Page 30

Chapter Ten

Down, down, down.

The pressure of the water as he dove welcomed him into its long-awaited embrace. The rough surf on the surface didn’t reach these depths, and for that he was grateful. He may possess extraordinary strength when it came to swimming, but he lacked his full abilities while forced to remain in bipedal form.

His eyes adjusted to the dark waters more slowly than he could have wished. He was miles from his city, the underwater kingdom he strove to return to. There would be no getting there quickly, and he wasn’t even sure whether his human form would grant him passage through the kingdom’s magical borders. The extent of his curse had always eluded him, partly because, until tonight, he’d never had the opportunity to return.

The reef came and went, the gentle lull of the currents soothing caresses over his hard-working mortal muscles. He’d considered shedding his jeans, but decided he might need them when he returned to land.

That was never part of the plan until Niera came along.

Alistair knew he needed to follow this path, find the sea fae who created his curse, and make things right. Before he met Niera, he anticipated returning to his family and rebuilding the life he’d been working so hard to achieve before his banishment.

Now, he wanted the curse gone and Niera beside him. If that meant he lost his fins permanently, he’d gladly make the sacrifice. It was his decision, hischoice. Not something forced on him.

He twisted in the water to peer toward the surface, but he’d descended too far to see anything. Thankfully, the sea fae remained in their underwater caverns tonight, their unnerving magic undetected in the water around him.

As he rolled in the water to continue his journey, he caught sight of something shimmering white to his left. He froze, vulnerable in these open depths, until the approaching figure became more defined.

A flood of relief struck him as he recognized Marin, one of his father’s trusted servants, swimming up to meet him.

The merman hadn’t changed much over the last few decades, except for the length of his white mane and a few added creases around his eyes and mouth. He drew up in front of Alistair, looked him over with large, soulful black eyes, and held up his webbed hands in a gesture of welcome. His tail swayed lazily, the ribbon-like fins rippling.

“After all this time, you come.”

Alistair nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, sputtered as water poured in. He didn’t choke on the water itself, his mortal body merely reacted to the invasion. On the second attempt to open his mouth in reply, something inside his body clicked in recognition.

“Yes.”

The word came easily. Naturally. As if he’d never left the sea. A little rusty, as proven by the harsh rasp on the final consonant, but clear.

“I…had trouble getting…here…before.”

Marin nodded, sympathy filling his large eyes. “I have come to meet you every full moon once we understood the curse. Until tonight, I’ve had to resign myself to delivering the same sad news to your parents. There will be much joy when you arrive home.”

Alistair flicked his hand toward his legs. “I must find the…sea fae who…cast the curse.”

Marin’s lips stretched in an inhuman grin. “The witch has been kept a prisoner within the palace walls, heavily guarded until your return. Come the morning, all will be feasting in celebration.”

Alistair managed a smile, but his heart ached at Marin’s words. How was he going to break the news to his parents that he didn’t plan to stay? How was he supposed to turn his back on his duties once he regained his true form?

How could he in good conscience celebrate his return when he knew, deep in his soul, he would do all he could to go back to Niera?

He had until tomorrow evening to return to her if there was any hope of deflecting her curse.

“Alistair? You look…unhappy.”

Alistair shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. “There’s much I need to discuss with Father. We shouldn’t waste time.”

Marin bowed his head. “Of course. Follow me.”

* * *

The kingdom boasted allits familiar glory from his memories. Gold accented every spire of every building, leading up to the magnificent turrets of the castle. Merfolk swam along, curiosity holding their attention as Marin and Alistair passed. He kept his eyes averted, not wishing to waste another moment to reach his parents.

Instead of bringing him home, Marin led him straight to the castle doors, where two guards eyed him cautiously before granting them entrance.

“Come,” Marin said. Alistair did as he was bid. He had no other option. His time was not his to spend.