Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

MONROE

The entire castle rumbled and shook. I held on to Sylvester and headed for the window. "Earthquake! Earthquake!"

Chip hurried to my side, and I started to calm. She placed her hand on my arm and warmth spread through my body. "It's not, but I know it feels like it."

We were just above the castle and the sun was beginning to set. "What is going on?"

"We're putting the last few decorations together for the haunted house. Dad tends to go a bit overboard, pun intended."

Her father drifted about fifty feet away from the castle. He held his hands out to his sides, and I could feel the water push and pull in different directions. My jaw dropped. "I had no idea."

She shrugged. "King of the Seven Seas comes with some benefits."

"I thought the ocean was uncontrollable?" There was so much I had to learn about the sea, and so much I needed to get used to.

"For the most part it is, but he can control the currents a little." Two huge shipwrecks floated through the water like ghostly versions of themselves.

The first looked like an old wooden pirate ship with three large masts down the center of it. Instead of sails, seaweed hung from it, and when it moved through the water, they drifted back and forth as though sailing undersea. Large chunks of wooden planks were missing from the sides. Barnacles covered the hull of the ship and a trail of sharks followed behind it. I hugged Sylvester closer.

"Are sharks a good idea for your haunted-house night?"

She hesitated and glanced down at Sylvester, then ran her hand over the top of his head. "They'll be trapped within a barrier, like a fishbowl, but no one will be able to see that."

My jaw dropped. "Is that safe?"

"With my dad doing it, yes." She glanced around. "Anyone else, definitely not."

"Hey, Monroe! Hey, Chip!" Twix, one of Chip's older sisters, swam by dressed like a ghost. She had a large shark bite painted on the side of her stomach. Her long blonde hair streamed out behind her, and she had a bright-green tail. A large shark swam in her wake, but she didn't seem to mind. She stopped a few feet away and petted it on the head, then gave it a little hug.

I pointed toward the shark. "And that?"

"Oh, that's Dolly." She lowered her voice. "Twix can kind of talk to her, in a way, and Dolly is a vegetarian."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Well, it's all shrimp and krill, so not like big fish or sea lions." She shrugged. "She's kind of attached to Dolly."

I glanced down at Sylvester in my arms. "I get it."

The other boat glided in behind the first one, and they both settled onto the ground in front of the castle. The sand flew up around in a huge cloud of underwater dust. Chip grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the second ship. "Come on. We have a job to do."

"How are you all going to get all those people down here? Are they going to get soaked?" I was genuinely curious how they were going to get people from the Island down here for this night. "Scuba gear?"

She smirked. "Come on. You know we're better than that. Giant bubbles."

"What?"

"Look." She pointed toward a huge bubble that descended into the sea. It was like watching those people who go in a huge ball and roll down a hill, except they were walking under the water toward the sunken ships. She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward one of the ships. "You're gonna love this."

She swam for a bit, then stopped in front of her eldest sister, Brownie. "Hey, can you watch Sylvester for a minute?"

"Of course." She opened her arms. "It's been a while since I held a baby."

Chip chuckled. "Like you didn't have all of us hanging off you at one point or another."

Brownie shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a great older sister."

Just being here for such a brief amount of time, I knew all too well how Brownie was the mother of all of them. She practically raised her younger sisters, and I knew she could more than take care of my little seal friend. I handed him over and let Chip guide me away. There was something about her fun, playful side that called to me. She had a way of being serious but also being playful at the same time. Her wit always came as a pleasant surprise to me. I found myself enjoying her company.

"Thanks, Brownie. We'll be back in a little bit."

We turned away and swam toward one of the sunken ships. I flipped my tail, finally able to keep my pace with her and finally starting to feel better. We swam through one of the cracks in the first ship and my eyes widened. I never thought I'd examine a ship like this, but here we were swimming through. Skeletons were placed in different positions, looking like pirates that'd died at sea. They'd dressed them up with hats and swords. Empty bottles were strewn about and chests with fake treasure were placed all over. One of her sisters, Hershey, with strawberry blond hair and a bright pink tail, winked at us. She was also dressed as a pirate but had a skeleton painted over her body as though she too were a ghostly siren. Suddenly she disappeared behind a curtain of seaweed.

Chip chuckled. "That's her favorite place to jump out and scare people.

"So, you really are going to hide and scare people as they move by in these bubbles?"

She nodded up at me. "Yeah, it'll be great. Besides, I thought you liked jumping out and scaring people?"

"Very funny." I scrubbed my hand down my face, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I still feel bad about that one."

When she giggled, it sent a warm sensation all over my body. "I mean, if you really think about it, it was hilarious. I mean, she actually peed herself and turned into a siren because of it."

We swam from one sunken ship to the next. This one was less pirate-like and more upscale, like a luxury ocean liner. The hull was made of metal sheeting, except on one side it looked like it'd hit something that ran down its length, making the giant holes that probably sank it. The inside was elegant, with long hallways lining them. The porthole windows only let in some of the light from the moon, giving it an eerie effect. We swam into the main lobby area and found a winding set of stairs and a large chandelier covered in barnacles. It was almost as if this ship was taken straight out of time. I could practically still hear the music playing on nights they held balls in the main room.

"Wait, is that . . . music?"

The tune was an out-of-date slow waltz with a few sour notes mixed in. It emphasized the point that this ship went down in its prime. Chip nodded. "Creepy, I know."

"It kind of reminds me of the . . ." I swallowed, ". . . the Titanic." I looked at her, hoping it wasn't.

"Dad goes a bit overboard, but out of respect for all those who were lost, he'd never move that ship. Plus, it's haunted as hell."

I nodded. "I've heard that."

"Yeah, even the sirens don't go near stuff like that." She motioned to the ship around us. "This was owned by a wealthy billionaire who thought he should take it out before it was fully finished. The damn thing sank a few hours into its test run. Everyone survived but we don't have to tell our visitors that."

I smirked. "That's amazing."

It truly was a good idea. Chip guided us toward a room that had more seaweed in it than others. "Okay, when they walk through in their bubbles, this is where we jump out and scare the crap out of them."

I pursed my lips and nodded. "I think I can do that."

"Oh, I know you can." She moved back into some of the seaweed, and I followed suit right beside her.

Just then two mages in bubbles walked into the room, and I pressed my hand over my mouth to stop from laughing. They were clearly a couple. The woman was small with short curly hair and dark-brown eyes. The guy had brown eyes too. He was only a few inches taller than her and had light-blond hair. Chip pressed her finger over her lips, telling me to be quiet. I nodded and sucked in a deep breath. That damn music continued, and I could see how this would be creepy.

They got closer and Chip held up her fingers one at a time. One, two, three . We sprang out at the same time, growling at them. The woman jumped back and pressed her hand to her chest, but the guy leapt off his feet and went flying back like he was in a giant rubber ball. He ricocheted off the walls like in a pinball machine, all the while screaming. His eyes bugged out of his head and then he collided with me. He bounced off of me and right into Chip, but she shoved him away easily. He bumped into his girlfriend, knocking her over, then he ran out of the room and into the hall, leaving her behind with us.

When she finally got to her feet, she just stood there with her mouth hanging open. "Did he just . . . leave me?"

Chip pressed her lip into a line. "Looks like."

"That son of a . . ." She started to run after him.

When she was out of ear shot, we both broke out into fits of laughter. "You are really talented."

"Me?" I pointed toward her. "That was one-hundred-percent you."

She gave me a little shove and I started to drift back. I reached out and grabbed her wrist, dragging her with me. When my back pressed against the wall of the ship, she pressed into my body. Tiny bubbles danced between us and rolled up our bodies. She laid her hand over my chest and the press of her little fingertips sent excitement all over my body. Strands of her long midnight hair drifted around us and touched my arms. When I looked down into her bottomless eyes, I felt like I'd been caught, and the oddest feeling of all was that I didn't mind. Her eyes drifted toward my lips, then back up to meet my gaze. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into another part of the sunken ship. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for her sisters. I pushed her into a small hiding spot surrounded by seaweed. It was so thick I could only see her and nothing else.

I let my hand move to her face. I cupped her cheek, drawing her closer to me. I let my lips press to hers, and it was like a jolt shot through me. Connection sizzled between us. Her body fit so perfectly with mine that I couldn't remember why we hadn't started like this in the first place. I loved the feel of her against me, the taste of her on my lips, and the light sighs she subconsciously let out. When her fingers dug into my skin, it urged me on, and I let my hands travel down her body to her small waist and pulled her closer to me. Our tongues wound together, and all I wanted was her.

Chip was everything I wanted and didn't know I needed. She was gorgeous, fiery, and brilliant. This close, I couldn't deny we had something between us, something amazing that made me feel like I could fly. I wanted all of her, all of her moments, and all of her passion for my own. I didn't know how long she kept me under this spell, but I wanted to be here. She was everything.

"Chip!" one of her sisters called. "Where are you?"

She pulled away and smirked up at me, then she pressed her finger over my lips and shook her head, warning me to stay quiet. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her there as we hid in our own little world.

She pressed her lips to mine, and I was completely lost once more . . .