Chapter 12 – Keto
KETO
Ifeel like crying, like dissolving into tears and sobbing like I haven’t in a long time. These lies tear at my soul and eat at my belly. And already they’ve put these gargoyles in danger.
I never wanted that. I wanted to be safe with them, not put them at risk.
When my little creature absorbs powers, it works in many different ways. But when the gargoyle transformed into that shark, I knew for certain.
I didn’t realize that my little creature actually gave these men the power of the sea dragons. I thought they might absorb some of the dragons' powers, but never thought they would actually be able to use them.
Shifting is Nereus’s power. He’s the oldest of the sea dragons, and white as the sands of Calimara. So if SharkBoy has his powers, who has the other dragons’ powers? One of them will control the planets and the stars, one will control the waves, and the last will control the mindless sea animals.
These are dangerous powers and even gargoyles won’t be able to contain them for long.
My mind goes to the times fools have greedily tried to steal the powers of immortal gods. It has always ended in their deaths. The powers consume their fragile bodies like a parasite.
I must return their powers before it’s too late. All I need to do is get them near my little creature, my tiniest “monster," but that means finding him somewhere in these endless waters…
I think back to my conversation with Parmoni, the leader of the sirens.
“The waves bring rumors, Mother of Sea Monsters,” she said, leveling me with her far too astute gaze.
I keep my face carefully blank. “What rumors?”
“One is that you died, torn to pieces by hungry sea dragons.”
My heart races. “And the other?”
She cocks her head, studying me. “That you were the one to kill them.”
I don’t know what to say. What is there to say? You can never trust a siren, and yet, Parmoni is the closest that a siren can be to a friend.
“Your brother had a ceremony honoring your brave death,” she continues, then swims closer. “Goddess, you have not asked for my advice—“
“Give it freely,” I rush out.
She smiles, showing her sharp teeth. “Kill your brother and be free from the bastard before he learns that you yet live.”
Kill him? No. As long as I wear this collar such a thing is impossible.
“I’m more interested in what you know of the god who made your cage and cuffs,” I tell her.
“The same one who made your collar?” Her eyes widen. “Is that your plan then, to get him to remove it?”
“Please,” I whisper. “The sea has many ears.”
Her expression grows solemn. “Hephaestus is the blacksmith god, as we both know. And he disappeared long ago, after his bitch of a wife broke his heart.”
“Ex-wife,” I mumble. No, gods don’t have traditional divorces, but he publically decreed himself done with her when he learned the Goddess of Love had been unfaithful to him over and over again.
She nods. “Ex-wife.”
“So, there’s nothing you can tell me?” I ask, disappointment like a pit in my belly.
She stares off for a minute before she smiles once more. “Rumors were that he spent some time on the Isle of Demons.”
I laughed. Even though I avoided the island, I knew exactly where it was.
Having one lead was better than nothing.
“Thank you, sister!” I pull her into a hug.
When I release her, she grins. “Does this mean that you’ll allow us to keep the gargoyles?”
I frown. “I can’t do that. They belong to me.” But then I think of all the places I go in my travels. “But I can see if any males might be inclined to visit your island.”
She looks disappointed. “My girls will not like that, but we will see.”
We head toward the island, and my gut turns. She expected me to trade the men for her information? This exchange might not go as smoothly as I thought.
“I see them!”
SharkBoy's voice shakes me from my memory, and I turn to him in the water. He’s staring off into the sky. I follow his gaze. At first all I see are clouds, but then Max and Arthur shoot out of them and head straight for us.
First, Max pulls SharkBoy from the water.
The big man takes a minute and then shifts into his gargoyle-form.
Then Max and Arthur pull the injured gargoyle, still unconscious, from my arms. At last, SharkBoy reaches down and pulls me out of the water.
Immediately I shift, making myself lighter to carry in the air.
This gargoyle is bigger than Max and Arthur. Wrapping my arms around his neck feels like hugging a tree and wrapping my legs around his waist feels even stranger. He lifts me higher into the air, avoiding the others.
“Clark!” Max shouts. “Bring her back! We can’t follow you and care for Steven!”
They shout more, but he ignores them.
Why is this strange gargoyle—this Clark—taking off with me?
I suddenly become aware that we’re both naked, which shouldn’t matter, but for some reason it does. Against him I feel small, almost dominated by his much larger body. And I shouldn’t like the feeling of this big man against me, but I do. My insides flutter with some unnamed emotion.
Does he feel it too?
My gaze moves up. He’s staring down at me with the strangest fire in his eyes. Nerves tumble in my stomach. Is he angry? Or does that fire mean something else?
Shifting against him, my eyes widen as I feel his large cock harden between my thighs. My legs tighten harder around his waist, and I know that if I lower myself even just an inch, I can rub myself against him.
But I don’t. Max and Arthur make me feel safe. This man? He frightens me a little.
He’s tough, angry, and unpredictable, just like my brother. Oh, God, I pray he's not like my brother, but I really don’t know enough about him to be sure.
His gaze tears from my face and moves to my breasts. It’s suddenly hard to breathe. Does he find me attractive like the other gargoyles?
I tense. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s your name?” he spouts at me.
“Sirena,” the lie tumbles from my lips.
His eyes meet mine once more, and his expression is enraged. “Well, Sirena, let’s not play games. Did you set all of that up?”
My jaw drops and for a second I can’t speak. “Set—“
“You heard me!” he shouts.
I’m lying to all of these gargoyles. I’m betraying them in every way, and yet, it hurts that he’d think I was capable of something like that. For a second I remember how he kissed me on the beach, and the way he touched me. He thought I arranged all of that?
“No,” I say, the word so soft I’m worried he missed it.
His hands tighten on my waist. “I don’t trust you.”
“You shouldn’t,” the words leave my lips before I realize how stupid I was to say them. And yet, I keep talking. “None of you know me. I’m just a mermaid you rescued.”
My throat tightens. I don’t know how I’ll reach the Isle of the Demons without them, not without being seen by my brother’s minions, but perhaps the Fates have brought me into the arms of this suspicious gargoyle for a reason. To give me an opportunity to set them free, to be a good person.
Taking a shaky breath, I speak before I can lose my nerve. “You can drop me wherever you see fit and get back to your mission.”
Back into the water. Where my brother will hear of me. Where I’ll become a slave once more. Just the thought brings that strange pricking feeling back to my eyes. I angrily command myself not to cry.
He doesn’t answer me for a long time, and I feel like he’s assessing me. “So you suggest I just drop you in the sea?”
That’s what I’d said, and I meant it. If he dropped me now, the gargoyles would be safe. Far from me and the wrath of my brother and the sea dragons.
I lift my gaze to meet his. “If that’s what you think is best.”
He tightens one arm around my waist and reaches up with the other to push the hair back from my face. “I know better than to trust a beautiful woman.”
I jerk my chin higher. “I never trust a hot man.”
Why did I say that?
For a second I honestly think he’s going to drop me straight into the ocean, but then the corner of his lips quirk. “So, you think I’m hot?”
I shrug, wishing I could look away from his stunning blue eyes. “I mean…I did until I saw you curled up naked in the bottom of that cage. That was… far from hot.”
This time he laughs, and the sound is so delicious I wish I could eat it. “That wasn’t my best moment.” And then his smile falters. “What were you talking to the sirens about?”
I think back to my conversation, and then I remember he shifted into a shark.
How in the world could I have forgotten?
If these gargoyles have the power of the gods, they’ll die without my help.
The powers of the gods will consume their bodies bit by bit, day by day, until there’s nothing left to consume.
Their fate is tied to mine, whether I like it or not. Any thought of leaving them behind just vanished. Even if I feel like a terrible person, it seems I’m on this path, for good or bad.
So. More lies it is, then. “She gave me a lead on Keto.”
“Where?”
“The Isle of the Demons.”
That strange energy arcs between us again, and I get the oddest feeling that he doesn’t want to trust me. He wants to catch me in a lie, which makes absolutely no sense. Their goal is to find the woman Keto, right? They should be happy about any leads…
After a minute, he nods. “You might be useful after all.”
And yet, he sounds disappointed as he says the words.
Gargoyles are confusing.
“So no dip in the sea?” I ask, trying to distract from my lie.
“For now.” And his gaze gentles for the briefest moment.
Suddenly, the wind swirls around us. Max and Arthur fly in front of us, with the third gargoyle held between them. His eyes are open, but he still looks out of it.
“Clark, why the fuck did you take off?” Arthur asks.
Clark isn't amused at the reprimand. “The mermaid and I had something to discuss.”
“Like how you turned into a shark?” The last gargoyle's voice sounds groggy, but Max and Arthur’s heads snap back to us.
“What’s Steven talking about?” Max asks, his tone light.
Max, Arthur, Clark, and Steven. All accounted for.
I feel Clark’s muscles tighten under my hands. “Apparently, I’ve absorbed one of the sea dragon’s powers.”
“How’s that possible?” Max looks uneasy.
And here it is. Do I lie? Or do I tell the truth? “I think that golden light… I think it was some kind of magic. I think it gave you their powers.”
Clark’s head jerks back to me. “Wait… all of us, or just me?”
I swallow hard. “I think all of you.”
“Talk,” he orders, all humor and gentleness gone from his face.
Suddenly, my tongue feels heavy. What more does he want me to say? “There are four of them and four of you…”
“I don’t feel any different,” Arthur says, shrugging. “If I have some bad ass sea dragon powers, wouldn’t I feel different?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.
“Well, fuck,” Clark mutters above me.
“But I have some ideas on how we can find out, and how we might be able to reverse it,” I tell them.
“How?” Max asks, looking uncertain. “Does it have something to do with that little fish you were carrying? The one that caused the golden light?”
“Yes. While we’re searching for Keto, I can keep an eye out for the little creature that I suspect is responsible for this.” It’s nice to actually say something that’s true. For once.
“She has a lead on the monster,” Clark tells them, and there’s an edge to his voice I don’t understand.
“Well, at least that’s some good news. Where do we head?" Max is studying Clark, and again I get that sense that something’s going on that I don’t understand.
The tension is back in Clark’s voice. “The Isle of the Demons.”
“That’s a long flight,” Arthur says.
I look between them. Do they not want to go? My mind goes through the possible ways I can reach the island. I really do need these gargoyles, and I hate that I do.
“Do we have a choice?” Clark asks, his tone clipped.
Something flashes in Max’s eyes, and his words come out more certain. “We’ll rest tonight and head out tomorrow.”
Clark stiffens again. “Good idea.”
I don’t know what to think as we head back to the island we already spent a night at. The gargoyles are talking, filling each other in on what they know of me, the battle with the sea dragons, and what happened on the island with the sirens. But me? My thoughts won’t stop spinning.
I’m relieved they still plan to take me, but I’m also nervous. I can’t remember the last time I interacted with so many people, and certainly not really sexy men. If I’m not smooth, they’re going to see right through me.
They even thought that what I did in front of the sirens was some sinister plot.
I think back to the island. I’ve never sucked on a man’s cock before. Just the idea of it has always made me feel nervous. But I had to make them come. It was the only way to prove they belonged to me. In fact, for them, I thought it might be the preferable method.
The thing is, I liked it. I liked the feel of Steven’s hands digging into my hair. I liked the sounds of arousal he made, and that I felt somehow in control, even though I was on my hands and knees.
Then there was Clark. How did he know how to do that with his mouth? It felt… out of this world.
Yesterday was my first orgasm. Today was my second. Are gargoyles some kind of orgasm-gods? Do they have magic tongues, cocks, and hands? Do they know just how to touch a woman to please her?
Somehow I’m both aroused and scared out of my mind. My whole plan has been to keep them too distracted to see through my lies, so why do I get the feeling they’re the ones distracting me?
I need to come up with some sexy moves, and fast.