Page 13 of Bride of the Sea King

“How does that happen?”

“A bonded mate fucks someone else without sealing their bond,” he said simply.

Geez.

Okay, then.

“So a lot of people died in your war?” I asked him.

His expression darkened. “We call it the Dragons’ War, but it was our entire world against a monster one of the dragons created. While the strong among us fought, the gentle stayed home. The monster created a plague that spread quickly between the helpless families of those who were fighting. We lost everyone who wasn’t a warrior, which was the vast majority in every society that fought.”

My eyes widened. “But the monster is gone?”

“Yes. We hoped our numbers could recover, but we had been at peace for so long before the war that even most of the female warriors remained home, and were lost. There are so few women left that after the demons discovered your compatibility, we eventually accepted that we need humans.”

“And you’re just taking a bride now, because…”

“The king or queen of the sea always abstains from sex while they’re on the throne.”

Umm, what?

“That has always been the rule, and the tradition,” Triton stated. “Since I became king, I haven’t touched anyone intimately. Now, there are so few merrae left that they all voted to break tradition by having me take a wife.”

I assumedmerraewas the word for what he was. It fit better than mermaid, at least. Not better than mermonster, though.

“So you don’t really want to be married,” I said.

“It has never been my role to want that.” Triton watched me as he spoke, and I got the feeling he was choosing his words carefully.

“But if I agree to be your bride, your people expect me to do what, exactly?”

“You already agreed to be my bride when you kissed me.”

“You didn’t ask me,” I argued.

“That’s not how a mate bond works, Sweetheart. It’s not a verbal agreement. It’s a magical tie that binds two souls.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

He nodded lightly. “Our people expect me to breed with you. Repeatedly.”

Exactly what I had assumed.

Fuck.

My head spun.

I stood suddenly, unable to continue sitting while he towered above me like he held all of the power. But even when I stood, he still towered.

And no matter how much I wanted to believe otherwise, hedidhold all of the power.

“I’d like to be alone,” I said, my voice trembling.

I was exhausted and overwhelmed, and I wasn’t sure I could handle much more insanity that night.

Oranymore insanity that night.

It was technically daytime in Alterrae, but I’d been up too many hours to care.

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