Eviana
Unfortunately, I couldn’t discover anything about Lucian when he disappeared. As soon as I awoke each day, I looked all over for my estranged father. Much to my disappointment, I was told that he was out, but I knew that he was hiding. He didn’t want to speak to me before the Council meeting. I don’t know why exactly, but I just knew that was true.
We arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport shortly before sunset. I’d never been to Texas before, and although Dallas seemed like a sprawling city, I wasn’t a fan of the dry heat we encountered on our way to the meeting. Instead of a hotel, we were driving to a country club. Where better to ensure exclusivity and privacy for a secret merfolk meeting? Apparently one of the clan’s had a long history with the club and when requested, they got anything they needed.
Lucian forced me to dress in a ridiculous gown. It wasn’t that the design was horrible, quite the opposite actually. The long, form fitting indigo dress complimented my hair, and the slit up the side of my right leg was sure to draw attention. It was strapless and surprisingly quite comfortable. I had to wear long gloves that reached the top of my elbows, and despite my best protests, Lucian demanded that I wrap my hair up off my neck and into a bun. His obsession with the way I looked made the whole ordeal quite ludicrous to me. That, and I knew I would look like a trophy on his arm.
Sparkling lights and fiery torches lit the path up to the main entrance of the club. The ancient oaks hovered over the road like an embrace. Branches reached and crawled toward each other effectively creating a tunnel of foliage. We sat on opposite sides in the back of a black limousine, since Lucian insisted on making a dramatic appearance. His dark blue suit complimented my dress and he even pulled his long blond hair back into a ponytail. We looked like a couple of movies stars begging for attention. Exactly what I didn’t want.
“You will behave tonight,” Lucian suddenly said.
“I’m not three,” I snapped.
“No, but sometimes you act like it.” It was such an insulting, fatherly thing to say. He had no right. But before I could protest, he continued. “You will only speak when asked a direct question. Do you understand?”
I didn’t say anything. He didn’t deserve an answer.
“If you do not obey, I promise you there will be consequences,” he said.
“What, like you’ll beat up Graham some more? No one is left for you to use against me.”
At least I hoped that there wasn’t. All I needed to do was get inside and find Kain. I wanted to find out more about Lucian’s plans, but I hoped that we would get enough information from the meeting tonight. I assumed that he was going to place some kind of demand on the table. Would it involve me? I didn’t doubt that it would. The Council hadn’t been real anxious to help save me. Perhaps that would be his angle. They back off completely and he stops the senseless killings.
As much as that would be the ideal situation, I sincerely doubted it would ever happen. Lucian wouldn’t honor a truce, but he still might convince them otherwise. These were leaders of the American and international Councils. If they had an opportunity to make a deal in the name of peace, I bet they would take it. Regardless of my situation.
Then suddenly, I had a panicked thought. Not about the Council all but signing me over to Lucian, but about Kain and his role tonight. This would for sure be a closed meeting, privy to only those deemed fit. Would Kain be one of them? He and Adele had worked closely together over the past several months, but Kain wasn’t a Council member. My breath caught in my throat in the complete terror that I wouldn’t be able to leave with him tonight.
Then I remembered who I was thinking about. Kain wouldn’t leave me this time. He would find a way to free me from my father’s grasp no matter what it entailed. Kain was reliable.
“Eviana?” Lucian asked and his tone implied it wasn’t the first time he spoke. His hand extended into the limo, waiting for me to join him outside. “It’s time.”
I placed my gloved hand in his and let him help me out of the car. Must play along, I reminded myself. The hot night air seemed stuffy and suffocating. Or maybe that was just my life.
I took a few steps forward, thankful for that slit in the dress. Three club employees greeted us, followed by four protectors. They belonged to the Council, and I watched closely as they eyed up Lucian and me.
“Sir,” the apparent leader of the security team said. “They may wait outside.” He was referring to the two selkies Lucian brought with us. There were more here, just staying out of sight.
Lucian pushed past the protector as though he were an annoying insect. “They come with me.”
“But sir…” the man said. Lucian stopped so suddenly, he nearly yanked my arm off. He stared at the merman and narrowed his eyes. My head began to hurt.
“You will not speak to me again, nor will you prevent any of my security team from entering this building. Nod if you understand.” He bobbed his head up down like a marionette. “Excellent,” Lucian finished. He turned and pulled me through the doors, the selkies following closely behind.
Lucian was an incredible threat. He just controlled one of his own without breaking a sweat. We weren’t supposed to be able to do that. Although both he and Graham tried it on me, I thought maybe it wasn’t possible since they hadn’t succeeded. Now I realized how badly I’d misjudged his abilities. Another round of nerves prickled over my skin. I really needed to get away from him.
It appeared the most of the club was closed to the regular members as only merfolk filled the meeting area. A few were dressed in long gold, dark green, or black robes symbolizing their presence on an international Council. These ruling organizations were littered all over the world, with several on each continent. Well, except for Australia who only had one Council, and Antarctica where no merfolk resided at all. I didn’t see any of the maroon cloaked members representing the North American Council.
But I did see someone else.
“I’m going to the ladies room,” I said polite and sweet to Lucian, and loud enough for others to here. Certainly he couldn’t deny me that request. He smiled and dropped his arm, allowing me to move by myself. Freedom. For at least a few moments.
“Don’t be too long. We are about to make our announcement,” he added. What announcement? The sheer look of malice in his eyes made my legs shake in fear. So much was riding on tonight going smoothly, and yet Lucian wouldn’t think twice about disrupting everyone’s plan.
We were here for him. He’d convinced the Council to bring those that best represented each clan so that he could discuss the next steps with them. It was reasonable, and he pretended to go along with the charade. But in reality, they would be fools to think he didn’t have an ulterior motive.
As did I. Making my way around the corner and out of his sight, I noticed a door slowly closing. Running as discretely as I could, I reached the men’s bathroom a few seconds later. Nice. I looked up and down the hallway and quickly pressed my back against the door to slip inside. Hopefully no one else would follow me in.
There was a second entrance, and as soon as I pushed through, my heart rate increased and my mouth turned up in a smile too big for me to control. Kain waited there with arms outstretched, a smile as big as my own reflecting back at me.
“You’re here,” I said and jumped into his embrace. I felt him laugh and squeeze me tighter.
“There was no way Adele could stop me,” he said. “Plus she owed me after what I told her about Graham.”
My muscles stiffened at the mention of his name. “I’m so sorry Kain. I didn’t know.”
He kissed my forehead with the lightest of touch. “I know. We didn’t get very far before he revealed himself.”
“Was anyone hurt?” I asked, suddenly remembering what Graham could do. I was fairly certain that he faked the loss of his powers among the many other things he’d lied about.
“Troy got it the worst, and he took control of the selkies. But Abhainn was the one who is the most upset.” He looked down into my eyes and moved his hands to the side of my face. “It doesn’t matter though. You’re here and you’re coming home with me.”
Those words had so many different meanings, that if I hadn’t noticed the desire in his eyes, I could have misinterpreted it. He wanted me to come home with him, but not in a protective kind of way. No, it was much more intimate than that.
I closed my eyes when I felt his lips press against mine. Once again, every errant thought disappeared and it was all I could do not to lose control. Reaching up, I grabbed his head in my hands and lost myself in the feel of his sun bleached hair. It was still longer than normal and I decided right then that I liked it that way.
My fingers caressed the strands while his hands travelled lower on my body. Much lower. I felt his timid brush against the slit in my dress that almost reached the top of my thigh. Goosebumps erupted all over my body and I shivered in anticipation. We had never been this close before.
And although we should have stopped, it was quite obvious that neither of us wanted to. When he pulled his lips away from mine, I almost screamed until I felt them again, moving down my neck. The strapless dress left plenty of kissable skin, and Kain hit every spot. Twice.
If I could have had a conscious thought, I would have wondered why I couldn’t seem to get enough of him. It had only been a little more than a week since Brendan broke my heart, but those few days felt like a lifetime. So much had happened since then. So many lives had been lost or almost stolen from me. It took those experiences for me to realize what I truly wanted out of life and who I wanted in it. My heart swelled with so much love for Kain, I swear it was going to explode.
“Ah, if ye keep this up, we are going to ‘ave to find ye a private room. And fast.” Abhainn’s voice scared me so much I bit Kain’s lip.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry,” I said, trying to reach for his face.
He wiped his mouth and chuckled when his hand came away with blood on it. “It’s okay. Barely scratched the surface. Besides, you can do that any time you want.”
I knew my face blushed, especially if Abhainn’s snort was any indication. His foot high frame floated above the gold sink, where I presumed he had entered the facility. “I’m glad that yer ‘aving a happy reunion, but we must be leaving soon. The place is crawling with security.”
“We’re leaving now?” I asked Kain, still standing a few feet away out of sheer embarrassment.
“It would be best. Adele told me that we should sneak you out during the hoopla that’s sure to go on once the meeting starts.”
I nodded my head, knowing that I should trust in them. “Okay then. Let’s go.” I was grateful for the Council leader’s concern. Especially after they decided to leave me trapped at Lucian’s.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, daughter.” Lucian stood in the doorway with a sinister look on his face and his left hand outstretched toward the sink. Abhainn made several choking sounds before falling silent. The sprite had his own hands around his throat and he appeared to be fighting with himself. He was suffocating.
“What are you doing to him?” I yelled.
“I’m controlling the water. Every molecule that makes up these creatures can be manipulated to do as I command. I find it amusing that the sprite is choking himself, don’t you?” Abhainn’s wide eyes appeared to double in size, and I feared they may pop out of his head.
“Kain, do something,” I begged. His water control skills far surpassed mine. But the moment he acknowledged what I said, Lucian was on him. His fingers wrapped around Kain’s throat and although the two men were equal in size, Lucian lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing.
“It’s a shame your parents held you back, too.” Lucian looked up into Kain’s eyes and cocked his head like a hawk eyeing up prey. “I can see the power in you. Feel it. Too bad you two won’t have the chance to be together. What a commanding couple you’d be. Maybe even more so than my arrangement.” Kain struggled against his hold and just as he was about to tear Lucian’s hands away, the merman spoke. “Sleep.”
Kain’s body relaxed and Lucian dropped him to the floor with little regard. Abhainn gasped for air while fighting against his own hands.
“Please stop this!” I screamed. And then I got mad. Lucian was facing Kain so I leapt forward and jumped onto his back. It was difficult in the dress and I think I heard the slit tear higher up my leg.
Lucian spun around and slammed my back against the wall. The bone crushing blow forced all of the air out of my lungs, yet I still held on. He took a few steps forward and then ran back into the wall again. My head crashed along the marble tiles as he continued to beat my body. Within a few seconds, I couldn’t hold on anymore. My grasp loosened and I fell to the floor.
“Finally,” Lucian said, shrugging his shoulders and pulling his jacket back into place. “I’ve had quite enough of this.” He flicked his hand at Abhainn and the sprite shattered into a thousand different pieces. The droplets plummeted into the sink and onto the counter. Unlike all of the other times I’d watch them move back together to form his body again, the water stayed still. In the next second, Lucian pulled Kain up by his throat and slapped him hard across the face with his free hand. I screamed again then covered my mouth when I saw Lucian’s glare.
“Shut up!” He looked back to Kain who seemed to be waking up. “And be quiet or I end this now. I want both of you to listen carefully.” Squeezing his throat, Lucian didn’t give Kain an option. Kain’s eyes found mine while Lucian simply glared at me. “If you don’t stand with me before the Council tonight, I will kill him in the most horrible way you can imagine.” To emphasize the threat he twisted his wrist and Kain’s face turned red.
“Stop!” He’d already killed Abhainn, I believed Kain would be next. “Why are you doing this? What is wrong with you?”
He tossed Kain into the wall and marched over to me. Grabbing my upper arm, he yanked me to my feet. “I told you that you would convince the Council to follow The Legacy, and now I’m gathering my insurance.” His mouth was so close to my face that I could feel his hot, angry breath. For the first time since all of this began, I was really, truly afraid of this man.
“How…how am I supposed to do that?” I could barely speak.
He started to push me toward the door. “You will tell them that you discovered the error in your ways, and now you see the need for us to take control.”
I looked up at him with uncertainty. “But I don’t feel that way. How am I supposed to convince them otherwise?”
Before I knew what happened, I felt my cheek burn and tasted blood in my mouth. Lucian had slapped me so hard, it took seconds before the pain settled in.
“You will obey me,” he snarled. “You don’t…he dies.” Kain was trying to push himself up off the ground, so Lucian bounded over and kick him hard in the stomach. Tears began to flow down my face.
“Please, don’t hurt him.”
“Then do as I say, and don’t even think about trying to leave here tonight.” I nodded. Lucian would kill Kain. I didn’t doubt it for one second. All of our plans to escape tonight and gather up those against Lucian and his ideals shattered like the sprite that had been my friend.
Someone slammed the outside bathroom door shut and we all froze. In the second I went to yell for help, my emotions evolved from hopeful to devastated to furious. Graham’s perfectly healed face and designer suit made me want to scream.
“You!” I growled. “You have some nerve coming back here…”
“I missed you too, tart,” he interrupted. “I’m so glad we can have this reunion. My life has been dreadful since I left your side in the arms of your selkie.” His flippant attitude infuriated every cell in my body.
“You bastard!” It literally it felt like my blood was boiling inside my skin. If Lucian still hadn’t had a tight hold on my arm, I would have attacked the traitor. Then I remembered what Kain said. “Oh. Have they seen you yet?” Graham lifted his eyebrows in question. “The Council’s going to love to hear from you, especially since they know everything.” My focus briefly turned to Kain struggling on the ground and Graham laughed.
“Are you referring to Adele? Yes, well, I’m afraid Mistress Lyonetta won’t be spilling any secrets tonight.”
My stomach plummeted and all of that blood seething at the surface, drained to my toes. What had they done to her?
“Enough of this. It is time,” Lucian said. He yanked me forward and turned me so that I was facing Kain. Lucian’s fingers dug into my shoulders, forcing me to look. “Remember, you will convince the Council to celebrate in our success or your precious boyfriend will die.”
In that moment, Kain and I shared a look that spoke a thousand words. Love, devotion, fear, and obstinacy. Kain smiled at me and I knew that we weren’t giving up just yet.
Graham walked over to Kain and picked him off the ground. Using his forearm, he pushed Kain against the wall. He looked back and forth between the two of us. “Ah come on, let me tell the bloke. Please?”
Lucian didn’t respond. Instead, he made me step closer. I saw his head lean out past my right shoulder and then suddenly felt his left hand caressing my face. He spoke to Kain. “Say one word, alert one protector and I will take her away from you permanently.”
Kain’s eyes widened as he pushed against Graham. “You wouldn’t hurt her,” he said.
“No?” Both of Lucian’s hands wrapped tightly around my head. I could feel him pushing into my mind, but instead of telling me sleep, all I felt was pain. I grimaced and tried to break free, but I couldn’t get past the throbbing in my head. “It is true that I want her by my side, but she is not a necessity.”
“She’s your daughter…”
“Kain!” I yelled out. Not because he revealed what he knew, but because my breath had been ripped from my lungs. I felt like I was drowning. Searing waves of pain shot through every limb until I wanted to collapse and die.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Kain screamed at Lucian. I didn’t know what he was doing to me, but it hurt like hell. “I won’t do anything. Just don’t kill her, please.” For as much as Kain tried to be a stoic leader, his persona crumbled into pieces. Fresh tears glistened in his eyes as he pleaded for this to stop. He cared about me so much, and the little part of me not in agony understood how deep his love went.
“Good.” Lucian said and all of my pain instantly went away. I sucked in a few gasping breaths of air, aware that there was nothing to cough out. Even though it felt like water, my lungs were clear.
“Let’s go.”
Lucian pushed me out the door, and I had one last chance to look at the puddles that used to be Abhainn and then back to Kain before the door closed shut. Lucian had hurt so many of my friends and family, and now it appeared that he was going to hurt more.
I had no choice but to obey.
