Page 13 of Sunken Empire

I’d asked for space from the three Zs to think almost three days ago. I didn’t think that they would truly hold out this long. In the silence of the approximate seventy-two hours, I’ve managed to get a little of a whole lot of nothing done. There is sleeping and eating what Merrick brings to me, but his is the only face I see.

Zale, Zephyr, and Zanthus are front and foremost in my thoughts before I go to sleep and first thing when I wake up.

Who am I kidding?And everywhere in between.

I try a little exploration of the room they dropped me in. One entire wall has built-in bookshelves that are loaded down. Directly in the middle of the room, there’s a round depression in the floor. The bottom portion is this soft spongy material, and bright pillows overflow the small area. I’ve tried it already and it was quite comfortable to sit and read through some of the mer history books.

The five-person sized bed I woke up in the second time is to the left of the door, and to the right is a massive bathroom that rivals even Zale’s. Next to that is a large walk-in closet with a dressing area complete with a three-sided mirror and vanity.

Now that I know the story, I come to the conclusion that this room belonged to their mother. It’s confirmed when Merrick makes the slip of calling it the Queen’s Suite. Which is such an amazing honor, but I just don’t feel right wearing her clothes.

I search the closest for something simple to wear the first day but come up empty-handed. When I finally feel like I can’t take the dress anymore, I resign myself to digging through the closet for a second time. I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I feel like things have changed in it. The colors are more subtle and not as flashy.

Maybe I’m losing my mind, but I can’t help but think someone cleaned out the entire thing and restocked it to my tastes while I wasn’t awake to see them. I refuse to believe anything else.

Moving towards the back, I find a pair of blue-jeans and a cotton tank top that seem safe enough. This creepy-ass wardrobe is definitely going on the list of stuff the three Zs and I need to have a chat about.

As always, I’m back to thinking of them again.

“Ugh,” I sigh, frustrated with myself.

Walking through the French doors onto the balcony, I find myself staring out into the small city, if it can be called that. Something I’ve learned over the past few days is that the soft glow from their light source in the sky never goes away, so it’s impossible to tell if it’s day or night. I wonder if everyone just keeps their own schedules and sleeps when they're tired. It has to be the case because there’s always people going to and fro. Men, not people, really. Which is another issue all on its own.

I’m supposed to bring glory back to these men, but how are they supposed to repopulate without women? I’m not sure if this will be a problem that I am tasked with later down the road, but I want to do anything I can to help them.

The weirdest sensation has started working its way through me ever since the witch reminded me of who I am. It was buried deep in my subconscious, but when the guys left a few days ago, it started getting worse. There’s an itch underneath my skin that doesn’t seem to want to go away. I’m hoping it’s just nerves and stress, not some mad case of ick or something.

Or it could be something else entirely.

A shudder racks my body and makes me wish the feeling would just stop altogether. It drives me back inside, where I fall face-first into the soft mattress. I don’t bother to strip the new clothes off for two reasons. One, it just requires more energy than I want to expend getting back to my feet. And two, who knows if I’ll get them back. The whole room could shift around while I sleep, and I’ll end up stuck in a dress again. So, instead, I simply close my eyes and try to shut down my thoughts.

What could be hours, but feels like minutes later, I’m jerking upright in bed. Remnants of the nightmare leaving me a sweaty mess tangled in the rich sheets.

“Okay, fuck this,” I say, throwing the bedding back and standing.

The decision has already been made, and I seriously cannot fathom another reason to keep procrastinating the inevitable while avoiding the Zs.

I jerk the main door open wide, and a scream gets lodged in my throat as a figure jumps up from the opposite wall.

“What are you doing?” I ask Zephyr when I can speak again with a hand across my chest trying to calm my racing heart.

He moves until he’s inches from my face. “I wanted to be here just in case you needed anything...or anyone.”

His admission melts my heart, and I almost forget why I started putting the distance between myself and them in the first place as I ask, “How long have you been out here?”

Flicking his arm up, he looks down at an imaginary watch. “Oh, about seventy-ish hours. Give or take.”

I shake my head at his admission, and he captures my chin to hold me still while he says, “Grieving alone sucks. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

Stepping fully into his space, I reach up on my toes to press my lips against his cheek. “Thank you. I wasn’t grieving really but thank you. I just needed to process.”

He nods his head but with a disheartened expression. “Can I ask you something, Rubi?”

Anything to erase that frown on his face right now.

“Of course,” I reply quickly.

“Is there a reason why you’ve kissed my brothers and not me?” he asks sullenly.

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