Page 51 of The Kraken's Queen

“I’ll tell you everything until you command me to shut up and please you instead.” He smirks, and I can’t help but smile.

“Fine. Please be safe. We just got married. It would be terribly inconvenient if something happened to you. I don’t want to have to find a new husband.” If I don’t make a joke, I’ll cry. And I’ve cried too many times in my life.

It’s pathetic that I feel lost and on the verge of tears because Allarick is leaving. He’s my safety. Taking him away means battling through darkness alone.

“I will. I have someone I need to make it home to.” Allarick smiles, pulling me close. I lose hold of the sheet covering me as he pulls me into his arms, but I don’t care. “Because I will be coming home to you, Erin. If you ever miss me while I’m gone, play your harp. Let your music comfort you.”

Our lips meet in a hungry kiss, and I pray to whomever will listen that we will have many more. For now, I let Allarick soothe me the best way he knows how: with his lips.

Chapter 29

Allarick

Leaving Erin behind at the castle isn’t an easy decision. Leaving my wife after only one night together isn’t how I want to start off my marriage, yet here we are. In truth, I didn’t expect our wedding day to end with my tentacles in her sweet pussy and her sinful lips around my cock. It was the best present she could have given me. Her trust, body, and, if not love, something close to it.

Erin ruined me yesterday, and I loved every second of it.

I would feel better if Delmare stayed with his queen because I trust him the most, but the reality is that he is needed alongside me. I still made sure to leave Erin in good hands with Danika, a woman who has proven herself loyal and capable. She’s been a guard for a long time and knows how the kingdom runs. She can be an asset to Erin if my wife likes her.

My wife. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.

“My king, are we ready to leave?”Delmare asks.

I gather with five other guards at the front of the castle. To not cause any more alarm, I instructed my men to carry their normal weapons of choice and nothing more. Fear is a disease and, once bred, will ignite the entire town into chaos. I want to avoid spreading more, if at all possible.

“Almost. Everyone needs to put noise cancelers on. We cannot risk prolonged exposure to this unfamiliar sound. We must take precaution,” I say.

Delmare nods, disappearing back inside before coming out with a glass bowl full of silicone putty. Each guard breaks some up, rolling the putty between their fingers to create balls. It’s not the most effective noise canceler, but it will do the job for today.

A few of the guards mount their hippocamps, big steeds that will be essential to our mission. These creatures are similar to horses but are made for the water. Their hearing is better than ours, and they will alert us when we get close. I choose to swim; being able to move swiftly and freely through the water without the hindrance of a hippocamp is more appealing. With Delmare and me leading the way, we set off.

We journey through the rural part of the kingdom, not wanting to stir up any unnecessary concern from the civilians. Each mile away from the castle, I'm more acutely aware of Erin’s absence. Is she okay? Is she scared? How is she handling being thrown into a leadership role with no training?

A better man would have prepared his queen for the duties and responsibilities of the throne before thrusting her into it. Granted, we haven’t had much time in ourkingdom and even less since our wedding, but a plan should have been put into place before Erin was even brought to Mescos. I thought I planned for everything, but where it counts, I failed.

Despite this, I still trust Erin with my life to lead the kingdom while I’m away. She has all the qualities of a leader. Fair. Brave. Compassionate. She just needs to trust herself and her decisions.

Doing my best to push all thoughts of Erin behind, I focus my attention on what's ahead. I don’t get to enjoy the beauty of my kingdom, the playful sea creatures, or the temperature of the water. I strain my ears to hear. Nothing out of the ordinary, but we haven’t reached the outskirts of the kingdom yet.

We swim for two hours, stopping periodically to assess the sound situation and make sure the hippocamps aren’t acting strangely. We reach the edge of our border, where the ocean is darker and quieter. None of the infrastructure, like the coral houses, shops, or bubble homes, reside in this part of the water. There are caves occupied by merpeople who want a quieter life outside the kingdom.

The water is eerily calm today. None of the usual dwellers swim by. In fact, the ocean feels desolate. It’s true there’s never too much activity, but it feels like we are the only merpeople left in the ocean.

I’m not one to shy away from danger. As the king, my whole life has been filled with danger around every corner. It seems odd to say you get used to the feeling of knowing your enemies are one lucky shot from taking you out, but if I start each day fearing for my life, I doubtI would get out of bed. That said, I still swim into the dark ocean with caution.

We travel in silence for the next hour. It’s only broken up when the hippocamp to my left huffs. I don’t think anything of it until another hippocamp does the same thing. Then, as one, the hippocamps stop and shriek. They jerk back, nearly knocking their riders off. The riders desperately try to calm them, but to no avail. They jerk and twist in obvious distress.

“Take them back!” I roar over their cries. Delmare barks my order, getting the two on hippocamps to go back. Watching the guards try to tame their distressed water horses almost makes me miss the way the guard next to me tenses.

It happens in a blink of an eye. I turn in time to see the guard’s eyes gloss over. Phyns’s emerald eyes change to a milky white. The hand poised on the hilt of his sword drops, and he swims forward as if being led by an invisible hand.

“Phyns!” I call, hoping it will break through whatever spell he’s under, but Phyns doesn’t stop. He doesn’t even falter or acknowledge he’s heard me. Before the guard can get much further, I lunge for him. My tentacle wraps around his arm, but Phyns doesn’t seem to notice.

“Noise cancelers. Everyone! Now!” I yell, taking my own putty and cramming it into Phyns’s ears. Only then does the guard blink, eyes slowly going back to normal.

“My king?” his voice shakes, looking back at the other guards staring at him with various degrees of grim expressions.

That’s when I hear it.

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