CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Myra
I struggled awake hours later, trapped in a thin bubble that kept the ocean from drowning me.
“I’d be careful in there if I were you,” a voice called from outside my enclosure.
I focused my eyes to see a black silhouette in the distance, blurred by the watery cage, but it didn’t matter; I knew exactly who it was.
“I think you’ll find the Deep is still rather inhospitable for multiple reasons, not the least of which is your inability to breathe outside of your current accommodations. ”
I tugged on the overhead restraints tethering me to a wall in my childhood bedroom, wishing I could compel them away, if for no other reason than to fuck up his plan. But I couldn’t, so instead I stood there helpless, face to face with the one who’d ruined my life yet again.
“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” I asked, a note of exhaustion in my voice. “And skip the theatrics this time. The sequel is never as good as the original, anyway.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t count on that, Myra. I think you’ll find them even better the second time around. But I’m afraid they will have to wait because I made a promise,” he said as he approached my watery cocoon, “and I always keep my promises.”
“Funny… I remember you telling me once that you’d love me forever. That felt a lot like a promise, and yet here we are.”
He hesitated for a moment, then pressed through the liquid barrier.
It molded around him with ease, still keeping the sea it held back at bay.
The tip of a tentacle caressed my face, and I thrashed to try and escape it.
Affronted by my reaction, it wrapped itself around my throat to hold me still while Finn leaned in so close our bodies nearly touched.
Sour memories of him and me together flashed through my mind as he whispered in my ear. “But I do love you, Myra… more than anyone in this world, save one, of course.”
“Yourself? Your ambition? The queen?”
At that, he laughed. “The queen has always been little more than a means to an end. I needed either her or you to accomplish the impossible, and I realized long ago that she was the better bet, so…” He let his words trail off, allowing me to fill in the blank.
“So you betrayed me to gain her trust.”
A wicked smile overtook his expression. “Exactly. I truly am sorry for that, though, and if it’s any consolation, I have missed you—missed us.
” I cringed as he bent down to brush his lips against mine.
“I really did think you were dead, of course, because how could you possibly have survived your ascent to the surface? When your remains were never found, we simply assumed you’d become food for the sharks.
But the queen and I were in bed together that fateful night we felt the curse awaken, and we knew…
“I always took for granted how strong you are, Myra—how resilient you can be when necessary—but even I underestimated you,” he said as his hand wove intimately through my hair.
Then it fisted tightly and yanked my head back as far as it would go, forcing me to stare into his soulless eyes.
“I won’t be making that mistake again.” Struggling would be pointless and exactly what he craved, so instead, I forced my features into the image of neutrality and said nothing.
Predictably, he lost interest and let me go.
“We’ll have time to catch up later,” he said, turning to slip back through the sea cage, “but for now, there’s someone else who’d like to see you. ”
Morgana…
Finn opened the door and billowy black fabric spilled into the room, floating around the queen in a sea of splendor as she swam toward me.
Even through the blurred barrier, I could see her severe expression—her anger at my return—and I wondered if Finn had accounted for it beforehand, or if her rage was part of his second-time-around spectacle.
Before I could even begin to think of what I could say, she pressed her upper body into my prison and glared at me.
“Myra.” My name was venom on her tongue.
I bowed my head. “Your Highness.”
“When Finn told me of your return, I must admit I was angry with him, but he’s made a sound argument for your life, so I will allow it—for now. You will be of use to us in the days to come, and your full and complete cooperation is all I will tolerate in return for my leniency.”
“Of course—”
“Your punishment will be to stay as you are during your time here—to walk as a human through our world and bear the shame and ridicule without complaint. Anything short of that and you will find yourself once again in my throne room begging for mercy that you shall not find. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She studied me with those wide, cerulean eyes for a moment before she lurched forward and snatched me by the chin, her mouth an angry slash through her flawless face.
“And if you try to steal my mate and plot against me again, I will make you beg for death.” I held her fiery gaze as her nails punctured my flesh and the fear of her madness seeped into my bones.
The queen had grown crazier still in the time I’d been gone, and that crazy was etched into every inch of her countenance.
Then, as quickly as it had come, that madness dissipated.
She released me with a smile and pulled away. “I’ll come for you when I need you,” she said as her torso disappeared through the rippling barrier, leaving only her face behind. “It’s so good to have you home, little sister.”