Page 55 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

The music stops, and conch shells blast. Late arrivals. They won’t come down from the main balcony; the mermaids will sneak in through the side door on the opposite side of the ballroom instead. It could be Annabelle.

I resist the urge to sound like Muster when I sit up and muffle a groan of pain. My legs dangle off the edge of the mattress. I’m not going to let anyone know how much it hurts. How each twitch of my muscle aches. I move to the opening. Holter has taken a spot on the mattress above where I was resting my head, legs crossed, head down, looking at his block. He’s right. Every moment I’ve been conscious of him, he’s been looking for answers on who attacked Glyden and who is trying to harm our mate. Even now, he hasn’t stopped. He will find them. Because my brain is fully occupied with breathing. One thing at a time.

I ease myself off the mattress to stand. My arms crossed, I lean against the inside of the pillar. I can’t see anything through the crowd between me and the side door, so I watch Holter work. “Anything? I know there’s not, but what are you doing?”

He glances up. “I’m running all the videos. Seeing if someone else was following Eros.” His pause tells me there is more. More that he’s not certain of and doesn’t want to share.

“And?”

“And”—he slides off the orange puff, coming to my side—“here, when I analyze the camera disturbances that the shifters found for us, it’s like these aren’t correct. They go in two ways from the airport. This direction stops, but there is something off about it. This way, toward the business center, is done too crisply. Eros did this one, but the other? I don’t know.”

“Like someone is trying to lead you in that direction.”

“Exactly.”

“And what direction are they trying to lead us in?”

“It’s the business district. There are a few domes with offices there. It’s not far from the main office for our gold distribution headquarters. But Stele has a small office there, and so do Braesen, Permula, and Zaffiro.”

“Well.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“What are you thinking?” Castor’s back with three glasses. He tries to hand one to Holter, but he waves it off. “Salvomaris.” Castor and I clink glasses, and I toss it back. It’s cold and burns my throat on the way down. If I had another twenty shots, I might actually start to feel partially alive. “What are you thinking?” he asks Holter again.

Holter trades his block for Castor’s empty glass.

“Damn,” says Castor once he’s looked at the feed. “Whoever was following us with Annabelle, and then Eros, was doing a good job. It’s still shocking they didn’t make an attack on Zaffiro.” His voice is low and, over the loud music, just barely audible.

“Who was the latecomer?” Holter asks, trading the glass for his block back. “Was it her?”

“I don’t know. They were by the other door, and the line for drinks stretched out to the wall.” The three of us fill the alcove. Holter on one side, Castor on the other. It’s hard to see anyone when the dancers are filling the middle of the room. “It’s a minnow. It’s a sea of blue, gold, and orange out there.”

The alcoves aren’t occupied yet. Braids and jackets haven’t been displaced. It’s the perfect time for mermaids to try out possible mates without the awkwardness of kicking them out of their pod bed. But three dances in, and a long drink line hasn’t changed the vibration of things yet.

My eyes snap to a single point on the dance floor. Hope surges through me. There’s a blonde head bobbing with the music on the other side of the dance floor. She’s dressed all in blue.

26

ANNABELLE

Marina was late. I get it. I would be nervous too. She chattered at me all the way over from the Zaffiro dome. This is her chance to get her pod started. Once everyone knows that one of her brothers has taken a mate, males will be more interested in her, knowing what sort of alliances her brothers are making.

I’m thinking her not having a mate isn’t only her brother’s fault. She’s a lot. I get the feeling that Marina has never known a second that she didn’t fill with chatter. And she’s thrilled to have me for a sister-in-pod. I have to laugh, that’s not what they’re called. But I don’t remember from my cultural studies. There are several Glyden mermen she would love to sink her claws into—her words, not mine—and I’ve jotted their names down at her request, but I’m not sure yet if I’ll put in a good word for her or warn them off. I’m the return of Poseidon’s mate, as well, which she couldn’t stop talking about. That and this year’s shoes, her dress, what color of bedding she wants for her pod bed...

I can’t stop thinking about it either—Nico being the return of Poseidon, not sheet colors. I can only imagine what he went through, and I can’t stop thinking about the wound I saw on his neck. I’ve spent hours scrolling through all the pictures from his return. Yes, I heard his voice. We’ve talked, but it’s not the same. My thoughts flick back to how pale he was, how I’m fairly certain that Castor and Holter were holding him up for his impromptu speech. How he hasn’t been seen publicly since then. How I need to touch both him and Holter. Castor too.

My stomach is in knots. The organza scarf Marina gave me to cover Eros’s bite mark isn’t going to stop them from knowing. That’s the point, right? Everyone will know. The city is massive—not as big as New York, but bigger than Boston. And yet everyone seems to know everything that’s going on. They have so much advanced technology that it allows them time to rumble around in everyone else’s business. And if they want to, I can’t stop them. I can only stop what I care about. What I care about right now is finding my mates.

Marina’s mother has taken the opportunity to fill my electronic dance card. I was three steps into the room when a Zaffiro male who didn’t tell me his name took my hand and led me out onto the floor. Eros explained this ball is all mermaid’s choice, no dance cards needed, even though we still have them. But a mermaid can do what she wants at this ball.

It’s gorgeous in here, but I can’t enjoy it. The wonder and awe of the city are gone for me now. It’s dark, so dark. My body is on fire with longing to be with them. We’re dancing the minnow, and I don’t care if I’m crushing this male’s toes. I’m not actually doing better than I have before. My neck is craning around the room, searching for them. Searching for anyone that I might know. I’d hoped I’d see Kai. But apparently pregnant mermaids can’t attend balls, not until it’s known if they are carrying a mermaid or not.

The music crescendos and stops for a brief break, during which the couples on the floor have a moment to chat. That, at least, was the same at the ball Ophelia held.

My dance partner leans forward and speaks directly into my ear to be heard over the crowd. “You’re quite lovely. But I must admit I’m surprised at your attire.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t know I was coming to the Vividaria until very recently. I borrowed this dress from a friend.”

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