Marked by the Sea (Monsters’ Mates #1)

Chapter 4

Amora

One minute, I shivered from fear; my body shook as the surrounding blue rocked us back and forth. Squeezing my arms tighter around my knees, I failed to remain calm. I refused to stare at anything outside of this boat. I didn’t need to see the powerful waves to know what they could do to this small boat. A clinking sound cut through my thoughts. I swiveled around so fast; I was sure I’d have whip lash. The pain was forgotten when my gaze locked with a striking blue.

The color reminded me of the sky on a bright, cloudless day, paired with cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. My jaw dropped when I realized he was on the other side of the boat. Pushing off the wood floor, I walked toward him on shaky legs. When I made it across the deck, I stood a few feet away when it hit me. He wasn’t human. I don’t know how I missed the large black horns that sat proudly atop his beautiful black hair. They curved inward before heading up and then curling out. That should have been the first thing I saw, but of course, it wasn’t.

Searching the rest of his features, my eyes dropped to his ears, or what should have been his ears as they jutted out from his head. Ear fins. He had ear fins. My focus dropped to his neck where gills widened and closed, as if he were breathing through them. Oh my gods. He had gills. Was this a mermaid? No, I think the right term was merman. He wasn’t singing a song, though, nor was he trying to lure me to my death. I must have hit my head because this wasn’t happening.

Would he have a beautiful voice? I shook my head as a smile tugged at the corner of my lips because I was probably out cold on the floor, but all I could think about was the beautiful… merman staring at me. I had zero preservation skills. None. But if this was a dream, it didn’t really matter, did it?

I knew one thing for sure: the locals had been right; there were sea creatures. All it would take was a closer look to confirm what kind. Were there tentacles holding him up? Did he have a tail? Did he have scales? Were they blue, like his eyes? As if enchanted, my feet took me closer. That’s when I realized he was ogling me as much as I’d been him. His gaze roamed over me; his eyes held me captive, even as they trailed down my body approvingly. My cheeks heated and a warmth spread through me. Before I knew what was happening, I stood in front of the rail. Years of being afraid of the water and I didn’t even blink before finding myself inches from it. I was close, really close, but all I could focus on was the two-horned man in front of me. He was within arm’s reach. Was this a dream? I pinched myself and cried out from the pain. Yeah, I’m awake.

“You’re… beautiful.”

The words were out before I could stop them. I flushed with embarrassment. I hoped to the gods he couldn’t understand me, but I also hoped he could. If he did, he didn’t show it. Maybe he was used to compliments?

“I’ve seen the signs the locals have up, but I didn’t believe you were real. Are there more of you?” He didn’t say a word, and I took that as he couldn’t understand a thing I’d said. Trust me to try and speak to a sea creature. My eyes drifted to his chest, and my lips parted. His nipples were pierced with gold, and from what I knew of mermaids from lore, they loved treasure. That could be a stereotype, but I was going on limited, very hypothetical information.

“That’s… hot,” I whispered.

But how did he get them pierced? Could he walk on land, or was there an underwater city with shops? I giggled at that. Sneaking a peek, I couldn’t see anything below as his rib cage was pressed against the rail. I’d go with merman until I saw any tentacles. His chest gave way to dark gray scales. Reaching out, my fingers hovered just above them. Lightly, I touched him, and his nipples hardened. Good gods. All thoughts of anything beneath the sea evaporated as I squeezed my thighs together. His chest rose and fell as a low growl reverberated in his chest. Looking up past my lashes at him, he stared down at me with a hooded gaze. Oh.

“Try not to turn on the merman,” I chastised myself. He couldn’t understand me, but from the way the corner of his lips lifted, I knew he was amused by my mumbling.

“I didn’t know mermen had horns. I was literally just laughing about the fear the locals have about you. Do you have magical powers? Can you control the s-s-sea?” I asked. Closing my eyes, I refused to look behind him. My lashes fluttered open and I focused on him, and him alone. Luckily, it wasn’t a difficult task. His massive frame blocked it from my line of sight.

“At first, I thought you were in trouble, and I was going to help you because I thought you were a man. Well… I guess that part’s right. You are a man; you’re just not… human. Can you shift? Like the stories say?”

I was still talking to him like he could understand me, but I was curious. Could he walk on land?

“Are you more man, or more creature?”

The god of a man tilted his head to the side, a small smile on his lips as he watched me. The sound of footfalls echoed up the hallway. My parents were coming back, and my eyes widened as he realized it too. Did that mean he would disappear now? What if I never saw him again? His smile didn’t disappear, but his eyes flashed.

I’d been foolish. How was I supposed to know he had no plans of leaving empty-handed? Webbed fingers wrapped around my wrist, and before I knew it, he yanked me over the edge. Clawing around me, I tried to grab something—anything. Desperation mixed with fear filled me, and the last of my old life I saw before I toppled over the edge was my mother’s brown eyes. My worst fears came to life as my gaze lowered and I took in the deep blue as I hurled toward it.

Before we hit the water, I found myself clutching to him. My legs wrapped around something hard. I’d been wrong. So fucking wrong. He wasn’t like a normal man; now that my cheek crashed against his abdomen, he had to be over seven feet tall. And his tail wasn’t blue like I’d assumed; it was black. It was at this moment I knew I was going to die. The water swallowed me whole seconds before darkness took me.