Marked by the Sea (Monsters’ Mates #1)

Chapter 16

Amora

Protective arms held me close—too close. I couldn’t breathe. Pushing against the barrier, he barely budged before dropping back into place. Twisting my neck, I noticed Rowan’s blue hair had fallen over his eyes. They had darkened to a deep sea hue, and it was only after the slight distraction from my situation that I realized we were shaking—he was shaking. Not with fear, but with anger.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but give me a pass this once. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

“Row.” My voice didn’t quite sound like mine. It was quavering, strained, like it would sound before a heavy cry. Rowan, my faerie, didn’t look at me. His eyes remained on the King, as if he were still a threat I needed protecting from.

“Did he…?”

“No.” I had every right to be scared, but I was so comforted by their presence. I knew he couldn’t hurt me anymore. I just wished my body felt the same way. My knees knocked together, my thighs jiggling as I trembled. Rowan’s hands squeezed my sides tightly, as if he were afraid I’d disappear. The kraken sighed, and tentacle tips gently poked and prodded my cheeks, shoulder, neck, and body. When he had done a thorough job and found whatever he was looking for, they disappeared, and he stepped away from us and toward Riftan. I didn’t like that he was leaving. It left me feeling bereft. But it was all in my head. I still had Rowan.

My gaze slid over to the King. His tail folded beneath him in their version of kneeling. Next, purple tentacles resembling the size of tree trunks flowed out across the cave floor. Hexon was big, but never that big. My eyes must have been deceiving me. He looked… bigger.

A clam clip held his hair back, the ends hanging off his shoulders. His red eyes never caused as much nervousness as they did now. The way he looked at Riftan’s relative made it clear he’d love nothing more than to gut and then filet him. My scarred monster hadn’t looked at me. As soon as he’d gotten there, he went straight to my attacker. Curvy black hair slicked back, his horns curved proudly from his head, leaving the King’s figure half in shadow. I had seen them before, held on to them, but now, as I watched him stand above the man who had hurt me and who intended to do worse, they seemed more menacing. The ridges along their length caught in what sunlight we had left. Strength oozed from him. He was barely holding on to his self-control, and I knew they needed me, maybe more than I needed them right now.

“This is treason. I will have your head,” the King spat.

“I could say the same for you, Lucien.” Those were the first words out of Riftan’s mouth since arriving. The merman below him shook his head and laughed.

“Until you’ve bedded the Princess of the North Seas, you are not my king, and you’ve attacked me,” Lucien replied smugly. The pompous glint in his green eyes dared Riftan to deny it.

“No one here will confirm your story,” Hexon growled.

“My word is as good as law, kraken.” Lucien puffed out his chest as if he had them beat.

“No one will hear it.” Riftan hadn’t looked away once from his uncle.

“Is that a threat, nephew?” Lucien’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s an oath,” Riftan swore.

“You’re challenging me? For pussy?” Lucien asked incredulously.

“For my mate. And there is no challenge. You die tonight.”

“You would kill one of your own? For a human?! My life is worth a million of hers!” More tentacles darted forward, wrapping around his arms and holding him back by his shoulders.

“She’s mine. And you dared to sneak in here like a conniving eel and touch what’s mine. You’ve coveted your king’s mate. But you’ve always been like that, haven’t you, uncle?” Riftan taunted. Lucien fought against the tentacles, and my kraken hands held the trident to its rightful owner. From my angle, I could see the King open his hand, and I knew he was trying to call it like he’d done earlier.

“Hold tight! He’s trying to make it return to him,” I yelled.

“Shh… watch,” Rowan cooed in my ear. Sure enough, Riftan was still holding it.

“It’s mine,” the King growled threateningly.

“It has a new owner now, and the Sea a new king.” As if in response, the trident glowed brightly.

“What are you planning to do now? Take her home?” Lucien scoffed.

“There is a way. We all know it,” Rowan interjected.

“The myth? You’re risking the safety of our people and that of the creatures in our sea for a myth?” Lucien’s eyes looked like they’d pop out of his head.

“Does it work?” Riftan asked. Hexon stilled by his side. He was silent, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. I knew he disagreed with whatever they were discussing.

“And what will I get? Why should I tell you? I’m going to die anyway.”

“I’ll make your death quick in exchange.”

Silence stretched between them. Lucien stared into Riftan’s eyes. Did he not think he would keep his word?

“Take her beneath the waves. When the warm waters turn cold, a kiss of fate will make her like us.”

He lost me at ‘beneath the waves.’ There was nothing they could do to make me get in the water. If the possibility of land being just around the corner hadn’t gotten me to swim, ‘being like them’ wasn’t going to cut it.

“He’s lying,” Hexon insisted, but when Lucien said nothing, he continued. “You’ll drag her down and drown her to death.”

I whimpered. My fear had come to life.

“Where did he touch her?” Riftan’s voice was low and threatening.

“There was a gash on the back of her head, bruises on her cheeks, her face and back scraped, and bruises along her neck. Our girl put up one hell of a fight,” Hexon praised.

The trident went flying, and Lucien caught it—with his shoulder. I covered my mouth, muffling a gasp. He screamed as Hexon called it back; blood spurted out as he launched it again. This time, it hit his tail. The would-be king hunched forward, his grunts of pain satisfyingly sick. It was on repeat: the squelch of the three-pronged spear as it was pulled from his body, the oozing of blood, and the wet thud of it hitting its target. When the noises stopped, Riftan stood before him.

“Any last words?” Riftan asked.

Lucien turned to me and spat. Riftan’s fist connected with the side of his face, and his head jerked in the opposite direction.

“Do it!” he yelled.

Riftan opened his fingers, his claws pointed, and then he slashed Lucien’s neck. The flesh split, and blood gushed. The four of us witnessed him clawing at his neck as tentacles receded. It was horrifying watching his eyes widen as more blood than I had ever seen in my life spurted from his throat. More spewed from his mouth when he opened it. It was as if time stood still again, this time to his disadvantage—not mine. He struggled until his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell forward, his body twitching until finally, he went still.

There was nothing but the crashing waves as all eyes fell on Riftan.

“What are we going to do with his remains?” Hexon inched forward.

“Let it drift at sea,” Rowan spat.

“No. He doesn’t deserve to return home. We’ll burn him and bury him on land. He’ll never be at rest.”

For the first time since they’d found me beneath Lucien, Riftan looked at me. I forgot how to breathe as those piercing blues finally focused on me. Rowan’s grip on me finally eased.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” I whispered on an inhale.

The faerie stood and left me. He walked until he stood beside the old king.

“We’ll have to do it tomorrow. I don’t have what’s needed,” he murmured.

Riftan hadn’t said a word to me. He searched my face, pausing on every scratch and bruise before lowering to my neck and doing the same. I wanted him to rush to me and hold me in his arms. But he did the opposite, turning from me and heading toward the sea.

“Riftan!” I called after him as panic seized me. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me. The distance had felt too great. What was he waiting for?

“Can I touch you?”

“Are you asking… permission?” I would have laughed if I had it in me. I hadn’t intended to throw what they had done to me in their faces, but I wasn’t going to correct it. They had done terrible things to me, and I had liked it. It hadn’t left me feeling as gross as that one experience with Lucien had. He closed his eyes, and Hexon sucked in air through his teeth. Rowan remained silent but held his head high, as he should. He was the only one who hadn’t forced himself on me.

“Yes,” Riftan rasped.

“Please. Please don’t leave.”