Of Poseidon (21 page)

“But . . . but you’re mated to me. ” He shrugs. “Am I? Last time I checked, you were hurrying back to Grom to get us unsealed. I fi gured I wouldn’t waste any more of your time— or mine. And you have to admit, Emma’s not a bad catch.” He turns, winks at Emma. Galen launches toward him, but Emma latches onto his arm. Galen grinds his teeth.

Rayna takes small slow steps toward Toraf as if she’s approaching a feeding shark. “But I didn’t unseal us. We’re still mated.”

Toraf crosses his arms. “Really? Grom wouldn’t unseal us then?”

Rayna stops, arms hanging limply from rounded shoulders.

“I didn’t ask him to.” Galen can’t see her face, but by the way the words waver, she’s fi ghting to stay in control, and for once it’s not of her temper.

What’s gotten into everyone? Toraf dallies on the edge of indiff erence. Rayna wraps her arms around herself in insecurity. And Emma . . . Emma hasn’t changed at all. Still beautiful and still stubborn as ever.

“I don’t know why,” Toraf says, sloshing into deeper water.

“We both know it won’t work between us.”

Rayna wades in, too. “What’s not working? You said you loved me.”

His laugh is sharp. “And you split my lip for it.”

-1—

“You shouldn’t hold grudges,” she says. “Besides, you caught 0—

me off guard.”

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“Off guard? I’ve been chasing you since we were fi ngerlings.

No,” he says, shaking his head. “You were right all along. We don’t belong together. In fact, I’m going to ask Grom to unseal us myself.” Without another word, he dives in, a small piece of his tail peeking through the waves.

Rayna turns to Galen, her expression incredulous. “Is he serious?”

“He looked serious,” Galen says, just as shocked as his sister.

“Toraf, wait!” Rayna calls before throwing herself into the surf after him.

Galen and Emma stare after them as the last bit of sun sets.

Galen’s not sure any of this just happened— or that he’ll ever be able to close his mouth again. How could he betray me like that? Toraf has more loyalty than a beach has sand. Or so I thought. If he was wrong about that, what else was he wrong about?

Did he misjudge Toraf ’s devotion to Rayna. How could he?

Toraf refused to sift, insisting Rayna was the one for him all along. He got physically sick when she turned him down the fi rst time. No, Toraf would never treat Rayna like that. And Rayna would never chase after Toraf. Ever.

Then there’s Emma. She obviously bonded with Toraf in the three days he’s been gone. This is my fault. I should have kissed her.

Should have left her with that memory instead of fi ghting with her to stay on shore. But what would that solve? The possibility that she’ll be kissing his brother one day is still very real. Shouldn’t he get used to her kissing someone else? But that’s diff erent. I never planned to see her kissing Grom. In fact, he never planned to see her at all after

—-1

turning her over to his brother.

—0

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Grom. Toraf also betrayed Grom. Technically, he could have just kissed his future queen. When Toraf said he wanted to get on her good side, Galen had no idea he would take it this far.

But Toraf can’t expect to mate with Emma. She’s already spoken for— one way or the other.

Out of the corner of his eye, he shifts his gaze to her. Arms crossed, eyes wide. Lips and cheeks as red as a cooked lobster.

He clears his throat. “How . . . how long has this been going on?” he asks softly.

She turns to him. “How long has what been going on?”

“You and Toraf. Kissing.”

“Oh. About ten minutes.”

Better than he’d hoped for. Relief hits him like a tsunami.

If it happened the entire time he was gone . . . he can’t even think about it. Toraf broke Syrena law when he kissed Emma.

To kiss someone other than your mate gets you ten cycles of the moon in the ice caverns. It’s considered one of the most serious off enses. If he’d kissed her all weekend, each kiss could count as an individual violation.

Still, Toraf thought Rayna unsealed them. He thought he was free to kiss anyone he wanted. But why did it have to be Emma?

She’s the worst possible choice for him for more reasons than Galen can name.

As if I didn’t have enough to worry about. My kingdom is threatened by war, extinction, or both, and the only way to solve it is to give up the only thing I’ve ever really wanted. Then Toraf pulls something like this. Betrays me and

-1—

my sister. Galen can’t imagine how things could get worse. So he’s 0—

not expecting it when Emma giggles.

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He turns on her. “What could be funny?”

She laughs so hard she has to lean into him for support. He stiff ens against the urge to wrap his arms around her. Wiping tears from her eyes, she says, “He kissed me!” The confession makes her crack up all over again.

“And you think that’s funny?”

“You don’t understand, Galen,” she says, the beginnings of hiccups robbing her of breath.

“Obviously.”

“Don’t you see? It worked!”

“All I saw was Toraf, my sister’s mate, my best friend, kissing my . . . my . . .”

“Your what?”

“Student.” Obsession.

“Your student. Wow.” Emma shakes her head then hiccups.

“Well, I know you’re mad about what he did to Rayna, but he did it to make her jealous.”

Galen tries to let that sink in, but it stays on the surface like a bobber. “You’re saying he kissed you to make Rayna jealous?” She nods, laughter bubbling up again. “And it worked! Did you see her face?”

“You’re saying he set Rayna up.” Instead of me? Galen shakes his head. “Where would he get an idea like that?”

“I told him to do it.”

Galen’s fi sts ball against his will. “You told him to kiss you?”

“No! Sort of. Not really though.”

—-1

“Emma—”

—0

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“I told him to play hard to get. You know, act uninterested.

He came up with kissing me all on his own. I’m so proud of him!” She thinks Toraf is a genius for kissing her. Great. “Did . . . did you like it?”

“I just told you I did, Galen.”

“Not his plan. The kiss.”

The delight leaves her face like a receding tide. “That’s none of your business, Highness.”

He runs a hand through his hair to keep from shaking her.

And kissing her.

“Triton’s trident, Emma. Did you like it or not?” Taking several steps back, she throws her hands on her hips.

“Do you remember

Mr. Pinner, Galen? World history?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Tomorrow is Monday. When I walk into Mr. Pinner’s class, he won’t ask me how I liked Toraf ’s kiss. In fact, he won’t care what I did for the entire weekend. Because I’m his student.

Just like I’m your student, remember?” Her hair whips to the side as she turns and walks away with that intoxicating saunter of hers. She picks up her towel and steps into her fl ip- fl ops before heading up the hill to the house.

“Emma, wait.”

“I’m tired of waiting, Galen. Good night.” The beach used to soothe him. Like the minefi elds soothe Grom.

-1—

Now, the moon reminds Galen of the color of Emma’s hair. The 0—

sand, of how she likes to anchor her feet into the ocean fl oor.

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Even the dune grass imitates the sway of her hips. To night, the beach tortures him. Like the minefi elds must torture Grom. And just like Grom, he can’t bring himself to leave it.

Toraf emerges from the shallow water, wearing a pair of Galen’s shorts. Galen doesn’t get up. Toraf sits beside him. Just out of reach. “You should get some sleep, minnow. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

Galen nods without looking at him. “In about three hours.

Where’s my sister?”

“She’s setting up the island we found to night.” Galen shakes his head. “You slithering eel. You might have told me what you were up to.”

Toraf laughs. “Oh sure. ‘Hey, Galen, I need to borrow Emma for a few minutes so I can kiss her, okay?’ Didn’t see that going over very well.”

“You think your surprise attack went over better?” Toraf shrugs. “I’m satisfi ed.”

“I could have killed you today.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Wasn’t planning on it. Thought it was real sweet of you to defend your sister’s honor. Very brotherly.” Toraf snickers.

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying.”

Galen runs a hand through his hair. “I only saw Emma. I forgot all about Rayna.”

“I know, idiot. That’s why I let you hit me fi fty- eight times.

—-1

That’s what I would do if someone kissed Rayna.”

—0

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“Fifty- nine times.”

“Don’t get carried away, minnow. By the way, was Emma boiling mad or just a little heated? Should I keep my distance for a while?”

Galen snorts. “She laughed so hard I thought she’d pass out. I’m the one in trouble.”

“Shocker. What’d you do?”

“The usual.” Hiding his feelings. Blurting out the wrong thing. Acting like a territorial bull shark.

Toraf shakes his head. “She won’t put up with that forever.

She already thinks you only want to change her so she can become another of your royal subjects.”

“She said that?” Galen scowls. “I don’t know what’s worse.

Letting her think that, or telling her the truth about why I’m helping her to change.”

“In my opinion, there’s nothing to tell her unless she can actually change. And so far, she can’t.”

“You don’t think she’s one of us?”

Toraf shrugs. “Her skin wrinkles. It’s kind of gross. Maybe she’s some sort of superhuman. You know, like Batman.” Galen laughs. “How do you know about Batman?”

“I saw him on that black square in your living room. He can do all sorts of things other humans can’t do. Maybe Emma is like him.”

“Batman isn’t real. He’s just a human acting like that so other humans will watch him.”

-1—

“Looked real to me.”

0—

“They’re good at making it look real. Some humans spend

+1—

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their whole lives making something that isn’t look like something that is.”

“Humans are creepier than I thought. Why pretend to be something you’re not?”

Galen nods. To take over a kingdom, maybe? “Actually, that reminds me. Grom needs you.”

Toraf groans. “Can it wait? Rayna’s getting all cozy on our island right about now.”

“Seriously. I don’t want to know.”

Toraf grins. “Right. Sorry. But you can see my point, right?

I mean, if Emma were waiting for you—”

“Emma wouldn’t be waiting for me. I wouldn’t have left.”

“Rayna made me. You’ve never hit me that hard before. She wants us to get along. Plus, there’s something I need to tell you, but I didn’t exactly get a chance to.”

“What?”

“Yesterday when we were practicing in front of your house, I sensed someone. Someone I don’t know. I made Emma get out of water while I went to investigate.”

“And she listened to you?”

Toraf nods. “Turns out, you’re the only one she disobeys.

Anyway, I followed the pulse.”

“Who was it?”

“The pulse disappeared before I got there.”

“Got where?”

“Emma’s house, Galen. Fresh footsteps marked the sand from the water to the house. That’s why the pulse disappeared—