Moon Cursed (Book 2 in The Star and Her Moon Series)

Caspian's Confession

Meribella

Caspian arrived after midnight. He walked into Valencia's home with a hood pulled over his head, his eyes anxious and searching until they settled on Addien. Meribella watched his features soften as he watched the selkie woman chat with Dorea. The few lingering doubts she'd had about the pair faded. He truly cared for her.

"Bout damn time," Raff grumbled.

She squeezed his hand to calm him. He'd been an absolute bear all evening, but she didn't blame him. The chasteberry had taken the edge of their lust, but it left her with a terrible headache. If he felt half as bad as she did, he deserved a gold star for only being a bear and not becoming a wolf.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you patience is a virtue?" Caspian said, dropping into a seat across from them and rolling up the sleeves of his tunic.

"I might've read it in a fortune cookie once or twice," Raff snapped back in reply.

Thorne rolled her eyes and slapped a hand over Lincoln's mouth just as he was opening it. "We'll get nowhere with everyone bickering."

"As much as I'd like to disagree because it's Caspian, Thorne is right. We need to put a stop to Nerida. I want Meribella safe." Raff said as he scratched at his beard. He'd not trimmed it since arriving on the island, and Meribella liked the rugged look.

"I want that for everyone, and my mother is just a cog in a bigger machine. A dangerous one."

"Do you know what she's planning?" Meribella asked, holding Caspian's gaze. She remembered the first time she met him, on the shore outside of her cottage in Cutler. How strong and certain he'd been. Now, he looked lost and afraid.

"Some of it. I'm hoping the rest of you can help me fill in the gaps. Dorea, I know you worked with her."

Dorea nodded, refusing to meet the eye of anyone sitting at the table. She'd apologized profusely to Meribella, explaining she didn't know the full extent of their evil plans when she started helping, and part of her hoped they would help her survive giving birth to her son.

"What we were told was that we were priming humanity to become Fae. Nerida said the Fae Queen wants to create harmony by ridding us of our differences. That's what the drugs were for, and with Meribella's powers, we could transform them."

Caspian sighed. "My mother told me the Selkies were barren because Kai had been selfish and took the blessing away from the Island. She sold me that story for years. I searched for Kai for years while she sewed the seeds that would put her in a position of leadership on the island."

"Did you ever find her?" Valencia asked. Her face was smooth, but a fire burned in her eyes that gave away her hope.

"Yes."

The release of air in the room was audible. Meribella leaned into Raff. "Why didn't you tell me that when you met me?"

Addien moved from her place next to the fire and sat beside Caspian. She cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his. "It's time to let go of this burden."

"Caspian, where is my daughter?"

"I killed her."

Everything happened at once. Como and Anahita lunged across the room, their canines flashing, but they were not as fast as their mother. Valencia leapt over the table, knocking Meribella off the bench. Raff roared as she landed on the floor and fur prickled through his skin.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," Valencia snarled as she pressed the large man into the stone wall of her home. Her muscles bunched along her back, a clear sign of the effort it took to restrain herself.

"Raff, stop. I'm fine," Meribella said, pushing his hands away. She couldn't handle his touch right now. She was on fire, but it was the burning of rage, not desire. How could he come to this home, knowing he'd taken the life of one who was so beloved?

"Valencia, it wasn't intentional," Addien pleaded, pulling on the matriarch's arms in vain.

"Kai agreed to return home when I found her," Caspian said, his words strained. Valencia's hold on his throat didn't allow for much air. "She would've been home sooner, but she couldn't find her skin. I saw you- Meribella- the night we left. You couldn't have been more than fifteen. All coltish legs and long black hair. So human. So fragile. I thought I was doing you a favor by removing a predator like Kai from your family. If she was gone, you could focus on being human."

"Don't make this out to be a favor, Caspian," Meribella hissed. Her mind returned to the last night she'd seen her great-grandmother. They were eating dinner seaside as they always did, and Kai kissed her on the head, told her she loved her, and then went for a walk she never returned from.

"We arrived on the island the night before the winter solstice. The night before the bonding ceremony. Mother wanted me to drug her so she would go into the arrangement without a fuss, but I didn't want to. I believed at the time that we were doing the right thing, and I thought Kai would be willing, but Kai knew. Somehow, her gifts told her she would give up control of her power if she married me, and she refused. Even I didn't know that yet. She lashed out in anger, accusing me of taking her away from her family for lies."

Dorea sobbed openly while Como gnashed his teeth at Caspian. Meribella wanted to push Valencia out of the way. She wanted to be the one to watch the light fade from his eyes as she squeezed. How many years of her life had she been a puppet for these people?

"I begged her to reconsider. Told her she was being selfish. I truly believed she was being selfish. She shoved me and threatened to swim back to Washington with or without my help. I laughed at her and shoved her in return, telling her to be my guest. She wouldn't make it over ten miles in her human form. I shoved her harder than I thought, and she fell. Hit her head."

Valencia loosened her grip and stepped back, her chest heaving, but Meribella knew her grandmother was trying to be objective now.

"I went to my mother. Told her what happened. That's when I found out everything. She told me I ruined her plans, and I would make it right. When I threatened to tell the people, she reminded me I was the guilty one. That I was the one with blood on my hands. Little by little, I lost what was left of my soul to keep my secret. And now that Addien has shared hers with me, I can't keep working for Nerida. We have to stop her. But you must know I'm sorry, and once this is over, I will accept any punishment you deem fit."

"Caspian," Addien gasped, tears slipping her cheeks. "Don't make promises that will take you from me."

"I have to make this right."

"And you will," Valencia said, her chin lifting as she took a step back. Anahita and Como took their mother's outstretched hands. "By ending this now. After it's over, we will discuss it further penance is necessary. But for now, I need to rest and mourn my child."

The three left, and Dorea followed shortly after. Meribella wanted to call her mother back. She knew too much to be absent, but she also wanted her comfort. Their relationship had never been the strongest, but right now, she needed her mother. Kai had been missing for many years, but now that she knew she wasn't coming back, Meribella didn't want to waste a minute with anyone else.

"Well, shit man," Lincoln said, earning a slap from Thorne. "Definitely deserved that."

"You did," Meribella agreed. "But someone needed to break the tension. Caspian... I need time to forgive you, but in some ways, this makes understanding your behavior easier. Valencia is right. Justice for Kai means taking your mother down."

"The only way we do that is to get her to admit her sins in front of the people. They think she's a savior. She's the reason we have children, and all she has to do is convince them you're jeopardizing that future. They'll be on her side. This isn't like the fight against Mac. Nerida has the army this time. We just have us."

"Then we better come up with a plan. Fast."

Lincoln slapped his hands together. "It's a good thing you've got me, then."