Battlefield

Chapter 18

I could do nothing but lock eyes with David, fear evident in my gaze. I bit back a shiver as the coldness of the pendant hit my neck. Brown hair flashed in my vision, along with dark green eyes. A merman was in front of me, but I couldn't remember his name. He grinned at me as he grabbed my hand, tugging me forward.

A dark-haired merman stared at me, anger replacing the shock on his face. As hard as I tried, I couldn't recall his name, either. The first merman snapped his fingers, multiple bodies appearing on the seafloor in front of us. Their metallic smell stuffed itself up my nostrils, but I didn't so much as flinch.

I swam toward them, my gaze empty as I bent down and picked one up—a mermaid around my age. The strands of her long brown hair separated in the current, one by one. Her olive eyes stared blankly up at the surface. I was about to swim away when the merman from before swam up to me, gently grabbing the body and placing it on the ground. He placed his hands on my shoulders, his gaze pleading.

The spell was strong—any conscious thought that began to form disappeared as quickly as it came. I shook off his touch, swimming over to a ravine where multiple bodies already lay. I frowned as I let the body fall.

Before I could so much as take a stroke forward, that same merman approached me, his expression angry now. I felt something being pressed into my hand as we stared at one another. I looked down and saw a dark-blue pendant on a string. Confusion appeared on my face as I looked at the brown-haired merman.

He nodded, encouraging me. My hands felt as if they didn't belong to me when I raised them, unfastening the grey pendant at my neck and replacing it with the one in my hand. A cruel smile replaced the confusion on my face.

It happened so fast I almost didn't see it coming. A heartbeat later, the pendant was around the dark-haired merman's neck, an empty expression appearing in place of the angry one. The other merman swam to my side, grinning.

The dark-haired merman and I grinned at each other before focusing on the brown-haired merman. He held up a finger and turned around, taking his gaze off us. A frantic expression replaced the empty one on the dark-haired merman's face as he tugged on my hand.

Nerissa, please. His signs matched his expression, his eyes darting from me to the other merman. I let myself be led away, my thoughts turning loose and scrambled in my head. We swam until we had put considerable distance between us and the other merman.

Only when we stopped did the merman rip the pendant off my neck. It was like hitting a wall—my head cleared, my thoughts slowly reorganized themselves. I looked at him, blinking slowly. David? My hands felt foreign as I raised them, my signs jerky and unclear.

He took my hand, squeezing it. Are you okay? His brown skin was pale, his eyes wide.

A sudden throbbing began in my head. It was only then that I noticed the bodies—mermaids and mermen alike. Chills ran down my spine as my heart raced and my chest tightened. I recognized the signs well enough; I wasn't surprised. I was having a panic attack.

I gasped for water, feeling like I was choking. David swam in front of me, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. Nerissa, I need you to breathe. Slow, deep breaths. Focus on me.

He gently squeezed my hands, his chest rising and falling as he breathed with me. I focused on his green eyes, the colour of sea grass. Ever so slowly, my breathing returned to normal. Exhaustion shoved panic out of the way, quickly taking over. I faltered, only to feel a pair of strong hands supporting my weight.

Where's the Lost Soul Pendant? I hadn't seen it since before Brandon placed the Loyalty Pendant around my neck.

David reached into his pocket, pulling out a blue pendant on a chain. My breath caught as I stared at it. Tears filled my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.

He gently squeezed my hand. It's okay. You're safe.

I was about to raise my hands—although they were trembling violently—and try to sign when a hand suddenly gripped my arm. I cried out as I was jerked against a hard body. David tried to swim to me, but hands were on him before he could move, restraining him.

My heart stopped dead as a merman swam in front of me, eyes glittering darkly. I had never seen his face before, yet I knew it. The green eyes, the slightly tousled brown hair—it was the spitting image of his brother's. Of Jay's. The only difference was his smile. It didn't reach his eyes.

A heartbeat later, motion exploded to my left, making me flinch. David had elbowed the merman who was holding him, causing his grip to loosen. He swam to me, his expression hostile. His hands were clenched at his sides, but he grabbed my arm, motioning to me. Let's go.

The merman holding my arm smirked at David. Thankfully he was beside me as he spoke, so I could read his lips. "Come on, Dave. I haven't seen you in ages. Not even a 'hello'?" Even without hearing his voice, I could image the derision dripping from it.

David glowered at the merman, all while keeping my arm in his grasp. His eyes were spitting fire as he stared at the merman, all traces of kindness gone from his features. Leave us alone, Noah. There's a reason Jay doesn't contact you anymore. The expression on his face suggested he knew exactly what that reason was.

His grip wasn't painful, but my heart was screaming at me to swim as far away as I could. My thoughts were swirling around in my head as I followed David, shuddering. Only when we'd put a league between us and the merman did he stop, turning to me. You okay?

I shook my head, not ready to discuss what had happened. The truth was, I wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He gripped my hand tightly as we swam home, only letting go when we reached the house. I hadn't realised it until then, but I was shaking.

Jay was smiling when he noticed us, but the smile quickly faded, a concerned expression taking its place. I turned to him, gently kissing him on the cheek. I'm going to bed early. I'll see you both in the morning. My signs were shaky, but they understood the message well enough.

The swim from the foyer to our bedroom seemed to take an eternity. Even as I got into bed, I couldn't seem to stop shaking. A few minutes later, a warm body slid into bed beside me, pulling me close. I turned onto my side, folding my arm under my head as Jay and I gazed at one another. His mouth was set in a hard line, the thinnest of covers for the anger that was threatening to come to the surface.

I'm so sorry. I had no idea he would be there. I haven't spoken to him in years. He gently brushed his lips against mine.

I took a deep breath. Who is he? Part of me was dreading the answer that was sure to come; part of me already knew what his response would be.

Jay's eyes darkened. He's my twin brother.

The world slammed to a halt. My eyes were so wide I thought they'd pop out of my head. Before I could so much as raise my hands, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes. A heartbeat later, I felt his breathing deepen; he was asleep.

I, on the other hand, was wide awake. I laid awake for a few hours before my need to sleep finally overtook me.

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