Page 14 of Marked By the Sea

Amora

Shaking my head, I moved to stand, but didn’t get far. It took me a few tries to get up, but eventually, I did. And when I was standing on two feet without wobbling, gravity went into effect, and I felt everything. My pussy hurt like a motherfucker, and I cursed the men who were at fault to trip. If that were even possible underwater. The mixture of their seed seeped down my thighs.

Avoiding the edges of the cave, I ventured through my little prison. I needed to know what I was working with, and as I walked, I found it wasn’t much. There was light throughout and a stone table and chairs in the next room. This place would serve as shelter from the weather. As I meandered lower, I came upon a small cave spring. After further inspection, I confirmed there wasn’t some unknown opening to the sea. The urge to fall to my knees and thank the gods was strong, but instead, I stripped naked and walked into the cool waters.

I expected the disgust or emotional distress to hit, but it never came. I’d done enough fighting and screaming that day. Shame, on the other hand, wasn’t far behind. I liked being with Riftan and Hex more than I should. What was worrying was the fact it was this easy to fall for my captors, yet here I was actually wondering how long they’d be gone. When I reached the other side of the spring, I folded my arms on the stone and laid myhead down, allowing my legs to float behind me. I cringed to think what I would have done without the waters. There was no way I would have bathed in the ocean. I would have been doomed to sleep in a puddle.

After bathing, I grabbed my clothes and made my way back up. First, I hung my clothes over the stone table and then made myself comfortable on the bed of seaweed. I drifted off beneath the bright stars. There wasn’t a single chilly wind or cloud in sight. If anything, it was warm. The sound of the waves lulled me to sleep, but I wasn’t free of them even in my sleep. Dreams of a horned demon, tentacles that did wicked things to me, and a kind smile found me.

My nipples strained, and my toes curled. My body was warm, and my breathing was fast. Wetness coated my skin, and I jerked, needing the pressure. My eyes flew open as realization dawned. I had my hand between my thighs. I yanked it away so fast. Sitting up, I looked around. I cringed at the ocean, then noted the cave, and my bare legs spread open in front of me. The heat of the sun kissed my naked skin, and I turned from it until I felt it on my back.

Gathering up my long hair, I pulled it atop my head and twirled it round and round until I secured a tight bun. My brain wanted me to figure out the implications of my actions while asleep, but doing so first thing in the morning wasn’t something I could do. Especially without coffee. My stomach growled, and I groaned.Or food.

How did these men expect me to live here without eating?

Making my way to the table, I swiped my clothes and attempted to put on the torn material. I cursed Riftan for ripping my bikini top and did my best to tie the straps together. Just as I was about to pick up my beach cardigan, a splash sounded, and I rushed to it.Rowan.My shoulders relaxed as I took in the beautiful sea faerie at the cave’s edge.

Flowing—no, floating—blue hair like waves reached for the sky, gray scales glistened beneath the sun, and water dripped from his lean body. He held a net-like bag in his hand, and as my eyes lowered over his muscles, a material that looked as soft as silk covered his lower half. Blue eyes met brown, and he smiled. My cheeks heated because I’d been caught ogling him. He glided toward me, and I didn’t move back. There was something comforting about him. He stopped in front of me and handed me the bag.

“I thought you might need that.” His tone was low and cheerful. Not like someone who was in the same situation. But maybe we weren’t. I’d originally thought he was human, butI knew better now. Looking inside, I found an assortment of sea creatures. Some I could eat, and others I couldn’t without cooking first.

“I swear the gods have sent you! Thanks so much!” I sighed, not bothering to hide my relief.

“I aim to please,” he said teasingly, with a mock bow.

“Mm… so I’ve noticed,” I hummed. This time it was his cheeks that flushed.

“You know my name, but what’s yours?” he asked. My eyes widened as I realized I’d slept with two men, and they didn’t know my name.

“Amora,” I breathed.

“Beautiful,” he murmured.

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry for how roughly they handled you yesterday. It has been a long time since I’ve seen them both so passionate. How are you feeling?”

His question took me off guard. It was refreshing. I’d slept with both men, but not Rowan. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but being asked how I was feeling was not what I saw happening. He was handsome—hot even—and I chastised myself for assuming. This man had brought me food and checked on me.

“I’m surprisingly fine. Maybe if I wasn’t so afraid of the sea, I’d want to drown myself. I’m really hungry, so you’ve curbed that worry. Other than being kidnapped and held captive in the middle of the ocean, I’m just sore.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

His eyes were alight with laughter.

“You’re a funny one. Come, let’s sit.” He nodded toward the other room with the stone table, and I followed after. I took a seat on one of the stone chairs and placed the net down in front of me. Rowan sat on the table and watched me. I’d never been a huge fan of raw fish, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth—especially when I had no way of feeding myself.

Returning my focus to the bag, I found large clam shells. I didn’t even know if I could eat clam raw without getting sick, but when I opened the shells, I found a variety of fish. I couldn’t tell which was which. They’d already been filleted, and the guts removed from the fish. They sat prettily in little cubes.

“Thank you, Rowan.”

“Of course, Gem,” he murmured. I giggled at Riftan’s nickname for me on his tongue. Offering him one of the shells, he smiled and took it before he poured a few bites into his mouth. I watched him chew and grabbed a cube for myself.

“What does Riftan like?” I asked.

“He’s used to compliant women. It bores him, but from what I saw yesterday, I’d say he doesn’t have any complaints. Why? Did you have fun?” It was obvious he was being careful. I was in a precarious situation. There was no telling what Riftan’s intentions with me were, other than what had already gone down. I decided to be honest.

“I enjoyed myself more than I should have. Maybe you could help me?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what would happen to me. I wished I could say I was more focused on survival than holding the horned merman’s attention, but I couldn’t. Rowan ate the rest of his fish. I offered him more, but he declined it.

“You want me to help you?” he repeated.

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