I ran my hand across the nearest monolith.Runes. We had reached the outskirts of Archon Agorá. Flecks of debris danced between the tumbled poles, glinting white against the blue surroundings.
We continued through the ancient pillars, past the statue of Agápe’s vacant eyes. I looked into their stony depths and recognized Skye’s likeness this time.
“That’s her,” Skye whispered, pausing beside me to study the eroded statue of the beautiful Siren goddess, half-submerged in sand.
I nodded, glancing at Skye. Pain flickered in her eyes as she gazed at the figure’s marble hand reaching toward the surface.
I drew her away, and we continued through the scattered stones, some etched with the Runes of the Ocean. I wondered what this place would have looked like in the Days of Gods.
“Ouch!” I flinched as Skye’s claws dug into my arm, and she drew a sharp breath beside me. I followed her gaze, and my stomach tightened.
In the shadow of an eroded archway, Finn was waiting. His face was partially shaded, but his tail glimmered jade in the cool light. Its tips shone red, as if dipped in blood. He was wearing a breastplate of tarnished silver, like that of his guards, and the packed muscles of his torso rippled beneath it. Around each of his wrists were silver filigreed bracers. His dolphin Pháos hovered beside him, angling its head and chirping as it surveyed us.
I exhaled in a mist of bubbles. My throat felt dry as my eyes darted across his abs, and in that moment of weakness, his words crept into my mind.You are my moon...
He had said he loved me, yet I was sure he was keeping information from me. The book on mythical creatures had described the merfolk as treacherous. Maybe I’d been a fool for ever letting him in, for believing that this world and its inhabitants could be anything other than dark and dangerous.
Finn drifted from the curling shadows of the archway, a smile flirting with his lips. “You sure know how to keep a merman waiting.”
A pang sharpened in my chest, and for a moment, breathing became difficult. Where this man was concerned, my heart was a battlefield in which love, hate, desire, and distrust clashed like opposing tides. My feelings for him weren’t simple—they were a raging storm, which wouldn’t help me now when I needed to have my wits together.
I squared my shoulders and assumed a commanding stance.
The plan was simple: pretend nothing had changed, find out what he knew, and find the prophecy. Finish what my grandmother had started and honor the Captain’s dying wish. My new family was on either side of me, and a deadly power roiled within me. A power that could turn the world around me to dust.
“My apologies, Your Highness.” I did a little mock curtsy, and my hair swirled.
Skye was frozen beside me, and her eyes moved slowly from the tip of Finn’s tail to his dark hair tossing in the swell. “Oh yeah...” she whispered, still clutching my arm. “I get it now.”
Pháos moved in a spiraling arc, returning to hover beside Finn and cocking his gray beak. The corners of Finn’s mouth twitched as he patted the dolphin.
Edward stood motionless on my other side, his expression a mix of awe and arousal. I gave him a shove, and he snapped out of it with theatrical flair, narrowing his eyes in what I assumed was his premeditatedI don’t trust youglare, aimed squarely at Finn.
“I hope you don’t mind I brought these two along,” I muttered, lifting my chin high.
“The more the merrier.” Finn’s gaze swept us lazily. “Wait, is that Skye?”
“Her boyfriend pushed her off a yacht.”
“Men.” Finn’s black eyes twinkled as he moved forward to embrace Skye, who was still speechless. “Shall we?” He gestured with his tattooed arm, his silver cuff glinting in the emerald light.
“We shan’t go anywhere until you tell us why we’re bound for the Kingdom of Thálassa. I don’t fancy finding myself in another dungeon.” Edward had found his tongue.
“Edward, so pleasant to see you again, too.” Finn’s dark eyes were on him, and Edward flushed.
“We are going to see my mother’s brother, King Proteus, and his queen, Peisinoe, who is a Siren skilled in dream magic. I am hoping she will offer us a dream that will help us find the prophecy.”
“Dream magic... Like Agápe’s dream weaving?” Skye exhaled, and bubbles danced around her.
“Yes.” Finn raked a hand through his dark hair. “Then, after that, we will travel to the Kingdom of Okeanós for the summit. Pisceon and Glacies are rallying all the houses to attend as we speak.”
“And what takes place at this summit?” Edward asked, folding his arms across his chest, the burlap sack full of bottles clinking.
“All the Mer and Siren houses will meet and decide if we will go to war.” Finn waved a webbed hand. “Satisfied?”
Edward narrowed his eyes and angled his chin in a haughty gesture.
Finn swept toward me, his hand brushing my lower back as he looked down at me. I stiffened. Something flickered in his gaze.
