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“Adar,” he says, his voice floating over to me as he sinks lower and lower, his braid floating on the surface before sinking. “King Adaren of the Opal Court. Goodbye, princess.”
“Goodbye,” I whisper, shaking with cold, shock, and confusion.
What am I going to do now?
3
SELINA
It has to be a spell, I think as I hurry back to the town and the palace, my mind spinning. A spell he put on me to kiss him, to want him like that. That pleasure was overwhelming. It felt as if my body was coming apart.
But then why didn’t he use magic from the start, if that was what he wanted? It was as if he wanted to convince me to kiss him, to want it. To want him.
And Gods help me, I did. I do.
He’s beautiful—from the waist up. Even with those strange Fae ears that remind me of wild animals, turning him into a sort of feral creature, both frightening and amazing.
And his hard cock, rubbing against me… Why was that so fascinating? So arousing?
Was what he told me true? Can my kisses cure him?
What if he lied to me? He wanted me to kiss him. Maybe the kiss won’t lift his curse. If that part about the curse was true. How to sift through truth and lies?
They say the Fae can’t lie but what if that bit isn’t true, either?
One thing is for sure, I think as I pull my hood lower over my head and rush into the palace, heading for my room. I still don’t have the pendant, and the visit of my suitor is coming up fast.
“Selina!” My cousin Lily is waiting outside my door. “Where were you? I looked everywhere for you.”
“I was out for a walk to clear my head.” I open the door to my room and she follows me inside. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just…” She wrings her hands together. “I was worried. Ever since Mina fell sick and was taken away, I’m worried the same fate might befall us, too.”
“We’re okay, though. You feel okay, right?”
“Yes, yes, but…” She frowns. “Your gown is wet, Your shoes, too. And you have a smudge on your face.” She comes up to me and wipes her fingers over my cheek. “You smell like… muddy water.”
“Muddy water has a smell? I didn’t know that.” I move away from her and shiver. “I stepped too close to a man carrying buckets of water and he dropped one. I was right beside him. Got soaking wet.”
“I can see that. I’ll call the servants to run you a hot bath or you’ll catch your death.”
I let her take over, sitting down in my favorite chair by the window sill where my flowers are blooming in their pots, trying to let the tension seep out of me.
There is no way around it. I have to go back to the woods tomorrow, try to get my pendant back. I only have a few more days before Prince Iason arrives. Can’t ignore this. It’s important.
You just want to see the merman again, a voice whispers at the back of my mind.You want him to kiss you again, to touch you, you want to stand so close to him that you can feel his breath on your face, see those sky-blue eyes and the strong lines of his face, feel his strength as he holds you.
Feel how much he wants you.
Gods. Heat returns to my face and I put my hands on my cheeks. My palms are shockingly cold against the hot flush.Stop.
The only reason I will ever return to those woods, to that lake, is to retrieve my pendant and save my honor, ensure my future. That’s all there is to it.
The Fae are dangerous and the merman just proved it by manipulating me into touching him, kissing him. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get sick and die. Maybe I’m sick already. Maybe that would explain the heat in my cheeks.
Not because I’m attracted to a wicked, half-fish Fae trapped in a lake.
Never.
