Page 48 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
Surprised, I stand up and find I’m a little dizzy. Don’t remember how I got here, but then there’s another slam of something, like a strike of solid on stone.
The vibrations travel, creating a painful pulse that I flinch from. There are also voices, two of them, but I can’t discern what they’re saying.
Leaving the bed, I creep closer, keeping close to the wall. One male. One female. And I’m surprised by the latter.
“This is getting out of hand, Orion. You said no one would get hurt.” I’d expect some sadness in her tone, but all I hear is exasperation. Annoyance. She sounds nothing like my best friend.
“Do not question me, female. I do what must be done—she slept with thatmutt.Gave him what should’ve been mine as her future king.”
The next sharp sound echoes like a smack.
“Am I not enough? I’m your?—”
“I’ll forgive you this one time, but know your place, Naia. Never question me again. Don’t insinuate you’re worth more when we both know you’re here to serve a purpose and nothing else.”
“As your personal assistant, or plaything?” Naia hisses at him, but I can hear the hurt. The utter betrayal.
What is she to him?
“You, my pretty little toy, are whatever I want you to be. So play your role, smile politely, and bend over when I need you to.” His tone is pompous and arrogant, almost challenging her to deny him. “Now go see if Nerissa is up yet. Maybe if she isn’t, we can…”
He trails off, and a moan—hers—greets my ears. The sound of kissing follows shortly after. I’m disgusted and fuming, but glide back toward the bed and lie down, my tail half-covered by sea-silk. My eyes close, and I will my breathing to calm, just the occasional bubble slipping out.
I feel her presence a few minutes later. Naia doesn’t say anything, but lingers while testing how deeply I sleep. First, by calling my name in a low voice and waving her hand in front of my face, then by giving me a gentle nudge. Nothing hard, but enough that if I were coming to, I’d snap my eyes open and see my best friend there. Not suspicious, with how many times she’s stayed over in my room for days on end.
This time, though, I’m a statue and refuse to move.
Unmovable. Unshakable.
And after a few minutes, the woman I once trusted wholeheartedly swims away, satisfied, but whispers a few words that change everything…
“Please forgive me, Neri, but he’s my mate.”
I’m backinside my father’s room an hour later.
I don’t speak to anyone or stop to visit with grandfather or grandmother—I distrust everyone right now. From the stone, to the lies, to the whispers, I feel surrounded by a family I no longer recognize.
My reality is different from the stories shared among mermaids.
The problem is, I’m not one hundred percent sure who it benefits more…
Our king, who’s tried to call me into the throne room a few times over the last few days, needing to discuss what happened and have me hand over his wife’s magic. Or said queen, who comes to visit my father every day with a sad look on her face, as if she saw this coming and couldn’t intervene.
I’ve thought about that, too. Took me a while inside this solitude, watching my father’s unconscious body getting weaker, for it to hit me.
I sent you to the surface for a reason, not to reclaim my gift to Ephraim.
Those words hit differently when you’ve had a few days of silence with nothing but your thoughts to guide you. I’ve dissected conversations, come up with theories…
Please forgive me, Neri, but he’s my mate.
Lifting my hand to the chain around my neck, I enclose the stone in my grip. It’s cold, yet there’s a faint comforting pulsethat reminds me of my dream. The peace his heart beating beneath my ear brought me while Kai’s strong arms wrapped around me tight.
Was I truly wrong about him?
“But why would he lie to me?”
“Because what he wants is to cure his own sickness.” My head snaps toward the entryway, and I find my grandmother there. She’s looking a bit stronger today, there’s more color on her cheeks, and I see no tremor in her hand. “I’ll explain later, but right now we don’t have time to waste. You need to leave?—”
