How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(27)

Kai’s parents. My heart broke for them and for Kai, knowing he was still in the isolation pool at the aquarium.

The muscles in Finn’s jaw flexed and unclenched. “Rest assured, I am doing everything I can. The humans are smart, they’re keeping Kai too far from the ocean for him to jump their barriers. . We will need to have the fire flower potion ready for him.”

“You’re putting the fate of our son in the Sea Witch’s hands?” the huge dolphin demanded. If I thought Oceanus’s voice boomed in the throne room, I was unprepared for this dolphin’s voice. It reverberated deep in my bones. The huge dolphin turned to Oceanus. “Need I remind you that my deadline still stands?”

Deadline? Did that have to do with the impending war that Oceanus mentioned?

“Levi,” Oceanus said, “I assure you, Kai will be back by sunset tomorrow.”

The giant dolphin, King Levi, puffed up. Beside him, Queen Nadia sniffled, which fueled his anger. “I mean it, Oceanus. I don’t make threats lightly. My people are ready to take Kai back by force if we have to. We have the power of the deep sea creatures at our beck and call and the weather and waves of the oceans if it comes to it.”

“Finn is the best protector Thalassa has ever had,” Oceanus explained. “He will bring back Prince Kai. You have my word.” He looked directly at Finn, who continued to stoically look forward.

“We just want our son back,” Nadia said, her voice still shrill. I’d never seen a dolphin cry before, and I was responsible for Finn’s failed rescue attempt. I tried imagining what it was like for a mother to lose her child. While my mother was always a bit cold to me, Dad had always treated me like I was the center of his world. He made sure that I was taken care of and never let me out of his sight. Nadia would feel the same way, I imagine.

Then, for some reason, I thought back to Christine worrying about my disappearance the night before. She was concerned, although it was one millionth of the concern that Nadia must have felt.

I debated if I should say anything to give them peace of mind. That Kai was being well-treated. That he was going to be okay until we found a way to bring him back, whether that was by tomorrow night or later. There was no need for a deadline. He was going to be okay. I could help out. I could go back to the surface and campaign for Kai’s release.

I was human. I could secure his release using human tactics.

I opened my mouth and flicked my tail forward to voice my thoughts, however ludicrous they may be, yet Finn grabbed my arm and shot me with a look that said, “Don’t”. I wanted to protest, but he slightly shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to speak up.

Our gazes met, slowing down time. Tears welled up in my eyes at my predicament and at Kai’s imprisonment.

“Easy, Tara,” Finn murmured. “I’ll explain everything after this.”

You haven’t explained anything! I wanted to shout at him. In answer, he squeezed my hand, instantly calming me.

“Queen Nadia and King Leviathan,” Oceanus was saying, breaking into my inner turmoil, “you’re more than welcome to stay here until Finn retrieves Kai.” I didn’t know what Oceanus would do to his son if he failed. Then again, I also knew that they didn’t have the best of relationships. Finn’s failure could ignite a powder keg. If those even worked down here.

“He’d better, Oceanus,” the big dolphin king warned. “You know the forces I command are so powerful, they can’t be stopped once they’re unleashed. It’s your son’s job to save the creatures of the sea. He’d better do it.”

The threat lingered in the water around us. The entire entourage of the dolphin king and queen dispersed, led away to various sectors of the palace to wait out the lost prince’s absence. Luckily, none of the sea creatures paid attention to me, so there weren’t any more questions about who or what I was. Finn played the part of the good prince and helped the king and queen dolphin leave the room, leaving me to chat with Ponce.

“Well, this is exciting,” Ponce said nervously. I nearly jumped out of my mermaid tail at his voice. I’d forgotten he was there.

“Wish you’d stayed behind?”

“A bit,” the snapper admitted. “I might’ve miscalculated that one. The last time I saw King Oceanus, he threatened to feed me to the guards. This was worse.”

“Well, thanks for staying ,” I said.

Ponce gave me a sideways glance. “If I was an octopus, I woulda inked up the whole place.”

“That could have been a good thing,” I murmured, looking at my tail and wishing for the cover it would have provided.

So many unanswered questions. I’d learned that I was becoming a merwalker, that Kai was a prince, and that if he wasn’t returned, my world was going to be in danger. It was easy to communicate with all of the sea creatures now, thanks to the Nereia’s magic. That still didn’t explain how I was able to understand Kai when he first spoke to me right after my meet and greet.

“Hey.”

I looked up, meeting Finn’s eyes. I’d been so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t see him approach. His sea green eyes met mine and held me there. He was my rock amid the storm of emotions and uncertainties within my heart.

“I know we haven’t fixed your...problem yet. Nereia will be back soon and she can reverse this. Get you back to normal as quick as possible.”