Page 37 of Bride of the Sea King

“I’m sure he is.”

“It’ll make me look suspicious if I check again.”

“You’re really not understanding the mate thing. Hewantsyou to look. Hewantsyou to give him a reason to get off that balcony and come down here with you.”

“You’re forgetting that our mate bond only exists because your group didn’t win the vote,” I pointed out.

“Even the most cold-hearted man, which Triton is not, will feel drawn to spend time with their mate. You’ll see.”

“Sure.”

“If you don’t believe me, just get in the water. I bet he’s at your side in less than a minute.”

“The castle’s more than a minute away from the water,” I countered.

“I’ll start counting when you run.”

I laughed.

But, after a little more consideration, I genuinelydidwant to know if he’d follow me in. And I really did want to have one of those plants, even if there was no point in using it yet. At least I’d be ready for when it was time.

So, I waited a beat.

And launched to my feet, taking off into the water as fast as I could. Which wasn’t incredibly fast, because I wasn’t a runner. But hey, I was trying.

Water splashed around me as I struggled to move quickly through it. It was only to my bare breasts when a pair of warm, gigantic hands caught my waist.

“What are you doing, Sweetheart?”Triton spoke into my mind, sounding slightly wary.“What did Joa say?”

“Fifty-two seconds!” Joa yelled.

I laughed again.

Triton pulled my back to his chest. “Fifty-two seconds for what?”

“I didn’t think you’d follow me into the water. Joa said you’d be here in less than a minute.” I glanced backward, having to lean a little to look past Triton’s gigantic arm. She was sitting up again, watching us. “You win!”

She grinned, feigning a bow before she lowered her back to the sand again.

“Why are you making bets about whether or not I’d follow you? Of course I would,” Triton said.

“I know you only mated with me because half your people lost a vote.”

“You are my mate, regardless of how it happened.”

I tried to push his hands off my waist, but Triton’s grip tightened.

When I gave up on escaping him and waded in deeper, he walked with me.

nine

ARIA

The water wentover my head, and I slowly let out a breath before forcing myself to inhale. Breathing water went against my instincts, and I still felt like I might drown, but I forced myself to stay still while my body adjusted as if it was completely natural.

It took me a few minutes to find the magic within me. When I located it, it took another minute or two before I figured out how to use it to make myself shift.

When my tail was firmly in place—and after I forced myself to look down and acknowledge that my lower half had been replaced by a gigantic fish—I tried once again to push Triton’s hands away.

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