Page 34 of Taken By the Crab King of Atlantis

Karkinos’s powerful hands on my thighs keep me up, and he stands behind me quickly, wrapping arms around my waist, holding me close to him as I recover.

Only when I can stand on my own, and my heavy pants subside, does he let go.

His voice is shaky. “Beautiful, Princess. And I will give you so much more. But for now, we have done enough to satisfy anyone’s expectations of scent. We have a ball to return to.”

13

KARKINOS

I’ve lived a long life, but watching Yen discover her own desire is the finest pleasure I’ve ever experienced. I stand with a glass of champagne, next to the appetizers, watching her.

Yen left the drawing room with me only a few minutes ago, fully dressed, and was almost immediately asked to dance. I made it clear she wasn't obliged to dance, but it was a kindly old diplomat of the mer-people who had asked, and I believe she was grateful for the distraction. Or perhaps she wasn’t thinking straight. Her walking was unsteady.

I watched as her partner’s eyes widened at her scent and his pupils dilated.

He hastily retreated, and no other men asked her to dance. My scent was enough to warn them off. She retreated to a corner to gossip with Quan, to my great satisfaction.

Kilandra slides up beside me as I reach for another appetizer. “Lust becomes you. You look younger.” She lifts her champagne glass to me.

I scowl at her, but my heart isn’t in it. My gaze follows Yen, who is heading toward a bathroom. I consider following her and ordering everyone else out.

“Where is that granddaughter of yours? I had promised her a game of shells,” Kilandra continues, and I tear my gaze from Yen and scour the room. I can’t see Marina anywhere.

Alarm pricks through me.

Nerissa is in a heated conversation with a server, and I head towards them.

“Where is she?” I ask, not bothering to lower my voice. Half the room turns and stares.

“We can’t find her or her nanny, my lord,” Nerissa says, her hand flying to her mouth in distress.

I put my hand on her shoulder in solidarity as my gaze flies up around the room, looking for my granddaughter.

That’s when the explosion happens.

It’s only a muted noise and a flare of fire when the bomb goes off in the water outside the dome, drawing exclamations from the crowd. But they soon turn to screams of alarm as a white plume of foam rushes towards the glass, and the cracking begins.

Water gushes in, and the screaming intensifies. But everyone in this room is an aquatic creature, capable of breathing underwater at least for a short time. Except Marina, and Yen.

I’m running before the dread hits my stomach.

YEN

The door to the ballroom shuts softly behind me, and I take a deep breath in the quiet of the carpeted hallway. A server with a full tray of champagne walks past me, and I smile politely. Otherwise, the hallway is empty, and I’m grateful for the peace.

A toilet door sign is up ahead, and I reach the door and press it open when a loud noise from the ballroom behind me makes me stop. I frown and step back toward the room. I take only one more step before I’m grabbed from behind.

They don’t knock me out when they throw a bag over my head. I dig my heels in, and use my nails. I kick and scream. But my struggles are pathetically weak against the arms that hold me. My hands are soon cable-tied, and I’m exhausted. I slump into the vise-like grip.

Screaming comes from the ballroom, but I’m taken outside the building and thrown into the back of a vehicle. I’m bundled awkwardly into a back seat, propped into sitting. I fall against a small, soft body. The whimper tells me it’s a child — most likely Marina. I shuffle my leg, finding hers and pressing against it.

My attacker doesn’t speak, and in the car I fall silent, mind whirling. Marina and I are the two closest people to Karkinos. It’s obvious what the plan is. Kill us both. I'm Karkinos’ option to stay in this world, and Marina is his incentive.

Marina puts a hand on my knee, and my heart strains in my chest. I won’t let her die. I struggle against the restraints on my wrists. They’re stuck fast, and I wiggle for the duration of the car ride. The car goes on for some time, with almost no turning. The ballroom was in the center of the city, but we must be near the edge now.

When the car door opens, I try for Marina’s sake to give it one last shot — shouting, spinning and kicking my legs out at my attackers. My kicks hit open air, and I’m picked up by my waist and carried unceremoniously out.

Marina squeals beside me, and I can feel the resistance as she’s dragged along.