Page 24 of Seas and Scepters

"Yes."

"And these past weeks, as you've grown more human—that was because of the curse?"

"With each passing day, more of my siren nature fades," I explained."Soon, there will be nothing left of what I once was.I'll be fully human, with no hope of returning to the sea."

"And this was to be your solution?"His voice broke as he gestured toward where the dagger lay hidden."Taking your own life?"

"What choice did I have?"I whispered."I cannot kill you.I cannot watch you marry another.I cannot return to my home.I am caught between worlds, Eirik, belonging nowhere."

"You belong with me," he said fiercely."Siren or human or something in between—I don't care.I love you, Selene.I love your courage, your honesty, the way you see worth where others see nothing.I love that you chose death over harming me."

"How can you say that?"I asked, incredulous."After what I've just told you?After learning what I am—what I've done?"

"The men I lost that night," he said slowly, "their deaths weigh on me.I won't pretend they don't.But you were following the laws of your people, just as I follow mine.You were doing what you believed was your duty—just as I nearly did by agreeing to marry Astrid."

He cupped my face in his hands, his touch achingly gentle."But then we found each other, and everything changed.We both chose love over power.That's what matters now."

"It's not that simple," I protested."Your wedding—"

"There will be no wedding," he said firmly."I never went back to the palace last night.After waiting for you at The Siren's Call until dawn, I came straight here.By now, the cathedral is full of guests waiting for a groom who will never arrive."

"You can't just abandon your kingdom—"

"Watch me."His smile held a touch of wry humor."My father has other heirs—cousins who would be delighted to take my place.The alliance with Astoria can be secured through treaties rather than marriage.Vaelthorne will survive without me."

"And what of us?"I asked, hardly daring to hope."What becomes of a runaway prince and a half-transformed siren?"

"Whatever we wish," he said, drawing me to my feet."We can take that ship to the southern islands as we planned.Or..."His eyes lit with sudden inspiration."The Sea Witch."

"What?"

"The Sea Witch who made the pact with my ancestors—the one who marked me with these scars in exchange for protection from siren song.She must still exist, mustn't she?If she had the power to protect my bloodline, perhaps she has the power to break your father's curse."

"Morgana," I breathed, the name rising from childhood legends."The ancient one who dwells in the deepest trench, where sea meets underworld."

"Could she help us?"

"Perhaps," I said slowly, hope kindling within me for the first time since I'd realized I couldn't kill him."But finding her would be dangerous.She is as likely to destroy us as help us."

"What's life without a little danger?"Eirik grinned, suddenly looking younger, freer than I had ever seen him."Besides, I'm protected from siren magic, remember?Perhaps that extends to sea witches as well."

"Or perhaps she'll turn you into a fish for your impudence," I retorted, but I was smiling now too.

"Then you'll have to keep me in a lovely bowl and feed me breadcrumbs," he teased, pulling me close."Selene, whatever happens—whether we find this witch or not, whether you remain human or return to your siren form—I want to face it with you.No more secrets between us.No more divided loyalties.Just you and me against whatever fate brings."

He was offering me something I had never thought possible—a future not dictated by rules or tradition or the demands of royal blood.A future where it was love and only love that determined our path.

"Yes," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck."Yes to all of it."

As his lips met mine, the cathedral bells began to toll in the distance—not the joyous peals of a wedding celebration, but the solemn tolling that signaled some momentous change in the kingdom's fortunes.

The prince had not arrived for his wedding.The carefully laid plans of kings and councilors had unraveled.The political chessboard had been upended.

And in a small chamber above a brothel, a siren and her lover held each other close, preparing to embark on the most dangerous adventure of all—a life chosen, with a future unknown.

Tomorrow would bring its own challenges.We would need to leave the city before search parties were sent to find Eirik.We would need to locate Morgana and convince her to help us.We would need to face whatever consequences came from defying two powerful kings.

But for now, for this moment, we were simply two souls who had found each other against impossible odds.Two beings caught between land and sea who had created a world of their own.

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