Lords of the Deep (30 page)

Grabbing it, she changed course, and swam toward him as fast as she could. She had no idea what she intended to do beyond retrieve the sword, beyond giving him a chance to escape, but she realized even as she neared him that he might not be able to free himself with the sword even if he had it. The thing had its hooks sunk into his back.

Lifting the sword, she swam past Miles and swung it with all her might at the beast. She hadn’t considered when she swung at the tentacle that she didn’t have the strength to counter the water’s force. The blade hit the tentacle and bounced back, glancing off her shoulder as it rebounded.

Damien grabbed her abruptly, fury in every taut line of his face. “Go!” he snarled. “Gods damn it, Angie! Get the hell out of here!”

He slung her away even as he said it, lifting his sword and bringing it down in a chopping motion on the tentacle that held Miles captive. The beast recoiled from the pain, releasing Miles.

She saw the flat side of the tentacle as it swung toward her, but she didn’t have time to even think about getting out of the way. She’d barely registered that it was coming straight at her when it slammed into her. Darkness swarmed around her as she flew backwards, and then she hit something. Pain exploded inside of her and then the darkness swallowed her completely.

* * * *

Angie had no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there when she woke. Panic flickered through her briefly when she realized that it was a hospital—fear instantly rising inside of her that she’d been injured and had imagined everything that she’d thought was real.

Grief followed the sense that she’d lost Miles and Damien, that they’d never existed at all except in her mind.

The woman that entered the room, saw that she was awake, and left abruptly again didn’t dispel the fear eating at her, but the first face to lean around the door did.

Her throat closed with emotion. “Damien!”

A strange mixture of anger and relief flickered in his eyes. He moved further into the room, nudged by someone behind him. Basil gave her almost the same look and the gladness she’d felt at seeing them vanished. Cole, Justin, Galen, Deirdre, and Millicent followed them until the room seemed too small and there didn’t seem to be nearly enough air.

The angry, accusing looks from all of them made her long to pull the covers over her head.

Millicent moved to the side of the bed and carefully settled the translator headset on her head.

She wasn’t sure she wanted it.

Millicent’s gaze was firm but not unkind. “That was a truly stupid stunt you pulled! And it very nearly got you killed and a number of others!”

A mixture of shame and guilt and resentment filled Angie. “I didn’t mean to endanger anyone,” she said a little shakily. “Miles dropped his sword. I didn’t think ….”

“Obviously!” Damien, Basil, and Galen all growled at almost the same time.

“Otherwise,” Justin added, “it would’ve occurred to you that no one could afford the distraction of having to race to rescue you when we were trying to beat back a half dozen giant squid!”

Anger surged to the forefront. “Well, thank you for the effort!” she snapped ungraciously. “And please accept my apologies for putting you to the trouble!”

She was on the point of assuring them that it wouldn’t happen again, but she wasn’t sorry she’d tried to help Miles, damn them! It wasn’t
her
fault they’d been distracted by her presence! She hadn’t called attention to herself! She was just trying to help Miles and she didn’t think, if she hadn’t panicked and she had thought about it, that she would’ve done any different.

“I was the only one that had noticed Miles was in trouble, though … and I’d do it again. So if we ever get into another battle with a giant squid, mind your own damned business!”

She was pretty sure she’d never seen that many males that enraged. Shaking her head at Angie, Millicent followed the men when they’d stalked out. Angie stared at the door, struggling with the urge to cry the moment she managed to rout them.

Deirdre moved to the side of her bed and patted her hand.

Swallowing against the huge knot in her throat, Angie met her gaze. “How’s Miles?”

Deirdre smiled mistily. “Recovering. It was touch and go for a little bit, but he’s doing fine now.” She squeezed Angie’s hand. “Maybe it wasn’t the sensible thing to do … but thank you.”

Angie felt her chin wobble. “I suppose he’s furious with me, too?”

Deirdre smiled. “Livid. It insulted his manhood that you tried to save him. He was only slightly mollified by the fact that it was actually Damien.”

Angie sniffed. “As if his manhood would’ve done him any good if he was dead!”

“I won’t argue with that,” Deirdre said shakily. “But try to remember they’re angry because you scared them. It isn’t really about their ego.”

“You think they were really worried about me?”

“Don’t be silly! Of course they were … and there’s the baby. They’re angry you put it in jeopardy when you did that. But it’s fine,” she added quickly at the look on Angie’s face. “They did a scan to be sure.”

“I’m … pregnant?” Angie asked blankly.

Deirdre uttered one of her girlish giggles. “Of course you are, you silly catkin! What do you think was going on out there on the breeding grounds?”

A lot of fucking?

She was almost glad when Deirdre left her with her thoughts.

Almost sorry, too.

Pregnant?

How in the world had that happened?

She was still struggling to accept the unbelievable when Basil returned several hours later with two mermen she didn’t know.

They looked really serious and with their stern faces on top of the anger that glittered in Basil’s eyes every time she met his gaze, she began to feel very, very uneasy.

Was it against the law, she wondered, for a woman to pick up a man’s sword?

The eldest of the three bowed politely. “His majesty, King Hadrian, sends greetings, Mistress Angie of Terra. He asked me to come and offer his sincere apologies for the unfortunate accident that befell you while under our care and heartfelt good wishes for a speedy recovery.”

Oh hell!

Angie gaped at him, certain she’d heard wrong. “Who?”

He looked taken aback. He glanced uncertainly at Basil.

Angie glanced at Basil and saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“King Hadrian.” He paused. “I was assured the translator was working properly. Are you having difficulties?”

“No .. sir,” Angie said shakily. It wasn’t a nightmare. She really had been exposed. God! She’d been so upset when she woke up in the hospital she hadn’t realized the full ramifications of it.

Or the scan Deirdre had told her about. She was too stunned by the news that she was pregnant when she’d been certain the mer couldn’t possibly get her pregnant!

The man smiled thinly at her and she worried that maybe she shouldn’t have said sir. Maybe he was a lord or something? He hadn’t introduced himself.

“His Majesty also offers his congratulations that the seed of the prince, his heir, has borne fruit. He wanted me to express his fondest hope that you would stay with us here in Atlantica … at least for your time so that he can welcome his grandson. You would be offered the title of ambassador for your own tribe and all the honors therein.”

Angie stared at him for a long moment when he’d stopped speaking, trying to wrap her mind around what he’d said. “Wait a minute! Go back to the part about the prince’s seed! You scanned it and you already know who fathered it? Who’s the prince?”

The man glanced at Basil and then at her with an expression of shock. “Prince Basil,” he said finally. “Prince Cole is not the heir.”

Angie glanced at Basil wide eyed and felt her face flash ten shades of red and white. “Oh,” she faintly, closing her eyes. “I don’t feel very well.”

To her relief, they took the hint, she lay with her eyes closed until the sound of shuffling feet diminished and finally cracked her eyelids to peer around the room.

Basil had propped his shoulders against the wall across from her and folded his arms over his chest. “Nice try,” he murmured.

Angie smiled at him weakly, gulping as he pushed away from the wall and moved toward her. His gaze was unfathomable as he studied her. Finally, he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek lightly with his knuckles. “Rest up, Ms. Ambassador. I’m looking forward to having you teach me all the customs of your tribe as soon as you’re well enough to leave the hospital,” he murmured with a mixture of amusement and husky promise. The amusement vanished in the next moment, however. He leaned down until he as almost nose to nose with her. “I’ll be teaching you a few of
ours
if you even think about pulling another stupid stunt like you did at the breeding grounds,” he growled, “starting with spanking that luscious little ass of yours!”

Promises! Promises! Angie thought, but she couldn’t quite get up the nerve to taunt him, despite the urge that popped in her mind.

She had a bad feeling he would, and that he’d enjoy it.

She
might enjoy it if it came that, but she wasn’t certain enough to provoke him and find out.

Her ‘court’ abandoned her—including Damien and Miles. No one came back to visit and she discovered that Miles was released and sent home to recuperate the following day.

She told herself she was glad. They were no doubt still furious with her and weren’t likely to get over it since they’d undoubtedly been informed that Basil’s seed had beat the pack and grabbed the prize.

Millicent came to collect her the following day. She was relieved to escape the hospital and at the same time not terribly happy to discover Millicent was taking her to
her
home.

“I’ll have no patience with you at all if you’re only going to sit around and mope, catkin!” she snapped finally when Angie had sat through two meals in miserable silence.

She didn’t actually feel up to defending herself. “I’m not moping,” she lied.

Millicent made a rude noise. “You know, of course, that you don’t
belong
to the prince even if you are carrying his
son
?”

“It’s a boy?” Angie asked, feeling a flicker of interest for the first time … and then anger. “Is there anything else that should be my private business that every damned else already knows that
I
haven’t been told!”

Millicent regarded her with amusement. “The scan had to be performed to be sure there was no serious damage! Galen had sedated you for the trip back, but since none of us really know what differences there might be between our people and yours you had to be thoroughly checked out. And naturally, they found out that you’d conceived. If it had been anyone’s child but Basil’s—well, possibly Cole’s, as well—no one else would’ve been informed. But the child is part of the royal family and they aren’t allowed to have that sort of privacy. The father, of course, had to be informed—particularly since it’s male and
his
heir. The king had to be informed—and then also informed that you weren’t a mer but rather a terra, which created all sorts of complications. Then they had to call the parliament to deliberate on the possible international consequences.

“The king was not happy, by the way, when he discovered Basil knew all the time that you weren’t a mer and chose to ignore the political problems that might have arisen from it—from what I hear, that is.

“He
bellowed
at him, and Basil bellowed back until no one in the castle could
fail
to know all about it.”

She paused. “So … the royal family was informed, the attending physicians knew even before they did, the parliament … and the castle staff down to the kitchen help knew as soon as Basil and King Hadrian had finished bellowing at one another at the top of their lungs. Which means, by now, that everyone on the street knows.

“I’m sorry you were the last to know, but that wouldn’t have been a problem if you hadn’t nearly gotten yourself killed trying to rush to Miles’ aid.

“I don’t know if everyone is more angry that you risked your life and the life of your child—the king’s heir—or because it made it patently obvious, to everyone, that your life meant nothing to you if anything happened to Miles.”

Angie fought the urge to break down and cry. “I want to go home,” she said a little mournfully. “Everybody here hates me!”

“That is childish and absurd!”

Angie gave up trying to control her emotions and burst into tears. “I don’t care!”

Millicent, to her surprise and extreme discomfort, gathered her into her arms and hugged her, patting her back until she’d finally managed to regain control. Sniffing and mopping at her eyes, she finally pulled away. Millicent got up and left, returning a few minutes later with a hanky.

“Now,” she said firmly when Angie had finished drying her eyes and blowing her nose, “as I said, you don’t belong to Prince Basil just because you’re carrying his heir.
He
thinks so, but that’s never healthy for an okean, my dear!
Especially
one like Basil!

“I should know if any one does! He’s just like his father and Hadrian broke my heart years ago.”