Sara was so surprised to see Xanthus, that she sat frozen with her mouth agape. As surprised as she was, he looked a hundred times more shocked.
“Xanthus,” Sara said and swam straight toward him.
Xanthus enveloped her into his strong arms. “Sara,” he said. “Great gods of Olympus, you’re alive.”
Sara felt his trembling body surround her and she began to cry.
“Shh, Moro Mou.” His voice was low, tormented, and aching for her. “Don’t cry, Mou.”
As if she could stop. She hadn’t let herself truly embrace the reality of her situation until now. It had all been too frightening, too terrifying to face head on, but now that she was safe in his arms, she was overwhelmed with relief. Somewhere deep in the subconscious of her mind, she had believed she would never see him again. Now, tight in Xanthus’s embrace, breathing in his warm, masculine in scent, she couldn’t hold back the tears. A miracle had occurred and he was here.
Sara found her attention was turned a few minutes later when she couldn’t breathe. Xanthus was squeezing the breath out of her. “Xanthus, you’re holding me too tight,” she gasped. He lessened his grip, allowing her to breathe again.
When Sara was recovered enough to think, she pondered her great fortune. This was his family. She couldn’t believe she was here with his family. What were the odds of that?
His sister whispered in Atlantian and Xanthus jerked back. “What? You’re injured? Where? Show me.”
Sara looked down. There was a barely noticeable seam just below her belly button. She lifted up her shirt at the seam to show her belly and blanched at her own injury. It was long, red, and stitched with many stripes of black thread. “I guess any future of me being a bikini model is gone.”
Xanthus was not amused by her jest. He looked enraged. “He did this to you?” he asked. Sara guessed he was talking about Gael, but didn’t want to alert his family about his brother’s involvement.
“Yes, he was trying to get the sharks to attack me. But they didn’t.”
“No, they didn’t,” Adelpha whispered with wonder in her voice. “The sharks brought her to us.”
“What?” Xanthus and Sara said together.
Adelpha nodded as her eyes darted back and forth between them, “It’s true. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. What do you think it means, brother?”
Xanthus looked at Sara, narrowing his eyes as he studied her. Then his eyes flew open wide, as if he’d just had an epiphany. He paused a long time before speaking. “I think I know, but I can’t speak of it yet.”
Xanthus shook his head as if shaking himself back to reality. “We need to move. Adelpha, Mother, we need to get Sara to the tunnels. It can’t be a coincidence that she ended up in my home. Others will be coming.”
Xanthus towed Sara down the hall to a huge room. It looked to be sleeping quarters. Given the immense size of the room, it had to be the master bedroom. He swam over to a stone picture with a landscape scene of a tropical island. Just below it was a border of scrolled carvings. He pressed down on a raised swirl. Sara felt the soft compression in the water as a section of the wall collapsed in, and then slid open without a sound, revealing a dark tunnel.
“When was this tunnel constructed?” Adelpha asked, surprised. Obviously, she hadn’t known about it until just now.
“The same time as the others,” Xanthus said. “I just never told anyone about it. Lucky I didn’t. I never knew I’d need it to hide someone from my own family.”
“Gael?” Adelpha asked.
“He is a soldier. He would be duty-bound to bring her in.”
Adelpha nodded, satisfied with his answer.
Xanthus closed the door panel behind them. At first, the difference was so dramatic that Sara thought the tunnel had no light. But as her eyes adjusted, she saw a faint glow from the tunnel walls. It seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning. A door came into view along the way. Xanthus opened it and led the way inside to a chamber.
“Diamo,” Xanthus spoke low and the room was filled with light. There was sparse, strange furniture. Sara recognized a sleeping thing-a-ma-jig and there looked to be a wall of bookshelves filled with leathery books strapped inside. She seriously needed to learn Atlantian. Another wall was a giant aquarium. Fish of all shapes and colors swam in this fish tank and the wall shimmered like the surface of the tank in the dining room.
Xanthus turned to face Sara. He cradled her cheeks in his palms in a gentle demand to have her attention. “Now Sara, I’d hoped to prepare for this before bringing you home. But now that you’re here, I’ll have to make some minor changes in my plan.”
Xanthus turned toward Chara, who was looking around the secret room. “Mother, I’m going to need you to bring the priest. Don’t go back through my room. Just follow the tunnel through to the exit.”
Adelpha turned in surprise. “Why do we need a priest, brother? You can see Sara is not going to die.”
“No, but until the priest comes, she’s still at risk.”
Chara snarled as she rushed forward to Xanthus. He let Sara go and turned to confront his mother. Chara bellowed, shouting at her son, and then she turned a glaring eye at Sara.
What in the world had she done?
Xanthus responded with snarling, brutal words of his own. He also moved in close, towering over Chara as if he were trying to intimidate her.
“I was right,” Adelpha whispered in Sara’s ear. “My brother wouldn’t have turned you over to be executed.”
“What are they arguing about?”
“My brother is just reminding my mother that he is the master of this castle and she needs to respect his position.”
“But she’s his mother. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
Adelpha smiled. “Of course not. You humans have strange ways. In this case, I agree with Xanthus. Mother is trying to tell him not to marry you.”
“Wait. Is that what they are arguing about?”
“Oh yes.”
“But why is it so important for him to marry me now? And why is she so against it?”
“He needs to marry you now in order to protect you. You see, a husband is responsible for his wife. And that includes any crime she commits. If a wife commits a crime, the husband serves the sentence.”
“That’s crazy. So if I am caught, Xanthus would receive my punishment?”
“Yes.” Adelpha frowned.
“Well, shoot, if that’s the case, I’m never going to marry him.”
Adelpha raised an eyebrow. “You speak as if you have a choice.”
“I don’t?”
“Well, does your father approve of this marriage?”
“I don’t even know who my father is.” Sara shrugged.
“What about your grandfather or brother?”
“I don’t have a brother and I’ve never met my grandfather.” What was this, the middle ages? Didn’t women have a say in something as important as marriage?
“Well then, you don’t have any say in the matter,” Adelpha said, setting her straight.
Good grief. Dagonians could use some serious women’s liberation.
“Don’t worry, Sara. My brother is very kind. He’ll treat you well.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about. If I’m caught, he’s going to end up in prison or dead. I couldn’t live with myself if anything bad happened to him because of me.”
“Sara, I think you’re worried over nothing. My brother is extremely clever. If anyone can figure out a solution to this problem, my brother can.”
Sara glanced back to the heated argument. Chara threw her hands out and shook her head as she looked toward the ceiling. Frustrated words tumbled out of her mouth. Then, with a swish of her tail, she left.
Xanthus swam toward Sara. “Sara, I’m sorry about my mother. She’ll come around.”
“Is it true that you intend to marry me now in order for you to take the punishment of my crime?”
“Sara
…”
“I won’t let you do it!”
Xanthus turned to his sister. “Adelpha, would you let us speak in private?”
Adelpha cleared her throat. A smile tugged at her lips. “Sure, brother,” she said and left. Sara wondered for a moment where she’d go. To roam the tunnel maybe.
“Sara, we already talked about this. I will keep you safe.” Xanthus pulled her near and pressed his lips against her forehead.
“You never said that by being my husband that you would be the one executed. You could die because of me.”
“Sara, you need to trust me. We can make this work.”
“No, we can’t. I can’t gamble your life like that.”
“Yet, you thought I would gamble yours when I brought you here? Sara, it goes both ways. Your safety is my top priority, but I’ll also tell you this. I have no intention of going to prison. Now, I’m going to ask you again. Sara, will you please be my wife?”
Sara looked up into his handsome face. His dark eyes were filled with love and he was looking at her. It still amazed her that she had captured the heart of such an amazing man—or Dagonian. How could someone so wonderful love a human like her? Wait a minute. She hadn’t told him she probably wasn’t half-Dagonian after all. Sara didn’t want to tell him, but she couldn’t enter into a marriage with that kind of lie between them.
“I have to tell you something first. And after I do, you may not want to marry me after all.”
Xanthus looked surprised. Well, he was about to be even more surprised. “I’m not a Dagonian. I’m not even half-Dagonian.”
“How do you know?” He was calm. He certainly didn’t look surprised. Sara didn’t know what to think of that.
“My mother told me about my father.”
“And what did she say?”
Curiosity burned in his eyes. “She said he had blue eyes. He also had human legs, like you do, when on land. She thinks she saw a fin as he swam away, but she wasn’t sure. If she’s wrong, I could be all-human. But, even if she’s right… You said Triton gave you the ability to change on land. So if my father had blue eyes, legs on land, and a fin in the water, it has to mean something. I don’t know what, but I mean… Don’t you think it means something?”
“Yes, it does mean something. Sara, I don’t want you to repeat what you told me to anyone. I have to straighten a few things out first. So until then, I’m telling you to say nothing about your father—no matter what happens.”
“So you understand that I’m not a Dagonian?” Sara asked.
“Yes, I agree you’re not a Dagonian.” He took her face in his hands and pressed his soft lips to hers. When he pulled away, he looked at her as if he were in awe. “But you’re not human either. You’re a mermaid.”
“What? But I thought they were extinct?”
“They were. Poseidon ordered them all destroyed.”
“But then where did I come from? Who is my father?”
“We spoke of this once before, but I dare not repeat it now until I know the details.”
“My father is Triton, isn’t he?” She spoke the realization as soon as it came to her mind.
“Shh.” He took a quick glance behind him, as if he expected someone to be eavesdropping. He turned back and sighed. “Yes, he is your father. But Sara, it’s very important that you keep this to yourself and tell no one. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t understand, but I’ll do as you say.”
“Good girl.”
Anger clouded his features. “Now, I need to know exactly what happened to you after my brother took you from your mother’s home.”
“Why do you need to know? It’s over now,” Sara said, not wanting to relive the horror.
“Sara, just tell me.”
“Okay, but I’d really rather not talk about it.”
Xanthus scowled when Sara hesitated.
“Where do you want to me to begin?” She braced herself for the nightmare.
“Start at the beginning.”
So she did. Sara told Xanthus everything that had happened at her house and about how Gael had knocked her unconscious. She told him that when she awoke, she found herself in a cage next to a shark. Xanthus didn’t look too happy with that statement, but he let her continue. When she told him his brother wanted to have some fun with her before he killed her, Xanthus looked appalled.
“Did he touch you?”
“No. He said he’d as soon mate with a sea cow than a human. I guess I should have been insulted, but I was very relieved.”
Xanthus seemed to share her relief.
“What he meant was he wanted to torture me.”
Xanthus’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to explode. But he held his composure and his tongue.
“He wasn’t very successful at the torture part though. He took my hand and put it through a metal ring between a shark’s cage and mine. He meant for the shark to bite off my hand, I suppose. This is the strange part—the shark did come toward me, but only to brush against my hand. I was very frightened at first, but after he gently brushed my hand several times more, I realized the shark was no threat to me.”
“No shark would ever harm a mermaid. Sharks are very loyal to Triton.”
“That’s good to know. Well, then Gael…” Sara looked toward the door and thought that maybe she shouldn’t have used his name. Adelpha might be listening.
“Go on.”
“He got angry because the shark refused to attack me, so he tried to entice the shark with my blood. He cut me.” She showed Xanthus her hand. A red line streaked across three of her knuckles. The cut was healing nicely. Maybe Chara’s drink was healing her hand too.
“When cutting my hand didn’t work, he got angry, pulled me out of the cage, and carried me out into open waters where other sharks could get me. And that’s about it.”
Xanthus shook his head. Sara noticed he looked about a decade older, which was still much younger than his actual age, when you thought about it.
“And how, pray tell, did you get the injury in your stomach?” Xanthus raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I already told you that one, Gael did it.” Sara shrugged.
“Tell me again.”
“He just stabbed me. I had no warning. I didn’t even see the knife until he was pulling it from my belly. Then he said don’t worry about his safety; he was going to watch the sharks rip me apart from a safe place. I think that was his sick attempt at a joke. He said he would retrieve my body when I was dead, and then he swam away. Everything after that was a bit hazy. I don’t think I was conscious for very long, and when I woke up, I was here.”
Xanthus looked at Sara, conflict raging in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms. “Sara, as soon as we are wed, I’m going to leave you here for a short time. I will make Gael pay for what he did to you. And, this time, I won’t make the mistake of leaving him alive. Then I have business to take care of. But I will be back as soon as I can.”
“Business? Right after we’re married? But won’t we have our honeymoon?” Okay, the thought of the honeymoon scared her a bit, being a virgin and all. But darn it, a woman wanted to feel irresistible and Xanthus seemed to think business was more important. Sara found herself feeling undesirable.
“Yes. We will,” he said as he leaned forward. His eyes darkened when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her hard against his body. Sara gasped. Xanthus took advantage of her open mouth and kissed her, passion driving him. This kiss was a different—more intense, more exiting, and it fairly overwhelmed her. Xanthus had always showed a certain amount of restraint when he touched her, but this time he nearly lost control, bordering on desperation.
Xanthus suddenly froze. He tore his mouth away from hers as he pushed her away, his breathing ragged and his jaw clenched. Sara used every ounce of strength in an attempt to hold him close. It didn’t make a bit of difference. He was too strong.
“Do you understand now how much I want you?” he asked
.
Sara had a hard time processing what he was saying. That kiss had rendered her unable to form a coherent thought. When she realized what he’d asked, she nodded, amazed. As much as she wanted their honeymoon, he wanted it more.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. The closer we get to our wedding, the harder it is. You’re still healing. You need to rest, not be assaulted.”
Sara smiled and reached out to take his hand. “I like being assaulted by you.”
He answered her with a scowl.
“You didn’t hurt me.”
“I could have.” His eyes were saddened by regret. “You should get some sleep before the priest comes.”
Right, the wedding. Sara couldn’t believe she was getting married today. “I wish Gretchen and my mother… Oh my gosh, they have to be worried sick. Xanthus, how are we going to let them know I’m all right?”
“Don’t worry, Mou. I’ll call them while you sleep.”
“How can you call from here?” Sara looked around but didn’t see anything that resembled a phone.
“I have a dry room with a satellite phone down here. I’ll show you where it is and you’ll be able to call anyone anytime you like.”
“Oh, wow.”
The corner of his mouth tugged, almost smiling. “There you go wowing me with your lips again.” Then his almost smile turned into a scowl. “You’d better not be fertile when I get back. Now’s not the best time to bring a baby into the mix. But so help me, a Dagonian can only wait so long.”
Xanthus dimmed the lights for her and left her to sleep before the priest came.
As if she could sleep right before her wedding. Not a chance.