Wreck (The Triton Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “But you don’t need to invent foxes that are going to eat your chickens.”

  “Foxes? That’s a random animal choice.”

  “I thought it sounded like a good option.”

  “We live underwater. Why not a shark?” Maybe logic had no part in this conversation, but I couldn’t help but suggest some.

  “Sharks are so overdone.”

  “An eel?” I suggested.

  “Okay, sure. But then what kind of eggs are we talking about?”

  “I need a drink.” My stress was starting to mount, and the result wouldn’t be good for anyone involved.

  “You know I’m down with that. I’m always down with that.” Anastasia jumped to her feet.

  “Yes. I’m well aware.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who asked me to go get a drink.” She slipped on her white denim jacket.

  “True. Very, very true.” I couldn’t argue with her there.

  We took my capsule—land dwellers tend to refer to them as submarines—but they look like a capsule, so that’s what I will always call it. Sometimes it’s easier to go with what comes naturally. Mine was simple and sleek. The black paint had a metallic element to it, and the seats inside were a smooth brown leather.

  Anastasia strapped in next to me. “I’ve missed being down here.”

  “Weren’t you the one who wanted to go above?” I wasn’t passing judgment, just stating the facts.

  “Oh yes, totally. After so many years of hiding it was nice. But it’s also nice to be back.”

  Anastasia had been through a lot in her childhood. We all had, but that was not going to be the case for the next generation. Things were going to be better. I’d make sure of it.

  I eased the capsule into a spot and released the doors.

  I walked around the capsule and met Anastasia by the towering doors to High Tide Bar.

  “Wow. They’ve really outdone themselves.” Anastasia didn’t have to tell me what she meant. The whole place was covered in blue and green streamers and flowers.

  “You’re telling me.” I took a few tentative steps inside. Normally I felt right at home in the bar run by one of my best friends, but not when he’d gone crazy decorating it for an event I was getting increasingly nervous about. The fact that they decorated wasn’t in itself surprising. They used every opportunity to change the decor. Every holiday, every season change (yes, there are seasonal changes underwater). Dawson claimed he only did it at the owner’s orders, but secretly I thought he got a kick out of it.

  “Well, look who it is.” Dawson called over from behind the long white bar. “Our future queen.”

  “Can it, Dawson. We have no idea who my uncle is going to select.” I took a seat on a stool in front of him. Anastasia sat next to me.

  Dawson leaned forward on his elbows. He had his shirt rolled up, revealing his heavily tattooed arms. They were a little bit shy of being called sleeves, but they were getting close. “No idea? It has to be from a bloodline. You really think he’s giving it to your brother?”

  “I have some cousins…” I wasn’t sure why I was arguing, except I knew I was supposed to. I couldn’t act like I knew it was going to be me, even if I knew it was.

  “You can’t mean the twins. There is no way he’s calling in those two.” Dawson straightened.

  “I guess we will all find out on Sunday.”

  “Well, either way. You want your usual?” He gave a one minute sign to another customer.

  “Yes, please.”

  “No.” Anastasia put an arm over my shoulder. “She wants to try something new. We both do.”

  “Where did you find this one again?” Dawson pointed a thumb at her.

  “Come off it. You remember Anastasia.” Sometimes Dawson thought he was far funnier than he was. I wasn’t in the mood for it.

  “You mean when she wasn’t locked away with her mom?’

  “You know what?” Anastasia frowned. “If you are going to be that way we can take our business elsewhere.”

  “Your business? Were either of you planning to pay for your drinks tonight?”

  “We sometimes pay,” I offered.

  “Oh yeah?” He grinned.

  “Oh, come off it, Dawson. If you wanted us to pay you’d take our money. You always refuse to.” And I’d given up trying.

  “I can’t be taking money from my future queen.” Dawson’s grin grew.

  “Didn’t we just go over this?” I’d be down with his jokes after the announcements were made.

  “Sure, sure.” He grabbed two glasses and set them down on the far counter. “So you want me to come up with something new?”

  “Yes.” Anastasia had relaxed.

  “All right. Give me a minute.” He turned his back to us and started to pull down various bottles.

  Dawson set two glasses full of a blue liquid in front of us. There was also a layer of a yellowish liquid in the middle.

  “What is this?” I was always a bit skeptical of drinks with strange colors.

  “Try it first, and then I’ll tell you.” Dawson walked down the bar and set a beer down in front of another customer.

  I gave Dawson a look when he returned. It was funny. There was a time in my life when I seriously thought we’d end up together, but that time had come and gone. We were far better friends than we would ever be lovers. Not that I knew that from experience, but I could tell. And he could too. It’s what kept either of us from ever crossing a line.

  I sipped the drink. I’d been expecting sweet, and there was a hint of that, but it was spicy more than anything. “Wow.”

  “This is incredible.” Anastasia turned her glass in her hand. “You really know how to pick them, Dawson.”

  “I didn’t pick it. I made it up.” He poured whiskey in a glass and set it down in front of a regular whose eyes were fixed on the big screen across the bar. It was the final quarter of a Wharfle game. I couldn’t stand the sport, a mix of what earth dwellers called American football and hockey, but I was in the minority.

  Anastasia took another sip. “Even more impressive.”

  “Have you given any more thought to entering some of your drinks in that competition?The one I told you about?” I already knew his answer, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask. “It could be pretty cool.”

  “Nah, I already told you. What do I need that for?”

  “But you are so good. Why not share it with more people?” Maybe I should have dropped it, but sometimes I did things that made no sense.

  “More meaning land dwellers. Is that what you mean? I don’t know why you’d suggest it when you can’t stand them.” He grabbed a cloth and wiped down the bar.

  “That’s not true.” I had nothing against those who lived on land. I just preferred to stay underwater. Away from the messes brewing above. Not that we didn’t have our fair share of messes down here.

  “Well, I’m doing fine here. You trying to get rid of me or something?” He arched an eyebrow.

  “Of course not. If I wanted to get rid of you I’d find a more creative way.”

  “Is that so?” Half of his mouth quirked into a smile.

  “Yes.” I sipped the drink again. It really hit the spot. “But I don’t want to get rid of you.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because who else is going to make me good drinks without charging me?” Coming to High Tide had been a good idea. Alcohol plus Dawson was a sure-fire way to relax me.

  “Remind me again why we’re best friends?” He filled a glass with water. Dawson rarely drank on the job. As he worked most nights, it meant he very rarely drank.

  “I don’t know. It seems to be slipping my mind.”

  “I can’t believe you two haven’t had sex yet.” Anastasia set down her half empty glass.

  I spit out the sip of drink I’d just put in my mouth. It sprayed all over Dawson.

  He wiped his shirt. “Geez, Mari. I took a shower today, you know.”

  “Sorry.” I should hav
e been more embarrassed, but it was just Dawson. He was used to me. We’d been friends since our diaper days.

  “It’s not like you to get so bent out of shape over a joke.” Anastasia swirled around what was left in her glass. “You really are stressed out.”

  “Nuh uh. You just surprised me.”

  Anastasia and Dawson exchanged looks. They didn’t believe a word I said.

  I shrugged. “This is a really good drink.”

  “You’ve said that already.” Dawson leaned back against the far counter.

  “Have I?”

  “Yes. Yes you have.”

  “If it isn’t our future queen.” Lance strolled into the bar. From the way he was walking, he’d pregamed before coming out.

  “Come off it, Lance. I may not be the—”

  “Of course you will!” He interrupted.

  Yes, he was already drunk. Or at least close to it.

  “Don’t even bother, man.” Dawson called over. “She’s in denial.”

  “I’m not in denial. I’m just being realistic.” And trying to be modest. Or at least not overly confident.

  “She’s protecting her fish eggs from the eels.” Anastasia held up her glass. “Don’t you get it?”

  “What?” Lance sauntered over. “What does that even mean?”

  “See?” Anastasia bumped her shoulder into mine. “Chickens and foxes work so much better.”

  “Evidently.” I mumbled. “So how about we make a rule? No more mentioning the word queen until Sunday. Can you guys do that for me?”

  “I don’t know. How much are you going to give me?” Lance grinned.

  “Give you?” I spun so my whole body was facing him.

  “Is that any way for to talk to your future que—” Anastasia put a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t actually say it.”

  “I’m going to need another one of these.” I held up my glass.

  “You still have half left.” Dawson pointed to the glass.

  I chugged the rest of it. “What were you saying?”

  Cade

  By Friday night I was already starting to doubt myself. What kind of prize could the sea king offer me that made it worth me going down there? It’s not like I needed much of anything. I had enough money. I was a king, so career wise I was set. There were no shortage of attractive women around. Yet, I was still intrigued. I needed someone to talk me out of going. And I knew exactly who could do it.

  I sent a text before jumping in the shower. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  “Into the ocean?” Hailey stormed into my kitchen. “Are you crazy?”

  I turned on the coffeemaker and turned to greet my guest. “Maybe. That’s why I wanted you to come by.”

  “You wanted me to talk you out of it, huh?” She opened the fridge and pulled out cheese, deli meat, and lettuce.

  I didn’t comment on her decision to help herself. There was nothing surprising about that, and I found her ability to make herself at home places pretty endearing. “You usually are a voice of rational thought.”

  “But it could be fun.” She grabbed a loaf of bread from the pantry.

  “Wait, what?” Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised by her answer, but I was.

  “Yeah. Fun. You know? Ever hear of it?”

  “You are concerned I’m not having enough fun?” There had to be a punchline I was missing. “Am I hearing things?”

  “Well, not the right kind of fun. Your kind of fun isn’t healthy.” She pulled down two plates and set a pair of bread slices on each plate.

  “Okay, see here is some of that rational thinking I needed.” I smiled. She was making us both a sandwich, without even asking if I wanted one. I did want one.

  “Maybe getting away for a bit will help reset things for you. You know make you think about what’s important.”

  “Uh… Hailey? I’m talking about going into the ocean for an hour tops.”

  “Cade… “ She dragged out my name. “When does anything in our world move as fast as we expect?”

  “True. It usually doesn’t.” We’ve gotten ourselves into plenty of messes over the years because of that.

  “You mean never.” She returned the supplies to the fridge.

  “Okay. What’s really going on here?”

  “Huh?” She grabbed a jar of pickles.

  “You should be telling me I have a responsibility to my job, and if I can’t handle it I should give it to someone else. Like you.”

  “I can’t take your job. I have my own. Plus, I’m balancing a long distance relationship. You really think I want more on my plate?”

  “Yes. You always want more on your plate.” I took a bite of my sandwich. Spot on. Hailey did know my taste.

  She opened the pickles and put a few on each of our plates. “Wyatt wants to start a family.”

  “Oh… uh, that explains it. That’s great, right? That’s what I'm supposed to say.”

  “Cade!” She dropped the lid of the pickles on the counter.

  “Sorry. I’m not the best at this stuff. You want kids, right?”

  “Yes. But I don’t know if I’m ready yet. And I don’t know how to raise a Drago. I mean it’s going to eventually breath fire.” She replaced the lid and put the pickles away. If her responsibility in the kitchen was any indicator of her parenting skills, she’d be fine.

  “Which is so freaking awesome.” At first I wasn’t a huge fan of the dragon shifters, and I’d never admit this out loud, but they were seriously cool. Especially Hailey’s Drago, Wyatt.

  “You’re no help.” She lifted her sandwich and then set it back down.

  I swallowed a big bite. “Was I supposed to help? I called you over to help me.”

  “Friendships are supposed to work both ways.”

  “True.” She nibbled on the corner of her sandwich. That was very unlike Hailey. She usually dug in.

  Maybe I was the one who called her over, but I wasn’t going to leave her out to dry. “What can I do for you?”

  “Go down to the ocean so I can live vicariously through you.” She took a big bite this time.

  “That’s a joke.”

  “Come on, you know you want to go.” She set down her sandwich. “You know you are going to go. I just want you to relay all the information back to me.”

  “You could come with me, you know.” Maybe I already had the pixie going, but having Hailey along would be fun.

  “No, I can’t. Remember, I have a job.”

  “It’s a Sunday. You aren’t working Sunday.”

  “Does your invite say plus one?” She grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the fridge.

  “Well… it wasn’t an invite exactly.”

  “Then what was it?” She sipped her water.

  I went with the truth. “A summons.”

  “A what?” Hailey coughed on her water. “Say that again.”

  “You heard me.”

  “How is he summoning you? On what authority? And why?” She set her cup down and went into normal Hailey mode.

  “You think I know?”

  “Sometimes you worry me, Cade.” She shook her head. “How do you manage to run a kingdom?”

  “I worry you? You worry me.”

  “Why should I worry you? You are worse.”

  “What?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? Okay, this isn’t helping.”

  “What do you want me to say?” She hopped up to sit on the counter.

  “I don’t know. Something to help me decide.”

  “You already made up your mind. Don’t pretend otherwise.” She pointed at me.

  “You know what my curiosity is like.”

  “Then tell me again why you called me over?” She swung her legs.

  “Maybe I missed you.”

  “You never miss anyone.”

  “If I missed anyone it would be you.”

  “Aww, Cade. You’re so sweet.”

  I laughed. “But you’re ok
ay, right? Contrary to what I might say, I do care about you.”

  “I am. Scared, but okay.”

  “What else is new?” I grinned.

  “You’ll be careful, right? Please don’t get yourself killed.”

  “Me?” I lifted what remained of my sandwich to my mouth. “You’re really concerned I’m going to get myself hurt?”

  “Yes. Very concerned. Especially since it’s a summons.”

  “Oh, come on. Even you asked about the authority. It’s not like he can keep me down there.”

  “But it’s his authority down there.” She gestured toward her plate.

  I brought the plate to her. After all, she’d made the sandwiches for us. “He still can’t keep me there.”

  “Just be careful, okay?”

  “You’d be sad if I never came back.”

  “Of course I would. Wouldn’t you be sad if I did the same?”

  “I’d be beside myself.” I wholesale meant it. Hailey was like the little sister I never had.

  I figured I should at least put on swim trunks. It’s not that I considered jumping into the ocean naked—not at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Sunday—but by the same token I didn’t want to do it wearing regular clothes. It wasn’t fun to swim in clothes, and it might look a bit weird. Not that I really cared what anyone thought, but attracting attention was never a great idea in my position. It was the same reason I rarely flew during the day, or even at night, over a crowded area. When people saw a man flying with large, dark grey feathery wings they started talking about fallen angels and the end of days. There was no reason to encourage that, even if I did like causing trouble sometimes.

  I put on a pair of camo trunks, because you can never go wrong with camo, and a white t-shirt. I figured I could ditch the shirt if I needed to swim, but if I ended up somewhere with a shirt and shoes policy, at least I’d have one of the two requirements taken care of. From my experience you could usually talk your way out of missing one requirement, but missing two was a whole different can of worms.

  I debated what to bring with me. I hated going anywhere without a wallet, but I also didn’t feel like ruining mine. I settled for a credit card and a phone in a completely waterproof case. I guess this was a great opportunity to test it. When I bought it from the supernatural electronics expo, I was assured it would work anywhere. Before I walked out, I decided to check one more thing. “Hey, Stacey. Pull up the weather.”