8. Harven
HARVEN
Four days.
Four long, miserable days since I last saw Eve during our tumultuous dinner. Four days of scenting her down every hallway, until the point of madness. Far from my reach, as she only unlocks her door for the servant she escorted from dinner.
Leri she is called.
If she didn’t give me regular updates on Eve’s health, I’d have broken down her door by now. My mate wouldn’t like it, but I won’t sit idly by while she rots.
Despite mild boredom, Leri assures me all is well.
Eve refuses every meal and gift I send. I’m told she would rather dine on the servant’s stew than any of the fine dishes I provide. The large array of jewels from the royal collection remains sealed in their boxes.
I scratch at my overheated skin.
The air stings like a jellyfish. I should be in the open water, filling my gills and letting my tentacles float freely. The water has always been a balm when I found myself wound too tight.
I can’t risk leaving the castle. Not when Eve could emerge at any time or some accident could befall her.
Rumors of threats to her life are already abounding. I can’t afford to be far away if something happens. She is fragile, with no magic to protect her. She can hate me all she wants, but there’s no denying that she needs me.
And I need her. Badly.
My cock stirs in agreement. I cast it a glare as it presses against the silk of my skirt that conceals it and the upper portion of my tentacles. I have not touched my cock nor any of my Pearls since Eve’s arrival.
Eve. Eve. Was there ever a more beautiful sound than her name?
The time apart from her has driven me headlong into madness. She is in my every waking thought. My tentacles snap and writhe, eager for another graze of her skin. Her scent of sun and citrus burns in my lungs.
The details of her face aren’t as sharp as they once were. I’m a fool for not committing more of her to memory when I had the chance.
Then there is this need.
A yawning, clawing need—deeper than any trench. It’s sprawling and endless. At its heart lies my desire for her. The ache in my chest clenches in agreement.
I need to bed her—fuck her full of my seed—and maybe, just maybe, I can become a level-headed king again.
Navigating daily tasks has become difficult. I find the court politics particularly dull. All I care for are the reports of her well-being from the sea nymph. There is nothing else.
I’m a snarling beast who prowls the castle halls, waiting for my mate to emerge.
How had the dinner gone so poorly?
In her absence, I’ve had time to contemplate my regrets. I would’ve done many things differently. Namely, following her to her room and apologizing for whatever I had done to offend her.
I’m not a gentle male—have never claimed to be—but I do have the capacity for complex emotion. I understand her human way of life is different. I hadn’t been careful enough with her feelings.
Had I shown a bit more tact, she could be with me now. Moaning beneath me in pleasure and begging me to fill her with my cock.
Instead, she hides away, while I’m left to catalog my many failures.
A monster she called me. An astute observation. In my haste to find her, I became that. A servant to my curse. The need to preserve my line, and all that I’ve fought for, has twisted me.
When I found her, I merely saw the end of my suffering. I hadn’t been considerate enough for her.
More than anything, I hadn’t learned how to make her happy. Yes, I had done extensive research on keeping humans alive, but I knew very little of what brought them joy. I knew nothing about what would make Eve’s life here enjoyable.
Foolishly, I thought our bond would do the bulk of the problem-solving. She would come to me with the same raging desire I have for her, and after she was pregnant, we could navigate what life for her would look like.
What a fool I was. A cruel, neglectful fool.
You two deserve each other.
Her biting words make me down the rest of my sea-stout. Wiping foam from my lips, I glare into the empty room. My stomach churns like rough water.
Her comment had cut deeper than calling me a monster. Nixie had been a fixture in my life for centuries. It’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t here. That said, it’s not as if I know her.
Our relationship had nothing to do with companionship.
I gave her station within my court because she served me in bed. I didn’t care for her personality. In fact, I knew very little about her. Or about Seera and Bly.
It was the nature of being the King’s Pearls. My mother had understood her place just the same. I had made amends with it growing up as the king’s bastard. It was our way.
That’s why it didn’t matter to me if Nixie was cruel. With the curse in place, Nixie always knew a day would come when I spent time with someone other than her.
It would be different than when I showed favoritism to Seera or Bly for the sake of variety. She was happy to hold out, knowing I would come back to her.
This is different. Eve is different. She is my mate. More than a lover, she is to be my queen and mother of my children.
I want many things from Eve that never crossed my mind with Nixie.
As my Pearl, her job was to serve my pleasure. She fulfilled that role with zealous dedication. If she was awful to servants, so be it. She would never rule them. I could send her away swiftly if she caused too much trouble.
A callous truth, but no less true.
I had never felt the need to check her behavior because I didn’t care to. She pleased me. That was enough.
Yet, when she struck Leri, Eve acted out of compassion. She showed kindness to the lesser sea nymph without hesitation. It was unheard of. Leri’s kind was born into servitude, to be cared for by Eve—
She is brave, my little mate.
Kind. Traits long missing from this court. Traits I didn’t think I would find as enticing as I do. I shouldn’t be surprised. Everything about Eve is alluring to me. From the fire in her eyes to her white painted toes, I want to touch and possess every inch of her.
I want to hold her close and demand she tell me every thought and recount every dream.
I’ve never heard the mating frenzy affect a king in this way. Perhaps because we’ve delayed it, it’s hooking its claws deeper. Ripping me apart until I have no choice but to relieve this burning need.
I will need to show restraint if I’m to be a worthy mate to her. She deserves more compassion than I’ve shown. Still, I worry. My thoughts are plagued by the thought of her alone in that room. Any manner of accident could befall her.
Without my child growing inside her, Gyll’s magic and my own won’t be enough to keep her safe. If she never comes out—
A snarl rips from my lips as I throw my glass mug across the room. It shatters against the marble column. The silence sweeps in, more overwhelming than before.
She is human. As fragile as she is lovely. She is vulnerable when not at my side. Is she hurt right now? In pain, or gods, is she sad? I couldn’t bear it if she was—
The room to my study slides open.
Hazy blue light spills against the gold-vein white marble. Hyra’s elegant figure lingers in the doorway. Dressed in a simple teal gown with gauzy sleeves, her delicate tentacles drag along the floor beside her webbed feet.
Half-kraken, half-siren, and born before the curse was laid to my brother, the throne could never be hers. It could only pass through the male line and be won by blood. There are many regrets I have over the slaughter of my brothers, but Hyra’s father’s isn’t one of them.
I relished his demise.
A soft smile curves her pale lips. Thick tendrils of her white hair are braided back with a thin silver band. Pink dust highlights the blue-green hue of her cheeks.
I’m relieved it’s her and not Nixie.
The siren’s been adamant that I see her. Just tonight, she has come in ten times in varying degrees of undress, begging me to visit her before I have the guards drag her away. She has sent me countless notes over the past few days pleading for me to return to her bed. I’ve ignored them all.
I have no doubt a teeth-clenching climax would soothe me, but since Eve’s arrival the thought of touching another makes my stomach cramp. I have to have her.
Until I do, none will truly satisfy me.
“Uncle.” Hyra bows at the waist in greeting. “You look terrible.”
A wry chuckle escapes me. Hyra’s smile widens as she settles into the ornate upholstered seat beside me. I had these made for human comfort. I fear they will rot long before Eve’s perfect body graces the dark blue satin.
Hyra’s glowing eyes survey my study. The large painting adorning the wall depicts the sprawling castle. Beside it are gilded bookcases that comprise the room. Centuries-old scrolls and ancient tomes litter the shelves. Dust dances through the air, but Eve’s scent undercuts it.
The need to follow it like a shark after blood burns in my veins.
“I take it you haven’t seen her?” Hyra asks, turning her focus back on me.
“No,” I grumble. “Every time I try, she ignores me. Only let’s Leri in at meal times. Any attempts I make at entering with the nymph result in us both being cast out.”
I’d rather not see her than let her go hungry.
Hyra considers my words, tilting her head.
“Have you considered apologizing to her?”
My tentacles curl inwards as I say, “I don’t even know what I’d be apologizing for.”
My niece’s brows arch towards her hairline.
“How about kidnapping her for starters?”
I purse my lips. “But I’m not sorry I did that.”
“Maybe you should be. Apologize for capturing her—for holding her against her will. For reducing her to nothing more than a breeder for your heirs instead of treating her with the respect your mate deserves.”
Anger sparks a cold fire in my veins. I glare towards my niece. Family or not, I’m king. She needs to respect my authority.
I’m in no mood to hear more about my failings with Eve.
“Enough—”
“If you had shown her kindness and understanding, given her space to process everything,” Hyra continues, unperturbed by my growl, “then perhaps things would be different. I’m not saying you should lie or shy away from what you’ve done.
Our morals differ from her human values, but you could’ve been a bit gentler in your approach.
You are a good king—a wise male. Did you really think she was going to wake up in a room filled with corpses of her fellow humans, learn you were responsible for their deaths, and welcome you between her thighs? ”
Laid out like that, it does sound ridiculous. Regardless—
“It would’ve made things easier.”
My sullen tone is very unbecoming for a king. Hyra shakes her head.
“Humans are not like us. They don’t have mating bonds. Their courtships are less physical and more emotional because of it. You’ve treated her with all the care of a newly purchased pearl.”
“That’s unfair,” I snap. “Of course, I care for her. She is my mate. I’ve waited centuries to find her. I’ll admit I acted rashly—spoke too harshly—but I would never hurt her.”
“You have hurt her, Uncle. That’s what I need you to understand.” My tentacles feel weighed down with anchors at her words. “You sent your Pearls to prepare her. The king’s lovers sent to retrieve his mate. What kind of things do you suppose Nixie said to her?”
Red settles over my vision.
“If Nixie has poisoned her against me, I’ll kill—”
“I think you’ve done enough killing, Uncle.” Hyra leans back in her chair. “Focus on formulating your apology. Leave Nixie and her callous tongue to me.”
“What are you going to do?”
Hyra’s eyes glow anew. A softness overtakes her features. In the dim light, she looks every bit the regal princess.
“Your mate is brave,” Hyra states. “I know very few in this court that would’ve defended Leri. Even fewer would risk Nixie’s ire.”
That I can agree with.
“I’ve allowed Nixie to move unchecked. It was no secret she was my favored Pearl. In my search to find Eve, I have given Nixie too much freedom for servicing me all these years. I fear this freedom has made her think she means more to me than she does.”
“It’s a king’s right to keep his Pearls,” Hyra says, “but Eve is not seafolk. Her customs may not be as understanding of lovers. The human fondness for monogamy is surely something you’ve run across in your studies.”
I had heard of this. Not all humans were content with one partner, but most were. Once again, like a fool, I thought these were all discussions to have later. Once she was pregnant—once I had fucked her a hundred times, she might welcome the reprieve.
As the king, my desire for pleasure is rampant. I would never expect her alone to satisfy it. That may be beyond what she can give me.
Though if she never comes out of her room, all these considerations are for naught.
Exhaustion weighs me down. My tentacles fall limply to the marble. The pounding in my head returns with a vengeance. One word rattles in my mind. It echoes my heartbeat.
Eve. Eve. Eve.
“What should I do then, Hyra? She won’t speak to me long enough to apologize.”
My niece presses to her feet in a swirl of silk and glittering tentacles. Her eyes are brighter than before, and her smile is more secretive than ever. Whatever she’s planning, I’m not sure I’m going to like.
“Leave it to me, Uncle.”
She turns from the sitting area and prowls towards the door.
“Where are you going?” I call.
“To fix what you broke. Like always.” She glances over her shoulder. “Come to dinner tomorrow with a proper apology if you ever hope to claim Eve as your mate.”
The door rattles shut behind her. I fall back against my chair and scrub a calloused palm down my face. I can’t remember ever apologizing to anyone. I’ve been king for centuries. My word is law. Even when I have been wrong, admitting it would show weakness.
Yet, if anyone is entitled to me forsaking a small bit of my kingly pride, it would be Eve.
Especially if it meant earning her forgiveness.