Hook's Pan (13 page)

His hook touched her hand, an inky well of black stared deep inside her. “Calm yourself, Trishelle. You will be fine.”

There was no more talking after that. The mermaids pushed the doors open and a ridiculously long entranceway greeted them. A teal runner led to a set of stairs that led to a dais and upon that sat two thrones.

On the thrones were two of them. Both shining like the sun was bursting through their skin. Everything about them was bronze, from their tails, to the hairs on their heads. Even their eyes were the color of liquid amber.

But unlike the maids she’d seen outside, one of them wasn’t a woman. One of them was a man and he was massive. His shoulders were broad, his chest and abs ripped. Crowns rested on their heads. And when she looked hard enough, she could swear something moved on it. The closer she got, the more she realized she was right. Hermit crabs with shells of gold scuttled along his, on hers swam golden, miniature seahorses.

Their faces were nearly identical, but rather than making him look feminine and her masculine, it looked just right. Chiseled cheeks, sharp noses, and well-defined jaws. Her heart beat a furious tempo in her chest, it was not fair how hot they both were. Made her usual confidence flag.

“The Royal Majesties,” one of the mermaids they’d been following announced in a large booming voice, “Sirenade and Sircco.”

The blare of conch shells sounded and she trembled under the intimidating noise. Neither moved, simply continued to gaze at them.

Hook broke away from her, taking a step forward. “Sirenade,” he said in that gravelly voice of his, “I thank you for seeing us today.”

Alien-like eyes looked him up and down, and when she spoke goose bumps broke out on the back of Trisha’s neck. Her voice was delicate, but strong, ringing with the echo of power behind it.

“Welcome to Seren, Prince of Thieves.”

Trisha released a tiny breath, but she wasn’t completely relieved. The merman was staring at her, he hadn’t blinked since the moment she’d entered the throne room.

True, the man was smokin’, but the intensity of his gaze was beginning to make her very uncomfortable.

“Who is that?” Sirenade peered at her with intense eyes. “And why have you brought her to our realm?”

Swallowing hard, feeling stupidly scared, Trisha tried to remember not to fidget. Hook didn’t look back at her, but she saw his shoulders bunch.

“Sister,” Sircco spoke up and she couldn’t help the shiver that arced down her spine, “is there not something…about her?”

“Is there?” she asked in that dulcet voice of hers, before looking.

A long pause stretched between them before she cocked her head. The tiny seahorses in her crown began swimming faster.

“I wonder,” she said, then rising from her throne, swam slowly toward Trisha.

Her breasts were bare, as were the rest of the mermaids she’d seen. But it didn’t feel sexual, the maids didn’t seem to think one way or another about their nudity, the way they curtained their breasts with their hair was almost a covering. Sirenade didn’t stop until they were little more than an inch apart.

Raising a hand, she cupped Trisha’s face with a claw like fingers. The only part of her body that wasn’t bronze were her nails, they were black and sharp and long as daggers. And when Trisha looked into her eyes, it was like falling off a cliff, or staring into eternity.

Within the amber gaze rolled an endless expanse of water.

Trembling, mouth agape, Trisha lost all her words. All she could think, see, was the water and she wanted to drown in it.

Rose bud lips quirked. “I see you, little sister.”

Trisha blinked herself back into reality as a claw caressed the side of her face. Then she turned to Hook and smiled broadly. “You’ve brought her back. How did you manage to—”

He shook his head. “Forgive me, Queen. I did not bring her back for good. She lives in the Earthly realm now. She is but a visitor in this land and cannot stay.”

Turning back to Trisha, she blinked at her. “Are you sure?”

Trisha didn’t think she was asking the question of Hook. She had zero idea what was going on, but could guess. Yet another person thought she was Talia. It was beginning to feel like nobody really wanted her around, more like they wanted whatever they thought was trapped inside her. She frowned and gently pried her face away.

“He’s right, I can’t stay. A fairy told me I only have three days. I’ll be leaving soon.”

Inclining her head, Sirenade dropped her hand. “The realm is open to you both.” Then stretching out her hand toward Hook, she pulled him into her.

Hook didn’t fight Sirenade, not when she wrapped her arms around his neck, not when she pulled his face toward hers, and not when she crushed her mouth to his.

Then a strong pair of hands clamped onto Trish’s arms and pulled her into an equally large chest. It was Sircco. His touch was gentle, tender even. Large hands trailed up her neck, then cupped her cheeks.

“Welcome home, little sister,” he whispered against her mouth, before pressing his full lips to hers.

At first she wanted to fight it, tell him “no way, buddy,” but then she felt something sweet and warm and wonderful flow from his mouth to hers and she wanted more. All of it.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up on tiptoe as his tongue coiled around hers. She didn’t know what sounds she made, all she knew was she wanted to crawl inside him, take it all, all the sweet air he could give.

When he broke away she laughed because now she could smell, and it was amazing. There was salt and flowers and something sweet, yet pungent. Sircco smiled, the hermit crabs around his crown marching like tiny soldiers.

“My sister and I would like to invite you both to dine with us this eve.”

She looked at Hook, he was staring at her and the way he was watching, it made heat sizzle through her veins, butterflies tickled her stomach. He nodded.

“Thank you, we shall,” Hook agreed for them both.

Sircco still hadn’t released her, his warm hands gripped her forearm as he began to leisurely swim, like if he had legs they’d be on a meandering stroll.

“And how do you find our realm, human?” he asked.

She had to turn away from his gaze. Something about it almost made her feel hypnotized. Staring at her feet, she smiled.

“It’s gorgeous. Breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He nodded as his fingers slid down, tracing the seam of her elbow. “You do not remember this at all, do you?” His words were so casual, his touch was not.

And while she liked it, it also kind of bothered her. Sircco was gorgeous, fishy parts aside, but she didn’t want to give anyone the impression that she was okay with being touched however they wanted. Gently pulling her arm free of him, she shrugged.

“No.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t seem upset by her pulling away, which she was grateful for, he was a king after all, not that she knew much about that profession. Except that when they were offended they tended to get all moody about it. King Henry the VIII came immediately to mind. “I’m not surprised to hear it. I see Talia within you, but I see many others as well.”

She stopped walking, touching his arm to get him to turn. “How many?”

Never in her life had she believed in reincarnation, her theory had always been you lived, you died, and that was that. She wasn’t sure she even believed it now, but she hadn’t believed in mermaids or fairies either, or the sexy Captain Hook. Just thinking his name made her breathing hitch.

“Many.” He brushed hair back from her face. “I know little of the Earthen realm. Only what others have shared, but one day in Kingdom is the equivalent of one month in your world. Talia’s been dead a hundred years. How long is a mortal life?”

She trembled as the enormity of what he was saying became realized. “That can’t be.”

His smile was serene, but also full of something she couldn’t name. Longing maybe? Hope? She couldn’t exactly say, but it made her sad for whatever reason.

“There is magic in every world, you just have to learn to recognize its essence.” He started moving again.

Trisha fingers shook as she brushed her bangs behind her ear, searching for Hook. He was already within the dining chambers, sitting at a large mother of pearl table and staring into his cup.

He looked haunted, and so sad it made her throat ache.

“The prince calls to you, even in this form, does he not?”

She jerked, forgetting for a moment that Sircco had probably seen the thoughts flashing across her face. Clearing her throat, she smiled. “He thinks I’ll fall into his bed. He couldn’t be more wrong.”

Brushing her cheek with the pad of this thumb, he nodded. “I’ve missed you. Your wit, your beauty. You were always—” he stopped, then smiling tightly, dropped his hand. “But I suppose, I should stop. Because I can see that though her spirit lies in you, your soul,” he covered her heart with the palm of his hand, “is shaded differently. And this new soul,” he whispered, “is as lovely as hers.”

Stomach tickling, she finally allowed herself to meet his eyes. They were different than Sirenade’s had been. His swirled, like the brewing clouds of a gathering storm.

She wasn’t sure what she might have been about to say, because in that second she felt
him
. Hook. He was looking at her and she lost her words, because his look was almost a touch—a silent caress that left her speechless. How could that man affect her like this?

“In another life maybe you could have been mine,” Sircco’s warm voice made her pull her gaze away reluctantly, “for I fear, dear mortal, that in this one he still draws you.”

“No.” She frowned. “No.”

His brow lifted, as if with amusement. “There are moments when I do see her in you. Lie to yourself all you want, but the end is already written, it’s just a matter of getting there.”

~*~

This had been the fanciest dinner she’d ever eaten, definitely one for the books. Only thirty minutes into the feast and her stomach was starting to bulge uncomfortably. Mermaids came one after another into the great room, bearing heaping platters of steamed lobster tails, smoked crabs, and sliced abalone.

At first Trisha had worried that all she’d taste was water. It was still strange to her to be breathing it in, but it felt no different than the air she breathed on land. Maybe a little thicker feeling, but that was all. The food itself tasted the same as it would above, in fact, maybe even better. It was super fresh and sweet.

She honestly hadn’t expected to eat undersea creatures. She hadn’t known what they’d serve, but she’d been prepared for seaweed salad or roasted coral, because surely they wouldn’t eat their sea friends. Right?

Maybe she’d watched too many cartoons growing up, because she’d been dead wrong. There’d been muscles, clams, shrimp, even fish. Seeing them tear into steaming fish had felt a little like watching a cannibal eat. For a quick second it’d turned her stomach, but it had all tasted so good the feeling hadn’t lasted.

But now she was sick. There was too much food and if she had to force herself to swallow one more bite of anything she was going to hurl.

She tried to swallow her gag reflex as yet another mermaid set yet another platter in front of her. Mouth drooling, stomach heaving, she covered her mouth and eyed the others. They weren’t eating the way she was, more picking and moving pieces around.

Sirenade grinned, her teeth reminding her somewhat of a shark’s the way they were pointed.

“You’ve finally finished have you?” She leaned in closer, the briny scent of her hair tickled Trisha’s nose. “I thought I might pass out before too long.”

Grabbing onto her sore stomach, Trisha snorted. “Oh my God, please don’t tell me you all were waiting for me to finish?”

The men—who were at the opposite end of the table—looked up then. Hook with brows lifted and Sircco with a ghost of a smile. Feeling like the world’s biggest ass, she groaned.

“I’m so sick I think I will puke, right now. I just didn’t know how to say no more.”