23. Cress
With the supernaturals we’d rescued resting in individual containment rooms and the sun setting by the time our group returned to the safety of the hospital, there was little to do but rest and wait for the next day.
Which started before five in the morning, practically a crime. Madigan flipped on the overhead light in my coven’s shared room in the hospital and rapped her knuckles on her crystal-covered shoulder. “Up, all of you! We have a visitor,” she announced.
We were having another odd slumber party crammed together in one room overnight. Well, most of us were. Phaeron had never settled, and Geo had remained in gargoyle form, going down to fight any creatures that sniffed around the grounds overnight.
“Mom,” Roe groaned, covering her eyes with a forearm.
“A merman is asking for Willow,” Madigan said.
That had the redhead’s attention. Several of us moved quicker with the news and stole glances at our quiet friend. She seemed just as confused as I felt, though hope sparkled in her eyes as she murmured, “Maybe he will teach me something about how to control my magic.”
“Do you know who he might be?” I asked her.
She replied with an exaggerated shrug. Oh joy…another surprise.
“We don’t allhave to see who it is,” she protested a little belatedly when the rest of our coven was already heading downstairs.
“The sun’s not even up, and he was important enough to wake all of us,” Ben said, shrugging as he fell into step with Willow and me. “We’ll all want to see what’s up.”
Madigan waited in front of the door to the boardroom we kept using for group meetings. “This concerns a matter of your identity. I’d be honored to sit beside you while you hear what this man has to say,” she said to Willow.
“Um, of course. Everyone’s welcome to be here if they want to be,” she answered. She looked completely blindsided when she walked in first and the merman bowed to her from where he stood at the back of the room.
“Oh, um, hello,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Hey, it’s that guy.” Ben elbowed Willow, gesturing to the aquatic familiar she had bobbing over her shoulder in its own personal bubble of water. It was a cuttlefish, apparently, so skilled in changing its coloring on command that I’d never gotten a good look at it.
“You know him?” I whispered to Ben. We all filed in and had seats around the table, a full coven—plus áine and Madigan—show of support for whatever this man wanted from Willow.
“He was at the familiar fair. You know, the one where she got a dude’s number?” he whispered back.
Oh, yeah.Willow had blushed over the news of snagging a “totally cute” merman’s number at the event. He was in his land form, wearing a damp wetsuit molded to his broad shoulders and carved muscles. Cerulean fish scales sparkled on his cheeks and forehead where skin met short navy-blue hair. Fins flapped in place of human ears.
There was a trident propped against the back wall. Unlike the delicate silver one Willow carried, this one was solid, built for skewering with a head marked by a few swirling runes. Mer magic.
Willow looked ready to crawl under the conference table. “Zander, what’s going on?” she asked.
“I know this is going to sound unusual, especially with an audience,” the merman said slowly. “Laiken, the Coral King, has sent me to find you, Willow. We strongly suspect you are his daughter.”
Her mouth popped open. “What?” she gasped.
“Whoa there. On what evidence?” Madigan interjected.
He brushed a hand through his hair. “Okay, yeah, you all might be a little suspicious, and that’s normal. The supernatural world watched the broadcast of the fight that led to most of the Crown Coven dying. At this point, every pixel has been scrubbed for information. The merfolk took an interest in you, Willow, and your sudden surge of power. By the abyss, even the gray color your scales manifested in the recording seems to suggest they belong to the royal line.”
“Oh no,” she whispered.
“It didn’t take much digging to find your name and other important information. Your age and status as a half-mer is what really tipped off some of us that know the king. He tried to hide you from his enemies, but if we’ve found you, they have as well. For your safety, you need to come with me,” he said.
She looked down at her hands. I thought she was ducking her head from the attention on her, but then she lifted her arm. Pinkish scales covered the back of it, along with a shimmery fin of the same color. “Does this match?” she asked. The moment her focus broke so she could speak, her mer side smoothed back into creamy, human skin.
“Coral red. Royal blood runs true through your veins…princess,” Zander said, bowing to her again.
“Congratulations, Willow,” I said, the first to break the silence that followed, where most of us gaped between the two of them.
“Wait, no. This is crazy,” she said, interrupting the belated chorus of congratulations that followed mine. Her palms hit the table. “For those of you who don’t know, King Laiken is a demigod merman who rules from…well, all you need to know is that his territory encompasses the Coral Sea and a chunk of the Pacific. He doesn’t have kids.”
“That have survived to adulthood,” Zander appended. “Whatever you’ve heard in school, the reality is far more gruesome. All of your half-siblings have been murdered, and you will be next without protection.”
She breathed a disbelieving laugh. “I don’t know a place farther from King Laiken’s enemies than this pocket dimension. We have more to worry about than merfolk politics.”
“Really? Because merfolk politics is the only thing keeping Ocean Gate 438 open. We’ve been turning a blind eye when groups of unnatural hunters go in and survivors come out. All because the king is waiting for his daughter to return to safety,” he said.
My mouth popped open at the implications. “All because of me?” Willow asked in a small voice. “But…if I go with you, he’ll close it?”
“The moment you’re through, princess.”
“What if the unnaturals realize it’s open first?”
Zander quirked his lip. “If things here would grow too dire, I’m sure he would close it. But only if you refuse to leave and the evil goddess is heading for the gate.”
Willow was practically sparkling as she turned to me. She gave me a meaningful look, one that promised she had an idea. “Cress,” she whispered. “It’s my time in the sun.”
“I’d say so, princess,” I replied.
A flush didn’t dim her toothy grin. “Thank you, Zander. I need some time to consider your offer,” she said to him. He hesitated, looking confused by her gentle dismissal.
“In the meantime, will you help me learn how to wield some of my magic?” she invited.
Willow remained with Zander, encouraging the rest of us to go back to sleep. I only left because she seemed to trust him and he was already holding a globe of water to begin a practice session she needed quite badly.
While everyone else filtered back to our shared room, I sat on the side of an upturned couch and closed my eyes, reaching for Braza over our soul tether. She’d left me when I’d fallen asleep, and my head seemed too quiet without her.
“Good morning, brightest of souls,” she said.
“Hi, Braza. Do you want to come hang out?” The question seemed too casual, considering she was hitchhiking along in my body for this particular brand of “hanging out,” but what else was I going to call it?
“Perhaps later. I sense you had an exciting morning.”
I took a moment to show her the complete memory of the early wakeup and the merman’s revelations for Willow. “Do you know anything about the king they were talking about?”
“I would ask a librarian, but…” After letting that hang for a moment, she laughed softly. “I already know some. The affairs of mer didn’t reach Moongrove Library often, but King Laiken is a particularly old figure. He was one of the last mer rulers to agree to relations with the greater supernatural community. His kingdom’s wealth suffered for his decision. Such a thing breeds discontent.”
“Enough to murder his family members?” I demanded.
“Certainly. Up until now, he has been too powerful to kill. Not all demigod supernaturals are built the same. I can recommend some fascinating books on the lives and times of the truly godlike amongst us once we escape this pocket dimension.”
“That sounds amazing.” At this point, I’d take even a textbook to tuck into for an evening. I missed the escapism of reading.
“Phaeron is awake, by the way, and heading your way,” she added. “I gave him as much privacy as I could when he retired to the room you two shared the night prior.”
“Hopefully he slept,” I said.
She withdrew from my awareness with a feeling of farewell. A few moments later, something tickled under my chin. Playful tendrils of shadow transformed into solid fingers attached to the Moihan dimensional that leaned over to kiss me briefly.
“Do you need me to right this couch?” Phaeron asked. Though his eyes were lidded as if he’d just woken, purplish shadows were starting to color the hollows underneath them.
“Maybe if you lie down with me,” I said seriously.
“Don’t tempt me, bright soul. We are in public,” he purred.
My breath hitched despite my concern for him, and I held up my index finger. “For a nap.”
He lifted me by the hips and flipped the couch onto its feet with a twirl of his shadows.
“Showoff,” I teased. The corner of his mouth lifted, but he didn’t sit, even when he placed me back down. “If you don’t want to sleep, just resting for a while won’t hurt. I’ll tell you about the meeting you missed.”
“Joy,” he sighed. But he lay out, holding his arms out for me. He guided me so he was the big spoon, tucking my back to the line of his body. Our legs twined, and his breath ghosted over my ear. “You’ll find that the older you get, the more meetings occupy your time.”
“Madigan and Hana do seem to be in a lot of them,” I said.
He hummed, nuzzling into my hair. I stifled a giggle at the sensation.
“Well, you might as well tell me why this one was different from all the rest,” he murmured.
I told him of Willow’s potential change in status as a mer princess, distracted quickly when he took the opportunity to pepper my earlobe on down to my jaw with playful nips and brushes of his cheek against mine. Hopefully this meant he wasn’t angry at me anymore for yesterday’s disagreement.
“I am not overly surprised,” he rumbled close to my ear. There was no hiding my shiver, and I felt him smile. “Her mer side is powerful enough. Hybrid or no, it was impressive that she nearly drowned several people upon unlocking that side of herself.”
“Sure, but it’s made her more afraid of what she can do. I hope Zander can teach her some control,” I sighed. “In the meantime, you were in a different meeting and never told me the outcome.”
“Which one was that?”
“You spoke with Geo and Ben privately,” I prompted.
“Oh. I think you will be pleased, bright soul.”
“But, like, what did you all say?” I asked. “Did you get Geo to agree—”
He patted my hip. “Be right back.”
His solid form turned to shadow, and he set me to sit upright rather than roll into the space he left behind. I sighed and rested my head back, taking my own advice and resting for the day ahead. Now that Braza had pointed it out, I recognized that he was going out of his way to change the subject.
Phaeron didn’t take long to reform. His shadows tickled my face again before becoming firm fingers, tugging my hair to fall over the back of the couch. I sat up and glanced over my shoulder, seeing he’d retrieved a comb and a brush and something else coiled in his tail.
“Don’t worry. They’re yours,” he said. He started brushing out my hair, gently teasing out the knots.
I flushed. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
“Are Braza’s memories still fading?” he asked in return. “You are my mate. It’s my joy to care for your needs.”
He brushed on, humming a merry but unfamiliar tune. When I tried to look back at him, he pressed his fingertips to my temples and steered my head to the angle he wanted. I tried to focus on what I remembered of Braza’s life, some of it slipping through my fingers like water. “You used to wear dark blue on your face and horns.”
“A couple lifetimes ago, yes.”
“If you want to teach me the symbols…I could try drawing them on your horns,” I offered.
“Soon, bright soul.” He stooped to kiss my temple. “I am the definition of ‘at war’ right now and should not wear any adornments.”
“But when Myuna is dead…”
He breathed a wistful sigh. “If you are comfortable observing this part of my culture, I would love to be marked as a mated male once more.”
“Of course,” I breathed, sensing this meant a lot more to him than he was willing to put into words.
I barely felt the plastic edge of the comb as he divided my hair into sections. “Though I suppose you would have to source gold stain for the task. But maybe I’m overthinking it. I’m not sure it will matter as much as it used to.”
“Gold is for the king?” I guessed.
“First prince,” he answered. “Paradoxically, my parents were able to wear whatever color they desired. And yet every day, they had servants paint white upon themselves.”
“Wait—”
“Hold still,” he chuckled. I let him adjust my head and start braiding my hair.
“But you should be the king,” I said. I noticed an extra tickle on my scalp from his shadows moving with his fingers and had the feeling he was about to tie my hair into a complicated style.
“And yet I have no intentions of ever being a king. The treaty that joined the tribes of my people was poisoned by Myuna’s influence. I want nothing to do with it. Besides…the world has moved on while I was in stasis, and my people have too. There is no throne to take.” He almost sounded happy about it, so I simply shrugged.
“If that’s your decision. About your parents…” I bit my lip.
“I’ll tell you anything you wish to know. Much of it is unflattering,” he said.
“They were torchbearers?” I asked.
“Indeed. She did not stain them white like she did my brother, but they were the strongest followers she had. They were not mates, but they shared animaris anyway to please Myuna and earn her favor. It earned them the throne, and they were quite happy to have yielded an heir and a spare on their first try. They pursued their own interests afterward.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not anymore. When I was a child, I longed for the love heaped on my brother and wondered why Myuna had overlooked me. But it makes sense now. If Endaeron had died before the Age of Decay, I would’ve taken his place as first prince and been corrupted by her magic in his stead. At one point, I’d have thought it an honor,” he said with a scoff. “But without her blessing, I was never truly his rival when he lived. Now that he is a monster, it doesn’t matter.”
He was braiding the tips of my hair, so when I looked over my shoulder at him, he didn’t move my head back a third time. “Still, you never should’ve been made to feel lesser.”
He flashed a reassuring smile. “It is something I am at peace with, bright soul. Almost done, by the way.”
“Time for one more question?”
“As many as you desire,” he answered in an effortless purr.
“What is animaris?”
“Ah.” There was a wicked gleam in his topaz eyes. “As a rough translation, it is essence or life force, something my kind puts to use that yours does not. Males naturally have more than females due to how we reproduce. I know humans can get pregnant at most any time past puberty, but for my people, it is a conscious choice nurtured by both sides through a pregnancy. Animaris follows the lifecycle of the child. First, it’s an aphrodisiac for the mother.”
He released my braid and slid closer. I propped myself on my knees, turning to rest my arm on the top of the couch to face him directly. “How is it shared?” I asked, feeling a bit of heat rise to my cheeks.
I’d given him a great opening to rest his fangs on my neck. His hot breath fanned over my exposed nape, and I stilled. Was this a test? Heat pooled between my legs as he drew his tongue over my skin, lips skimming my pulse point.
“Usually the same place as a mating mark,” he answered. With a groan, he jerked away from me and shook his head.
He spoke with distraction, staring at my neck while I covered it with my fingers. “Anyway, once the child is made, both parents continuously share animaris to encourage growth in the womb. Since hybrids don’t exist for my people, the baby usually takes after the father, as this is the stage where he’s sharing energy while the mother shares nutrients. Once they are born, both parents are tethered to the child equally until they enter adolescence and their own soul and animaris is fully formed.”
I beckoned for him to come sit with me, and he grew rigid, shuttering his otherworldly eyes for a few long moments. “I just remember Braza was an unhappy child because of animaris,” I said.
“Mmm, the lack thereof. She was small for being of the Iorsio tribe. We never had a chance…” He drifted off with a look of pain.
“Phaeron?” I murmured.
“Children can be adopted in such a way that blood ties do not matter,” he continued.
“You can talk about her. I mean, you don’t have to avoid your old mate’s name for my sake,” I said, though my heart was in my throat.
This time, he did come sit down and drew my hands into his. “Cress, talking about past mates is unkind. Anything I tell you will make you wonder if I am comparing you or if I still think of her.”
“It would be cruel to expect you notto ever think about her or the daughter you had.”
That look of pain sharpened. I didn’t know if Phaeron could cry, but by the defined facets I saw within the glowing depth of his eyes, he was close. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have mentioned…” I stammered.
“Keshora,” he breathed out. “Ravai. And Braza. The family Myuna purposefully destroyed. My family.”
I gave his hands a squeeze in sympathy. “It was a beautiful one,” I said.
He wet his lips, considering me for a few moments. “You would have liked Keshora. She was a kind soul. What you didn’t see from Braza’s memories was how heartbroken she was when her application to adopt Braza was denied. I felt it halfway across a continent, fighting in one of my parents’ constant pointless wars. Keshora loved and desired children more than anything.”
He hesitated, reading my face again. I smiled some in encouragement. “That’s where she was very different from you. But she was well into her hundredth year when we met, while you’re just getting started,” he said.
“Does that feel weird to you?” I asked with a nervous quaver.
He leaned over to touch his forehead to mine. “You have incredible potential, bright soul, and that means you will one day be my equal. I just get the honor of helping you reach that pinnacle. My body recognized you as my True Light immediately,” he answered. I breathed out with relief. It seemed he knew exactly what to say to make my heart feel light. “That is destiny and nothing less. What is weird to me is you wearing half of Braza’s power. Having you both in the same body is…” He tisked lightly.
“She gives us privacy,” I said.
“She is a powercore. There is no privacy,” he countered.
I raised a brow. “Okay, she’s your daughter.”
“One who I have failed immeasurably,” he murmured. He sat up and looked over at a group of defenders coming and going from the front entrance. It was a shift change, and amongst the Crystal fae was Geo in his gargoyle form. He spotted us and started for where we were sitting.
“What do you mean? She still adores you,” I said. He just had to see everything she’d done for him lately to prove it.
“I was not strong enough to say goodbye to her. I so desperately wanted her…to live…” Phaeron cocked his head, looking at Geo strangely.
I hardly noticed, though, standing and holding my arms out to Geo. His face lit up, and he took his human form to lift and whirl me around. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said.
“Safe and sound because of you.” I shared a kiss with him once he placed me back on my feet.
Once we broke apart, I expected Phaeron to have disappeared, like he so often did when I took my eyes off him for a moment too long. Except this time, he was where I’d left him. “Take her away if you please. She must be getting tired of my stories by now,” he said.
“Okay.” After a pause, Geo reconsidered and added, “We will be at breakfast. Come with us and get your ration.”
My astonishment must’ve been obvious, as Phaeron winked before Geo laced his fingers with mine and tugged me along to get some essential calories for the day ahead.