Chapter 31
Three days of waking up beside Ursuline, and they weren’t enough. I didn’t know if I’d ever get enough. I rolled over in bed, reaching out for them…except their side of the bed was empty. The sheets were cold.
I blinked and then rubbed my eyes before pushing myself upright.
The room was the same one we’d been staying in at the Spires all week, a safe haven while we figured our situation out.
In the days that followed after we escaped my parents’ manor, Sofia had forwarded the photos to the news outlets.
Articles were plastered everywhere with Frederick Triton’s image in true mermaid form.
Some tried to argue it must be altered, but others began to put the pieces together about how he’d managed to control the orichalcum trade this way, and then the stories spiraled from there.
Except his retreating to New Atlantis wasn’t good enough. He’d ruined so many lives down below, and knowing he’d continue to do so made my chest ache.
A cough sounded at the doorway.
Ursuline leaned against the frame, taking up the whole space.
They wore a loose black tunic with a low V that exposed a good amount of their chiseled chest. Their silver hair was slicked back, the strands tamed, and a lazy smile tilted their lips.
Fuck, the sight of them knocked the breath from my lungs.
Their dark eyes held a voracious hunger as they scanned me over, and when they glided forward on their tentacles, I squirmed in place.
My cock was still hard from waking up, and the sight of them turned me on effortlessly.
“Where did you go?” I asked.
“I was working on finishing touches,” Ursuline said, sweeping in.
They plunked down next to me on the mattress and leaned in.
I met their lips at once, savoring the sweetness of their kiss, how it made my whole body wake up.
Gods, I loved them with everything in me, and I could barely believe they loved me in return.
Ursuline wove their fingers through my hair and tugged. They drew back, tenderness in their gaze that traveled straight to my heart. “You’re perfect, sunshine.”
“Mm, I’m a bit rumpled is what I am,” I murmured, heat rising to my cheeks.
“Perfect,” they insisted, and the emphasis filled me with warmth. “And all mine.”
“Is that a hint you want to start chastity again?” I asked, shifting on the mattress. My cock ached at the thought. “Because I wouldn’t be opposed.”
Ursuline’s eyes danced with wickedness. “Tonight, I’m going to fuck you until you’re screaming, make you come so many times you forget your name. And after that, I’ll lock up your pretty cock.”
Flames rushed through me in a fast, fierce torrent. “Please.”
“But we’ve got something important to do first,” they said, their voice growing serious. My chest sank. I knew what awaited us, and while it was necessary, that didn’t mean the nerves hadn’t swept in.
“I’m coming with you,” I said, pushing out of bed. Ursuline watched as I slipped on underwear, loose black pants, a gauzy gray shirt, socks, and then dragged black shoes on. “Are you sure you don’t need more time?”
Ursuline’s lips formed a thin line. They hadn’t broken down, even though mention of their family caused a storm to cross their face.
Yet pain emanated from them in interspersions.
It wasn’t constant—probably because they’d been separate from them for so long—but every so often a song would play, or they’d stop on the page of a book, or a comment would be made in passing that held memories.
And those caused them to recoil, for their expression to darken, for them to retreat into themself. Yet, I had the sense the dam was waiting to break. And when it did, I’d be there.
“More time gives Frederick the ability to escape,” Ursuline said. “I need him to understand he made a mistake in crossing me. That the power he wielded is gone.”
I swallowed but nodded. “Will anyone be joining us?”
Ursuline shook their head. “Just you and me. How we started this, and how we’ll end it.”
My chest squeezed tight. We could do this. As much as Triton was a scary bastard, so was Ursuline.
And they’d done their homework.
“What do you need to get?” I asked, popping into the attached bathroom to brush my teeth and piss. I ran a brush through my hair, but it always had a sort of windswept look.
“I’ve got it all right here,” Ursuline said by the door to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror and I could see the suitcase held up by one of their tentacles. “Once I got the information to the proper channels, it was easy to set things in motion.”
I shook my head. Ursuline had tried to explain their plan to me several times, but the legalese made my ears leak. “Well then, let’s get on the road.”
We exited the room and zipped down the elevator, stopping at the parking garage level.
Cillian had a host of cars there, and he was letting us borrow a sleek purple one for the time being.
As much as I appreciated the safe place and generosity, part of me couldn’t wait until Ursuline and I could set out into the world and start to carve our own future.
My mind whirred with the options ahead of me, so different from the cattle chute I’d been stuck in my entire life.
We exited the parking garage and set off into the streets of Peregrine City, the skyscrapers looming around us.
The colors and sights of the city burst all around, from the massive wing sculpture in the center of Argyle Park to the multicolored overhangs on everything from restaurants to divination centers.
“Now that you’re no longer employed by the Tritons, what do you want to do?” I asked, curiosity sneaking in.
Ursuline glanced to me, their one hand on the steering wheel. “I’ve known that for years. I’m going to start up a non-profit law firm to help monsterkind.”
My chest squeezed tight. As if I couldn’t love them more.
“I’m not the only one who’s free, though,” they commented. “What do you want, Elrich?”
Gods, what a question. “To paint sounds trivial, doesn’t it?” I murmured, staring out the window as the buildings flashed by. “Yet that’s what I’ve longed to do my whole life.”
“With talent like yours, it’s not trivial,” Ursuline said. “I’d love nothing more than our future home to be filled with your art.”
My heart thudded hard, my mind soaring with possibilities. My fingers itched to grab a paintbrush and find a canvas. Yet we had an important task to complete, one that would secure the future we were speaking of.
Already we’d reached the edges of Peregrine City, those familiar back roads leading to Triton Manor. I’d thought once I left that prison I’d never return, but today was worth the trip.
Ursuline’s knuckles whitened as they clutched the steering wheel a little tighter the closer we got.
I wasn’t the only one affected. I reached over and stroked one of their tentacles.
They passed me a grateful smile, and my heart bloomed with fresh warmth.
They were everything I’d wanted in a partner, and a future with them?
Fuck, I’d never longed for anything more.
We reached the winding driveway for Triton Manor, and the air in the car tensed.
We slowed our approach as we rolled down the long path, heading toward the mansion by the sea, the one that had such a twisted hold on me.
Despite the days of confinement, how trapped I’d felt there, I’d also always remember it.
For it was there I’d met Ursuline.
It was there I had fallen in love.
We had been a bloom poking through the cracks in the concrete, something beautiful in spite of all the ugliness surrounding it.
When Ursuline pulled to a park in front of the main entrance, they heaved a shaky breath.
I placed a hand over theirs. “We’ve got this. You did your research, and Frederick doesn’t deserve to escape, not after everything he’s done.”
Ursuline bobbed their head in a nod. They traced the side of my face, the touch feather-light. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
“You’re stuck with me,” I said, a grin rising to my lips. “Even though I’ll warn you, I’m needy.”
“Maybe I love that about you,” Ursuline said as they cracked the car door open. “Maybe I love everything about you, Elrich Durand.”
With that, they snagged their briefcase from the back seat and exited the car, and I took my cue and did the same.
Each step toward the front door echoed, and despite the bright sunlight beaming down on us, I couldn’t help the chill that raced down my spine.
When I’d first come to this place with my parents, I’d had no idea what awaited me.
However, the trials and tribulations had led me to being here, with the love of my life.
Ursuline lifted their fist and knocked. We waited, a hum in the air between us that all but vibrated.
Then the door creaked open.
Ernest, the butler, stepped into view. When his gaze landed on us, he paled. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve got a legal summons for Frederick Triton,” Ursuline said, cracking open the briefcase. “If you wouldn’t mind fetching him.”
“Right away,” Ernest said as he rushed from the entrance like his tailcoats had caught on fire.
“Who’s here?” a familiar voice sounded, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.
Arielle peeked out the doorway. Her face grew tight and angry, the most I’d ever seen from her in my entire stay at Triton Manor. “Haven’t you both done enough?”
“Did you know?” I asked, the question one that had lingered with me. “What your father was doing?”
Arielle glared at me, hatred shining in those eyes that were once always light and carefree. “Don’t be na?ve, Elrich.”
Her response settled in my gut. The comment was so similar to things my parents had said my entire life, how I’d missed so much of what was going on around me because my head was in the clouds.
“You’d better get used to figuring your own life out, navigating situations yourself,” Ursuline said, their tone sharp. “Your father can’t evade his crimes forever.”
Arielle opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a looming shadow drew our attention.
Frederick Triton strode forward, looking like he’d bring lightning down from the heavens to strike us where we stood. Today he was on two legs, a different pendant around his neck. But the slip with the old one had cost him his reputation.
“Is it wise to show up at my doorstep, given you’re in breach of your contract?” Frederick rumbled, casting a dark glare in our direction.
Ursuline stared him down. “You’ll find, given my family was not protected, that I’m not in breach in the slightest. That agreement ended the second they passed. Funny how long it took for the news to travel to me.”
Frederick glared back at them, brimming with unspent violence. “Go, Arielle,” he said. “I’ll deal with this trash.” She shook her head and slipped away as quickly as she’d arrived. Frederick crossed his arms. “Have you returned back to your apartment?”
“Heard it’s a bit too crispy for that,” Ursuline responded coolly. “Though I’d rather live there than where you’ll be headed.”
“Ernest mentioned a summons,” Frederick said.
“Right,” Ursuline said, passing over the file that they’d pulled from their briefcase.
“A certain business, Liquidium Industries, is under the spotlight right now. And there are a host of angry businesses who’ve been fooled by the shell corporation for years.
If you follow the financial trail, it sure looks like Triton Industries has been receiving undisclosed payments from the company for as many years. ”
“Get out,” Triton growled, his face darkening. “Get out of my sight.”
Ursuline stared back at him. “You’ve been evading justice for too long.
Harming anyone who got in your way, taking anything you wanted—even people, monsters.
No more. Hiding away in New Atlantis won’t save you now.
Some of the companies you screwed over reside down there as well.
So have a nice life, Frederick. I’ll see you in court. ”
With that, Ursuline turned and glided away.
I set into motion after them at once, my skin prickling from the weight of Triton’s glare.
He didn’t budge from the entryway, simply stood there glowering as he held the documents in hand that would seal his fate.
Ursuline was a talented lawyer, hence why he’d kept them on for years, and they’d made sure he wouldn’t be able to wiggle out of escaping the punishment he deserved.
I reached out for Ursuline’s hand, and they took mine at once, their slender fingers weaving with mine. Together, we strode away from the Triton Manor, connected, united. We weren’t racing away in fear any longer, and with Triton dealt with, we were no longer on the run.
We could finally start walking toward the future.