Hidden under the cover of the Morcants’ power, we eased our way across the Summoning field. I knew how Observers procreated, but watching it first hand was an experience I never wanted to repeat. But at least everyone watching was transfixed. It was the perfect distraction to hide our advancement.
I could feel Seren’s song building in her body. It continued to change, morph, transform as her emotions roiled and raged inside her. Just as she’d offered me peace once, I wanted to be her place of solace now.
And if Raen didn’t stop fucking her, I was going to rip that stupid fishwoman’s arms off and beat her to death with them. Seren was mine. First. Always. Forever.
The links I saw branching out from her spirit called me a liar, but if it meant she would be safe, I’d tie other men to her bed and force them to fuck. She had to be safe. More importantly, she had to be whole.
The gaping hole in my own powers throbbed and shrieked inside me. I was ancient and powerful enough to knock most of the Olympian gods off their asses with nothing more than a sneeze. Feeling the frost seep into me millennia after millennia had slowly driven me mad.
But the first moment I felt Seren’s life flicker in her mother’s belly, hope had smashed the darkness into smithereens. My salvation had finally come. We would save each other.
I didn’t care what the Fates thought. I was the prince apparent of the entirety of the water portals. My time to rule was so far away, I was sure at least Earth’s waters would have run dry. Mom and Dad weren’t really the retiring kind of deities.
Nox, you masu pile of scat, answer me! Neron roared in my head.
I winced. Shit. What?
You’re about to smash into them. That’s not the plan. Fall back.
I blinked and saw he was right. The man was surly as fuck and he didn’t take kindly to people telling him what to do. But damn, it was fun to tweak his tail.
I pulled up and stopped just a handful of feet away from Raen and Seren. Raen was still pumping away at Seren’s arm. If she gave her some kind of Cyraenian sexually transmitted disease, I would destroy that world for shits and giggles.
In position, I said.
Masu finally, Conlan said. He sounded grouchy and a bit bitchy. I knew he was hot for Seren as well. It was just a good thing the links in her spirit had attached themselves to them. Or they’d already be dead.
Granted, that didn’t mean I had to share that information. I was more than happy to keep her all to myself for as long as possible.
What the hades is that fish thing doing to Seren’s arm? Conlan asked. Wait…is she—
Yes. And don’t think about it too hard or you’ll go blind. I snickered to myself as their confusion rushed through my brain. If the Amatasata would hurry the fuck up, we could get this stupid weapon ready to go. But no, their race really liked the buildup.
Too bad their climax was horrifying and disgusting.
Shouldering the weapon, I had it ready for the monster about to be birthed. If it got too much bigger, then we would all be smashed under its weight. I just hope Seren never realized it wa—
NOW! Aibek screamed through my head as the Amatasata exploded from the pressure. Tentacles were everywhere as a thick, viscous goo splashed out into the water around it.
I hit the button and heard the weapon whir to throbbing life. It was ready in seconds. Thank the gods. We didn’t have time to wait.
Fire, fire, fire, Neron shouted.
I depressed the trigger and watched with a certain amount of joy as the weaponized ions shot through the water. It beat into the flesh of the monster and it quaked.
Once the initial deposit had been made, it was Conlan’s turn at the wheel. He cranked the dial all the way up and we waited and watched. Seamus hadn’t been the most instructive of teachers. But he’d done what he could considering Shikari had been in charge of weapon deployment and operation. And we’d let her die. Oh well. She should have been more willing to play the game with us.
The monster seemed to vibrate before it started to shrink in on itself. A low, heart wrenching moan washed over us as the sound traveled like ripples.
I hardened my heart against the pain that noise brought. Seren was more important. And it was time to rescue her from those batshit crazy Cyraeni.
Ditching the weapon, I moved forward and turned my fingers into razor sharp blades. Formed of water, they could sink into flesh faster than lungs transformed oxygen to carbon dioxide.
Raen didn’t even have a chance to make a noise as I slid the blades through her throat and severed her head. She plummeted to the ocean floor as everyone was trying to figure out what was happening with the Amatasata.
I caught Seren as she was tugged with Raen, her wrist still trapped in the fallen fish woman’s grip. With another quick swipe, Seren was free. And she was finally in my arms where she belonged.
Throwing off the Morcants’ power, I unveiled myself before she could plow her fist into my face. Although, seeing the rage on her face was kind of a turn on. Leaning forward, I nipped the angle of her jaw with my teeth. “Save the violence for bed. We still have work to do.”
“Nox.” My name was a benediction. And it turned my dick to steel.
“Later. Come on. We need to move.” Pulling her with me, I had us both out of the battlefield and floating off to the side.
The Cyraeni had already launched themselves at the monster. But with it stuck in mid-morph, they actually ended up attacking each other.
“What is it?” she asked as she pulled herself from my grip. She jutted her chin at the melee. “I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life.”
I nodded, unsure how I should answer her. “It doesn’t happen often. The last time was over two thousand years ago.” I shook my head. “Two thousand of your revolutions.”
She looked up at me, her dark blue brows high on her forehead. “Was it here? The last time one was seen.”
I nodded. “They don’t show up too often in other worlds. I think my father has records of a total of five across all the portals. But for some reason, Amatasata like your world. I guess it has the best environment for it.”
“But what is it?”
Turn it off, Topaz, Neron’s voice floated through my head. Let it shift and defend itself.
“There are a lot of names for it. I think each of your surface cultures who live near or around large bodies of water have their own name for it.”
Seren nodded.
Conlan must have followed directions because the monster finally chose a form. Huge, its body was at least the size of four blue whales smashed together. Its long tentacles dangled low beneath its body, probably exhausted from struggling. It was a pulsing blue that reminded me of Seren’s hair.
I turned to watch the woman beside me. Her eyes showed her sympathy. Her clenched fists showed her struggle.
Through the bond she didn’t know we had, I felt the song rise up the back of her throat. Push at her from the inside out.
“Seren, do—”
The song burst from her mouth before I could stop it. I’d never heard it with my physical ears. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d heard it in my dreams. But my dreams didn’t do it justice.
It was sweet and full of sorrow. Beauty in grief. And my mate would know grief. Her heart reached for that of the beast. Almost as if I could see it, I watched as the monster turned and sought out the singer.
There was no force stronger or fiercer than the bond between mother and daughter.