Rhal Part 5 (2 page)

Even if he was not presented with anything to kill.

Trident gripped in his right hand, he dove deeper and deeper into the cool waters of the Gulf, clawing his way to its very depths. He sank into the darkness, the liquid black, but not blacker than his heart. Here, in the cold and lightless ocean, he felt as if he’d found home. There was no one else this deep, no other Ujal able to crawl so far beneath the surface. Here, he was alone. Away from prying eyes and the piteous glances. He could see nothing, feel nothing, experience nothing. He floated in the gentle current, allowing the water to stroke him with delicate hands. It was a safe place. A place to scream and rage without injuring another.

He was alone. Physically
and
in his heart.

Faim took the last vial of blood from him that very morning, the reproving look seemingly carved into the doctor’s face. The needle did not hurt as it slid into his skin, the loss of blood not noticed by his body, but Faim’s last words remained forever.

“This is the last. She will not need you any further.”

Good. He never wished to be needed. Never wished to tie himself to another. He was broken, distorted, and destroyed by his past. No one—no female—should ever be faced with a mate like him.

Yet those few words seared themselves into his soul.

She did not need him.

His reason for breath no longer needed him to survive. Would she need another? Her genetic code would no longer be in flux with the final injection. She could go to IGM and secure another mate, one worthy of a strong female like her.

Rhal’s gut clenched. Another male would stroke her, touch her, make her scream. And that was for the best.

Someday he would believe the lie.

Though why he hurt so much, he did not know.
She’d
betrayed him.
She’d
spoken words they’d shared in the darkness.
She’d
been the one to save him.

No. That was not a truth he would face. Her betrayal cut deeply, slicing until she reached the bone and nearly gutting him in the process. He’d remained for a full day, ensured Tave and the queen had no need of him, and then he left.

Only Faim knew where to find him. Out of necessity, not friendship.

Now no one needed to know. He could let the sea take him and deposit him wherever it desired. Away from a female who could make him weep, a female whose lips dripped with untruths and betrayal.

Had she lied to him?

No. Yet she unearthed things better left buried.

A deep, melodious thrum reached him, the sound faint but no less strong.

Return at once
. Tave couldn’t leave well enough alone. He could not come so deep, but the male was intent on shouting at him.

Rhal replied to the summons.
No.

Short and sweet, as Cara would say. Cara. Another shard of pain pierced his scales.

Tave was not long in issuing another demand.
As your prince, I order you to return.

As his prince. Rhal would have snorted if he was breathing air. The action lost some of its effectiveness in the ocean.
No.

Not another sound reached him for several moments, and he glided through the darkness, taking comfort in the cold.

Then Tave had to ruin it.
She needs you, Rhal.

She. There was only one
she
on his mind.

He needed her. When standing in that room, facing death, he needed her to stand at his side. Not in front of him, taking the full force of the king’s rage. Not cowering and breaking beneath the pressure. He. Needed. Her.

Rina says to stop being an ass hat and swim your happy fishy ass up here because God help you…
There was no missing the aggrieved tone of Tave’s voice and Rhal smiled. Those two were good together, her laughter offsetting his seriousness.

Much like him and Cara.

Rina, I am not speaking those words. Males do not speak of dicks and mating pockets. It is
not
done. No, I shall not threaten his ability to sire children.
Obviously Tave forgot to lower his volume.
You would ban me from your bed?

There was no missing Tave’s horror, and Rhal smiled anew. The perfect couple despite their battles.

Despite…

The single word had him wondering if he had been too harsh. Then he recalled the looks on so many faces now that they knew his true identity due to the trial, so many males once wary of him due to his strengths, now pitied him. Or rather feared and pitied him.

It was the pity that hurt most.

Rhal, Rina has said she will bar me from her bed if you do not return. I will certainly hunt and kill your sorry excuse for a male if you do not return. I
will not
be barred from the principessa’s bed! You may run and hide like a child
after
you have made my mate happy.

Rhal kept his mouth shut. If he had wished to return, he would have. And then Tave spoke once more.

You owe me this.

Did he owe the prince anything? His memories told him yes, he did. For the small bits of joy in his life, for his demand that Rhal accompany him to begin his rule over Earth, for his silence about Rhal’s identity to the Ujals who called Earth home, and for caring for Cara when Rhal refused.

I will come.

And he prayed to the seas that he did not regret his decision.

Rhal flicked his tail and slipped from the darkness, rising from the frozen depths to the warmer waters. He gradually heated as the temperature changed and slowed as he approached the couple waiting for him.

Why am I here?
He did not try to hide his annoyance.

Cara needs you
. The principessa spoke before Tave uttered a sound.
Faim said only you can help her. You have to go to her, Rhal. Quit being a whiny baby and get over yourself already.

A whiny… Get over himself?

Tave groaned.
Rina…

Don’t
Rina
me. Shit happened to you, Rhal. Now people know you’re not just a bad ass, you’re the biggest badass there is. You’ve accomplished so much even though they damn near broke you. I’m sorry we all found out that way, and I know Cara is wrecked that she hurt you, but suck it up buttercup, and get your ass over there.
The principessa was on a roll.
And if you don’t, I will drag your ass there myself.

Rhal raised a single brow.

Fine. I’ll make all the high guards drag your ass there.
Rina waved her webbed hand, and he noted the two dozen males who came forward, their tridents in hand.

He was beaten. By the principessa’s words and his driving need to see Cara. He could not stop his craving for her. One look, a moment of his time, and then he would truly disappear. Hide from the whispers that were sure to follow him.

Let us go.
He flicked his tail, slipping past the males sent to keep him corralled, and headed toward Tampa’s beach—to UST.

* * *

Cara had received the last injection and suffered through its effects for hours, but now it was over. No more infusions, no more rushes of arousal that made her ache for Rhal, no more embarrassing questions from Sece and no more pity from Faim.

No. More.

She relaxed on the deck chair, enjoying the sun on her skin and the sound of the waves as they lapped at the shore. Peace and serenity came toward her but couldn’t fully embrace her in their ethereal arms. She wasn’t sure she’d ever truly be happy.

Rina wanted her to return to IGM and find a male who could cherish her. Her best friend refused to accept that Rhal was the only one. In Rina’s mind, Rhal wasn’t worthy so he could go fuck himself. Cara needed happiness and her best friend was determined to drag Cara from this “funk.”

Cara called it heartbreak, but tomato, tomahto.

She lifted her glass and took a sip of the cooling water. Pure water, not salt. Not yet, anyway. She’d completed her transition, but she wasn’t quite sure when she’d be ready to step foot into the ocean. Knowing she’d end up covered in scales and have webbed fingers was one thing. Actually
having
webbed fingers was another. Faim tried to convince her to return to UST, to undergo the first change with medical supervision, but Cara couldn’t stomach experiencing something so private in a public setting.

Which meant she had medical personnel waiting at her rented home. Faim and Sece relaxed while Cara worked up the nerve to step onto the sand, stride across the space that separated the house from the sea, and step into the waters. It’d been two hours, and she hadn’t moved.

A soft knock on the front door reached her, then the low murmur of voices as someone was let into the space. Rina’s voice rose above the others, telling her that the visitors probably included Tave and his high guards as well. Great. An even larger audience. But at least she wasn’t in some see-through tank with wires connected to her.

The back screen door squeaked as it pushed open, and her best friend slowly came into view. “Hey.”

Cara forced a half-smile to her lips. “Hey.”

“So…” Rina raised her eyebrows.

“Still working up the nerve.”

Rina slipped out of the house and padded toward her, taking a seat on a nearby deck chair. “What are you waiting for?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Cara chuckled. She hated that her best friend knew her so well. “I was…”

She couldn’t even say the words because they were so
stupid
. The hope she’d carried around for over a week still refused to be beaten down. It didn’t matter how many minutes, or hours, or days had passed since she’d last seen Rhal. The hope was a persistent fucking thing.

“You’re waiting for him.”

She. Hated. Her. Best. Friend.

“No.” Cara shook her head. Because if she said it aloud, she’d admit how dumb she was.

“Yes.” Rina reached over and snatched her hand, cradling it between hers. “And it’s okay.”

She snorted and blinked back the tears that stung her eyes. “It’s okay? No,” she shook her head. “It’s so far from okay. It’s dumb. It’s idiotic.” She sighed. “I hurt him so bad, Rina. I mean, he lied to me and it devastated me. It almost killed me to know that I loved him, and he’d—” She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. “But it was one lie. I don’t doubt that he’s loved me in his own way. He’s never said it aloud, but I know. Which makes what I did even worse. I saved and lost him at the same time.”

Rina didn’t say anything at first, just kept hold of Cara’s hand and brushed her thumb over her scales. Cara hadn’t quite learned how to make them retreat like the other Ujal, but she had time.

“Would you do it again? Knowing he was gonna walk away, would you do the same thing?”

Cara thought about it, about the night they’d spent in that cell and then the events in the throne room and finally the loneliness that dogged her steps. Would she do it again?

“Yes. Everything. Every second we were together, the hurt he caused me, the devastation I caused him. I got to love him for a little while, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”

“You’re gonna make me cry,” Rina whispered and dashed away a tear that slid down her cheek.

“That’s because you’re pregnant. Pregnant women cry about everything.”

“No. I love Tave more than life, but we haven’t had our mating tested like you two. To know you love him so much, even after he abandoned you, is a testament to your feelings for him and his feelings for you.”

Cara released a rueful laugh. “His feelings for me? Nah, I wouldn’t put so much faith in that. He hurt me, and I came back. What I did was so much worse than that. And if I never see him again, at least I saved him. He’s alive.”

“Kaag’s still breathing. He wouldn’t have lost his life,” Rina murmured.

“But he would have been imprisoned. Can you imagine Rhal locked up?” Because Cara couldn’t.

And Rina knew because she remained silent. The water teasing the shore were the only sounds reaching them. It was time. Time to shit or get off the pot. She couldn’t expect Faim and Sece to wait forever, and she was sure this was the last place Tave wanted to be.

“All right, let’s do this.” Cara released her friend’s hand and pushed to her feet.

“You sure?”

No
. “Yeah. Grab Faim for me?”

There was no need to grab the male because he suddenly appeared on the porch, Sece on his heels and Tave right behind the duo.

“Okay then. We’ve got a big crowd.” Because a peek through the window showed her a half dozen males also lingered near the back door.

Without another word, she padded to the steps and then made her way down the stairs until her feet were settled on the beach’s sand. Rina caught up to her, sliding her hand in Cara’s, and she took comfort in the touch.

The rest of the group followed, close but not intruding. When they got to the very edge of the water’s reach, Cara stopped and leaned toward her friend. “So, how do I do this?”

Of course, Sece provided an answer. “Research shows that—”

“Shh…” Faim shushed his daughter. Smart man. Cara was freaked enough. She didn’t need to hear about research.

“Rina?”

“I prefer a run and dive approach since my transition isn’t smooth like everyone else. The whole webbing thing is weird and takes getting used to. Doing it fast doesn’t let you really stop and think about the fishy parts.”

“
Fishy parts.
” There was no missing the annoyance in Tave’s words.

Rina pulled away and turned to her mate. “You gotta admit, you guys have a fish-esque thing going on. Tails, scales, and underwater breathing?”

Cara wasn’t going to laugh. She wasn’t.

“
Pyabi,
if you do not silence yourself—”

“You’ll give me a spanking? We’ve already discussed—” Rina’s voice was suddenly muffled as Tave placed his palm over her lips.

“Heart-sister, a run and dive approach would be best. Niax and Thame will follow you and the rest will remain on the beach until you wish to return.”

Cara took a deep, calming breath and released Rina’s hand. She gave Niax and Thame a small smile. Both males had become good friends over the last week, guarding her and spending time with her. They were friends—of a sort—with Rhal. Even if she couldn’t have her mate, it was nice to have his friends close.