Page 29 of Marked By the Sea

“Ours. She won’t stay on this rock,” Riftan growled, cutting me off. Panic started in my toes. As my lungs constricted, and as the panic made its way up, it felt like I was drowning. A weight dropped on me, and everything that had happened up to this point finally took its toll.

“Rift, Hex—” Rowan tried. Instead of listening to him, they were too busy fighting about what was going to happen to me.

“I disagree. She can stay here. We can keep her safe. What happens when you break things off? She’ll be in danger. Maybe not from Prem, but her father won’t be happy about the news.” Hexon and Riftan were chest to chest.

“What of our people? Will we let them know our queen remains chained above the surface?” Riftan growled.

“I don’t care about their thoughts. We’ll remove her chains. The only thing that matters is she lives.” Tentacles tightened around me.

They both wanted me alive, but none of them asked what I wanted when it came to where I would stay. I wanted nothing more than what Riftan was offering, but I wasn’t like them. I couldn’t live beneath the waves. As much as I wanted to go home with him, I wasn’t part of their world. On top of that, there were the issues of his fiance and war. Tears blurred my vision as I wrapped my arms protectively around myself. Rowan broke thechains and helped me to my feet. I grasped my chest as I had a panic attack.

“I can’t breathe,” I rasped.

My shackles lay at my feet. Rowan’s worried gaze searched my face as the other two continued to fight. Tentacles surrounded the cool night air and caressed my cheek and arms as Hexon stepped toward me. Red eyes that once hadn’t cared, shouldn’t have cared, were filled with worry and fear—so much fear—as claws dug into my skin. Shaking my head, I reached out to my kraken, unable to accept what was happening. I couldn’t.

Things were escalating. Andquickly.

“Please,” I cried. Despite our king’s order, he believed it too risky and couldn’t deny his instincts. He couldn’t let him hurt me. Cold tips curled into my skin as Riftan yanked me from his tentacles—his power unmatched.

“Don’t do this. We don’t even know if what Lucien claimed was true. You’ll kill her!” Hexon pleaded as I was dragged back. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Riftan had made up his mind, and no amount of crying, pleading, or begging was going to make him change it. It wasn’t the thought of drowning that scared me, as Hexon kept repeating, but just being pulled into the deep sea. That’s what scared me—being in the water. Moments from what felt like death, I sucked in a lungful of air before the merman once again dragged me beneath the surface.

I’d chosen this.

Those were my last thoughts topside before I was swallowed whole by ice-cold water. A shadow flickered, and a second later, the water broke with a sudden splash as my monsters dove in. My body went into shock as deeper, deeper still we plummeted into the ocean until the twinkling stars disappeared above.

He pulled me down like a rag doll until my lungs threatened to give out. Rowan swam to me, his body lithe as he slid through the water elegantly. His eyes remained on mine as we continuedour descent. I pursed my lips to keep the water out for as long as I could, until I couldn’t.

My chest squeezed as the alarms went off in my head. Oxygen. I needed oxygen. I thrashed around, unable to break free of Riftan’s grip. It was impossible. Inhaling, salt rushed in until I was twirled around and stared into a blackness that outmatched the sea. He’d told me he wanted me, believed this myth could work, and pulled me to my death. His webbed hand fisted my hair, and claws dug into my scalp as I was forced to remain staring up at him.

The devil I’d grown to love had my life in his hands. We didn’t need to dive this deep to test it, but my bitterness led me to believe he enjoyed my suffering. The lack of oxygen made his eyes appear cold as they glared into mine. My human troubles and the water that quickly filled my lungs were so far beneath him. I clawed at his chest, but it was useless. Tentacles swayed and curled in the water.

Yanking me up to him, his fingers dragged along my forehead, pushing my hair back before he pressed his lips to mine. Turning from him, I was forced back with a flick of his wrist. I opened for him as my lungs constricted. My eyes felt like they would pop with the pressure, but his forked tongue drove into my mouth. His chest vibrated beneath my hands as something like elastic wrapped around me before it snapped into place.

Everyone knew of the three kingdoms that ruled over the human realm: the Dragons, the Wolves, and the Bears. We had done everything we could—my parents paid their taxes, gave our monthly offerings, and stayed away from the monsters. But none of it mattered because no one told us about him—them. How could anyone have known of the kingdom beneath the sea? The one I was being dragged to?

Where had Rowan gone?

Hexon?

I couldn’t see them.

Were they not coming?

Dots danced across my vision as unconsciousness promised to take me. I was more than ready to welcome death. My chest expanded, but as water filled every inch of my lungs, I didn’t die. Exhaling, bubbles floated out and toward the surface. Inhaling, my body came alive as I sucked in more. The King’s theory had been right. Riftan had been right. As my eyes flickered up to the horned prince, the smug smirk on his face proved he’d confirmed this. Without a word—I didn’t know if he could talk down there—he wrapped his arm around my waist tightly and dove.

With one last glance toward the surface, I couldn’t figure out where my other mates had gone. I couldn’t see anyone but Riftan. Despite the havoc that waited for us down there, I still hoped they would come, too.

Chapter 18

Coral beams led to a high ceiling. Where a door should have been, there wasn’t. It just led into another room, and from what I could see, a third room. Leaning forward, I tried to look through the other archway but couldn’t see the end. The largest window I had ever seen spread from one side of the black coral wall to the other, and before it, a different-colored coral ran along the length beneath it, with—I blinked. After the shock of what I was seeing subsided, I watched as fish scuttled in and out, while others peeked their heads out, only to recede back into the safety and security of their home.

I had never seen fish—outside of the aquariums my parents forced me to go to as a child. Even then, I couldn’t get a good look. Enjoying the moment was out of the question. But here, now, I could see them up close without a glass in between. It made me think I must have hit my head again. That, or I had finally gone insane. This should have been impossible—was impossible because of my condition. Even if I believed they made “the kiss” work and brought me down here, I would have had a panic attack and died of heart failure.

“I can’t wait anymore! How’re you doing?” Rowan’s excited, yet nervous voice came from my left. I was only able to catch an inch of blue before it was swallowed up as the bed dipped. My shoulders almost kissed as two massive figures sat up—squishing me. On Rowan’s side, tentacles wrappedaround myankle, calf, and thigh. One braced my back as another slid around my neck. Purple and light pink lay out before me. Side-by-side, the size difference was notable. I knew they were bigger than me, but I couldn’t have known how much more. Glancing up, red, kind eyes bore into me.

Yep. I’ve gone crazy.

Noticing the guys were here should have been the first thing I noticed when I woke up.

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