Chapter 10
10
K ai’s mind was racing with the revelations of the day. Not only did he finally know from where he’d come, he had met his birth mother…again, but this time with the knowledge of who she actually was to him. Just the thought of how she’d been a part of his life, and he’d never known who she was to him, felt unreal. How did she manage to give him up and then see him once a year, letting him go time after time? She had said it was to protect him, but the details of why were still vague.
He had so many questions—so many questions.
As they sat around the rectangular table, King Makoa sneering from the head seat, Uma to his left, and Kai’s half-sister Oleen, who he had just met, to his right. Leilani sat on the other side of his mother, and Kai had been placed next to her. Hollyn sat across from him beside Oleen. It was an awkward dinner party, and Kai knew he was about to make it even more so with his next question.
“Who is my father?”
Oleen had been taking a sip from her cup and coughed as she choked on the potent wine they’d all been served. She lowered her glass as Hollyn patted her back to help her clear the liquid. Oleen smiled at her gratefully as she gave a couple more small coughs before she was breathing normally again.
Kai looked toward his mother expectantly, but it was King Makoa who spoke first.
“A vengeful bastard who no one misses. The last thing we want is to draw his attention to Hanupali City.”
No doubt, the irritation came through in Kai’s voice as he said, “I wasn’t asking you.” He stared straight at the smarmy asshole, holding his gaze.
In due time, there was no doubt in Kai’s mind that he and King Makoa would clash. He just didn’t want it to be some crazy situation with an audience and a kingdom on the line. He’d just really like to wipe the smug smirk off good ‘ol Mak’s face.
His mother pulled his attention back to her as she explained, “The people of Hanupali City don’t hold a lot of affection for your father. He had a tendency to show up, party and carouse with the females, and disappear as quickly as he came. He isn’t the most reliable of males.”
“Why would that make them want to kill his offspring—me?” It seemed like a bit of a leap in logic to Kai.
She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “Some people saw it as a power grab. You see, he and I never officially married, and my father went hurricanic when he found out I was pregnant with you. It wasn’t so much that you were the threat. Your grandfather saw your father as the real threat, but he thought your father would use you to claim the throne of Hanupali City.”
“I still don’t understand why abandoning me on a beach was the solution to this problem. Was my father so horrible that the thought of him ruling the city created the need to kill a baby?”
“I wouldn’t say your father was horrible. More like the baddest of the bad boys of the sea, but the real danger to you came when your grandfather thought the solution was to marry me to someone else. He arranged a marriage without my knowledge to Oleen’s father, Puali. I fought it to no avail. After the wedding, I locked myself away. Puali and I didn’t consummate the marriage, so when a son was born, it became clear that it wasn’t his. You were a threat to his reign and his legacy. That’s why I made the difficult decision to hand you over to the Iona’s.”
“Wait! Are you saying you didn’t just leave me on a beach, hoping someone would find me?”
She shook her head. “No. I met the Iona’s on the beach while I was still pregnant. They had always wanted a child and had never been able to conceive. We made an arrangement that they would raise you and visit each summer so that I could still know you. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I wanted you to live.”
Makoa’s irritation came through as he said, enunciating each word carefully, “You forgot to mention the worst part. The bastard who fathered his own bastard in Kai was none other than Poseidon himself. You are a threat to Hanupali City because the last thing we need is another visit from a god who would just as soon destroy this town as rule it.”
Kai saw Hollyn wince as the knowledge of his father’s identity was finally revealed. If any of this were to be believed, Kai was a demi-god, and likely, one of many of Poseidon’s bastards spread across the ocean. Was this really supposed to make him feel bad?
But Kai surprised himself completely with his response. What started as a low rumbling in his chest burst forth in a full bout of laughter at the ridiculous idea that Kai should feel bad about his parentage, something he had had no control over. He looked over at Hollyn, at the wide smile that formed on her face. She looked beautiful ordinarily, but when she smiled, she was downright irresistible.
“Why do you find that funny? Your father clearly couldn’t care less about you or any of his other offspring.”
Kai wiped at his eyes, swiping away the bit of wetness that had formed on the rims with his full laughter. He met Makoa’s angry gaze, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do more than smirk in the man’s direction.
“Seriously! Do you not understand how worthless you are to your own father? He doesn’t care about you, and he never did!”
Finally, Kai leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “He might have helped create me, but he’s not my father. Michael Iona was my father, and he raised me to be the kind of man who isn’t goaded into doing something I might regret just because some asshat pushes my buttons.”
Makoa jumped to his feet and slammed his hands on the tabletop. “Oleen is the rightful heir to the throne, and I am her husband—the King. You will never sit on that throne.”
Uma reached out a hand and laid it on top of Makoa’s as she said, “Puali and I were always civil, and I’d like to think we came to care for each other eventually, so Oleen was the daughter we both wanted, but the law is clear, the first born of the first born shall be the heir to the throne, even if the child is born out of wedlock. Now, I didn’t want to bring this up, but this kingdom is not doing well under your rule. It is time for a change.”
Makoa pulled his hand back as if he’d been burned. He straightened to his full height as he met the gazes of each person at the table. “And you think he’ll do a better job? Someone who doesn’t have enough sense even to know not to get mixed up with a siren? I think he has too much of his biological father in him! That’s why he brought a whore to the dinner table!”
Pure, white-hot anger surged through Kai like lava through a tube. He stood, his vision honing in on one sneering face. “You better fucking leave Hollyn out of this! This is between you and me!”
“You’re fucking right it is! If you want the throne, you’ll have to pry me off of it with a fight. That is if you have the balls to face me!”
“Oh, I’ve got them alright! Just name the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
“No time like the present. Follow me to the arena.”
Kai wasn’t sure he liked the way Makoa grinned, like he knew something Kai didn’t, but he didn’t argue. And despite his mother’s, Oleen’s, and Hollyn’s urgings for him not to go, Kai followed after Makoa, ready to smash the asshole’s face to bits.
Yet, as Kai entered the arena, a massive crowd waited in the seats like they’d bought admission to the Friday nigh fight. This is exactly what Kai was trying to avoid. He didn’t want to be the king of Hanupali City. But his pride wasn’t going to let him lose to Makoa, not after he’d dared to insult Hollyn. The guy needed to get what was coming to him.
Makoa turned back into the King as he addressed the cheering crowd. “People of Hanupali City, this would-be usurper has challenged me to a duel!” The crowd went insane at the announcement. Makoa turned his attention toward Kai as he continued, “Let’s see if the pretty boy can fight as well as he can talk! Choose your weapon!”
Kai glanced around the arena and saw multiple weapon choices hanging from four different racks. He saw swords, whips, chains, something with a large, metal, spiked ball on the end of a wooden handle. Yet, the minute his gaze fell on the three-pointed trident, he knew it was his weapon. He didn’t waste time, crossing to it in four strides and lifting it from its rack and turning back to face Makoa. Makoa’s look of disgust faded only once he lifted a sword and swung the blade through the air with a few acrobatic moves.
The crowd cheered once more.
With new determination, Kai gripped the trident, feeling the strength of the weapon in his hands, but he had a sinking feeling this was not going to be an easy fight. It was likely going to be the death of one of them.