“So why didn’t you kill me too?” I pressed. “Why drag me here instead—dress it up like hospitality?” My fingers curled against my thigh. “Why torture me like this?”
He laughed.
Not cruelly. Not easily. The sound caught halfway, surprised. “You think I hunt mermaids for pleasure?” he said, incredulous.
The room seemed to still.
“I knew the moment I saw you in Shadeau,” he went on, leaning back, his expression intent now. “Humans don’t glow when they’re frightened. Humans don’t wear light in their skin.”
My pulse quickened. My mark didn’t flare like power—it pulsed like panic. Like my body knew I was being cornered before my mind would admit it. I forced my shoulders down, my face still. If I looked hunted, he’d enjoy it.
“And humans,” he added, voice dropping, “aren’t affected by Silver Salt.”
The fire popped. Sparks spiraled upward.
“If I were half as monstrous as you've decided I am, your story would’ve ended in Shadeau.” he added softly.
“Then why?” I asked.
“The Eye of Nareth.” He shrugged, infuriatingly casual. “You were headed there. I was headed there. A coincidence.”
“Convenient,” I said flatly.
“Very.” He looked straight at me.
The words settled between us like iron.
“You can paint me as the villain if that’s what you need to do,” Veyrion said, leaning back, utterly unfazed.
He straightened, the glint in his eye hard and bright. “You’ll see—eventually.”
“What makes you think I’d ever say yes to you?” I asked, voice steady though my pulse raced.
He swirled the wine, watching me as though the answer were obvious. “Because you’re clever. Because, like me, you were born of something wild and unruly. I see you for what you are, Nerina. Not a pawn. A queen. And a treasure.” His mouth curved faintly. “Do you know what pirates do with treasure? They bury it. Hide it from the rest of the world. That is exactly what he will do.”
I met his eyes, jaw tight. “I’d rather be buried than wear your crown.”
His smile faltered—just slightly. “We’ll see.”
Veyrion leaned forward, forearms braced on the table, his voice lowering—not louder, not harsher. Certain. “Here is the truth, Nerina. I don’t make idle threats.” He didn’t look away. “If you refuse me, Alaric dies.”
The words landed softly. No flourish. No cruelty. Just fact. He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t lean closer. He only watched me the way you watch a door you already have the key to.
“Not tonight,” he continued, almost kindly. “Not in a blaze of heroics. I’ll let him fight. Bleed.Hope. And when he finally breaks, I’ll end him.”
A beat.
“Immortality doesn’t mean indestructible. It just means you have to get creative.” His eyes glinted. “And I’mverycreative.”
The world narrowed to a single point.
“If you accept,” Veyrion went on, leaning back again, calm restored, “He lives. The Black Marrow sails away intact."
He let the silence stretch, then added quietly: “This is mercy—offered only once.”
This wasn’t an offer. It was a blade pressed to Alaric's throat and mine both.
He rose, walking around the table, each step measured. “And when I’m done with him, I’ll turn you over to the Sentinels. Or maybe I’ll sell you in Shadeau—see what the highest bidder would pay for a mermaid who glows like starlight.”
