Chapter 34
Istretch lazily, a smile coming to my face before I even open my eyes. My omega is back, and I have bonds with every member of my pack—including my Sebby Webby. I play with each connection, caressing them softly as I feel out my mates, sending my love to each of them in turn.
The happy feeling dissipates when I get to Caspian. Our merman is on his own down there, and we have no way to reach him. The thought sours my stomach.
Lunara or Triton or whoever’s fucking out there, please bring him back to us.
At least Madi’s safe now.
With eyes still closed, I pull the closest warm body toward me, drawing the rejuvenating scent of lemons into my lungs.
My beta’s nearness comforts my aching heart.
He’s mine now. At last. After all this time, he’s mine.
His emotions are muted by sleep, but the fresh connection is a balm.
It’s not all I need right now, though. I crave my omega, too, needing the reassurance that she’s safe.
I roll over and reach out, smacking into a hard chest.
“Ow,” Hunter groans.
I open my eyes. “Sorry, Hunt.” Sitting up, I look around for our omega. She’s not in the bed. “Madi?”
There’s no answer. She’s probably just in the bathroom, but Hunter and I both share a nervous look, any grogginess we felt replaced by a spike of adrenaline that rushes through the bond.
“Madi!” Hunter yells, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
Sebastian jerks awake, sitting straight up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Probably.” Hopefully.
Hunter grabs a pair of grey sweatpants off the floor. I think they’re Seb’s, but he doesn’t seem to care as he pulls them on. They’re too tight for him, and I’d normally comment on it while enjoying the delightful view of his ass, but I’m too anxious about our omega.
“Where’s Madi?” Sebastian asks.
“We don’t know.” Hunter is already heading toward the bathroom. He throws open the door as he calls her name again. He’s back out a second later. “She’s not there.”
“She probably just went up to the galley.” Sebastian pulls on his boxers, but no pants since Hunter’s wearing his. “I bet she’s hungry after being stuck out there.”
Yeah, okay, that’s true.
“If I were her, I’d be desperate for coffee.” I chuckle, but it sounds strained.
Hunter nods once, worrylines forming around his eyes. A second later, he’s heading toward the door. Sebastian follows him in nothing but his skivvies, not seeming to care about the crew. I scramble to throw on clothes, then race to catch up with them.
After chasing them around a corner, I skid to a halt, having to brace my hands on Hunter’s back so I don’t knock him over. Madi is standing casually, a tumbler of what’s likely coffee in her hand, chatting with one of the crewmembers. Evan, if I remember correctly.
“Oh good, you’re all up,” Madi says. “I was just going to come down and get you. Evan says the suits are ready.”
Ignoring the beta crewmember, Hunter stalks up to Madi and pulls her into his arms, burying his nose in the crook of her neck to inhale her scent. She melts against him, her unoccupied hand running soothingly over his hair.
“Hunt, hi. What’s wrong?”
“You weren’t there when we woke up. I thought maybe you…” Hunter’s voice is muffled against her skin.
Her face softens in understanding. “I’m here. I waited for you, for our pack.”
Calling us a pack drives the two of us to push closer, making a cuddle puddle right there on the deck. Evan clears his throat, and one glance at the beta shows he feels awkward just standing there. Poor kid.
Hunter takes one last inhale, nuzzles her neck, then stands up with more confidence. “Right. Let’s get fueled up, and then we can get the rundown on how these fancy suits work.”
He grabs Madi’s hand and turns to walk to the galley, but our omega plants her feet.
She glares at Hunter. “We need to go now. Why are we wasting time?”
My best friend faces our omega, his professor countenance flying full mast. “Omega. You need to eat. We all need sustenance if we’re going to swim gods know how deep and face an entire fleet of merfolk. Maybe…” He trails off and looks at the beta crewmember expectantly.
“Oh! Uh, Evan, sir.”
“Maybe Evan can accompany us and explain the suits while we eat.”
Madi looks at Evan who nods quickly, unwilling to test Hunter’s patience right now. A look of fond resignation crosses her face, and she follows Hunt when he starts toward the galley again.
Once we’re seated with several protein-rich foods piled in front of us, Evan rolls in one of the suits on a fancy stand.
They are similar to a standard wetsuit, but the material is clearly thicker than normal neoprene.
There aren’t any openings where skin could touch the water, and the helmet is fully enclosed, almost reminiscent of the vintage dive suits from the 1800’s.
Unlike those models, though, we won’t be connected to the surface with air tubes. We’ll be on our own.
He explains the new technology that I only sort of understand, then shows us the dive gauges and how to use the helium attached.
Apparently you have to use helium when you get that deep for health reasons, but all I can imagine is Hunter’s voice going all squeaky when he’s trying to be stern.
I bite back a laugh because now is not the time, and I can read the room. Sometimes.
During the entire explanation, Hunter insists on hand-feeding Madi bites of oatmeal and fruit. She lets him, seemingly able to tell he’s on edge. Alpha and omega instincts are wild sometimes.
“I want to ensure you’re aware these suits have not been tested at the depths you’re attempting today,” Evan warns. “If they were to fail, you wouldn’t be able to get to the surface before you drown or the pressure of the ocean crushes your body.”
“Well that’s morbid,” I say. Sometimes the inside thoughts slip out. I can’t help it.
Sebastian gives me an exasperated look. It’s okay, though, I know he loves me. And now I can feel it as clear as day through our connection. Fuck, I love being bonded to him.
“We understand the risks,” Madi pipes up. “We’re willing to go through with it anyway. We have to.”
Evan goes a little rigid, a frown on his face, and I realize he has some more bad news to deliver. “We, uh, there aren’t…well…”
“Spit it out, kid!” Hunter nearly barks at the poor beta. Rude. I kick him under the table, and he glares at me.
“We only have three of these prototypes,” Evan gets out in a rush.
Well, fuck. There are four of us.
“How many of the water-scooter things do you have?” Madison asks.
“Oh, we have six of those. But the suits…” Evan trails off.
“That doesn’t matter,” Madi says matter-of-factly before turning to me. “Remember those little harmonica-like things we found in Ocearus. You took some, right? Did you bring them with you?”
“Yeah, why?” I ask cautiously.
“They make it so you can breathe underwater.”
“You’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, are you, Madi?” Hunter crosses his arms over his wide chest.
“If you think I’m suggesting I go without a suit, then yep.” She pops the p, and a storm of protests rises up from all of us. She holds up a palm to cut us off. “My body has been changing since I mated with Caspian. I swam at that depth the first time I tried to reach the city. I’ll be fine.”
Hunter looks as skeptical as I feel, but after he fucked up last night by telling Madi he wouldn’t allow her to go, I’m hoping he’s smart enough not to trip over that particular log again.
I hate the idea of my omega being down there unprotected just as much as he does, but if Madi says she was fine before, I believe her.
She’s not gonna let anyone stop her from getting to Caspian, and I love that fire.
“Sweetheart, the risk is too high. I can’t lose you. We can’t…” Hunt closes his eyes as if in pain just at the thought of something happening to her.
Seb makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and I see the calculations running in that big beautiful mind of his.
He’s gonna volunteer to stay behind. It would be just like him.
I want him with us. With or without bites from everyone, he’s part of this pack just as much as the rest of us, but I won’t force him to put his life at risk if he doesn’t want to do this.
If he wants to offer his suit to Madi, I’ll let him.
Surprisingly, he says nothing. Our eyes meet, and he gives a brief nod that seems to say, ‘we’re backing Madi.’ Fuck, yeah, we’re backing our girl. We’re doing this together. All of us as a pack. Getting our merman back.
Oblivious to my silent conversation with our beta, Madi cups Hunter’s face in her hands. “Look at me, Hunter.” He does. “You won’t lose me. But I need to do this. And I need you to trust me.”
Hunter searches her face for a few moments, before nodding. Madi gives him a chaste kiss, and just like that the tension is broken. That’s my cue.
“Okay then, adventurers! Time to go!” I clap my hands together once, then rub my palms. Excited energy rushes through my veins at the thought of exploring at such hidden depths.
This is the kind of adventure I live for.
Just wish we were doing it under safer circumstances. And without the merfolk with spears.
Madi and Seb both roll their eyes at my antics but stand anyway. I grab a breather from the drawer where I stashed them and hand it to Madi. Then we head back out to the lower deck of the ship where we originally launched the submersibles.
After a quick rundown on how to drive the water scooters, Evan and another beta crewmember help us suit up. The atmosphere is chaotic, yet serious. We all know how important this mission is. And how dangerous.
Once the scooters are lowered into the water and ready for us, we head to the swim platform.
Madison is in a standard wetsuit, which makes her look even smaller compared to us.
That much more breakable. She locks eyes with each of us before putting the breather between her lips, then grabs Hunter and Seb’s hands.
I reach for Seb’s other hand so I’m connected, too.
Hunter counts down, and when he reaches one, we dive.