Page 2 of A Warrior's Heart

I grinned. If anyone was sassy, it was the male before me.

“I just…” Troy touched the wooden door. “I miss Lor. It’s strange for him not to be here.”

Troy and Lorcan had been inseparable since they were toddlers. Lorcan’s absence had torn a hole in the way of things. Everything felt off. The reminder of him—such as his old room—still stung even years later.

“I miss him as well,” I said. “When I visit him next, would you like to accompany me?”

Troy beamed. “I’d love to!” His smile was like the sun breaking through dark water, casting rays of light into a murky abyss. However, it soon fell as a frown took its place. “But perhaps not.”

Humans frightened Troy, and he avoided traveling to the surface because of it.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to change out of these old rags and meet the king for dinner.”

“Need help?” Troy arched a thin brow and swayed his slender body.

My body stirred.

Gods, why did I feel this way around him? He was only twenty-three years of age, and I was… well, much older.

Once a merman—or mermaid—reached adulthood, their aging slowed. For every ten years that passed, we only physically aged one. I had the appearance of a male in his early thirties, but I was closer to one-hundred and forty.

Troy was still just a boy.

“I can manage on my own.” I turned away from him.

“If you change your mind, let me know.”

I knew if I looked at him right then, he’d appear every bit as mischievous as he sounded.

Over the past year, Troy had dropped hints that he was interested in me, though I wasn’t certain if he was serious about the advances. He was a flirt. More than that, he loved attention.

Trust in others was something he lacked, however, and the flirting never went further than a few verbal exchanges and giggles.

In my bedchamber, I tugged off my leather armor before pulling on a clean pair of trousers and a cotton shirt, adding a belt to hold my dagger. Other daggers were hidden at each ankle. I could never be too careful, especially as of late with some of the merfolk rebelling against their king.

King Triton’s chamber was in another wing of the palace. Moving down the hall, I passed the grand staircase and turned down another corridor. Tapestries hung on the walls, showing scenes of sea battles. Triton had sunk many ships in his lifetime. He controlled the tides using the conch he wore around his neck, and many of his valued riches had come from attacking sailors at sea. Prior to the treaty with the humans, anyway, which stated neither side could incite violence against the other.

Outside his door, I knocked and waited.

“Enter,” a cold voice said from the other side.

I stepped into the room and did a quick survey of the area, checking corners and glancing at the floor-to-ceiling windows and the view of the palace gardens beyond them. There were many windows in the palace, showing the sea outside the magical dome. Troy liked to perch near the window and watch the fish swim past.

Now’s not the time to think of him.

I turned to the king and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

Triton sat at the head of the rectangular table, holding a goblet between his fingers. His long, silver hair fell to the middle of his back and, like Troy’s hair, many of the strands were braided. He was much older than me, but he didn’t look a day over thirty. Creamy skin covered every inch of his impeccable form, and his eyes were as blue as the sea.

They could be just as cold too.

“Sit,” he said, motioning to the chair to his right.

I did as he instructed, remaining silent.

He was more than my king; he was my friend. But our friendship only went so far. He had told me on more than one occasion that he would have no problem removing my head if I disobeyed him. Whether that was true, I didn’t know, but I dared not risk it. He hated for anyone to speak out of turn, and thus, I waited for him to tell me why I was there.

Zander, his manservant, entered the room holding a large tray of food and placed it on the table in front of us. Fish with lemon, roasted potatoes, and warm bread. The servant was incredibly beautiful, which I knew was why the king favored him.