Page 72 of Oceansong
“You and my brother are truly two of a kind, even down to your threats,” Kaden muttered.
Angie swallowed hard. So, Adrielle was worriedshewould hurt Kaden. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.” She addressed Kaden next. “What am I supposed to tell the King and Queen?”
“You never found me.” He took her hand and squeezed it.
“Whatever happens from this, it’s on you.” Adrielle set her jaw. She moved her hand out of his and ducked underwater.
“What did she say to you?” Angie asked. She had to know if she had anything to worry about.
Kaden rubbed his cheeks. “She believes you may have clouded my mind. Brainwashed me.”
Angie jerked her head back, skin tingling and nerves firing icy shock through her system. The merfolk would really believe that humans had mind control powers?
It made sense to her that they were as much of a mystery to them as the merfolk were to the humans. Somehow, it made them seem more sympathetic to her. There might be hope yet, that if the two races could truly understand each other then a truce might be reached.
Kaden continued. “She asked me to look out for myself, that your people will show no mercy on me. As my parents would not.” A heavy sigh from him. “She also offered to tell my parents and the queendom that you altered my mind.”
“And what did you say?” Angie narrowed her eyes at him. Some feet away from her, a wave crashed on the shore, and she flinched. Her clothes hung heavy and wet from her skin.
“That I’m with you because I want to be.” He sat up, his back ramrod straight with resolve.
Angie pursed her lips.
So much trouble just to be together. She could part ways with him, as she originally planned. Make it easy on herself and find a man whose people weren’t actively murdering her colleagues and friends.
Kaden deserved better, too. The thought of him putting everything on the line for her made her heart ache.
“Is this worth it? You could be exiled. I could lose everything I worked so hard for. I could lose you.”
Kaden’s facial muscles went slack. “Is it for you?”
Was it worth it for her? She had to think about her answer for a moment.
“I’m not sure,” she finally croaked. “I want to say yes. I don’t want to stop seeing you.”
“Then don’t.” His voice was soft, and he laid a trembling hand on her thigh.
“But knowing what we both could lose. I wish it wasn’t this way.” Tian, she had never thought love should be hard. But this was hard. At the same time, she was drawn to him over and over, and didn’t want to let him go.
“I wish it wasn’t either. I told you I would keep trying. And I will.” His grip on her thigh tightened to a firm grasp. “I’ll show you that being with me is worth it.”
“Then when are you going to talk to the King and Queen? They have the power to stop this, right?” Her tone grated like sandpaper and came out sharper than she intended. “Can’t you do something? You’re a prince; you must have some kind of power.”
She didn’t regret what she said; she was tired of waiting for Kaden to appeal to the mer-king and mer-queen.
“I do, but anything I rule or decree must be executed by the current rulers, and speaking of the King and Queen, I tried. Yesterday.” His voice volume dropped a notch. “I approached them myself, without waiting for their sentinels to give me the go-ahead. When I arrived, two sentinels blocked me, told that they were not seeing anybody else.”
“But you’re their son.” Angie folded her arms across her chest. “How could they not want to talk to you? Aren’t they concerned at all?”
“I suppose they were mad that I’ve refused to find a lifemate. Though, the sentinels then told me they held court for the day, and they were not to allow anyone else in. So, I went for the doors myself. They blocked me. I went back later, and the King and Queen were nowhere to be found. Not in the throne room. Nor the bedchambers. Only for me to learn from Cyrus that they’d left to visit another part of the queendom.” The more he spoke, the more his jaw clenched, his words emerging like spittle.
Angie pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “I just, I don’t know. Where is this going to go? Do we even have a future together?”
“I could ask you the same. If I commit myself to you, I am yours for life. I understand humans don’t necessarily operate that way.” Kaden gave her a pointed look.
Angie shrugged, defeated. “What choice do we have? Run away like teenagers?”
