7. Eve
EVE
The walk back to my room is quiet save for Leri’s shallow breathing.
The poor female hasn’t stopped trembling, and I can't blame her. My own hands shake. Not in fear but with the white-hot anger pulsing through my veins. This place is hell.
Turning down a wide hallway, I glance towards Leri.
She is willowy, with pale green skin covered in delicate scales. Dressed in a simple white smock, her green hair hangs loosely over her shoulders. Her milky green eyes are framed by white lashes. Leri doesn’t possess that ageless quality so many of the creatures here do.
“How old are you?” I ask, before pursing my lips. “And what are you?”
“A sea nymph, my—my—”
“Eve is fine. Please. I don’t want a title.”
Leri nods. The tears on her sallow cheeks finally dry as we travel down the white marble floor. The gold veining glows in the blue lights that illuminate the hall. A kind of rippling algae is what powers the whole castle.
It would be interesting if I didn’t already resign myself to hating every bit of this place.
“It is a lesser seafolk. Hierarchies here are based on magical abilities. The krakens—like the king—are at the top. Followed by merfolk and sirens. Nymphs, sharkins—we possess very little magic and are thus resigned to servitude in noble houses.”
My stomach tightens at her words. How archaic. If I were ever forced to be queen, I’d abolish such designations. However, I’m sure as a human, I rank lower than Leri.
It’s once again my highly-sought-after-murder-spree-inducing womb that gives me any value.
“I see. And your age?”
“My twentieth was four full moons ago.”
I nod. “Is Nixie always this cruel to you, or was tonight a one-off?”
Leri’s eyes harden, but she quickly shakes it off. A blank mask settles on her face, smoothing out any hint of what she really thinks.
I squeeze her arm and glance around the empty hallway.
“You can speak freely, Leri. This is no trick. Whatever you say to me won’t be shared,” I assure her.
Leri scans the hallway too. Satisfied that we’re alone, she keeps her voice low.
“She is horrible, Eve. Always has been.” Leri’s lips curl in disdain. “Her position as the king’s favored Pearl has given her delusions of importance. She lords over all the servants as if she is queen. As if she is not as replaceable as one of us. There are whispers.”
“Whispers?”
Leri’s green hair brushes my shoulder as she nods.
“The servants talk. We see everything. Many believe she takes a forbidden lover to her bed. It’s all alleged. She is discreet and has never been caught outright. The rumors still circulate despite her best efforts to quell them.”
Unease sours my stomach.
“Quell them how?” I ask.
Leri’s eyes shudder. “She beats anyone caught sharing them.”
We pause outside my door. The ornate golden handles glitter in the low light. I’d never thought I’d be so happy to see this room. Or so thankful it locks from the inside. I’m sure if the king wanted to, he could force his way in.
“That’s awful, Leri. This place is awful.” The nymph opens her mouth as if to argue, but I press on. “What of the king? Does he share Nixie’s affinity for cruelty?”
Leri shakes her head. Tendrils of her green hair cling to her shoulders.
“No. Not to the servants, at least. He pays us little mind. He’s been solely focused on finding you for as long as anyone can remember.”
Well, isn’t that sweet.
“How old is he?”
I don’t know why I’m asking any questions about the king. The less I know about him, the better.
However, deep down I know that’s a foolish sentiment. I need to learn as much as I can if I plan to escape. A feat that seems impossible, but I owe it to myself to try. At least somewhat.
“Three centuries? Maybe more.” Leri’s eyes turn sad. “The Kraken Kings can live for a millennium, but the rest of the seafolk—even those with plenty of magic—don’t live past two and a half centuries.”
Centuries. Millennia.
I try to rationalize the length of time. It’s beyond my comprehension. My time here will be a blip in his long, drawn-out life. No wonder he cares so little for human lives.
They are nothing to a monster like him with centuries to do as he pleases. Limitless power. We are all expendable. Me most of all. Once he has what he wants from me, he’ll toss me aside.
Not that I plan on giving him the chance to have me. I meant what I said in front of his court. I’d rather die than let him inside me.
If things were different—if the situation weren't as it is—maybe there would be a chance.
I’ve been looking for love. I do want a family, but not like this. Not with a male like him.
He is handsome. I don’t find him as repulsive as I should. His actions have hardened my heart against him more than the tentacles.
A dark, hidden part of my soul I’ve kept buried loves the desperate way he needs me. Once he has me, though, that desperation will cool. I’ll be left with nothing save his bastard.
A fate worse than death.
My stomach growls, and Leri pales.
“Are you hungry?”
“I can’t stomach any of that weird fish food.”
The goo atop that bed of grass had tasted like a mix between rotten eggs and anchovies. I shudder at the memory of the bitter taste. My stomach growls again, desperate for anything to fill it.
“I could bring you a bowl of the servant’s stew.” Dark green sweeps over her cheeks. “It’s not proper for someone of your station to eat, but perhaps you would like it. It’s made from crustaceans."
I tilt my head, considering her words. Anything is better than that wretched goo.
“I’d love to try a bowl, Leri. Thank you.”
“Y—you don’t have to thank me, Eve. It’s my honor to serve you.”
“I see manners are also lacking in this court.”
The nymph chuckles softly. A new tenderness warms her gaze.
“You are very kind. That is a good quality for a queen to possess.”
Huffing a laugh, I shake my head.
“I have no plans on becoming queen. In fact, I hope to never set eyes on the king again.” I study Leri, surmising I’ve earned enough of her trust to risk my question. “I need to get out of here. Please tell me there is a way to get to the surface.”
Leri rears back. The shock on her face makes cold sweat break out across my skin. Whatever she’s about to say, I know I’m not going to like.
“The surface? As in leave the king?”
“Yes, Leri, as in leave the king. As in never see this place or sea-people again.”
“But,” Leri pauses, licking her lips, “you can’t—did they not tell you?”
My jaw clenches. I’ve had more surprises in one day than one needs in a lifetime. I don’t think I can survive another one.
“Tell me what?”
Leri looks everywhere but at me. She’s suddenly very interested in her webbed toes.
“Leri,” I snap, harsher than I intend. “Out with it.”
The nymph dares a look at me. I watch her breathe deep and summon the courage she’ll need to destroy all my hopes.
“You can’t leave, Eve. The Sea Witch’s magic aided your arrival—it preserves you.
As does your mating bond with the king.” Her sharp teeth dig into her lower lip.
“The magic also keeps you here. If you entered the ocean without the king at your side to protect you, the water would kill you in minutes. The ocean would freeze you if you didn’t run out of air first.”
A low ringing echoes in my ears. The floor under my feet feels unstable. I knew my chances of escaping were low, but I thought there would be at least something I could do. Form a plan and attempt a return to the surface.
“There must be vessels? How else was I brought down here?”
I say the words, but they don’t sound like my voice. Leri’s eyes are sympathetic as she shakes her head.
“After you were found, the king had them all destroyed. There will be no more trips to the surface now that you’re here.”
No more humans will be taken, but that also means—
“I truly am stuck here. Forever.” My stomach feels hollow. “I’m going to die down here.”
Leri opens my door and guides me inside.
She unpins my hair and lets it fall in loose curls over my shoulders. I’m too numb to do anything. I barely even register her stripping me and sliding a teal nightgown over my head. I feel like a puppet on a string.
I don’t know what to think. The king will make good on his word to have me. I can only keep him at bay for so long before he comes to take what I will never offer. What a bleak existence.
“I’m sorry, Eve. Truly.”
Leri slips from the room, no doubt to retrieve a bowl of stew for me. I’ve lost my appetite as I collapse on the bed. The sound of rushing water makes my head turn towards the shallow pool. It releases into the ocean.
A dark portal into the unknown.
I can’t believe I’m considering it, but the undulating waves do offer me a way out. A permanent one.
I’m not safe here. Nixie wants me gone—the king wants me pregnant. If I leave, the sea will kill me, but maybe that would be better than the future I have in store. My stomach cramps as I roll onto my front.
I’m not ready to give up just yet. Clinging to a fleeting tendril of hope is foolish, but I do it all the same.
This is my karma for being so desperate for love. The universe had seen how I longed for my perfect match and tethered my mortal soul to a monster.
How wrong I had been to think being single at twenty-seven was a fate worse than death.
Being single is nothing when the alternative is being chained to the bed of an overbearing, yet annoyingly handsome kraken.
Handsome is the only compliment I’ll give him. It’s not enough to tempt me into letting him put his cock inside me. Even if I allowed him to have me, there’s no guarantee that once I gave him an heir—or two—he’d keep me.
Once I served my purpose, he could dispose of me.
All these considerations about my comfort were merely a way to make me more agreeable to the fact that he needed to breed me. Once he has what he wants, all promise of protection will be gone. He’ll go back to fucking his Pearls—if he even planned to stop—and I’ll be left with nothing.
Lifting my head, I look out of the massive window. The sea is quiet. The dark water is just as foreboding as my mood. Cupping my hands around my head, I can’t believe the way my life has shaken out.
What the fuck am I going to do?