Marked by the Sea (Monsters’ Mates #1)

Prologue

My shackles lay at my feet. Tentacles surrounded the cool night air and caressed my cheek and arms. Red eyes that shouldn’t have cared were filled with worry as claws pulled me over the edge. Despite his king’s order, the kraken still thought it too risky and couldn’t deny his instincts. Cold tips curled into my skin, but his power was unmatched. Yanked from his tentacles, I almost laughed as the kraken pleaded with his king to stop. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Yet it wasn’t the thought of drowning that scared me. Hours, days with them, and no matter what they did to me, being pulled into the deep sea was still my biggest fear. Moments from death, I sucked in a lungful of air before the merman once again dragged me beneath the surface.

Swallowed whole by ice-cold water sent my body into shock. Deeper, deeper still, we plummeted into the ocean until the twinkling stars disappeared. He pulled me down like a rag doll. My lungs threatened to give out, and I pursed my lips to keep the water out until I couldn’t. My chest squeezed. The alarms went off in my head. Inhaling, salt rushed in until I was twirled around, and I stared into a blackness that outmatched the sea.

A webbed hand fisted my hair; claws dug into my scalp as I was forced to look up at him. The devil had my life in his hands. We didn’t need to dive this deep to test it, but he enjoyed my suffering. Cold, bored eyes glared at me. My human troubles and lack of oxygen so far beneath him disgusted him. I clawed at his chest. It was useless, but this thing between us was nothing without pain. Yanking me up to him, he pressed his lips to mine. Turning my head from him, it was forced back with a flick of his wrist. I opened for him as my lungs constricted. My eyes felt like they would pop with the pressure, but his forked tongue dove into my mouth. His chest vibrated beneath my hands as something like elastic wrapped around me before it snapped into place.

Everyone knew of the three kingdoms that ruled over the human realm: the Dragons, the Wolves, and the Bears. We had done everything we could—my parents paid their taxes, gave our monthly offerings, and stayed away from the monsters. But none of it mattered because no one told us about him—them. How could they? None of us knew of the kingdom beneath the sea.

I was more than ready to welcome death. My chest expanded, but as water filled my lungs, I didn’t die. Exhaling, bubbles floated out and toward the surface, only to be replaced by water. The King’s theory had been right. As my eyes flickered up to the horned prince, the smug smirk on his face proved he’d confirmed this. Without a word—I don’t know if he could talk down here—he wrapped his arm around my waist tightly and dove.

With one last glance toward the surface, I hated that I hoped they would come too.