Marked by the Sea (Monsters’ Mates #1)

Chapter 10

Riftan

As I neared my destination, the kingdom guards stationed outside the wall came into view. Their bodies were protected by silver, and their helmets were branded with my family crest: the trident. Their lackluster glow meant they were not embedded with the crown’s power like the palace guards. These were the soldiers on the front lines. In other words, they would die first. And yet, as I showed myself, the sentries bowed and cleared a path.

It was abnormal for royalty and common merfolk to come into contact. We kept our distance from each other, but with my frequent outings, I had come face-to-face with these mermen on multiple occasions. When news of my whereabouts remained under wraps, I began giving them coin for their silence and loyalty. Once in, I hid, removing myself from the common eye, swimming through the towns and past the palace guards until I arrived in my quarters.

My bed called to me, but when I glanced over, all I could imagine was her waiting there for me. Her luscious hair floating around her, her voluptuous curves teasing me, and her defiant multicolored gaze daring me to stay away. Refusing to give in, I floated over to my circular window set into the black coral wall and peered out. The city lights lit up the kingdom. Merfolk meandered through the cobblestone streets; merchildren, who from this height resembled the size of lantern fish, chased and fought; dolphins swam above the homes; and schools of fish flitted left and right. Their curiosity and attraction to light made it impossible to stay away.

My kingdom was bursting with life and the food plentiful. My eyes slid over a cluster of mermaids grooming each other with coral combs, sea sponges, and seaweed. I was reminded I needed to bathe. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to go to the common cleaning areas. Moving away from the window, I swam through a number of rooms before I made it to my own personal grooming room.

Live coral reef ran along the wall, and a variety of small fish popped in and swam out. Sitting, I grabbed my favorite mixture of mashed sea plants and minerals. Misery, my catshark, swam in through the window. Her biofluorescent sleek skin glowed a bright green, lighting up the dark shade of her patterns. The sly thing only came in when it needed something. She gave me a mischievous side glance before rubbing up against my arm and then back. I petted her head before she scuttled out of the window. She feared my godfather, and that was the telltale sign that he was coming. Sighing, I dropped my potion and turned to face my guest.

“Lucien,” I said in greeting.

“My Prince.” He wore a smile, but it didn’t meet his eyes. My godfather wore a crown, and I wondered if the need to do so was due to his lack of horns. The lower half of his face was covered by his long white beard that swayed in front of his chest. His deep green tail matched his eyes, and he held the gold trident, the symbol of the king, proudly by his side.

“What brings you here at this hour?” My black tail swished left and right.

“You’ve been gone for eons,” Lucien muttered.

“I didn’t know you tracked my whereabouts. Had you linked me, I could have assuaged your worry, dear godfather.” I was taunting him, throwing out the bait for him to reveal what we both knew: he’d linked me multiple times over the last eight human days. I ignored the mental knocking.

“I’m here to once again remind you of your duties and your responsibility to the throne…” Lucien didn’t take the bait, and I blocked him out as he rattled on. This wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation, and I had grown bored of it. My thoughts revolved around two cursed gems and the woman who had clawed her way beneath my skin in the short amount of time I’d known her. Instead of salivating at the thought of biting into flesh, I salivated at the thought of spreading her thick thighs and watching our juices as they dripped from her hole.

“Your presence was required, and your absence did not go unnoticed. Instead of entertaining her, you were off playing with… are you listening to me?” Lucien ran his hand through his beard. It was a habit of his when he was irritated. I’d caught onto the last bit. Processing the information, I now knew that Prem, the North Sea’s Princess, was here.

“Yes, Lucien. My apologies. I’m tired from my… trip. I’m here now and need no further reminders,” I said dismissively. He may be king, but he was only standing in for me. I’d never bowed to him, but I was openly hostile and too tired to deal with this. Taking my hint, he made to leave but stopped and looked over his shoulder once more.

“I will take no more of this playing you’ve got on the side. Do as your king commands, give your kingdom what it needs, or I’ll have to step in.”

“I said I’d perform my duty. I’ll bed her, and she’ll grow round with my seed.”

He smiled then.

“But tread carefully, godfather. For soon, I will be your king,” I warned.

Our eyes locked briefly. Then he turned and left.

Your king.

I scoffed.

The nerve.