Page 25 of Marked By the Sea

“None of them were. And neither are you.” Ivy-green claws dragged down my cheek. Strength and power oozed from every pore. The hunter stared down at his prey. Just like with my monsters, I was useless against this one. With a weapon, I could have hurt him. Without one—I had no chance. Craning my head back to peer at him, long white hair fell to his chest.

“Will you kill me?” I rasped.

“Yes.” His hand lowered to my breast. He cupped me, and my chin trembled. His touch felt like a betrayal. I didn’t want this.

“Why?”

“With you out of the way, Riftan will have no more distractions. Worry not. I’ll have a taste first. I need to sample what’s caused my nephew to disobey me.” His claws ran over my rolls, and he grabbed my hand, raising it to the bulge that protruded from his cock pocket. I refused to look at it. Icouldn’t.

I may not be able to kill him, but…

Wrapping my hand around his vile length, I looked up at him. Green eyes watched me. Curling my fingers, I used my nails to dig into his flesh before bending his cock. He swung his massive arm, and I went flying. Crashing into the wall, my head bounced off the rock with athud.

Fuck.

My vision was blurry as I slumped to the ground. The world spun as I attempted to crawl away. The monster growled behind me, and I knew I needed to get up and do something before he could heal. As I gripped the wall and pushed up off the ground, a large hand wrapped around my ankle. Yanked back, my body was pulled down by gravity before I could catch myself. My faceslapped against the rock before he flipped me and lugged me beneath him.

No, no, no.

Please, gods, no.

The monster’s broad chest and beard hung above me. Unlike Riftan, he didn’t have a single scar. Too close. I knew it was useless, but I wasn’t going to just lay there. I’d hurt him once; I could do it again. He didn’t even flinch as I scratched every inch I could touch. He backhanded me, and I saw stars. My face jerked with the force, and my cheek slapped against the cool stone.

Refocusing on him, he raised his arm, and I watched as the trident flew into his waiting hand. Then he threw it at me, and the metal held me in place. My hands grasped the cold bars as I kicked at him. My feet bounced off his chest. He gripped himself and slapped my thighs apart before sliding between my legs. I watched in horror as he jerked himself, pulling down his foreskin to reveal the pink cock beneath. Tears came to my eyes as time slowed.

Bringing his other hand to his mouth, he spat in it. I watched in horror as he brought it down to my spread lips. Wriggling, I fought uselessly to break free of the trident. A growl pierced the sky and echoed through the cave. Riftan was here. I knew it was him before I laid eyes on him. In the next moment, the King’s weight lifted off me. A few more seconds, and it would have been too late. Two monstrous men fought above me while I lay beneath them, confined by the trident. They were a blur of claws, brute strength, and grunts.

Tentacles wrapped around the gold handle, and an overpowering charred, salty scent hit me. My gaze locked on where smoke came off the trident. He was burning. Beautiful silver hair moved into my line of sight, and I looked up into red, worried-filled eyes as they searched my face. I let out a sob as it finally dawned on me—they’d come for me. I was safe. Hexonflinched and clenched his jaw as he yanked the trident from the ground. He tossed it with a clang, and Rowan swooped in.

Chapter 16

Amora

Protective arms held me close—too close. I couldn’t breathe. Pushing against the barrier, he barely budged before dropping back into place. Twisting my neck, I noticed Rowan’s blue hair had fallen over his eyes. They had darkened to a deep sea hue, and it was only after the slight distraction from my situation that I realized we were shaking—he was shaking. Not with fear, but with anger.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but give me a pass this once. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

“Row.” My voice didn’t quite sound like mine. It was quavering, strained, like it would sound before a heavy cry. Rowan, my faerie, didn’t look at me. His eyes remained on the King, as if he were still a threat I needed protecting from.

“Did he…?”

“No.” I had every right to be scared, but I was so comforted by their presence. I knew he couldn’t hurt me anymore. I just wished my body felt the same way. My knees knocked together, my thighs jiggling as I trembled. Rowan’s hands squeezed my sides tightly, as if he were afraid I’d disappear. The kraken sighed, and tentacle tips gently poked and prodded my cheeks, shoulder, neck, and body. When he had done a thorough job and found whatever he was looking for, they disappeared, and he stepped away from us and toward Riftan. I didn’t like that he wasleaving. It left me feeling bereft. But it was all in my head. I still had Rowan.

My gaze slid over to the King. His tail folded beneath him in their version of kneeling. Next, purple tentacles resembling the size of tree trunks flowed out across the cave floor. Hexon was big, but never that big. My eyes must have been deceiving me. He looked… bigger.

A clam clip held his hair back, the ends hanging off his shoulders. His red eyes never caused as much nervousness as they did now. The way he looked at Riftan’s relative made it clear he’d love nothing more than to gut and then filet him. My scarred monster hadn’t looked at me. As soon as he’d gotten there, he went straight to my attacker. Curvy black hair slicked back, his horns curved proudly from his head, leaving the King’s figure half in shadow. I had seen them before, held on to them, but now, as I watched him stand above the man who had hurt me and who intended to do worse, they seemed more menacing. The ridges along their length caught in what sunlight we had left. Strength oozed from him. He was barely holding on to his self-control, and I knew they needed me, maybe more than I needed them right now.

“This is treason. I will have your head,” the King spat.

“I could say the same for you, Lucien.” Those were the first words out of Riftan’s mouth since arriving. The merman below him shook his head and laughed.

“Until you’ve bedded the Princess of the North Seas, you are not my king, and you’ve attacked me,” Lucien replied smugly. The pompous glint in his green eyes dared Riftan to deny it.

“No one here will confirm your story,” Hexon growled.

“My word is as good as law, kraken.” Lucien puffed out his chest as if he had them beat.

“No one will hear it.” Riftan hadn’t looked away once from his uncle.

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