Page 67 of The Hunted

Mav, however, had become so accustomed to tuning out the advisor, even when it was most important, that a lot of the time he just nodded and made appropriate noises during a conversation to make the merman think he was responding.

“Mmm,” Mav said.

“Including her staying here, and you returning?”

“Pardon?”

He had managed to hear just enough of that to turn his attention away from the women dancing in the courtyard to the advisor who always stayed a good fin-length away from Mav. Even when they walked and conversed, as was the advisor’s favorite way to chat, the man never forgot to give the Emerald prince his proper respect.

Including space.

He wasn’t sure how it worked here—a lot about the customs of the Blu Sea royals seemed different than theirs upon first glance—but back home, never would someone who didn’t share royal blood stand directly beside or walk ahead of someone in line to the throne. Never mind someone who sat upon it.

Mav had adjusted his own expectations while being here. Not that he particularly wanted to. Soon enough, he would be back in his own lands where everything was exactly as it should be.

Mav had certainly been given prominence and recognition of his status while in the Blu Sea colony, and he appreciated that. But he was just about finished with his time here and looked forward to the next storm so that he could complete his mating with the princess. Then, he could take Arelle home.

With him.

Where she belonged.

Of course, he’d not considered a lot of factors about the abrupt changes happening within the ranks of royals within the Blu Sea kingdom. His advisor’s decision to remind him of the fact that now Arelle was the only remaining daughter in the Sea that could take her father’s place had Mav’s attention.

Unfortunately.

“Why would she not return with me?” he demanded. “Such a thing hasn’t been suggested.”

The advisor—Vane—sighed and tipped his head to the side in that way of his that always managed to annoy Mav to no end. He only did that when he was readying himself to speak like the prince was still a child with little to no mind of his own. That time in his life had long passed, and he didn’t intend to return to it.

His twenty-two years may not have been any match for the other man’s over forty, but he was neither foolish nor stupid. And he hated to be spoken to like he was, but especially by someone who wasn’t even fit to dress him, frankly.

“The last sister that left the colony with a mate—Sarha, I believe her name is—never returned. Not even for a visit. Not even when demanded. From what I understand, the woman has a handful of children now, quite likes her new place, and has told anyone who would listen that she would rather eat her tail than come home to her father.”

Harsh, he thought.

But unimportant.

“What does that have to do with my mate?”

“She isn’t your mate yet,” Vane pointed out, although carefully.

They were all careful with Mav.

Sometimes too careful.

If he were honest, though, he’d say he preferred them careful than careless. One required less work and violence from him. Not that he minded getting his hands a bit bloody for his personal cause.

“Explain your point,” Mav demanded, his gaze cutting back to the dancing merwomen who were now spiraling higher in the courtyard with colorful strips of cloth twisting through the water with them. “And then I can get back to my day, yes?”

“My point is—the people of the colony, they’re not going to want to see their last princess leave. Certainly not when the other one won’t even return. Seems their father is even more … difficult than yours is on his good days.”

“As I have been told, kings earn their right to be however they please.”

“And you will have your day soon, Prince.”

Right.

He tended not to forget that.