Page 156 of The Nymph Prince

He invited us to his and Kellan’s home after we ate. Their house was simple but lovely. It sat near the seashore, giving them a breathtaking view of the blue-green water, white sand, and green mountains across the way. The inside had one bedroom, a small wash closet, a tiny kitchen, and a sitting room with a hearth.

“It’s not much, but you’re welcome to stay here instead of in the Inn if ya want,” Fletcher said after showing us around. His gaze moved to each of us, and I smiled at his generosity. He’d always had such a kind heart. “It’ll give us more time to catch up.”

“Thanks.” I patted his shoulder.

Just then, a deeper voice called out, “Fletcher?”

Kellan entered the house and stopped upon seeing us.

I’d be on edge, too, if I came home to find four strange men with my husband. He’d changed a lot. His usual short dark hair was longer and fell past his ears. He wore a red tunic and dark-brown trousers, looking so different than the feared pirate captain I remembered him as.

“Captain Flynn,” I greeted, addressing him as such out of habit.

Lorcan stiffened beside me and frowned. The last time he and Kellan had met, my nymph had ended up in a fishermen’s net and Kellan had ordered the crew to kill him. And so, there was tension between them.

“I’m no captain, boy, not anymore,” he responded before walking over to Fletcher and brushing a soft kiss to his forehead, all the while keeping an eye on us.

Fletcher nuzzled Kellan before making the introductions. He paused when he got to me.

I stepped forward and held out my hand. “You may not have your ship anymore, but you’ll always be my captain, Kellan. I owe my life to you.”

Kellan’s mismatched eyes narrowed; one blue and one brown. The blue eye unsettled most people. “Explain yourself.”

And so I did.

Before I even reached the end of my story, he pulled me against him. “Alek?”

I felt like a child for crying, but I couldn’t stop the tears from pooling in my eyes and falling down my cheeks like a torrential downpour.

“I thought I killed you.” He didn’t cry, but his voice cracked. “The guilt from that day has been like a beast inside my chest. I couldn’t forgive myself.”

“I asked you to do it,” I reminded him. “It was a kindness compared to what awaited me.”

So many nights I’d dreamed of this reunion with them.

What were the chances of us stopping in Emerald Cove and finding them? Some events in life happened by coincidence. Yet, this seemed like so much more. Fate had brought us back together.

***

A week had passed. Reif and Kellan got along well, which had been unexpected. Reif hardly liked anyone, but he’d taken a liking to the former pirate captain. They spoke of their travels and shared stories of near-death encounters. That led to them showing off their scars.

“How did you come by that one?” Kellan asked, pointing at Reif’s face.

They’d had many mugs of mead that evening.

“That one comes with a long story,” Reif answered, sounding weary. He touched the jagged line, and his eyes glazed over. “Perhaps I’ll share it another day.”

Unlikely,I thought.

Malik hadn’t warmed up to Kellan. He knew of Kellan’s past wrongs against the merfolk and held a grudge because of it. But the hostile looks faded with the passing of days, and even if he didn’t trust Kellan, he didn’t look like he wanted to kill him at least.

Eva and Troy surprised us with a visit as we neared week three of being in Emerald Cove. Lorcan had sent word to her and Troy after we’d arrived. It’d been months since we’d all been together, and I missed the siblings. Our group felt incomplete without them.

There were tears as we reunited with them—with most of the tears coming from Troy. He squealed and threw himself around me before pecking kisses on my cheek.

“Your turn, Mal,” Troy said, jumping off me and nearing Malik.

Malik put his hands up in defense, but there was no stopping Troy before he pounced. The large male caught him and even cracked a smile as Troy pressed kisses to his cheek like he’d done to mine.