Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(59)

“I’ve always thought that was such a horrid name. It’s not even gold,” Winona said dryly.

Behind them, the iron and steel bridge looked almost black against the rising sun. She was still nowhere near home, but what could she expect from a natural Fae gate?

“We’ll attract too much attention in this ship. And, um, you’ll all probably attract attention too.” Mina blurted out as she looked at her kin. Their crazy hair styles, unique tattoos, and the pearlescent scales that lay just beneath the skin, reflecting the light, would definitely make them stand out.

Winona whistled loudly and made a series of high pitched notes. Four male sirens scrambled up the masts. Mina watched as their hands glowed, and they began to weave a glamour over their ship. It instantly changed in appearance to mimic a smaller-masted vessel they’d just passed. The siren figurehead disappeared. The rough Fae wood morphed into a painted blue with white stripes. Even the colorful sails became stark white. Honestly, the ship lost much of its beauty.

The young siren with the dreadlocks came up to her wearing boat shoes, a polo, and white shorts. The crew suddenly looked like they were competing in a regatta. Mina tried to stifle her laugh.

“What?” Dreadlocks asked. “Is this not right?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just not what I was expecting,” she answered.

He held out his hand. “I’m Kino.”

Mina shook Kino’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mina.”

“Oh, you don’t have to introduce yourself. We all know who you are. Your grandparents weren’t the only ones waiting a long time for you.”

“What?”

“Ternan and Winona are not just any sirens. They pretty much rule the sea, which means one day? All of this will be yours. On both planes.”

“Uh, no thank you. The last few encounters I’ve had with the ocean or water have not ended well.”

Kino grinned. “That’s because you thought you were human. Now that you know you’re part-siren, it will call to you like a lover. One day, you’ll answer.”

“Nope, I’ll let it go to voicemail.” She held up her hand to her ear. “Please leave a message after the beep.”

Kino laughed. “Well, I guess that’s one way to avoid responsibility.”

“This isn’t my responsibility. It never was. I already have too much on my plate with a cursed prince hunting me down. I’m not ready for more.”

Kino bent over, gripping his stomach in laughter. “Oh, if you weren’t already taken, I’d try to win your hand.”

“What do you mean?” She freaked. How could he come to the conclusion that she was taken?

“It’s written on your face. You’re in love with someone. And I hope he loves you in return, because princess, if he don’t, Kino’s going to show him what happens when you mess with family.”

“Uh…”

Ternan stepped up as they reached the pier. The sirens, all completely camouflaged, began to secure their ship to the posts. Her grandfather wore a deep blue jacket and captain’s hat. Of course his costume wasn’t complete without the old wooden pipe he was shoving—was that seaweed?—into. He might as well have stepped out of an ad for a seafood restaurant.

But she wasn’t going to be the one to correct the king of the sea. Thankfully Winona’s attire was more toned down. She wore white shorts, a blue tank top, and boat shoes, and her hair was all brown and tamed into a simple braid.

“What now?” Mina asked.

“You to tell us where to find your brother,” Winona answered. “We can wait for another dream, or you can try your Fae intuition.”

“I don’t know how trustworthy that is,” Mina answered.

When they were docked and the gangplank secured, Kino escorted Mina, Ever, and Nix off the ship, and they set off on a quest for a payphone.

“They’re going to be harder to find than I thought,” Ever grumbled. “Now, I’m kicking myself for having broken my phone. Sorry, Mina.”

“Don’t be, now you get a taste of what my life is like.”

They had to walk among the shops of the pier. Kino tried to play it cool, but he was just as excited as Nix was at the musical stairs, the street performers, and the mirror maze.

Mina cringed at the mirror-maze memories that flooded her—and this maze was even larger. “Okay, does anyone have any spare change?” she asked.

Ever looked sheepish, and Kino looked confused.

Nix was the one who produced quarters out of his pants pocket. Of course nixies were hoarders, so it was no surprise that he also pulled out a bunch of rocks and bottle caps.

Mina inserted two quarters into the payphone and dialed Nan’s cell. It went right to voicemail. Feeling rushed, she tried to spout off all of the directions she could. She’d been rehearsing them in her mind on the way over.

“Nan, it’s me. He’s coming after you, but it will be okay. I’ve got friends, and they’re here to help. They can protect Charlie. We just have to find you. I need you to meet me at the place we ran away to when we were fourteen. I’ll be there twice a day waiting for you at your lucky time and—”

Beep.

Her voice message was cut off.

“What kind of message was that?” Kino asked. “That didn’t sound very clear.”