Rising (31 page)

“Did he touch you?”

“No. He said he’d as soon mate with a sea cow than a human. I guess I should have been insulted, but I was very relieved.”

Xan
thus seemed to share her relief.

“What he meant was he wanted to torture me
.”

Xanthus’s
eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to explode. But he held his composure and his tongue.

“He wasn’t very successful at the torture part though. H
e took my hand and put it through a metal ring between a shark’s cage and mine. He meant for the shark to bite off my hand, I suppose. This is the strange part—the shark did come toward me, but only to brush against my hand. I was very frightened at first, but after he gently brushed my hand several times more, I realized the shark was no threat to me.”

“No shark would ever harm a mermaid. Sharks are very loyal to Triton.”

“That’s good to know. Well, then Gael…” Sara looked toward the door and thought that maybe she shouldn’t have used his name. Adelpha might be listening.

“Go on.”

“He got angry because the shark refused to attack me, so he tried to entice the shark with my blood. He cut me.” She showed Xanthus her hand. A red line streaked across three of her knuckles. The cut was healing nicely. Maybe Chara’s drink was healing her hand too.

“When
cutting my hand didn’t work, he got angry, pulled me out of the cage, and carried me out into open waters where other sharks could get me. And that’s about it.”

Xanthus shook his head
. Sara noticed he looked about a decade older, which was still much younger than his actual age, when you thought about it.

“And how
, pray tell, did you get the injury in your stomach?” Xanthus raised an eyebrow.

“Oh
, I already told you that one, Gael did it.” Sara shrugged.

“Tell me again.”

“He just stabbed me. I had no warning. I didn’t even see the knife until he was pulling it from my belly. Then he said don’t worry about his safety; he was going to watch the sharks rip me apart from a safe place. I think that was his sick attempt at a joke. He said he would retrieve my body when I was dead, and then he swam away. Everything after that was a bit hazy. I don’t think I was conscious for very long, and when I woke up, I was here.”

Xanthus looked at
Sara, conflict raging in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms. “Sara, as soon as we are wed, I’m going to leave you here for a short time. I will make Gael pay for what he did to you. And, this time, I won’t make the mistake of leaving him alive. Then I have business to take care of. But I will be back as soon as I can.”

“
Business? Right after we’re married? But won’t we have our honeymoon?” Okay, the thought of the honeymoon scared her a bit, being a virgin and all. But darn it, a woman wanted to feel irresistible and Xanthus seemed to think business was more important. Sara found herself feeling undesirable.

“Y
es. We will,” he said as he leaned forward. His eyes darkened when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her hard against his body. Sara gasped. Xanthus took advantage of her open mouth and kissed her, passion driving him. This kiss was a different—more intense, more exiting, and it fairly overwhelmed her. Xanthus had always showed a certain amount of restraint when he touched her, but this time he nearly lost control, bordering on desperation.

Xanthus suddenly froze.
He tore his mouth away from hers as he pushed her away, his breathing ragged and his jaw clenched. Sara used every ounce of strength in an attempt to hold him close. It didn’t make a bit of difference. He was too strong.

“
Do you understand now how much I want you?” he asked.

Sara had a hard time processing what he was saying. That kiss had rendered her unable to form a
coherent thought. When she realized what he’d asked, she nodded, amazed. As much as she wanted their honeymoon, he wanted it more.

“
I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. The closer we get to our wedding, the harder it is. You’re still healing. You need to rest, not be assaulted.”

Sara smiled
and reached out to take his hand. “I like being assaulted by you.”

He answered her with a scowl.

“You didn’t hurt me.”

“I could have.” His eyes were saddened by regret. “
You should get some sleep before the priest comes.”

Rig
ht, the wedding. Sara couldn’t believe she was getting married today. “I wish Gretchen and my mother… Oh my gosh, they have to be worried sick. Xanthus, how are we going to let them know I’m all right?”

“Don’t
worry, Mou. I’ll call them while you sleep.”

“How can you call from here?”
Sara looked around but didn’t see anything that resembled a phone.

“I have a dry room
with a satellite phone down here. I’ll show you where it is and you’ll be able to call anyone anytime you like.”

“Oh
, wow.”

The corner of his mouth tugged, almost smiling.
“There you go wowing me with your lips again.” Then his almost smile turned into a scowl. “You’d better not be fertile when I get back. Now’s not the best time to bring a baby into the mix. But so help me, a Dagonian can only wait so long.”

Xanthus
dimmed the lights for her and left her to sleep before the priest came.

As if
she could sleep right before her wedding. Not a chance.

Xanthus and Sara were married just a few minutes after she awoke.

S
ara had to admit, she’d never dreamed that one day she’d get married in a dark tunnel that looked like something out of the
Phantom of the Opera
, wearing a borrowed, mermaid-like costume with a mother-in-law that looked as if she wished her dead. But a girl can’t have everything, right?

Her
mother-in-law’s eyes pinned her with daggers throughout the ceremony. Sara just knew that if Chara could change the past, she would have let her die from her knife wound. The way she was looking at her, Sara didn’t doubt Chara now wanted something along the lines of clawing her eyes out.

It was some consolation that Adelpha seemed to be pleased with th
e marriage. Sara guessed two out of four wasn’t bad. Xanthus and Adelpha wanted her. On the other hand, Chara and Gael wanted her dead. That was a bit more extreme than most families.

The priest
fidgeted as he stumbled his way through the ceremony. He couldn’t bring himself to look Sara in the eye and then he left immediately after. Xanthus told her the priest was honor-bound not to reveal her location to anyone, even the law. He answered to the gods alone. Sara wondered if Xanthus had had to threaten him in order to convince him to marry them. Heavens, she hoped not.

The ceremony
passed with Sara in a daze. She had answered “Vei” (the Atlantian version of yes) when Xanthus signaled. He’d then placed a gold ring on her finger, kissed her, and she was a married woman. Or mermaid. Whatever she was, she was a married one.

S
ara had no idea what she’d vowed to do in this marriage.

When
the wedding was finished, Adelpha and Chara didn’t linger, but left immediately, leaving Sara and Xanthus alone.

“
So what did I actually agree to?” Sara asked Xanthus. “I don’t have to swim naked through the streets of Atlantis now, do I?”

He laughed
and pulled her into his arms, “No, thank the gods. Do you have any idea how many men I’d have to kill if you did that?” He smirked. “You simply agreed to see to my every want and need, including scrubbing barnacles from my tail.”

S
ara was glad to see he was in better spirits now. “Is that something like grooming an old person’s gnarly, fungus toenails?” She scrunched up her nose at the thought.

“S
omething like that.” He chuckled. His smiling lips brushed over hers. “Seriously, you agreed to something on the order of loving, cherishing, obeying, and being faithful to me.”

“Oh
, that’s not so bad. But do I have to obey you? Like everything you say?” Sara thought about how different his culture was from hers, where women didn’t have much say in their lives. She was a bit nervous about how much freedom she
would
have.

Xanthus’s
eyes softened. “Dagonian women are subject to their husbands and must always obey them. But I understand you come from a different culture. I will do my best to ask things of you and not give you orders. You may ask the same of me. Does that ease your mind?”

S
ara nodded and looked up into his eyes. Her throat constricted when she realized how lucky she was. She couldn’t say her dreams had come true. Sara had never dreamed anything half this good.

S
he wrapped her arms around Xanthus neck. “I love you.”

Xanthus
held her tightly against his body and his eyes burned so hot she felt scorched. “I love you too, Sara Dimitriou. I never knew love could be this strong. I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

His lips lingered over
hers.

“Don’t you want to kiss me?”
she asked, wondering at his hesitation.

“I don’t trust myself to
merely kiss you. I now have one less reason for waiting to… to… Hades, I need to leave before I forget my reasons for waiting.”

A thunderous crash from beyond the room echoed through the door and interrupted
their interlude. Her feelings turned from intense desire to quick fear as she squeaked out a cry.

In that moment,
Sara was looking at Xanthus’s broad back. “Sara, wait here. I’ll be…”

A thunderous voice bellowed in Atlantian.
It was a voice of anger, a voice that promised violence to anyone that crossed it.

“Who is it? What do they want?”
she asked.

“It’s my father
,” Xanthus said.

“Xanthus, where is the cur? Where is that filthy cur? Your mother sent me a message, telling me what you were trying to do. And we on the counsel cannot allow this. I cannot allow this. Bring her to us now and you will go free. If you try to protect her, you will die.”

Xanthus knew
Sara couldn’t understand a word of what was being said. Still, she had to be terrified. There was no mistaking that kind of anger.

Xanthus
rushed to a large trunk, removed an arsenal of weapons, and began strapping them to his body. Sara was frozen, too shocked to move.

“Come
, brother,”
Gael’s voice joined his father’s.
“I’ve told them how she seduced you. I’ve told them of her power. We know you are blameless. Just bring her out to us and you will be spared.”

His father spoke again.
“We understand you tried to marry this human witch. But your mother saved you from that unholy union. The priest was not a true priest. You are not married. You do not have to accept this witch’s punishment. You are not bound to her.”

“Xanthus, what are they saying?” Sara
asked. “They’re here for me, aren’t they? Your mother told them. You need to let me go. Maybe they won’t hurt you if you do. We don’t have to tell them we are married.”