12. Ries

12

Ries

O kay, so the situation could be better.

For the past twenty years, I've been dealing with a problem not my fault. My randy dad screwed me just as hard as he screwed my mother. Not literally, but yeah, still.

Being part merman is a curse in itself. I'm always horny, and my nads are constantly getting me into trouble. The only good parts about my father are he left me alone right after my birth, and I inherited a lot of his power.

My control over water is pretty damn tight since I've got him and my mother, a siren, to thank for my killing urges.

Kill or kiss, kiss or kill.

That's actually why I find myself having to fight for my life in the shitty Radiant Trials. Because some stupid elf taunted me after I fucked his sister, who had been asking for it, mind you.

And not in a she's-asking-for-it-I'm-a-rapist kind of way, which everyone stereotypes us mermen. She literally begged me to fuck her to get her ex out of her system .

She was hot, I said yes, we came a bunch of times, and then her ex found us.

Her ex, who turned out to be her brother.

Gross.

He cursed me and sold me to the Asrai council, who then bartered me to Folas for a deal on better corn crop prices.

Confusing, but here I am.

And just my luck, I've got one hot piece of dryad at the ready.

She's very pretty, curvy yet delicate, and has me itching to come just from looking at her.

I can't help it. Despite the danger, the shitty situation, and not trusting anyone as far as I can throw them—and especially not the icy dude with the white hair and demon eyes—I want this sexy chick.

Bad.

"Um, what?" She even has a lovely voice, a little husky, rich yet soft.

The dark-haired fae sneers. "Great. I'm stuck in a room between the ice dick, a near-naked dryad, her pet orc, and a horny merman. Just terrific."

Everyone stops to stare at him. Crash, I think his name is.

He looks around, his cheeks turning red. " What? "

I ignore him, as do the others, which seems to aggravate him even more, and turn back to Kami. Even her name is sweet. "Look, cutie, I have needs. I'm also hellishly strong, and we're going to the Radiant Trials. In an arena built on water. You need me."

"You have no power, merman." The white-haired guy says.

He puts me on edge, something about him more dangerous than the others, though I can't say why.

But I trust my gut. "First of all, don't stereotype me as a merman because I have water magic and a dick. "

He looks from my erection to me and raises a brow.

I'm a merman, yes, and have no problem with my needs. But still. "Fine. Yes, I'm part merman. I like sex."

"You need sex," the white-haired guy corrects. He pauses. "As do I."

I stop talking.

The orc stirs. He's big, brawny, and not someone I'd want to tangle with. Especially if his inherent power lies in his natural strength, speed, and intellect. He'll retain that with or without a mark on his arm, unlike the rest of us.

"I think we should start with introductions." The orc glances at the chick, who nods.

Man, she's even prettier than at first glance, something about her more intriguing the more I look at her.

"I'm Oz. She's Kami."

"I'm Malkar," says the white-haired guy.

"I'm Crash," says Firefly. At least he's smart enough to stick with his real name and not something a four-year-old would come up with.

"I'm Ries," I tell them.

Oz nods. "I'm in Kami's debt, so I'm not letting any of you do anything she doesn't want."

She blinks up at him. "My debt?"

"For the fruit." The big guy looks awkward. "You know."

"Oh." She smiles slowly, and I can tell now everyone is captivated by her, not just me. "Okay. Deal."

Oz nods. "I don't know how much you guys know about the Radiant Trials, but if you want to make it out of here, we'd be smart to team up to survive."

"That's sound advice, Oz." The white-haired bastard smiles, but it doesn't reach his cold eyes. "As I said, I'm Malkar. I'm here to settle a life debt. Alas, it was stolen from me. So I now own Crash's life. You may not take it from me. It's mine. "

Crash blinks. "Wait. What? No way."

"Ah, young fae. Your soul is mine." Malkar licks his lips, but it's not sexual.

I'm well versed in sexual. No, his lip-licking is all about hunger.

I realize what I was sensing before. "You're a demon."

He nods. "Partly. And I crave something only our lovely young dryad can give me."

She blinks. "Trees?"

Crash sneers. "Sex. You're not really that stupid, are you?"

Which would make Malkar an incubus. That fits.

Like before, everyone ignores Crash, so he turns and stomps a foot away, stuck in this cramped room like the rest of us.

"Sex with you? Yes, I'd love to," Malkar says to her. "But I can feed off any sex you indulge in, by yourself or with anyone else. It's the energy I need to sustain me. Food helps, but sexual power fuels me." He pauses. "We're going to need it to live through the trials."

Kami glances around. "I, er, well…"

Malkar shrugs. "I would never presume to demand you have sex. But if you want me at my strongest, I suggest you find someone who will suit."

She turns a fetching green across her cheeks. A blush of life that makes me ache.

I hope she finds me as attractive. Like most fae, I'm built to please the eye. But as a merman, my fate is aligned with finding suitable partners for sex, so the water gods have blessed my kind even more when it comes to attracting prey.

Of us four males, I'm the most handsome. And that's not boasting. Crash isn't bad, and Malkar is cold but striking, with Oz bringing up the rear with his brutish features but fierce body.

Kami's got to take a liking to one of us.

Me, me, me, I'm hoping as hard as I can.

She's still blushing. "Well, I, um, maybe. I… Can you tell me what brought you all here?"

I share my story first. Everyone seems to accept it as truth, which it is.

Crash and Malkar apparently fought and were captured by that asshole Folas, whom we all hate.

Oz, forced to work for Rilitar, rebelled and fled.

Thank Oceana. No one is a murderer or rapist or defiler. With the crowd I came in with, I would have expected worse offenders.

"And Kami? What did you do?" I ask.

She bites her lip, and a tear tracks down her cheek.

I'm stunned at how much her pain affects me. I don't know her, don't care about her.

But her tears…hurt.

"I was stupid. My brother and I came to town to find work. We stole from Rilitar. Hell, everyone steals from the guy. He mostly allows it."

"That's what he says to get you in over your head," Oz growls. "Then he turns your crimes to his advantage. Hell, I didn't even commit the crime, and he forced me to pay it off."

"Yeah, well, my brother and I weren't as smart as we thought we were. Rilitar found out and captured us. He killed Ahza." She pauses to calm herself and wipes her eyes.

Oz pats her on the shoulder with a gentle hand.

She adds, "And he captured me."

I meet Malkar's gaze and frown.

What this poor dryad likely suffered at the hands of Rilitar doesn't mention repeating.

If what I suspect is true, I can't expect her to want sex with a strange man. Especially since she was likely forced to do all manner of things with that fucking elf.

And that's an issue. I don't know how much longer I can last without… major problems.

Oz gives her a proud smile. "But he didn't break you. You outsmarted him."

"Oh?" Crash looks at her with curiosity. The fae hasn't acted as if he's attracted to the girl. Yet I sense he is. She's just too captivating not to want her in some fashion. "Rilitar's a fucking beast. How did you get one over on him?"

"I planted a tree and hid inside it for two months. So fuck you."

I'm sensing some serious hostility between the pair. "Do you guys know each other?"

She straightens yet remains a good head or more smaller than all of us. "Do I know him? No, I don't. I couldn't. Because when I was tied up in the forest and begging for help, he saw me and left."

I scowl. "Seriously? That's shitty."

"Very shitty." Malkar nods.

Crash glares at him. "Oh please. You would have left her too. I had things to do."

Oz shakes his head. "Not nice, fae."

Crash ignores him, his eyes narrowed on the girl. "How did you escape from that djinn, anyway?"

"A djinn?" Malkar blinks and regards the dryad with even more interest.

She flushes. "He, ah, well, I got lucky."

Crash glares. "The more I think on it, the more I wonder if you were ever really in danger."

"What? I totally was."

She's not a great liar. But man, is she cute.

"Ha!" Crash points at her. "I was a dick about it, yeah, but you were setting me up. What? Going to rob me with your djinn buddy? Where is he, anyway? Did he ditch your ass too?"

"No, you stupid fae. Rilitar beat him to death. Happy now?" She breaks down in sobs, and I groan.

I'm sorry for her loss, but we've all lost people we love. That's life in this cruel world.

The real problem is, I know my dick isn't going to get any respite.

The demon isn't going to get fed either, and if we're teaming up, we'll need his power.

Add in a fire fae without magic and a dryad I could break in half without trying.

Oz is the only one I can maybe count on to stand at my back. That's if I could trust anyone not myself.

Not that we've agreed to work together, but it's a damn good idea.

Except our little group doesn't have a chance of surviving if we can't get it together.

And we really need to. Folas owes me a life debt of his own.

A debt that has nothing to do with being bartered and everything to do with the hell he put me through for my entire life.

Rejected by my mother's family through no fault of my own, but because the heir apparent couldn't handle a scummy half-merman for a sibling.

Well, guess who's coming to dinner soon, Folas?

You fae piece of shit.