9. Eve
EVE
Scraping disgusting sea goo from my plate into the small pool, I watch it float out with glee.
I leave the dirty plate beside the rippling water and return to my steaming bowl of stew. It’s easily the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. I have no desire to know what’s in it, but I can say with confidence these royal seafolks have it all backward.
This stew is a meal fit for a king, not that gelatinous mess that tastes like licking a dead fish.
I moan around a mouthful of spicy, rich broth. What I’m assuming is shrimp bursts against my tongue. I lean my head back against my bed.
Dressed in a silky blue tank top and matching frilly-hemmed pants, I had been pleased to discover the wardrobe could produce any manner of clothing I wished.
Leri showed me how to use it. As an item spelled with the king’s magic, I merely needed to describe what I wanted. Within seconds, it would appear. Very handy.
Fresh from the bath, my golden blonde tendrils dry into nice, beachy waves thanks to the water's salt content. Leri had procured my jugs of fresh water before I died of thirst.
The sea-wine is far too potent to be drunk for leisure.
The sea nymph was a good companion, but she couldn’t linger for long. She only came to deliver meals and bits of gossip. Of course, she also came bearing the king’s unwanted gifts.
I didn’t need sapphires or silver hairpins. I needed something to do.
I can admit that after four days holed up in this room, I was getting a bit stir crazy. Any thoughts of escaping had died after day two. I was trapped here, and since I have vowed to never leave this room, I guess I’ll be dying here too.
Realistically, I know it won’t be that easy. I’ll have to see the king again at some point. Truthfully, I’m surprised he hasn’t pressed the issue. Many nights, I hear shuffling at my door and brace myself for him to break it down.
He hasn’t. Not yet.
At least my cage was gilded. My bed was softer than a cloud and fitted with the silkiest sheets that Leri routinely changed every day.
Sleep came easy enough, and it was the best way I knew to pass large chunks.
The king’s decree that this castle would suit a human was never more evident than in this room.
A few books decorated the simple silver vanity. They were waterlogged and clearly pilfered from some offshore drilling site. They were all manuals on heavy machinery.
Still, the sentiment was nice, even if the execution was poor.
There was a small bathroom with a toilet, shower, and bathtub. They also provided all the necessary toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, and lotion. However, there was very little in the way of cosmetics, meaning I needed to embrace my new bare-faced look.
The room temperature was mild, keeping out the chill of the ocean pouring in through the large windows. As much as everything looked like what I needed, it was much like the manuals.
The seafolks clearly understood the basics of what a human required to stay alive, but they knew nothing about us. Everything here was a very shallow understanding of the human condition.
It was most obvious with Leri, since she's the one I spent the most time with. She couldn’t understand how I didn’t like the fine food. How I could turn away King Harven’s gifts.
“A male would not give them if he wasn’t remorseful for what he did,” she had said while delivering my morning stew.
When I had explained that I couldn’t be bought that easily, she had just blinked.
Clearly, the concept of an apology was hard for these beings to grasp. I had tried to explain my plight to her, but Leri was hyper-aware of her position. If word spread that she was also being disparaging of the king, that could mean trouble.
I’d hate for her to suffer because of my ill will toward her boss.
If I were feeling more charitable, I’d tell the king how little he understands about humans. He said he wanted me to be happy here, but how could I be? Everything in this castle is hollow—soulless.
It’s not my job to educate them. I have resigned myself to being a prisoner in my room. I will stare idly out of the window until the madness sweeps me away into the current.
Until then, I’m going to eat as many bowls of stew as my heart desires.
Slurping down the last of it, I almost jump out of my skin at the soft rapping on my door. The knocks are far too delicate to be the king’s demanding fist.
He is no doubt disappointed with me. Not that I particularly care. However, these days in isolation have cooled the hottest parts of my anger. I can understand in a sense why he did what he did.
That doesn’t make it right, nor does it entitle him to my womb. Yet, I can understand part of his desperation. He’s murdered so many in order to find me. For me to cast him aside has to be frustrating.
Leri informed me of their mating cycles.
How Kraken Kings can live for a thousand years and enjoy countless iterations of their mate's soul, siring as many offspring as possible. Surely he is now longing for me to die so a new, more amiable mate can be reborn. I won’t give him the satisfaction. Not yet.
If the situation were different, his desperation for me would be appealing.
Had I not wanted that overwhelming devotion all my life? I had thought I was born into the wrong world, and I guess that was partially true. Still, I wouldn’t be a kraken’s fucktoy just because I wanted love. Love is firmly off the table for me.
Especially not with a monster who’ll never care for me beyond my fertile womb. How archaic. He has all the charm of a rutting beast, not a king. No matter his rippling muscles and decadent voice.
I’m even choosing to ignore that I did find the sensation of his tentacles rather pleasant. Apparently, days in isolation and over a year and a half without good sex have let my fantasies run wild. I’m not considering it. I’ll never allow King Harven anywhere near me. I can’t.
My aching chest says otherwise, but I shove all thoughts of desperate kisses from my mind. Bounding to my feet, I leave my empty bowl on the floor. My mouth begins to water.
“Leri, I hope you’ve brought more—”
The words die in a gasp as I take in the female at my threshold.
My eyes narrow and my lips pull back as I take in her flowing white hair and glowing blue eyes. Her delicate tentacles are dusted with silver that matches her short dress. A rope of pearls rests above her brows.
Her smile is soft as she extends a steaming, coral bowl towards me. A peace offering if I’ve ever seen one.
“Apologies, Leri was called away to attend a matter on the other side of the castle. I took the liberty of bringing you another bowl myself.”
Her even tone does nothing to soothe my wariness. Pressing onto my toes, I peer around her petite frame. The hall is quiet as usual save for the rigid guards keeping watch in their blue breastplates. They clutch deadly tridents tightly in their webbed hands.
“My uncle is not here, if that is what you’re worried about. I came alone.”
“Is he with his playthings?”
I inwardly cringe as my face warms. Of all the things I had to ask—
Hyra notes my question with thinly-veiled amusement.
“His Pearls? No. He hasn’t been with them since your arrival.”
“My abduction, you mean.” She inclines her head. “Maybe he should start.”
“Would you tolerate that? Sharing the king?” Genuine curiosity colors her voice. “It is our understanding that the majority of humans seek only one partner and demand they be faithful.”
I huff a laugh.
“It doesn’t matter what most humans seek. He won’t be getting any from me. I’d hate to see a much-needed job left unfulfilled.” I take the bowl from her hand and reach for the door handle. “Thanks for the stew.”
Pushing the door, Hyra’s hand braces the edge. Her webbed fingers curl around the side as she shoves it back with considerable strength. Her glowing eyes take on a dangerous edge.
“I think we should talk,” she says.
Hyra steps into my room as I retreat.
“And if I say no?”
Hyra merely raises a delicate shoulder. Her tentacles press firmly into the floor as she loosely crosses her arms over her chest. I swallow my groan and turn toward my bed.
“Right,” I grumble. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
Plopping atop my sheets, I tuck into my fresh bowl. The reddish-brown broth has flecks of seasoning floating on the top. Fleshy chunks of meat swim as my stomach rumbles. I could eat fifty bowls a day and never get sick of it.
Hyra looks carefully around the room. Her willowy silhouette distorts in the large mirror. When she turns towards me, she lets loose a shuddering sigh.
“You didn’t get a good introduction to life here,” she says. “The king has been so absorbed with finding you that he neglected to consider what it would be like once you were found. It was a grievous error on his part.”
“Waking up in a room full of corpses isn’t a great first impression,” I mumble around a decadent mouthful.
Hyra rubs her hands down the front of her dress. The shaky gesture clashes with her calm posture. Like the king, there is a need when she looks at me. This one isn’t in a lustful way. It’s as if she is begging me to hear her out.
She’s lucky I have no plans for the evening, so I’m willing to oblige.
“You must understand, Eve. The king is desperate. To find you—yes. But also to ensure our safety. He must secure his line.” Hyra swallows. “The curse has driven him to do things he wouldn’t normally have had to.”
“Like mass murder? Not exactly an ideal trait for the father of my children.”
“He has regrets about that.”
“Does he?”
I can’t keep the skepticism out of my voice.
“Yes,” Hyra says firmly. “I know it may be difficult for you to understand, but if you could try to find some compassion and extend my uncle some grace, you’ll see he is a kind male.”
My laugh is sharp. The spoon clinks the side of the bowl as I settle the mostly empty vessel between my crossed legs. The stew's residual heat soaks into my skin.
“A kind male wasn’t at dinner. He was just as cruel as his girlfriend.”