Page 175 of Cruel Tides

He stood there as if waiting for me to confirm that I would happily sink down into the seagrass and fall back asleep. Like hell that would happen.

I’d only been trapped in the Undersea for a short while, but the constant danger was already wearing on me. I was on the verge of telling him just that when the eel knocked against my shoulder, as if to remind me of its presence.

“Ah, this is Aracos.” A peculiar fondness softened the sea wizard’s voice. “My familiar. I asked him to keep an eye on you. My apologies, princess, if that makes you uncomfortable.”

Did it? Perhaps it should have, but mostly I was just thankful for the eel’s intervention.

I tentatively held out a hand, unsure if an eel would even appreciate getting a pat. “Thank you, Aracos,” I whispered softly, and to my surprise, he nuzzled my hand. I couldn’t help but gulp as I rubbed his head, my eyes fixed on his perilous, needle-tipped teeth. When the eel seemed to have its fill of my affection, I glanced up at the sea wizard. “Your familiar?”

He didn’t let the question linger long. “It’s a bond that goes beyond loyalty and kinship,” he said with a nod. “I share my magic with Aracos, and in return, he lends me his instincts. His keen senses. It’s an arrangement that serves us both well.”

The eel left me, slithering away to wrap around the sea wizard. Although my pulse was still racing, I managed a smile, grateful for his protection.

The sea wizard’s familiar. How interesting.

“I suppose I should thank you, too,” I murmured, my gaze drifting back to meet the powerful man before me. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Maybe the pawn had disturbed his sleep, too. “For asking your familiar to watch over me.”

He inclined his head again, his black hair falling over his face as he said, “My pleasure to be of service. We’ll leave you to your rest.”

“Wait, I—” My thoughts scattered as his head lifted, one of his dark eyebrows rising.

“Yes, princess?”

“I, um…” I swallowed hard, not sure why I wasn’t ready for him to leave. “I want to know what happened to the queen’s pawn. What did you do to him?”

The smirk that crept across the sea wizard’s face told me everything I needed to know.

“You do not want to know what happened to that brute,” he said in a cold, detached voice. “Trust me.”

The thought of his ruthlessness made me shudder. Earlier, he’d melted a man for just reaching for me. There was no telling what he’d done this time. “I’ll take your word for it,” I said, deciding it was best to leave it at that.

“Rest easy.” He drew his arms up like he was about to disappear, and my panic reached an unbearable peak.

I didn’t want to be alone—not here, trapped in this horrible, cold, unfamiliar place.

“Please,” I begged with a desperation that surprised even me. Down here, he’d become like a lifeline that I clutched, unable to let go.

A lifeline?Poseidon, help me. I was pathetic underwater. This wasn’t like me—not at all. “No, n-never mind,” I said, wishing I could take back every moment of weakness and vulnerability I’d displayed since coming to this horrid place, but the sea wizard only drifted closer.

His gaze dropped to my lips with an intensity that left me burning. His face might have been a mask of carefully suppressed emotions, but his eyes spoke volumes, and my heart quickened as he inquired, low and controlled, “Would it ease your mind if I remained close? Right outside your chamber, perhaps?”

A primal instinct clawed its way up my throat, urging me to say yes. My rational thoughts told me it was an unreasonable request to burden him with, but the fear of being left alone was overwhelming.

My voice quivered as I nodded. “Maybe,” I whispered, and a wave of guilt quickly followed. If only I had magic—power like the sea wizard had—maybe then I would be more confident in such an unfamiliar place.

He paused, his gaze steady upon me.

Had he not expected me to take him up on it? Well, the joke was on him because, at this moment, I was focusing on survival.

Eventually, he bowed. “Very well.” His eyes flickered toward Aracos, as though they were exchanging a final thought before their departure. The eel slid against me once more and was the first to shoot off toward the curtain.

When the sea wizard got to the exit, he paused with his hand on the curtain to cast a glance over his shoulder. “May you rest easy, princess, knowing I’ll be right outside your chamber.”

And then he was gone.

I stared at the curtain long after it had gone completely still, my heart pounding erratically. Was he really on the other side?

Sighing deeply, I curled in on myself among the seagrass, staring up at the monochrome ceiling for what felt like hours. Even if he was there, every inch of me was on edge, just waiting for something to erupt from out of nowhere to grab me.

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