Bliss (24 page)

“Darius, where am I?” said Kassandra, finally coming to and attempting to sit up.

“You should take her to your dwelling. She shouldn’t be in here to see this. It will frighten her. And, Darius, she needs to rest,” said Jamie briskly.

Gliding to Kassandra’s bed he scooped her up
, relieved when she didn’t protest, and quickly glided to his own dwelling. Once inside, he gently laid her on his bed. A bed he hadn’t slept in in over two decades. A peripheral glance around told him nothing had been touched. His mother had probably insisted it stay the same until he returned.

“Darius, I think I’m going to be sick again,” croaked Kassandra, attempting to slide her body over to the side of the large scallop-shaped bed.

“Jamie said to give her two of these daily. It will help with the sickness,” said the Siren called Maya as she darted into Darius’ dwelling.

“Thank you,” he said, t
aking the small vials from her. Then it dawned on him. He was going to be the father of twins, a Siren and a Titan.

The idea terrified him while warming his heart. Secretly he longed for the
Siren to look exactly like her mother, his beautiful mate. The Siren who was currently forcing herself to not get sick all over his bed.

“Take this,” he said, tilting her head back as he forced the
crushed green crystals into her mouth.

She
diligently chewed and then swallowed them. Then her eyes lit up.

“They tasted minty
, and thank God they seem to be working. Darius, I want to go home,” she said, her eyes misting over.

More than ever he wanted to pull her into his embrace. Instead he sat beside her on the bed. “Kassandra, I tried to explain this to you. I really can’t turn you into a human again. You are going to have to come to terms with being a
Siren. Is it really that bad?”

Sh
e rubbed her stomach and he had to force his hands to keep still.

“Am I really pregnant?” she asked, her eyes filled with awe.

“I am afraid so...and…” He paused, not quite sure if he should tell her the rest.

“And?” she said, her hand reaching out to grab his.

“They’re twins. Jamie said one is a Siren and the other is a Titan. You know the only other time twins were born was well over two hundred years ago.”

She
flopped back into the bed, her hand absentmindedly rubbed her stomach and then reaching down lower to stroke her tail. He squeezed his eyes shut. Torture. It was pure torture watching her hands on her own body. His body ached to repeat her actions. Deep down, he felt the beast start to raise its ugly head and he fought against his Titan desire.

“Twins...I really can’t believe this. Tell me this is all a dream and that when I wake
up everything will be all right,” she said, her voice sounding weary.

“Kassandra, what do you want me to say
? If saying sorry will make things better, then I will do it. But, I can’t change or undo what has been done,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “Talk more with Jamie. I am sure she will help you understand better.”

“Jamie? I liked her. She was like me. A human. Now she’s a
Siren, too, but…”

“
Jamie is wonderful. My brother is lucky to have found her.” He reached out to move her hair off her shoulders.

“I like it when you do that,” said Kassandra
. Then she started to laugh and cry all at once.

Not sure what to do
, he relied on his instincts, not that they’d been very helpful so far. Grabbing her to his chest, he cuddled her on his lap while rubbing her back. “Ahh, sweetlips, it will be okay. I promise,” he said.

“Like you promised to get that relic. Everything seems to be poised or toppled onto you,
” she said, turning her eyes up to face him.

The relic
? In all the confusion of the past few hours he had almost forgotten his mission. He still had to get the relic if there was going to be a chance to save his
mardom
.

“I can help you, Darius,” she said, stilling his thoughts.

There was no way he was going to let the mother of his children help him. No way at all. He didn’t care if she happened to be a Seeker. She was carrying his children, and he would not put her or their life in jeopardy.

“Absolutely not!” His
commanding tone left no room for argument of any sort. “You are staying here. There is no way you are coming with me.”

“So
, the He-man has returned,” she replied, tartly, her eyes all but narrowing to slits.

If being He-man meant keeping Kassandra safe
, then so be it, thought Darius, ignoring her protests.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

“Don’t judge Darius to hard. He is a Titan who will give you all of his heart, but he feels the need to prove his worth to me. But that is another tale, for another time. Did he tell you where he was going?” asked King Sadok.

Kassandra gulped
. She tried not to feel intimated by this towering Titan and failed.

She had been surprised when she’d awaken
ed to find herself in Darius’ house and when Sadok had come barreling in, she didn’t know what to do. “Going? What do you mean?”

“I thought as much. He left the
north seas in search of the relic the Court has asked him to find, but all is not right with the Court at the moment,” sighed Sadok. “I find it hard to believe the Court would set Darius on this course. I am going to look into the matter myself. In the meantime, I thought you should know that it pained him greatly to leave you in your present condition, but I trust his judgment. As should you. I must leave now, but before I go, I know my Helem would tell you to go to the reflection pool to see your heritage for yourself. I will send Mercka to guide you.”

With a flourish
, King Sadok left. A dozen questions burned bright in Kassandra’s mind, but she realized with Sadok’s hasty exit that he wasn’t exactly the question and answer type. He simply commanded, much like his son, Darius.

Thinking of Darius filled her with an intense longing. She closed her eyes. Haunting images of his warm hands gliding over her body caused her skin to tingle in anticipation. Ugh, she groaned, shaking her head to get a grip on herself. She wasn’t happy with him at the moment
. She tried hard to keep that in mind, even when her traitorous body all but screamed for his touch.

The silence in Darius’ dwelling threatened to suffocate her. Shaking her head, she forced the thousands of questions looping around in her brain to halt. While the tale seemed implausible, she somehow knew Darius’ father told the truth. As the fog started to burn off in her panic-stricken brain she mentally listed the oddities of her father.

The fact
that he could speak ancient Greek was something she had always wondered at. The fact he had been Commander of an elite special Naval forces group trained in underwater reconnaissance, something she’d only found out about by accident when her brother joined the same Naval group, hadn’t seemed unusual at the time…but now she wondered. The unusual tattoos on his body he attributed to his early years with the Navy. His devotion to her mother was something she was used to now, but when she was a teenager, her friends used to point out how unusual it was for two married people to always be holding hands or kissing.

Her rational brain saw the signs.
But somehow discovering that the man who tucked her into bed at night, the man who sat and cuddled her when thunder and lightning rained down from the heavens, was capable of killing his own father unnerved her. Did she really know her father? Did she even know herself?

Then another
, more pressing thought popped into her head. King Sadok didn’t trust the Court that had told Darius finding the relic that would stop the plague.
Is Darius being sent on a wild goose chase?
Kassandra chewed on her lower lip, ignoring the rumble from her tummy. She was ravenous. Taking two huge mouthfuls of seaweed salad momentarily settled her stomach.

“Father said you wanted to go to the reflection pool. Can you tell me what he said? Can you?” asked Mercka, darting to and fro.

Jamie appeared from out of nowhere. “Mercka, that’s not polite. I can show Kassandra the way, plus I’d like the chance to talk with her. Would you mine checking in on your mother for me? Give her another small green oblat. Maya had to run an errand for the King,” said Jamie, ushering Kassandra forward.

Although Kassandra had visited with her before, she still had a hard time keeping herself from staring at her.
She was a beautiful Siren with long, jet-black hair, and her tail shimmered in hues of blue and green. Her eyes, like the Bermuda Sea, broadcasted kindness that helped put Kassandra more at ease.

Mercka pouted for a moment. Then she said,
“Sure, no problem. Catch you later, Kassandra,” and darted away.

“I find that I have a thousand questions for you when I see you
, but there’s so many I don’t know where to start,” said Kassandra trying to figure out how best to stay in one place. It was like her tail had a mind of its own.

Jamie reached out and gently touched her arm forcing Kassandra to
hold still. “Keep in mind, I know how you feel. I’ve gone through what you’re going through, and just getting my rational brain around the discovery of this world would sometimes blow me away. You can ask me anything, you know.”

“So you were once human?”

Jamie nodded. “Yes, and I still think like a human, but I’ve discovered I also have a true love of the sea.”

“Darius mentioned that you are the rightful ruler of the Red Seas.”

“Yes, but I had no idea of that. I grew up on land, raised in a small fishing village, but I always felt a pull for the sea. Even in university I studied marine biology. You could say the sea was inside of me and whether I knew it or not, it was claiming me. Ruling isn’t easy, especially now when so many of us are affected by the plague. My own Seth is the latest victim.” Tears filled her impossibly blue eyes.

Kassandra gasped. “Does Darius know?”

Linked arm in arm they moved from Darius’ house to the open sea. “He does now,” said Jamie. “He was extremely upset and I think that more than anything is why he left you to do the Council’s bidding.”

Ah, yes, he left me.
Kassandra instantly felt nauseous. Everything was so new. All her senses seemed heighted.

“It will take some time for you to get used to being a
Siren, and I completely understand everything you’re going through,” Jamie repeated reassuringly.

“Did you get pregnant right away also?”

Jamie laughed. “Ah, yeah, these Titan men are awfully potent.” She turned to look at Kassandra and instantly they fell into a fit of giggles. It wasn’t long, though, before Jamie turned serious again. “Are you okay with this?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s all so new. I never even thought about having children
, and now I’m carrying twins. I’m just trying to digest everything.”

“Well, I have to tell you that’s how things work down here.
They move fast, and you need to adapt if you’re going to survive.”

Kassandra didn’t know what to say to that
, so instead she let Jamie act as her tour guide. Jamie was a wealth of information. Knowing she was a biologist who still worked in a lab setting piqued Kassandra’s interest. She longed more than anything to be useful.

Together, Jamie and Kassandra made their way around the reef. “Did the King tell you anything about the reflection pool?” asked Jamie, pointing out the nearby cave where the pool was located.

“No, not really. He simply said it would help me understand my heritage. Have you been there?” asked Kassandra, absent mindedly rubbing her stomach.

“
I know Darius’ actions have surprised you—and I’ll admit, even us—but Darius would never have claimed you as his soulmate unless he felt that. As much as the idea probably terrifies you...I know it did me...well, let’s just say that these Titans have a way of making all logical thoughts flee, if you get my meaning.” Jamie winked.

“I’d like to believe that was true, but the Darius that I know seems more bound to his honor of what’s right and wrong
. I think he gave me the kiss of life because he felt letting me drown was wrong and that he was the one who had put me in danger in the first place.”

“I don’t believe that for one minute
,” Jamie declared, “and neither should you. Darius has genuine feelings for you. Now you’ll have to decide if he and this life are what you want to pursue. Here we are,” said Jamie, as they crested a large outcropping of boulders and came face-to-face with a small cave entrance. “Would you like me to accompany you into the cave?”

“No, thank you for the offer, but I feel I must do this on my own. And, thank you Jamie, you are right. I’ve been so preoccupied with myself
that I haven’t taken the time to get to know the real Darius, as you say,” said Kassandra, leaning in to give Jamie a hug.

“Good luck, Kassandra.”

Kassandra took a deep breath. Did she really want to know her heritage? Shaking her head, she realized she did. She had never lacked courage, but for the first time in her life, she faltered. She remembered the things about her childhood that had seemed strange to her. Maybe now, she would finally get some answers. She squared her shoulders and glided to the back of the cave.

There
, surrounded by four perfectly round boulders, was a small pool of blood-red water.
Is that the reflection pool?
The urge to place her hands in the water overwhelmed her. Giving in, she was surprised to feel a small electrical pulse travel through her hands and into her body. Cozy heat settled into her bones, causing her eyelids to feel heavy. Then the images spiraled into view and her heart accelerated.

A
Titan whose face she recognized immediately as her father’s sat holding an old woman in his arms. The woman had long, silver-gray hair. Her figure was slim but there was a wasted look about her that implied she had been sick for quite a while. Her father howled out his anguish, and it was then Kassandra heard his words. He was begging his mother to live. But then, in an instant, the sea reclaimed the woman. Her body turned to ashes in his arms. Kassandra gasped in horror.

The scene shifted. She gasped
again. Her father was chained in an underground cave. Blood dripped onto the sea floor from fresh lash marks across his chest. Another Titan came into the cave. Taking what looked to be a Triton, he branded her father. The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils. She screamed, but even though her father was gritting his teeth, he did not cry out.

The taunting words of
the Titan torturing her father were loud: “You have never been my son. You are not one of us nor will you ever be. I disown you today and for the eternity for your existence. Tomorrow at low tide your worthless hide will be cast to the sharks.” And then the massive Titan glided away.
How could someone be so cruel?

Kassandra shivered. She knew the burn marks had hurt
, but it was the words that had come from her grandfather that had marked her father for the rest of his days.

Again the scene changed. This time she saw her father plunge a serrated
blade into the back of the Titan, his own father. The knowledge that her father had escaped from his prison pleased her, but his next actions made her feel sick.

The old
Titan with the knife sticking out of his back grinned evilly, and then his skin turned a sickening shade of gray. Then her father’s words rang out loud and clear from the pool. “I avenge you in the name of my mother, your wife, Princess Yulam. Today you die!” The echoing words of her father chilled her to the bone.

Kassandra wanted to pull her hand out of the bloodied water
but another part of her yearned to learn more. She felt her father’s words clench her heart. The sight of her father – the man who had always ruled his life in precise order - giving into his passion to kill his own father completely unnerved her. It bothered her more than what had happened to her. Funny that should be the case…

A
nother scene quickly filled the space around her. This time she saw her father, a humbled Titan, kneeling before what had to be the famous Court that King Sadok had talked about. While she couldn’t hear what was being said, she knew things hadn’t gone well for her father.

Then King
Sadok stepped forward. He was handed the same serrated blade her father had used to kill his own father. The King bowed his head and then the scene shifted again. Kassandra moved closer to the pool.

King
Sadok was talking with her father, but the words were hidden from her. Then the King plunged the blade into her father’s heart. Kassandra couldn’t help but gasp.
What is going on
? Her father crumbled to the sea floor. The King placed his hand over her father’s heart. A blast of white light encompassed the two. Then the King lifted her father up out of the sea and carried him to a beach.

While she wanted to hear what Darius’ father was saying, she was moved by his gentle touch.
So this was how her father came to be human. King Sadok had left out the fact that the Court had appointed him with the burden of killing her father, but at the last moment he’d had a change of heart.

Wrenching her arm free from the reflection pool she stumbled back into a boulder. Her body and mind felt drained. The hard, cold impact of granite on her back brought reality rushing back to her.

“I can’t do this. I can’t. I don’t want to know. I don’t.” Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.

A hum inside her head caused her to still.

What is wrong, Kassandra?
Darius’ voice was silky smooth but she had grown to recognize its varying shades. Concern was etched deep in his tone.