I shook my head. “I wanted to, but…” My voice faltered while Lukas’s grew more powerful.
“Do you have feelings for him?”
“No.”
“Then why hide this, Naria?” He threw his hands down. “You cannot keep secrets like this from me. I’m to be your husband!”
I choked out a laugh, loud enough to send any fish brave enough to emerge darting back into their corals. “You want to talk about secrets?” I yelled. “Then tell me about all this.” I waved my arms through the clear water. “We are sitting fifty feet down in an ocean cave and we can breathe! How did you know this would work? And what are you? Because normal people, even kings, can’t force someone to have a conversation with them underwater.”
Lukas’s jaw tightened. “I’m nothing special.”
“Your mother was merfolk.”
“Do not speak of her,” he shot back. “I did not bring you here to talk about my mother. I brought you here to talk about this.” With a snarl, he snatched up my wrist, holding out the crystals. “So unless you have more secrets you wish to share with me, let’s discuss how exactly we’re going to make this faery prince leave you alone before I murder him myself.”
A breath caught in my throat. Lips parting, I tried to speak, but then something else made me pause.
“Whatisthat?” My gaze caught on a clump of tall seaweed, parting unnaturally.
“Probably just a fish,” Lukas huffed.
A dark mass forced its way closer through the seaweed. After a few moments, a flash of red shot through the reeds followed by a flicker of blue.
“That’s a big fish,” I breathed, edging closer to Lukas.
There was a brief silence. Both of us stared expectantly at the swaying leaves until after a few heartbeats, a cloud of crimson hair emerged, followed by a tanned familiar face.
My heart stilled. It was the mermaid from my first night here…
“Well, this is a lovely surprise!” she giggled. Then, she pushed out from behind the seaweed, a curved dagger glinting in her hands.
CHAPTER 13
Lukas reacted before I had the chance to scream. Bolting up from the rock, he shoved me behind him and unsheathed his dagger. He held the sharp blade sideways in front of him as he braced himself for an attack.
“Take another step towards us and it’ll be your last,” he warned.
The mermaid tilted her head, a grin spreading across the subtle scales on her face. “That’s alright. I don’t walk anyway, silly,” she chuckled. Then, she slotted her blade into its netted sheath, her long, blue fishtail swishing around beneath her. “And you can put that weapon away.”
Lukas stiffened, unmoving.
“I only had mine out in case of unfriendly sharks. Surely you know I’m no threat to you or your human pet.” Her emerald eyes shifted to me. “Although I’ll admit that I’m certainly jealous.” She paddled closer, swimming in a slow circle around us. “However did you find such a pretty female?”
She reached out to grasp a lock of my hair when Lukas planted himself between us.
“Leave,” he hissed, dagger still poised.
The mermaid just laughed. “You really are a funny one.” Tilting her head up, she smiled at the sunlight filtering in from the cave above. “How did you get into the Ryntook palace?” Her eyes glittered. “I’ve never been able to do it. Even with legs and all that fabric covering my body, just like the human girls do it, guards always sniff me out.” Her smile dropped before she suddenly leaned closer, her eyes wide on Lukas. “Are you one of my mother’s spies? Was that why you were in the palace? Did she send you up there to go and live with the humans?”
“Iamhuman,” Lukas grumbled.
This time, the mermaid’s singing laughter filled the cavern. She doubled over, her red hair spilling around her like a coral tree. It was only when a few bright fish began to weave through it, that she flipped her hair back up and stared at Lukas, still giggling.
“It’s lovely you think that.” She slowed her laughter. “But I’m afraid you’re about as human as my mother, and she’s the literal Sea Queen!”
Wait,Sea Queen?“You’re a princess?” I blurted.
“Of course, dear.” The mermaid smiled sweetly. “Princess Adriana to be exact. Though I won’t be offended ifyou hadn’t heard of me.” She brought her long green fingernails up to her nose, inspecting them while she added, “I am one of eleven after all.”
