heels, and his face drops.
My heart thuds. Alder isn’t old, but he’s also not in the best of health. “Is he okay?”
“He’s in the hospital unit. When he heard the Centauri was coming in early, he wasn’t watching where he was swimming and got attacked.”
“By what?”
“That’s just it. It doesn’t look natural. He’s still unconscious. But they say he’s going to be okay. I’m going to go back after Nico comes.”
“It shouldn’t be too long before he’s done with the magistrate.” Now I’m mimicking Holter’s stance with my arms crossed over my chest.
“That’s what I was thinking. As soon as Nico is here, I’m going to go check on him.”
I nod. If someone attacked Alder, it won’t end well for them.
6
Annabelle
Glancing over my shoulder, I confirm the guys are gone and I’m alone with the duchess. Her hair is smooth. A layer of golden chains circles her head. Her fingers are heavy with golden rings, a few of them with gems but most pure gold. I can’t help but stare at her. Every detail is perfection. While she floats in her gown, my gown is wearing me. It’s the star. But I can’t imagine that Ophelia Drakos has ever been outshone by a dress, or another person.
“This is where my younger sons lived when they were still at home. They’re gone now.”
“How many children do you have?”
“Fifteen.”
“Oh.” My stomach clenches at the thought. I have to get out of here. There’s a lake near my dad’s farm. I can probably sneak off and swim there. That’s if I ever learn how to shift. Which I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do. Then there’s the overwhelming urge to have sex. I’ll buy myself a case of batteries. I’ll be fine. I smile softly, hoping she can’t read my body language, which has to be saying “give me a chastity belt, now please. Like right now.”
“I didn’t give birth to them all, my love. Nole, Castor, Soren, Cyprus, and Kai are the children of my womb. The others are the males of my heart. Atticus, Cade, Gotham, Jonas and Milo are my three youngest who moved out last year. All geminae. And they are all my children, my sons and Kai. I love each as much as the other. Kai says I love my geminae sons more because they lack the stubborn streak of the Drakos. But I don’t know, they are all strong-willed males.”
“Oh.”
“From the outside, it must seem odd? How geminae aren’t welcomed into pods. But they are. It’s our damn genetics. We still aren’t sure why we have so few females. With them being split as embryos, the council is afraid of introducing it into our genome. Many geminae join pods after the mermaid is older. My mate, Constantine, for example. There aren’t enough mermaids who are willing to have as many mates as me. You humans have a saying. ‘Two is a party, three’s a crowd.’ Well, here it’s ‘five is a party and seven is sleeping with a foot in your ear.’”
“Really?” I reach for my necklace. The one I always wear and fiddle with when I’m nervous. But I remember now I left it on the ship.
She laughs, and unlike my laugh, hers is melodic and genuine. “No, darling, I just made that up. But it’s good. And also true. That’s why I have two apartments. Because one can only take so much, even as a mermaid. But no one is asking you to do that.” She puts her hand on my shoulder.
I nod.
“There’s going to be . . . well, there is already quite the stir in the water. They want to know if it’s really true. You’ll have to do a public display at some point, I would imagine.” She smiles at me.
I nod. I should tell her right now that I can’t shift, that even with Castor trying to teach me, I couldn’t shift. Maybe this is good. Maybe if I can’t shift, they’ll just let me go. Let me—let me what? Swim away?
“Right, and the next room is what Kai used as a dressing room. In a proper apartment, the mermaid’s dressing room is attached to the bedroom. I do apologize that it’s not. That’s one of the reasons you shouldn’t be in that apartment downstairs. While we crave to be touched, a mermaid still needs her space. I, for one, sometimes just need a few minutes to myself. A little down time is the right of any mermaid.” The dressing room has beautiful stucco walls painted in a gradient from dark to light blue. Large windows take up one side where the dark ocean looms. “Of course, when you use the room, we’ll turn on the light outside. There’s a large school of glowing jellyfish that like the current around this side of the building. They’re relaxing to watch from in here.” She swirls to one of the large sofas, sits, and pats the cushion next to her.
I nod again. It’s becoming my signature move with the duchess. I sit next to her on the cream silk sofa. But I would still rather stay with Nico, Holter, and Castor in their apartment. The bed wouldn’t be so big, and I wouldn’t feel like I was going to break something.
“Here is your own bathroom. The main bedroom has its own for the males to use. Are you planning on having Holter join you and Nico?”
She says it so matter of fact. And I know myself well enough to know a red streaky blush is jetting up my neck. My dad never once asked about who I was dating or if I was dating. And here Castor’s mother is asking if Holter is going to sleep in the same bed with Nico and me. “I . . . I . . . I’m not sure yet. I guess I should talk to Nico about it.”
“Oh, how nice of you. It’s considered polite to talk to your mates before adding someone into your pod. But it’s up to you. And you can sleep with anyone you want, as long as it’s not a secret from your mates. The rules are different for them. It comes with the law of numbers.”
“Ah, right? I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m not . . .”
“Not what, dear?”
“I don’t think I could do that.”
Ophelia cocks her head. “Why, darling?” It’s like she’s speaking a different language.
“It seems unfaithful.” And that’s something I would never do to a partner of mine. I had a hard enough time being with Nico and Holter. And then when Castor came into the picture, I was so pent up with hormones, it took me over the edge. But it felt different with Castor than if it was someone that Nico and Holter didn’t know.
“Yes. Well, it’s not considered being unfaithful here. Not with an unmated male. And mated males simply don’t do that kind of thing. It’s not in their DNA. And like I said, decorum does say you need to inform your mates of your actions.”
“Oh.” I’ve heard that shifters never cheat on their mates. So, mermen not straying makes sense.
“Now we have to come up with a plan on how to get the populace to accept you. Staying with me will help, of course. It’s never a bad thing to have the support of a powerful duchess. Oh, with that in mind, I will have to introduce you to the duchesses of the other houses. Of course, we don’t have an active duchess right now. I am a grand dame duchess, which isn’t the same thing. Neither Koralli nor Zaffiro have active duchesses either, but they have grand dame duchesses . . Yes, I will have to have you meet with the others. But I heard what the Stele governor said to you. No way are you going to become his mermaid.” She sighs. “But if we leave them out, we’d have to leave out Braesen.” She stands, her gown rustling around her. She pulls some clothes of her daughter’s clothes from the closet. “Change and we can finish the tour. I’ve got a lot more to show you before lunch, and I think better when I’m moving.”
I change and she locks her arm with mine, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts skipping down the marble hallway. “Oh, here. Do you like to read? This is our library. Paper is a precious thing in the Veiled City, but a lot of us prefer it over digital books.” She turns the golden knob, and I think I’m going to fall over.
Its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with a ladder. A real jump-on-and-glide-across-the-room ladder. The shelves go up at least ten feet, maybe twelve.
“I see by your expression you like to read.”
“I do.” I unlink myself from her arm and wander into the room. The middle has a long table with piles of books. There are scientific journals and novels all mixed together.
She laughs. “Oh, that’s my mate’s piles. He puts them away eventually.”
My hand runs over the books on the shelf. There are spines in Latin, Greek, Spanish, English, and a few I can’t figure out. But most of them are in Dorian. I recognize it from the lessons on the ship, and the signs around the city before they change to English.
“We have a lot of new books. Castor indulges our paper reading habits when he comes back from Greece every month.”
Another nod. I’ve picked up that he travels back and forth and that his job with the humans is a big deal, but I’m not sure exactly what he does or how he gets there.
Ophelia swirls away from the bookshelf to me. “I know. I’ll put on a ball to introduce you. Like we do for all mermaids when they come of age.”
“I . . . I don’t know about that. Would it be proper with the things going on with Nico?”
“Oh, I’ve got that handled.” She shakes her hand like it’s nothing. “We can make that go away. I’m a Drakos. A ball. That’s what we need. Especially for all those who didn’t get to the docking ceremony today. They’re going to love you.”
“I . . .” I start to say that I should check with Nico or at least her own son. But why? She’s making me believe mermaids have the true power here. If that’s true, I should be able to leave. “What if they don’t love me?” Because I’m wondering if that might be my plan to get out of here. But then I think of the males I’ve seen Nico drop for lesser reasons. And popping up in the ocean someplace would expose their society to others, if the battle in Boston hasn’t already. I need to test my hypothesis. But not with Ophelia. That’s too dangerous. And she seems so nice. Just like the type of mother I always wished I had. She loves her kids—all fifteen of them.
No, I have to get out of here.
“They are going to love you because I tell them to.” Her eyes flash, and I realize there is no crossing this woman. “Come along. We have a ball to plan. Plus, I’m sure you’re long overdue to get into some more comfortable shoes and clothes. Oh, and lunch. I’d forgotten completely about lunch.”
She snags my hand, and we go flying past Kai’s bedroom, or my bedroom, down the corridor. The doors open as she walks toward them with a swoosh. This new room houses a long table with ten males sitting at it I don’t recognize and three whom I met at the docking. I memorized their names and pictures. But I wasn’t given the names of those who weren’t attending. Thank goodness. The list was long enough as it was. All the males stand, their chairs moving silently on the marble floor. Most of them are in casual clothing, similar in style to the uniforms on the sub.
“These are some of my mates.”
They go around the table with their names and a simple wave. I follow along, unable to grasp half of them at the speed they go around.
“I’m Constantine. I hear you and Castor are going to feed my sharks tomorrow?”
I turn to Castor, who is sitting next to Constantine. “We are?”
“No, we are not.” He shakes his head. “I’ve saved you a seat here. Holter will return with his and Nico’s things.”
Another nod. I’m turning into a bobblehead doll. Taking my seat next to Castor, I notice the spread down the center of the table. Most of it is foreign to me. But then again, until I moved to Boston, I’d never tasted lobster or marshmallow fluff. One I like a heck of a lot better than the other.
The door swooshes open again before Ophelia can take a seat.
Nico stands there with Holter and a guard.
Ophelia points at the guard. “Oh, for the love of Poseidon, you can wait out in the lobby. Where is he even going to go?”
