Page 32 of Chasing Tail
Chapter 18
I’d pulled some idiotic stunts in the ocean and lived through it. Drinking this potion was right up there with speed racing with Taron through rebel shark territory. I didn’t know what it did other than it was supposed to remove the curse I was faking. Still, I started this, and now I needed to see it through or lose their trust forever.
I slammed the glass on the table and immediately doubled over in pain. Everyone ran to me, even Callum.
“Shit!” Forrest yelled. “Did you brew it right?”
“Druid potions haven’t exactly been tested on mermaids, asshole. I was going to suggest waiting on the potion and the two of you going out to scout for more of them, but she just grabbed it and drank it!”
“Because you were being a dick and throwing out accusations.”
I knew this feeling. I felt it in the pool. My legs were fusing together, and they couldn’t see it because of the dress. I shoved their arms away so I could make it to the floor before I fell on my face.
The druids were checking everything but what was under my skirt, but Taron knew right away. He shoved their hands away and ripped the skirt all the way to the neck of the dress. He parted it so it wouldn’t get in the way. I would have communicated with him I was grateful if this didn’t hurt so fucking much.
Everyone seemed furious with Callum, but he didn’t make me drink that potion. Forrest smacked Callum on the back of the head.
“Look at what you did! What if she’s stuck like that? How are we supposed to sneak her back into the ocean?”
Oh, shit. I didn’t even think about that. I couldn’t even fathom them before, but what if this potion took my legs away? I wasn’t wet, so getting dry would not produce legs. I had regrets.
My legs were breaking out into purple and blue scales, and I wasn’t even trying to hold in my screams this time. And then suddenly it was over. The pain stopped, and my scales started flaking off. Taron set to work rubbing them off while the brothers just sat back and stared.
Taron had always watched my back, and now it was my turn to protect him. They knew he wasn’t a merman because they saw him in the water with me. What they didn’t know was that the only reason he was here was that a sea witch had cut him and put magic inside him.
Callum’s potion nearly forced me to change without water. It was meant to remove curses. If it did something to the magic inside Taron, he would turn back into a shark right here and die. Unfortunately, we were too far from land to even get him to the beach, much less deep enough water for a shark of his size.
“I’m okay,” I said. “Hi.”
Taron helped me to my feet and crushed me to his chest in a hug. I pulled away and turned to the brothers.
“Taron can’t drink that. He can’t communicate the way you do because he’s different in the water. So he has to be taught. He was gifted magic by a sea witch, and I fear your potion will undo it, and he’ll die.”
“You have witches in the sea capable of that kind of magic? That’s amazing!” Forrest said.
“What exactly is Taron?” Callum asked.
“Sh-sh-shark,” Taron said.
I gaped at Taron. Since when could he speak like that? Actually, I wasn’t shocked. Taron was brilliant, and he picked up this land stuff faster than I did. He was also incredibly proud of what he was. Taron wouldn’t have wanted to be left out now that I was speaking. He might have pouted and refused to try at first, but he liked the brothers now. Taron also never liked it when people spoke for him.
“That is so badass!” Beck yelled.
“I so want to hear everything about the culture under the sea,” Forrest said.
“Stop!” Callum said. “Yes, it’s amazing we have a mermaid in this house and that they have magic in the sea capable of sending a shark to land. We need to make sure all of this wasn’t to gather intel to wage war against us.”
I wasn’t pretending I couldn’t talk anymore. Yes, I started out intending to use these three brothers, but I was tired of lying to them. I wanted to be honest, and I wanted Callum to know that even if he was suspicious of us right now, I had no intention of harming him. I’d spent less time with him than Beck and Forrest, but that was because he’d been working so hard on this potion because he thought I was cursed.
I touched his cheek and pressed my lips to his. He was unyielding and didn’t seem to want to kiss me anymore. I sighed and pulled away.
“Taron and I are the only sea creatures here. My people don’t want war with yours, but they do intend to sink any ships that come back.”
Callum offered me his hand and helped me to my feet.
“Beck, get the good wine. We’re going to need it. Then, Kishi, it’s time to tell us exactly what our father did and why you are here.”
This was it. I had pretended not to be able to speak because I thought I would need more time to build up to this. Before I came here, I didn’t care who got in my way. Things had changed. Land dwellers weren’t totally awful, and I enjoyed their culture.
The druid king wouldn’t send anyone important to my home. It would be people doing what he said because he was their king. We did the same thing on behalf of the mermaid council sometimes. They would come to our home to kill us for him, and we’d sink their ships.
I came here because I didn’t want any more sea creatures to die. Now that I was here, I didn’t think land-dwellers deserved to die because the druid king was crazy.
The only way to stop more death was to kill the druid king. I needed to be totally honest with his sons and hope they saw that.
