Page 44 of Chasing Tail
Chapter 23
There were three gigantic men in the living room that were as equally large as Taron and the druid brothers. Topaz and her brothers didn’t seem to know who or what they were either. I went to my bag and pulled the enchanted abalone dagger out. Taron cracked his knuckles and crowded behind me. Topaz tried to pull us away from the door. Maybe I was stupid, but there was just something about them that said they weren’t our enemy.
The three brothers shook their hands, and magic crackled at their fingertips. A very pretty man with long hair and a beard just held up his hand.
“Please, put that out. We aren’t here to hurt you. I’m Salem.”
An olive skinned man looked right at the door we were hiding behind.
“Perhaps you can ask the little mermaid, druid princess, and shark to come out and join us? I’m Adamo.”
The large man with black hair looked like he was about to say something, but I flew out of the bedroom. How did he know what Taron and I were when no one else here did? He let me slam him against the wall and press the blade to his throat. His friends didn’t even try to stop me. Taron came charging out and looked like he didn’t know who he wanted to pulverize first.
“How do you know what we are?” I demanded.
Adamo just smirked at me.
“I dated a mermaid once, and Salem has studied all forms of magic. He apprenticed with a sea witch for a few decades. Sharks aren’t the only ones capable of coming on land. He would have stayed longer, but she decided to fall in love with him, and he doesn’t date.”
I pulled the knife away and settled down. That was enough for Taron and me, but the four druids in the room were still suspicious.
“Why are you here?” Callum demanded. “And what are you?”
“We’ve been here a while. We’ve just stayed out of sight. I’m Tristan. We’re here about your father. We know you aren’t like him.”
“That’s because we’re not insane. Are you hungry?” Topaz asked.
“Topaz, you can’t befriend the first person who shows up and says our father is a psychopath!” Forrest snapped.
“Shut up! You’ve been keeping a mermaid in here, and you didn’t even tell me. You know I’ve always loved them. You didn’t even tell me when I saw her. I’m not even sure how you’ve got a shark in here, but he’s quite handsome.”
I bared my teeth at Topaz. Maybe I was just as jealous as Taron. I liked her, but Taron wasmine.Taron walked over and made a big show of kissing me. There were other ways of asserting dominance besides spilling blood.
“It’s a spell,” Salem said. “Different from druid magic, but magic all the same. Your father sent a ship to their home and broke the accords with the mermaids. Mermaids defect and come to land rarely, but it does happen. Sharks only do for a reason.”
“And it’s revenge,” Tristan said. “I can feel wrath coming off both of them, but it’s justified. Your father took something from them. We’re here to help.”
I didn’t know who these three were or how they knew all that, but if they wanted to help us kill the druid king, I was all for it. They were just a pretty as the druid brothers, but I didn’t really find myself wanting to kiss them.
“You can’t know that,” Callum said. “We’ve been cautious. My father kept that ship’s destination top secret. We didn’t even know until we came across Kishi and Taron. Even after the wreckage reached shore, he’s lying and saying it was sent for trade but got caught up in a storm.”
“You can’t know what they are feeling either,” Beck said. “Only an incubus or succubus can do that, and I can tell none of you are that.”
“Please don’t attempt to explain our gifts to us. We are much older than anything in this room. This kingdom was forest and sand when we were born. The palace you live in and the concepts of kings hadn’t even been born yet. They created us for a specific purpose. You’ve heard of us, but probably only as an abstract concept used to frighten you into behaving. Why don’t we get comfortable with a few drinks? We’ll tell you exactly what we are and come up with a plan to get Callum on the throne before war destroys this entire kingdom.”
Taron and I went straight to the couch. I grabbed Beck’s hand on the way and pulled him down with us so we could all snuggle. Topaz must have been here before because she knew exactly where Beck kept his whiskey and wine. Callum and Forrest were still standing there scowling like they wanted to fight.
“Just hear them out. You trusted Taron and me, and we gave you every reason not to. You didn’t know what we were either, and we’d never been on land before. We were a lot stranger than these three, and none of them have tried to stab you like Taron did. You didn’t think we could be a mermaid or a shark. They could be friends who found out what your father has been up to and want to avoid innocent people dying.”
Forrest looked at Callum and shrugged.
“We didn’t have any ideas, and any idea Topaz had is going to result in all of us being hanged. So it won’t hurt to hear them out.”
“Fine. But if I don’t like what they have to say, I’m having them arrested,” Callum snapped.
“Stop being stupid,” Beck said. “They said they are here to plant your butt on the throne and keep your subjects from dying. You’d have to be an idiot not to hear them out. They knew what Kishi and Taron were without us having to tell them. They clearly know things we don’t.”
Topaz slammed two bottles on the table and sat close to Beck.
