Page 17

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’ve killed you.”

“I know. But you can’t kill her.”

“Like hell I can’t.”

I grabbed his face and looked him square in the eyes.

“You said I’m the queen, Triton. Do you trust me?”

His jaw clenched.

After a long moment, he finally jerked his head in a nod.

When I turned around, his hands went to my waist like they had that first day I was with him.

He was trying to protect me again, and trying not to stifle me even though stifling was what came naturally.

I found the selkies’ leader trapped off the sand, in that tube of water Triton had wrapped around her.

She was held entirely immobile, with only her head sticking out.

She didn’t look pissed anymore.

She looked scared.

“You have two options right now, Eila,” Triton said, his voice low but controlled.

“You can tell me what pushed you to do this, or I can throw you and the rest of your people in my castle’s prison, leaving your islands entirely unprotected. I already have all of you bound with magic, so it would hardly take any effort at all.”

Genuine fear flashed in her eyes.

Something had to have been seriously wrong with the selkies.

Eila let out a harsh breath.

“Without so many merrae in the sea, the monsters in the depths have grown braver. They hunt our children for sport. Last year alone, we lost over two dozen to them.”

Shit.

Holy shit.

My stomach turned.

“Why the fuck didn’t you ask for help sooner?” he snarled.

“Your people hate us. We would be better off with half of the throne’s magic so we can protect ourselves,” Eila growled.

“The past doesn’t matter right now. You’re not going to kill me to take my magic, so you need our help,” I said.

“We do.” She had to grit the words out.

“If I release you, I expect you to take all of your warriors back to your islands. The day after the Tide Change, you can return to negotiate with a group of your people. We will make a plan to end the monsters for what they’ve done to your children. Do you agree?”

She jerked her head.

“Yes.”

Triton released his grip on me and covered the distance between them.

He stopped just a few inches from Eila and said in a low voice, “If a single one of your warriors makes another move against my mate, ever , our deal will be off, and I’ll kill all of you myself. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” the woman whispered.

“Great.” Triton’s water tentacle vanished, and Eila landed smoothly on her feet after it dropped her.

“I’ll throw all of you deep into the sea in about ten minutes. You have until then to warn everyone about the consequences if they act against us.”

“Thank you.” Eila’s gaze was on me when she said the words.

“Your Majesty.”

She finally lowered her chin toward me, as if in respect.

My abdomen tensed.

We both knew Triton had wanted to kill her as soon as he found her pinning me down.

If I hadn’t spoken for her, she would probably be dead.

She knew what I had done for her, and she respected me for what Triton wanted me to be from the beginning.

What I had inadvertently become.

Not just his queen, but the queen.

I nodded, and Eila took off at a run across the sand.

It only took her a moment to wade into the water and dive down into the depths.

“You didn’t know about the monsters?” I asked quietly.

“No,” Triton admitted.

“I wish I had. My people do hold a grudge against the selkies, but children of all species are treasured. We would never have allowed that to go on without intervention.”

“Can you handle the monsters, though?”

“Of course. I’m the scariest thing in the ocean, remember?”

I snorted, his words taking me back to the first day we met.

“Sure.”

Triton chuckled, dragging me into his arms and hugging me tightly.

I returned his hug.

My eyes stung as the stress and weight of everything that had happened seemed to crash into me at once.

“I had to throw Rayna into the sea with the selkies. Do you think she’s okay? I?—”

“Wesson already has her. They said you saved her life.”

A relieved breath escaped me.

My eyes stung more fiercely.

“I guess maybe I did.”

“ Evve tah , Sweetheart.” You’re perfect .

I choked on a watery laugh.

“More perfect than a fever dream? Are you convinced that I’m real yet?”

His lips brushed my forehead, then my shoulder.

“You are far better than anything I could have ever imagined, even in a fevered fantasy.”

“So are you,” I admitted.

“Well, I am the king of the sea.”

A laugh escaped me, and I swatted him on the back since he was still holding me to his chest.

“You are so full of yourself.”

“You’re still the only one who gets that privilege.” He nipped at my throat

I shoved him away with another laugh.

Everything spun when I did, though—so Triton grabbed me again, concern knitting his eyebrows.

“Did you push yourself too hard?”

“Just a little.”

He growled, sweeping me off my feet and into his arms.

My crown yanked on my hair again, and I winced.

“Do you have the magic to hide that thing again? It’s kind of heavy, and I’m out.”

“I don’t know, I like seeing you wear it.” He was being playful, but his hand brushed my ear almost immediately, storing it back in my hoops.

“You need to rest.”

“We need to get everything settled before you hide me away in our room,” I countered, as he started carrying me back to the castle.

I knew he planned on forcing me to take a break for recovery’s sake, but the timing wasn’t right.

“It can wait,” he said.

“No, it can’t.”

“You come first for me, Aria. I don’t give a damn about anyone else when you’re struggling.”

“Well, I care about them. We have to make sure everyone is okay before you force me to rest. If I eat something, I’ll feel less dizzy.”

Probably.

“I heard your probably ,” he grumbled, but I could tell I had convinced him.

We spent the rest of the day talking to the merrae and making sure everyone was alright.

Every time we saw one of the warriors, they grinned and high-fived me, much to Triton’s annoyance.

They saw me fight for them.

With them.

And I guess it made me one of them.

Even the judgy, bitter merrae who’d voted against letting Triton take a mate didn’t act like they hated me for once.

There were no glares.

A few of them even complimented me.

Joa told me herself that Triton had chosen well, which was a real shock coming from her.

By the time we made it back to our room, we didn’t even have the energy to go down to the grotto before we collapsed in bed together.

My mate held me in his arms and whispered sweet words to me while I fell asleep.

Even in my wildest fever dreams, I had never imagined myself married to the king of the sea.

Yet, I was.

And somehow, it was the best thing that had ever happened to me.