AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 14
When I woke from my restless slumber, neither Nemo nor Fin were present in the cave. The fire had all but died, and only dull, glowing coals remained…like what remained of my heart.
My stomach sank. Nemo had probably abandoned me. I supposed I deserved it for breaking the poor guy’s heart.
But where was Fin? Was he still out swimming?
Something scraped along the cave floor.
“Nemo? Fin?” I called out. “Where are you?”
Chills crawled along my skin when no one replied. What was that? Someone was in here. My instincts were pinging with alarm.
That’s when I saw the blood and the dead eel lying on the edge of the lagoon.
But that wasn’t any old eel. It was the sea witch’s pet. One of the ones that had tried to bite me in her cave.
Before I could go and investigate, a hand clamped down on my mouth.
My heart exploded. I screamed against my captor’s fleshy palm.
Fin shuffled to my side and placed a finger over his lips. His hand fell from my mouth.
Poseidon! What was going on? My insides iced over.
“There’s my bride-to-be.”
My worst fears came true as Faraall rose from the water. I wanted to run, but my whole body felt frozen.
Fin yanked me to my feet, dragging me away from the edge of the lagoon, pushing me behind him.
My heart lurched into a more rapid beat.
Five more mermen, all of them soldiers in my father’s army, slithered out of the darkened water. Traitors. Where was their loyalty? I was their princess.
Fear hooked its claws into me. “I’m not your bride.” The words tumbled out of my mouth.
“Yes, you are,” Faraall sneered.
I fired back with another question. “How’d you find me?”
Faraall gave his men a nod, and they fanned out around us. We were outnumbered.
“The sea witch has many talents,”the commander bragged. “When word reached me that you’d escaped and had returned to the sea, well, I had to ensure your safety.”
“The princess is safe,” Fin declared, positioning himself between me and his commander.
Faraall sneered at Fin and motioned with a curt wave for me to join him. “Come, my princess. Don’t make this hard. Remember what happened last time?”
How could I forget the bruise he’d given me? Or the pain and swelling in my cheek? Only lies spilled from that mouth. Returning with him would end in my death. I’d rather die than go with him.
“Touch her, and we’ll kill you,” warned Nemo as he emerged from the shadows gripping his trident. His enormous size was even more hulking as he stood straighter, his muscles tensing.He tossed a second trident to Fin.
Faraall’s gaze drifted to what I assumed was Nemo’s tattoo. “I’ll have your head for that threat, soldier.”
A growl rumbled in Nemo’s chest, making him seem more like a wolf than a merman.
Fin placed a firm hand on Nemo’s shoulder and squeezed. “Fall back, soldier.”
