Blood On The Altar

Chapter 11

The first thing I notice is the merman in front of me. Face drained of color and eyes unseeing, he lay motionless on the ground. Bodies litter the sea floor around me, mermaids and mermen ranging in age from Aunt Naia to Mom. Horror is written on my face as I look at the bodies.

All of them have a visible wound somewhere on their body. My hands are shaking as I check each body for any personal effects. When I come across the last merman and glimpse his face, I almost collapse on the ground.

King Drake. The black hair so similar to his son's, the brown eyes that had held so much happiness when he'd been around his family... I manage to clap a hand over my mouth before the cry escapes.

When the hand lands on my shoulder, I'm ready. My dagger is out before I've even turned around. Kai's expression mirrors my own, his normally tan skin drained of color. I quickly sheathe my dagger, clutching his hands. "I'm so sorry, Kai," I rasp.

He doesn't respond for a while. When he finally does, I notice he's shaking. "We can't stay here. Whoever killed my father may be lying in wait somewhere."

The words have barely left his mouth before I turn around, the dagger aimed at my face missing me by a scale's breadth. Kai shoves me behind him, his own dagger out and eyes blazing with anger. "Show yourself! We will not be cowed by those who choose to attack from the shadows!" The anger in his voice—though not directed at me—sends a shiver down my spine.

An unfamiliar merman with platinum eyes swims towards us, his grin edged with malice. His raven-black hair sways gently in the breeze from the surface. Kai stiffens, his body going rigid.

"Wow. So the rumors are true. You really did marry Nerissa's daughter." The way the merman spat Mom's name has me reaching for my daggers, struggling to contain the anger rising inside me. I've had enough of mermaids and mermen insulting my parents, their past.

As if he senses my anger, Kai puts a hand over mine, giving me the barest shake of his head. When his focus is back on the merman, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Get out, Ronan. Before I'm tempted to finish what we started." The glint in his obsidian eyes has me biting back a shiver.

Ronan glances at me, his eyes traveling the length of my body all the way down to my tail. I'm left pale and shaking when he finally swims away. Kai turns to me, eyes filled with concern and regret. Before I've so much as opened my mouth, he's moving. "We should..." he trails off, swallowing hard as he gazes at his father's body. "Get rid of the body before anyone sees."

I help him as best I can, though my hands are trembling violently. When I opened my eyes, I was breathing heavily. Even though it was a dream, Ronan's oily gaze remained in my mind. Kai's side of the bed was cold; he'd gotten up hours before me.

It took me twice as long to get dressed thanks to the tremors running through my body. The thought of faking smiles all day had my stomach in knots. Nonetheless, I swam down to breakfast, trying to keep my hands steady at my sides. The dining room was abuzz with chatter as I swam in. I didn't need to look around to know eyes were on me.

I couldn't imagine what my expression was, what my body language suggested, but I was too exhausted to care. When I heard someone swim up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, it was all I could do not to clutch my daggers. The featherlight kiss on the top of my head that followed had me relaxing, some but not all of the tension draining from my body.

Kai sat in the seat beside me, concern in his gaze. "How are you?" His voice was soft, but worried.

As the words left his mouth, I wanted to tell him about the nightmare, about his father and Ronan, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I just nodded, gently kissing him on the cheek. I picked at my food, barely acknowledging anyone's attempts at conversation.

Coupled with the exhaustion from the previous day's task, my body was just not cooperating. Every muscle ached as if a thousand pounds of concrete had fallen on top of me.

Lifting my fork to my mouth was a momentous struggle. The food was ash in my mouth, but I kept eating until I couldn't stomach any more. Normally, I would have been starving—shrimp was always my favorite—but I knew that food was just not going to be my friend today. Nadia had grinned as I'd swam in, so I knew that she'd had a hand in what was served.

As we were finishing up, Kai put a hand on my arm, speaking softly. "I spoke to my parents about the Midwinter celebration. They were delighted to have received an invitation and said to let your parents know they'd be there."

For a moment, I just stared at him, unable to process his words. When they finally registered, I gave him a weak smile, nodding.

Visions from my nightmare floated through my mind, causing my head to pound. The familiar negative thoughts and feelings resurfaced, turning my exhaustion into anger. Anger at Ronan, for the things he'd done to Kai and his family, for the way he'd spoken about my parents. I dimly felt the hand Kai slipped into mine, felt my exhausted body rise from my seat as we left the dining room.

The negative thoughts replaced the visions floating through my mind, causing my mood to plummet further. It wasn't until my hand brushed against the dagger at my waist that I realized what I was doing.

Kai's hand brushed against mine as he gently took hold of the dagger, lifting my chin to meet his gaze with his free hand. Obsidian eyes clear, he took a deep breath then exhaled deeply. I copied him, repeating the action until I felt my heartbeat slow, the negative thoughts replaced by a debilitating sense of exhaustion and shame.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" He asked softly, rubbing his thumb over my hand.

I opened my mouth, but before I could utter a sound, I felt a heavily muscled arm wrap around my waist. I screamed, reaching for Kai, but the arm encircling my waist prevented me from moving my own.

Kai's gaze turned steely as he met the gaze of the merman holding me. "Your fight is with me, Ronan. Not Isadora. Let her go." His voice was cold, the complete opposite of the man I married.

Ronan snarled, releasing my waist only to wrap his hand around my throat. I choked, tears streaming down my face. "You once told me that you would never marry a woman from Aegrem, not after what her mother did," he snapped, gesturing to me. "What changed?"

A shadow of memory passed over Kai's face, but as quick as it had come, it was gone. "Last time I checked, we aren't friends. We haven't been for years. That was before. Now I know her mother. She is one of the kindest, warm-hearted people I've ever met."

A shrill ringing began in my ears as my vision blurred then cleared, blurred then cleared. I tried to swallow, to breathe, but found I could do neither. I could only stare at Kai, the love and worry in his gaze keeping me from unconsciousness.

I love you, he mouthed over and over. A horrifying realization hit me in those agonizing seconds before I completely lost consciousness. This was exactly what I'd felt when I destroyed the Lost Soul Pendant all those months ago.

My eyelids fluttered closed as the darkness swept me away.

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