Gasping, I jumped forward but Lukas held me back. “Don’t even think about it,” he hissed into my ear. “You’re supposed to be charmed, remember?”
“But they’re hurting her.” I tugged against his hold, wincing again when another guard kicked out Adriana’s legs from beneath her.
Lukas huffed. “I didn’t come here to play saviour to an apparent fugitive. We’ll leave now while everyone is distracted.”
“What?” I choked. “We have to help her!”
“Take her to the dungeon!” the Queen roared, still too focused on her daughter to care about either of us. She still didn’t care when Lukas began to drag me back the way we came, even with me writhing and shrieking in his hold.
“But Mother, I have a gift for you!” I heard Adriana yell. Panting, I glanced back just in time to see her jab a long finger towards us. “It’s your nephew! I brought you your nephew for your birthday!”
Lukas froze. A wave of gasps crashed around the ballroom.
“My nephew?” the Queen muttered. Slowly, surprise washed away all the anger in her features. Then her gaze homed in on Lukas and I, and that surprise became glowing joy. “My nephew!” she beamed. “Oh, Adriana…” She clasped her hands together.
The guards pinning her daughter to the floor exchanged uncertain looks.
“Release her, you fools,” the Queen spat.
Dropping her arms, the guards dove back towards the crowds, just as another group of human-legged merfolk pushed through – each one wearing a flowing regal gown.
“Our cousin is here!” one of them exclaimed, her green hair decorated with pearls and sea-grass. The rest of the group grinned and babbled excitedly – all ten of them. Adriana’s sisters.
A young mermaid with bright orange hair shot forward and jabbed her finger towards Lukas. “He’s just as handsome as he looked in the pearl!”
The pearl?Not giving myself a moment to question that, I leaned closer to Lukas while the princesses continued their squeals. “Did you know about all this? Your family here?” I whispered.
He shook his head, scowl deepening. “No and I have no interest in getting to know them, so let’s go—”
“What a pretty human pet,” the youngest princess squealed. Before either of us could react, she’d bounded over to me. “And such nice wavy hair too…” I flinched as she ran her fingers through my curls. Then flinched again when her sisters charged forward and joined in.
Before I could blink, I was surrounded by grinning merfolk as a dozen hands buried themselves into my hair.
“Please may I braid it?” a voice sounded over my gasp.
“Oh it’d be lovely woven into shells.” There was a yank at the back of my head.
“Ow,” I yelped, swatting their hands away. “Stop that!” But my words were drowned out by giggles and touches. Far too many touches. Touches against my scalp, my neck, myears!
“Let’s cut it all off and share it!”
I opened my mouth to scream when Adriana shoved through the mob. “Leave the human alone.” All the hands fell away as their attention pivoted to their sister. “She doesn’t want anything from you and besides, Naria’s already been claimed.”
“Naria?” the taller green-haired mermaid echoed. Chuckling, she placed her hands against her hips. “What an awful name. Did you come up with that yourself, Adriana?”
My eyes narrowed as cruel laughter rippled through the group.
“Surely she’s notyourpet,” another sister sneered. “I thought you didn’t care for humans anyway? To busy luring sharks into the palace.” Another laugh punctured by the odd gasp wove through her sisters.
“That was an accident. Sweetie meant no harm,” Adriana hissed back. Folding her arms across her shell-decorated chest, she scowled. “And Naria’s notmypet. She belongs too—
“She belongs to me.” Lukas’s furious voice tore a path through the merfolk.
“Cousin?” Adriana’s sisters gasped in unison. Bowing their heads, they stepped back to give him space as he marched towards me.
“Nobody touches her but me, understand?” he barked.
“Of course,” the green-haired mermaid replied, lifting her head. “Please forgive our boldness.”
