Page 6 of The Nymph Prince

Because I couldn’t save us.

I knew I was powerful, but I hadn’t discovered how to awaken my powers yet. They only seemed to arise in moments of great distress, such as the time when the captain had nearly been slain by rogue men. As the ship—my home for the past six years—was being attacked, they were nowhere to be found. Unpredictable as the tide that raged against the ship’s hull.

It was then that I saw it in Captain Flynn’s eyes. Acceptance. I softly smiled as tears streamed down my face. Dax, the man holding me, growled a complaint in my ear, but I paid him no mind.

I heard the gunfire before I felt it. It was as though time slowed. People often described near-death experiences as happening so fast, but not for me. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The screams and the bullet whizzing through the air. And then contact. Pain.

The bullet hit me in the chest, and I flew backward, taking Dax with me.

Anguished cries reached my ears, and once I hit the water, I looked upward and saw Fletcher trying to lower the ladder to get to me. Cold pierced me like a thousand blades, jabbing me all over my body, but the pain radiating through my chest hurt the most. But then, perhaps due to shock, the pain faded and numbness took its place.

I closed my eyes, hearing my ragged breaths as my lungs fought for air. Once the pain was gone, it was almost a peaceful way to die. Much better than the days, maybe weeks, of torture from the king.

Warmth suddenly came around me from below, a calming touch in my final moments.

Somehow, I knew it was the nymph. Strange that I felt so close to someone I barely knew, and yet, his presence had become a comfort to me. I relaxed against him as he pulled me beneath the water.

He’d been with me for so long. Very fitting that he’d be with me at my end.

And then I surrendered to the darkness.

***

My lungs burned. I could place neither time nor place and my eyes refused to open. I suspected I was drowning. The fact I felt anything at all surprised me. My mind was foggy, but I was certain I’d been shot and had died already.

The burning in my chest said otherwise.

Something warm pressed to my lips and air filled my lungs once more.

I was weightless. My body seemed to glide as if I weighed no more than a feather. Such an odd sensation. Nothing made sense right then. I tried to open my eyes, but found it too difficult. And I was tired. Too tired to do anything but stay in the dark place I was in. It was easy there—peaceful.

Though my hearing was muffled, I could’ve sworn I heard the most alluring of voices whispering in my ear.

“Do not leave me.”

The voice sounded as though it came from the inside of my head, the one clear sound in a sea of only unintelligible murmurs. The words were a command. A plea. I focused on the gentle thrumming against my chest. A heartbeat. And the warmth… I pressed myself closer, taking in as much as I could.

Darkness won once more.

***

I was no longer cold. My skin prickled with warmth, and I released a small sigh. The second thing I noticed was I could breathe with no trouble. My limbs were sluggish and heavy. The amount of energy it’d take to lift them was nowhere to be found, and so, I remained still.

That was until I felt the presence of someone else.

As I opened my eyes, I couldn’t contain my sharp exhale at the man before me.

“You.” My voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if I hadn’t spoken in quite some time.

The nymph smiled. “I’m pleased to see you awake.”

My mind was still trying to process what I was seeing. Itwasthe nymph, but he was different. Perhaps because he was in his human form. I’d never seen him without a tail and scales.

Silver hair, creamy skin, and sparkling green eyes filled my vision. The tops of his ears were pointed and his features were sharp.

He was beautiful.

“What happened?” I sat up and winced at the pain. “The last thing I remember is bein’ on theCrimson.We were being attacked.” It was returning to me in bits and pieces. I recalled the captain aiming his pistol at me. The crack of gunfire. I reached for my chest and touched the place I’d been hit. It ached, but not nearly as much as it should’ve. “I was shot and fell overboard.”