Marked by the Sea (Monsters’ Mates #1)

Chapter 3

Riftan

When the sun set on my fun, I would have no other choice than to take the daughter of the North Seas as my mate; officially uniting the two kingdoms. Damn Lucien for setting this up. I would give her my knot and breed her until she created the offspring that would one day rule in our place. The tentative treaty that kept the two kingdoms from war was finicky at best. Just one misstep, and there would be blood. I couldn’t be the reason for our downfall, or my temperamental godfather would declare me unfit and hand my birthright to my cousin. So until I was forced to hand my balls over, I had lurked beneath the waves and seized my rewards.

As of recent, that was. Lately, nothing had caught my eye. My tastes ran warmer and on two legs. My spoils came from the surface. Years ago, I came across a human woman. My internal hate screamed I tear her apart, but when she smiled at me, I held back. Not for interest, but curiosity. She’d told me my horns were ‘radical’ and she loved my costume. It wasn’t until she joined me in the waters that she began to scream. I covered her mouth and stuffed her cunt.

The first time was an accident. All the ones that followed were not.

The waters rippled as if they heard my thoughts or the traitorous direction they were going. My godfather was acting king for seven more days unless I didn’t do my duty. All the creatures in the sea bowed to him. My fin cut through the waters as I failed to keep a lid on my irritation. I didn’t see why he could decide my fate, my queen, and that of the kingdom. If not for his failure as my father’s right hand, he wouldn’t even be king. I would abide by the laws only to honor my parents.

If he hadn’t followed me, he wouldn’t have discovered my darkest secrets. I had the sneaking suspicion this alliance idea was born from him finding my last prey. It forced me to lie low for a while, but now that the sands of time were in play, adrenaline pumped through my veins at knowing she was near. Knowing what came as soon as I had her in my clutches was enough to keep me searching. The thrill had my knot tingling.

As soon as I found her, I could drag her to the hideout. The previous one didn’t last long. I’d been forced to end her when Lucien found out. No, I needed someone who could take us. I wanted a gem. A jewel I could keep for myself. One I could keep longer than the others. She would please me and my brothers. She needed to be perfect to hold us together. She had to last.

The guys had failed, and I refused to sit back and let them waste more time. The women they’d picked before had been too loud and made the most awful sound. They failed to satisfy me and were of no use. I craved her fight. I needed excitement. What was fun about a woman wailing and begging for dear life? No thanks. My horns poked through the surface, followed by my head. My powerful fin slashed as water dripped down the side of my face. My gaze cut through the scattered humans on the beach to the large figures just out of their view. The sun was setting—the perfect time to snatch someone. If I could just find her, we could all go home.

I scoffed when my gaze locked on the sly sea sprite, Rowan, deep-throating Hexon against a jumping rock. His tentacles pushed Rowan up and down his slippery length. I was surprised the humans hadn’t caught on to them, as obvious as those two were. Unlike me, my chosen pack could not camouflage as well as I could. Being the Prince of the South Sea had nothing to do with my skills. I was able to change my skin into liquid form, so when I wished it, I could avoid the eyes of not only humans but other creatures of the deep.

Movement yanked me from my thoughts as I watched Hexon hold Rowan’s blue hair down, forcing him to take more. The normally silver scales on his shoulders were an ominous blue. I’d known him long enough to know that meant he was turned on. Hexon’s nether tentacles wrapped around the sea sprite’s slender face before lifting and suctioning his cheek. Two others slid down his jaw, secreting slime, before slipping into his mouth. I watched as the tingling between my thighs caused my tip to jut out of its cock pocket. That was when I heard the kraken’s voice in my head.

Like what you see?

Mm…

Come and join us, Rift.

Unlike you two, I was trying to find her.

We’re taking a break.

I could see that.

You’re no fun.

Hex… We’ll have fun when we get back with our new toy in hand.

Rowan’s lips were too tempting to resist… fuck.

Cutting the line mid-moan, I turned from their spectacle to make sure they hadn’t been spotted by the humans. They played a risky game, but that only turned the fiends on more. I wasn’t the only one who was irritable and tired of this fruitless hunt. They’d given in to each other, unable to keep their cocks to themselves. As kids, we’d agreed to remain loyal to each other, swore to refuse any advances from our kind. Mixing was frowned upon. This might have been our very last chance to hunt together. An involuntary growl fell from my lips.

Literal seconds before I was about to turn from shore, a boat launched from land. There wasn’t much daylight left, so this one would be out late. Unable to deny the magnetic pull, I dived beneath the surface. In seconds, I was beside the catamaran. I swam alongside the two parallel hulls as they ventured further into the sea. The waves pushed them forward as if telling me this was the one. I tried not to get too excited. I’d been disappointed time and time again. What felt like hours later, the boat finally stalled, and I ventured higher. Twinkling lights lit up the sky. A female voice moaned as a male seductively murmured into her ear. I was not interested in snatching males, and his partner was not to my liking. Resigned to the fact this venture was useless, I turned when a female voice cut through the dark sky.

“Can we go back to shore now?” she pleaded, her voice full of raw fear.

Before I knew what was happening, I had climbed up the side of the boat. Unable to fight the urge to see her, I peeked over the deck, and my gaze froze on her. She stood at the top of the stairs. Her thick body shielded in a thin white material over her breasts, and a skirt that hugged her hips fell loosely around her. Two large braids ran down her back. The color reminded me of seahorses and turtle shells. Standing at the top of the steps, she held onto the railing for dear life. The older woman laughed.

“If we’ve seen one wave, we’ve seen them all.” Her melodic voice called to something buried deep within me. Before I could analyze it, it happened. The itch. My black claws danced along the glinting metal. I couldn’t look away.

“I’m proud of you for facing your fears, but read the room, darling.” The woman laughed before continuing below deck. Their loud footfalls echoed as the couple disappeared.

“As if I had a damn choice. You literally carried me onto this damn boat. If you actually cared, you would have left me home.” A tear strayed down her cheek before she turned and faced the ocean. She batted her tear away and took one shaky step after the other until she came to a halt. Grasping her chest, she gasped and fell to the floor. Tucking her legs into her chest, her slender arms wrapped around them as she buried her head.

I watched her with rapt fascination. Unable to stay away, I moved up, only to bump my horns against the railing with a clang. She looked over her shoulder, and I froze. I could have dipped into the sea to hide myself, but that would have been counterproductive. Instead, I held her gaze as her eyes widened. Two different colored gems—one a blue sapphire and the other a smoky quartz. The Gods smiled on me that day. I’d gone in search of a gem, and two stared back at me.

I found her.