“This is Atargatis?” Displeasure placed a grimace on Lennox’s face as he set his sights on the humble castle. 

Where once was an extravagant, towering centerpiece in the center of our city now stood a small, two-level structure erected out of nothing more than half-dead coral. Mother’s destructive force brought down the entire original dwelling. Even the throne room had to be rebuilt. The prison was the only room left standing. The very prison that now held her captive. 

The irony was not lost to her. 

Though far less pleasing to the eye, I preferred this version. It was built from hard work and team effort. Every mermaid in our community had a hand in it. No ghost of past evil lingered inside these walls. No dark magic seeped from the cracks to poison the entire city. 

“We’re still rebuilding,” I explained.

“It looks like a human bomb exploded, and you pieced it back together with shrapnel.”

“Close. The revolution caused great devastation. At least the rest of the city was spared. The demolition stayed contained within the castle walls.”

He spun around, observing the square and the caves surrounding the city that served as homes for our people. “Mermaids live in grottos?”

“What else would they live in?”

“You’ve never seen another city, have you?”

I sheepishly shook my head. “I’ve left the kingdom, but never strayed so far as to find another.”

“Then you have no idea how primitive this looks.”

Shock caused my eyes to widen. I ran my gaze along the length of him—from the disgusting, human-like deformities he called feet to the top of his ridiculous hair. “The nerve you have, to come here and insult my home.”

“I don’t insult without purpose.”

“Then what is yours?”

“You can’t see the danger in living so far behind the times?”

“We’re perfectly safe here.”

“You think so.”

“Might I remind you that, until recently, we never even knew other societies existed. There has never been anyone so bold as to challenge or attack us. We can’t be as helpless as you believe or we would’ve fallen under another ruler ages ago.”

Lennox snaked a hand around my torso, pulling my body against his. His warmth crashed into my skin, sinking in, and I hated myself for not being repulsed by it. This creature had a vile tongue and a loud mouth. Everything about him irritated me to the core. Yet, when he pressed his lips against my ear, his hot breath drifting down the side of my neck, my stomach clenched. I begged my heart to stop racing before he felt it in my pulse.

“Until recently, you were protected by a queen with a murderous reputation,” he whispered. “A great white guarded your gates, keeping the predators away. Now that she is gone, who will protect the minnows left behind?”

My breath caught in my throat. “Are you… are you threatening us?”

“I don’t make the threats. It isn’t my place. But when I report your weakness to my king, I cannot guarantee his next order will be a friendly one.”

His gaze locked onto mine, a regrettable lust for blood easily read in his face. This Fin-man would kill for his king; it was what he was bred for. However, something told me he wouldn’t enjoy it.

The flit of another mermaid’s tail stole my attention. I looked up to find the world around us had stopped to watch our quarrel. There was no telling what type of compromising thoughts passed through their minds at the sight of us. 

Now exposed fully to the light, his entire body shimmered. There was no mistaking him for human, even with his two legs. And he held their princess in an embrace that could easily be mistaken for affection. I brought my hands between us and tried to push away, but he held tighter.

His attention shifted nervously between the gawkers and me. “Why are they staring?” he demanded.

Because a strange creature is holding the heir in his arms.

“They’ve never seen a Fin-man before, either.” I wiggled free, then searched the audience for a friendly face. One that wouldn’t address me with formality and give my title away. My masquerade had just transformed from a friendly game of trickery to a desperate attempt at self-preservation.

Lennox’s loyalty to his king could be taken as admirable if it were not for current circumstances. His suggestion of us being easy prey was clear and immoveable, and he couldn’t be trusted. Revealing myself to him would be like presenting my own head on a silver platter to offer as his next trophy.

A green tail pushed forward; it was a familiar Atlantian. Dalton approached, his hand hovering over his own dagger. My chest swelled with relief, and I blew out a rough patch of bubbles from my gills. 

One of the very few merfolk I could call friend, Dalton had given me the benefit of the doubt from day one. It seemed he’d also grown close enough to me to read my troubled expression without mistake.

“Angelique, is everything all right?” 

Lennox puffed out his chest before looping his fingers around my forearm in an exaggerated show of possessiveness that flared my nostrils. “Move along, merman. All is well.”

“It doesn’t seem to be. Judging by my friend’s face, I might think you’re harassing her.” 

“This is none of your concern. Your friend and I were having an intimate moment, couldn’t you tell?” He waggled his eyebrows, and my muscles flooded with humiliation until I went limp in his arms. 

“Do all the mermaids you seduce wear that same look when you’re through?” Dalton asked with a chuckle. “Like they’re going to blow chunks of half-digested shrimp all over your face?”

Lennox’s jaw flexed at the condescending jeers the affront elicited from those around us. “Is she yours?”

“She belongs to Atargatis. Every one of us will protect her at all costs.”

“That’s a no. In other words, she’s available for the claiming.”

“How dare you?” I shouted, shoving away from Lennox with all my strength. There was nothing timid and frail about me, a lesson this creature would soon find out. I reeled backward, brushing away the tangled mess of curls surrounding my face. “Who in Poseidon’s great ocean do you think you are?”

He feigned a look of innocence that was not becoming in the slightest. “Well, I believe I’m an honored guest of the queen. Although I must say I’ve not been treated like one at all.”

Stinging words collided with my teeth. For the love of the sea, I wanted to banish him forever. Every cell in my body screamed at me to throw him and his human likeness out of my kingdom. But as it stood, I held no such authority. I would, however, take extraordinary pride in watching my aunt send him away. 

I pointed my chin at him and said, “Let’s fix that then, shall we? Dalton, would you be so kind as to escort our esteemed guest to our most extravagant accommodations? I’ll inform Queen Myrtle he has arrived and awaits her audience.”

“Are you kidding?” Dalton objected. “You’re letting this walrus stay?”

“Mind your tongue, Dalton. The queen has requested audience with this… Fin-man, and our shared opinion of him is of no consequence.” 

“Is that what he is? I’ve heard of his kind.”

“You’re a wave ahead of me, then.” 

The Atlantian’s fist balled tight as he took in a long, patient breath. As expected, he offered an obedient nod. “All right,” he conceded before turning toward the castle and swimming away without a word of instruction to Lennox.

“I suppose that’s my cue to follow.” Lennox flashed a stunning smile—one that caused my tail to wobble from under me. “Be sure your queen doesn’t keep me waiting long. I’m not a patient Fin-man.”

His haughty words brought stability back to me, and my spine straightened in an instant. The wretched creature didn’t even give me the chance to retort before darting off in Dalton’s direction.

A soft hand landed gently on my forearm. I looked to my side, finding my younger sister’s friend with her mouth agape. 

“Who was that?” she asked.

I snorted, shaking my head. “That, little one, is trouble.”

She twirled a strand of blue hair around her index finger, biting her lip. “For you or for us? Because he looks like he would be worth a little trouble.”

“Jasmine!” 

Her shoulders lifted in a defiant, shameless shrug. “What? I didn’t say anything you weren’t thinking.”

“You’re much too young to give breath to such brash suggestions.”

“I’m sixteen. That makes me young, not blind.”

I couldn’t convince my lips not to lift upward in a stupid grin. Jasmine was so bold and unabashed. It was the first good look I had gotten of her since my sisters left the ocean, and it left me wondering why I hadn’t sought her out. Her company brought a familiar comfort. As much time as she spent with Pauline, Jasmine had become something of a distant sister to me over the years.

“Holy Poseidon,” she said with an exaggerated gasp. “Are you smiling, Angelique? Hmm. I like this guy already.”

“What’s there to like about a venomous sea snake?”

“I don’t know. It sometimes takes a snake to scatter the fish in the right direction. Otherwise, they might not find their right course.”

“You’re a hopeless optimist, Jasmine. You always have been.” I bumped her shoulder playfully with my own. “Where’s my aunt, anyway? It’s not like her to miss such excitement. She usually sniffs it out before the fun has even started.”