Page 88 of Shadows of Light
The only thing keeping them at bay, and him from slaughtering, was his mission to find the crudue vine and the fae and lycan parts of himself that were finally working together.
They remained rational… for now. Eventually, the lycan would break down over separation from its mate, and the dark fae was already seeking the one it loved.
Lowering his head into his hands, his claws scraped skin as he massaged his temples and tried to calm the rampaging voices. Something had to silence them, but the only one who could was lying in a dragon cave, hidden away, and protected by the things Cole once hated so much. The dragons were the only ones he trusted to keep Lexi safe while away.
He’d left some shadows to keep an eye on Dragonia, and the dragons now resided in the throne room and outside the portals. If any threat dared to enter, they would slaughter it.
While Lexi lived, they would protect her and the throne. If something happened to her….
Cole shook his head against the possibility. Hewouldget through this and save Lexi. Theywouldbe married.
“Are you okay?” Maverick inquired.
“Fine,” Cole grated through his teeth.
“There’s water ahead,” Sahira said.
“Finally,” Skog muttered.
Cole understood the dwarf’s irritation as they’d spent three days walking through Atlantia. He’d opened a portal to where he last visited in the mermaid realm only to discover the Sea was gone and broken shells, brown seaweed, and purple, blue, and yellow coral in its place.
It was rumored the Indigo Sea shifted and changed its location depending on the whims of the merfolk, but this was the first time he’d ever seen proof of it. And since he was the last to visit Atlantia, they decided against portal hopping to try to find the Sea—which could cause them to miss it—and set out searching for it.
The last time he came to Atlantia was with his father, and one of the mermen escorted them through a portal he’d created. That was a few hundred years ago, and things had changed since then.
Cole lifted his head and opened his eyes as they drew closer to the Indigo Sea, which was the color of its name. The water lapped against the sandy shore speckled with boulders the size of buses and smaller rocks where some of the merfolk basked in the sun.
A sneer curved his lips as he studied the merfolk. They weren’t known for their willingness to help unless it benefited them, but if they knew where to locate crudue vine, he would do everything in his power to get the answer from them.
Beneath the sun’s rays, the merfolk’s tails had become golden as they occasionally flicked into the air while they stretched languidly on the rocks. Neither the men nor women wore tops. All their hair spilled over the stones and toward the ground.
In the sea beyond, their deep blue tails came out of the water and sprayed rivulets of ocean water around them as more swam toward shore. The merfolk’s tails changed color depending on their environment.
Cole studied the creatures while they approached. He’d never had much interaction with merfolk before. Often, these sea dwellers spurned other immortals, and Cole couldn’t have cared less about ever returning to Atlantia.
Some immortals came here hoping to find the treasures it was rumored the mermaids protected. Whether true or not, Cole didn’t know, but many came hoping to gain riches.
And still, other immortals came with the hope of bedding a merfolk. They were said to be wild, but Cole had entertained plenty of wild women and had no desire to catch one.
One of the women noticed them first. She flipped on her rock, propped herself up on her elbows, and lifted her golden tail as she gave them a smile that set Cole’s teeth on edge.
“We have a whole treasure trove of immortals who have arrived to chase their riches,” she said in the accented voice of the mermaids that resembled the Greek accent of mortals.
The mermaid’s words drew the attention of the rest of the merfolk. They all turned to watch while Cole and the others approached.
“We’re not here for your riches,” Cole told them.
The merfolk chuckled, and their tails flicked in the air.
“Ah, then you’ve come for sex, dark fae,” the mermaid said. “I can assure you the rumors are true. Once you have one of us,no oneelse will ever satisfy you again.”
“We’re not here for that either.”
The mermaid giggled, and a ripple went through her tail before it vanished to reveal a pair of slender legs. Her white-blonde hair shone in the sun as she turned on the rock, spread her legs, and smiled.
One hand ran leisurely down her body to between her thighs. “You’re famished, dark fae; I can sense it. Let me ease you.”
Some of the others chuckled, and another mermaid, this one with hair the color of garnets, rose. As she glided toward them, everything in Cole recoiled from the naked woman. Even the shadows wanted no piece of her.
