Page 21 of Bride of the Sea King

“We’re not swimming to the side.” He slung me over his shoulder so I was riding piggy-back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his abdomen, and he kicked us across the pond.

Toward the waterfall.

“Tell me you’re not going to—” I started, but didn’t have time to finish.

Because he had already dove off the stone edge of the waterfall, and we were falling rapidly toward a larger lake.

I braced myself for impact, but the landing was smooth. Even though I could breathe underwater the day before, holding my breath when we were submerged still felt natural.

Triton had us back to the surface a moment later, and I panted as I caught my breath. “You have got to stop doing that.”

“Going underwater?” He sounded amused.

“Dragging me underwater after jumping off of things or into things.”

“Noted.” The amusement that lingered in his voice told me he had no intention of following my command.

I took in the building we were headed to while he carried me over. It was also much larger than his room in the castle—andbuildingwasn’t entirely accurate.

The structure was basically a large, wooden canopy built on top of a huge wooden platform that seemed to be floating on the water.

Lounge chairs and couches were spread over the platform, and I noticed a bed tucked away in the far corner, like an afterthought.

More plants grew from pots around the room, seeming unbothered by the fact that there was no sunlight.

But the best part of the space?

Books lined every single wall, packed into shelves without decorations to distract from the true masterpieces. There were even stacks of them on the ground in some places, because Triton had apparently run out of shelves.

“You read?” I asked him, surprise lining my voice as he sat me on the ledge of the platform. The water came up insanely close to the top of the wood, but for some reason, it didn’t splash up there even when I kicked my feet a little.

Triton placed his hands on the ledge and lifted himself easily out of the water. I tried not to drool at his abs, or the way they flexed, but failed entirely.

Damn his muscles.

And his stupid skirt.

And his obnoxiously gorgeous face, which was now smirking at me after catching me checking him out yet again.

I stood up, forcing my attention away from the king as I took in the books.

“Yes, I read. A king has far too much free time, and far too few friends to spend it with.” When I looked back, I found his gaze on the shelves, scanning them like he was making sure everything was still there.

“Doesn’t the saltwater hurt the books?” I asked.

“Not in my world. The magic here softens its effect.”

Magic.

I swear, it could explain everything.

“What kind of books are they?” I asked, gravitating toward the shelf.

He stopped me a few inches away with a hand on my hip again. “Shift, and I’ll tell you.”

I gestured toward the books. “I’ve finally found something we have in common, and you want me to shift? Come on, Triton.”

His lips twitched. “We have the same color scales. That’s another thing in common. Shift first, then you can read.”

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