16

BETWEEN PUNCHES, Galen bellows his rage. “I trusted you! I said to keep an eye on her, not your filthy lips!”

Toraf’s laugh makes him hit harder. Galen is aware of Emma screaming for him to stop. Now that she’s snapped out of the trance Toraf kissed her into.

Fire sears into his biceps where Emma struggles to restrain the next blow with both hands. “Stop it, Galen! Right now!”

His head whips toward her, her concern for Toraf almost driving him beyond sense. “Why? Why should I stop?”

“Because he’s your friend. Because he’s your sister’s mate,” she shouts.

“But those are the same reasons I should kill him, Emma. You’re not making any sense.”

“Rayna, help me!” Emma throws herself at Galen, ramming her shoulder into his chest.

With his arms full of Emma, it’s difficult to keep hammering Toraf. Emma is soft and sweet-smelling, which would distract him even if she wasn’t wrapping herself around him like an octopus. He can’t tell whose limbs are whose when they tumble off of Toraf and spill into the sand beside him.

Landing on top, Galen uses his hand to cushion the back of Emma’s head from hitting a piece of driftwood. Worrying about her last head injury already shortened his life span. “Triton’s trident, Emma, you can’t just throw yourself in the middle of a fight. You could get hurt,” he says, out of breath.

She pushes against him, fists balled. “A fight is two-sided, Highness. You didn’t notice Toraf wouldn’t hit back?”

Actually, no. And he didn’t care. He eases off her. She refuses the hand he offers to help her up. He shrugs, irritated at her small rejection. “His loss. Now go to the house. Toraf and I aren’t finished.”

By now Toraf is standing up, slapping the sand off his body. It takes a few moments for Galen to realize that Rayna didn’t help disentangle him from her mate. In fact, she hasn’t said a word.

She’s still standing on the beach where he left her, her face contorted into a jumble of shock, anger, and pain. The anger dissipates when Toraf straightens his swimming trunks and walks right past her. In fact, the shock goes away, too. Only pain stays behind, crumbling her expression.

Her mate is knee-deep in the water when she finally calls out to him. “Toraf ?” The way her voice cracks takes Galen off guard.

Toraf doesn’t notice. That, or he doesn’t care. “Hmm?” Toraf says, as if she doesn’t deserve the effort of a whole word.

“You … you kissed Emma.”

“Yes?” he says, glancing impatiently out to sea.

“But … but you’re mated to me.”

He shrugs. “Am I? Last time I checked, you were hurrying back to Grom to get us unsealed. I figured I wouldn’t waste any more of your time—or mine. And you have to admit, Emma’s not a bad catch.” He turns, winks at Emma. Galen launches toward him, but Emma latches onto his arm. Galen grinds his teeth.

Rayna takes small slow steps toward Toraf as if she’s approaching a feeding shark. “But I didn’t unseal us. We’re still mated.”

Toraf crosses his arms. “Really? Grom wouldn’t unseal us then?”

Rayna stops, arms hanging limply from rounded shoulders. “I didn’t ask him to.” Galen can’t see her face, but by the way the words waver, she’s fighting to stay in control, and for once it’s not of her temper.

What’s gotten into everyone? Toraf dallies on the edge of indifference. Rayna wraps her arms around herself in insecurity. And Emma … Emma hasn’t changed at all. Still beautiful and still stubborn as ever.

“I don’t know why,” Toraf says, sloshing into deeper water. “We both know it won’t work between us.”

Rayna wades in, too. “What’s not working? You said you loved me.”

His laugh is sharp. “And you split my lip for it.”

“You shouldn’t hold grudges,” she says. “Besides, you caught me off guard.”

“Off guard? I’ve been chasing you since we were fingerlings. No,” he says, shaking his head. “You were right all along. We don’t belong together. In fact, I’m going to ask Grom to unseal us myself.” Without another word, he dives in, a small piece of his tail peeking through the waves.

Rayna turns to Galen, her expression incredulous. “Is he serious?”

“He looked serious,” Galen says, just as shocked as his sister.

“Toraf, wait!” Rayna calls before throwing herself into the surf after him.

Galen and Emma stare after them as the last bit of sun sets. Galen’s not sure any of this just happened—or that he’ll ever be able to close his mouth again. How could he betray me like that? Toraf has more loyalty than a beach has sand. Or so I thought. If he was wrong about that, what else was he wrong about?

Did he misjudge Toraf’s devotion to Rayna? How could he? Toraf refused to sift, insisting Rayna was the one for him all along. He got physically sick when she turned him down the first time. No, Toraf would never treat Rayna like that. And Rayna would never chase after Toraf. Ever.

Then there’s Emma. She obviously bonded with Toraf in the three days he’s been gone. This is my fault. I should have kissed her. Should have left her with that memory instead of fighting with her to stay on shore. But what would that solve? The possibility that she’ll be kissing his brother one day is still very real. Shouldn’t he get used to her kissing someone else? But that’s different. I never planned to see her kissing Grom. In fact, he never planned to see her at all after turning her over to his brother.