“Tell me what you are and what exactly you want from the Conclave so I can get rid of you.”
“Is that really what you want?”
He moved closer, and she raised her chin. She didn’t back up, and he liked that.
“What do you want?” she asked again.
“If I were to say you, what would you say?”
“I’d say you’re delusional,” she snapped.
“Well, then, I’ll just have to live in those delusions for a while longer. I need your help, mermaid.”
“My name is Caly. Use it.”
Caly, he liked that. She looked like a Caly, and he could imagine saying her name as he plunged into her wet heat, but he pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He had other things to worry about.
“I will tell you what I am, but first, I need your help.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. If you don’t tell me, and if I don’t figure it out, I’ll go back to the Conclave empty-handed. And then they’ll take everything from me. Do you understand that? They’ll take the one thing that I’ve been striving for my entire life.”
He shook his head. “If that’s the case, perhaps you need more in your life.”
He didn’t know why he was being such a dick to her. In fact, he didn’t know why he was being an asshole at all. Just her presence got under his skin, though. He didn’t like it. How was he supposed to protect his people if he had to deal with this? He didn’t feel like himself.
“Excuse me?” she growled.
He winked. “I like when you growl. It’s cute.” And then he leaned down and lowered his lips to hers. He hadn’t even realized he was doing it until he was kissing her, and she had her hands on his chest, the pressure increasing with each passing moment.
She tasted of the sea and home, and he wanted more, his predator pushing at her. She pushed at him again, and he freely took a step back, knowing he was in the wrong.
“What the hell was that?” she snapped.
He was surprised that she didn’t wipe her mouth. “Well, I might as well be honest.”
“That would be different.”
He grinned. “You’re my mate. And I’m going to have you. But first, we need to help each other.”
He didn’t even register the slap until he blinked, and she looked down at her hand. “Did you just hit me?” he asked, a little perplexed, and a lot turned on.
“Don’t throw the word mate around. How dare you say that? You come into the Conclave and throw your weight around as if we’re supposed to fear you. You break into my home, you tease me, you kiss me without my permission, and now you’re calling me your mate? All the while, you want something from me. Who are you?”
He raised his chin and smiled at her. “I am Misha, one of the last of my kind. And, yes, I am your mate. If you look beyond the turmoil within your soul, you’ll feel the connection. And I will tell you exactly who I am, and what I am. First, though, as I said, I need your help.” He paused as she blinked at him, rubbing her hand along her chest, her towel sliding just a bit. “I need your help to make sure my people are safe. Even from the one who is one of us.”
She blinked at him then and shook her head. “What do you mean?”
Right then, he knew he needed to trust her, even if he had only been baiting her before. Because his people were dying, and he didn’t have time to court her, didn’t have time to play around.
He needed her to save his people, and then maybe, save his soul.
Chapter 3
Caly did not trust this Misha as far as she could throw him. And considering this unknown paranormal was insanely built, she wouldn’t be able to throw him very far.
As soon as she had put on clothes, thankfully out of Misha’s view, she had taken him to another part of the underwater world. She hadn’t wanted him to be anywhere near Seth or his mates. Or the baby.
Oh, this man might be her mate, though she wasn’t a hundred percent certain on that, but she didn’t know his true intentions. After all, he’d shown up out of nowhere, was a cocky son of a bitch, had threatened the Conclave, and was the person standing between her and a job she loved.
So, no thank you, Misha. If he truly was her mate, he wouldn’t be an asshole. Right? Wasn’t that the way things worked? Mates were once in a lifetime. Considering that supernaturals could live for thousands of years, that was a long time to be alone if you never found your other half.
Seth had been lucky, he’d not only found his mate, he’d also found another part of his soul along the way. His mates were sweet, loving, and could kick the ass of anyone who dared come after their family.
That was something she had always secretly wanted deep down, though she had never voiced it.
But now, this man had shown up, threatened so many, and was now claiming that she could be his? No, she didn’t want to believe that. And, frankly, she wasn’t even going to try.
“Nice cave,” Misha drawled, sounding like the egotistical asshole he probably was.
“Not to your liking?” she snapped, her nerves on edge.
“It’s just fine, Caly. I understand that you want to keep your family safe, and I don’t blame you. I’m just trying to keep my family safe, as well.”
Her gaze shot to his. “What’s with the nice tone? Are you trying to lure me into a sense of security?”
Misha ran his hands through his hair and growled before he paced the cave. The cavern was underwater, but they were in an air pocket where he could breathe. She was back on two legs, having brought an extra pair of clothes so she could change after they had swum. She didn’t know how he had made it down to where she lived, and she hadn’t needed to use the kiss of life on him during their swim.
What kind of supernatural could breathe underwater like she could? Or perhaps he didn’t need to breathe. She didn’t know, but she was honestly a little worried. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know what kind of magic he had. However, something deep within her wanted her to trust him. And considering who she was, and the power she held, she didn’t ignore that instinct. Because sometimes she could see prophecy, could sense the future. It wasn’t a significant part of her powers, but it was enough that she knew when she could trust others. And the fact that her senses were telling her that she could trust him worried her. Because she didn’t know him, and she shouldn’t feel like she could trust him at all. But here she was, alone with him, with no one else around, somewhere he could hurt her without anyone knowing.
And yet, she stood here. Oh, she might be a warrior, able to fight well, and she had fought endless wars for other realms—even once for her own—but this man, this stranger, seemed far stronger.
“What do you want?” she asked again.
“I need to protect my people, and to do that, I need to tell secrets, things that we have hidden for countless years.”
“Why tell me? Why are you here?”
“I have other plans,” Misha said, continuing to pace. “I was going to talk with that dragon, Dante. He seems to hold a lot of power, and I thought maybe he could sway the Conclave to help my people.”
“And who are your people?”