2. Allarick
Chapter 2
Allarick
I ’m hit with the smell of cedar and pine. A cool wind caresses my chest, reminding me that winter is leaving us soon. I surface on the outskirts of Lycan Forest, scanning the area for potential threats.
And Ender.
The people of the sea don’t wander above water often. Some of us have the ability to shift between land legs and our true oceanic form. The world above is a mess with their own set of problems. My people feel safer within our sacred city. The water is familiar, and the land…not so much.
However, meeting Ender and my wife-to-be in my kingdom is out of the question. The human won’t have the ability to breathe underwater yet, and Ender is the last person I want in my kingdom. I’m forced to take the man’s help, but I still don’t completely trust him like some of the other kings of Mescos do. There’s something about The Guardian that doesn’t sit right with me .
Something he’s hiding.
The moment I reach the shore, my bright red tentacles—their natural color—change to better hide in my surroundings. Red is a dead giveaway to enemies, but I’m able to adapt and camouflage myself to blend in better. Soon, I trade my tentacles for legs. Even though I have done this hundreds of times, it always takes me a moment to gather my bearings. My body feels heavier here, and I have to reacquaint myself with my legs. One step forward. Then another.
Before leaving, I remembered to grab a pair of pants. Others may feel comfortable enough to meet their mates with their cock jutting out, but I don’t want to scare her. Not when I must make this woman fall in love with me.
Love. Such a small word that carries a heavy weight. A burden and strength wrapped up in one.
“King Allarick,” a deep voice calls, and my head whips up. I’m not used to being snuck up on, but Ender has a knack for doing just that. I finish pulling up my pants and move farther onto the land, leaving my ocean and home behind.
Just for a little while.
“Guardian.” Ender’s gray skin reminds me of a boulder. A massive, impenetrable boulder with horns. He towers over me, the largest man I’ve seen on land yet. I would be a fool if I felt anything other than unease around him. This man harbors secrets like a sea nymph harbors unsuspecting men: in abundance.
“The contract has been fulfilled. I come to deliver your mate.” Ender is straight to the point. He isn’t one for small talk, which I can appreciate .
Having been so focused on the man before me, I didn’t notice the woman he carries. She’s frail and limp in his arms. Her face is covered by a mane of black hair. The steady rise and fall of her chest tell me she’s not conscious.
Her skin, golden brown with earthy undertones, has purple and blue bruises running up and down her arms. There are darker bruises around her neck. I can’t see the rest of her body, but I’m sure more scars and bruises color her arms and thighs. A beautiful, broken disaster.
This is to be my wife?
“What happened to her?” Her wounds surely can’t be inflicted by Ender taking her against her will. The Guardian is many things, but a threat to human women isn’t one of them. “Does she need medical attention?”
“Her name is Erin Goodwin,” Ender ignores both of my questions. Bastard. “Her story is not mine to tell. Perhaps, if you earn her trust, she will feel comfortable enough to answer your burning questions. But I will say this: Erin has been through more than any person should go through. She’s free of her prison.”
Again, I take Erin in. I yearn to know her story. How she received those bruises and why she agreed to be swept away from her life to be taken to Mescos. What prison did she need to escape so badly that she was willing to uproot her entire life?
A seed of anger is planted inside me. Hearing more about Erin’s past will only make it grow until it consumes me. It’s irrational to feel like this about a human I just met, but it’s now my job to protect her. I take my jobs seriously .
“Allarick,” Ender’s voice takes on a somber tone, giving me pause. The Guardian isn’t one for emotions, at least none that I’ve ever witnessed, but he stares down at Erin with a look of sorrow. I have the distinct feeling I’m not going to like what he has to say.
“Erin has been through much in her short life at Grym Hollow. This pairing between the two of you won’t be easy.” As soon as he says those words, dread tightens in my chest.
I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to take a human mate. All I knew was that the fate of my kingdom relied on this match. My power and the destiny of my kingdom are dependent upon a human mate. Both the Dragon King Malix and the Wolf King Rip are proof of this. The reason their people are still alive is due to the bonds the humans made with their kings. They provide their own magic unique to humans and strengthen their people.
My hope is that my human bride can provide the strength and safety my people need. But knowing my pairing with Erin will be difficult…it’s a selfish thought. The woman before me is terribly hurt. Seeing her healed should be my priority right now.
“She fights her own nightmares,” Ender goes on before my mind can stray further. “You will not win her heart by force, Kraken King. You must show patience, empathy, and kindness. Show her she can trust you, and then never break that trust.”
My eyes narrow as unexpected anger floods my body. Who is Ender to tell me how to treat my wife? What type of kraken does he take me for ?
“Erin will receive what she needs. She will be safe here. No harm will come to her.”
“I hope that is the case. The two of you are destined for greatness, but the opposite is true as well. Cherish her, because any moment can be your last.” Ender’s voice teeters on the precipice of emotion. Like he understands lost love all too well. Perhaps he does. The Guardian is a mystery, but I find it hard to believe this stonelike man is capable of such a deep and complicated emotion.
Finally, The Guardian extends his arms, handing Erin over. The woman’s head rolls to the side, her hair falling away from her face. The bruises on her neck are darker than I initially thought, and one of her eyes is almost swollen shut. Her lip is bruised, dried blood coating her bottom lip.
Who the fuck did this to her?
“Do you have somewhere on land to take her?” Ender asks as I pull Erin to my chest. The woman doesn’t so much as stir.
“Yes, I’m taking her to my kingdom’s emergency shelter on land.” Specifically, my sister’s cabin, but I don’t dare give The Guardian too much information. Luckily, I had the foresight to plan a place to take my human wife before exposing her to the underwater kingdom. My sister, Atina, lives on land amongst other cabins I’ve set aside in case my people must flee the ocean. She graciously offered up her home, a half-mile walk from here. I could have met Ender there, since it’s close to the ocean as well, but I didn’t want him to see our land shelter.
Because I don’t trust Ender .
“Very good. I’ll be in touch, Kraken King,” Ender says, and before I can say another word, The Guardian opens a shimmery white portal and steps through. It closes behind him, and I’m alone with my new wife—a broken woman I hope becomes the queen my people and I need.