15. Nico

I leanup against the fence to the fucking bridge. "How long have they been in there?" I ask Dar again.

"A little over an hour," Ellery answers. Only he and Dar are standing at the bridge's entrance. Kai's three other mates are lying in the fallen petals. At least, I think that's them. Bennett's face is completely covered, his hands behind his head. If he thinks he can sleep while he's supposed to be guarding his mate and mine, he's going to have another think coming.

"Yo, Bennett, are you still alive?" Dar shouts. His thumb twitches into an upward motion. "He was on guard duty last night. Cut him some slack, Nico."

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that Dar read my face. There are groups of males scattered all around the tea house—some standing, others lounging around on the ground like piles of puppies. "Guard duty?"

"Yeah, Kai's going a bit stir crazy. But with everything that's going on, we don't want her going anywhere without one of us. Especially after the other day."

I nod. We haven't taken to keeping an eye on the interior doors, but the more people Little Krill meets, the more likely she is to try and get out of the apartment. Not to leave us but to do something dumb like try and get into the caverns by herself. My eyes flick over to Holter. Eros took off early this morning, said he would be back before dinner but that he had some things to clear up.

There are a few faces I recognize, but no one has approached me. That's the trouble with being on the Centauri for so long: I know my crew and not many others. Then again, I didn't need anyone else to survive, and that's the point, right? Survive, get to another day, and do it all again.

I look around at the males, and two things strike me as odd. One, why in the hell don't we have benches—hell, lounge chairs—and a full-service bar out here? And the second is that most of the males don't look like they're having a bad time. Sure, most look bored. But there's no one who looks agitated. That stirring in my gut is mine. It's not normal.

My eyes scan over those who are staring at me. "We should do some intelligence gathering," I say to Holter.

"Right, if you could stop glaring at the rest of the males like you're going to kill them, maybe we can get someone to talk to us."

"I'm not going to kill anyone. Why would I kill anyone? You're being?—"

"Start by dropping your arms," says Dar. "When you cross them over your chest, you're putting up a signal that says ‘don't talk to me.'" Dar nods at Holter.

I drop my arms.

Dar continues. "And the scowl. You don't have to smile, because that would be?—"

Ellery cuts him off. "Worse. That would be oh so much worse."

"Right. Anything else you two want to let me in on?"

"Bennett's the expert. Level 30 psychology of interconnected people," Ellery says.

I nod. "I didn't even know that was a?—"

"Exactly," Dar says.

"I don't have time for this..." I begin, but Holter raises his eyebrow at me. "Fine." But I don't take my eyes off the bridge as Dar and Ellery take me on as a project. There's a flash of bright blonde in the side window. "Is that where they're sitting?"

"Yes. Ari's keeping track of their positions," Dar growls.

Fuck, how had I missed her other two mates over there? My throat tightens. I want to get her home, and I want to get her home now. I don't care if she's getting any information. I don't care if my nation changes. I just need her to be safe and not out here with so many threats.

A damn petal lands on my eyelashes. When I swat it away, standing outside the tea house door is a mermaid I recognize: Porcia, the mate of Kronus, who helped us buy out Annabelle's uncle from the family farm. She's also the mate of Ovid Septimus—Governor of Koralli—and three other powerful mermen. One is a controller for the navy, and another runs the major corporations of Koralli dome. And behind her she has Kai and Annabelle lined up like podlets marching their way to class. She, however, only has two males waiting for her at the end of the bridge.

"Ah, your males were waiting patiently," she says to Kai and Annabelle. "Well, I hope they can wait longer. We're going to the Maelstrom for the governor's session."

"No," I grit out.

She tilts her coiffed braids back and laughs at me. "Ah, the return of Poseidon and the Hero of Hestert?tten. We are indeed going to the government building. I have some questions—no, your mate has some questions for the lawmakers of our nation. And it just happens to be Veneratia. So we're going." Right, it's a holiday. It makes sense why so many people are out. Today's the day the governors invite their families to the Maelstrom to watch the session, one of the few times that citizens are permitted in the chambers.

Veneratia.Fuck. I hadn't thought about that, but then why would I? I like Nole plenty, but would he think of me as family? No. "Is Eros at Veneratia?"I ask Holter.

"Maybe." Holter moves to Annabelle's side.

"Oh, do you want to ride with your mates or come with me?" asks Porcia. "I'm sure there's a lot more we can discuss on the way."

Fuck. It's the Porcias of the city that are going to have the answers. Porcia is a daughter of a governor and now mated to one.

"Kai is going home." Dar's voice rings among the branches.

"I'm the sister of a governor. I have every right to be at Veneratia."They share a look. "But my ankles are swelling. And I'm ready for a nap."

"Thank fuck," Bennett whispers while shaking the petals from his hair.

"I need to go home," a young girl with red hair says. She curtseys at Porcia and then at Annabelle. "Thank you for all the wonderful advice." She waves as she leaves.

"Well, Poseidon and Hero, I happen to have enough room in my omada if you would like to come with us."

Annabelle's eyes flare in that you better not say no way. It's still on the tip of my tongue, but Holter puts his elbow in my side. "We would be delighted to join you," I grind out.

Porcia claps once. "Excellent. Let's be on our way."

I take Annabelle's gloved hands and stare down at her. She blinks up at me, her lips sucked into her mouth, eyes wide. Oh, my Little Krill has news to tell us. Lots and lots of news.

Their omada isn't as new as ours, but it's seaworthy and clean. It's also big enough that we can sit three across with Annabelle in the middle.

Porcia's mates aren't the talkative sort, which suits me. Porcia talks enough for all six of us. "Ovid is speaking today. And Theo is already there. He's really looking forward to meeting you. You know, in case you have any human questions about the Veiled City." Right, Porcia's mate Theo is human. Or was before he got his fluke. Human and shifter males gain a fluke when they mate a mermaid, but a human female never does.

"Annabelle is doing great on her own. We've gotten her all the information she could ever need." I lean back.

Porcia laughs, and I hear it: I'm acting like an overprotective parent. "Oh, darling, I have a question for you." Porcia turns in her seat. She and one of her mates are in the row behind us while the other is in the front, and they have a much younger male as their driver.

"Yes?" He puts his block down.

"Right, remember when your Baba lived with us for the last few months?"

"Of course."

"And you remember when he told me about the caverns?"

There's a tick in his neck. "There's no caverns, just a few subfloors."

"Right, thank you, darling. I remember you said that. Thanks for clearing that up." Her tone is clipped and dry in a that-wasn't-the-answer-I-wanted way. It's also not true.

Annabelle puts her hand in mine. I can practically feel her pulse thudding through her wrist. She's right to be afraid. The male lied to his mate. Something I wouldn't do even for Glyden. Something I'll never do again. I squeeze her hand. So, the caverns aren't a secret, or at least not to some of the Braesen population.

Mercifully, traffic is light and we're at the Maelstrom and through the airlock before the male realizes what his reaction has told us. The governor's omada has its own space near the front entrance. It's a vastly different atmosphere than when I was here last. Males and females are decked out wearing dome colors. At least Annabelle looks like she's supporting Glyden, even if her promenade gown is more revealing than one would wear for a day out at the governors' building.

I hop out and scowl at the valet who tries to take Annabelle's hand. We stand and wait for Porcia and her Braesen mates. Porcia smiles at me, and under her breath she whispers, "None of this comes back to me or my pod."

It's a negotiation. "Done."

"You need to tell him the whole truth, darling," Porcia says to her mate as she smiles at the valet, handing him some money. "No more hiding. The world is changing. We're all changing. We're getting older. Don't you want to see all your sons get mated? Don't you want it to be possible for your grandsons to find a mate? The way we're going, the rate we're losing mermaids, it's not going to happen. Annabelle here is our hope. Or one of our hopes. I know you know something."

Her Braesen mate stares at the dock beneath our feet. "Yes, of course I want our sons to find mates, and I would have loved to have a daughter. I hope you know I never kept that from you."

"I know you wouldn't. But whatever your Baba kept from you, from all of us, we need to know now."

"You're right," her mate says.

"Tell me. Tell us. We can bring it to the governors." I stand firm, one hand behind my back. And that's all I need to do. One military male to another.

He shakes his head. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, Porcia. But this is something I should do. If the return of Poseidon says it's time for change, then it's time for it. And the truth. The truth is what needs to happen."

"If that's how you want it to go down. Let's do it." I hold on to Annabelle but motion for them to lead the way. I grumble in the entrance where we're stripped of all our tech, all but the device Holter tucked into Little Krill's corset. The scanner didn't pick it up. I give up my block, knife, and collapsible trident for a card that will open the locker they're stored in. Things really are changing.