Chapter 12
KORMAC
He didn’t understand why he wanted me around. What a hellpiss answer to tangle my mind like too much rope in a small bag. Again.
This prince liked having me around with him? He liked me being alive? Since when? At least outside of any magic.
Damn.
Why did I have to go and fuck him? Why did I give into my stupid body? And why did his explanation resonate with me?
I like having him around, too.
No. That didn’t happen within a week. You didn’t shift from hate to whatever else as fast as that. It had to be magical. This fucking curse put on us. I didn’t believe he acted of his own will. It just wouldn’t happen.
Only, it had, and I doubted my doubt. We’d been through a lot already. Seen a lot.
Yes, a lot I should be happy about. Him brought down so many pegs, the Rosestar throne set to fall apart along with the centuries-long seelie grip on power.
But I wasn’t happy about it, and I wasn’t happy about not being happy about it.
Damn this sympathy. Damn this churning in my head.
The worst part was I wanted to fuck him again.
That was outside of the soul bond, too. I’d loved every moment of it.
I’d never climaxed like that before with anyone.
By the gods! The explosion from my cock into him…
Incredible. He’d felt so good, so tight.
Intense. I wanted more, to see what he could do in other positions.
Wrong. Very wrong.
But being near him didn’t feel wrong.
I closed my eyes, popped the Breath of Water sphere into my mouth.
Time to leave this beach.
The sphere’s thin skin burst, releasing thick liquid. Salty liquid—the taste of the sea.
Revolting. I covered my mouth as I gagged so I wouldn’t lose the one thing to get me back to Autumn. Even if my return would be brief.
Counting down from three, I pinched my nose and swallowed. The slimy, snot-like liquid oozed down my throat in a cold slither.
With it gone, I retched but kept it down, winced from the lingering flavor.
I noticed Valance do the same.
“That was the most revolting thing I’ve ever tasted,” he said.
“I agree. Now what?”
The sun was almost gone now.
“Wade into the water?” he responded. “Follow me.”
“Shouldn’t you be following me?”
He ignored me, taking point.
I followed, saying nothing more as we approached the waves.
My guts twisted in knots on the approach. Going underwater, becoming some water creature… It didn’t sit right with me. I wasn’t mer, and never intended to be. I only thought about the seas and oceans when forced to. Like now, face-to-face with the water.
Dangerous places, the waters off the coast of Autumn often stormy and violent. These parts were quieter, more tranquil. The kind of sea you wanted to bathe in the sun beside with a sexy Sidhe prince bouncing on your—
Stop this.
I wasn’t a coward. I could face anything. I had faced many, many dark things. The sea wouldn’t break me. It hadn’t when Ren and I had crossed it before.
With deep breaths, I found my calm place. Listening to the waves, the wind. Eyes on the sky. With a strong mind and sense of harmony, I was ready.
Thank the gods for meditation and for Leanna.
May she rest forever in peace.
Leanna. My friend. Killed by his brother—the former heir to the Faerie throne.
The rain…
So much rain. And mud. Running toward those men and women on their horses… Slaughter by the river… Murder and red and—
I shook off the memory, re-centering myself. Many deep breaths, tossing those unwanted pebbles into the well.
Valance was in the water, waiting for me. I ran to catch him up, the waves rolling across my shins.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m okay.”
“You seem paler. What’s the matter? I can… I can feel you’re upset.”
I really, really hated that he could. “Don’t worry. Not now.”
“Tell me.”
“Not now. Later.”
How to tell the prince about the end of his brother? Did he know what he’d done to Leanna?
Something told me he didn’t. Prince Daire’s reputation was a brutal one, much worse than Valance’s. But even I’d been shocked at what he’d done to my friend. How could any prince be capable of that? How could anyone?
“Kormac?”
Valance didn’t know. He couldn’t…
…could he?
“Kormac?” Snapping fingers before my face. “What’s wrong?”
I stepped back, almost tripping from the pull of the sea. As calm as the surface was, its hidden force beneath revealed the truth, let me know just how powerful the water really was.
He grabbed my arm, his towel sliding off his hips.
Exposing all of that slender, toned body.
Every inch of it smooth and alabaster, the complete opposite of mine, and so inviting.
I wanted him again, in the water, to lift him into my arms, his legs curled around my waist, my cock inside him as the sea moved around us.
“I’m okay…” I whispered.
“You’re not,” he said.
“I’m not… I’m not what?” Fuck! My cock grew firm again, pressing against my towel in an embarrassing bulge. I quickly covered it with my hands.
“You’re not fine,” he said. “Talk to me.”
“Can we just get this over with?”
“Not until you speak to me.”
“I… I can’t.”
“But why?”
“Because this isn’t the right time.”
He frowned. “Shouldn’t the soul bond be stopping you hiding secrets from me?”
“It’s not… I suppose it is. But if I tell you now, it’ll cause harm.”
“To me?”
“Please, Valance. Can’t it wait. The longer we stand here, the longer we delay getting to Autumn. We can talk properly then.”
Gods! I didn’t want to talk about Prince Daire to him at any time.
He stared at me, his frown softening. “Fine. I’d rather not linger here.”
Good. I’d bought myself some time.
We waded deeper into the water until the sandy bed gave way to open water. My towel slid away.
Despite the cool air moving in, the sea was fairly warm. We tread water, bobbing on the waves. Valance shimmered in the moonlight, an artistic hand revealing every sharp angle of his face, the beautiful colors of his hair.
Look at me thinking such hellpiss!
“Any fishtail yet?” I asked him.
“Still my legs. Are you ready to dive? I think that’s when it will happen.”
And he was right. As soon as we went under, our bodies changed.
My legs came together, merging into one scaled limb—green fishtail like the mer. The top half of me was exposed and warm, not one hint of coolness. Adjusted to my environment, I gathered. And I could breathe as normal, float with expert ease.
Even talk. “I know everything there is to know about swimming, about using this tail.” I laughed lightly. “Feels amazing.”
“It does,” the prince agreed, a smile on his face to chase away his darkness.
He flapped his fins at the tip of the tail, swam down a little, looped around, and swam back up. Closer to me.
“I think I could get used to this,” he said. “Hidden beneath the water without a care in the world. Though I’m sure the mer have many cares.”
The water stretched out before us, disappearing into darkness. Below I could still see the seabed, but the further it ran from shore, the less I saw.
I’m underwater with a mer tail.
Pinch me. I’m stuck in a dream!
“Now what?” I asked, not wanting to get too comfortable with my new body.
This was temporary. I was human and would remain human, even if I enjoyed the change from the surface problems.
Also, this beat having to use a boat.
“We—”
Shapes in the distance cut him off.
He swam even closer to me, tense.
“They look like mer,” I said.
“Your Highness!” a male voice called.
“Adrian?” Valance whispered, then swam forward. “Adrian!”
There were two mer. One male, one female. Both stunningly pretty, even more so than the famous beauty of the Sidhe fae.
The male caught my eye. Brown-skinned, aquamarine eyes, short brown hair. A stunning man.
He swam into Valance, took him in his slender arms. “You’re here. You’re safe.” He kissed the prince’s cheek. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“Oh, Adrian.”
That kiss became more than a peck, turning into a passionate meeting of lips.
I looked away, catching the eye of the female mer.
Dark brown skin, hair of vibrant red, she floated closer to me. “Hello, I’m Gali.”
“Kormac.”
“Nice to meet you. We’ve heard all about your plight from that strange old woman. Do you know her name?”
“I don’t.”
“She’s so very odd. And rather terrifying.”
“I completely agree,” I said.
She smiled, glancing over to Valance and the male mer. “Do excuse them.”
I looked, got an eyeful of deep kissing, of groping hands.
“They have a hot history,” Gali said. “Adrian gave the prince some amazing sex at the mer festival.”
Better than me? “Is that right?”
“It is. I watched from the trees. I climaxed so hard at such an incredible sight.” She laughed, flipping her hair. “With the helpful fingers of a fellow mer.”
“I see.”
“Maybe you will get to see if you enjoy the sight of men on men. I do. So very much.”
I’ve already sampled him…
…and I want more.
“Valance?” I said, jealousy sitting heavy in my chest.
The prince broke away from Adrian, horror all over his face. He touched his lips, his eyes wide. I felt his regret twang inside me.
He swam over to me, grabbed me by the face. It surprised me so much I didn’t resist, just stared into his dark eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do that. I have no idea what came over me.”
“Adrian did at the mer festival,” Gali added.
The two mer laughed.
“I’m so sorry.” Valance pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m disgusting.”
My hands found their way to the point where flesh became scales. “You’re not, Valance.”
He smiled and removed his hands, lingering by my side. No more kissing for him and Adrian. Thank the gods. That kissing and groping had upset our bond. It was happy again now.
The mer weren’t laughing anymore.
“The old woman was right,” Adrian said.
“You know?” Valance responded.
“About this bond? Yes. She told me. She had to tell us why she kept asking for so much of our help, such as giving her the means to heal your tongue.” His eyes fell to me. “You’re trying to get to Winter.”
The mer then took the prince’s hands in his. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
His thumbs traced Valance’s knuckles. Thumbs that required slicing off so they couldn’t touch my prince.
My prince?
“She gave no other details either,” Gali said. “Only that you must safely reach the north. But that in itself makes no sense, does it?”
“Because the north is cold and dark and full of horrors,” Adrian added. “You will die up there.”
“I have to go,” Valance said.
“I wish you wouldn’t. I wish you would swim south.”
“Why?” the prince asked softly.
“I know of your other curse.”
Valance took his hands back. “You’d want me condemned to those berserker isles?”
“Never, Your Highness. Only for your own safety. I could come with you, help you find a way to break the curse. There are many things in the south—exotic vegetation which may help. We’d need to find an elf with the skills to make this go away.”
“This is shadow magic,” Valance countered. “I need a shadow sorcerer to break it. Anyway, there is no such thing as hope in the south.”
“Just as there is none in the north,” Gali said.
“At least there is a path to follow there,” the prince responded.
Something in the way Adrian glanced at Gali bothered me.
“Too ambitious an idea,” Adrian said. “I’m sorry. I know how ridiculous I sound.”
Valance smiled warmly. “Thank you for your suggestion. It was very kind.”
Adrian glanced at Gali again. “I can’t believe what’s happened to you, Your Highness. What you’ve lost. I offer you all my condolences. My heart breaks for all of this suffering you have endured.”
“Thank you,” Valance said sadly. “Your words mean so much to me.”
How well did he know this mer beyond sex?
“We will keep you safe,” Adrian added. “We will get you to where you need to be. Come. Follow us.”
Valance looked to me. “Are you ready?”
I couldn’t shake off my creeping suspicion. Something wasn’t right here.
Or was it just me?
“I’m ready,” I said.
I kept close to him as we swam into deeper waters, led by the mer…
Thinking of an escape plan.
Several hours later, we reached Spring, swimming deep and close to the country that’d betrayed Summer. Moonlight lit up the dark water, making everything a shimmering milky silver.
The hellpissing tide turned against us here.