Chapter 21

21

“ H udson?” His voice intruded on her thoughts as they remained on Kyree and Honour. She’d returned to her men and the laughter. She’d even gone so far as to joke about the mers’ need for another seaweed tumble with a real woman.

They had laughed, and she had excused herself to her solitude, under the pretense of battle planning. So far, nothing new had come from her going over the plans once more.

The sand shelf she now rested against itched at her back and kept her mind from focusing entirely on Kyree and her visit.

“Hudson?” Her man asked again.

She shook her head from the ridiculous idea of missing Kyree—of missing both of them.

“What’s happening?” She asked, face hard and focused as she turned and pinned him with her gaze. He straightened the curve of his spine and pushed back his shoulders. Taking the non-verbal clues to give her the respect she had fought hard to win and demanded from every one of her men at all times.

“There’s been another kraken sighting.” His voice rumbled with a false bravado. He was little more than a pup, but his intel had never steered them wrong before.

“Where?” She was up again, the curve at the end of her fluke resting lightly on the sand shelf.

“Toward Reine, along the western channel.” He didn’t hesitate in his answer.

Kyree!

“You’re certain?” Even as she asked, she knew he wouldn’t have come and interrupted her if there was any doubt. She pushed out of the small alcove she had been using to be alone and swam with purpose toward her gathered men.

She smiled, seeing them already moving. It had taken years, but her men knew how she worked. They weren’t ready yet, though.

“I’m heading out immediately.”

“What?” Cryloc demanded, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I am heading out immediately. Get them ready and follow as soon as possible.”

“It’s not safe,” he blustered.

“Neither is arguing with me.” She growled as she flipped over mid–tail flap and had his throat in her hands in an instant.

The clatter of men preparing to head out silenced. No one dared to move. Her chest swelled at the familiar pride she had in feeling all their eyes on her. Knowing not one of them could be certain in her next actions.

“This is a warning,” she spoke louder, ensuring every single one of them listening heard both the words she did and didn’t say. “I’m ready, you’re not. Follow me as quickly as you can. But questioning my decision is an easy path to your death and our failing. This isn’t a democracy, and I am your leader.”

“Yes, Hudson.” The chorus of words was punctuated by the vibration of the same against her palm as Cryloc joined in the response as best he could.

“Good.” She shoved him away from her and enjoyed the marks already visible around his neck.

He knew better than to rub at them in her sight. The hand he had moved slightly toward his neck lowered back to his side once more, and he gave a single determined nod.

“Good.” She headed toward the kraken sighting, where she hoped Kyree wasn’t. Over her shoulder, she threw her words without slowing her speedy exit from camp. “Get them ready. Shit’s about to get fun.”

She forced her body to torpedo through the water at a reckless speed. How long ago had the sighting been? She hadn’t even asked. It wasn’t like her at all, but that had been the power of Kyree from the beginning.

Please don’t be in danger.

She didn’t even bother reprimanding herself for her concern. Fear had flooded her, more than she’d felt in a while, at the idea of Kyree alone and being caught in the kraken’s sight.

Her eyes narrowed in on the path ahead. Movement stirred, and the faintest ripple faded out mere lengths before it brushed her face.

“Where’s Kyree?” That voice, unmistakable, vibrated through the water to Hudson’s right, and she turned her head to see Honour heading straight toward her.

Hudson didn’t slow or respond. Instead, she followed the defined muscles of Honour’s body as she slid up beside her and matched her pace easily.

“Being stupid and reckless. I think we’ve rubbed off on her.” Hudson tried for humor with her words, but they fell like stones in the water.

“Hmmm,” Honour replied, her eyes focusing on the path ahead of them.

They swam directly into the current of ripples, the tension taut between them.

“She came looking for you.” The accusation obvious in Honour’s words.

“She found me.”

“And you sent her into danger?”

“She wanted me to come back and talk to you. Somehow, she thinks I might have better luck getting through your thick head.”

Honour snorted, “About what exactly?”

“About thinking before rushing into danger.”

Honour slowed for a moment in her movements, just long enough for her to turn her entire attention to Hudson. Hudson slowed to meet Honour’s pace, relishing the sensation of the other mer’s scrutiny as her eyes swept over Hudson’s features.

“Seriously?”

Despite the fear that played a beat inside her entire body, Hudson smiled and gave a small nod.

“I may have pointed out how she had done the exact same thing rushing off in order to find me.” Hudson increased their pace once more, and Honour matched it without complaint.

“Of course you did.” Another snort of amusement accompanied Honour’s words. “And in a huff, she left and has headed directly into trouble. There’s a kraken that’s been sighted along this route.”

“Yes. I got the same report from my men.”

“I was hoping to find her on the eastern side, the way I approached, but that would be too easy.”

For the first time, they turned toward each other, and Hudson met Honour’s eyes. Her own concern mirrored back to her in Honour’s gaze.

“Are we sure it’s only one kraken?” Hudson asked.

“That’s what was reported, and I’m hoping to water’s end that it’s correct.” Honour’s words lost all jest now as her jaw jumped as though she clenched her teeth.

“We’ll find her.” Hudson’s words were quiet but the brush of Honour’s shoulder against her own told her the mer had heard everything she had said. And the words she hadn’t.

But in what state will we find her?

In silence, they continued to follow the ripples and vibrations in the water. It buffeted against them, but it wasn’t enough to slow their progress. Hudson doubted much would be able to do that.

When they rounded a crevice in the ocean floor, the scene that reared up in front of them held the hallmarks of all of Hudson’s worst fears.

The mechanical beast loomed up, shadowing Kyree’s small frame.

“No!” Honour’s roar filled Hudson’s ears.

“You flank left, I’ll take the right,” Hudson shouted out the orders.

“Don’t let it touch her!” Honour screamed as she swam.

Their mutual affection for this strange peace-loving mer brought the two of them to the same side more than anything else had yet.

Kyree’s fluke undulated as she shifted backward, moving slowly away from the kraken.

Too slowly.

Hudson resisted the urge to call out to Kyree to let her know they were there. That she didn’t need to be scared. That they would save her.

She hoped Honour had the same battle intelligence she seemed all but draped in.

If they called out, who knew what the kraken would do. Humans were so un-damn-predictable. The thud of Hudson’s heartbeat boomed in her ears. She had to get closer. They both did. Flicking her eyes away from Kyree’s shadow-covered body, she looked over to see Honour looking back at her.

Warrior to warrior, their silent conversation might as well have been screamed in Hudson’s ear. The merest movements of Honour’s head, her eyes traveling and flicking to finish the plan. Hudson breathed into the knowledge she understood far better than the politics of any civilization.

The stillness settled over her as she let the adrenaline of the impending battle wash over her. One more flick of her eyes over to Honour and all the calm and power she had harnessed flew away.

Something was wrong.

Honour stared, too still over where Kyree was.

Fear radiated up and down Hudson’s body. Wanting nothing more than to save herself from the sight of Kyree’s lifeless body while simultaneously being unable to stop herself, Hudson turned her head.

The kraken hadn’t moved closer, and for a moment Hudson couldn’t understand what had moved Honour to pure stillness.

She blinked and then she noticed the look of serene calm that had washed over Kyree. She should be terrified, but there wasn’t a single hint of fear in her eyes or the way she held her beautiful body. In fact, instead of continuing to slowly ease herself backward, Kyree’s fluke undulations pushed her closer toward the kraken.

What was happening?

Hudson had never been one to hesitate in the heat of battle, but it didn’t make sense and she was being torn inside. She flicked her gaze back to Honour.

Honour’s eyes met her own, wide and filled with something strange. Not fear. Hudson had seen that in the eyes of others more times than she could count. She’d seen it in her men and her enemies in equal measure.

Slowly, as she looked, Honour’s face cracked and a smile spread across her face.

Had Hudson been so blind, so wrong?

Was it all an elaborate set up?

What the hell was going on?

Movement where the kraken still loomed in the water pulled her attention. It wasn’t the movement of the mechanical beast. At least, not that she had seen before. It was fluid and rippled too naturally to be part of the kraken. Even its tentacles didn’t slice the water with such effortless ease.

“Holy fuck.” Hudson barely puffed out the words with force enough to move the water in front of her mouth.

Her eyes moved faster as she looked between all the players.

Honour had started swimming again, following the sporadic motions of the kraken. But Hudson was still trying to piece together all that she saw.

Sea creatures swarmed. Eels and jellyfish to octopus and sharks—and they didn’t just swarm. They were attacking.

Hudson laughed, unsure if it carried her battle mania or hysteria of an entirely different sort.

She moved. The relief in her muscles held a stinging pleasure.

Was the sea itself finally coming together to beat these bastard aliens?

No, it had to be something else. Something that had triggered them into action, into fighting for their homes.

“Kyree!” Honour called out, but it wasn’t a sound filled with horror or fear. It rang like a command in Hudson’s ears.

She continued to move, awareness fixed almost entirely on the flailing mechanical limbs of the kraken.

“More are coming.” Kyree’s voice was raised louder than Hudson was used to. It pulled Hudson’s attention for just a moment. But a moment was all she needed.

Kyree all but glowed as she vibrated, rising through the water until she was level with the top of the kraken.

The glow shone through her fingers, and she parted them slightly, enough for Hudson to see a working soul stone. Was it the cracked one they had seen or a different one? Had she found more?

“Oh gods.” Hudson didn’t pray. She hadn’t prayed in any sort of true earnest in her life. But the sight made her question the existence of far more than she had ever seen or believed in.

“She has a working soul stone. And she knows how to use it,” Honour said.

Hudson jerked with surprise as Honour’s voice radiated beside her. It was hard and spiked, like the spines of a blowfish.

“She’s magnificent.”

“She’s definitely not the innocent mer who needs our protection.” There was something bitter and filled with a red anger in Honour’s voice.

“Perhaps not. But we can certainly join in and get this creature taken down without casualties among her friends.” Hudson wasn’t sure if she was asking permission or egging Honour on. And while she adored watching Kyree command the creatures and fill the space as she had so often seemed tentative to allow herself to do, Hudson was itching for some action.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Honour replied.

Hudson laughed, and this time she knew without any doubt that her warrior cry filled her as she swam toward a waving tentacle, her battle cry on her lips.