Page 11 of Taken
The veil thins at water’s edge, and I follow it—through a seam of storm light, into a place that reeks of salt and chemicals.
An aquarium, they call it.
A mockery of the ocean.
But she is real.
Phoebe.
Phoebe Sewell.
Knee-deep in a pool, laughter spilling like sunlight as she coaxed a sleek sea lion to nuzzle her hip.
Golden skin, curves kissed by the sun, sand-colored hair tucked beneath a cap, crystal-clear blue eyes full of warmth.
And when she smiles? My runes start to burn.
The tide inside me shifts.
For the first time in months, power answers.
She doesn’t see me at first, cloaked in shadow, horns catching only faint reflections in the glass.
For a second I envy my brother, Alaric, for his use of illusion and disguise. I have no such power.
She will see me as I am, and my stomach clenches at the thought.
Will she think of me as a monster?
Will she scream at the sight?
My skin is tanned from the sun, my scales ripple beneath it, coming out only when I’m long in the water.
My horns are curved, and my tail is forked.
Raging tides, fathomless whirlpools, and majestic oceans are reflected in my irises. Sea storms and weather, the knowledge of all the seas connecting each universe—things I’ve studied for centuries echo inside my mind.
I am the Lord of Water, and I have earned that title through blood, sweat, and countless ages—not just inherited or seized.
My title is mine by right, and the idea it is being pried from my grasp is more than vexing.
It is unacceptable.
Magic, power, and determination flow through me in a current all its own, and I use that now to my advantage, increasing the water within the pool, using it to bring her to me.
It seems unfair, taking this creature from her home and using her as a means to an end.
But whoever said ‘life is fair’ was lying.
And when the currents stir, curling unnatural around her calves, she gasps and spins.
Those cerulean eyes of hers collide with mine—and I am undone.
“You—you can’t be back here!” Her voice trembles.
Not with fear. With knowing.
“No,” I reply softly, stepping from the shadows. “I shouldn’t be. But you called out to me,Telya.”
