Page 81 of Bride of the Sea King

I grabbed his face and looked him square in the eyes. “You said I’m the queen, Triton. Do you trust me?”

His jaw clenched.

After a long moment, he finally jerked his head in a nod.

When I turned around, his hands went to my waist like they had that first day I was with him. He was trying to protect me again,and trying not to stifle me even though stifling was what came naturally.

I found the selkies’ leader trapped off the sand, in that tube of water Triton had wrapped around her. She was held entirely immobile, with only her head sticking out.

She didn’t look pissed anymore.

She looked scared.

“You have two options right now, Eila,” Triton said, his voice low but controlled. “You can tell me what pushed you to do this, or I can throw you and the rest of your people in my castle’s prison, leaving your islands entirely unprotected. I already have all of you bound with magic, so it would hardly take any effort at all.”

Genuine fear flashed in her eyes.

Something had to have been seriously wrong with the selkies.

Eila let out a harsh breath. “Without so many merrae in the sea, the monsters in the depths have grown braver. They hunt our children for sport. Last year alone, we lost over two dozen to them.”

Shit.

Holy shit.

My stomach turned.

“Why the fuck didn’t you ask for help sooner?” he snarled.

“Your people hate us. We would be better off with half of the throne’s magic so we can protect ourselves,” Eila growled.

“The past doesn’t matter right now. You’re not going to kill me to take my magic, so you need our help,” I said.

“We do.” She had to grit the words out.

“If I release you, I expect you to take all of your warriors back to your islands. The day after the Tide Change, you can return to negotiate with a group of your people. We will make a plan to end the monsters for what they’ve done to your children. Do you agree?”

She jerked her head. “Yes.”

Triton released his grip on me and covered the distance between them. He stopped just a few inches from Eila and said in a low voice, “If a single one of your warriors makes another move against my mate,ever, our deal will be off, and I’ll kill all of you myself. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” the woman whispered.

“Great.” Triton’s water tentacle vanished, and Eila landed smoothly on her feet after it dropped her. “I’ll throw all of you deep into the sea in about ten minutes. You have until then to warn everyone about the consequences if they act against us.”

“Thank you.” Eila’s gaze was on me when she said the words. “Your Majesty.”

She finally lowered her chin toward me, as if in respect.

My abdomen tensed.

We both knew Triton had wanted to kill her as soon as he found her pinning me down. If I hadn’t spoken for her, she would probably be dead.

She knew what I had done for her, and she respected me for what Triton wanted me to be from the beginning.

What I had inadvertently become.

Not just his queen, butthequeen.

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