Chapter 25
Kiora
I WOKE UP AS TROY WAS leaving the hot spring cave. Knowing he was so close brought a smile to my face. I should do something nice for him, but first, I needed to get out of the water and put my legs on.
As I climbed out of the hot spring, I considered for a whole second not putting my clothes on. What would be the point if Troy would strip them off, anyway? But this wasn’t our cave, and there was no telling who else might stop by.
I got dressed and went to the living room in search of Troy. He wasn’t there, but there was a whisper of his voice coming from the mouth of the cave.
And then I heard what he was saying.
“I found your daughter.”
I froze. He couldn’t be talking about me. Right? He was a private investigator, so he was probably looking for someone else. There was no reason to jump to conclusions.
The blood in my legs pulsed with the need to run, but I stayed. Stayed and listened.
“She’s a flight risk. I need Eirlys here to talk to Kiora. I think she might bolt if anyone else tries talking to her about it.”
I took a step back. He was talking about me. And Mom. Waves, he wanted to use my mom to keep me in line? Was that it?
Careful not to make a sound, I crept back to the only place I felt the slightest amount of safety—the hot spring.
If Troy realized I heard him, he might do something to stop me from escaping, so I had to play it smart. Return to the rock. Pretend I was still asleep.
Holy seaweed on a stick, this hurt. It hurt so bad I looked at my chest to make sure I didn’t actually get stabbed through the heart. It sure as hell felt like it.
Six years ago, I had overheard Dad having a similar conversation, only it took me longer to realize what he was planning. But Dad had always been an asshole.
Tears spilled down my face as I took my clothes off and returned to the rock I’d taken a nap on.
Troy had been so... Waves, that explained how he knew I was part selkie and not some other shifter. I had been so stupid to trust him.
We hadn’t used condoms. Why hadn’t I used protection? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I had been so careful this last six years and for what? To throw it all away the moment a sexy merman smiled at me? And now look at me? Stuck on a mountain with no way out.
Well, no sane way out. There was that climbing equipment. Azar had said we could use it to get all the way down if we didn’t want to fly again. Not that I could trust anything Azar had said, but what other choice did I have? Certainly not staying here and waiting to get picked up by traffickers.
Why hadn’t Troy handed me to the kraken and his buddies? He had his chance. Were they a rival gang or something? Maybe the mob was splitting into multiple fractions and competing for the same market?
Troy’s footsteps sounded at the entrance to the bath cave, and I forced myself to stay still, eyes closed but relaxed, breaths slow and even. I could do this. I could get away the second time.
Troy left without trying to wake me up, and that’s when I realized I hadn’t shifted into my mer form. Well, that was dumb of me. I needed to stop panicking and start thinking or I’d never get out of here.
First, I had to act like nothing happened. Then, I had to get Troy out of the way so I could escape.
For a fraction of a second, the thought of throwing him off the side of the mountain entered my mind, but no. I couldn’t. Despite everything, a piece of me would die with him if I did that.
Oh, who was I kidding? A piece of me died when I overheard his phone call.
Right. So, I needed to knock him out. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any sleeping potions on me or even allergy pills. My knowledge of the local flora was pretty close to zero. I could recognize a dandelion, but that was about that. That left the option of hitting him over the head with something heavy, but what if I actually injured him?
I squished my face against the rock in frustration. How could I get him out of the way?
I could pretend to be a total princess and tell him I really needed some coffee from the Magic Bean, but even if he decided to indulge me, he’d just ask Azar to get it. Besides, it would be so unlike me that he’d get suspicious.
After what felt like hours of brooding, thinking, and getting frustrated over the lack of a plan, I heard Troy’s footsteps again. This time, I didn’t pretend to be asleep. I couldn’t just sleep my way out of this. Well... maybe...
No. No more mind-blowing sex with the hunky merman. He didn’t deserve it. Besides, I might not have much time to make my escape.
“Hey.” He gave me a disarming smile. It looked so genuine I almost believed it. “You’re awake. I was starting to worry.”
That I slipped away?
“The altitude must’ve gotten to me,” I mumbled as I climbed out of the water and went straight for my clothes.
Troy rubbed the back of his head like he was nervous. “Yeah, about that. I checked to see what might cause fatigue in selkies, and altitude wouldn’t do it.”
“Fatigue?” Have I been sleeping that much? Maybe I was. I had slept in today and then had taken a nap. Yesterday, too.
“I was worried something might be wrong,” Troy explained, still looking uncomfortable.
“And?”
“I think you might be getting this thing called the second birth. It’s when a selkie who hadn’t gotten her sealskin at birth ends up getting it later in life.”
No. No, no, no. I couldn’t get a sealskin. That would... No. Not now, damn it. I couldn’t become so vulnerable now.
Troy cringed when he saw my expression. “Yeah, I figured you might not be happy about it.”
“Lots of things can cause fatigue," I argued.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But you’re also eating a lot.”
I glared at him. “Only because the food is good.”
“Remember how you turned down an apple pie even though it’s your favorite?”
My stomach rumbled at the mention of the pie. Traitor.
“I had a lot of shrimp not long before that lunch date,” I argued. Honestly, there were millions of better explanations than me getting the sealskin.
“You ate less than three hours ago, and it was a lot of food. Your stomach is already rumbling,” Troy pointed out. It’s like he wanted me to get the sealskin. Obviously, he’d want that. I’d be an easier target if I had one.
“Well, call it a growth spurt. It doesn’t mean shit.”
I threw my shirt and pants on and stormed out. My feet carried me to the kitchen because Troy was right, I was hungry. Besides, I’d need to eat now so I wouldn’t run out of energy until I got far enough from here.
As I rummaged through the cupboards, I started getting some ideas. Just because I didn’t have a sedative didn’t mean I couldn’t find one. Troy had found the first aid kit, right? There should be something in it I could use. Then I could slip it into his food or something.
When I turned to go in search of the first aid kit, I found Troy leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and those stupid muscles bulging. Why did he have to look so hot and act like he actually cared? It confused me on every level.
“I’m sorry I upset you,” he said. “You’re right, it might be something else. I was just worried and wanted to see what might have caused it.” He shrugged. “It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. The article said selkies only get a second birth when they feel safe.”
I had felt safe with him. That was the problem. He’d lured me into this false sense of security, and now... Had he done it on purpose so I would get the seal skin?
“Sorry, I’m starting to get a headache. Where was that first aid kit?”
Troy showed me the massive bag with everything imaginable in it. Most of the meds were the human variety, but there were plenty of meds created especially for the magic folks. Not all of them were suited for merpeople, of course, but there was fleniton, an antianxiety medication and a sedative that worked on almost all species, including merpeople.
I stuck my hand deeper into the bag so Troy wouldn’t see what I was taking because, of course, he had to come with me and watch me do it. I carefully got two flenitons out, then grabbed a pain killer for myself to keep my cover and showed the pain killer to Troy to make sure he wouldn't get suspicious.