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“There’s a good fish,” Faraall snarled. “Obey your superior.”
“Listen, Commander.” Fin adopted a reasoning tone. “We’ll be happy to escort the princess back to Tritonia if that is the wish of our king.”
“What?” My attention snapped to Fin.
I felt like a spear had penetrated my heart. How could he betray me like that? All his promises meant nothing. Just sand blowing in the wind. His touch, his love just to use me for his own desires, then betray me when authority commanded it.
A hollow, empty laugh burst from Faraall. “What a kind gesture. But I would prefer to escort my bride myself. I’m dying to make a woman of her before our big day.”
His soldiers sniggered. One rubbed his crotch.All of their eyes blazed with the promise of my rape.
Vomit clogged my throat.
The slimy slug had said the right words to trigger Nemo. He aimed his trident at his commander.
My fingernails dug into Fin’s arms.
“Now, now, that’s no way to speak to a merlady.” Fin sauntered up to Faraall. “Especially not the daughter of your king.”
I made a choked noise as Fin smashed a fist into Faraall’s face. A loud crack rang out, most likely the sound of his nose breaking. He hunched over, whimpering.
Faraall’s slimy soldiers stepped back. I bet none ofthemhad ever dared to defy the commander or attack him.
Blood stained Faraall’s teeth. “Protecting her honor like that, either you’re both fools, or you fancy her. I’ll find out which when I let my men mount her like the dog she is.”
Fin played right into Faraall’s game and kneed the creep in the head, and he collapsed to the ground.
The soldiers readied their tridents.
My breath wedged somewhere between my throat and my lungs.
“Run,” Nemo whispered to me.
My brain screamed at me to go. But my heart begged me to stay and fight with my mermen, to not leave them to face certain death. My heart won out, and I snatched Faraall’s weapon, which had fallen from his grasp.
I’d had some basic training in defense. Only because I’d begged my father to let me have lessons, and he’d complied to end my nagging. But whenever I fought any of the practice instructors, they’d go easy on me because of who I was. This was eight moon cycles ago, though, and my mind scrambled, trying to remember everything my instructor had taught me.
“I’ll take her first,” said one of the soldiers, stepping forward, grunting as if he expected me to roll over and let him rape me.
Palms sweating, heart fluttering, I stood my ground with the trident aimed. Sorry. I wasn’t that easy. Nor was I a dog.This guy was going to pay for assuming he’d rape me.
Fin defended my honor, batting at the mersoldier, thrusting him back. Another jumped into the fight, and Fin deflected their attacks. His motions reminded me of a sea horse doing a mating dance—graceful, effortless, and mesmerizing.
A mersoldier to my left issued a vicious snarl and twirled his weapon. It was time for me to battle, too. Our tridents clashed. The creep hammered me like a cruel storm battering the waves. My breaths burst in and out of my lungs. Heart jolting, I swung left, and he blocked me. Like the cocky brute he was, he swung at me over and over, pushing me back. In the end, his sheer strength won out, and he shoved me to the ground.
An ache claimed my spine. My heart tripped madly with mindless panic, but I wasn’t giving up. As he loomed over me, I groped for my weapon, but it had fallen from my grasp. My stomach churned like a storm-tossed sea. By the grace of Poseidon, I found a rock instead. With all my might, I hurled it at him. It caught him in the jaw, and he stumbled backward. I scrambled for my weapon as more soldiers closed in on me.
Nemo’s roar deafened me as he lunged at the soldier, thrusting him backward and piercing him to the wall. Blood leaked everywhere.
My frantic gaze found Fin.
Menace flashed in Faraall’s eyes. I knew that look. He was up to something.
For the briefest moment, a terrible fear rose in my heart. I thrust it into the very darkest corner of my mind. “Watch out!” I screamed, trying to warn Fin.
But it was too late. Faraall swept his leg in a wide arc parallel with the ground, catching Fin in the back of his knees. He crashed to the ground, and Faraall leaped on top of him, punching him in the face.
I let out a whimper.
