Of Fangs & Fins ✔

25. I'm not leaving you behind

SR: the bootleg boy 2 - sometimes love sucks ~ sad lofi mix & Joji - R.I.P. (feat. Trippie Redd) // the bootleg boy 2 - i'll be alright

Twenty-Five.

Marina.

"Where is she?" I swam into my father's study like the devil was on my heels. I pulled in water into my gills vehemently as my chest heaved.

I zeroed in on my father, all the anxiety I would normally feel around him gone. I want answers, here and now.

My father floated around his stone desk, numerous bamboo scripts littering the top of it. He was reading one before he stared up at me.

"Who?" He stretched out his fin, the long and greying scales contorting involuntarily.

"The vampire." I narrowed my eyes in anger. Dad knew exactly what I was talking about. "Don't play coy with me,"

I knew Flynn had something to do with it. Flynn would do anything my father asked of him, I should've known better than to trust him. He was avoiding me. It's been two days, something was up.

I tried visiting Eryn, no one let me. I knew she was still alive; the guards wouldn't stop talking about her. Whenever they saw me, they immediately stopped. None of the guards were letting me in on anything about where Eryn could be.

I've been asking around, and everyone was pretending that she wasn't even here. Jasper has suspiciously been avoiding me, except this morning. He appeared out of nowhere, looking exhausted. It wasn't until today I finally decided to break my silence. With every day that passed that I couldn't find her, I knew that it was only a matter of time that I had to give up looking around and just ask.

"If you really must know, she's being questioned by Jasper and myself. It has been brought to my knowledge that perhaps you are not ready to be near vampires in this way." Dad said, his voice unwavering in my skull. He swam towards me and outstretched his arm.

I pushed myself away from him, letting the small rip current pull me out of his study.

"Get away from me! I'll find her without your help."

And with that, I slammed my fin down, propelling me out of the castle.

I swam around the grounds for a moment, thinking of where could they be hiding her. Jasper wasn't the type to hide anything. He prided himself in being very involved and he would brag about interrogating a vampire.

It worried me to think of what lengths Jasper would go.

I snapped my fin forward, launching me among the schools of fish. They kept a wide berth of space for me as if I was a long-time friend of theirs.

I followed them along the currents, breaking off once I reached Jasper's territory. He didn't like to stay in the castle with us often. He had his own cove among the rest of Aqueria. That should've been the first place I went to; how could I not think of that?

I cautiously hovered above the doorway, staring at two guards at the entrance. I closed my eyes and listened to their conversation, their voices flooding into my thoughts. I squeezed my eyes tighter, focusing harder to pick up on their wavelengths.

"That creature screams so loud you could hear it across the water," the dark-haired one replied, shifting slightly.

"You'd think Prince Jasper would end its miserable existence." the blond-haired man said, shaking his head.

"It was human at one point. Maybe that's the problem?" the brunette shrugged, "or maybe since it's with the Consul."

"Hush! You know we can't speak of the Consul." the blond raised his eyebrows looking around.