<h4>Chapter 726: 726-ying My Mother</h4>


    <strong>Emmet:</strong>


    "What do you mean you did not?" I asked, steadily approaching him.


    "Emmet, I don’t remember getting it. It just appeared out of nowhere. I was convinced it was a tattoo, but it isn’t. I went to a tattoo artist today, asking how I could remove it, because I didn’t like it. The more I looked at it, the more I felt like it was telling me something. It was whispering in my ears. And you know what the tattoo artist told me?" he asked, panicking.


    His body was shaking. His hands were so red, as if they were on fire.


    "What?" I asked, showing concern.


    "That it’s not a tattoo," he said, making me stare at his face, my heart beating slowly.


    I briskly walked closer to him and checked his neck. I traced my fingers around the mermaid tail, then the dagger, and it felt like my whole world copsed.


    "Okay, what the fuck," I said, stepping back from him.


    The way he was looking at me with his eyes wide open, it was like he wanted me to tell him everything was fine. But how could I, when I recognized the symbol?


    How did I never notice it before?


    "What is it? Tell me," he asked again, reaching for me. I checked his neck once more.


    The details on the mermaid tail had always escaped our notice. It was only now, after seeing Hnie have this tail, that I realized it was a mermaid tail.


    "Wait a minute," I said, gesturing for him to sit down so I could grab one of my research books.


    I grabbed it and started shuffling through the pages. Then I came across the same sign.


    "Emmet, please tell me what it is. I’m getting scared," he said, shaking.


    I walked over to him and flipped the page so he could see what I was seeing. It was the exact same tattoo.


    "What does it mean?"


    Even though the next page exined it all, he’d relied on me, so I had to ry the deadly information to him. But before I could respond, he asked me,


    "Am I a hunter?" he asked in a low voice.


    "I am a mermaid hunter, aren’t I?" he asked again. His eyes showed me how damaged he would be if this turned out to be true.


    "Okay, there is one more thing that I need to confirm before we jump to any conclusions," I said, trying to calm him down, but he began to get up from the chair as if he were losing his patience.


    "Wait, wait."


    I put my hands on his shoulders to make him sit down.


    "What is left to say? I just saw the sign, and it literally says right here that I’m a mermaid hunter." He pointed at the text whileining.


    "Okay, there is another sign just like this," I said, and I watched his body rx a bit.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    He looked like such a lost puppy that I felt bad for him.


    "There are two kinds of tattoos like this, with very minimalistic changes," I said as I turned the page around. And just like I had said, there was another page with the same tattoo but with slight differences, and those slight differences looked exactly like his tattoo.


    "And this one says you are a siren hunter," I confirmed, pointing at the text. I watched his body rx a bit. He held the book in his hand to keep examining it.


    "But Hnie is a mermaid."


    As soon as he said that, I smiled because I knew that was what was bothering him. We have heard our mother telling us about the curses. That we each will be a danger to our mates somehow but Kaye’s was the deadliest because his attack on his mate will not be idental. He would want to get it done.


    "Exactly!" I confirmed but the peace on his face stayed only for a few seconds before concern started taking over his body once again.


    "Then why do I always want to hurt her? Why did I want to kill her? Even my curse says that I would want to kill my mate, and that was because of the curse, because of the tattoo, because I am a fucking hunter."


    He was right. It did not make any sense. Why would everything point toward Hnie?


    "But Kaye, you don’t have one mate," I reminded him, and his eyebrows started to lower.


    "You mean to say Kesha? But she’s not a mermaid. She’s a werewolf. I know that," he said, staring at my face.


    "There is so much that we don’t know about the people around us, Kaye. I think it is time that we explore Kesha’s history a little," I said, watching Kaye not even nod or react. He was just focusing on what I was saying.


    "Last night, Kesha was the one who pushed Hnie into the water. That was a very strategic and specific move on her behalf. Unless she knew something was up. Unless she knew this would be the oue." I said, and Kaye started to zone out.


    "You mean to say she knew and purposely did it so that Hnie gets kicked out? But that does not exin why I would want to kill Kesha. Because I don’t feel the same desire to hurt her as I feel toward Hnie, even when I love her so much. But still, for a split second, I want to kill her," He exined what he was feeling, and I began to nod.


    "And then why did you convince everyone to ept their mates?" Kaye brought it up, watching me with eyes full ofint.


    "And also, why did you have to say so many hurtful things to Hnie in front of our mother?" he continued.


    And since he was here, I decided I would be honest with him.


    "You’re right in everything you’re saying, but I have a reason for everything I said, Kaye," I said, sitting down on the bed with my hands in myp.


    "Then tell me. You can share it with me."


    He pointed at his chest.


    "You answered it yourself. You said I said all those hurtful things in front of my mother. Exactly. I wanted our mother to think I was on her side so she would start confiding in me. I want to get to the root of what she’s up to. And for that, someone has to convince her that they’re just as evil and fully on her side," I kept my voice soft, even when I was saying things that might shock my brother.


    I watched Kaye’s eyes widen.


    "So you believe Mother was wrong?" he asked.


    I shrugged.


    "What do you believe, Kaye?" I asked with interest in my eyes.


    I watched him lower his head and start fidgeting with his fingers.


    "Hnie never lies. And I can tell her mother never does either. Our mother fucked her up. But like I said, there’s this split second when I feel like I don’t like Hnie. And I feel the same toward her mother. So that’s why I’m confused. How am I a siren hunter when I’m hating mermaids?" He expressed his emotions and conflict openly this time.


    "Listen, Kaye. When Mom asked me to take her side in front of Hnie, I had to do it. I couldn’t ask Mom to give me a second so I could pull Hnie aside and exin my n, that I was only pretending to take Mom’s side. I was put on the spot, and I had to go along with her. I thought I would exin it to Hnieter. But then Mom didn’t let me be alone with her, not even for a second. And I couldn’t try too hard, or it would look like I was lying when I said I trusted her and not Hnie’s mother," I exined all that had been so heavy on my chest.


    "So that means you also don’t believe our mom?" Kaye questioned. I began to only nod, not use my words. I was still not sure what was wrong with Kaye, so I needed to be careful around him as well.


    I started taking deep breaths.


    "Emmet, did Mom open up to you?" Kaye asked the final question. He looked so excited to have good news.


    I straightened my posture and looked back at him with confidence.


    "She had always wanted me on her side, Kaye. So yeah, she was more than happy to open up in front of me. And let me tell you something, I was right about so much. But now it’s up to us to make sure we mark our other mates on this full moon and not dy it."


    I said, no other exnation needed. That was supposed to be our first goal if we wanted to save Hnie from the death our mother had nned for her.


    My brother’s face showed hope. The hope we all had been waiting for.