Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

35. Favors and rings

Ember

Tyra's plan kind of involved hugs and kisses.

"You want us to offer Light a female sacrifice in exchange for leaving us alone?" Darius asked, squinting bloodshot eyes up at Tyra. He'd been caught minutes ago on his way to pick up an 'assignment' from a friend's house and was promptly handed off to Kane. We were on our way to the meeting room when Darius came trudging along and although I thought Kane would pass him on to someone else to babysit, he brought him along without an ounce of hesitation.

(I assumed it was because Kane- blindly- trusted Darius not to crack if he was captured like Tyra had been.)

"This idea of yours is quite sexist, Tyra," Darius continued on. "I'm disappointed in you."

(Or more likely because Kane knew if Darius was kidnapped he'd piss Light off and get himself killed way before anyone had the chance of carrying out a proper interrogation.)

Tyra stared down at him, dark eyes suddenly too blank. Too other. I realized it was easy to forget what she was- at least until these brief instances when her fae side came peeking out and I was reminded sharply of the fact that Tyra wasn't entirely human after all. What followed was a twinge of déjà vu: when she was more fae than human, she reminded me painfully of Aster.

Was that one of the reasons why I felt so protective of her? Because I'd failed to protect Aster?

"The mermaid will be the one receiving a sacrifice, not Light," Tyra said, planting a hand on her hip with an eye roll, the mundane action bringing her back to the land of humans. "If he's removed any weaknesses on his fae side then we'll simply have to target his werewolf weaknesses. A mermaid can kill a werewolf."

Silence fell over the room as we digested this declaration, with Darius scratching at his head, Kane resting his chin on folded fingers, Jett leaning back in his chair, his tattooed arms folded and lips frowning. There were only five of us here and the less the better. There was no telling who Light might snatch up next time and force our secrets out of- which is why Kane had excluded Helen. I'm sure she's had enough kidnappings to last her a lifetime, no need to try her luck with a crazy halfling fae king.

A crazy fae king Tyra claimed a mermaid could kill.

"How exactly can this mermaid kill a fae king?" I asked, unable to keep my doubts bottled up any longer.

"She'll lure him into the sea and drown him," Tyra replied, as if it was the easiest task on earth.

"She'll drown him?" Darius echoed, his question heavy with the skepticism I was feeling.

"The courts are buzzing with gossip of the new Autumn Lord, while I was there I found out that he originally lived in the mountains. He isn't immune to drowning."

"Light is going to let himself be led to death by water?" Jett unwrapped a lollipop, pierced brow raised. "Willingly?"

Tyra puffed her bouncy hair, exhaling. "You guys don't know? Mermaids are skilled in convincing people that they're the love of their lives, some of their victims don't even know they're following them into the sea until the water starts flooding their lungs." She held up a finger when Darius started to ask something. "He can't swim away, once you go with them the waters recognize you as their property. There's no escape."

Unable to bear it a second more, I pushed away from the table and began to pace the room. "And Light will let her lead him straight to his death without so much as a protest? What if he kills her instead? And comes after Kane?"