Because our family is just so fucking weird, Mom decided that we should eat now that we had my would-be mate prisoner, bound with rope and unable to do anything quick enough without earning the gun's kiss. It was an awkward arrangement, to say the least. We sat around the fire, nibbling on fish that Dad had caught in a restrained silence. Vael sat on the opposite side of the fire from me, right next to Dad - which wasn't coincidental in the least. No one dared even whisper for fear of setting off the atomic bomb of questions, accusations, and assumptions that would no doubt erupt in a flurry at the slightest grunt. I could barely taste the fish through the opaque swath of tension that netted us.

And it wasn't just that. I could feel his eyes watching me through the flames of the fire, ignoring the vicious weapons Dad kept pointed at him. Part of me wanted to kill Vael for all of this. Another part wanted to speak to him in private and demand answers that my parents couldn't give. The slutty part of me wanted to throw him to the ground and kiss him senseless. Needless to say, I did my best to obliterate that part.

"I'd be happy to oblige." The words breezed through my head, heated with things unspoken.

I finally allowed my gaze to meet Vael's, and fell into silence for a minute at the passion in them. It was as if his very soul was on fire, the embers burning deep in his emerald eyes. Mentally slapping myself, I shook off that goddamn reaction I had to him and focused on my retort.

"Get the fuck out of my head!"

He cringed at my vehemence, a brief grimace crossing his gorgeous face.

"I can't. We're attuned to each other because we're mates."

I scowled. "We are not mates."

The scene around us died around, my parents and sisters melting into the darkness that cocooned me and Vael in our silent conversation. There was too much to be said, too much to be understood, for anything else to be given even an errant thought.

He matched my expression, icy rage at its most cultivated. "Yes, we are. But I can see you're going to need more proof than the dreamsharing."

"Understatement of the century, jackass."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you remember seeing a purple flower on my chest?"

I recalled the vibrant, incredibly realistic tattoo on his right pectoral. It had encompassed the entire area, as if it bloomed right from his heart. "Yes."

"It's called the Mating Flower. It starts out as a bud, then slowly blooms over the years. When it is time for the mating to be consummated, it blooms completely and remains that way for the rest of the male's life. It forms when we touch our mate for the first time. Mine started when you were two years old and you held my hand for the first time. I was only five, but I recognized the sensation."

"What do you mean by consummate?" I demanded, choosing to ignore the little anecdote. "That better not mean what I think it means."

"Nothing so drastic," he assured me. "We just share blood through a kiss."

"Blood … kiss … what the fuck?"

He shrugged, earning a stern glare from Dad. "It bonds us together as mates."

"So we aren't mates! Ha, I told you so."

"We are betrothed, though. We completed that ceremony only a few days before you were lost to us."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we pledged to mate when the time was right. It's basically an engagement." He gave me a decidedly wolfish grin. "How do you feel about being the future Queen of Atlantis, Ari?"

I snorted. "I think you need a reality check. I'm no queen."

I heard him sigh inside my head, the sound echoing around. "I can see you're going to need more proof. Very soon, you're going to start to smell different."

"I've been traipsing around in a jungle for two goddamn days because of you - of course I smell like shit!"

"When female Atlanteans are around their mates, they secrete pheromones designed to attract the mate. You're going to smell really good to me, and everyone else around you, but especially me. However, it will repel other Atlantean males until our mating is complete."

I gnashed my teeth together. "Are you saying I'll become a boy repellent?"

"To put it bluntly, yes. You won't smell bad to them per se, but they'll stay a healthy distance from you because something in your pheromones lets them know you're already taken."

"I am not taken. I'll date whoever the hell I want, so suck it."

"I hate to break it to you, but you are taken. By me. And I have no intention of ever letting you leave me again."

I bit back any retort that I could come up with. I didn't know what happened before I was adopted into the Jakes family. I had amnesia, like Cady had assumed. Answering wouldn't be fair to either Vael or me, and it might plunge me into even more trouble that I was already in.

"Please, calla, don't pull away from me," he softly pleaded, his eyes imploring me. "I haven't done anything to hurt you. We both know I could kill your whole family right now and they couldn't stop me. But I haven't because it goes against what I believe in and it would hurt you. I'm only asking to explain to you. I admit, I went a little insane when the storm threw you into the ocean and you disappeared for eleven years. When I finally got you back here, I wasn't exactly in the best mindset to deal with all of this. Kidnapping you would have been wrong, and for that I am sorry."

I scrutinized him - inside and out. He appeared genuine, but he might know how to hide things that I didn't. I couldn't trust him. Not after what he'd tried to do. "Insane. That's a good adjective to describe you."

Another exasperated sigh. "Unfortunately, yes, it is. Would you like to hear more proof?"

"Yes."

"You have another form that you can access," he explained. "You would call it a mermaid form."

"Now I know you're full of shit. I don't grow a tail when I get wet."

"You have to picture it in your mind while you're submerged in water. I have one, too."

I filed that information away for later. I'd believe it when I saw it. "So who was I, before the storm? Lynk said my parents wanted to coexist with humans, and some Atlanteans are already living in the outside world."

"Your parents were Wodis and Ethera Viken. Your full name is Ariane Viken. Your father was my father's strongest general and led the army, and the two of them were close friends. Because having a child - a female child - was so rare, Wodis hid Ethera from everyone once he found out she was pregnant with a girl. Ethera was a healer, and as a female Atlantean could sense her child's sex in the womb. They left Atlantis and lived in their merfolk forms for two years until Wodis thought it was safe to return. He said he thought someone was hunting you and Ethera, that it wasn't safe to remain in Atlantis. My father welcomed them back with open arms, and that was when I met you." His tone grew soft, almost indulgent as he smiled sadly at me from across the fire. "You were such a little thing, I couldn't help but reach out and touch you. That's when I felt it. The zing in my chest that let me know the Mating Flower had budded. I was so excited that I ripped off my tunic and showed it to my parents and yours. They couldn't be happier.

"For three years after that, I was your constant companion, your friend, your guardian. I trained harder than anyone else to be a strong king, a strong mate. When you turned five, you said you wanted to perform the Betrothal Ceremony. And so we did. We joined hands and swore to the gods and goddesses that we would mate when we were older. A few days later, the storm hit. It was so strong, stronger than anything we had ever encountered before. It destroyed half our city and sent most of it underwater. Wodis was evacuating the city when a building fell on top of him. He died instantly."

The words cut me like a knife, and tears pricked my eyes for the father I couldn't remember. "What about Ethera?"

"She died with him. That is the way of mates. They are bound, their lives intertwined. When one dies, so does the other. At the time he died, she was carrying you to the sea. She died, and you fell out of her arms, into the ocean. And the storm swept you away, as you were too young to access your mermaid form."

Now the tears did fall. I could feel them running wet pathways down my cheeks. I didn't know why I was so sad, so hurt. I couldn't remember them. I doubted I'd ever remember them. I couldn't remember Vael or his parents. "Why don't I remember?"

His sorrowful gaze held mine. He felt my pain and wished it gone. "We think you hit your head while the storm carried you away. That, or it was too traumatic for you to remember. Either way, when you washed up on the shore of Maine, all you remembered was your name, Ariane, and your age. You had no idea where you'd come from. When the storm passed and I realized you were gone … I disappeared for days into the ocean, tracking you to the best of my abilities. My parents didn't want me to go alone, but I refused to wait for soldiers. I managed to use the betrothal bond I had with you to follow your path, and that was when I saw you. You were playing on the beach, building a sandcastle with Liam and Kelly Jakes. She was pregnant, and she told you that the baby in there was your little sister. You felt her belly and laughed when the child kicked.

"I stayed for three days, watching you, waiting for some sign that you recognized they weren't your parents. But you didn't. You didn't even recognize me when you saw me. I didn't want to leave you, but some soldiers found me and dragged me home. That was when Father sent some soldiers to the outside world. They would guard you and form bonds, keep us informed. I begged to be allowed to return to you, and when they wouldn't allow it, I starved myself in my room, thinking of you. It wasn't until Father came to me and told me that I had to train in order to reclaim you that I was able to leave my room."

I was shaking, holding back sobs as every one of Vael's emotions combined with my own. His pain, his sorrow, his shame, and most of all, his love for me. Could I really mate with him if our lives were tied together? I had never considered a bond that strong with another person. It scared me.

"Ari?" Cady grabbed my arm. "You're shaking."

I sucked in a harsh breath, blinking away the tears and allowing the warm night air to dry them on my cheeks. "Tell me about the Mating Flower. Why is it purple?"

"It wasn't always. It started out pink, then blue, and a couple years ago it turned purple. It corresponds with my mate's favorite color."

Now that I thought about it, I remembered how my favorite color had changed over the years. Violet was my favorite to this day. Cady's was peach, and Pia loved red.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked. "Do you see that you're my mate?"

"I understand you feel that way. But, Vael, I don't remember you. I don't have any way of knowing if this is all true. And you did try to kidnap me and throw my sister to the saber-tooth cat."

"You'll remember in time, now that you're home. I'm sorry for what I tried to do to you and your sister - like I said, I wasn't in the best mindset to handle all of this." He paused for a moment, frowning. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, Ari. I really didn't want this to happen."

"What?"

He didn't respond. I felt people at my back, to my front, surrounding us. I leapt to my feet, drawing the Glock as my family followed suit. And that's when they attacked. They came at us from all sides, bare-chested hellions with sharp swords that shone in the firelight. They immediately attacked Dad, throwing him away from Vael. One of them - Lynk - untied him and handed him a sword. Vael met my gaze, saw the anger and rage glittering in it, and looked away. He appeared embarrassed. Damn right he should be.

Mom threw her fist into one of the men trying to restrain Dad. He managed to break free, using all his military combat experience to fight the Atlanteans. "Go, girls!" he yelled.

Lynk turned, held up his sword in a clear warning not to run, and I frowned. What was that on his chest? It looked to be a flower bud - it looked to be pink or orange. Peach.

My mind whirled back to mine and Cady's confrontation with Lynk. He reacted strangely when they touched skin-on-skin, flinching away from her … and clutching his right pectoral. Where the bud was now. Where Vael's Mating Flower was. His words to Cady - "Damn you, human" - suddenly made sense.

He and Cady were mates.

#

I didn't waste any time on my revelation. It meant that Lynk would be even more determined than the others to get to me - and Cady.

"C'mon!" I tossed Pia over my shoulder in a fireman's carry, dashing off into the jungle once more. Cady pushed herself to keep up, her legs pumping furiously. Behind us, I could hear the sounds of gunfire followed by two loud, violent roars that shook the trees to their roots. Lynk and Vael, I was sure.

"Sounds like Fish Boy has his fins in a twist," Cady quipped, not noticing they were two distinct voices; I glanced back and saw a smirk on her face. I wondered how long she'd be wearing it if she knew Lynk was her mate. The peach-colored bud on his bare chest - Cady's favorite color - proved it, as did the roar.

"More running, less talking!" They could probably hear us. And they had swords. Not exactly a good thing.

We couldn't outrun them for long. Atlanteans were faster and stronger. Cady was lagging behind, and with Lynk being her mate, she was now a target. I slowed, then snatched Cady and tossed her over my other shoulder - all without breaking stride. A brief shard of amazement pricked me, but I quickly shoved it to the side. Now wasn't the time to crow over my obvious skills.

"Holy shit!" Cady gasped.

"Hush!" I could hear them behind us, a steady pursuit that wouldn't end until they captured us - or lost us. I split my focus, trying to bring up the Battleship map again. It didn't really work, but I could sense various things around us. The location of trees, bodies of water, etc. And I did notice a cave rather close to us - an underwater cave.

I veered, running to the rather deep lake that connected to the ocean. I could see it in front of me, using the moon to guide me as well as my "sensors". Dropping Cady and Pia to the ground, I attached both of their hands to the belt loops of my jean shorts before charging into the water and diving beneath it. My sisters clung to me, using their free arms to swim. I used my superior strength to propel us through the water, aiming right for the cave. My eyes were open, but the water didn't burn them or make them feel uncomfortable. The liquid soothed my eyes, combing through my hair as we swam. Despite the darkness, I knew where to go, and it wasn't long before I caught sight of an opening above us. Shooting upward, I burst to the surface, Cady and Pia coming soon after.

They gasped, wiping their eyes so they could better see where we were. Torches hung on the walls, burning to allow light. It seemed there was no way out of this cave but the way we'd come in, as the earth formed a dome over us. I smelled nothing but seawater and dirt. The three of us swam over to the bank, climbing onto the dry floor.

"What the hell?" Cady gasped, glowering at me.

"It was the only way to get away from them," I explained. "They didn't see where I went, and they can't sense us the way I can sense things. Somehow, this cave is mostly blocked to me." Clearly, someone lived here, but I hadn't sensed any lifeforms at all. Hopefully, it meant the Atlanteans couldn't sense us either.

"Well, that's good news," she muttered, squeezing the water out of her hair. "Great, my hair's gonna be a poofy mess when it dries."

Pia and I snickered, earning a stuck-out tongue from her.

"Who dares enter my cave?" a loud, powerful voice boomed, shaking the very walls of the cave.

We froze, both of my sisters crawling closer to me as we turned to face the resident of the underwater cave. I stood, pulling them with me, and faced the dark pathway that the torches couldn't reach. "I'm sorry to trespass, sir, but we were escaping from some very bad Atlanteans."

"Atlanteans?" The villainous boom of his voice was gone, leaving only curiosity. "You are Atlantean, female."

"My sisters aren't, and we don't like the ones chasing us very much," I replied. "Will you allow us to stay the night? I promise we'll be gone by morning."

"We don't take up much room," Cady added.

There was silence, and then a large claw protruded from the shadows. As the resident of the cave slid into the light, I couldn't help a loud gasp. Standing before us in all of his glory was a dragon. He was tall and red-scaled, with fiery eyes and a large reptilian head that had two slightly curling horns coming out of it. His wings were clutched to his sides, his body gently brushing the walls and ceiling of the cave. He looked like he'd stepped out from a medieval crest or a sci-fi movie.

"Dragon," Cady whispered.

"Dragon," the beast agreed. "Taniwha is the proper term for my people. I am the guardian of this island. Who might you females be?"

"I'm Ariane, and these are my sisters, Cady and Pia."

He nodded, casting a slight breeze against us with the movement. "I am Rinc. You are running from Atlanteans?"

"Yeah, we've got the royal bastards after us," Cady muttered. "They want to force Ari to be the prince's mate."

"And you?" the beast inquired, peering at Cady. "Are you mated?"

She blanched, grimacing. "Ew, no! I'm only eleven!"

"Excellent. I like you, Cady, and I am in need of a bride. I do believe I'll keep you." He turned to Pia and me. "You two, however, must go. I do not want to cross the Atlanteans, and I have no use for another puny human female." His long tail snaked out, wrapping around Cady's midsection, and she screeched as she tried to fight him off.

"Hey!" I threw a vicious punch into his tail that he didn't seem to feel at all. Pia sunk her teeth into his scales, managing to pull one off in her mouth.

Rinc roared, thrust Cady to the side, and used his tails to grab us. "Begone, females!"

I only had time to clutch Pia's hand before we were thrown into the water, barreling out of the cave and through a good mile of ocean. When the force of his throw lessened, I pulled Pia upwards, seeing another opening. Bursting through the top of the ocean, we both gasped, and a trembling Pia clung to me.

"Ariane!"

Strong arms wrapped around the two of us, hauling us out of the lake and onto dry land. Pia and I were hacking water, and soon someone beat on our backs to help expel the liquid from our lungs. I looked up at our rescuer, and abruptly cursed in a croak.

Vael was looking down at us, with Lynk and other Atlantean males behind him. I blanched, intent on crab-walking away from him, but he still had his arms around me and kept me pressed against his chest, while another Atlantean moved to grab Pia.

"Ow!" he yelped when Pia bit down on his hand. I couldn't help a giggle at my sister's habit.

"She does that to people she doesn't like," I rasped.

"Where's the other girl?" Lynk demanded, trying futilely to look indifferent when I could see the anxiety coming off him. He was trembling with it.

"The dragon - taniwha - took her," I gasped, renewing my struggles against Vael. "He said something about making her his bride."

Lynk's eyes widened just a fraction and he threw back his head, roaring at the moon for all he was worth. I covered my ears, wincing at the vehemence and volume of it. When he was done, everyone was looking at him in wonder and confusion.

"Brother?" Vael asked. "What is wrong?"

"I'm going to kill that bastard," he snarled, charging off to the lake. Another Atlantean grabbed him and thrust him back.

"No, Lynk!" the boy hissed. He appeared to be around my age, a couple years younger than Vael. He had sandy hair that was cut short, clinging to his head like a helmet. His eyes were dark blue, gleaming in the moonlight.

"Get out of my way, Sladen!" Lynk retorted, headbutting the man.

"Rinc will kill you if you go down there alone," Sladen said, slightly out of breath as he wrestled Lynk away from the edge. "And we have no just cause in taking the human female from him - she's not mated."

"The hell she isn't!" This time, Lynk punched Sladen straight in the nose. "She. Is. Mine!"

"What?" Sladen gasped, looking at Vael in shock while clutching his bleeding nose. "Is that possible? Can an Atlantean mate with a human?"

Vael shrugged, still embracing me. "I've never heard of it, but we haven't been around humans often. It could happen."

I recognized immediately that Lynk was going to do whatever it took to retrieve Cady, despite his animosity toward her. Maybe it was the whole mate thing and he couldn't help it. "Lynk won't go alone. I'll go with him."

"No, you will not." Vael's grip tightened to emphasize his statement. "You are going back to the castle with Pia to rejoin Liam and Kelly. My brothers and our warriors will retrieve Cady." He looked to Lynk. "Are you certain Cady is your mate?"

Lynk pointed to the bud on his chest. "Ariane, what is her favorite color?"

"Peach."

Lynk merely cocked a brow at Vael, daring him to dispute his claim.

Vael cursed. "Alright, I believe you. Sladen, you and Lynk will take some warriors and retrieve Cady. The rest of us will return to the castle."

"The hell you will!" I thrust my head up, catching Vael on his chin. He yelped, his grip loosening, and I snaked out, bringing Pia with me. "I am going with you."

Vael leapt to his feet, rubbing his abused jaw. "I forbid it."

I barked out a humorless laugh. "I don't give a fuck what you think. Cady's my sister and I'm going after her. She won't go with any of you willingly, and that'll just cause more problems." I raised my brows at Lynk, who bit out a curse when he realized I was right.

"The taniwha is the island's guardian, and is not to be trifled with," Vael lectured. "It's going to take a lot to force him to do anything. He can turn the very ocean against us."

"Little one, what is that?" Sladen asked, approaching Pia.

I looked down and saw that she held one of Rinc's scales in her hands. I was pretty sure it was the one she'd bitten off. "Pia, did you bite that off him?"

"Yes," she replied, frowning at Sladen. "Why?"

"Having a piece of the guardian will strengthen us," Sladen said, glancing at Vael. "We can command him with this."

"Good job, Sweetpea," I muttered to her.

She grinned up at me in response.

"But the one who took the scale is the only one who can control him," Vael argued, frowning at Pia. "We can't send the child in there - it would be murder."

"Which is why I'll go with her." I wasn't too crazy about Pia going back into the dragon's nest, but if she was, then so was I. "Vael, if it makes you feel better, you can come, too. Lynk, you're obviously going. Bring whoever you want."

"What's to stop you from taking your sisters and swimming away from us the moment Cady is free?" Vael demanded. "I'm in no mood to chase you around the island - or the ocean."

I bit my lip. Dammit, I wasn't going to let complete strangers - and, to Cady's mind, enemies - rescue my sister. I was the one who'd taken us down to that cave. It was my responsibility to bring her back. "I swear that we will return to the castle with you."

"You give me your word?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Very well. I will hold you to that."

I had no doubt about that. But my freedom didn't matter. Cady's life did. I would kill anyone who took my sister from me.