Page 17 of Bride of the Sea King

“I don’t have magic,” I said.

“You do. You just haven’t learned how to access it.”

“And it will affect you the same way yours affects me?”

“More, probably.”

I eyed him in the mirror, looking for any evidence that he was lying to me. I didn’t see it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. “How do I access my magic?”

“You feel it. Here.” He tapped the center of my chest lightly. “Rayna is waiting outside our room to measure you for clothing. After that’s done, I’ll help you shift. That needs to happen before I teach you how to control your magic.”

“I’ll pass.”

He chuckled. “If you don’t learn how to shift, your body will eventually force it, and you’ll end up stuck on the tile with a tail for a few hours. If you shift back in these clothes, you’ll end up mostly naked and sprawled out on the floor like a feast created just for me.”

My flush returned. “Fine, I’ll let them measure me.”

“Probably a good call.”

“And you can teach me,” I said grudgingly.

“You’ll enjoy it more than you think.”

“That’s highly unlikely.”

Triton lowered his lips to my shoulder and kissed me there, lightly. He lingered, and warmth flooded my lower belly.

I shouldn’t have been so attracted to him.

I really shouldn’t.

The man wanted tobreed me, for crying out loud.

I stepped away from Triton, and he left the bathroom to give me privacy. I used the facilities, then took a few minutes to breathe through my overwhelm before I slipped outside.

He was waiting on the bed, his weight resting on his palms as he leaned back casually.

Like he wasn’t a gigantic, gorgeous mermonster king.

Like he was just a normal guy.

I averted my eyes quickly, going to the door and tugging it open. Rayna stood on the doorstep with another woman beside her. Both of them lifted their eyebrows when they saw me.

“Your hair is already so blue,” the stranger said. She was just as tall and strong as Triton’s sister, but her skin was dark and her hair was platinum blonde. Their facial shapes were so different, they obviously weren’t related.

“I thought your world did this to me.” I gestured to my hair. “Do merrae not have blue hair?” I’d seen a few people with wild-colored hair when we walked through the castle the day before, so I assumed it was an alt thing.

“Oh, no.” Rayna stepped past me, coming just inside the room. The other woman followed her, closing the door when she was through it. “Humans soak up much more of Alterrae’s magic than those born here. You’re the only ones with colorful hair. Ours is about the same as most humans.”

“Wow.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“It’ll only take a minute to measure you,” the woman with the white hair said. She gave a respectful nod in Triton’s direction before pulling out something that vaguely resembled a measuring tape. “The numbers don’t need to be exact. Sea silk adapts to its wearer. But you’re much smaller than any adult female merrae, so we don’t have much that fits you. And we definitely don’t have it in blue.”

“I don’t think I need more blue in my life at this point.” I lifted my arms at her instruction.

“Merrae always wear clothing in the color of their scales. It’s tradition,” Rayna explained. “Until we get yours done, this should work.” She put a small bundle of light green silk in my hand before she started measuring me.

“I don’t have scales.”

---