Page 66 of The Hunted

Her tail and fin moved like waves—steady, fast and sure.

Straight into the bay.

“Pull the nets!”

Eryx no longer cared to watch the ships or the men work. They knew what they had to do. She continued swimming farther into the bay, never once coming up for a breath of air or even to lift her head and look around. Foolish, maybe … or it could be something else.

Something she was chasing.

Like him.

The scent of him.

Despite being told to stay put, not to mention the many men running from one side of the ship to the other, and the line of them pulling back the nets to close the bay in time with the ship on the other side, Eryx followed the railing. The wind picked up. Just a bit, but not enough to be concerning.

Enough to make his cloak billow out behind him as his steps quickened along the deck of the ship while he followed alongside where she swam in the water. Until he was damn near at the end of the ship where the captain steered the vessel.

Finally, she came up for air.

Except she didn’t even breathe.

She just stared at him.

Instantly.

Eyes on him.

Eryx stared back.

She had to know it was a trap; there would be no way out of this, but he looked forward to the final moments of this hunt when they were able to pull her from the water and dump her at his feet.

This mermaid …

This woman he believed to have killed his mother.

This soul who haunted his dreams. Because that was the thing … they’d stopped being nightmares. He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not.

Two men of Corval’s came up on either side of Eryx, bows drawn and ready to fire should they need to injure her in order to get her out of the water. Just in case she tried to run.

Eryx dragged in a shuddering breath.

He wanted them to do anything.

Everything to get her in a net.

Even if that meant hurting her.

Still, he told the men, “Hold fire.”

FOURTEEN

Mav, Prince of the Emerald Lands

“HAVE YOU considered, Prince, that your intended won’t want to leave the Blu Sea, due to her new status and how that … impacts your plans?”

Mav only half listened to the advisor his father seemed to think he must keep at his son’s side at all possible times. As if he couldn’t possibly think, plan, or make any decisions for himself. Instead, his father had to be constantly in his ear, even when the man couldn’t physically be there to speak directly.

His advisor made sure of that.