Page 10 of Taken By the Alien Siren King

I fingered the crown of shark teeth and shells hanging from my belt. Not proper for a king to go without his crown, but I wasn’t about to risk losing it in combat. Not that it mattered much now. If Nedaris had truly sided with the Knights, my crown was the least of what I stood to lose.

Behind me, I heard Emme stir in the hut. Her heartbeat had changed rhythm—faster now, no longer deep with sleep. The sound called to me, pulling at something deep in my chest. I’d known it the moment she stepped into my tent at the summit, felt it in the thrum of her heartbeat that matched the rhythm of my own, the way her voice vibrated at a frequency that hummed in my bones.

My mate. My queen.

With the worst fucking time possible.

I ran a hand through my hair, still damp from my pre-dawn swim. The water had done nothing to clear my head or coolthe heat that flared every time I thought of her pressed against that palm tree, her lips hungry on mine. She was infuriating. Fascinating. Utterly fuckable.

A rustle of fabric announced her approach. I didn’t turn, letting her think she’d caught me unaware. Let her have that small victory.

“If you ever,” she said, her voice hard with loathing as she stepped beside me, “under any circumstance, use your power to force me into anything again, I will find a way to hurt you that makes death seem like a kindness.”

I glanced down at her. She stood a few feet away, now-dry uniform hugging curves that had haunted my dreams all night. Her gray eyes burned with fury, her jaw set in determination. The morning light caught in her blonde hair, making it shine like polished gold. I wanted to run my fingers through it, to taste the curve of her neck, to?—

I inclined my head, accepting both the threat and the boundary. It hadn’t been very… kingly of me to use that power on her. Not like that. But her questions—her demands—had scraped against wounds I wasn’t ready to prod.

“Good.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Now, where are we going?”

I offered my arm, a peace gesture she pointedly ignored. “Stillwater Hold. It’s a frontier outpost at the edge of the Delovia Ridge where it drops into the abyss. If anyone knows what’s happening in my kingdom, it’s Commander Vigas.”

Emme’s jaw ticked, but she didn’t say anything as she stomped and kicked into the water. I followed, feeling the change ripple through my body as soon as I was submerged. Scales erupted along my spine and legs, fusing into the fringed tail that would propel us through the water.

Emme watched the transformation with undisguised fascination, though she tried to hide it behind a scowl. I swam toher, pulling her close to create the air bubble around her head. Her eyes met mine, still angry, still wary.

I hummed my song, letting the vibrations shape the water around her face. “Ready?”

She nodded, and we began our journey.

The waters around my island were clear and warm, teeming with life. Schools of brightly colored fish darted around us, curious about the strange pair invading their territory. A ray glided beneath us, its wings undulating in graceful waves. In any other circumstance, I would have shown Emme the hidden wonders of my kingdom—the coral gardens that bloomed in impossible colors, the ancient ruins where my ancestors had first learned to shape water with song.

Instead, we swam with purpose, putting distance between us and the island that was no longer safe.

Emme remained furious every time I summoned fresh air for her. Each stop brought us face to face, my hands cupping her cheeks, my mouth a breath away from hers as I hummed the song that kept her alive. I could feel her pulse jump, see the dilation of her pupils that betrayed her body’s response to my proximity. But she kept her eyes cold, her expression closed.

But there was no time for extended explanations or negotiations. We needed to reach Stillwater Hold before nightfall.

Bringing Emme carried its own risks. Vigas was as gruff and unforgiving as the frontier he patrolled, with little patience for outsiders. And if word of the coup had reached him, I couldn’t be certain of his allegiance.

Nedaris. My thoughts circled back to my brother as we swam through a narrow channel between two towering rock formations. His disapproval of the summit had been expected—he’d made no secret of his disdain for my diplomatic efforts with the other rulers of Sanos. But this level of betrayal?

Surely not. Nedaris was rigid and disapproving, yes. He’d fallen in with the Knights during his own time spent on the frontier and embraced their belief in Khadian superiority. But to orchestrate an attack that could have killed not just me, but every ruler on that beach? To risk war with multiple kingdoms?

We’d been swimming for nearly an hour when I felt the first disturbance in the currents, a shift in the water’s song. Something moved in the distance. A shadow, too large and too coordinated to be natural. I pulled Emme closer, changing course to avoid whatever lurked ahead.

But the shadow changed direction, too. Following us.

Shit.

I scanned our surroundings. More shadows appeared to our left. Above us, the dark shapes of ships cut across the sunlight filtering through the surface.

We were being herded.

I pulled Emme closer, refreshing her air one last time. Her eyes widened as she sensed my tension, her hands gripping my arms.

“What’s happening?” she mouthed.

There was no time to explain. No time for anything but a desperate gamble.

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