© 2018 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved

~

Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?

~
Kendra met with us down stairs, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.

"Kristos hasn't returned yet."

Tempest caught her arm amidst her pacing. "I'm sure he'll return eventually. Do you know where he went?"

She shook her head. "I can't call him, I can only use one pearl or shell a day to communicate, it's a lot of my power."

"What about the locator spell? The one you used to bring Faye and her mates back?" I suggested.

"No," she sighed and collapsed on the couch. "the spell only works with his reaper reserves. I'd need an immense power source for that- I'd be pulling him from time and space. The price isn't cheap for that level of magic."

Tempest rummaged around in the fridge while I snatched a blanket for Kendra.

"My dad...why does he hate you so much? I know your current...state, isn't just because of Kristos missing."

She toyed with the frayed edges of the blanket, her gaze fixed on the fire place.

"Your father was hurt by my sister, his life was twisted because of her. And he never expected her to follow him throughout the years as he found his true mate. I think, in a way, that he believes I've become her now that her powers transferred to me. Mermaids are always twins, and our powers are split between the two of us. Our powers are what makes us who we are. So when her powers of delivering the prophecy and giving curses came to me upon her death, Stark thought that we had fused, especially when I told him about the prophecy bout you. Katya knows it's not true, but she has her worries. The more she reads the stars, the more she can look into what's going on with me."

Tempest set a smoothie on the coffee table where I was sitting across of Kendra. "Your mom should be careful. Reading the stars is dangerous business."

I raised a brow. "What do you know about reading stars?"

He avoided my question entirely, but his brief glance at me told me all I needed to know.

"I'm going for a walk," Tempest muttered, his voice gruff.

He leaned down to ruffle Kendra's bangs. He jerked his head for me to follow.

I pressed the smoothie into her hand. "My parents are wrong about you. You're not Kaleesi. We can prove it to them after this is all over."

She nodded miserably and sank deeper into the couch.

Tempet grabbed my hand, pulling me around the corner to the back of the stair case.

"I have books on star reading. I'll give them to you, but we have to go to my house."

"Why do I need books on star reading?"

"You need to learn it- properly. Your mom is probably doing it wrong, and it's gonna ruin her later on."

I caught onto his words. "I can't believe this. Ruin her? My mom has been reading the stars since I turned ten, she's perfectly fine. What could possibly happen?"

"Your mom- she-" he growled in frustration. "I can't tell you."

"Okay, fair enough. I'll tell Kendra and we can head out."

He stepped in front of me. "We can't tell Kendra. She's stressed enough over Kristos disappearing act and she's used a lot of her powers the past few days. Someone needs to stay here to wait for the Royals to arrive. We need to get going now."

I nodded and slipped past him. "I'll meet you outside in 20 minutes."

After changing into a gray long sleeve and black jeans, I dropped down from the window of my room to avoid Kendra seeing me. I kept Kendra's daggers tucked in the back of my jeans and followed Tempest's scent to the edge of Kristos' territory.

He donned a black crew neck sweater and black jeans, combat boots on his feet.

"Don't you look like a ray of sunshine," I muttered.

He glanced over and sent a judgemental look at my appearance.

"What?" In scoffed. "It's not exactly mission impossible. Want me to wear a black turtleneck and a ski mask?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not what I mean. Your daggers, they're sticking out by the handles."

He pulled out the sheaths that Kendra uses to strap her daggers in and looped it into position around my legs. He stood slowly, towering over my shorter form.

"Let me grab those from you," he murmured.

I kept eye contact as he reached around my back to lift the daggers and lowered back down to sheath them. I grabbed his hands in my grip before he did so.

"I think I can handle that Storm Prince,"

He shrugged and rotated the daggers so the handles were pointed at me. I snatched the daggers back and put them in their slots while Tempest rummaged around in his backpack.

"What exactly are you looking for? And how exactly are we going to get to France?"

He dug his hand deep and pulled out to small books. He tossed one to me. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were passports.

"How do you have my passport?"

"Kendra and I grabbed it when you were performing the ceremony."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why did you need my passport?"

"For emergencies like these." He slung the backpack over his shoulder just as a cab pulled up.

He tossed his backpack in and then opened the door for me. "Let's go to the airport, shall we?"

I drove an inquisitive knife into his chest as we made our way to the airport.

"How did you know we would need a passport? Do my parents know that you took it? Was this your idea or Kendra's?"

He glanced at me with a raised brow. "Most of the time, the idea is Kendra's. And no, your parents don't know we took it. And if we're on the run, obviously we need a passport."

"Where did you even get the money for the passport?" I cried out.

He grinned slyly. "Kristos left his credit card behind. That Reaper is way too rich for his own good."

I slapped him on the chest. "You idiot, Kristos will be able to track us based off the purchases of the credit card."

"Which is fine because you have yours, I left his credit card back at the mansion." He paused at my dropped jaw. "You do have your wallet, right?"

"NO! Of courses I don't have my wallet, I ran out of my house with a ceremonial dress and some sandals you nugget!" I snarled, shifting my nails into claws and digging them into his thigh.

He grimaced and shifted his claws as well, sinking them into my side. "How the fuck did forget your wallet? Wallet, keys, ID, that's like the Holy Trinity!"

I was about to get into a wolf fight right in the back of his cab. "What about your card?"

He laughed bitterly. "I got nothing, princess. Not even an ID."

"How exactly were you planning on doing this?" I hissed. "Screw this, we're going back-"

The cab totalled with a smash on Tempest's side.

The whole ordeal happened in slow motion, a faded ringing in my ears like the echo of a thousand gunshots. Tempest's claws were ripped from my side, mine from his thighs, as the creature tore open the door and yanked him out- my hand stretched out to grab him before he slipped through my fingers.

He was gone.

Just like that.

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Lyrics are about Tempest