Page 15 of Bind Me

He glares at me, unimpressed, with a slight rise of one of his eyebrows. “We don’t accept excuses. Even if you run into the water to save your life, you are still breaking the rules and must pay.”

My thought flies to the gorgeous guy in the water and how he was asked to join the House of Sea and Serpentine for his errors. Is that what’s going to happen to me?

“Look, I’ve just moved here, and I’m not ready to swap alliances to another House.”

He raises both eyebrows that time. “What makes you think we want someone like you in our House?” he sneers.

I instantly hate him. His arrogance has me glaring in response. My shoulders shoot back in a bristle as he steps forward, muscling his way into my apartment. His sheer size forces me back a few steps.

“First, you’d be lucky to have someone as skilled as me in your House,” I snap back. “And secondly, I never said you could come inside.”

But he’s already shutting the door behind him with a decisive thud, sealing us in together, and I flinch at the sound.

“I’m not leaving until you pay your fine, even if I have to take it by force.” His voice deepens, a rumble that fills the small space, meant to intimidate.

I meet his glare head-on, standing my ground. “I’m not scared of you.” I’ve faced bigger assholes than him. In the back of my mind, I’m already calculating the distance to my bag, where my taser is tucked away.

“Go on, then,” I spit out when it’s clear he’s not going to respond. “What’s the payment? Then I’ll decide if I pay it. Then you can get the hell out of my house.” I take a casual sidestep toward the table by the window where my bag lies, then another.

“It’s a binding agreement the moment you enter our waters,” he affirms, locking eyes with me.

I just meet his stare, waiting to hear it.

“Let’s get this done,” he says. “You will pay Asbesta two of your mermaid scales.” He heaves a heavy sigh, his broad chest rising and falling.

I balk, a scoffing sound spilling past my lips. “Are you kidding? You want to ruin my tail?” I haven’t lost a scale in years and spend a lot of time taking care of it. Plus, it takes ages for my scales to grow back.

He chuckles, seeming amused by my reaction. “It’s our currency in the House of Sea and Serpentine, and like I said, you hand them over, or I take them by force.”

I blink at him, irritation flaring. I’m starting to really hate the smirk playing across his lips. He’s clearly enjoying this too much.

“Fine,” I say grudgingly, despising the thought of damaging my tail. But facing off against the goddess herself seems like a worse option. “I’ll get it done. Are you happy now? Where do I send them?”

“Nope,” he cuts in. “You’re going to pay right now.”

I inhale sharply, grinding my teeth. Mermaid scales are precious, valuable beyond many other currencies, so of course they’ll demand them as payment.

“Stay here,” I mutter, turning toward the bathroom. “I’ll go do it.”

But he steps in my path, blocking me. “I need to see you doing it so I know they’re your scales.”

I glare at him, frustration boiling over. “Sure. You can watch me in the tub.”

He shakes his head, his annoying smirk deepening. “You’re doing it here, now. You’re wearing my patience.”

“Forget it,” I snap, well aware that transforming into a mermaid outside of water is possible but is excruciatingly painful. “You’re being a real jerk,” I add.

He reaches for my arm.

At that same moment, a movement from the direction of the now open kitchen door catches my eye. It comes so fast, a blur of motion, that I barely have time to register it.

“Chowder, stop!” I shout, lunging for him as he launches at the guard, a growl in his throat.

All I see then are his teeth—two rows, sharp like a shark’s, his jaw expanding and growing at a monstrous rate. I’d seen him do this once before when I first brought him home. Another magical trait forced onto Chowder by Zane in the labs. He’s a little attack dog.

The guard reacts too slowly.

Chowder is fast and latches onto the man’s two last fingers and chomps them right off.

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