“I do,” Ursula said, the words rolling off her tongue like the touch of silk on her damp flesh. It tried to glide, but in some spots it clung.
The mage lifted her arms. The magic in the air thickened, wrapping around them in unseen threads, binding them together in ways that no paper contract, no royal decree, no crown could undo.
“Then speak your vows.”
Eric turned to her, his dark eyes full and eager. “I vow to walk beside you. Where you lead, I will follow. Where you stand, I will stand. I vow to protect you. I vow to see you and to know you as I know myself because from this day, we are one.”
Ursula licked her lips, and for once, she didn’t craft a lie, didn’t shape her words to deceive. “I vow to walk beside you. Where you lead, I will follow. Whereyou stand, I will stand. I vow to protect you. I vow to see you and to know you as I know myself because from this day, we are one.”
The mage placed her hands over theirs. “Then by the laws of the land, the tides, the sky, and all who bear witness this day, you are bound. You may seal your vows with a kiss.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Eric couldn’t stop touching her. Not after their vows had been spoken, not after the magic bound them in ways that no kingdom, no war, no decree could undo. His hands found her waist, her hips, the small of her back, pulling her close as he kissed her, his lips urgent, desperate, wanting.
His wife.
The words thrummed through him, his pulse beating in time with the song the mage accused his heart of playing. It was her song—his siren’s song.
She melted into him, fingers curling into his shirt. Her breath was warm against his cheek. Her body molded to his as if she had always belonged there.
They'd made it out of the temple, but he knew for a certainty they would not make it back to the castle.He didn’t want to go back to the castle. Because the moment they crossed its manicured gardens, responsibility would come crashing down on him again—the treaties, the politics, the weight of his father’s legacy and his pressing against his shoulders.
But here, on the docks, with her? There was nothing but the sea breeze, the taste of salt on her lips, the way she looked at him like he was hers just as much as she was his. This he wanted to do forever.
Eric broke the kiss, breathless, and took her hand. “Come with me.”
She didn’t hesitate. She trusted him. Completely. It made his heart thump in his chest, another wild, flipping beat of the organ, as he led her down a pier.
Waters lapped against the wooden beams. Waves rocked the ships moored to their posts. Lanterns cast golden pools of light along the pier, swaying in the breeze.
Eric led her to a houseboat nestled near the end of the dock, smaller than the royal fleet but sturdy, well-kept, the wood dark and polished by years of sea air. The sails were furled neatly. The deck was cluttered with ropes and barrels. A small lantern hung from a post, glowing softly against the setting sun.
“This was the first boat I learned to sail on,” he told her, running a hand over the railing. “The first time Itook her out alone, I thought I was going to capsize. The sea knocked me around like a rag doll.”
“I bet you loved it.”
“Always have. If I hadn’t been born a prince… I would’ve been a sailor.”
“It’s no wonder you married a fish.”
Eric laughed, the sound bright and free. But then…his laughter faded. Something else settled into his chest. Her words were a joke, but they were also the truth.
He had just married a siren. A woman born of the sea. A creature with magic in her veins and gills at her neck. In the water, she had a tail. On land she had feet. But… what about the rest of her anatomy?
Eric hesitated, trying to find the proper words. Words that would inform and not offend. Yet every way he could possibly phrase it sounded ridiculous, offensive, or like something out of an old sailor’s bawdy bar song.
Ariel tilted her head, watching him. “You look like you’re about to walk off the plank.”
“I just—” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m just wondering… Are we… compatible?”
For a moment, she just stared at him. It was clear the way her blue eyes dimmed then brightened that she puzzled out his meaning. Then she burst out laughing. It was a full, unrestrained sound, rich and warm, her head tipping back as it rang across the dock.
“I mean—” Eric scrubbed a hand down his face, half-exasperated, half-relieved. “It’s a valid question.”
“Oh, my sweet prince,” she purred, stepping closer, pressing a hand to his chest, fingers curling over his heartbeat. “You’re in for a very, very pleasant surprise.”
She pulled him aboard. Like he’d said in his vows, Eric followed. Once they were within the shelter of the cabin and away from prying eyes, she tugged at the ties of her gown. The fabric fell down her body like a waterfall, coming to pool at her feet.
