Chapter 4

4

H onour woke with minimal pain, and the breath she sucked in was the deepest she had dared since getting hurt. She wasn’t sure how long it had been. The relief from the lack of pain lasted barely a moment before her worry and concern about Soulara took over.

“Hi.” Kyree’s smile was wide, and her eyes even wider. She was so close, pressed up against Honour’s side so that the water from her lips brushed Honour’s skin as she spoke. “How are you feeling?”

The warmth that had rested low on Honour’s hip shifted, and she instantly missed the weight of Kyree’s arms and the pressure of her longer body curled around her own curved form. Kyree’s movement as she swam over the top of Honour and now faced her head-on was gentle and smooth. The water brushed Honour’s skin in a soothing stroke.

“You look a bit better. There’s some color in your face.” Kyree slid a finger down Honour’s cheek to her chin, a tender touch that Honour never expected from the deep sounding mer. She’d been opposed to any kind of touch since she’d arrived. But now? What made the difference?

“I…” Honour struggled for words as she lost herself in those dark eyes. “I am… uh… feeling better. Thank you.”

“I’m not sure what would’ve happened if Hudson hadn’t been able to help me.” Another slide of that finger, although Kyree hovered above Honour’s body. What would it feel like to have the full weight of Kyree against her? Honour bit back a moan.

“You would’ve found a way.” Honour was going for reassurance of Kyree’s skills, but she heard the edge of anger toward Hudson and was relieved to have her mind focus once more on what was important—finding a way to rescue Soulara.

“Perhaps.” Kyree’s response might have annoyed Honour, but there was nothing but Kyree’s usual honesty and openness in the word. The idea made Honour want to move and shift, shake off the sensations she didn’t quite know how to experience. Being indebted to someone for kidnapping her wasn’t exactly something she thought she would ever have to think about.

In her life, things had usually been quite simple in comparison. She had allies and enemies. Not whatever Hudson and her goons seemed to be. Which at this point, Honour couldn’t say one way or another.

“We need to get information to Reine. They need to know what has happened to Soulara.”

“And to you.” Kyree’s words were strong and left no room for negotiation. But Honour knew her role. She had always known. They wouldn’t care what happened to her. She was at the crown’s disposal.

“I’m getting better. They need to find Soulara. They have to go after those humans and find out what they have done to her.” Honour snatched Kyree’s wrist, holding her tightly in place. But for the life of her, when she looked into Kyree’s dark eyes, she couldn’t remember why she’d done that.

“Are you sure she’s still alive?” The sadness in Kyree’s voice wanted to reach into Honour’s chest and squeeze until her heart burst and spilled enough blood to fill the cave they lay in.

That was a pain that Honour couldn’t handle. The tears stung her eyes, but she wouldn’t ever let them spill into the water. She was the one who was paid to be strong and nothing else, and that was exactly who she would be. “Where is she ?”

“Soulara? I don’t know.” Kyree seemed taken aback by the sudden shift in Honour. Which was expected. Honour hadn’t exactly led her down the change in paths.

“No.” Honour shuffled, wincing at the movement but pushing through it until she sat, leaning on the cave’s wall once more.

“I’m right here.” The voice purred from the cave’s opening. The sinuous silhouette was framed in the irregular oval shape of the cave’s entrance. This mer was stunning, no doubt about it. Her curves were in fine shape, and despite Honour not typically being attracted to breasts, she couldn’t help but find the obnoxious mer gloriously stunning.

“Did you miss me, Honour?” Swimming into the cave proper, Hudson pouted her lips, her eyes sparkling with devious sexuality. A wash of heat flooded down Honour’s body at the way the mermaid moved, tailfins flicking up in balance to the thrust of opposite hip as she drew closer.

“You know who I am, don’t you?” Honour had suspected it when Hudson had sneered the term hero in her direction. But now it was confirmed. She saw it in the flash of resistance Hudson couldn’t quite hide behind the shark-playing-with-a-clown-fish attitude she wore.

“Well, unless they’re now naming others in your honor…” Hudson smirked, pleased with her own play on the word. “Then yes, General, I do.”

Honour bit the inside of her cheek. This was going to take her finest diplomacy, that was for sure. The question remained whether she had it in her or not. “Thank you for helping, Kyree.”

“Just Kyree?” Hudson batted her eyelids and tilted her head. Then with a quirk of her lips, she slid her hand down her side from her breast to her hip and over the scales of her tail. Honour hadn’t been able to take her gaze off Hudson.

“All right, I think that’s enough measuring flukes,” Kyree’s tone was sharp and reprimanding. It shocked Honour back to focusing on the woman who had saved her, not the one who had kidnapped them. “Thank you both very much.”

The heat of embarrassment washed over Honour’s chest. Cringing, she opened her eyes and saw Hudson chuckling silently. Of course the mermaid would have noticed the deep coloring of embarrassment. Hudson didn’t strike Honour as someone who missed anything, which was going to make escaping even more difficult.

Honour narrowed her eyes in defensiveness. She hated being read so easily. Hudson shrugged, ridding herself of the amusement in the flick of a tail as she turned toward Kyree.

“Yes, of course you’re correct, Kyree.” Hudson moved closer, skimming her hands on Kyree’s shoulders and down her arms.

A possession stole over Honour’s heart, clasping her firmly in its grasp. She didn’t want Hudson to touch Kyree at all. She didn’t want Hudson anywhere near Kyree. Especially when Kyree had just been touching Honour for the first time in their short acquaintanceship.

“Thank you.” Kyree looked over her shoulder to meet Hudson’s gaze, and Honour hated how the water between Hudson and Kyree sparkled with a tension she had to be mistaken about. Because there was definitely something there, something Honour couldn’t deny, something that was bringing out Kyree in a whole different way than Honour had ever managed to do.

Honour leaned her head back against the wall of the cave once more and half-closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to let Hudson have control of the cave if she could help it. Exhaustion still washed over her, and the limitations of her body were more frustrating than she would have imagined. She wasn’t used to being the one injured. It hadn’t been this bad since the first kraken attack she’d faced with Kaelin, and yet, here she was, injured by another one of those beasts.

“Hudson?” Kyree was so gentle in her word. Not simpering to the woman in the hopes that sucking up might buy her something. Just typical Kyree gentleness.

“Yes?” Hudson’s own reply seemed almost gentle in return.

What had happened while Honour was unconscious trying to heal from the kraken’s claws?

“My people do not fight. We hold all life dear. Please let me get word to Reine that Honour survives.”

“Word to Reine?” Hudson cocked her head.

There was no flintiness in the tilt of Hudson’s head this time. And it took Honour a moment to catch up with Hudson’s train of thinking. That wasn’t something she was used to. And to be fair, Honour wouldn’t have thought a Talon mermaid would be savvy enough to not only question the request, but to find the strangeness hidden in Kyree’s words.

“Yes. They’ll need to know what’s happened.” Kyree was pushing, but in that calm way Honour was coming to envy. Would this even work?

Honour stiffened, her breath catching in her chest as she feared what words would next come out of Kyree’s mouth. She wanted to speak over her, tell her the details didn’t matter. But she didn’t dare. She could feel Hudson’s eyes, and at least partial attention, remaining on her and her reaction to Kyree’s request.

Who the sea was this Talon mermaid and what was her agenda? She had met several Talon mermaids throughout the years, and as violent as their mermen were, their mermaids were as extreme on the other end of the spectrum. They were beaten down as secondary, subservient to the savagery of their men. And they had no place except to serve the males around them. Hudson was an extreme outlier.

“And,” Kyree’s voice pulled Honour’s thoughts back to the current issue, “the dangers that currently surround others they will be worried about.”

Honour let out a small sigh of relief. The water in front of her face tickled up and over her cheeks.

“You want me to take my men to Reine?” Hudson’s laugh was cruel and mocking. “And here I was thinking you were so much smarter than that, Kyree. Or is it you think I’m truly that stupid?”

“I-I don’t understand?” Kyree flicked her head toward Honour, eyes filled with confusion and a plea for assistance.

Honour gave Kyree a sad smile. Kyree’s head dropped down, a flash of shame and hurt crossing her face before it was hidden from Honour’s view.

Whatever the long, dark, and handsome mermaid hid, whatever stiffened her shoulders and made her place in Reine more important than her own tribe, didn’t hide the fact that Kyree truly didn’t understand Honour’s world. And neither understood Hudson’s.

Honour knew it as easily as she understood there would be no way to escape Hudson, but there might be a way to talk to her. Escape would mean bloodshed, but the more information Honour could glean, the better chance of survival she and Kyree had.

“She really doesn’t understand the way of battle.” Honour ensured as little as possible of her anger and frustration with Hudson leaked into her words. They came out still tarnished with aggression, but she hoped it would be little enough for Hudson to see the extent of what Honour was saying.

“How is that possible?” Hudson scoffed and rolled her eyes. This time the mockery directed toward Honour. “It’s not like she’s from a Talon tribe.”

“No.” Honour narrowed her eyes at Hudson. She was made of much tougher things than mere mockery could stab through. “But aren’t you?”

“Hmmmm.” Hudson purred noncommittally, as she swam closer to Kyree. “So tell me, beautiful, what Tribe do you come from?”

“I’m from the deep soundings.” Kyree answered as she lifted her lowered chin. The strength had returned, and pride swelled in Honour’s heart for Kyree. She was almost as big an enigma as Hudson. No matter how very opposite the two of them were.

“The pacifists,” Hudson answered on a seductive little chuckle. Scorn tinged the end of her laugh. But she hadn’t asked the question.

She had known.

With each passing moment, Honour found herself more and more intrigued by who exactly Hudson was, while her fascination with Kyree continued to grow stronger. She’d never found two mermaids more opposite staring each other down, with her stuck right in the middle. And yet, that was exactly where Honour wanted to be. The reactions stirring in her body were the last thing she wanted.

Of course, these two mer were so beautiful, and her body was making no secret of that. But it was more than that.

No, it was different from that.

She wasn’t actually attracted to either of them. Not really.

How could she be?

Hudson was an unknown, unpredictable entity. She had little kindness, if any, in her. And while Honour might still have a lot to learn about Kyree, she was gentle and kind and honest. The fierceness that fired out of her at the most surprising of times simply amplified these qualities.

And yet, they both carried themselves in a shroud of mystery.

“Honour?” The back of Kyree’s hand was pressed against Honour’s cheek, cool and comforting against her burning skin.

“Ky…?” Honour struggled to get Kyree’s full name out. She tried and failed to open her eyes.

When had they closed completely?

“Yes.” The smile she couldn’t see floated in the water on the simple word. “Yes, Honour, it’s me. You’ve got an infection. But Hudson is working on a poultice to pull it from your blood. You’ll be okay.”

“I know.” Honour felt herself begin to drift off once more. “I have you. It’ll all work out.”

Her words slurred in her ears, and she could no longer fight the pull of her body’s desire to drift off into oblivion.

But Kyree knew she meant it would work out with Soulara and Reine, didn’t she? Of course, she did. Kyree understood her. It was a gift Honour had never expected to find in an outsider.

“My, my,” Hudson’s voice carried to Honour down a long tunnel. “Her faith in you is very interesting indeed.”