Kain
Daniel and Marisol gasped when Julian returned with Brendan in tow. I’d taught myself to try and be indifferent toward the guy even though he had beaten me to her. Eviana and I were always promised to each other for marriage. I’d hoped for that to happen. I was even willing to let her continue seeing Brendan. But she had picked him and instead of cutting her out of my life completely, I had to learn to compromise.
Yet when he took her to bed a few nights ago and then snuck out like a coward afterwards, I had little room left for forgiveness. She deserved someone better. Someone who would always love her like I do.
“Why is he here?” Palmer asked before I could.
Julian crossed behind us and sat back down on his stool. “I already told you. We need him.”
“I don’t think we do,” I said without breaking eye contact with Brendan. “Besides, she wouldn’t want to see him.” Brendan flinched and I felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing those words bothered him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Julian continued. “I need him and I can’t think of anyone else who would do whatever it takes to help Eviana.”
I huffed at the same time Palmer, Marisol, and Daniel made a noise of dissatisfaction. Everyone in this room was willing to sacrifice something to get Eviana back. Brendan was nothing special.
He was the last person Eviana wanted to see. I was sure of it. But that wasn’t the most important issue right now. We needed a plan, and whether or not it included Brendan, we needed a plan at once.
Brendan shuffled over to the table and grabbed a chair. We all watched in silence as he tossed his duffle bag to the floor and sat down without making a sound. It was comical, and perhaps rather fitting, that his chair was much lower than the rest of the bar stools. We all looked down on him like a scolded puppy. And that’s exactly what he was.
Although I was the one that had been skewered with the sword, Brendan looked way worse. His dark hair hung loosely around his face and it appeared that he hadn’t shaved in days. The large circles under his eyes did little to hide his distress. I wanted to tell him that he wasn’t going to land an unsuspecting human female breeder with that kind of look, but decided it would be counterproductive. Still, I relished in the thought that he was suffering. He deserved it.
“Let’s continue,” Julian said.
Troy, in his ever-professional and military demeanor, took control of the conversation. We couldn’t determine the exact logistics until we knew where she was being held. That’s where I came in. I would try to contact Abhainn later tonight and ask for his assistance. The sprite was a friend of ours and I felt rather confident that he would do what he could.
“How do we handle all of the ratchets and selkies that Lucian will surely have guarding the place?” Brendan asked.
“Did somebody speak?” Daniel snapped in a very childish manner. Marisol giggled.
“You’re not helping,” I said, surprised that I felt kind of bad for Brendan. Well, maybe not that bad. Daniel let out a deep breath and gave me a look that said he wasn’t happy.
“We will need to ask for Abhainn’s assistance with that too,” Julian replied.
“Well how many are going to go?” Daniel asked.
“As few as possible. It will depend on the location. We’ll have to regroup once Abhainn returns to us,” I said.
The doorbell rang again and everyone instantly turned to look at Julian. “What?” he asked.
“Do you have any more surprises for us?” I asked. Brendan shifted nervously in his seat and Julian shook his head.
“I’ll get it,” Palmer said. As he walked past us, I noticed that he was still limping. His injuries must have been pretty severe if he hadn’t completely recovered yet. Troy didn’t have any bandages visible, but I saw that he kept rubbing his head.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He looked over at me and smiled. “Yeah. It’s just a headache. Remnants of my concussion I suppose.”
“They couldn’t break his thick skull,” Daniel added with a grin. I wasn’t sure how Troy would react to that comment, but when he chuckled, I understood that the two of them could joke like this one minute and argue like siblings the next. It was an interesting dynamic.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Palmer was saying as he walked back into the kitchen with Carissa by his side.
She was arguably one of the most beautiful mermaids in the world. Her Japanese bloodline from her father’s side gave her an exotic face with dark silky hair and porcelain skin whereas the height inherited from her mother allowed her to become an international runway model. She was almost a year older than me, and although I was a clan leader, I’d always felt like she was much more worldly.
She smiled at me and I couldn’t help but return it. “Kain, you’re moving around.” In two steps, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed me on the lips. “I was so worried when Daniel called, but I was in the middle of backwoods Italy and couldn’t get on a plane until yesterday.”
She hadn’t let go of me so I tried to shift her weight away from my side without her noticing. It didn’t work.
“Oh, I’m hurting you. I’m so sorry.” There were tears in her eyes and I used my right arm to reach up and wipe them away.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here.”
And I really was happy to see her. We had been kind of dating or at least toying with the idea. When Eviana left just before our wedding, Carissa was there to keep me going. Her strong personality and breathtaking beauty had me enthralled. It was a nice distraction from my infatuation with Eviana.
However, things were different now. Carissa didn’t know that Brendan had broken up with Eviana because he’d felt the call. This would definitely be a game changer, but perhaps it was best to deal with one dilemma at a time.
Carissa took off her jacket and stood beside me. Her thin arm draped lightly over my shoulders allowing me to smell her wonderful floral perfume.
“Did you get a chance to talk to him?” Daniel questioned her.
“Yes.” She looked around the room to include the rest of us in her answer. When her eyes landed on Brendan sitting in the tiny chair, I felt her muscles tense. She cleared her throat. “My father and my mother’s clans are willing to fight with you.”
I looked at Daniel and he explained. “If it comes to an ultimate showdown, we are going to need numbers. Carissa’s been working the east coast.”
“Well that doesn’t sound very good,” she smiled then continued, “but yes, my family has been using its connections to get support. I also had a chance to speak to some of the European clan leaders and they say that you have their pledges as well.”
I looked at her in awe. Carissa Nakomo was going to make an excellent leader some day. I was proud of her, but it was different than my feelings for Eviana. Carissa was someone that I would work with. Someone that I’d share secrets with. A friend.
I swallowed that thought and tried to continue the conversation. “We’re hoping to have some answers and more concrete plans tomorrow.”
“What’s going on tomorrow?” she asked me.
Instead of rehashing the last hour, Daniel gave her the six second version that ended with her in shock. “He took Eviana? Has anyone heard from her?” That last question was directed to Brendan and Daniel snorted.
“No, we haven’t,” Daniel answered. He moved past everyone and pushed Julian away from the refrigerator. Grabbing a few sodas, he proceeded to pass them out to those who wanted one while grilling Carissa about her latest modeling gig.
The planning session was over, and I watched as Julian and Brendan quietly left the room. I assumed that Brendan would be staying at Julian’s rented house further down the beach. It was the least I could do for Eviana to make sure that he didn’t stay here.
Troy was the next to excuse himself after I promised to find him if I spoke with Abhainn tonight. Carissa looked questionably at me, but I shook my head and mouthed that I’d tell her later.
Palmer whipped up some lunch for us consisting of cold cuts, sliced fruit, and chips. I was trying to stay a part of the conversations but my body was sore and tired. After an hour or so, I made my escape with the excuse that my bandages needed to be changed.
Carissa followed me to my room, dragging her suitcase behind her. It wasn’t actually my house, but since Eviana and I worked so closely together, I often stayed at her place. Usually, I slept in the guesthouse above the garage. They’d moved me in here when I got hurt since it was closer to the rest of the wounded.
“Here, let me help you,” Carissa said when I began unwrapping the bandages from my torso.
“It’s pretty gross,” I warned.
She smiled at me and I instantly felt at ease. “I can handle it.”
Lifting the gauze from my skin was more painful than it should have been. Despite our enhanced healing abilities, there was only so much repair that my body could do in one day. Carissa sucked in a breath when she pulled the final bandage from my side. The wound probably resembled a gunshot injury. The sword had entered my back, just underneath my heart and penetrated all the way out through the front of my ribcage. The doctor said I had to heal from the inside out, so they hadn’t closed the holes.
“Kain,” Carissa whispered and I could hear the tears in her voice. “This has to end.”
I wasn’t entirely sure if she was referring to Lucian’s attacks or my presence around the one person that seemed to be the reason for the attacks. And I didn’t ask. We’d had several arguments over Eviana and I simply didn’t have the energy for another one.
“So how long are you here for?” I asked then winced when she pushed the clean gauze against my back.
“Sorry,” she said. “I could only clear my schedule for a week.” She continued working on the wound. “Do you think this will be over soon?”
“What? Finding Eviana or getting rid of Lucian?”
She stopped wrapping the bandage and looked directly into my eyes. She was only a couple inches shorter than me, so it was easy for her to stare me down. “What do you mean about getting rid of Lucian?”
“He needs to go away. This isn’t going to stop until he’s gone.”
“It sounds to me like it’s already stopped.”
I flinched and pulled the bandage out of her hand. “I’m not going to let him have Eviana.” Turning away from her, I used the dresser mirror to continue my own wound care.
“Kain, that’s not what I meant.” I flashed her a look. “That’s not exactly what I meant. I don’t know why the two of you always think that it’s your job to save the world and everybody in it. You’re lucky to be alive! The last thing you need to do is go on some half-assed rescue mission.” She sidled up next to me and rested her chin on my shoulder. “I’m worried about you.”
I knew that she was being sincere. We had a relatively simple and honest relationship. Carissa spoke her mind and didn’t hold back. There was something about it that was intriguing but there was also something preventing me from fully investing in her. I was pretty sure I knew what that reason was.
“I’m just tired,” I said and tried to smile. She finished helping me with the bandages and then we climbed into bed. I needed to take a break and Carissa seemed to be jet lagged. In no time at all we fell asleep wrapped comfortably in each other’s arms.
