Page 16 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)

“A drien,” I screamed, twisting in the water to try to see him, but clouds had rolled in, blotting out the sun, darkening the waves so I couldn’t see more than a few feet down.

I was just about to dive to look for him when a hand wrapped around my ankle. I managed one final gulp of air before I was dragged down too.

Sharp claws dug into my flesh as I was yanked through the water. I couldn’t make sense of up or down and my vision was a blurry mess of bubbles. On instinct I reached for my power, preparing to freeze whatever creature had hold of me, but of course nothing happened.

I wanted to scream in frustration, but held back. The air in my lungs was all I had left.

I kicked out, thrashing in the water like a madwoman, but my foot only connected with water and more water, and the grip on my ankle never loosened.

How much time did I have left before I passed out? A minute? Thirty seconds?

Already my lungs were starting to burn, and my energy was waning. The pressure on my ears was so intense that it felt like my head would explode at any moment.

Something flashed blue in my peripheral vision and I realized that by some miracle, I still held my faestone dagger in my fist. The chunk of kyanite embedded in the handle caught some errant ray of light that pierced the watery depths and flashed blue.

With what felt like my last bit of strength, I folded my body, tucking my knees to my chest, and blindly struck at the siren towing me through the sea. My first strike was fruitless, but the second one connected.

I had no idea where I’d stabbed the creature, but my blade sunk into it almost to the hilt. The clawed hand immediately released my ankle and then a shriek like I’d never heard before pierced my eardrums. I wanted to slap my hands over my ears to block out the noise, but I refused to give up my dagger to do so.

I pulled my dagger free and struck out again, feeling it scrape against something, and the scream intensified. The pain in my ears reached unfathomable levels, and then it felt like something popped in my head and the pain subsided. I knew I’d ruptured an eardrum, maybe both, but it was the least of my worries right now because I was well and truly out of air.

I could tell the surface was above me because of the hazy light overhead, but my limbs weren’t obeying me. I tried to kick, but spasms made my muscles twitch.

How far down was I? Twenty feet? Thirty? More? Would the buoyancy in my body help me float to the surface?

My lungs screamed at me to breathe, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that if I inhaled seawater, it would truly be over. But as the seconds ticked by, my vision started to wink in and out.

Suddenly, a face appeared in front of me and even in my weakened state, I jerked back. Even though my vision was blurry and distorted underwater, the creature was close enough that I could tell the face had some fish-like features. It had two large, all-black eyes and a flattened nose with two slits that looked more like gills than nose holes. Its flesh looked scaly and a mass of black hair grew from its head and floated in the water around us.

There was a jagged cut on the side of its face, that ran from its forehead, just narrowly missing its eye, down to its chin. It was clearly furious.

The creature opened its mouth to reveal three rows of serrated teeth and then the worse sound imaginable emerged. I quickly discovered I could only hear out of one ear—which I was thankful for in that moment—but even so, the noise scraped against the inside of my skull like someone was trying to scoop out my brain with a dull spoon.

The siren started to reach for my throat with its claws. I tried to swim away, but I couldn’t, I didn’t have any energy left, even to save my life.

Just as the creature was about to wrap its clawed hand around my neck, it froze. Its black eyes went wide as a blade punched through its chest.

My vision started to wink out as the siren’s body was pushed aside and then strong hands grabbed the sides of my face. Before I knew what was happening, someone’s mouth was pressed up against mine and then my lungs filled with sweet air.

The hands dropped from my face and I blinked once. Twice.

I could suddenly see perfectly under the water and floating in front of me was an unfamiliar man. His face was more seelie than the siren’s, with familiar facial features: a nose, pointed ears, bright green eyes and a full mouth. But on either side of his neck were rows of gills and his skin was tinted green. He was barechested and when I glanced down his body, his lower half was a tail instead of legs.

Merman? Were those real?

Shock caused me to suck in a breath without thinking, but rather than my mouth and lungs filling with salty seawater, I breathed in sweet, life-giving air.

What magic was this?

The merman smiled at me when I pulled in more air, my eyes going wide in disbelief.

“I’ve used my magic to give you the ability to breathe and see underwater like we do until you resurface again. You’re safe now,” he said and even though we were underwater, I heard him just as clearly as I would out of it. At least with the ear that was still working. I appeared to be temporarily deaf in the other, but I hoped that my enhanced healing as a royal would repair the damage quickly.

“I’ll take you to the others in your group,” he told me.

The sailors. Adrien! Were they unharmed? Was Adrien alive?

My heart rate spiked again.

“Where are they?” I asked, discovering that I could also speak underwater.

I twisted in the water, but even though I could see through the depths now, the only things around us were regular sea life and coral. The clouds had clearly been chased away as the sun’s bright rays pierced into the water, illuminating all for me to see. I didn’t spot Adrien or anyone else.

“Is everyone all right?” Was Adrien all right? I wanted to ask, but the merman probably wouldn’t know who I was talking about.

“Calm yourself,” he said, reaching for me. “Let me take you to shore, where we brought the others.”

I didn’t want to waste time arguing, so I just nodded. I didn’t put up a fight when he wrapped me in his arms, and then with a mighty swish of his tail we were propelled through the water.

Questions about what had just happened with the sirens and who my presumed savior was rose up in my mind, but I couldn’t push anything past the knot in my throat.

Yes, I was traumatized by what had just happened, but fear for Adrien overshadowed it tenfold. I tried to tell myself it was concern for all the men that was choking me, but in truth, it was not knowing if Adrien was okay that left me paralyzed.

What if he was hurt? What if he was dead?

The merman cut through the water at a rapid pace and before long, we approached the shallows of the island we had been swimming toward. He slowed down his speed and brought us into a cove where I could see at least a dozen other unseelie similar in appearance to him under the water with us. They peered back at us with unveiled interest as we swam by.

When we were almost to the shore and it was shallow enough for me to stand, the merman surfaced. The instant my head broke through the water I heard shouting.

“Release me. I’m going after her.” Adrien’s furious voice echoed throughout the cove.

Relief poured through me, soothing my frayed nerves. He was alive.

“Cap’n, they said they’d bring her here. There’s nothing you can do,” I heard Mathis say.

Thank goodness the young sailor was alive as well.

The unseelie released me and I twisted to see Adrien struggling against his men atop a jagged bluff on the side of the cove. Many of them were bloodied and bruised, but all eight sailors and Adrien were accounted for.

Thank the stars.

Adrien continued to argue with his men, going as far as to threaten their lives if they didn’t release him. It appeared he was trying to dive back into the sea.

I furrowed my brow. Was he trying to go back for me?

I called his name and he froze.

Jerking his head in my direction, his gaze connected with mine and it was like a spike of magic straight to my heart, making it pound harder than a Winter Court drum.

My breath caught as we stared at each other, and something intangible passed between us.

Since it was clear he wasn’t going to try to swim back into the open ocean now, his men released him. Taking two purposeful strides forward, he dove off the cliff’s edge and into the clear waters of the cove. As soon as he surfaced he started to swim toward me, his strokes long and quick.

When he reached me I expected him to stop, but instead he brushed past the merman and scooped me up in his arms. He carried me from the water to the shore, his gaze never breaking from mine. It was only when he’d brought me clear of the surf to dry sand that he finally let me down.

My body slid against his as he gently let my legs drop, but he kept one arm wrapped around my back so that I couldn’t go far.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his gaze now roaming over my face as if assuring himself I was really there.

I was breathless, even though I hadn’t exerted myself. The merman had done all the work to get us to the cove. “I’m fine,” I managed to get out.

Adrien heaved a relieved sigh. “Thank the stars.” Reaching up, he cupped one of my cheeks. “I thought …” he started, but then let his words drift away. A shudder wracked Adrien’s frame that I felt acutely because I was pressed closely against him.

“I’m fine. Unharmed,” I said, choosing not to mention the ruptured eardrum and cuts on my ankle from the siren’s claws.

Wrapping both arms around me, he crushed me to his chest and buried his face in the side of my neck as we stood on the sandy beach shore and held each other. Perhaps I shouldn’t have let him pull me so close, but I felt a wild need deep inside to hold him tightly as well and wrapped my arms around his neck.

This feeling of needing someone was scary to me. But right now I needed to be closer to him.

We stood like that for a while, both of us trying to assure ourselves that the other was safe and well until someone cleared their throat.

“Excuse me, my lord,” said a lyrical female voice. “But we must return to the open sea.”

I could feel the reluctance in Adrien’s arms as he released me, but he took my hand so I couldn’t stray. I wasn’t mad about that. For some wild reason, I wasn’t ready to be separated from him either.

When I glanced back at the cove, a beautiful woman bobbed in the waves. She had long blonde hair with small seashells braided into it and bright blue eyes. Her face was round, and she had lush red lips that looked like they were in a permanent pucker. Her skin had a faint green tint to it like the male who’d saved me. I couldn’t see her lower half, but I assumed she had a tail just like him as well.

“Lady Kira,” Adrien said and then inclined his head in a sign of respect. “I thank you and your merfolk for saving us.” His gaze flicked to me then, and something about the way he glanced at me brought a blush to my cheeks. “Especially the princess. I’m truly in your debt,” he finished, looking back at Kira.

Merfolk. Just like I’d thought.

“You can repay us by stopping the curse headed our way,” she said, her voice bold and clear.

Murmurs sounded, and I glanced around the waters of the cove to see the dozen other merfolk nodding as well.

“You know of the curse?” Adrien said, his hand tightening on my own.

She nodded solemnly. “If the black waters that plague the Northern Kingdom reach our seas, all life in the ocean will be in jeopardy. Already merfolk from the northern seas have started to migrate into our warmer waters.”

Adrien exchanged a glance with me and then patted something at his side. I looked down to see the pouch that held the Shadow Heart. It bulged, showing he still had the magical crystal.

“That’s why we are here,” Adrien confessed. “Princess Isolde of the Winter Court has been given a mission to destroy the curse, once and for all. But to do so, we need to get to the belly of the sea. Can you help us?”

A frown marred Kira’s pretty features. “The belly of the sea is the sirens’ domain. No land dweller has ever made it there and lived to tell about it.”

My heart sank.

“The only hope we have of breaking the curse on our land is for Isolde and me to bring the Shadow Heart there to be unlocked. If we can’t make it to the belly of the sea, all hope will be lost.”

Kira chewed her bottom lip and glanced over at the male who’d saved me. He nodded once, and some concern seemed to clear from her face. When she turned back to us, determination lined the mermaid’s features.

“I will gather our fiercest warriors and escort you and your princess to the belly of the sea.”

My stomach flipped when she referred to me as his princess. Part of me felt like I needed to correct her, but I stayed silent for reasons that eluded me.

Kira glanced up at the sky and frowned. It was still daylight, but it appeared that night would fall shortly. I almost couldn’t believe that we’d spent most of the day in the waters, battling the sea and sirens, although the exhaustion pulling at my mind and body told me it was true. I suppose multiple near-death experiences distorted my sense of time.

“It’s not safe to approach the belly of the sea in the dead of night,” Kira went on, her gaze dropping back to Adrien and me. “The sirens have the advantage in the dark waters. Their ability to see with little to no light is better than ours, so we’ll have to wait until early morning when they no longer have the upper hand. We’ll leave right after sunrise.”

Twisting, she gestured toward a mermaid and merman behind her, who both came forward. I couldn’t see until they were closer that they carried items in their hands. Freshly caught fish on a bed of seaweed, a large glass jar of water, and something that looked like folded clothes.

“Here,” Kira said, and Adrien and I approached the water to gather their offerings. Adrien took the fish and water, and I accepted the folded clothes. Although the material was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was stretchy and iridescent, like a fish scale, but soft to the touch.

“Food to regain your strength and clothes for the female,” Kira explained, and I gave her a quizzical look, but when I glanced down at myself I immediately knew what she meant.

After everything that had happened today, I’d completely forgotten I was still in my wet nightgown that was most definitely see-through. With a gasp, I brought the clothing up to cover my chest, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

I supposed modesty wasn’t the most important thing right now, but with my wet nightgown, I was practically naked.

“These clothes are special and will help you move more freely in the water tomorrow,” Kira explained.

“Thank you,” I said in a rush.

Kira and Adrien exchanged a couple more pleasantries and then decided on a time to leave the following day. It was agreed that we would sleep on the island tonight and then leave just before sunrise when the sirens were the most vulnerable.

Kira urged us to rest up and then she and the other merfolk disappeared into the sea.

The sun was beginning to set, and Adrien said that he and the men would create a makeshift camp for us for the night. I excused myself and walked a ways into the jungle, far enough that the men couldn’t see me, but not so far that if I shouted, they wouldn’t hear me.

I quickly shed my heavy, wet nightgown and pulled on the clothing the merfolk had given me. When I was dressed, I looked down at myself, not sure if I was more modestly dressed now or in the wet white nightgown.

The clothes they’d given me were a tight-fitted sleeveless top that swooped low in the front, and a pair of leggings that ended to my ankles. The parts of me that should have been covered were, but the material fit so snuggly to my body that every curve was exposed.

I looked at the nightgown I’d discarded on the ground by my feet and considered putting it on over the clothes, but I couldn’t make myself put the torn and sandy garment back on. Adrien and his men would just have to deal with what I was wearing.

When I emerged from the jungle, the sailors had pulled large palm leaves from the surrounding trees and were making pallets to sleep on. They’d also collected a pile of coconuts.

No one noticed me for a few moments as I approached. Mathis, the first one to see me, stopped with his hand outstretched as he was about to add another coconut to the stack. His face went slack, and he blinked at me without uttering a word, and I suddenly wished I’d forced myself to don the wet gown.

“Mathis,” I heard Adrien shout from somewhere in the jungle behind him. “What are you doing over there? The men could use your help pulling more palm leaves.”

I was about to turn and flee when Adrien appeared, having just walked out of the trees behind the young sailor. He followed Mathis’s gaze to me and then it looked like he caught his breath. His eyes flared as they ran over me, and I had the dueling urge to both cover myself and also turn so he could see even more.

Adrien began walking toward me slowly, and my throat went dry. “Go help the others,” he said, dismissing Mathis, who finally shook himself free of whatever trance he was in.

He rushed away with a mumbled, “Yes, Cap’n.”

Adrien kept walking until he was standing right in front of me. I licked my suddenly dry lips, and his gaze caught the motion as more heat infused his eyes.

I held my breath, at a loss for words, as Adrien continued to just stand there and stare at me.

I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me the way he was looking at me then. Like he wasn’t just seeing me, but that he was drinking me in.

“Umm. This is what the merfolk gave me. The nightgown was torn and dirty,” I said, feeling like I needed to explain.

“I think I owe Kira an even bigger debt than I did before,” he said, his meaning clear. He liked the outfit. And despite myself and my refusal to consider Adrien as my mate, I couldn’t deny that I liked that he liked it.

“I’m sure it will be much better to swim in this,” I said.

“Mmm,” Adrien said and nodded, letting his gaze run down my front another time.

The look was so potent, it might as well have been a physical touch and heat rushed to my cheeks and elsewhere.

I cleared my throat and took a step away from Adrien, firmly reminding myself we were on a beach with eight other sailors. I was here to complete a mission, not to flirt. Adrien seemed to pull himself out of whatever reverie he was in as well, and taking my hand he pulled me along.

“We’ve made sleeping pallets for the night. We’ll have the coconuts to eat and drink. I’m not sure if you’ve had them before, but I can assure you the milk is very refreshing.”

He led me over to where the pallets were lined in a row, glaring at his men when they stopped to gawk at me. One look from their captain had them jumping back to whatever task they were working on before I’d distracted them.

We ate fire-grilled fish we’d caught, drank coconut water, and then chewed on refreshing mint leaves as we talked by the fire with his men for over an hour before sleep started to pull at my body. I noticed that Adrien had put my pallet next to his and backed them up to a few trees so that I was boxed in. Safe.

“Let’s get some rest. Big day in the morning.”

After wishing everyone good night, I lay down on my pallet and Adrien on his. We were mere inches from each other, maybe a foot at most, and I couldn’t help but stare into those blue-green eyes.

I remembered the way I’d washed his body when he’d had the fever and my cheeks heated. He was by far the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. The way he was looking at me right now, with a burning intensity, made me yearn to know what was on his mind.

“What are you thinking about?” I whispered across the dark night.

He inhaled and then seemed to hold his breath for a moment. Leaning onto one elbow, he came closer to me and brought his lips to my ear. “I think you’re my mate, Isolde.” He exhaled, and the fresh smell of mint washed over me along with a whole-body tingle.

Mate. That word. So terrifying and yet, so right when it came to Adrien. I wanted to give in. I did, but also … I didn’t. Because at this moment, as Adrien pulled back and hovered over my lips as if begging me to kiss him and prove him right, I couldn’t help but think of my parents.

They had been madly in love, married for over twenty years and then everything just exploded. Now they barely tolerated each other. My father was broken by it. My mother too, but she hid it better.

I didn’t want that. Mate. Love. It didn’t matter. Nothing lasted forever.

When I didn’t move to kiss him or to say anything to his sweet words, his face fell and he backed away, laying back down on his pallet and turning away from me.

My body buzzed with the urge to reach for him, spin him around and kiss him as proof of our mate bond rained around us, but I couldn’t. I was frozen in fear, so I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. Yet it was a long time before the darkness took me.

Adrien’s words churned in my head for hours.