Kain My side ached with every breath but it was still better than it felt a few days ago. Being skewered on a sword didn't bode well for me, or probably anyone for that matter. Lucian's surprise attack had nearly killed me and I would be dead if it hadn't been for the doctors. I'd also heard that Eviana kept pressure on the wound until they arrived, which inevitably stopped me from bleeding out. She had saved my life and that sent a wave of warmth through my heart.

I didn't remember too much of that night or even of the past few days. Aside from encouraging a couple of transitions in the bathtub, the doctors had kept me sedated. Every time I asked for Eviana, Julian would appear and persuade me to sleep. It felt like everyone was hiding something from me, but I hadn't been strong enough to force it out of them.

So when I awoke this morning to an empty room, I decided that I was done being a patient. A pair of sweatpants rested on the top of a dresser but I couldn't find a shirt. It was just as well, considering the entire left side of my body was still wrapped in a bandage.

Moving slowly around the room, I practiced walking without a limp. I didn't want them to know how bad I still ached. It was time for me to suck it up and resume my leadership role. Hopefully Eviana had been able to handle the aftermath of Lucian's attack without me. I instantly scolded myself for thinking that way. Of course she could handle it. She was capable of overcoming any situation. I smiled and noticed that my heartbeat sped up when I thought about her.

If I was smart, I would have given up on her years ago when it was obvious that she was in love with someone else. But I guess when you find the right person, there is nothing that they can do or say to change your mind. I'd tried to move on. I'd tried to stay away. Yet fate kept bringing us back together.

And now Brendan was gone. I should have been more ecstatic about that, but I knew how much it hurt her. Seeing her in pain broke my heart too. The best I could do right now was to simply be there for her.

And being trapped in bed for several days was not making that possible.

I opened the bedroom door and was surprised to hear a number of angry voices drifting down the hallway. Stumbling the first few steps, I was forced to use the wall as a crutch to get me closer to the kitchen where everyone was gathered. By the time I rounded the corner, I pretended that I could walk on my own and held my head high.

No one noticed me at first. I spotted Troy, the leader of the protectors, and Palmer, Eviana's cousin, throwing their arms around as they tried to convince Daniel, Marisol, and Julian of something. Two of Julian's selkies, Aleksey and Quinlan, stood to the side of the room with their arms folded across their chest. They seemed to be listening to the argument but were not offering their opinions.

The conversation suddenly ceased and everyone turned to look at me. Marisol was the first to move.

"Kain! What are you doing out of bed? The doctor said you needed bed rest for several more days!" She was Eviana's younger sister and despite the fact that I used to be her teenage crush, she also felt like my little sister as well. Since Quinlan's appearance at the house a week ago, I was no more than another patient to her.

She reached for my arm, but I pulled back at the last instant. The move sent a rush of pain roaring through my injuries. I didn't want to let it show, so I squeezed my eyes shut and willed it away. "I'm okay," I finally managed to whisper. Man, getting stabbed sucked.

"Yeah, you really look like it." That was our friend Daniel, whose sarcastic comment made me smile.

"Shut it," I groaned at him while walking over to one of the bar stools. Marisol helped me up into the chair and Daniel put a gla.s.s of fresh orange juice on the table in front of me. No one said a word.

"So..." I said. "What's going on? Where's Eviana?" I looked around the room only to find solemn and guilt-ridden faces. My heart dropped and for a second I felt dizzy.

"Kain?" Marisol laid her hands on my shoulders ever so slightly in an attempt to keep me upright. "You really shouldn't worry about things. You need to focus on getting better."

Her tone worried me. Marisol was a spoiled teen who enjoyed irritating people and fighting with her sister. This new caring and concerned Marisol only scared me into thinking the worst. "Where is she? What happened?"

When no one answered me, I tried to stand up. Perhaps my size would intimidate some of them into talking, although I wouldn't even be scared of me right now.

"Kain, sit down and relax," Troy finally said. When I settled back in the chair, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Eviana's gone."

"What do you mean?" I asked fearing the absolute worst.

"Kidnapped. Lucian kidnapped her."

I jumped to my feet and ignored the searing pain. Shrugging off Marisol's hands, I began to pace around the kitchen. "How did this happen? He...he left after he stabbed me, right?"

"Yes," Troy confirmed.

"But...?"

"She went to the meeting. Alone. He got her there." Palmer's voice was shaky and weak and as her personal guard, I imagined he felt somewhat responsible.

"Why would she do such a stupid thing?" I shrieked. That girl was so stubborn and impulsive she often neglected to consider all of the consequences of her actions. This wasn't the first time she got into trouble. I looked at Palmer. "Why did you let her go?" I meant to sound more authoritative, but instead my voice cracked. I couldn't lose her.

"It wasn't my choice, man. I was unconscious!" I didn't know what types of injuries the others had endured but apparently Palmer's must have been pretty serious.

"Well, did Andre at least try to stop her?" As Eviana's uncle and second-in-command, surely he would have had more power over her. Everyone dropped their head and refused to answer me. Julian finally cleared his throat.

"No, he didn't." I looked questioningly at the selkie leader and thought I saw tears in his eyes. "He didn't stop her because he's dead. I killed him."

The words caught in my throat. Julian admitted to killing a lead member of the Dumahl clan and no one had arrested him, or punished him? Even if he was a powerful and respected selkie, he typically wouldn't get away with something like this. In a flash, it all came crashing back. I remembered being on the beach and fighting a selkie whose intentions were to simply kill me. I saw it in his eyes. Lucian had a.s.sumed control of those who'd sworn to protect us and turned them against us instead. Julian must have been under compulsion which meant that he wouldn't have been able to stop himself even if he'd wanted to. His guilt had to be killing him.

Not knowing how to respond, I sat back down and rested my face in my hands. I suddenly felt exceptionally tired and overwhelmed. So much had happened in the past few months. My father died, I became a clan leader, and we'd been fighting for our lives against Lucian Sutherland. And now, my Eviana was gone.

"We're going to get her back," Daniel said. He patted me on the shoulder. "In fact, we were discussing how to do that just before you came in." He looked up at Troy with a malevolent grin and I could tell that the two of them had been disagreeing.

"We can discuss this later," Troy said. "You really should get your rest, Master Matthew." He tried to walk away, but I cleared my throat.

"Please, Troy. I need to know how we can get her back." Either it was the desperation in my voice or the pitiful way I looked, but I saw the resolution pa.s.s over Troy's face as he pulled out a stool across from me and sat down.

"How much do you remember?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Not a lot."

"What about the meeting with Lucian?" Julian continued.

"I remember that it was in Montana and that the Council was also going to be there." Eviana and I were supposed to go together, but when I was injured she decided to leave without me or any of her sworn protectors.

"Apparently she met up with Master Forrester soon after they arrived."

"Who's they?" I interrupted.

"Caleb and Gregory," Palmer answered. "They were the only two not seriously injured in the attack and ready to fly out the next morning."

I shook my head in frustration. Eviana wouldn't even wait until her cousin was healed so that he could go with her. She was so stubborn.

"Plus, the Council's protectors were supposed to be there too," Troy added.

"What do you mean supposed to?" I asked.

"They hadn't arrived yet. Graham separated her from Caleb and Gregory and that's when Lucian got her."

If my injuries hadn't been so excruciating I would have torn up the kitchen. "Graham gave her to Lucian?" I yelled and Daniel's hand on my shoulder did little to diminish my rage.

"It would appear that he played some role, yes." Troy's calm and professional demeanor began to irritate me.

"So do we know exactly what happened?" I asked.

"Some of the Council's protectors found Caleb and Gregory in the forest where the kidnapping took place. Gregory was already gone, but Caleb was still alive. Lucian had used his water control to suck them both into the ground. Somehow Caleb's head remained above the surface where Gregory's didn't."

I shuttered at the thought of drowning in dirt. It was certainly not the way warriors of our kind should perish. I'd make sure we compensated their families well. "So Caleb saw what happened?"

"He saw enough. As he came into the clearing, he watched Lucian hit Eviana in the back of the head and she fell down unconscious." Troy smoothed his hair again with his hands and set his elbows on the counter. "He said that Lucian picked up both Eviana and Graham and carried them away..."

"So Graham was unconscious too?" I interrupted again.

"It would appear so."

"Huh." Maybe there was a little more to the story. Maybe a Council member wouldn't betray her like everyone a.s.sumed.

"Caleb was too busy being sucked into the earth to notice which way Lucian took them, although it wouldn't have mattered because he was trapped," Palmer finished. He seemed saddened by the loss of the protectors.

"Did you know them?" I asked.

Palmer nodded. "Caleb and I were in training together a few years ago." Our protectors were equivalent to the elite soldiers of the human military. They were specifically chosen for their athleticism and skills in fighting and swimming. Many spent a few years as a marine or navy seal before being a.s.signed a merfolk family or individual to protect. Just a handful of powerful humans knew of their existence and would call on them for a.s.sistance with maritime defense.

"I'm sorry that we lost them," I said solemnly.

"Yeah, me too," Palmer replied.

"So that brings us to the next question," Daniel cut in. "How do we get her back?" He'd moved closer to Aleksey and I noticed that Marisol had also migrated to Quinlan's side. The tall, lanky red head couldn't hide his puppy love eyes as he looked down at her. The young selkie had been a permanent fixture by Marisol's side since his arrival a few weeks ago.

My stomach twisted in fear. What if I never saw Eviana again? I'd nearly lost her once, and I couldn't bear it if she was lost to me forever. Especially when I finally had her to myself.

"I already told you that the Council is refusing to help," Troy sighed.

"What?" I asked in astonishment. "They've turned their backs on her? After everything she's done?" My heart began to race again and I practically hyperventilated. "Where is Mr. Wallace?" Donegal Wallace was my second-in-command and I was annoyed that he had not talked to the Council yet.

"I think he's back in L.A.," Troy said. "He's been trying to work with the Council on your behalf."

"Has he asked them to help?"

"I believe so."

"And?"

"They are hesitant to do anything because the attacks have stopped since Lucian got what he wanted."

"You mean Eviana," I said.

"Yes."

"So what do you want to do about it?" I asked Troy.

"He doesn't want to do anything," Daniel spat back.

"Daniel, that's not true. We just need to decide if it's worth fighting against the Council or try and figure it out on our own," Palmer clarified.

I looked around the room and noticed that Julian seemed to have something to say. "What do you think about this?" I asked him. "Should we go after her?"

"Of course," he replied. "But we can't do it alone."

"We don't even know where she is. Lucian has allies all over the world. She could be anywhere." Troy was trying to be the voice of reason but all I could hear was him making excuses not to rescue Eviana.

"And we've already discussed a solution for that," Daniel said as he looked at me. "Abhainn."

The water sprite. He had an uncanny way of finding people in strange places. It sounded like a plan to me.

"Do you think he will do it?" I asked him.

"I'd bet my life on it. He's very loyal to her. To us," he added and waved his hand back and forth between the two of us.

"Okay. Let's try to contact him," I said.

"You may want to wait until evening," Marisol suggested. "It seems to be the only time he comes around."

"You mean he's been here and no one has talked to him yet?" I hated to be the ruling figure here, but I must say that I was a little disappointed with the lack of initiative in the group.

"He hasn't given us a chance. We've only seen fleeting glimpses of his form in the ocean and as soon as we speak, he disappears," said Palmer. "Perhaps you will have better luck."

"Perhaps."

The conversation came to a screeching halt when the doorbell chimed. "Are you expecting someone?" I asked the group. Everyone shook their heads except for the selkie leader. "Julian?"

"I told you that we couldn't do this alone. I can't risk too many, and he will do anything for her."

My stomach churned and began to fill with a mixture of anger and dread. "Who's at the door, Julian?"

Instead of answering, he walked away from us to let the guest inside. I knew who it was before I even heard him speak. But why Julian called him back here, I couldn't fathom. He'd made his choice. And he'd abandoned her.

Four.

Kain Daniel and Marisol gasped when Julian returned with Brendan in tow. I'd taught myself to try and be indifferent toward the guy even though he had beaten me to her. Eviana and I were always promised to each other for marriage. I'd hoped for that to happen. I was even willing to let her continue seeing Brendan. But she had picked him and instead of cutting her out of my life completely, I had to learn to compromise.

Yet when he took her to bed a few nights ago and then snuck out like a coward afterwards, I had little room left for forgiveness. She deserved someone better. Someone who would always love her like I do.

"Why is he here?" Palmer asked before I could.

Julian crossed behind us and sat back down on his stool. "I already told you. We need him."

"I don't think we do," I said without breaking eye contact with Brendan. "Besides, she wouldn't want to see him." Brendan flinched and I felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing those words bothered him.

"It doesn't matter," Julian continued. "I need him and I can't think of anyone else who would do whatever it takes to help Eviana."

I huffed at the same time Palmer, Marisol, and Daniel made a noise of dissatisfaction. Everyone in this room was willing to sacrifice something to get Eviana back. Brendan was nothing special.