Page 71 of Of Song and Darkness

Kai’s arm tightened around my waist. “We better get going. We need to return this to your father before he comes looking for it.”

“We?” I asked, gazing lovingly at him.

“Yes, we. I have no intention of making you face your family alone again. I saw the pain and hurt in your eyes when you returned. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side.”

“I love you, Blackheart Kai,” I whispered as I laid my head against his chest. Fear snaked its way through my body as I looked out over the horizon in the direction of Aquarius. I knew Kai sensed my rising dread by the way his muscles tensed, mirroring his concern for me.

Kai gently lifted my chin, his touch tender as he pressed his lips against mine. “And I, you, my little sea demon.” A hint of playfulness shone in Kai’s deep blue eyes that swirled with all the colors of the sea.

I didn’t know what would happen once I returned home and faced my father after what I did, but I knew I could face him because I had the love and the strength of the Seven Seas going with me.

Kai swam beside me in silent support. He seemed to know when I needed words of encouragement and when I needed solitude to wrestle with the thoughts screaming in my head. My worst fear was that my father would attack Kai on the spot, and he would retaliate, striking down my father. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but knowing my father’s temper, anything was possible.

“Quite a city.” Kai’s deep voice interrupted my thoughts as Aquarius loomed in the distance.

I swallowed the bile that burned the back of my throat as my apprehension increased tenfold. Kai's warm hand grazed against mine as he intertwined our fingers, and I turned to him.

I motioned to my father’s trident. “Do you want me to take that? I don’t know how everyone will take the sight of a man swimming into Aquarius with our kingdom’s emblem in his grasp.”

Kai shook his head. “No, it was my fault we had to take the trident. I intend to take full responsibility and return it to your father.”

I gulped. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

I continued toward the gates that led inside. The guards hovered at the entrance—visible concern and confusion pulling on their facial features.

“He’s with me,” I said, motioning to Kai.

The guards glared at Kai, but they didn’t move aside. News of how I betrayed my father must have traveled over the entire kingdom. I was sure I was no longer welcome in my own home. I eased forward with the intention of begging, but before I opened my mouth, power pulsed through the water, tickling against my skin.

The guards parted ways for us to pass so quickly that I was confident they got whiplash. Kai’s fingertips brushed against my back as he pushed me forward through the gates.

“What did you do?” I asked, glancing back nervously at the guards.

“Nothing.” Kai shrugged innocently. “I just introduced myself.”

I blinked a few times, wanting to know more, but apparently, his ripple of power through the water had introduced him to more than just the guards. The sparse kingdom left after the wake of Dark Water crowded around us as we ventured toward the palace.

“Poseidon.”

“King of the oceans.”

“Master of the Seven Seas.”

The voices rose in unison, reverberating through the current as they pressed forward to see him. I couldn’t disguise the laughter that trickled from me when I looked over to Kai, whose lips were pulled tight into a sneer. He spun around, and the entire horde fell back in fear when the name Poseidon rose again.

I pulled on his arm, gaining his attention. “Apparently, you weren’t clear when you introduced yourself.” I snickered, and Kai rewarded me with his glare. “In all fairness, no one here knows what Poseidon looks like, so to them, you are him.”

“Then I better correct them,” Kai grumbled.

“Maybe later.” I pleaded with my eyes. Kai’s face instantly softened as he let his anger go with the tide.

My heart lodged in my throat as the doors to the castle crashed open. The flighty muscle increased its rhythmic beat when my father rushed through the doors, murder in his eyes.

“What is the meaning of this? Who is this man, Rhea?” my father bellowed.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Kai shoved me protectively behind him and swam up confidently before my father. I was not the fainting type, but at that moment, my head was dizzy, like the anxiety in my body was too much for it to bear.

Kai held the trident out toward my father. “I came to return this.”

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