Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs Read Free Book Online

?”
    “Umm …” Suddenly telling him I’d gone up against five of Tiamat’s crew didn’t seem like such a solid idea. Especially considering what I’d had to do to get away from them.
    “Tempest.” In that moment, in that one word, I saw a side of Kona I had never seen before. Royal, entitled, unwilling to be denied. I could tell he was using his power to influence me, but I was not without power of my own, and it annoyed me that he thought he could force compliance.
    Heir to the selkie throne or not.
    I tried to shove back, to show him I wouldn’t be coerced, but I was still too weak. The second my defenses lowered, he reached through the path we used to communicate—one that was exclusive to us—and snatched the answer right out of my head.
    “Five!” It was as close to a yell as I’d ever heard from him. “You fought off five of Tiamat’s goons alone?”
    Fury bloomed deep inside me. How dare he use our bond like that? I elbowed him, struggled to push him off the bed. I was rewarded by a raised eyebrow from Kona, who didn’t so much as budge, though I’d put all the strength I had left behind it, and a hiss from Zarek, who was still, unbelievably, working on the last part of the cut.
    “How many stitches do I need, anyway?” I demanded, completely frustrated that, though I was beyond angry with him, I was forced to stay cuddled up to Kona like some good little girl.
    “So far?” Zarek answered with a downward twist of his lips. “One hundred and fifty-seven. Before I’m done, more than two hundred.”
    His answer only enraged Kona more, though he never moved an inch. “What the hell happened out there? And don’t even think about lying to me.”
    “What is wrong with you?” I asked, annoyed. “You’re acting insane. I’ve never lied to you, and I don’t appreciate being treated like some damsel in distress who can’t take care of herself. Back the hell off!”
    One of the nurses dropped a tray of instruments, and for long seconds, the only sound in the room was the clatter of steel hitting tile. Obviously, no one was used to hearing the crown prince addressed so bluntly. But I wasn’t one of Kona’s subjects. I was his girlfriend. If he thought he was going to get away with beating his chest and acting like a total caveman around me, he was going to be sorely disappointed.
    Kona glared at me as he tried to accept the fact that I wasn’t going to bow and scrape for him. I glared right back, refusing to give an inch. Finally, with a sigh, he closed his eyes and buried his face against my neck.
    “I’m sorry, Tempest. The idea of you in danger makes me crazy.”
    “Obviously.” I stayed stiff against him, not willing to relax just yet. “Don’t ever do that again—you know how I feel about you reading my mind.”
    “I didn’t—”
    “You know what I mean.”
    He sighed. “Yes. And I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
    His obvious sincerity, coupled with the torment I’d seen in his eyes, was enough to make me relent. “I was about halfway back to Hailana’s waters when they ambushed me. We fought, I killed three of them, and the last two ran away.”
    My synopsis of the events didn’t exactly explain everything that had happened, but unlike Kona—who had grown up with servants everywhere—I wasn’t used to airing my private business in public. Some sixth sense kept urging me to be quiet about the electric thing, to not let anyone but Kona know about it.
    I finally spoke to him using our private line of communication. Kona, can you please trust me on this? I swear I’ll tell you everything later.
    You’d better. He didn’t look happy, but he gave in, asking only a couple of benign questions for show. Of course, that just meant he was going to be in my face about this as soon as I got out of here.
    “That should do it for the stitches,” Zarek finally said.
    “Thank God.” I glanced down at my tail, saw he’d done such a good job that already the cut was barely