Chapter 31

He could have held her like this forever. Daios had never had such a peaceful morning when he woke to the light of the sun filtering through the water above them. The kelp turned everything emerald green. Spears of light illuminated the small school of silver fish that darted above their heads. Their hair tangled together, floating above them. Strands of darkness and beams of the sun as her gold hair snagged in his.

When he looked down, he was surprised at the beauty of her. She laid on top of him, all long limbs and lean body. Though there were small bumps dotting up and down her body, he knew he had warmed her enough through the night with his own heat.

One of his hip fins had naturally fallen over her waist. The red tinged fin looked like sheer fabric, draped over her body to hide her from any passing glances. Her leg was hiked up over his hip, her foot pressed flat against his tail. One of her arms reached around him and hugged him tightly while her face rested so close to his gills that all he could taste was her.

And oh, he would not forget her taste any time soon.

Sighing, he tailed his claws up her back and everything in him settled as she wiggled closer. Even in her sleep, she wanted to be close to him. That eased some animalistic part of his mind that was so afraid she would wake and scream. Or worse, regret what they had done. But after everything they'd been through together, now he knew for certain that she was his.

Why he'd ever questioned it, he had no idea. Because at every turn of their time together, she had proven that she wanted to be with him. No matter how mad that desire was.

They were together. And that was all that mattered.

A shadow passed over his head, and he looked up to see a yellow fin facing the opposite direction. Maketes even had his hand over his eyes as he blindly approached them, swimming by scent rather than sight. He held a yellow dress in his hand, the fabric trembling with the movement of the sea.

"Here," Maketes said, his voice pitched low and quiet. "I'm not looking. I wouldn't dare."

Rolling his eyes, he draped the other hip fin over Anya's legs, completely covering her from sight. "You can look."

"Ah, we used to play this game when we were children. You'd tell me to do something, I'd do it, and then you'd hit me. I'm not falling for that as an adult."

"I won't hit you, Maketes."

Anya stirred in his arms, propping herself up on his stomach and opening her mouth wide. He wasn't sure what that was, but she sucked an impressive amount of air out of his lungs. Her long blonde hair tangled against her chest, but those sleepy eyes and that soft smile only reminded him that he didn't actually want Maketes to see her.

This sleepy side of her, this soft version of the woman he adored, was for his eyes only.

"Nevermind," he grunted. "I don't want you to look."

"See? I knew it was a trap," Maketes grunted. "Just tell me when I'm above you so I can drop the dress."

Anya reached around him to grab Bitsy where he had taken the droid off her head and hung her on the kelp. He'd been afraid they would crush her in their sleep.

He was almost disgusted with himself, caring for a droid like it was a person. But the droid meant something to her, and that meant he had to take care of it as much as he had to take care of her.

Disgusting, yes. Weak? No.

Anya slipped Bitsy over her head, her eyes flicking over the words that Bitsy had been recording for her. Her lips twitched before she looked above them and noticed Maketes floating there, his back to them and the dress in his hands. "If you move back a bit, it'll be right on top of us."

"Good enough for me," Maketes grunted, holding the dress behind him and letting it drop. "Make it back in time for breakfast, yeah? Mira and Arges want to make a decision about Alpha soon. Apparently, your father has been causing lots of trouble."

And all of it rushed back. Everything that Fortis had told him, everything that the depthstrider had shown him. He needed to tell the others. He needed to tell her.

But he didn't rush them out of this warm, comforting morning. So he said nothing as he reached up to snag the dress that floated down toward them. He helped her into it as much as he could with one arm, but he braced her where she sat on top of him, holding her still so she could wiggle it over her form.

Fingers fanned wide around her ribcage, he couldn't help himself from taking her in. Every inch of her was so lovely, and he'd touched and licked every part of it last night. Yet still, he felt as though there was so much of her he had yet to explore.

"Don't look at me like that," she said, her voice a low murmur as she finished buttoning the small pearls up her torso and between her breasts.

"Like what?"

"Like that." Anya leaned down and kissed him hard. "We're never going to leave this place if you keep looking at me like you want to take me again."

His cocks kicked against his scales, and in an instant he was ready to go again. He wanted to take her in the kelp, maybe this time tie her up in a way that left her more at his mercy. He'd liked that.

The women of his people fought so hard while mating, and few of them had been tempted to try him out. Daios was too big for them to overpower, and that's what they wanted. To overpower, to control, and to leave scars that would last a lifetime. He had no such scars of his own. Some of his people would claim that was a sign of disgrace.

But his little kalon was all too happy to be pinned. She had writhed underneath him, those little moans coming out of her mouth like a symphony of hallowed songs.

His claws clutched the borrowed dress, dragging her close to him again so he could nip at her lips. "If you wish to stay, then we certainly can."

"I love how much this has felt like a bubble where only you and I exist." Anya carded her hands through his hair, gently separating the tangled locks. "But the world does exist. And we should probably get back to them before something worse happens."

He groaned, kicking his hips up into hers before stilling. "I hate that I agree with you."

"Come on, big guy."

She moved as though she were going to kick off him and start swimming, which was absolutely ridiculous. The mere thought that she could keep up with him was laughable, but also...

A low rumble vibrated through his chest before he caught her against him. "I'm not ready for you to be so far from me, kalon."

Anya bit her lip, looking up at him through those thick lashes. "Is that so?"

"Don't tempt me," he grumbled.

"What if I want to tempt you?"

He burst out of the kelp and started toward their home, shaking his head as she tangled herself around him as strong as the kelp. "Gods of the sea, cast pity on me. I have found myself a woman who dares to test me at every turn."

Her laughter filled his ears and heart with a sensation of peace. Just like he'd felt when they woke up together. And though he did not laugh or smile with her, he felt the warmth of her happiness blooming in his chest. It was hard not to feel warm around her, and someday he would tell her that.

If he took his time getting back to the pod and the dome, he tried to tell himself that it was because he wanted more time with her alone. Not that he was afraid of what he had seen.

But eventually they made it back. A few of his people who had relocated from their original pod gave him surprised looks. Perhaps the first time he'd arrived with her, they had assumed it was merely part of his assignment that he'd been sent out on. But this time, it was hard to ignore the fact that they both smelled like each other. They were intertwined, as only lovers could be.

He tried not to wince. He did his best not to look at those shocked features and feel as though they judged him for it. One part of him wondered if they thought he was above falling under the spell of an achromo. Another part wondered if they had thought he was truly unloveable, and thus even an achromo should not have found him acceptable.

But then her hand spread over one of his hearts and he looked down at her soft smile. "They don't matter," she said, a little too loud. "All that matters is you and me. Right?"

He nodded. "Just you and me."

Perhaps it was a little funny how easy it was to swim with her to the dome. He didn't even mind coming out of the water with her. Daios flicked his tail, propelling them high enough that he could slide up onto the platform of the moon pool with her still in his arm. It was not graceful, and perhaps jolted her around a bit, but at least he didn't have to let go of her.

The other two people in the room looked at him with wide eyes. Mira because he had rarely shown up without some attempt to kill her. And Arges because he was looking at Anya, still trapped in his arm, and likely considering how he could get her away from Daios without injuring her in the fight.

Another burble of water suggested that Maketes had joined them. His brother hooked his arms on the metal edge of the moon pool, leaning there comfortably as he said, "Found them."

"Found them?" Arges repeated.

"Yeah. In the kelp." Maketes shrugged. "We all knew it was going to happen at some point. Is it really all that surprising?"

Arges looked at him, then back to Anya, then back to Maketes. He could see where his brother's thoughts were going and there was something in him that wanted to deny what was laid out so obviously. He wanted to keep their moment, their passion, to himself. He didn't want anyone else to judge them for it.

Then his blue brother blurted out, "That's not possible."

He leaned down and signed in front of Anya, "This is going to take him a moment."

She rolled her eyes and said aloud, "Do you think it's because they know how much you hate my people?"

Arges pointed at her with a long claw. "That. That is exactly the issue here. You hate achromos. I have seen you kill more of them than I have seen you kill fish!"

With a nod, Daios gently set Anya on her own so she could stand. "I still hate them, yes."

Another jab at Anya was the only response from his brother.

Daios puffed up with pride when he noticed she didn't move far from his side. Instead, she stood beside him with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

She looked his brother in the eye with zero fear and stated, "I can choose to be with who I wish. I'm an adult."

"You aren't the problem here," Arges growled. "I know my brother, and I know he always has some plan. Do you think this will make her work with us? We already have that figured out. She's been more than helpful since she's come here, Daios."

"Right," he said. "I'm going to ignore that you said that because I still respect you as a brother. But say one more thing and I will remove your jaw from your skull."

All the lights on Arges's body flickered to life, and he knew they were about two more sentences from launching at each other. They'd always argued like this, even when they were boys. The two of them went for the throat, and that was just how they were. But right now, he didn't want to risk the two achromo in the room who were clearly far more delicate than his kind were.

"Just stop talking." Daios took a deep breath and readied himself. "I met with the depthstriders."

That sobered everyone up in the room. Anya still looked at him with questions in her eyes. She didn't understand why the word made everyone so uncomfortable. He'd explain it all to her soon enough.

The other two males in the room watched him with rapt attention, though. Quickly and efficiently, with as few words as possible, he told them everything that Fortis had revealed.

And while he did so, he could see Anya tensing with every word. Her eyes flew over the lens, so he knew that Bitsy was adding her own commentary to every word he said.

He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want her to know what her people were doing, because he knew how much this would impact her. He could see her heart bleeding through her eyes, but there was nothing he could do to prevent her from feeling this wound.

Perhaps it was better to stab hard and quick than it was to slide this knife in slowly.

Tears welled in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks by the end of his story. Arges and Maketes were both flared up. Their colors lit the room as much as his did, turning their blues, reds and yellows into oranges and violets that played along the walls. Mira had her hand over her mouth, and he had a feeling nausea pressed against the back of her throat.

"They're experimenting on your people?" Anya finally said, those tears still dripping down her face.

"That is what Fortis has seen." He reached for her. Daios couldn't stand seeing that expression any longer, not without touching her. Soothing her.

She came to him without hesitation, tucking herself into his side as the others began to all speak over each other.

"Anya," Mira said. "Did you have any idea this was happening?"

A bright blue flash illuminated that corner of the room while Arges said, "We cannot waste any more time. We have to move now if they've already been capturing people this long."

But it was Maketes's voice that made his heart shatter. "I wonder how many people we thought were lost on raids who were actually just waiting for us to save them."

The quiet words ended with a silence that burned. That anger and hatred that had always flowed in him had merged together with the others. He knew his people would stop at nothing to get their own back. He knew without a doubt that the battle was soon to flood this sea.

Yet his heart also thundered with warning. Because tiny hands were pressed against his chest, feeling the rage that coursed through his skin and he knew she was right here with him. She could hear every word. She suffered every injustice that her people had done to his.

Anya's feelings were different from Mira's. The city she had come from was the one who had done the worst to his kind, but even more, it was her own family that held the blade.

Everyone remained silent. All he could hear was the staggered breath from Anya's lips that ghosted over his wet neck and cooled his skin. The fire that burned inside him was one that she could easily stoke or extinguish.

He'd always thought his rage and hatred would come before anything else. But this woman could make him pause if she wished. A single order from her, and he would take her away from all of this.

Instead, Anya lifted her head from his neck. Her eyes were ringed with red and her cheeks slick with tears.

Her voice, when she spoke, was ragged and raw. "This does not surprise me. As much as I wish it did. I have always known my father to be bloodthirsty in both battle and in knowledge. I'm sorry. If I had known I would have done... more."

"There is nothing you could have done." He lifted his hand and smoothed the tears away from her face, propping her up with his shorter arm. "Your father would have killed you. We've proven already that the lack of you has only made him stronger. He would have discovered that with or without us."

Mira's voice interrupted him with a hissed, "That's the most words I've ever heard him say in one sitting."

He silenced her with a glare before returning his attention to the woman in his arms. "This is not your fault, kalon."

"No, it's not my fault, but it's still my people." Something shifted in her eyes. Something hard and familiar at the same time. She looked at the others in the room before, with a flat tone, she announced, "Blow it up."

Silence was her answer before Mira scoffed. "What? What do you mean, blow it up?"

"I can get inside. I know where everything is. You want Alpha out of the picture? You want to save your people? Attacking Beta with a handful of undine gets you nowhere. You have to make drastic decisions that will echo through the entire ocean."

Mira shook her head. "You're calling for a war."

In his arms, she shook. He could feel her trembling with emotion, and some part of him whispered it might be fear.

"No," Anya replied. "I'm calling for a massacre. I know where to hit so some people will still be able to leave if they are quick. You want them to take you seriously? To know that they cannot and should not ever fuck with the undines again?" She made eye contact with each and every one of them in the room, saving him for last. Her gaze met his, and he knew that hardness was the same rage he felt burning in his own chest. "Then you need to tear the golden city to the ground."