18. Holter

"What are you doing?"Porcia screams. "Get her corset off, or she'll drown." The tall mermaid has her corset off. She's standing next to us, pulling her silk skirt down.

"Darling, come here," her mate demands.

But Porcia grabs Belle, pulling her off Nico's back, and in the next second we're all fighting with the lacing of Belle's corset. But it's not coming off. Porcia tugs at the knot on the top.

"Stand back. Hold still, Belle." I take the sharp tine from the trident Eros pushed at me before he jumped over the railing like it was a normal Monday afternoon activity.

"Hurry." Nico's holding on to Belle's arm, but he's watching the glass at the top of the dome.

"Right, don't move." I slice through the ties and let the golden corset drop to the ground. "It's off, it's off." I lift her up to Nico's back. Stupid fashion. I'm never letting her wear anything like that again. I might never let her wear clothes again. "Hold on, Belle. Shift when... now!"

The window breaks, and it's a half second before Nico with Belle on his back pushes me back into the wall. I shift through my pants and kick my fluke until they're gone. Between the bubbles and the debris, the water is hard to see in. I pulse my hands out in front of me and catch the side of Nico's hip.

Behind, I say. I've said it in more than one battle. There, lots of times, I've had to depend on others to be my eyes. Inking the water is a favorite thing for the Vikings to do. It's effective. Unless you can depend on your other senses.

Shoulder, Nico states. We're going. I close off all the other voices. It's too much. Others are panicking.

Upward and out. It's Nico. He's addressing those around him. Go. Now. He might be talking to them, but he's not stopping. Not that anyone is asking for help. It's more people calling out to each other. But far away, in the back of my range, I can hear a different story. Those who went to the lobby aren't doing as well. The current has trapped them. There's nothing I can do. I need to get our mate to safety. I shut off that range and hold on as Nico's dark fluke leads us up.

At the top of the dome, we're out. Out before most, from the looks of it.

We're not stopping.

Copy. I scan the area. If this had been a battle, there would be a sniper waiting to take out those who escaped at the exits. It's ingrained in us. I glance over my shoulder. The need to go races through me.

Eros and Castor?Belle turns to look over her shoulder.

Be still, Little Krill. They'll find their own way out. Did you see how the Zaffiro jumped over the ledge? He knows what he's doing. And Castor's got the Drakos luck on his side.

We round the corner of the restaurant quadrant and pass a group of domes that line the thoroughfare. There are a lot of people outside the Stele main dome; the soaring gray structure dominates the low domes around it. We take a quick right turn on our way to Glyden. I don't allow myself to relax. I'm scanning the surrounding buildings and every solo, omada,and the larger omadas used for public transport. I'm focused on any threat. I'm also half scanning for Eros and Castor. And I must admit I'm looking for Porcia and her mates too. Damn, we're really indebted to them. I would never have thought that Belle couldn't shift into her fluke-less version of a mermaid with a corset on. I've never worn anything tight like that. I've shifted through my pants many times. But then, that fabric is usually thin and the force of my fluke emerging from my body is external, not internal. I glance over at Belle. Her bare back flashes in the low light of the streets as we whisk by buildings. Her ribs are larger. How the fuck had I never noticed that before? How did I miss that in my levels?

We make our way past more businesses and the rest of the restaurant quadrant. The thoroughfares are crowded now. I've tuned out everyone but Belle and Nico. Emergency solos and large omadas used for construction leave wakes as they zip below us. I've never swum this fast in my life. I don't think Nico has either. Not even when he was on the swimming relay team in high school. Glyden is around the corner, and I've never been so happy to see a building in one piece.

Belle.

I'm okay.

Nico dives next to the Glyden dome, down to seabed level, past the depth of traffic, past everything, to our apartment. I'm on his tail, trident still in hand. The sharks greet us. Mickey comes to Belle for pets.

It's okay. I'm okay. You're a smart boy. You know something is wrong, don't you? I'm okay.

She's talking more to herself than the shark. He nudges her hand and swims around us.

I can't play now. We have to go inside.

Nico and I have her positioned between us.

Belle swims on her own, but she looks at Nico. Aren't we going in?

Go clear the apartment, I say to Nico.

Copy.

Nico will make sure there's no one in there waiting for us.

You think that what happened was about me? How could anyone know I was there?

Stranger things have happened in this city, but I don't say that to Belle. She could have a tracking device on her that's a tech even Eros wasn't given. I glance at Belle. She's naked, and it hits me—we had tech on her. Tech that recorded the whole thing. But it's now lost somewhere in the debris of the dome. I reach out and bring her to me as the airlocks open and close, letting Nico into our apartment.

Why?Belle touches my shoulder. It's a simple question, one I don't have the answer to. Why do people ever think violence is the answer?

I don't know, but we're going to figure this out. I move us a few feet away from the airlock to the window near the hallway. Nico stomps past once, then twice, and then he tells me with sign language the place is clear. Let's get inside.

We're coming out of the shower in our robes when the airlock activates again. Nico has a trident at his side, and I've got a knife.

"Eros and Castor." Nico puts his block away. But he's still holding the trident.

"Nico? Put the trident down now." Belle's eyebrows go up. "You too."

Nico lowers it but doesn't put it back in the rack next to the airlock. We've added a few more weapons to the place over the last weeks. I've seen the scowls Belle gives when she passes. But she has her own collapsible trident too.

"Fuck." Castor drops a leather waterproof satchel when he steps through the last airlock.

Eros is right behind him.

Belle races from my side. "You're okay. You're okay." She talks so fast that Castor looks at her with his head cocked.

"Yes, yes. I'm okay. But more importantly, you're okay. What the hell were you doing there?" He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Annabelle. As Eros's mate, you had every right to be there." Castor pulls her to his chest.

"Eros." Belle tries to go to him, but Castor doesn't let go.

"You're getting her wet again," Nico growls.

"It's okay, Nico. I don't mind."

I step away. I want her warm, fed, and in bed. I find the largest tunic she owns in her closet and bring it back.

Eros now has his hands wrapped around her waist. "What were you doing there?"

"Porcia invited me." She's shaking. "Did you know the dome was going to collapse?"

"No, of course not." Eros shakes his head.

Castor does too. "No, I had no idea. I'd like to think it was an accident, but that's unlikely. There's an evil force about us in the Veiled City. One that's more dangerous than the Vikings."

"I agree. There's a large eel in the city, and it's not a Viking." I run my hand down her arm. I have to touch her; I need to feel that she's okay.

"More dangerous?" Belle's blue eyes glisten up at me.

"We know what the Vikings want. They want us to stop mining in territory they consider theirs. They want us to trade mermaids. And they want sole access to several sea routes we've barred them from. Our smaller vessels constantly patrol them to protect us and the humans. This enemy? This enemy, we don't know what they want, only that they will resort to terrorism to get it."

"To get what?" Her lip quivers.

"To bring chaos." I hold out the shirt to Belle.

"It's not tight, is it?" Nico takes the shirt from me and inspects it.

Belle snatches it away from him. "Look at it, Nico. It's not tight. But that doesn't mean I'm never wearing a gown again." She drops the robe and pulls the tunic over her head. "We know now."

Nico grunts, shakes his head, and walks down the hallway with his block in his hand.

"You know what now?" Eros picks up Belle's robe and puts it on himself. It's three sizes too small for him, ending at his waist. But he lifts the collar to his face and inhales.

"My dress I wore to promenade had a tight corset. When we were waiting for the dome to fill, I didn't realize my lungs wouldn't be able to shift in it. I've shifted in tunics before. But Porcia Septimus from Koralli saw me and realized I wasn't taking my corset off. She said I could drown."

"Fuck, of course you could have." Castor's face reddens. "How did you not know that? It's so basic."

"Castor." Eros puts his hand on Castor's arm. "Castor, I know that, but I know it because my mother taught me about my little sister—two things they don't have."

My stomach knots. Because he's right.

Eros hands Castor a towel from the wall. "They also have spent their entire adult lives on a sub full of other males. I'm not surprised. But I'm darn grateful for Porcia noticing."

"Me too." I nod. Damn.

"Me too." Belle looks up at me. There are tears in her eyes, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I'm blinking some away myself. If we'd lost Belle today, I'm not sure what would have happened.

Eros picks up a waterproof crossbody bag from the floor.

"What's that?" Belle asks.

"It's Castor's bag, but the contents are only partially his. Let me get cleaned up, and we can take a look at it." Eros tightens the belt around his waist and hands the bag to Castor.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea. Tristan Bellucci is an ass, but he is a governor." Castor grunts.

"Right, now's not the time to be law-abiding, Castor," I say. "You took them from him. He knows you have them."

"I don't think that's going to matter now," Nico calls from the living room.