Chapter 27
Kai didn’t touch Luna again for the rest of the day. Not even when she stumbled on some slippery rocks as she made her way into the water for their third swim. She held her small pack above her head as she swam, and he didn’t offer to take it from her.
His thoughts were glum.
Like she said, he would return to Thedaka, and she would return to her job on the wharf.
How could it be any other way?
There had not been a kraken human mating in several hundred years, well before the Great War. Before evil diluted the magic, polluted the waters. Besides, he reminded himself, it had been humans that maimed him and killed his friends. Even if Luna was from a different clan, how could the Thedakians ever accept a human in their midst?
How would she even breathe down there, you dumb fuck?
The only other way would be for him to live on land. In Motham. His tentacles would shrivel and die, he would become a sad, mutated kraken, losing his ability to swim deep. It was rumored to have happened once or twice over the years, and had ended badly by all accounts.
But would he? If she intimated, that she… loved him back.
Loved—him—back.
Was he admitting he loved her then? Fuck. How could he deny it? He cursed the hopelessness of their situation as they climbed out of the water yet again, and he watched her push back her short hair and wring the water off it. It hurt to look at her, like staring too long at the sun.
Kai turned away and looked out to sea instead. Toward his home. The home that held no joy for him without Luna.
They waited until their skin had dried off, each of them studiously not looking at the other as they put on their clothes. The air was tense. It was hard to believe that they’d fallen apart keening each other’s names under the stars last night.
He steeled himself and kept his distance as they alternately walked and swam along the coastline.
As they neared their destination, Kai sensed the tension growing in her. It was late afternoon now, the heat from the sun rising off the beach in a haze. Ahead, he could make out the rock-formed walls and gateway that heralded the Mer community.
He’d never been near this place, and no wonder, with the secret his people had been harboring for fifteen years.
He should be happy. At least baby Tomas had been saved. But the sordid truth was, the revered head of their fleet was losing his mind when he attacked that boat.
What a hideous error.
And then there were his dad’s words. What was it his father had been trying to say? Their tragic deaths were our gain. Was his father going mad too? How could any good come from murdering innocent humans? Kai trudged on, deep in thought. The elders were still holding information back, and it kept niggling at him. It was all very well for his grandfather to say he’d find out when he reached Metan, but that would be too late.
Suddenly Luna drew to an abrupt halt next to him. He stopped, cocked his head.
“Luna?”
Her eyes were huge as she gazed back at him. “I—I?—”
She looked so small and pale, like one puff of wind and she would blow away.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m fucking terrified.”
“Hey, hey,” he said softly. “I’m nervous too, and it’s not my long-lost brother that we’re about to meet.”
Now she was trembling from head to foot. “All my life I’ve longed for this, and now… now… I just want to turn and run away.”
Kai let out a soft whoosh of air. He was going to break their agreement. But stuff it. She needed to be held. To be soothed and comforted.
He stepped forward and she didn’t retreat. His arms came around her, and so did his tentacles. He wound himself around her like a big blue blanket and pulled her gently to him. She curled into him, her hands on his chest, yielding to him, her ear against his hearts.
He kissed the top of her head, along her temple, across her forehead. He stroked her with tentacles and hands. And gradually, he felt the tension ease out of her body.
She looked up suddenly, her lips trembling, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. “It’ll be okay, won’t it?”
“It will be more than okay. It will be wonderful.”
She didn’t answer, just gently untangled herself and, with a tremulous smile, started moving resolutely toward the Mer community.
He kept one tentacle loosely looped around her waist. No way was he going to remove it unless she asked him to, and she didn’t.
As they got closer, he could see the words Merinda—home of Mer folk Artisans, inscribed in shells and sea glass on a driftwood sign above the gateway.
They waded through the rocky arches that formed a natural pathway toward it.
“Hey, who goes there?”
A large turtle guarded the gate. Well-fed and lazy, he’d obviously been asleep. He struggled to right himself, and his thick neck shot forward.
“Luna Storm and Kai Ganlan,” Kai said. ”Your community leader is expecting us.”
“Oh right, yeah. That’s it. I was told to expect a guy and a girl.” The turtle rocked on his shell, yawned. “Sign here please.” He brought out a book and pen. “Can’t let any old humans in. There’ve been a few attempts to infiltrate the community under the pretense of tourism.” He sniffed and appraised Luna. “Humans are getting everywhere these days. Should never had knocked that hole in the Motham wall if you ask me.”
“I’m not one of those humans,” Luna said defensively.
“Hmmm.” He eyed her. “We got one who lives here—well, kinda hybrid he is. Looks like you he does, too. Nice kid though, exception to my rule about humans, that one.”
Kai saw Luna visibly jump. “Yes… I…”
The turtle didn’t seem to know the facts, but he waved them in.
They entered the community and waded waist deep in water around to the rocky caves which signaled the town. Mer folks lazed on rocks, dipped into the water. There were folks weaving on large looms and a group making shell jewelry on the beach, laughing and chatting in the late afternoon sun.
A cabana with a straw roof sat on stilts in the shallows, and a few Mer folks were lounging on low rocks, drinking cocktails. It all looked… idyllic.
A big plump Mer woman swam toward them, her tail swishing in the water.
“Hey there, I’m Brooke. I run this rag tag of artists. You must be Luna, yes? And Kai.”
Luna nodded, twisting her hands together.
“You’re here to see our Tom. Finally.”
“Tom!” Luna exclaimed. “How did you know to call him that?”
“No special reason.” Brooke shrugged. “Guess it’s a solid human name.”
Luna’s mouth dropped open. “His name was Tomas, before…” she whispered. “That’s uncanny.”
“Nah, not really.” Brooke laughed. “He looked like a Tom. And it’s easy, neat. We like easy here. Anyway, come, come, he’s working on a piece at present.”
“A piece?”
“For you. As a gift. He’s a really talented pearl jeweler. He’s an apprentice now, to my partner, Letitia. Good at art he was, from early on. We saw his talent even as a little kiddo.”
“From my mom, probably. She painted,” Luna murmured.
They entered the workshop and Kai heard Luna’s indrawn breath. His eyes followed hers. There at a bench, working on a piece of pearl shell with a fine chisel, was a blonde-haired teenager. He was wearing a loin cloth in shades of iridescent green and blue, and a leather belt with tools, and he had Luna’s lithe muscles and tone.
He raised his head and Kai glanced from one to the other as their gazes fused.
Luna let out a little sound, somewhere between a gasp and a sigh. “Tom-as,” she whispered. Haltingly, she stepped forward. “I—I’m Luna. I’m your sister.”
His face broke into a smile. He put down his tools and came around the work bench on strong muscled legs. Kai noticed he was wearing strange boots up to his knees that almost looked like fins.
They stood in front of each other, and Kai could see Luna frowning, her hands clenched at her sides. The boy searched her face, his blue eyes suddenly uncertain, his smile fading.
Oh gods, Luna was nervous and giving out totally the wrong vibes. She had her scowly face on.
He had to get her to smile. Somehow.
He looped out a tentacle and gave her a little tap on the butt. She swung round, her eyes surprised, and he drew a big smile on his face, eyebrows waggling at her madly.
Her mouth formed an O of comprehension.
And then she turned back to her brother and her face lit up in a great big, beaming smile, and she opened her arms.
And the kid who was both Tom and Tomas smiled big in answer.
And walked straight into her outstretched arms.