Page 110 of Cruel Tides

Then Leander’s sharp tone had me questioning everything. “This creature told you its name?”

“Yes?” I stared at him, noticing the way his muscles were bunched, and then shifted my gaze back over to Barren. “I know cats aren’t usually talkative, but this one is extra friendly. Right, Barren?”

I looked up at him, hopeful, but his dark eyes offered no reassurance. “Barren?” I said again, weaker this time, unsure of what was happening.

“This cat spoke to you,” Barren said carefully, and I gave a slow nod. He winced as if the simple gesture had scorched him. “Merfolk can only communicate with creatures who hold Poseidon’s favor. Sea-dwelling creatures.”

“I… wasnotaware of that,” I said sheepishly. For once, the way they were staring at me made me want to disappear. “Sprout wouldn’t happen to be some sort of water cat, would he?” A single laugh clawed its way up my throat. “A catfish, maybe?”

Barren’s jaw tensed as he swallowed. “No. He is only a cat.”

In my daze, the words seemed to fall out. “But I don’t understand. I’ve always been able to talk to cats.”

“First sharks and now land creatures,” Leander mumbled, running a hand through his hair as if my very existence puzzled him.

“Wait, why are sharks weird?” I pressed, desperate to wrap my mind around all of this. “They’re sea dwellers.”

Kai’s shoulders slumped. “Technically, yes. But sharks don’t hold Poseidon’s favor.”

“Because they’re too stupid,” Leander added, causing Kai to wince.

“Sharks aren’t stupid.” There was a trace of irritation in my tone, but I didn’t care. “That shark we saved tossed me a knife when I needed to stab a bitch, Lee. And it saved my boots for me, too.”

“That’s right,” Kai said, his grin nearly renewed. “It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I threw my hands up in the air with a shrug, knowing I’d made my point.

“Okay, fine.Mostsharks are stupid.” Leander chuckled, and my tension eased now that they weren’t looking at me like I was some sort of merfreak.

Barren bent down, letting Sprout jump from his arms. “Have we decided on breakfast?” he asked as Sprout circled around to nuzzle his feet.

“I’ll eat anything you want to make,” I said, wondering if this was really the end of that conversation.

Barren nodded. “I’ll need to get groceries. Then after breakfast, we need to rest.”

“Rest?” Kai asked, glancing back at the rows of windows. The sun had barely risen.

“We’ve been summoned to meet with my queen tonight.” Barren pulled his phone from his pocket, his eyes scanning over the screen. “It’s best to be prepared for a long evening.”

* * *

After breakfast,Barren insisted that we get some rest. So here I was, lying in his bed.Alone.

According to him, the island came alive at night, which had me wondering what kind of business his kingdom conducted here.

Kai had been the most resistant, saying that he had a duty to go find Laverne first. Luckily, she’d resurfaced as soon as he left, popping up with a lionfish she’d supposedly made friends with. Unfortunately, that friendship came to an abrupt end when Barren mentioned they were highly venomous, and Kai had to lure her onto the deck to wrestle it out of her mouth.

I chuckled to myself, remembering the shocked‘how dare you’face Laverne had made when Kai threw it back into the ocean.

After the commotion had settled, we’d agreed to try to rest, so here I was. Compared to the workout mats Barren had set out for everyone else in the living room, relaxing on this massive bed should have been easy. Yeah, well… it wasn’t.

I never felt lonely back in my bed at home, so why was I feeling so lonely now?

As if sensing my loneliness, Sprout slunk through the pet door Barren had mounted in the window earlier. The gray tabby jumped up on the bed, and I fought to temper my excitement. He played coy for a minute, taking light steps down the perimeter of the bed before coming over to settle down on the center of my chest.

“You know, your owner is very thoughtful,” I murmured as Sprout stared at me with sleepy eyes. His paws kneaded my chest in a slow, careful beat. “He fed us breakfast and even gave up his bed for me.” I pulled a hand out from under the feathery comforter and offered it to him, smiling when Sprout bunted against it. “Though I bet you wish he was the one sleeping in here, not me, huh?”

“I am owned by no one,”Sprout projected with an airy yawn.“I am a traveler, and he is my friend. Here, I am Sprout. Elsewhere, I have other names.”

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