Page 46 of King of Tides

“Well, what kind of power does he have?”

“Reilly has the power to give life or death. He can strip the power of other beings or hand it back.”

“I get why Kendrick wouldn’t want to pull from that. That’s some deep shit. Okay, okay. This is all so fascinating. I’ll stop interrupting. Back to the people and your element.”

“You are fine. It’s a lot to take in. The fire folk all follow Bradan’s rule. Water folk are our people. Because of Reilly’s connection to life and death, he rules the earth folk. Kendrick rules over us all.”

“Water folk?”

“Merpeople, nymphs, water fairies, sea fairies, sirens?—”

“Wait, wait, wait. I thought mermaids, sirens and nymphs were all one and the same.”

He gives me a smile. “They are not. However, we decided a long time ago to make it seem as such. There are differences. Some species are more harmful than others.

“Oh, okay. Go on. I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “Good question. I will help you learn of them all. We also rule over the water dragons and several others we don’t speak of aloud.”

At the mention of water dragons, my heart begins to race. I feel the blood drain from my face. Ardan tilts his head and studies me closely.

“What just happened?” he asks with concern in his voice.

“It’s nothing. I was just going to ask you about something. I … um.”

“Shit, can you hold that thought. We’ve been summoned to the main hall. The community has gathered. They are waiting.”

I look to the clothes still sitting beside me. I guess my crazy thoughts and visions can wait. Ardan follows my gaze.

“Let me help you with that,” he says and then I’m fully dressed.

“You have to show me that one,” I say and laugh nervously.

I had been using my questions to avoid this for as long as I could. I still want to know what’s expected of me. What will these water folk need from me?

I guess I’m about to find out.

Ardan

This is going well.I want Billy to feel welcome by all. I can sense this isn’t easy for her. Although I can’t hear or see her thoughts, I can sense her emotions.

They are all over the place, but the most consistent is her nervousness and desire to fit in. I’m not surprised by that after being in her thoughts last night. While Billy has forced herself tobe independent, I came across memories of her wanting to be a part of things only to be left out.

My little mate is strong, but my love will make her stronger. Billy will know she belongs with me, and I will always be here for her. Water beings can be emotional and intuitive, so she will always know how our people feel about her. Their vibes will be easy to catch.

“Who are they?” Billy asks as she points to my little friends peeking around Rock.

They are waving up at the dais, hoping to get my attention. I give them a wave and they begin to bounce in place happily. With a grin, I give the signal for them to skip the line and come forward. The two come running and jump right into my lap, causing me to laugh.

“King Ardan. We were so excited to hear we could come see you.”

“Can you make us a water slide?”

“Will you play with us?”

“Boys, I want you to meet someone special. This is Queen Billy, my mate,” I chuckle.

“Hi,” Beck says and waves.

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