Page 69 of A Trial of the Heart

Flashes of bubbles streamed past my face. The figures creating them were a blur in my sight underwater. I could hear the high-pitched laughter as a tail whipped in front of me before disappearing over the ledge I was floating over. I didn’t need to think twice about my next decision. I needed to get out of here.

“Why the rush?”a soft female voice called out, followed by a sensational melody of music. The song was breathtakingly beautiful, making me pause in my pursuit of the surface. “Come with us.”

The two figures swimming past me in a blur suddenly stopped, allowing me to see them properly for the first time. The top half of their bodies were human-like, with their bottoms disappearing into a colorful, large-scaled fin. I knew these creatures. These were the water nymphs Daxton had warned me about when we first entered the Inner Kingdom, and he hadn’t exaggerated their beauty.

The water nymph singing to me had long, flowing light blue hair that curled around her midsection and matched the unique teal and blue scales that adorned her tail. Perfect… and I mean absolutely perfect breasts were visible across her human chest, adding to her unique beauty that even I was having trouble turning away from. The other female swam next to her, the scales along her body transitioning from dark to light pink, which beautifully contrasted with the glow of her darker skin.

The third member of the group swam to the blue one’s left side, and to my surprise, it was a male. He had dark ebony eyes, fair skin, jet-black hair, and a black-scaled tail to match the rippling muscles adorning the top half of his human body. He noticed my eyes dart to him, and he gave a soft grin to the females before beating his strong tail to propel him toward me.

“Greetings, land-dweller.” I dumbfoundedly stared at him. My eyes opened wide as the song changed to his deeper baritone melody.

“Stay with us, I insist,” he sang as he swam forward to clutch my chin with his fingers, bringing my lips to his.

Instantly, air rushed into my lungs. His tongue danced around my mouth, magically granting me a breath of air from underneath the water. I opened my eyes as he pulled away. His dark gaze matched his ebony hair flowing in the soft current of the waters. He flashed me a handsome smile that would make any female above the surface gladly jump in and take a swim. High cheekbones paired with a straight nose and an elegant, narrowed jawline combined in a beautiful masterpiece.

A surge of fire licked through my middle, warning me of the dangers of the beasts lurking behind the beauty.I need to get out of here.I beat my arms backward to try and swim away, but the male water nymph had other plans. He parted his thick lips and released another song that encircled me, halting my escape. His mouth turned upward as he watched me struggle against his hold.

No. I cannot stay.

Through sheer will, I forced myself to block out their song and used my own magic to create a barrier between us. I saw the two females snarl in anger near the ledge of the sea cliff. The male pulled back his lips, revealing an array of sharpened teeth meant for shredding and tearing through flesh.

“You’re staying with us,” he snarled, grasping my left arm and trying to swim away into the depths with me in tow.The water’s surface broke with a splash. Daxton and Castor had arrived at the shore above, but they were too late.

I was already being towed away into the darkening waters when another water nymph appeared. He was much larger and more powerful looking with deep auburn hair, swimming toward us with a tail glimmering with yellow, orange, and red scales. His eyes were an iridescent blue that reminded me of the waters themselves. He approached the ebony-haired nymph, who halted in his watery descent but not yet his hold on me.

“You fool,” the larger male hissed.

“She entered our territory. All land-dwellers know the cost if they are foolish enough to venture into our waters for this long.”

“By right … she’s ours to dine upon.” The pink nymph licked her lips in anticipation.

Oh, joy. First, the monsters from the labyrinth and now the water nymphs. How did I get so lucky?

The auburn male glared at the nymph, holding me with menacing blue eyes that were as cold as ice. “Release your hold on her… and you will see the grave error you haveallmade.” The three seemed shocked, but they all turned their heads toward the champion mark on my arm. “You see now?”

The dark-haired male seemed to gasp as he released me from his hold. “I—We had no idea.”

“And see what she clutches in her other hand.” I figured that was my cue as I released my finger just enough to reveal the head of the key I retrieved from the first trial.

All three water nymphs bellowed and released a heartbreaking song as they dipped their heads and swam away over the cliffs. “Forgive them. They’re young. This is the first trial they have seen. They underestimated the value of your life and the miracle you have just achieved. I promise you will never have to fear my people, Champion.”

I floated in suspension, scared to move but also keenly aware I was running out of air. I looked to the surface, and the male water nymph followed my gaze. “Let’s return you to the land above.”

He swam under me so quickly that I could have sworn he teleported like Daxton. Effortlessly, he scooped me into his arms, beating his long tail to propel us toward the surface. I opened my eyes and coughed while taking in a deep breath as we breached the water.

“There she is!” Daxton called, and I immediately turned, looking for him.

“Is this who I should return you to?” the nymph asked.

“Yes,” I said with my gaze locked on Daxton. He was worried but also surprised at the sight of me cradled in the arms of this water nymph.

“High Prince Daxton Aegaeon,” the auburn male murmured as he swam forward, “I imagine if I value my head being attached to my shoulders, I should return you as quickly as I can then.”

“Probably a good idea,” I said, not taking my eyes from Daxton, who aggressively marched toward me through the surf.

“How exactly are you going to carry me to him in the shallows? You don’t have any—” As the nymph’s chest breached the surf, his magnificent fin transformed into two legs, corded with strong muscles, with nothing else covering them.

I quickly averted my eyes and looked ahead at Daxton. “Give her to me.” His tone was gruff and heated.

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