Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (6 page)

But Sassaki visited the ship for another reason, as well. Unbeknownst to his family, these waters were inhabited by someone else.

As he entered the shipwreck, Sassaki scanned the darkness. He couldn’t see anything unfamiliar or suspicious. He ducked inside, then looked back the way he’d come, checking to see if someone had followed him. When he noticed no sign of any wyrm behind him, he called out, “Kani, are you in here?”

The flash of an elegant red fish tail appeared from above. Moments later, Sassaki found himself in the strong embrace of a beautiful merman.

To Sassaki’s knowledge, Kani was the only mer who lived in the waters close to Tanarak. Most of Kani’s people built rich, well-guarded underwater cities in the lands beyond Almareya. Those parts of the great ocean had been spared of the ugliness down here. But Kani had been banished from his home under pain of death and found refuge down here in the wyrm-infested waters, where a merman would never come.

“Sassaki! Hi,” Kani said. “Come in, come in.”

He pulled Sassaki deeper into the ship. They swam through various rooms, through doors and holes, and as always, Sassaki noted the odd beauty of it all. Sure, Kani deserved better than a shipwreck for a home, but at least he was reasonably safe here.

Kani led him to a more well-preserved room and gestured Sassaki to find a seat someplace. “Wait a second. I’ll get you a snack or something.”

Sassaki arched a brow but didn’t comment. He knew Kani prided himself on managing to hunt and provide for himself. In fact, Sassaki knew the mer could take out sea creatures much bigger than himself and knew how to care of himself. As such, even if Kani’s meals weren’t exactly filling for a wyrm, they did taste delicious, always varied and full of surprises.

His friend was very inventive, so he managed to use human furniture even underwater. He retrieved a previously caught fish and offered it to Sassaki on a shell-made plate. Sassaki thanked his friend and took a bite out of the fish. It was as tasty as always, seasoned to keep and better than anything Sassaki could ever cook or catch on his own.

“This is great,” he mumbled at his friend.

Kani beamed at him, his bronze eyes twinkling. “Now tell me. What’s on your mind? You looked thoughtful.”

“I found my mate,” Sassaki answered without preamble.

Kani’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Congratulations! But where? How?”

“He’s a human. He came from an energy storm. The twins almost ate him.”

Sassaki went on to tell his friend the whole story of the meeting with Owen, including what he’d overheard in the lair. “What do you think?” he asked. “I’m worried about this plan. If the enchantment on the plague lands is broken, Owen could be in danger.”

Kani nodded. “You’re going to have to consider your priorities, Sassaki. What’s more important for you—your people, or your mate?”

It was a difficult question to answer. Sassaki had always waited for the moment when he and his kin would manage to make a new home for themselves. He didn’t want much, just to be allowed a small piece of land for a city and fishing grounds that would, for once, be clean and fresh. With the spell down, this goal might finally be within their reach.

But was Sassaki willing to pay the price? The first thing his kin would do once the enchantment fell would be to attack Tanarak. No one would be spared, not even one innocent human who’d ended up here by accident.

In the end, it truly wasn’t all that difficult to answer Kani. “Owen is the most important thing for me. I just don’t know how to help him. Unless…”

Kani gave him an inquiring look. “Unless what?”

It was a crazy idea, but it might be the only thing that could help Owen. The enchantment’s power had already started to fade. He himself noticed just hours before. Sassaki couldn’t allow any harm to come to his mate.

“Unless I join forces with the enemy,” he told his friend. “The nymphs might be able to protect Owen in my stead.”

Kani seemed concerned. “But Sassaki, they’ll never agree. And what if they hurt you in the process?”

“I guess I just have to take that chance.” Sassaki grinned. “Come, my friend. Do you have a piece of parchment lying around here? I have a message to write.”

When they reached Tanarak, Yane immediately detected something was amiss. Soldiers were running around, shouting, almost in a panic. The silent Tanarak had turned into a bustling battlement. The change shocked Yane greatly, and for the first time, he realized he much preferred the quiet. At least it meant a reasonable amount of peace.

He’d left Lyole in charge of the garrison, in case something happened. The other man was the only other nymph who knew about his trysts with Alcharr and offered to take over Yane’s duties to allow him a few moments with his forbidden love. But Yane hadn’t actually thought the wyrms would attack Tanarak. They rarely ever did, even years back, since the enchantment made it difficult for them to approach. Perhaps the damn beasts had come up with something different. Fuck. His love for Alcharr was making him lax in his duties.

Quickly, Yane scanned the area for his second-in-command. As soon as he found Lyole, he stopped the other man. “Lyole, what’s going on?” he asked. “What’s with all this chaos?”

“Yane, thank the gods you’ve returned.” The other man sighed in relief. “We found something strange in the harbor. It’s a message for you. We didn’t open it, but as far as we can tell, it came from the dark waters.”

Yane gaped at his friend and second-in-command. “A message from the wyrms? You can’t be serious. They shouldn’t be able to get close enough.”

“Of course, we can’t be certain it is from them yet,” Lyole answered. “It might be just a joke.”

Judging by Lyole’s expression, the man knew better than to think anyone would have such a poor sense of humor. Yane extended his hand wordlessly and Lyole gave him a piece of parchment. It was leathery, the kind only water creatures used to write on.

His heart thundering, Yane unwrapped the parchment. In cursive letters, the message said,

My esteemed enemy,

As you undoubtedly realize, there are things about my people you don’t grasp. Your borders are in danger. As it happens, I have certain interests that make this inconvenient for me. Meet me tomorrow at midnight, north of Tanarak. You needn’t come without guards if you don’t wish to do so, but don’t assume that you will capture me. And bring the human with you. This concerns him, too. It is very important that you do so. In fact, don’t bother coming if you don’t bring him along.

Regards,

S.

Yane gaped, fury and shock coursing through him. Who was this
S
and what did he or she want? More importantly, what business did
S
have with Owen?

“What does it say?” Has’hendral asked.

Yane pushed back his irritation with the other man. He would have to be jealous over Has’hendral a different time. Perhaps he could use the dragon’s presence in this problem. “Come along,” he told Has’hendral and Alcharr. “You too, Lyole. We need to discuss in private.”

The men looked puzzled but didn’t comment. Yane led them to the small house he used as a residence. It was quite luxurious in comparison to the barracks his men inhabited, but truthfully, it was just a hovel he kept his supplies and bedding in. His family didn’t bother sending him adornments and such here. Besides, funds were better used for weaponry and medicine, not for his luxury.

Still, Yane did feel a bit self-conscious. He knew his visitors—except Lyole, who didn’t count as one—were probably used to more luxurious settings. For that reason, Yane rarely, if ever, allowed Alcharr to come here, preferring to meet in the wild.

Yane gestured the other men to sit on the available chairs. As everyone gave him questioning looks, he reread the message, causing shocked looks all around.

“No,” Alcharr said. “You’re not going. It’s too dangerous. I won’t allow it.”

“His Lordship is right,” Lyole agreed. “It must be a trap.”

Has’hendral looked thoughtful. “I don’t think so. This wyrm might be right.”

Yane gaped at the dragon and waited for Has’hendral to elaborate. Seconds later, the other man added, “I think the enchantment on the plague lands is fading. I could feel it when I was coming your way. It might be the reason why the wyrm managed to get so close.”

Yane felt sick. If the enchantment fell, the wyrms would be able to band on them. The nymphs didn’t have the strength to keep them at bay if this happened. His legs threatened to give way at the nightmarish images that appeared in his mind, but somehow, he managed to keep his calm. He was a leader. He couldn’t afford to have a mental breakdown. “We have to get to the bottom of this,” he told his companions.

“Still, why does this person want the human to come along?” Has’hendral inquired. “Isn’t that the most puzzling request of all?”

Yane nodded. The only business a wyrm could have with a human would entail the latter being eaten. Surely, the mysterious
S
must know Yane would never surrender anyone to be wyrm dinner.

“Perhaps we should ask him,” Lyole suggested. “The human might know something.”

Yane’s hackles rose. “What could Owen possibly now about a wyrm? No, it must be that the beast has some sort of unnatural fixation with him.”

He sounded far too vehement, and Has’hendral seemed to notice it. “So what are you going to do?” he asked with a smirk. “Will you refuse? Ignore the request?”

Yane hated himself for noticing how gorgeous Has’hendral looked when he grinned like that. A distant part of him didn’t blame Alcharr for whatever had been between the two. He didn’t think Alcharr had cheated on him. He knew better. But the flirty banter Has’hendral exuded, even when he talked to Yane, was irresistible.

Yane pushed aside the traitorous thoughts. He needed to focus on Owen and the wyrm’s request. He could not refuse, that much seemed clear. His duty was to investigate. It might be a trap like Lyole said, but they could also get valuable information. If Has’hendral was indeed correct and the enchantment had started to fade, he could not lose the chance to find out the reason.

“No,” he replied. “We have to agree. I’ll discuss it with Owen first, though, and see if he’s up to it. He was just attacked by a wyrm, and I have no wish to torture him.”

There were nods all around, even from Alcharr, who, through his education and heritage, didn’t like humans much.

Finally, they agreed that Alcharr and Has’hendral would come with Yane. Alcharr might know more about Connor and the information regarding the other human could help Owen get over the shock. In the meantime, Lyole returned to his duties of organizing the watch in the town.

With a heavy heart, Yane led his two companions to the clinic. Hannah wasn’t in the main room, so Yane surmised she must be caring for Owen. Indeed, Yane found Hannah in the human’s chamber, chatting to the man about nothing in particular. It was quite obvious Owen didn’t understand a word, but a sense of camaraderie appeared to exist between them nonetheless.

Hannah greeted them with a curtsy, to which Yane smiled. “How is he doing?” he asked.

“Fine, fine,” she answered. “He’s recovered even faster than I expected. It’s almost unusual.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Yane answered, ignoring her last comment. For the first time since coming inside the room, he had the courage to really look at Owen. His breath caught as his eyes met the human’s. Gods, Owen was beautiful. Even with the man he loved in the room, Yane still wanted him. Fuck. This was bad news. Very, very bad news.

“Thank you, Hannah,” he told the woman. “You can go.”

As she left, he directed his attention to Owen. “Hi, Owen,” he said in English, struggling to control his voice. “I’d like you to meet someone. These two men are Has’hendral and Alcharr. They know your friend.”