Page 80 of Bride of the Sea King

I ran too—but I ran into the water, instead of toward her. It didn’t take much effort to throw the few selkies who were nearby much deeper into the water.

She reached me as the sea washed over my toes, and I threw the water over me, envisioning a shield.

She swore viciously as she crashed into my water and fell to the sand.

I turned back toward her. Everything was spinning around me so much that I nearly lost my balance.

If my magic snapped, I’d pass out. And Eila could kill me if I did.

So, I needed to figure out how to end the threat. Fast. And considering I didn’t know the first thing about fighting, that seemed impossible. All the fantasy books I’d read about wars and battles hadnotprepared me for the reality of a furious, badass woman who wanted me dead.

She got to her feet and rammed my shield with her shoulder.

The amount of magic it took to keep it upright flared.

I saw three selkies run up the beach again. Significantly less. Triton was almost done.

There was no choice but to send another wave after them, though when I did, I had to brace myself against the shield I’d created to stay upright.

“We need half of this kingdom!” Eila shouted, fury and desperation mingling in her eyes as she prepared to ram my shield again. She must’ve noticed how badly it affected me before. “We can’t protect ourselves as well as you can. We need the fucking throne!”

She pulled back and barreled into my shield again. It wavered, but I managed to keep it upright.

“What do you think will happen if you kill me?” I called back. “The merrae willdecimateyou. Your people already sat in safety while ours were massacred. Triton already made me his queen. Killing me now will only start another war. If you’re in danger, you need to tell us so we can help you!”

The woman gave another bellow of fury before she flew into my shield again. It cracked, and she slammed into me. We crashed to the sand together, her chest heaving against mine. Everything was still spinning, but I met her eyes head-on.

That damn crown was still against my bun, putting pressure on the strands as it slid toward the sand. By some miracle, it had stayed in place.

I had enough power left to throw a spear of my own together, but I wasn’t going to use it until she actually tried to kill me.

“The merrae won’t fight for us,” she snarled, but the panic in her eyes was unmistakable.

She’d heard what I said, and she knew I was right.

Or at least partially right. I wasn’t entirely confident what would happen if I died, but I was positive Triton could wipe out the selkies if he wanted to. And if they killed me, he would most definitely want to.

“Almost half of us used to be human. We don’t have the same grudge as the rest of them. We would rather work with you instead of risking our families’ lives,” I said. “Even the pureblooded merrae are tired of war, Eila. They’re just trying to recover.”

I saw it in her eyes, the moment she decided I was right.

Something flickered there—before a massive tentacle of water ripped her off of me, throwing her back.

Triton’s arms were on my waist a heartbeat later, hauling me to my feet.

seventeen

ARIA

Water ran over my skin,and I knew Triton was using it to check me for any sign of injury. I was only a little bruised, so he wasn’t going to find anything. My nosebleed was from overexertion, not an actual wound.

“Don’t hurt her,” I said quickly.

He adjusted my crown to center it on my head, fury burning in his eyes. “She could’vekilledyou.”

“I know. But you can’t kill her.”

“Like hell I can’t.”

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