Chapter 18
“Ihave a surprise for you,” they said. “One that I think…hope…you’ll like.”
“More surprising than appearing at the club to whisk me away?” I asked, already in better spirits about where we were headed. Haven Diner had been a cozy spot the first time we’d come here, and I was happy to return.
“Yes, more surprising than that,” they responded dryly. “You sent me a cry for help. What else was I supposed to do?”
I swallowed hard. They’d done more than anyone else in my life, and I didn’t think they even realized how unique they were. Someone whose word was bond, who showed up when everyone else failed me.
“Come on,” they said as they pushed open their door. “We’ve got a visitor waiting inside.”
My brows drew together. A visitor? Who could want to see me?
Ursuline wouldn’t bring my parents. More likely, my parents would never go somewhere with Ursuline. Yet that concern grew as I stepped out of the car, the crisp air coating my skin. Who could they mean?
They headed toward the door, sure, confident, and I sucked in a sharp breath. So far, they’d only had my best interests at heart. I’d trust them in this.
Haven Diner’s neons glowed on the sign, and the chrome exterior caught the moonlight.
The wide windows showcased the interior, which was filled with people this time of night.
I strode up the walkway, and my stomach rumbled.
I had been hungry before being tossed into the fray at the club, which had diminished it. Now my appetite started to return.
The slight scent of burnt sugar hit my nose as we approached, part of the spells that guarded this place.
Ursuline swept the door open and gestured me in.
I walked forward, and upon entering, the scent of cinnamon and safety greeted me.
The place was warm, in a comfortable sort of way, and my shoulders sagged with relief, as if I could take a load off them.
“To the right,” Ursuline said, close enough that the heat of their breath tickled my ear.
I glanced to the booths lining the righthand side, the eye-catching purple and green.
However, someone in them snagged my attention.
He sat there with a cup of coffee, as casual as anything, even though I hadn’t seen him since the day I’d been spat up by the sea.
Jason.
His long forehead was creased, his skin a deeper greenish blue in the overhead lighting, and his tentacles spilled out of his side of the booth.
I whipped toward Ursuline. “You contacted Jason?”
“Hope that’s okay,” they said, their dark eyes scrutinizing me.
Joy burst inside me at the familiar face. I’d wanted to talk to him, explain where I’d disappeared to, but I also hadn’t wanted him to know the threats my family had made.
He looked up, and those dark, sharklike eyes settled on me. A faint grin rose on his lips, which for him was the equivalent of beaming. “It’s been a bit, Elrich.”
“Can I have a hug?” I blurted out once we neared him, and he rose from his seat and outstretched his tentacles.
They curled around my shoulders, brought me a few steps closer, and squeezed me tight to him.
Heat burned in my eyes, tears of relief that my friend hadn’t forgotten me. That he still cared.
My choice to protect him had been the right one. I’d known it back then, and I was reassured of it now.
“Ursuline contacted me,” Jason said as he let go. The fact he’d offered a hug in the first place was nothing short of a miracle.
Ursuline slipped into the seat opposite Jason and patted the spot next to them. I slid in at once, and they curled their tentacle around my shoulders. The touch they so readily offered made me swoon. I’d never been on the receiving end of anything this constant in my life.
I met their eyes. “Thank you.”
They offered a wan smile, so I leaned back into the seat, their tentacle securely around me. Jason stared between us, his expression unreadable, but he wouldn’t judge.
“So, the Triton family?” Jason did ask, breaking the quiet.
I wrinkled my nose. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I didn’t want him feeling guilty for my choice or what my family tried to do.
“Not by choice.” Ursuline stepped in for me. “Society pulling their usual chess moves.”
Jason let out a low grumble.
A waitress swung by, a brunette with a long braid and a sharp expression. “What can I get you to drink to start?”
“The Elixir for me,” Ursuline said, then glanced to me. “Tea?”
I nodded, warmth spreading through me that they knew what I preferred.
I shifted in my seat, the cock cage keeping my length tightly contained.
The mere movement made my balls throb. Sitting beside them was a different sort of torture with this constant reminder—not only that my cock belonged to them but the memory of what their mating tentacles could do to me.
“The Elixir?” I asked, curiosity striking me as I skimmed over the menu. Like before, it fascinated me to see human menu items like meatloaf alongside seaweed and krill salad and blood and carrot soup.
“It’s a specialty for oceanic folks,” Ursuline said. “A brine smoothie filled with nutrients from the sea. It’s the sort of thing we’d normally get from living in New Atlantis, but for those of us who spend more time on land now, it helps balance our diets.”
“Can I try some?” I asked, curiosity filtering through me. All the differences between monsterkind and humans fascinated me.
“Sure, sunshine,” they said, an amused smile on their face.
“A new development?” Jason asked, glancing between the two of us.
I swallowed hard and glanced to Ursuline. I wasn’t sure how much they wanted to say, even though with their tentacle wrapped around my shoulders, they clearly didn’t mind PDA.
“As much as it can be,” Ursuline responded.
Jason nodded and sipped at his coffee. Like always, he wasn’t chatty, but his presence was a solid weight I’d missed. He’d been a refuge when I needed one the most, the monster who’d taught me to unlock the passion for art that’d been brewing inside me my whole life.
“Have you worked on any new pieces?” I asked Jason.
His small smile hinted he had. “A few for an upcoming show. And you?”
“Yeah,” I said, heat rising to my cheeks.
Most of my latest pieces had been inspired by one person—the one sitting right beside me.
Creativity had flowed, whether from moonlit swims to the melody of the music they played or from the sheer pleasure of their competence in the way they’d taken me apart.
“It’s about all I’m doing now that I’m stuck milling around the Triton residence. ”
Jason shook his head, his tentacles twitching in the process. He glanced to Ursuline. “There’s no way to get him out of this?”
They blanched, and my stomach twisted. The more I learned about Frederick and his family, the more uneasy I grew to be attached to them. So much was a mystery still, especially what happened when the family went under the sea to New Atlantis.
“I’m trying to figure that out,” they said, casting me an apologetic glance.
I didn’t mind learning more about the contract here, though.
They had told me enough, and they didn’t owe it to anyone to bare whatever past still burdened them.
Even though I hoped one day they’d be able to open up to me.
“Frederick wants a foothold with the wealthy humans, and he’s going about securing that by marrying his youngest to Elrich. ”
Maybe if Jason was alerted, if he escaped now, then I could cancel the engagement. The idea began percolating in my mind, one to entertain before I signed anything.
“I’m going below in a week,” Jason said, taking another sip of his coffee.
The waitress swung back over with my steaming mug of water with the tea bag on the side and Ursuline’s Elixir, which was an oddish blue color. “Figured something to eat?” she asked, giving a nod to the menu.
“Uh, a burger for me,” I said, since I’d gotten so caught up in conversation I’d barely given the menu a glance.
“Rassoul,” Ursuline ordered. “With a side of rice.”
“Good choice,” Jason said with a grunt. “I’ll do the same.”
“Thanks,” the waitress said with a quick bob of her head before she darted off.
The place was hopping tonight, so no doubt she was running from patron to patron.
To the right of us, a group of demons sat in a booth, deep in discussion, their black curled horns prominent.
A human and an imp took up one of the other seats, sharing a root beer float, clearly on a date.
The diner was so colorful, same with the clientele. I loved how different Haven was from the staunch rigidity of the human functions in high society. This was an explosion of color and cultures, and I loved it with my whole heart.
“What’s prompting the visit?” Ursuline asked.
“I haven’t gone in five years,” Jason said. “Going back…it invites pain.”
Ursuline’s lips flattened, and they bobbed their head. “If only I could.”
“You can’t go below?” I asked.
Ursuline shook their head. “Underwater, yes. To New Atlantis, no. I’m employed for Frederick’s human relations.”
“Part of your contract,” Jason said, sympathy in his dark eyes.
What sort of terrible contract had they signed? They didn’t hold any fondness for the Triton family, but the more I discovered, the more I was almost terrified to find out the extent of what they faced.
They licked their lips and let out a sigh. “Can I ask a favor?”
Jason nodded.
“No one I know has gone below in awhile. Could you check on them for me?”
“Of course.”
The questions multiplied in my brain, but the tension in the air grew so dense I’d need a chainsaw to cut through. If I probed for more information here, Ursuline would shut me down.
“Here, try the Elixir,” they said, nudging the drink in my direction.
I didn’t hesitate, grabbing the glass and lifting it to my lips. The taste was a mixture of salty sweet, like a Bloody Mary. I didn’t hate it. “Interesting.”
“You can tell me if you don’t like it,” Ursuline said, amusement in their eyes.
“Just different,” I said. “But I like different.”
“I know.” Their eyes glittered with approval, which I soaked up. “You’re a rare sort, Elrich.”
Heat flushed through me. Praise from them lit me on fire, and I shifted in my seat again, all too aware of the ache in my balls.
Of the way my cock pushed against the confines of the metal cage.
They gave me a long and slow glance, their gaze resting on my trapped cock. A slight smirk lifted their lips.
“How’s your brushwork been?” Jason asked, cutting through the tension between Ursuline and me.
I blinked, trying to switch my focus back to normal conversation. “Less rigid. I’ve been trying to let things flow a little more, going a bit more into impressionism.”
Jason bobbed his head, clearly approving. “You could do a lot with exploring that. Your passion is your greatest asset.”
I swallowed hard. Jason had always said that about my art, but I’d always felt in life it had been my downfall.
Ursuline’s tentacle brushed against my leg, the caress sending another shiver through me.
At least until lately.
Lately, passion had been the one thing I held onto.