Page 37 of Siren's Gift

When the natural light began to fade and the bioluminescent algae’s glow grew brighter, a guard led me to a dining hall. Translucent kelp strands draped from the ceiling like chandeliers, swaying with the currents. Coral sconces cradled glowing pearl orbs and cast a soft light that danced in watery patterns.

Ateleíotes and Zephyrion already waited, lounging within large clam shells stuffed with kelp padding. The size of the shells provided ample room for sirens to fully recline if they desired.

Over a decade had passed since I’d last seen the prince. Not since his coming-of-age ball, a few months before I’d run away. It was that night and meeting Zephyrion that had solidified my decision to leave.

Hosting such events was standard practice for royal families when formally announcing lines of succession. I would have had my own ball when I turned seventeen had I not left. Then I would have been married off faster than a sailfish could catch its dinner.

Although most Gifted species didn’t live much longer than non-Gifted humans, we benefited from a slower aging process with our appearance. So it wasn’t a surprise that the prince hadn’t changed one bit.

Well, that wasn’t quite right. He had changed, just not in his physical attributes. His ego had definitely inflated, and that self-satisfied smirk I loathed had only deepened.

He still had the same pale blond hair that was so common in this part of the ocean, and he wore it long and loose so it floated around his head like a white aura. He was all smiles, polished edges, and the kind of easy grace that made weaker courtiers swoon. Too bad his insides didn’t match the handsome outside.

Because his eyes…

They were hungry. And not for food.

The king and his son watched me approach with an undeniably predatory look, and I wasn’t sure who disgusted me more—father or son. They were equally horrible males.

Ateleíotes gestured to the empty clamshell on his other side. "Join us, Princess, and tell us tales of the barbaric human world."

The human world was no more barbaric than our own. As a perfect example, I couldn’t even explain that fact to him since a slimy sea serpent had stolen my voice. Keeping my head high, I swam to the seat he indicated. I would eat if only to keep my energy up.

"Ah, yes. Your silence is a gift. You should cherish it while you still can. The palace has many rooms—some for sleeping, some for punishment." His smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Let’s hope you never confuse the two."

My nostrils flared in anger.

A servant approached the king and presented a delicate spiral shell, still wriggling with whatever was inside. Ateleíotes cracked it open and popped the contents into his mouth with slow deliberation.

“The Naftes princess,” he mused aloud. “She returns without her tongue and without her kingdom. A proper bride, at last.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him the middle finger. It was a human gesture and lost on the sirens, but it made me feel better to see their stupidly quizzical expressions.

Zephyrion chuckled. “It’s almost poetic. All the fire she once had, locked away behind her lips. Tell me, Father, do you think she still dreams of freedom?”

“Let her. Dreams are the most delicious thing to crush.”

The air grew heavier around me, the weight of their cruelty more suffocating than the ocean itself. But after that thrilling reintroduction, they continued their discussion as if I’d never joined them. I would have wondered why they even bothered to have me join them, except I knew the answer to that. They both loved having the power and control to do so.

Silently, I chewed the food brought out, each bite turning to ash in my mouth.

"When Calypso has seized control of the Naftes kingdom, we’ll?—"

The king cut off his son’s words with a sharp look. "Do not speak of such things in her presence."

I struggled to maintain a disinterested expression. What did he mean when Calypso seized control? My father ruled the Naftes kingdom. There was no way my people would accept a sea serpent as their queen, especially nother.

What in the deep abyss had I missed over the past ten years?

CHAPTER 18

Bree

"Why shouldn’t I mention her father’s crumbling kingdom in front of her?" Zephyrion's tone was smooth, almost teasing, like we were sharing a private joke. His smirk barely masked the malice in his eyes as they swept over me. "It’s not like she can say anything against it."

King Ateleíotes didn’t sigh. He didn’t flinch. He simply turned his head toward his son with glacial precision, the movement alone enough to chill the water between them. "Must you always sound so desperate for attention?"

The prince’s jaw twitched. A flush bloomed high on his cheekbones. "You forget yourself," he said tightly. "I’m the heir. The next king."

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