Rivern grunts. I pull his head down towards mine, placing a soft kiss on his pouting lips. The bond is thrumming like crazy, making me want to crawl into his lap and ride his naked, hard body. I can’t yet. We have bigger fish to fry—in the form of tall,blue mers.
With my body heat now at a normal temperature, yet still starving and thirsty, we have no choice—we need to greet the mers in the throne room. Our goal was always to talk to them. Better late than never.
We leave Ken in the pearl room. I hope we’ll see each other again. He is free of his chains, so maybe he’ll leave this place for good.
Rivern drags me down winding tunnels and stairs to get to a large, ostentatious room. Gideon diligently follows behind us, Moyrie behind the wolf, dwarfed by his size. The room we enter looks like it is encased in a giant bubble. Eight tall columns stretch up to the top of the bubble. Before us lies a throne carved out of rock in the shape of tentacles reaching up from the ground. The grandeur of the room is impressive.
What’s not impressive is the group of mers that flanks the throne, all tall and blue with large, wide-set eyes and multihued hair, just waiting to lock us back up.
The pink-haired queen sits on her throne, waiting for us.
Before we can step further into the bubble throne room, a mer approaches us, the fins on her ankles fluttering erratically.
“Queen Calypso will see you now.” Her delicate, airy voice directs a hand towards the dais.
The mer attendant leads the way, her naked hips sashaying, her arse wiggling like she’s trying to put on a show. The movements make me want to growl or cover Gideon and Rivern’s eyes.
A smooth hand finds mine. All my fears float away. “The only creature I’m ever looking at is you, my love.”
My smile finds his. It probably doesn’t help that I’m the only person not naked in this place with my meagre scraps for clothing.
The mer escorting us stops, bowing before her queen. Reluctantly, I follow along. Even though she fully intended for us to be fed to the kraken, I play the part of subservient—an act I perfected when I lived in the temple.
I notice my protectors and Moyrie don’t try to bow, all standing tall and stoic, surrounding me.
After bowing, our attendant glides out of the way, flanking the throne. For a third time, I’m faced with my captor.
Her lips tip up on either side of her face, showcasing glistening, pointy teeth. There’s something utterly alluring but frightening about this female. She knows it, too.
“Queen Calypso, I know we disturbed your peace. However, I am hoping you’ll be able to hear us out. I want to come to an amicable arrangement that will benefit both parties.”
At my words, she sits a little straighter. “Go on.” She moves her blue hand in a sweeping motion.
“We have come to ask for your assistance in helping the God, Orion. He is trapped, and requires bloodlines from each God-created creature to set him free. I’m not sure if you are aware of the bordering kingdoms. With me, I have the prince of Terra, Oona’s created, the princess of the Silver Sands, Osear’s created, and we are just missingone of Oriel’s created—you.” Her head cocks to the side, taking my information in, eyes lingering on Rivern. My hackles rise.
“All we require is for you to join us on our journey back to Orion’s prison, which borders the Kingdom of Haven. You can even swim there. Once we have everyone there, we need you to help us sing a song that unlocks the magic keeping Fu—Orion imprisoned. After he is free, he is willing to grant you any wish you desire.”
Hearing it fully, she seems more interested in our plan, her hand resting on her chin, contemplating. I don’t hold my breath. I can see her cunningness coming.
Standing, she moves down intricately carved tentacle steps. “As I said before, there’s nothing we desire. We have everything we need within our grotto. So it seems, tiny, beige creature, that you want something from us.” With her hands on her hips, her eyes roaming over my party, she adds, “I’m in the mood to bargain because you have exactly what I want right here.”
I’m confused. She waves her sapphire-blue-tipped claws over my head, pointing at Rivern and Gideon. A monster perks its head up inside me—one made of ash and coals, lighting to form a tiny flicker of flame.
They are MINE.
Stepping away from my beast, I grow closer to Calypso. “I need you to explain.”
She chuckles. “Look around you. Do you see any males among our kind?” I do as she says. My heart drops well below sea level. “Argh, you see, we do not produce males. We only produce females. For a long time, we relied on bewitching the minds of males from the glittering people above until they captured that dragon.” The mers screech. “The glittering people stopped going on scouting missions towards our lands, and we’ve had no one to breed with for centuries.”
Stretching out her hands, she looks at the twenty or so other mers around her. “We are dwindling in numbers. The pearls are only supposed to be used once or twice in a mer’s life to prolong our existence, yet we are using them several times a lifetime.” I look down to see her fins flutter erratically by her ankles. “We are at an impasse, little creature. We have the opportunity to breed your males tomorrow. If you agree, I will go with you to save your God.”
My body is shaking.
There’s no way.She wants to breed with them. That’s off the table.
My mind is spinning.
Rivern comes to grip my shoulder, whispering in my ear. I cannot think. None of them know what she’s saying, only me.
