Sabyn forced me to sit there, watching him go through a truly disgusting amount of food. I knew it was for effect, that he was showing me he was the one in control. But even understanding his motivation, it was difficult not to grab one of the kelp and veggie sandwiches and cram it down his throat until he choked on the stupid thing. Except he was a merman so he couldn’t actually choke. More’s the pity.
Finally, when I felt like I was going to lose my mind if he made me wait one more second, he pushed his plate away with a huge sigh. Beer? he asked, holding out a brew made of red algae. It was Kona’s favorite brand, and my heart thumped a little in my chest when I saw it.
I shook my head. I hated the stuff. Besides, the last thing I needed right now was to cloud my brain with alcohol.
So, Sabyn said after taking a long drink. I have a proposition for you.
Finally. What do you want?
You.
Excuse me? Surely I’d heard wrong. Then again, he looked surprisingly earnest when he leaned forward and reached for my hand. I yanked it away before he could get a good grip on it, then folded my arms over my chest in case he hadn’t gotten the hint. I had to admit I felt like I was in the middle of a particularly weird and horrifying episode of The Twilight Zone. Or maybe The X-Files. That show has always freaked me out.
I waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. Nor did he do anything besides stare at me with a wounded expression on his face. Like my not wanting him to touch me had somehow offended him. Which was so ridiculous it made me long for my powers even more. There was nothing I wanted at that moment as much as the ability to blast him into next week.
Finally the whole nervous talker thing got the better of me and I demanded, Sabyn, what the hell are you up to?
I thought that was obvious. I’m taking over your kingdom.
Yeah, I got that. But what are you doing bringing me picnic lunches? We’re pretty much the definition of mortal enemies at this point.
I think that’s a little harsh, don’t you?
You shot me with a dart gun, stripped me of my powers, and chained me in a dungeon. And that was just today.
Yes, but that was for your own good.
My own good? I almost choked on my utter incredulity.
In case you didn’t notice, people weren’t exactly overjoyed to see you today. He gestured carelessly to the world outside my dungeon walls.
I didn’t talk to anybody. That’s the whole point. You have my people so terrified of you that they wouldn’t even come greet me.
That wasn’t terror, Tempest. That was disgust. I didn’t seize control of Coral Straits. It was given to me in a gift box, all wrapped up with a shiny bow.
I don’t believe you.He shrugged. Fine. Don’t believe me. That doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Your people sold you out.
I wanted to ignore him, to discount everything he was saying. But he was so calm, so rational, so sure of himself that it was hard to do. Besides, I could still see Bali’s face, could see all those people who saw me come into town today and went out of their way not to talk to me. After seeing Sabyn, I had decided it was fear that motivated them. But what if it was something else? What if they had chosen Sabyn as a leader? They could have been avoiding me because no one wanted to be the one to tell me. Or worse, because they’d known what was waiting for me and they were okay with me being hurt, imprisoned, trapped.
But still. Why would they do that? I demanded. Even as I asked, I was aware of the irony of seeking answers, reassurance, from the man who had put me in this situation.
My guess? They don’t like your ties to the human world. Every time things get rough, you run home to your daddy and that human boyfriend of yours. You have to admit it’s a little pathetic.
I wasn’t about to discuss Mark or my family with Sabyn. They were none of his business and, truthfully, I hated that he knew anything about them at all. I decided to change the subject. So, at risk of sounding like a broken record, what are you doing here? If you have the monarchy of Coral Straits all tied up, what are you doing in this dungeon with me?
He smiled then, and it was such a cold, slimy thing that I had to force myself not to shudder. The way he was looking at me made me feel like Little Red Riding Hood at the foot of her grandmother’s bed after the big bad wolf had climbed into it—like I was lunch and I just didn’t know it yet.
Funny you should ask, he told me, tipping his beer toward me in a little salute before he drained the bottle and tossed it back into that ridiculous picnic basket. I’m here to ask for your hand in marriage.
Chapter 16
At first I was certain that I had heard him wrong. Then I was certain that he was playing with me. And then … then I didn’t know what the hell I was certain of except that there was no way Sabyn had just asked me to marry him. I had heard—and done—a lot of crazy things in the year that I had been mermaid. I’d also sacrificed a lot for my clan, for my queen, for the people I believed I was destined to rule. But never in my wildest imaginings or nightmares could I have come up with this. That, more than anything else, convinced me that Sabyn had actually said what I thought he had.
Too bad the only response I had was, Are you out of your mind?
He tried to look offended but failed miserably. Still, when he held a hand up and said, Just hear me out, it wasn’t like I could argue with him. I was too shocked.
The way I see it, we both have problems that the other person can solve.
No offense, Sabyn, but I don’t think anyone can solve your problems.
Funny, because I was just thinking that I was the only one who could solve your problems. He raised his brows at me, obviously waiting for me to contradict him. But how could I when he was directly responsible for many of my problems, especially the most pressing one?
When he figured out I wasn’t going to try to one-up him again, he continued. I find myself in a strange and uncertain position these days. The Pacific Ocean has become a war zone, and while I would normally sit back with a bowl of dried kelp and watch the entire thing blow up, I have to admit that I’m more than a little concerned about how everything is going to shake out. Now, if you ask Tiamat, she’ll tell you that she has this thing wrapped up—I know, because I’ve asked her numerous times in the last few months. It’s kind of put us on the outs, if you want to know the truth.
He continued. But be that as it may, I am not nearly as confident as she is about how this thing will go down. Now, if your mom hadn’t had that unfortunate accident with the Lusca last year, I would definitely keep my money on the sea witch. But she did, and now there’s you. And, I’ve got to tell you, Tempest, you concern me.
Well, that’s a good basis for marriage. Concern that your partner might annihilate you from the face of the earth.
I think so. He smiled blandly, refusing to rise to the bait. Anyway, the truth is I’m rather fond of Coral Straits. I grew up here. I have friends here. It’s a great place to live. Not to mention it’s the richest merclan in the seven seas, one that has spent decades solidifying its power amidst the shifter clans in every ocean on earth. These are all good, good things. And now, it appears, I have quite a loyal following here as well. I’d be stupid to walk away from it on the basis of a washed-up sea witch’s promises.
I wouldn’t exactly call Tiamat washed up. I thought of the damage she’d done recently, of Kona’s family and my best friend Mahina’s uncle, and all the merpeople and selkies I used to know who were now just gone.