Always Remembered (23 page)

Are you okay?
He sounded angry, not
scared, so that was a good thing.

My head hurts a little.
A mild pain
formed behind my eyes when I woke up. I moved to stretch and
realized that they tied me down.
This really sucks.

Tell me about it.
Kieran’s voice was
grim.
Did you get a look at them?

They stayed in the shadows.
I tried to
recall any details that might stick out. Only two things came to
mind.
They seemed unnaturally large and male.

Blue Men, then.
Kieran tried to bite
through his rope. It wasn’t giving.
That’s what I figured.
Wonder where they are now?

As if they heard us, our captors returned and
flipped on the lights, practically blinding us after so many hours
in darkness. Seal eyes were very sensitive to light. I wanted to
change into my human form, but I didn’t think I could in my current
state, not without contorting my body painfully in these ropes.
Hell, I couldn’t even turn my head to see who abducted us.

“We’re not going to hurt you.”

The voice belonged to the man who captured
me, the only one I’d heard. So far, his two companions remained
quiet. He squatted in front of me, a safe distance away. I wanted
to laugh. He was afraid of me? Even if I wanted to attack him, I
couldn’t wiggle a whisker in these ties. Blinking, my eyes slowly
adjusted to the light.

He was rather good looking in his human form.
His hair was black and spiky, and he had dime-sized plugs in his
ears. A little too goth for my taste, but his light gray eyes were
lovely. I gave myself a mental pinch. Why was I checking him out?
Had I lost my mind?

The man hadn’t moved. He continued to crouch
in front of me, relaxing a little and resting his forearms on his
knees. “I wonder…” His full lips parted in a friendly smile. “I’ve
never met a Selkie before.” He reached out and patted my head like
a dog. “You’re kind of cute.”

Moving on instinct, my head jerked away from
his hand and a warning rumbled in my throat. At the same time,
Kieran growled low and threatening. Spiky hair ignored him, but his
face fell. “I guess you didn’t like that.” He sat back and put some
distance between us. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”

I’ll offend his ass to next Tuesday once
I’m free.
Kieran followed his statement with a rather colorful
stream of curses.
He had better not touch you again if he wants
to live.

Not helping,
I told him. Besides, I
didn’t think Mr. Plugs meant me any harm. He sounded like he was
serious when he apologized. His companions moved behind him,
joining in the observation party. Instead of watching them like a
helpless trapped animal, I looked beyond them at the room. It was
furnished like an apartment. Did Sirens live in apartments under
the sea?

“Do you think that’s her?” The one with the
mousy, brown hair and glasses spoke. He frowned, and I wondered if
he really wanted to be part of this.

Just stay calm.
Kieran continued to
talk to me from across the room. He was momentarily forgotten by
the men. It wasn’t like he could do anything anyway. He was tied
down and muzzled too.

I’m okay,
I told him.
I… I believe
them. I don’t think they want to hurt us.

Something was going on, and I wasn’t sure
what it was, but I did believe that if these men wanted to hurt us
or kill us, they would’ve done it already. They seemed to be
waiting for something. Or someone.

The door flew open, and a female voice asked,
“Why did you call us, Vesh? Did you find something
interesting?”

“You could say that.” This came from the same
guy with the spiky hair.

The girl giggled and whispered to someone
else. A deep laugh answered hers, and then two sets of footsteps
came into the room.

“What have you done?” the new male cried in
outrage. I recognized that voice. I’d recognize it anywhere.
Evan
.

Meara
was tied down like an animal, tape wrapped around her muzzle, her
flippers pinned to her body by thick ropes. A larger seal was
wrapped the same way on the other side of the room. Probably
Kieran.

“Untie her!” Anger made Evan’s voice shake.
Deanna stepped back, and Vesh raised his hands.

“Calm down, Evan. I didn’t hurt either of
them.” Vesh pulled a knife from his pocket, and Evan jerked it
away. With inhuman speed, he turned and moved to Meara’s side. Her
dark eyes rolled, showing the whites. She recoiled as though she
was petrified.
Damn it!
She probably was. Evan forgot that
she’d never seen him in this form before.

“It’s me, Meara.” He spoke to her in a
soothing tone, and his hands gentled while he carefully cut through
the ropes. Vesh hadn’t lied. Her fur was smooth underneath the
ropes, her skin unharmed.

You’re okay?
he asked, testing their
connection. If she didn’t respond, he’d ask her out loud. She still
looked afraid of him.

Yes
. He thought he heard her sigh in
relief, and her body definitely relaxed. She recognized him.
Evan, is that… is that really you?

Yes. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you
later.
Hearing her voice in his mind made his chest pang with a
mix of emotions. He’d missed her so much. More than he realized.
Can you change?

The air shimmered around her, and then Meara
sat before him in shorts and a T-shirt. Her eyes glistened with
unshed tears. It was all he saw before she launched herself into
his arms and clung to his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Evan, oh, Evan. What did they do to you?”

“Shhh… It’s okay. I’m alright.” He held her
tight, noticing the changes in her. She was firm and muscular from
training, not the soft girl he once knew.

She pulled back abruptly and turned toward
the other seal. “Kieran needs to be cut free!”

“Can we trust him?” This question came from
Vesh.

If looks could kill, Meara slayed him.

“Set. Him. Free,” she gritted between her
teeth. “Now.”

The air thickened with her outrage, and Evan
tasted her power. She
was
stronger and had some potent magic
if her temper brought it out that strongly.

“Evan?” A soft hand on his shoulder reminded
him of Deanna’s presence. He covered her hand with his own and gave
it a reassuring squeeze.

“Meara, meet my girlfriend, Deanna.” Evan
watched the tense expression leave Deanna’s face to be replaced by
a pleased one. He didn’t mean to neglect her, but the shock of
seeing Meara again affected him more than he realized it would.

Meara gave him a questioning look before
smiling tentatively at Deanna and offering her hand. “Nice to meet
you, Deanna.”

Vesh cautiously approached the male seal, and
Meara’s attention turned to Kieran. When Vesh cut the last rope,
the air didn’t just shimmer—it
erupted
as Kieran changed.
Evan had never seen a more pissed off Selkie or man. His eyes
flamed, scalding everyone in the room with the exception of Meara.
She ran to his side, and he dragged his mouth across hers.

So that was how it was
, Evan thought.
Figures
.

“Someone better tell me what the hell is
going on.” Kieran kept his arm wrapped protectively around Meara.
“Who are you people? Where are we?”

Deanna stepped in front of the men, much to
Evan’s relief. She was diplomatic and could smooth over the
situation better than the guys could. Evan tensed at the
appreciative look Kieran gave her. Luckily, he returned to a
neutral, guarded expression just as fast.

“You’re in my mother’s former quarters.
Underground.” Deanna gestured to the plush couches across the room.
“Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. It seems we
have much to discuss.”

Meara and Kieran sat next to each other on
the far end of the couch. He took her hand, Evan noticed. Kieran
seemed to need to touch her constantly. With a sigh, Evan sat in
the armchair closest to them. Deanna perched on the side of it,
facing their guests.

“Were you expecting us?” Kieran asked, first
to speak as everyone settled.

“Yes and no,” Deanna said after a pause. “We
assumed Meara would come for Evan at some point.”

Meara looked up at the mention of her name, a
curious expression on her face. “You were expecting me?”

Deanna shrugged, so Evan added, “We know that
your dad and aunt are captured.”

Meara’s eyes widened. “Have you seen them?
Are they okay?”

“We haven’t,” Vesh answered before Evan
could. “Ken ordered their imprisonment, but they are held at
Azuria.”

“Azuria has them?” Confusion filled Meara’s
voice. “Why?”

“Not Azuria, our mother. She’s dead.” Vesh
gave Meara a strange look. “Azuria is also the name of our keep. We
haven’t been back since we conquered the Sirens.” Vesh turned to
Deanna. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she said.

“Ken won’t allow it,” Evan added, earning a
nod from the other Blue Men in the room. “Only his closest
followers are allowed to return there.”

Kieran’s expression darkened, and his free
hand tapped a silent beat on his leg. The guy was wired tight like
a spring. It surprised Evan that he fit with Meara, but they seemed
quite close. Maybe there was truth to opposites attracting.

“What does that make you? Some kind of
resistance party?” Kieran’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Vesh answered him. “Yeah, you could say that.
Just because Ken is my brother does not mean I agree with his
vendetta. Whatever happened between our mother and that Selkie
happened years ago. There is no sense in killing innocents for
revenge.”

“Zane didn’t kill Azuria!” Meara stood and
faced Vesh.

“And how would you know?” Vesh asked slowly.
“You’ve been a Selkie for, how long is it again? Months?”

“I know,” Meara said through clenched teeth.
“Because Azuria showed me.”

And that was when all hell broke loose.

Five people started yelling at once. The only one not saying
anything was Kieran, and that was because he already knew the
story.

“Stop!” I raised a hand and, miraculously,
they quieted. Of course, in that moment, my stomach decided to go
all grizzly bear. The guy named Vesh raised a pierced eyebrow.

“What?” I asked defensively. “I’m
hungry.”

“I can see why you and Evan get along so
well,” he said dryly and earned an evil look from Deanna and
Kieran. “If you can wait fifteen minutes, I’ll get us food.” He
stood and poked the other two guys in the back. “Come help me
carry.”

“Be careful,” Deanna said.

He answered with a grin. “Always am.”

Before he left, Vesh pointed at me. “Do not
start until I get back.”

The door closed, leaving the four of us. The
silence in the room grew awkward. Then, Deanna rolled her eyes. “He
said not to talk about Azuria. He didn’t say we couldn’t talk at
all.” She stood and smoothed her hands down her designer jeans. Her
body was thin and lithe like a dancer, and I wondered if all Sirens
were that lucky or just her. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

She directed the question at all of us, but
Kieran stood. “What do you have?”

As he followed her to the kitchenette, I
scolded myself for the ping of jealousy. He was thirsty, not
interested in her.

Almost as if he was proving my point, Kieran
turned back to me. “Do you want a Diet Coke, Meara?”

“That would be great.” My words were
nonchalant, but my heart did a happy dance. He was following a
gorgeous Siren, and his thoughts were focused on me. He loved
me.

“So, you and Kieran?” Evan said it like a
question, and quiet enough that only I could hear.

“Yeah.” No point in denying it. “How long
have you been seeing Deanna?”