Page 57 of Sea of Evil and Desire (The Deep Saga #1)

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Morgana

M y cabin bed creaked in protest as I settled onto it, mind whirring.

I was magical—possessed of an ancient magic. Finn and I would try to find the prophecy before King Neptūnus or Taranis and save the Kingdom of the Deep.

What the hell?

My life had officially become a blockbuster.

I’d come to Ruadán’s Port to care for my grandfather. Instead, I’d found a town filled with dark family secrets and Finn, a man whose feelings remained a mystery to me. I was never sure if I should trust him, yet somehow, he was the only place I felt at home.

We were the eclipse of sun and moon, the collision of peace and pain, the whisper of fate and fire. Yet I feared that, when such elements collided, it could only end in darkness.

So many questions remained unanswered. Where was my father, and what had really happened to him? What lay in the second half of the prophecy? The thought gnawed at me, along with the lingering fear that Finn and I were merely puppets, doomed to reenact Siana and Kyano’s fate.

Maybe if we found the prophecy—if we broke the curse—we’d finally know if what was between us was real.

I scanned my senses for signs of what to do next but only found sleepiness. My eyes were just beginning to droop when a knock at the door jolted them open. I sat up and instinctively reached for my dagger on the slimy dresser.

“It’s I, Edward.” His posh English accent filtered through the keyhole.

“Come in.” I relaxed against the grimy headboard.

He emerged in the gloom, looking bashful. “Your room is quite different from mine.” He cast his eyes over the green-tinged dresser and patchwork quilt. “But not what I expected.”

I raised my brows at him in question.

“Given that you’re descended from a line of gods and all, I expected a grand princess’s bed with a stack of five pillows and plenty of ruffles.” He huffed a laugh.

I rolled my eyes and patted the quilt beside me. Edward’s face darkened as he sat down.

“Whatever did the Mer prince want?”

As I recounted Finn’s words, his face morphed into a scowl. I left out the part where I’d climbed his Mer body like a jungle gym.

“Please, don’t tell me you believe this or that bollocks he spun at the castle?” He scoffed.

“There is another side to him. It’s hard to explain.” Heat rose in my cheeks. Edward had never seen the Finn who wasn’t prince-like, whose emotions were a void of pain and loneliness, who broke when he thought about the burden of his duty—the one who had a light inside him that burned only for me.

Edward was still scowling.

“What’s your problem, Edward? Out with it.”

He sighed, running a hand through his copper hair. “The morning after the Blood Moon Ball, a note was slipped beneath my door, requesting my attendance at the council. It was just down the hall, so no guard was sent to escort me. I must have arrived before you all, and as I was about to knock, I heard voices spilling from the room. One belonged to the king—there was no mistaking his deep, authoritative tone—and the other was the herald.”

“Mr. Inegar,” I whispered.

Edward raised his brows at me.

“That is the herald’s name. Go on.” I nodded at him, dread creeping into my belly.

“The door was ajar, so I quietly crept forward and caught sight of the two mermen through the opening. This is what I overheard—”

I was staring hard at Edward. He seemed to be racking his brain for the best way to put it, then he exhaled a slow breath and began:

“The herald—or this Mr. Inegar—approached King Neptūnus and asked what was happening. King Neptūnus replied: ‘My son has returned with the girl I instructed him to shadow on land.’”

“Wait,” I interrupted Edward, holding up a hand. “Finn told me he had sought information on me on his father’s orders.” Relief coursed through me.

“Would you let me finish?” Edward spluttered.

“Sorry,” I muttered, the niggle in my gut returning.

“King Neptūnus nodded and said, ‘The girl we had in the cells is Iona’s granddaughter. She is a shifter, and my son kept that from me, but now that we are certain she is a Selkie, do you know what that means?’

“Mr. Inegar replied, ‘Blood taken when it need not be taken, but we must do it right this time, sire. This may be our final chance. We can’t afford another loss like with her grandmother.’”

Her grandmother? My stomach tightened, and Edward reached for my hand in understanding.

I nodded at him to continue with the tale, choking down the emotions clawing at my insides, desperate to get out.

“Then, the king glanced toward the doorway, flicking the tip of his golden tail. I pressed myself against the wall, not wishing to be discovered, and quietly retreated. That’s why I arrived late to the council.” Edward squeezed my hand, and a veil of sadness clouded his features. “I am sorry I had to tell you all this.”

My ears were ringing, and I felt like the world was collapsing. A weight pressed down on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. My grandmother’s vision had come true. A merman had killed her, but it wasn’t Taranis; it was King Neptūnus, Finn’s father.

My stomach twisted, and my throat ached as the room swam back into view.

Did Finn know? Bile rose in my oesophagus, and I clutched at my chest as I drew sharp, ragged breaths. Was he the one who killed her?

A flash of anger ignited within me, and I welcomed its arrival. It consumed the shock, the sadness, and the pain in one fiery gulp. I clenched my fists. I would make them pay.

“I’m still going.” My voice was mercilessly calm despite my thundering heart.

“It’s not safe.” Edward’s blue eyes had turned pleading in the gloomy light.

Only with blood that need not be taken is the curse shaken.

Taranis must have reported this one sentence to the king when he was fighting the spirit of Manannán, or perhaps the king had found it in his chambers.

All the blood in my body was rushing to my head, making the room spin. The police officer had said my grandmother suffered a cardiac arrest. Her heart stopped—a bolt of lightning would do that. A wave of nausea washed over me with the realization. He’d described a gash on her palm but no knife. They must have believed taking her Selkie blood by force was the key.

Pisceon had known where my grandfather lived. Had I truly regained consciousness and told Finn my address that night at the jetty, or had he already known all along?

Had Finn found my grandmother first and then, when her blood didn’t work, set his sights on me?

Edward’s face was pale as he watched me process the information.

“I need to find the rest of that prophecy—there must be more to it.” I thought about everything that was known:

Evil begets evil. Sin begets sin. All love will be lost, and you’ll know no peace. In shadowed depths where silence reigns, a curse was cast, eternal chains. The spirits of Manannán and Siana must return, for only then shall the clans truly learn. One of both Drowned and Selkie lines is the answer, the curse’s sign. And the line that had sealed my grandmother’s fate: Only with blood that need not be taken is the curse shaken.

Resolve masked my pain as I turned back to Edward. “What’s that saying? Keep your friends close and enemies closer. I won’t tell Finn what we know, and I will pretend to believe his sentiments when he bestows them. If he does have a lead on the prophecy, then we need to know what it is.” I chewed my cheek thoughtfully. Could he have been the one to do the deed? I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t. But the gnawing doubt remained. Finn had told me that he was always entangled in his father’s schemes.

“I forbid you to go. It’s too dangerous!” Edward slammed his fist down on the bed, which groaned in protest.

“Whatever Finn’s done, I don’t think he would hurt me now. H-he showed me his soul.” My voice wavered with the underlying truth I was fighting. I wasn’t sure anymore.

“He’s magic , Morgana!”

I stood up and began pacing the room. I needed to shake off the nausea that was eddying in the pit of my stomach. Think. I needed to think. I thought of the time Finn and I had spent together, the understanding he’d shown at the loss of my grandmother. Could it have all been just an act?

He had seemed sincere. When he had reached for my hand and devoured my body with his eyes, it had seemed genuine. When his body had been atop mine . . . No. I shook away the thought.

Edward was watching me intently; concern etched into the lines of his face.

“The next full moon is one month from now.” I brushed my hair behind my ears and met his gaze. “I will go to land, see Louisa, and learn how to harness my powers.”

Heat crept up my neck as I clenched both my fists. The Neptūnus Mer might be able to control the Atlantic, but I was magical, too, and my powers would not be stunted.

Edward sighed and rose to his feet. “I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I’m coming with you to the Kingdom of Thálassa and this . . . this summit.” He folded his arms across his chest and gave me a pointed look. “After all, they should have a Drowned emissary there.” His face broke into a cheeky grin. “Just be sure you learn to harness enough power to wipe the smug smile off that Mer bastard’s face if it comes to it. ”