Page 66 of Bride of the Sea King

I lost the fight with myself and set my hand down on her bare back. I was addicted to her, and it was an obsession I had no desire to be free of.

But if I was going to make sure she was happy with me, I needed to know more about who she was before I brought her to Alterrae.

“What were you studying in college?” I asked.

She lifted her head, surprise on her face. “You remember me saying that?”

“I remember everything you’ve said.”

She nodded. “I was majoring in accounting. It was a terrible fit for my personality, and I struggled with every single class, but I wanted a safe career. Not having money was stressful, especially after my mom died and I didn’t have anyone to fall back on.”

“What would you have studied, if you didn’t have to worry about a job?”

Her lips curved slightly. “Literature. I was the biggest book snob I knew, but I think you’ve officially defeated me. Your library like the mermaid version of the Beast’s.”

I chuckled. “The Beast?”

“From Beauty and the Beast. It’s a human fairytale. I have a few retellings in my personal library that you can read.” She yawned and stretched, making my body ache more for her. “Where would you be if you weren’t the king? What would you want to do?”

“I have no idea. I’ve always been the king.”

“Not when you were a kid, right?”

“I didn’t have the throne, but I was the first merrae born with blue scales in nearly a thousand years. My fate was decided on the day of my birth.”

She frowned. “Wow. I’m sorry.”

“Are you really apologizing to me for the fact that I was born with strength?”

“No. I’m apologizing because I can’t imagine not having the freedom to decide who and what you wanted to be. There are a lot of shitty things about Earth, but at least where I’m from, I get to decide my own fate. Or I got to, at least. Before.”

“Do you resent me for taking that future away from you?”

Aria shook her head. “I was in shock, and then I was kind of pissed. But now that I’m starting to wrap my head around everything, I think I understand. It helps that I wasn’t in love with the way my life was going.”

Relief rolled through me like a wave. “You understand why I took you?”

“Mmhm. Want the summary?”

“Of course.”

She cleared her throat. “Once upon a time, a lonely, sexy mermonster king suddenly had the opportunity to decide his own future for the first time in his life. So, he rigged a vote and went to Earth to steal a human bride.” She points to herself. “Now that he’s started determining his own future, he’s realizing that he's had the power to tell his people to fuck off all along.”

I snorted.

“Wait. There’s more.” She held up a finger, telling me to pause. “Will the king embrace the destiny he’s making for himself, or will he pressure his new bride into breeding for the sake of his kingdom? Everything is at stake—but especially, his heart.”

“You have a true talent,” I drawled. “The world of human literature suffers without you in it.”

“It really does.” She lowered her head back to my chest. “What do you think?”

She didn’t clarify, but she didn’t need to. We both knew she was talking about her summary. “I think your king is far too smart to attempt to pressure his bride into having his child. Which he proved by helping her find a plant that would prevent pregnancy.”

“Myking?”

“Yes, Sweetheart. Yours.”

“I kind of like the sound of that.”

---