Page 49 of Bride of the Sea King

The pond was pulling me toward the waterfall, so I swam over to the side of it and pulled myself onto a large rock. After taking a minute to catch my breath, I focused on the tube again.

It took a little longer the second time, because my magic was a little weaker. But finally, the water scooped me up.

I didn’t let myself celebrate as it hauled me up to the small pool, or as it spit me out. I landed on my butt again a moment later, but I was on the tile.

In the castle.

I dropped my back to the floor, grinning up at the ceiling.

Triton was right.

I was really fucking powerful.

I could control the water just like he could.

Five minutes later,I finally had the willpower to climb to my feet again. My legs shook something fierce, and I was dripping wet, but nothing could shake my feeling of victory.

I slipped out of the bedroom and padded down the hallway, figuring I’d ask the first person I found for directions to the cafeteria. Or whatever they called it. There was probably a fancier word, but I didn’t have the energy to try to come up with it.

It didn’t take long to find another merrae, though I was pretty sure I was going the wrong direction.

A pair of them stepped out of a large door a few hallways away from Triton’s room. The man was almost as big as the king, with light skin and white-blond hair. The scales scattered across his back gleamed bright orange. The dark-skinned woman tucked against his side had a mass of neon orange hair tied in a messybun on top of her head, and the sea silk she wore was the same shade.

My mood brightened further.

She had been human, too.

She was built tall and strong for a human woman, so she looked like she physically fit into the castle much better than I did. But I didn’t give a damn about that.

“Hey,” I called out, not sure what else I should say.

They both glanced backward, and the man’s eyes widened as he stopped abruptly. He pulled the woman with him, and she glanced at his face, like she wasn’t sure why he was so shocked to see me.

As she turned, my eyes widened.

She was pregnant.

Like,superpregnant. I had no idea how pregnant you had to be to look like you were about to pop, but whatever it was, she qualified.

“Your Highness,” the man said, finally jerking his head in a quick bow.

“That’s not necessary,” I said hastily. “My name’s Aria. I was just hoping you could point me in the direction of food.”

The last thing I wanted was people bowing toward me. Well, maybe not thelast. But it was up there, and it was insanely awkward.

“It would be easier to show you,” the man said. “If you’re comfortable walking with us?”

The woman elbowed him in the side, and he grunted.

“Of course she’s comfortable walking with us.” She rolled her eyes toward me, as if to point out how ridiculous the man was. Her accent wasn’t the same as mine, so I figured she was from another part of Earth than me. “The warriors take everything too seriously. I’m Eloise.”

I fell into step beside them, and they led me down the hallway.

“How long have you been in Alterrae?” I asked her.

“Almost ten years. I was the first human mated with a merrae, so we were kind of the test couple. I was at my year mark when my fertile period hit, and this sexy bastard of a man convinced me to have his baby even before things got all kinky during breeding.” She gave me a wicked grin and patted her belly. “This one is number five. My other littles are at a playgroup right now. All of us who came from Earth take turns watching each other’s kids so none of us get too overwhelmed.”

I couldn’t miss the way her mate’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

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