Page 23 of The Dark, Dead, Deep

I had never seen such magic before.

Tor continued to ignore me as he grabbed a bottle from the cupboard and drained the contents in a few swallows.

Last but not least, the male at the stove. With shoulders that could have belonged to the captain of the guard back at the castle, and a thin tapered waist, his golden hair reached the small of his back. Though he didn’t have a tail on land, I recognized the sigil on the belt he wore. Coupled with the feeling of his magic—sharp and dangerous like the tridents that the merfolk liked to carry, I was almost certain that he was a mer.

The golden-haired male glanced over his shoulder and gave me a disdainful look before turning back to his frying pan.

“I know you,” I said, my brow furrowed as I tried to place where I had seen his face before.

The merman brushed his hands down the front of his trousers, revealing a bare chest with a scar that sat directly where his heart was. A jagged black line that must have been made with an iron blade. The merman’s lips pulled into a self-satisfied smirk. “Aye, and where would we have met before? I’m certain I would remember your face, especially if my cock was thrusting inside it.”

My nose wrinkled. “Do you speak to all women that way, or am I special?”

The merman gave me a bland look. “I wouldn’t presume to think you’re special, but I’m certain I would remember fucking you. For one, you don’t hold yourself like a mer, and not many ofmykind would go tangling with the undine palace guards. They’re much too clever for that.”

I continued to study his face—from the vivid green eyes to the golden hair that hung loose and covered his shoulders, to the angular tilt of his eyes. His tail was the color of freshly spilled blood.

Royalty.

“I’m certain we have met before,” I said, ignoring his innuendo.

The nymph’s braids rustled. “Why don’t you tell us why the undine guards took offense to you? Few of the gilded fae are seen outside their precious Cruinn.” He crossed his arms over his chest, studying me openly.

I opened my mouth and closed it, unsure of how much I wanted to reveal.

These males might have helped pull me from the sand, but all four of their creeds actively despised the undine—and while many creeds had fought each other in the war of the Twilight Lake, the undine remained the enemy to all, uniting the other fae against them.

“They found me outside of their city,” I murmured. “And brought me here.”

“And what manner of fae would you be, then?” The nymph cocked his head to the side, his eyes changing from green to blue before my very eyes.

“What business of that is yours?” I sneered, matching his body language and cocking my head to the side in the same predatorial way.

The selkie snickered, hiding his laugh behind his hand.

“We saved your life,” the nymph replied hotly. “The lake sent out a beacon, telling us all to come to Skala Beach. We have never heard the water speak in such a manner, and I, for one, want to know who and why we were called here.”To you,went unsaid.

“My condolences. I’ve dragged you away from your busy schedule of whoring and drinking, nymph.” I rocked on my heels, desperate to leave. “I will be sure to die in peace next time. Anything to keep from causing an inconvenience.”

“This isn’t solving anything.” Tor, the kelpie, placed his bottle on the side with a loud thunk.

“No, but it sure is fun to watch.” The silver-haired selkie wiggled his brows.

“I’m glad I amuse you.” I flicked my braid over my shoulder.

The silver-haired selkie gave me a bright and welcoming smile. His eyes were large and round, and his lips were plush and pink, making his face look almost feminine. The selkie glided towards me with his hand outstretched.

I glanced down at the selkie’s hand as he held it out to me, twisted to the side. I had no idea what the gesture meant as I gripped his hand and turned it palm facing up. There was nothing in his hand, which made the action even more puzzling.

Silver laughed and gripped my hand, pumping my arm up and down twice. “That’s how the humans do it,” he declared proudly. “Or so my ma says.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Humans?” I understood the word ‘man,’ but not the suffix he had attached to the word.

While I stood there, puzzling over his strangeness. The selkie’s sky-blue eyes danced with mischief. “You can call me Rainn,” he informed me. “The grumpy one over there eating his weight in toast is Tor.”

“We’ve met.” I glanced at the intense man in the corner.

I felt Tor’s gaze like pinpricks on my skin, and I shuddered involuntarily.

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