Page 7 of The Siren & the Sea

"Very well," Maura said, plopping down onto her nest of pillows. "Anything else we should discuss?"

"Ah, there is one other…custom we should account for." Anxiety tingled at the pit of his stomach at what he was about to tell her. "I will say first that we do not need to do this if you aren't comfortable with it."

Maura looked at him incredulously for a long moment before nodding.

"A Chosen couple typically shares a bedroom for the duration of the rites." There. He said it. He braced himself for the sting of rejection. If a hand around her waist offended her human sense of modesty, then surely this ask would be out of the question.

Maura's eyes went wider than he'd yet seen them, but she didn't say anything. He wished he could still read her thoughts. Then, she blinked, closed her eyes as if gathering her fortitude, and said, "Alright."

"Alright?"

"That's what I said. But we aren't actually sleeping together."

"Obviously," Anatolius said, nodding.

"Obviously," Maura said, as if she was trying to convince herself.

Anatolius' thoughts quickly pivoted away from anticipating rejection to the reality that he would be here in this room with her, alone. All night. Gods what had he gotten himself into. Here he was, his very soul calling out to her, longing to know her, to hold her, and she wouldn't have the slightest idea. But nothing came before her comfort and safety; he had to focus on that.

"Do you need anything to be comfortable here? Galana will be by shortly with some food, but other than that, what can I do to make you feel at home?"

"Feel at home?" Maura chuckled. "I'm at the bottom of the sea. But I don't need anything, thank you for asking."

"Very well. I will return later. Thank you for helping me to keep you safe, Maura. I am…truly sorry we are in this situation." Anatolius turned to go, his mind a tumult of worry. He prayed to the old gods that he was strong and clever enough to get them both out of this unscathed.

Chapter 7

Maura watched Anatolius leave,and tried not to think about how he would be back soon to sleep in her room with her. The muscles of his back were…sort of comically well-defined. All that swimming, she supposed. She couldn't help but flick her eyes a bit lower just as he stepped out of the doorframe, and a rush of arousal pulsed through her at the sight of his toned rear and massive thighs.

She had to pull herself together. She was here to avoid being murdered, not to ogle her rescuer. Captor. Both.

Maura didn't know what to do. Logically, she knew she was stuck here. She did believe Anatolius that he intended to help her escape. He did seem to want to keep her safe. Why else would he have had a reason to save her right after her fall? She also strongly suspected trying to escape on her own would get her killed. She believed what Ana had said about his siren magic allowing her body to withstand the long journey to the surface.

As desperate as she was to run, she wasn't a fool. She would bide her time, and if Ana's plan to get her out wasn't materializing, she would take matters into her own hands. Rushing into an escape wouldn't serve her well.

A soft rap on her door interrupted her thoughts. Galana entered a few moments later carrying a tray. Steam wafted from one of the dishes, and Maura’s stomach instantly grumbled in response.

"Your dinner, princess," the young, lavender siren said, and Maura must have visibly recoiled at the title. Galana laughed good-heartedly. "That's what you are now, may as well get used to it!"

Maura would certainly not get used to it. She felt a twinge of sadness and a bit of guilt—whoever Anatolius' true Chosen was should be here, using that title, charming his fathers, sleeping in this room.

Maura stood and walked to meet Galana where she had set the tray down on the vanity. Only a few of the dishes looked familiar, but everything smelled incredible–even the small plate of what appeared to be seaweed and the tiny bowl of something with tentacles.

"I hope everything is to your liking, princess," Galana said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," Maura answered, sitting down on the small bench. Galana was just about to turn to go when a thought occurred to Maura. It was past her lips before she could think better of it.

"Galana, why are outsiders not allowed in Vathós?"

Galana froze with a look of surprise lighting her eyes.

"Oh, uh…" Galana hesitated.

"I am sorry for the abrupt question, but I feel like I need to know if this is going to be my home now." Those last few words nearly caught in her throat.

Galana hesitated for a moment, worry clouding her lovely blue features, before she spoke. "There was a time when we were plagued by human poachers. They hailed from Illathir, and they used their illusions to trap our people and steal their scales. Sirens…do not survive the loss of their scales."

Galana's words wrought horror in Maura's heart. She was sure her disgust was written on her face.

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