Page 10 of Bride of the Sea King

“Being Triton’s mate will come with a lot of changes, Aria. Physical, and mental. Emotional too, probably. Humans in Alterrae don’t stay human. You change. By claiming you, Triton ensured that change will make you one of us.”

I blinked.

It was going to take a lot more time to work through what she was saying than it took her to say the words.

There was a splash on the beach.

“King Triton,” a beautiful male voice called.

Something in me itched to turn around.

“Fuck,” Triton muttered.

I jerked my head back to look at the king.

“They sent a kelpie,” he said, like that explained anything.

“What’s a?—“

“Focus on the feeling of Triton’s hands on your waist,”Rayna said quickly, her voice entering my mind like Triton’s had beneath the waves.“The kelpie’s magic will try to seduce youaway from the king. Without a complete bond, you will feel the magic intensely. Try not to react to it.”

My mind reeled from the information.

Triton turned around, lifting me with him as he did. It took a solid amount of effort to stop myself from gawking at the creature standing just a few feet from us on the sand.

He was probably half a foot shorter than Triton, but what he lacked in height, he still possessed in muscle.

On top of that, he shimmered a color that was somewhere between gold and light green. Greenish gold.

Something about him made me want to walk closer. To step into his arms. To touch him.

Triton’s gigantic hands were iron on my hips, holding me firmly in place.

“Owin,” he said flatly. “So nice to see you. Have you met my bride, Aria?”

At least he had listened to my name when I gave it to his sister.

“I haven’t had the pleasure.” When the kelpie spoke, goosebumps broke out on my arms.

Even his voice was attractive.

Owin’s gaze flicked down to the raised bumps, and his lips curved in a smile that almost looked predatory. It was beautiful—hewas beautiful—and the urge to go to him grew stronger.

A zap of electricity raced down my spine, dissipating the kelpie’s hold on me. Its effect was far stronger than the golden creature’smagic, making my heart beat faster and my thighs clench together.

Wow, that was strong.

“Was that your magic I felt washing over my female’s skin, Owin?” Triton’s voice was dangerously low.

“Surely there’s not a kelpie in the sea who would risk touching his queen with his magic,” Rayna drawled. “Especially when the royal bond is clearly incomplete.”

“Of course not,” Owin agreed with a smile.

The dude was really starting to give me the creeps.

“Give the selkies our regards from the throne,” Triton said, turning both of us around once again before striding toward the castle, carrying me off the ground so we could move faster.

He didn’t stop when Rayna caught us.

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