LOST HEIR

SAVED BY PIRATES STANDALONE

G. BAILEY

CONTENTS

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Description

Note from the author

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Epilogue

Note From The Author.

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Description of Escape The Sea

Excerpt from Escape The Sea…

Lost Heir © 2020 G. Bailey

All right reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

For more information, contact:

gbaileyauthor@gmail.com

or

www.gbaileyauthor.com

Edits by Polished Perfection

Cover design by Jennifer Munswami

Created with Vellum

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For those who find their heart beating that much faster in the sea.

DESCRIPTION

Not all gods belong to the sea…

Everleigh of Calais thought her heart belonged to the throne she was given, but the gods have other ideas.

After the war of Calais, the last thing her people wanted was for their queen to be killed and sent to the deep sea of souls. But in the sea, Everly might find her home in the shape of a sarcastic, and slightly insane, god with stunning eyes and a kind soul.

In the year Everly has been missing, a new queen has risen in the sea and wants the crown that is not hers, while back on land, Everly’s best friend is struggling to hold the seven islands together.

The sea wants her heart,

the mermaid king believes her heart is his,

and her protector on land will fight the very waves of the sea to bring Everly back.

Two crowns. Two worlds. But only one queen.

18+ RH romance based in the Saved by Pirates world. Reading the Saved by Pirates series first is recommended.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

It has been a while since I published a book in this world, and in this brief page, I want to recap the world for you.

On the seven islands of Calais, changed ones were born and killed. These were children born with magic, and the king feared them all, so he had them killed before they could challenge him for his throne. A changed one named Cassandra was born on the island of Onaya and hidden thanks to her father having power. Her tutor’s daughter Everleigh was her best friend, who she called Everly. One night something went wrong, and Cassandra had to escape the island with the help of Everleigh and her mother.

Cassandra eventually found herself on a pirate ship, and in her story, it ends with Cassandra conquering the king and freeing the land with Everly’s help. In their search for a way to bring down the king, Everly promised to marry the mermaid king as part of a deal.

Much was lost in the war, but Everly was found to be a royal heir to the throne.

This is where Everly’s story begins as Queen Everleigh of Calais who is engaged to the mermaid, King Damien of Merida…

PROLOGUE

KING DAMIEN OF THE MERMAIDS

C lutching my crystal glass tighter in my hand, I watch the reflection as the man I haven’t seen in years walks into my palace. He looks like a pirate with his torn black hat, leather clothes and jacket that falls to his knees. Nothing about his appearance fits in with the true power of the man in my palace. “I did not invite you here, imposter.”

“Gods do not need an invite,” he drawls before coming to my side. I crush my crystal glass into tiny pieces, watching them fall to the glass floor, cracking the perfection it once was. The only perfection I’ve ever seen was in the blue eyes of my future queen as she made it clear no man on sea or land could ever control her.

She is a true queen, and yet she evades me by dying and making it impossible for her to ever know what it would be like at my side, on the throne.

We never had a chance. Gods and the sea be damned, I would have loved her endlessly.

“What do you want?” I snap. “I am a king. I have millions of mermaids and the entire sea to look after.”

Leaning closer, he almost laughs before he whispers, “I have something of yours, and funny enough, she is also mine. Not like the pretender you are letting take her place.”

I tightly grab his stupid white shirt that makes him look almost normal, not like the half god pretender he really is. “What could you possibly have that I might want?”

“Queen Everleigh of Calais, and we need to make a deal.”

CHAPTER 1

THE GOD OF SOULS

Watching the endless waters where the souls of the dead come to burn is tiresome. I lean against my ship, listening to the only noise here, the screaming the souls make when they face their debts to the Sea God. When they have to face what truly evil lives they all lived. The good don’t stay here for long. They face their lives in this water and then pass on in peace, ready for another life or whatever faces them in the great beyond.

A place I will never, ever get to see because I wanted this. I chose to be a god of souls so I could make my father, the Sea God, proud—but it came with a price. I can never save a soul without giving up my powers. I can never love or care or find friendship with anyone here.

I can’t leave.

I’m trapped.

It was a bad move when all I had ever dreamed of lies in the everyday life. I want what each of the souls here was so effortlessly given.

A family. A connection to someone else.

What is worse is the visions of the life I could have had. With a woman with long bright hair like the sun and eyes so bright blue that the sea would be jealous.

Visions don’t help the lonely nights. I suspect they never will do.

Expecting the same day as every day before it, I take off my pirate hat and place it on the wheel of my ship just as a bright light blasts into my eyes. I rush to the edge of my ship as a soul like no other falls from the above, and I can only see her long blonde hair. She falls into the sea like a light falling into darkness.

And only I’m here to catch her.

My heart beats fast, like it has never done before, as I watch the soul float down into the sea ever so softly. Gracing the world with her beauty, her pure soul. The screams of the souls seem to all stop as I search the new soul, and what I find brings me to my knees.

My soulmate just fell into my sea.

And I’m going to save her.

CHAPTER 2

EVERLEIGH

“Q ueen Everleigh–” Tyrion starts to say as he bows at me in the hall, and I stumble to a stop. The guards around me all look my way, as does every single person in the room as they watch me make a mess out of simply walking. My stumbling alone makes him stop talking and drops the room into silence as they wait for my word. By the sea, I’m not fit to be a queen any more than a fish has a place on land. I trail my eyes over his built body in his new deep red shirt and tight black trousers, and his messy brown hair never seems to stay in place, but I love that about him. It’s curly with little tresses getting into his blue eyes when he looks up at me, his emotions hidden behind the glossy eyes. He is so handsome, and I know I’m not the only one that notices around here. The very thought of anyone touching Ty makes me want to snap, but that can’t happen in public. Collected and proper. The rules were set against me from the second I accepted my birthright and took my throne. No more choosing my future; instead, it is chosen for me, and my love life will follow in the same suit.

Pulling my mind back to Ty, he is still looking at me so carelessly, not a flicker of the man I knew before I took the throne. It just seems like I’m the only one he doesn’t care about noticing him and never has since we met, if I’m being honest with myself. I owe Tyrion my life, more than once, but our friendship? I always felt that was something so natural between us that we even found each other in the pits of a dungeon.

“You don’t have to call me that, Ty, it’s Everly or Ev,” I say, smiling at him, but he keeps his expression cold and emotionless like he has from the moment I told him about the promise I made to the mermaid king, a promise I still know I would not take back. The price I paid months ago to save my friend and to save Calais and the hundreds of thousands of people I look after now. I’m the queen of the seven islands of Calais, and due to a long war, I had to make a deal to win my crown, and I wish Ty could understand it. My deal was to the mermaid king, a mermaid I’ve only met once, and even then I didn’t like him or how he demanded my heart.

To marry a complete stranger seems like a death sentence.

Tyrion says he doesn’t care about my promise, but I know that’s a lie. I hope it’s a lie. My best friend here won’t even look me in the eye now, and gods I miss him as much, if not more, than I miss my best friend Cassandra.

“Queen Everleigh, the council have called you to the throne room,” he says and then turns to walk away without even a smile. I go to follow him, but I don’t get far because he walks away too fast and I can’t run to catch up even if I tried to. I have a stupid damn limp in my leg because a sword did too much damage in the war, and no healing herbs seem to remotely help.

I look back at two of my personal guards, both of them as silent as always, but they are watching for danger at all times I’m outside my personal areas. I swallow my annoyance at Tyrion and walk down the corridor and towards the stairs, limping the whole way and keeping my head high. I try to hide it now, but the pain doesn’t make it easy to, and everyone here knows anyway. I went from a girl who could fight to a queen who can just limp with a sword. It doesn’t help that the dresses I’m forced to wear for appearance only weigh me down more and make it harder to move.

I finally get to the second to top layer of the mountain, where my rooms, the throne room and the council room are. The council members do have another room above us, but only changed ones can enter that due to their magic. Changed ones are people born with a mark on their forehead, marking them as kissed by the Sea God and special. The war was because of them, because the old king used to hunt their kind and kill anyone who protected them. Like he tried to do to me for protecting my best friend, Cassandra. I smile as I think of my best friend, knowing she must have had her baby by now, and I can’t wait to get a letter to know if it’s a boy or a girl.

I think it’s a girl, and she will be everything our future needs.

“Queen Everleigh,” three guards at the door say as I walk into the throne room, and I hear them close the door behind me and my guards. I look over at the two council members in the room, Master Pirate and Master Light. Both of them I have come to trust to an extent. I stop when I see the woman stood just behind them. Her bright blue hair is down, and she actually has clothes on this time, when usually she never wears them to deliver messages here. Mermaids don’t wear clothes from what little I’ve seen, or if they do, it’s only because they have been told to.

“Kiaw?” I ask, walking over and offering her my hand to shake. She does, and I feel how warm she is, almost burning to the touch. I wonder if my future husband runs this hot.

“The king has sent me to collect you. It is time, Queen Everleigh,” she says, and I smile tightly. I walk around them all and go to my throne, sitting down and folding my hands in my lap, straightening my back.

“You can return to your king, and give him a message instead,” I say, and her eyes widen in shock.

“You promised. You must not break your word,” she hisses.

“I am not,” I say simply, and it seems to calm her down a little. “You can tell your king that if he wants his bride, then he must come to collect her himself.” She shakes her head almost frantically, and I know she doesn’t want to take back this message one bit.

“The king does not leave his city to come near humans. Your request is impossible,” she says, her eyes wide and frightened. I want to feel sorry for her, but this is what I’ve planned. I will not leave my people so soon after the war, and marrying a mermaid king involves leaving my throne to do that.

“Then it will be impossible for him to collect on my promise. Now leave and safe travels,” I say, nodding my head at my two guards, who escort Kiaw out. When the door shuts behind them, I wait for the council members to say what is no doubt on their minds as I play with the lace on my dress to avoid this.

“I do not believe that was wise, your highness,” Master Pirate says, his words sarcastic and annoying. “We cannot win a war against the seas. No royal ever has done in the past, and our armies are non-existent due to the war we have just had to get you on the throne!”

Biting my tongue harshly, I swallow the words I want to say for something a little less harsh. “That was my choice. I do not want to marry a stranger. A king of the mermaids. If I marry him, he will be king of all of Calais. and he only cares for the throne, not its people. I was told he killed his older brothers for the throne, and I don’t have to remind everyone in this room what Calais is like with an evil king ruling it!”

“Yes, but you will be queen at his side,” Master Light softly says and walks up to me, taking my hand in his and placing it on his chest in an almost loving way. It makes me think of my mother, and when I think of her, all I can remember is the last moments of her life where she died in a way she shouldn’t have. “To be queen, you must sacrifice your ideals and your personal wants. The king will come here for you, and you must return to his world and come back as the queen of both land and sea.”

“Is the queen of land not enough?” I ask, and he nods, turning my hand over. His finger traces a line in the middle of my palm.

“They say our life stories can be told in our hands, in the lines we have given to us by the very gods. They say the god of souls looks at your hand before he decides whether to take your soul or not,” he murmurs. “To fight our destiny is to only hurt ourselves.”

“Who is the god of souls?” I ask, as I’ve only ever heard of the Sea God, like everyone else.

“Someone you could do to learn about, Queen Everleigh,” he chuckles and lets go of my hand. I watch as he walks out the room with Master Pirate before standing up and looking towards the two guards left with me.

“I’m ready to go to my rooms,” I say, but neither of them moves; they keep their heads down, looking at the floor. I walk over to the one on the left, my heart beating in my chest as I see the blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth. I touch his shoulder, and he falls to the floor with an empty thud, and my heart smacks away in my chest. I back away, turning and rushing towards the door, just as I feel a pain rip through my chest, shocking me to my core. I look down, seeing a black arrow sticking out of my chest where my heart is, blood dripping down my red dress. I fall to the floor, gasping for air and only tasting blood in my mouth as my vision goes blurry.

“Death to the throne, death to the queen.” A man’s voice shouts in joy as a blurry figure steps over me, and everything fades away before I can see his face.

CHAPTER 3

EVERLEIGH

I  sit up in a rush, gasping for air and tasting nothing but water in my mouth, feeling nothing other than the darkness around me. I’m too scared to open my eyes to know what death really is like or if it is as frightening as I’ve always heard. My eyes sting with tears when I know I will never see Cassandra again and that my people will not have a queen now this is all over.

I was a queen for less than a year.

And Calais will suffer because of my weakness. I have to hope my cousins, Ryland and Hunter, take over the throne they didn’t want and that the people actually respect them. I feel around my bare chest, not feeling anything out of the normal. No hole where the arrow was. Running my hands over my body, I feel that I’m in a silky, maybe torn dress, or at least it is strange. I feel my dress in my hands, knowing it is not the same dress I died in, and I wonder if this is what death feels like. It feels cold, but my heart still bangs in my chest, and fear still haunts me. Am I imagining this? My skin is cold but still warm as I move my hands to my arm. Holding onto my wrist, I feel my heartbeat under my thumb, and I wonder how that is even possible.

My heart is beating so loudly, and my breathing becomes uneven as panic takes over like a wave crashing into me until I can’t think straight.

I’m dead, so how can I be thinking anything? Feeling anything?

Feeling sorrow. Feeling loss.

Wanting to get back to my throne and fix the mess that must be there now.

“I saved you, anima mate,” a dark, seductive voice says somewhere close, shocking me out of my frozen state. I finally open my eyes, looking around at the black pirate ship I’m on as I lie on the deck and hear a crying noise in the water. The endless crying is hard to ignore, but I push the noise aside for now. Crawling to my feet, I stare at the hole-filled black flag, the rusty ship under my feet, and the still, dark water it rests in. I stare at the starless sky for anything, for some kind of sign of where we are, but if anything the sky makes me feel more lost. There are no moons, and I didn’t know I could miss them until this moment right now. I step to the side to avoid a gap in the ship as I look around where I am, trying to ignore the man I am alone with. No, pirate, from my brief glance at him. I’m well aware I could be in danger; the sea is full of pirates who are not as good as the ones Cassandra found, and many of them would love to have the queen as a hostage.

And by the looks of this ship, they could use the gold they would get from trading me in to fix some things. The ship is falling to pieces the more I look, with blue fire lights hanging around and making it just about possible to see where I am. It’s also wet, soaking wet everywhere, and almost looks like it might sink into the sea, which freaks me out more. I’ve never been good on ships, they just aren’t my thing, and every time I’ve been on one, it’s not been great. Swimming is something I’m good at, but where exactly would I swim to? There aren’t any islands that I can see; there is just nothing to be seen. I suck in a deep breath, knowing I need answers, and the pirate who is waiting on me is the only one who might have them. I don’t see or hear anyone else around.

I finally look in front of me at the man who spoke. He is tall, with soft black hair under his black hat, and his odd clothes and full beard make it nearly impossible to really see him. They are loose, rags almost, and make it possible to see bits of his toned chest and muscular arms, but I try not to look too much. He holds a hand out, which I look at but don’t take. He has large hands that look rough as if he works a lot with them and perhaps runs this ship all on his own. I scoot away as I look up to his gold eyes that seem to almost glow in an eerie light. Who has gold eyes?

And why do they look like pure magic?

“Who are you?” I ask when I don’t take his hand and he drops it to cross his large arms against his chest. For some reason only the Sea God knows, I’m not scared of this giant pirate man even as I’m aware I should be.

“The god of souls, who else? Welcome to my ship, Queen Everleigh,” he says, laughing as he walks away still talking. “I’m sorry to say, you’re stuck with me for a long time. Perhaps eternity.”

By the seas, how am I here?

CHAPTER 4

TYRION

T  he throne room doors blast open, and the council quickly stand as I lift my head to see who has walked into the throne room the queen just died in when it is meant to be locked. I don’t think I’ve moved since I ran into this room, seeing her cold, lifeless body on the floor, her long red dress pooled around her, mixed in with her blood that coated all the tiles. A single arrow through her heart and she died like she was nothing. Like she wasn’t everything good in this god forsaken world and the damn queen who gave her soul to her people. Gave her everything, including her heart.

Everly died alone, thinking I hate her, when that is nothing near the truth, and I was a fool to treat her that way. I believed giving her distance when she has to marry the mermaid king was the right thing to do because loving Everly was going to hurt us both. Even if I missed her with every single part of my soul, even if I love her more than anything in my life. Now the whole world seems distant, blurred into darkness because she is not here with me. There is no hope, nothing that can be done to save her now. Everly’s body is frozen in dragon ice so her world can say goodbye, but I can’t even look at her. Looking at her is like admitting she is really gone, which I’m not ready to do and never will be. I will find her killer, then follow her to death once Calais is safe. That is when I will see my Everly once again.

My eyes widen as I see Cassandra, Everly’s best friend, holding a tiny baby in a blanket as she storms into the room. I’ve always admired Cassandra and how she did everything in her life to save a world which condemned her for having magic. In the end, throughout all the loss, she is still as strong as Everly told me she always was. All of her pirates follow in after her, each one stopping just behind her in a formation that makes it clear that no one could get close to hurt her. Cassandra is the hero of the war, and I doubt anyone would hurt her. Then again, I thought, I don’t blame her if she wants to kill me for not protecting her best friend as I should have done. Cassandra’s eyes search the room before she locks her angry eyes with me, and then she stops.

“Master Cassandra, what terrible news we have to tell you,” Master Igor says, stepping up from where he was leaning against the throne. Master Light shares a look with me before stepping to his side.

“I know. I am here to hold the throne for Queen Everleigh until her return,” Cassandra says, rubbing her baby’s back which is hidden in the pink knitted blanket.

“The queen is dead, as you can see. She will not be returning,” Master Light gently tells her. I expect to see shock, anger and fury in the changed one’s expression, but there is nothing but resolve.

“The Sea God has promised her return. His son is bringing Queen Everleigh back. She will return to unite both land and sea,” she says confidently, though her eyes drift to the side where Everly’s body is held, and her voice catches in her throat. “Dante, come and hold your daughter for me, please.” Dante walks closer as she calls him, gently taking the new baby into his arms and stepping back. Cassandra looks up to Ryland, both of them sharing a look.

“I, Prince Ryland, temporarily take the throne until the true queen returns,” Prince Ryland states at the same time his brother steps up to the other side of Cassandra as he pulls out his sword. All three of them then turn to me.

“That is all well and true, but you walked away from the throne to be dirty pirates! You cannot come back to play prince now!” Master Igor snaps. Everyone ignores him, and my eyes stay firmly on Cassandra as I try to believe what she said about Everly. If there is even a chance she could come back from death…no. No one comes back from the dead.

“Come here, Tyrion. You must be the one to strike down our queen’s killer, and then you will go to find her,” Cassandra asks of me.

“She is dead. I don’t believe in your magic,” I reply, shaking my head.

“So…you are going to give up on Everly?” Cassandra asks, her calculating eyes reading me like an open book. “The gods must be mistaken; you do not love her like they suspect.”

“What do the gods know of love?” I find myself nearly whispering. I’ve never even admitted to myself how I feel about Everly. Not since I found out who she is. I could never be the king she needs at her side.

“They know you will travel to the mermaids to save your queen. Everly needs you and the mermaid king, but first we must make sure she comes back to a safe throne.” Hunter is the one that speaks, and he holds his sword out as Cassandra raises her hand, lifting the killer into the air in a ball of water. He tries to scream to fight her magic, but it is pointless. I’m not shocked that he killed her, but a burning fury overtakes me as I watch him struggle. He hurt my Everly. My queen.

“The sea god whispered your name to me as the betrayer, so now you die for the pain you caused my friend,” Cassandra coldly tells him and turns back to her pirates with a much nicer tone. “Take Riah out of the room for this.”

“Of course, pretty girl,” Dante replies, taking their child out the room, with the others following. Only Cassandra, Ryland and Hunter wait, all of them looking to me. “Tyrion, would you like to do the honour?” Cassandra asks, and I bow my head before walking forward. I will get revenge for my queen, then I will save her.

CHAPTER 5

EVERLEIGH

T  he wood on the deck creaks with every step I take, and I just wish it was the only sound on this ship. The awful sounds of the screaming souls under the ship in the cold water are terrifying, the sounds enough to haunt anybody for a long time. They started off just as crying, but the longer I’m here, the louder the sound gets and the more I realise it is not crying at all, but screaming. I’m no stranger to the sounds of death; the battles I fought in to win the war gave me enough horrors to have nightmares about.

This ship and its captain are another two to add to the list. I look up at the sky above as sunlight shoots across the once black sky, only the sunlight is green, purple and blue all mixed together instead of yellow. And it does not come from one place, it is a mixture of several different beams of light. It still looks less like a sky and more like the sea, but that isn’t right. The sea cannot be above us…right?

I do not know how anyone, dead or not, could ever forget that noise, and I shiver as cold air whips around my hair. I walk to the edge of the ship deck, where there is a gap. Rope is loosely tied across the gap to stop someone falling, and my hands tightly grip it as I look down at the sight below. Thousands, maybe even more than that, see-through souls swirl around in the water, trying to escape the hole below that is sucking them down.

“Good souls do not meet the gods this way. Only the bad,” he whispers to me. The captain, who is just as frightening as the view in front of me. I feel the heat of his body against my back. “You need not worry about the dead, Everly, you are not with them any longer. I will never let you go back there again.”

“Are you keeping me as a prisoner on this ship?” I ask him, not looking back once. I can’t risk it. I don’t want to encourage him when he is crazy and all this is unbelievable.

“No. You can think of me as your sword in a fight. Loyal, unbreakable and always at your side. Eventually, you will come to love me, just like it is predicted,” he states, and this time I do turn back to him. Glowing gold eyes watch me with amusement, and something worse than that, love. I don’t know this god, nor do I want to get mixed up with gods at all, but he thinks he knows me. I want to get back to my world, to my throne and my friends. I’m no good to anyone dead.

“I think these screaming souls have driven you mad,” I say, trying to push away the fact he has cleaned himself up from when we first met and now I can really see him. His black hair is soft, tied back with a few strands falling at the side of his face. He has a strong jawline, big gold eyes framed by dark eyebrows. His beard looks as soft as his hair, styled nicely, and it isn’t too long. The god of souls is handsome when he cleans himself up.

“Do you not want to know my name yet, anima mate?” he asks, almost teasingly.

“I want a real explanation, and stop calling me that. I know Latin and what it means,” I reply, raising an eyebrow at him. Soulmate? I don’t believe in that magic. Love is earnt; it is a bond formed over time and brought with attraction.

Love at first sight is something I’ve not ever seen with my own eyes. Though I’ve heard from Cassandra that it happened for her…

“My name is Naiad, though I’ve seen a vision where you call me Nai,” he softly tells me. I find I like his soft voice. “And I will call you love instead then, miss smarty-pants.”

And I shouldn’t like his soft voice. Or his sarcasm.

“What else happened in this vision?” I nervously ask.

“You kissed me,” he proudly states before lowering his tone and stepping closer. “Deeply, passionately, and it is not a kiss I will ever forget.”

I gasp, stepping back, and the rope presses into my back, stopping me from falling. He reaches out, grabbing my arm and tugging me to his chest. “Impossible.”

“What will be impossible is if you fall into the sea of souls and I can’t get you out again,” he dryly replies with a strong warning.

“You pulled me out of the sea of souls?” I question, pushing away from his arms. “In fact, what is the sea of souls?”

“The place all souls go to travel to the beyond. It’s my world, well, it was,” he says, nodding at the water, but I’m more focused on the fact a god just said he gave up his world for me. What do I say back to that?

Clearing my throat, I gently reply. “Was?”

“I made a trade for you. Now I have to find my replacement and live a normal, non-immortal life,” he says around a laugh, like this is all so funny. “Luckily, you’re a queen, and that will make me a king. I couldn’t be a pirate or villager. Too much hay beds and apples for my liking. I prefer gold and feather beds with beautiful blonde queens in them with me.”

His big grin doesn’t drop, even when I feel like the world is falling under my feet. This is an impossible situation, one not even my mother could have warned me about. Images of my mother flash back through my mind, but the worst one is when she died in my arms. I remember how she whispered to me about my father, a mermaid she saved from the sea and fell in love with.

Then she told me I was an heir to a throne…the throne everyone was at war over. I don’t know exactly how I got on the throne when it should have gone to my cousins, but they preferred a pirate life with my best friend.

Cassandra.

“This is too much,” I state, my words feeling lost in the magic of the air.

“I understand, but you know about gods. My father does have a strange obsession with your best friend,” he remarks, “and you as well. I heard many stories of Everly and Cassandra, and what you did to save his precious changed ones.”

“How do you know that?” I demand, taking a few steps away, and a thought drifts into my mind. I’m not limping anymore. Ignoring Nai, I spin around and stretch my pale leg out into the blue light, feeling nothing.

No pain. No scar.

What has happened to me?

“I know everything there is to know about you, but I could never see your face. I only ever saw your soul and glimpses into your life,” he remarks. “It was a long life until I saw you for the first time. Then I knew it was worth waiting for. You were.”

“From the beginning,” I pause, trying to ignore how that was the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. “I died and you pulled my soul out of the water. Now how do I get back to my world and to my throne?”

He laughs, resting back on the side of the ship. “You won’t like the answer.”

I narrow my eyes and place my hands on my hips. “If it gets me back, I will do anything.”

“Fine,” he chuckles. “I am going to guide my ship into the mermaid seas with the last of my power, as the mermaid king wishes to speak with you and we made a deal. I’m afraid you cannot go home until we go there, and you cannot escape me at this minute. If you feel like it, you could meet my father in the Ceremony of Merida and become stronger than you ever could be.”

I pale from the thought, not of the ceremony but of being anywhere near King Damien of the Mermaids.

The man I promised to marry.

“We must do it then,” I whisper, opening my eyes to see Nai has left my side. He is at the front of the ship, holding the wheel with a strange, cheeky grin in his gold eyes.

This god is insane, and I’m stuck with him.

“Do hold on to something; I’m afraid this might be a bumpy travel in these seas.” His mad laugh echoes around me as he spreads his hands wide at his side. I run to the middle of the ship, grabbing onto the ropes around the stern and holding on as much as I can as water suddenly shoots into the air around the ship. I gasp as I get covered in water, and the ship harshly shakes as it starts to rise in the water, the sound drowning out all my senses.

We are floating in the sea, the ship holding together somehow.

Magic.

I never once believed in the magic of the gods, even as I saw my best friend use such magic. The dangerous power they are said to hold, but then again I’ve only seen one person use this kind of magic.

My best friend, a changed one. A woman blessed by the Sea God himself.

As the water rises around us, we suddenly speed up, and I scream as we explode out of the world of the gods and into Calais.

I’m home, but everything has changed.

CHAPTER 6

EVERLEIGH

T  he waters around the mermaid sea are just as I remember them, but it is still a stunning sight to enjoy. Tranquil and calming, lulling you into a false sense of safety when under the water lies far more danger than anywhere else. The last time I was here, I was with Cassandra, a ship full of pirates, and a dragon, but now I’m alone.

Well, not exactly alone. I glance at the pirate god at my side, the one who is so sure he is my soulmate, and he seems to never give a moment’s rest as he stares at me.

“How old are you?” I question.

“Time is not the same for gods,” he softly answers me. “We exist in a realm like this world, but it is empty of anything your world has. Like emotions, like love.” Something crosses over his gold eyes as he speaks, as if he wants to tell me something else, but he pauses.

“Are there any other gods?” I ask.

“Many, oh so many, and one day, if you ask nicely, I might tell you their names,” he teases. I could just imagine how much the masters would love having Nai telling them all the secrets of the gods.

I know he is teasing me, but there is some kind of power in knowing someone’s name, and gods’ would be so much more. But I do not need to know it. “I’d rather you didn’t.” I take in a deep breath, the smell of salty water and sand is refreshing for all of a second. “How are we getting down to the mermaid city? I know we can’t swim to it and not drown, not without water dragons.”

“The ship, my precious ship, is enchanted. Come on, I will show you.” He knocks his head to the side, his hand stroking along the wooden bannister as we go up to the wheel. He waves a hand at the wheel and crosses his arms, a tempting smirk on his lips as he waits for me to step closer.

“Are you sure you aren’t the god of teasing?”

His laugh surrounds me. “Only for you, Everly.”

I shake my head, a small laugh escaping me as I step in front of the wheel. I close my hands around the wooden handles and eye the centre of the wheel, which has dozens of tiny little markings on it that look like no language I’ve ever seen before. The ship is still until Nai steps behind me, boxing me into the wheel with his body, and covers his hands over mine on the wheel. The ship jolts forward, hard enough to nearly make me slip, but Nai’s body keeps me up as we suddenly dive into the sea. I brace myself to be hit with water, closing my eyes and holding my breath, but nothing happens. After a second, I open my eyes and stare in wonder at the almost bubble-like sphere surrounding the ship. It’s clear, much like the magic around the mermaid city if I remember right, but this one is constantly moving like a wave that shimmers. I watch completely speechless at the fish that swim around us as we go deeper into the dark sea.

“This is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” I mutter in wonder. The world I’ve lived in has always had magic and gods, but it is so different only hearing of magic versus actually seeing it.

He rests his head next to mine, and for the first time, I don’t want to move away. “As are you.”

I look back at Nai for a long moment. His gold eyes are so bright, and they perfectly reflect the water around us. Right now I believe he is the son of a god—he is too beautiful and enchanting not to be. I could see myself falling for him in a matter of moments, and he would take my heart like a gift to the gods themselves.

I pretend love can’t be made overnight…that it takes work. Yet here I am, falling for a god.

I don’t have magic. I’m half mermaid with no tail and no claim to anything in the sea. But maybe I have a claim to him. I sharply turn back just as the darkness of the sea parts for the city of Merida, just like I remember it. There’s a town full of castle-shaped buildings with white roofs, some parts have a bubble surrounding them, and others are fully in the water, but it all flows together like a dream. At the top of the tallest point is a star that draws my attention straight away. A beam of light from the surface has made its way down here and casts directly on the star. The half blue and half purple star is massive, and it lights up everything for miles so that the city can never be lost to the sea.

Thousands of mermaids and different fish swim around the structures submerged in the water before going into the bubble areas, and most don’t wear much more than little bits of clothing. It doesn’t take long for us to attract all of their attention, and most of them are stopping. Guards with long silver spears that fork at the top swim towards the ship, but they bounce off the bubble shield surrounding us, and nothing stops us as we get closer to the city. I want to say I can ignore the nudity, but it’s hard to look around the city and avoid it.

“Ready for a crash landing, Everly?” Nai asks around a laugh. “I haven’t had this much fun in forever.”

“You’re mad!” I shout around a laugh that ends in a scream as he directs the ship right through the barrier of the city, and it crashes down the straight path right outside the palace. I hold onto the wheel for dear life as screams fill my ears, and the screech of the bottom of the boat as it slides across stone hurts my ears. But Nai only laughs the entire time as if we aren’t crashing his ship.

Insane god. Actually, and figurately, insane.

The tip of the ship smashes through the glass window before skidding to a halt, and the shield disappears as the ship makes itself comfy outside the palace.

“We just broke their palace!” I whisper in frustration to Nai as he steps away from me but takes my hand in his. He only winks at me as the ship is filled with guards and they all point their spears at us.

“Well, at the very least, they know we are here.”

CHAPTER 7

EVERLEIGH

T  he guards surround us as they lead us down from the ship and through the doors of the palace, where glass litters the sides and has been swept aside for us. The mermaid castle is beautiful and cold, yet in a desirable way that makes you ignore that cold feeling that settles deep in your chest. The sound of running water fills my ears, and it’s the only sound to get away from the silence in this place. Nai never lets the guards separate us, and even though they aren’t aware who he is, he gives off a presence that I can see shakes them into not pushing their luck, so I stick close to his side. A few of the guards stare at me with a look that suggests they remember me from my last visit here and they are not too happy about my return. I remember how King Damien has a strange way of connecting with all the mermaids and speaking into their heads. The guards talk with each other in their language, the foreign tongue difficult to make any sense of. Turning my gaze around the room, I see a not so friendly face in the corner, her body hidden in the shadows, but I remember her well. Kiaw led us here all that time ago and then came to see me as queen, and I sent her back with an answer that surely didn’t make things great for her.

“Leave us.” I follow his voice, like a lullaby I haven’t heard in a long time, to find King Damien of the Mermaids right in front of the group of guards. When I first met him not so long ago, I felt a strange connection that I know he felt too, and even now, my gaze snaps to his like no time has passed for us at all.

I should hate him.

Then he demanded my hand in marriage, forcing me into a decision I didn’t want, and after that, I made up my mind he would not get what he wanted because he demanded so.

I am not a simple girl from an island anymore. The war sculpted and changed me into someone fit to be on the throne and do what is right for my people, and I have never believed for a moment a marriage to Damien would be it.

It doesn’t matter to me that King Damien is the most captivating man—no, mermaid—I have ever seen. Deep blond locks of hair curl around the blue crystal crown on his firm, handsome face. Underneath a few strands of hair on his forehead lies a blue star tattoo that is the exact same colour as his eyes, and from the many books on mermaid culture, I’ve gathered it is a mark of a royal born mermaid. Given to them from the gods, much like changed ones. His strong jawline and bow lips only add to his appeal, making the king look more inviting than he is. A deep blue cloak falls from green crystal clips on his shoulders, a black shirt and trousers lie underneath, and he doesn’t wear shoes. Looking at Damien right now, I understand why people would follow a mermaid into the sea without a second thought about drowning. They have this captivating beauty about them, an otherworldly enchantment that lures you in.

“Queen Everleigh of Calais…I heard you died,” he remarks, his tone cold. “Yet here you stand before me.”

“You heard correctly. Death didn’t suit me, it seems,” I reply, and he almost smiles before turning to Nai.

“It’s been a long time since I saw you, but for once we are equal. Did you foresee our meeting this time?” Damien asks, and Nai only inclines his head with a slow smile.

“You know each other?” I demand to know, and Damien looks away, whereas Nai meets my gaze under his pirate hat. Gods, Cassandra would like him. Pirates have always been her area of expertise, and I was always scared of the sea.

“Damien has a story to tell you of our meeting and how he secured his crown, but it is not mine to tell,” Nai softly tells me, and Damien finally looks back at me.

“Do not ask me for stories when you have broken your word to me, Queen Everleigh,” he all but growls.

“I never broke my word, I simply added conditions to it,” I reply, crossing my arms and glaring right back into his handsome eyes.

“Spoken like a true queen,” Nai murmurs before he yawns despite the tension in the room. “Why don’t we get some rest and talk over dinner. We have travelled far to get here.”

“Of course,” Damien tensely replies, his eyes fixed on mine as he looks to the left. Four guards come over and Nai goes off with two of them, not looking back once. “I have something of yours to show you later.”

“What could you possibly have?” I ask, but he stays silent. I shake my head and walk to the guards, but he speaks once more.

“You’ve been gone a year. Did you know that?” His question makes me pause. A year? It felt like no longer than a few days.

“Who is on my throne?” I ask as I turn back, and his eyes seem to search mine, like he is testing whether my reaction is sincere.

“Cassandra has taken the throne for her daughter until she comes of age,” he eventually tells me. “At least, that is the public knowledge. As we speak, Calais rebels against itself, and your changed one is struggling to keep the islands together in peace.”

“She had a girl?” I softly whisper, filled with relief and love for a child I’ve not even met and for the knowledge that Cassandra is looking after my throne. I just wish I could tell her I’m alive and I will be back soon to help sort out my kingdom. I hope Cassandra hasn’t let the islands go back to the normal chaos they were once under, and if that has happened, I will find a way to fix it once again. “Can you send word I am alive?”

I don’t think he is going to answer me as he turns away, watching the sea before him as his people swim around in freedom, in utter peace with themselves and the sea. “Are you going to keep your word and become my queen if I will still have you?”

“Do you want an undead queen on your throne?” I sarcastically reply, because for some damn reason only the gods of Calais know, the idea of him not wanting my hand in marriage annoys me.

He pauses, and the answer doesn’t come to me from his lips. He speaks into my head. “Always, since the moment I saw you. We will speak alone soon.”

The king walks away, leaving me in the cold throne room with more questions than I could have ever expected but a strange warm feeling in my heart.

CHAPTER 8

EVERLEIGH

T  he delicate and spacious room I’m left in has an amazing view over the city of the mermaids, and I end up staring at them for hours on end, barely aware of the fact I need to do something other than watch a kingdom that is not my own. I watch the mermaid children play with the fish, the dolphins swimming around with dragons, and mermaid men that seem to have some control over them. Women stop in groups, laughing under the water, and their never-ending beauty makes me wonder what the world did right to have creatures like this that are beautiful. I need to figure out my next move and get back to the surface without being married to a mermaid king who doesn’t love me. Logically speaking, marrying him was never a problem. It’s my heart and the many things my mother told me as I grew up. She would tell me never to marry for anything short of true love, and I want that for myself. I want a family, a lifelong legacy of peace for the entirety of Calais, and that means the mermaids as well.

The throne of the mermaids might not belong to me, but I feel like I’m meant to be at Damien’s side. Only if he would lower his guard and be real with me. I want us to be at least friends before marrying.

I want love, even in these impossible waters we swim in.

Many mermaids swim past the waters of the castle, never coming close enough for me to see their faces, but the outlines of their bodies let me know how good they are at swimming, and thankfully some of them have rags of clothes covering them. Not all of them though. I wonder about how much the mermaids rely on Damien, and how he couldn’t leave to come to me. How would it work if he wanted to live here? I need to be on the throne in Calais, and he needs to be here. It would be impossible for us to be in love and for our marriage to be anything but words and vows. I’m jolted out of my thoughts when someone knocks on the pearl coloured door to the bedroom, and I finally turn around.

“Come in,” I shout out, and two women come into the room, thankfully dressed. One has long red hair that curls around her shoulders and matches the unusual red tone to her orange eyes. She has a black dress on that is shimmering with every step and really looks like magic made it exist. The other woman has deep, rich brown hair that is cut short, brown eyes that remind me of Cassandra’s, and a strange purple fabric wrap over her body as she stumbles in. Almost like she has just learnt how to walk.

“Queen Everleigh of Calais, we have come to dress you and prepare you for the meal,” the red-haired woman states with a coy smile. I instantly don’t like her directness, and something about her makes me tense.

“Where are the dresses?” I ask, crossing my arms and lifting my chin.

“In the closet, of course.” She waves a hand to one of the two doors. “And next to the closet is the bathroom for us to bathe you.”

“Thank you for the information. Now you may leave. I do not need nor want your help,” I answer and turn back around, expecting them to leave. I hear the door open and one pair of steps walk out, but when I don’t hear a second, I tense up further. My body is fully on alert as I tilt my head to the side, and the red-haired woman is watching me with her hand on the door.

A somewhat peculiar smile falls on her painted red lips, and she tilts her head to the side. “Goodbye, Queen Everleigh.” I watch the strange woman for a long pause until she finally leaves the room, taking the tension with her. I have a funny feeling I have more enemies in the sea than I knew I did.

I walk to the bedroom door, flipping the latch lock on before going to the bathroom. I find a large tub that is shaped like a shell, and after a few moments, I find a tap to turn that lets water fall into the tub from a gap near the top. After searching for a moment, I find soap bottles and towels, and I leave them near the side of the tub. Hooking my fingers into the top of my dress, I push it off and stare at myself in the mirrors on the other side of the room. I am covered in dust, my blonde hair is a mess of waves and out of control, but my eyes still hold strong, reminding me of who I am. Reminding me that I’ve fought in a war and this will be no different. I will fight my way back home and never let anyone take my life from me again.

After a long bath and a good scrub of my hair, I get out and towel dry my hair the best I can before heading back to my room. The wardrobe turns its own glowing light orb on the second I walk into the room, much like many of the rooms do down here. I count ten dresses, all of which seem my size, and I wonder how long Damien has had them here.

And which one he wanted me to marry him in. I push the dresses aside, admiring how beautiful they are but not seeing one I like until I get to the last dress. It is dark blue like the sea and has a deep V-line, and the top is shaped like the letter A. I touch the top of the dress which feels like velvet, and the bottom half is lacy in many layers but a lighter colour. In the lace are tiny little white stars, so it makes the dress look like the very night sky I love so much. I find a hairbrush and sort my hair out before loosely plaiting it and twisting a few locks so they fall around my face before getting the dress on. Just as I’m doing up the lace on the side, my door is knocked again, and I finish my dress before going to it. I unlock the latch and open the door, not making the mistake to invite whoever it is in without looking.

“You need not lock your doors in my castle. No one would dare harm you because of me,” Damien states as I open the door, and he stares. I feel his gaze slowly roll over my body and back up to my eyes as I try to stay still and look right back. “You look more enchanting than the sea, and I’ve loved the sea’s beauty since before I can remember.”

I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, and I haven’t got a clue what to say back. What would Cassandra say? She must have been good at compliments, and I really never have been. Back on Onaya, the island I once came from, I thought I loved a man who used to always tell me I was beautiful, but he was killed before we could ever have become more. Then I met Tyrion, but he always kept me at a distance. My friend but never more, never what I wanted us to be.

“Thank you. Is it time for the meal?” I ask, and he clears his throat, holding out his hand for me to take. After a moment’s pause, I slide my hand into his, and I nearly jump at the pure heat he gives off. I almost forgot mermaids feel like touching the suns above us. He folds my hand into his elbow as he leads me out of the room, the heat from his body soothing me. I don’t have shoes on, the cold tiles reminding me with every step, and it feels strange as my bare feet touch the silver floors. We head down the pathway that leads outside onto a long bridge that is made out of smooth coral, and the bright pink is striking. The bridge leads to another tower that curls up into the sea, but Damien stops us in the middle of the bridge and looks out over the city with me at his side.

“Everleigh—”

“Those close to me call me Everly,” I interrupt him, and he smirks at me for a moment before he seems to remember something and goes back to being stern. I wonder if deep down under everything, Damien is kind and has a sense of humour.

I want to see him as anything other than the cold king pretence.

“Well, Everly, we have many things to discuss over our meal, but I wished to give you a token of trust,” he finally states.

“I trust you, or I would not be here, Damien,” I tell him in confusion of what he could possibly give me. He nods his head to the end of the bridge just as a man I would know anywhere walks out, stopping in his tracks when he sees me.

“Tyrion.”

CHAPTER 9

EVERLEIGH

“Everly,” Ty says my name like a prayer, and I rush over to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, and he hugs me back just as firmly, both of us holding on so tightly it almost hurts. He must have been so upset I was gone, even when we argued and acted like fools, we were still so close for years. I breathe in how he smells like embers from a fire and a hint of home. Tyrion is my home and has been from the second we met. He was simply my guard to a cell I was locked in, and he was the only one of the guards to whisper to me that I will get out. That I needed to live. Eventually he became my friend, and the stories of his upbringing and his life were all I could cling to in the king’s prison.

Then he tried to save my mother…but nothing could do that. The prisons will forever remind me that we were powerless to stop her death. A memory of when I first spoke to Ty flashes into my mind.

The only sound in the cage I like to focus on is the dripping of water down the side of the rocky wall. The water constantly drips, making me so aware of every drop in the silence. I hold my mother’s hand as she struggles to breathe and twists in her sleep from the pain throughout her body. I wish she could have one night’s sleep. Just one bit of rest in this nightmare of a place. My dirty feet push into the cold stone as I find the energy to stand up and turn around. On the other side of the room is the guard with the pretty eyes. I know I shouldn’t notice his eyes, he is a guard for a mad king, but they are the only beautiful thing down here.

“Who did you get your eyes from, your mother or father?” I ask the guard. I don’t expect him to answer me, and his voice is so unbelievably welcome when he gruffly speaks.

“My mother. Many people said she had eyes like diamonds cut from the rocks of Sevten,” he answers me, and I smile at him.

“They were right,” I answer, and he smiles back. In the dungeons, in this terrible place, his eyes will remind me how beautiful the world can be.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper, not letting him go one bit.

“How are you not limping?” he asks and pulls back to cup my cheeks with his large hands. “Wait, of course, that doesn’t matter. You are back from the dead. I’ve seen your body, and it disappeared even in dragon ice. Cassandra said it was meant to happen.”

“How are you here?” I ask in wonder.

“I travelled to the mermaid sea because I knew you would come here. Cassandra told me,” he softly tells me, making my heart beat a million times a minute. “I killed the master who dared to take your life, and I will kill anything in this world to stop you being hurt again. I failed as your protector, and it will never happen again.”

“You didn’t fail. I’m here,” I gently reply, my voice cracking when I see how broken he is. We need to stop lying to each other…not when life is so short. I’m in love with Ty and have been for years, and in his eyes right now, I know he loves me just as much.

Just as desperately.

I would protect him from anything in the world or sea too.

Clearing his throat, he searches my eyes like I’m not really here. Ty has never believed in the gods or magic, or wanted anything to do with it, but somehow he is here and fighting for me through it all. “How? Cassandra is certain you will return to the throne, but how?”

“The god of souls saved me and brought me here,” I reply, breathing out a sigh of relief that Cassandra knows I’m going to come back. If I could trust anyone with my throne, it would be her without a second thought.

His brow furrows. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he believes Everly is his soulmate. A goddess of the sea, reborn in a normal body so that he could find peace,” Damien states, sounding a lot closer than he was and telling me something I didn’t know. Well, I knew Nai called me his soulmate but not that he thinks I’m some goddess reborn. “But we will discuss all this over dinner.”

“Are you going to lock me up again, King Damien?” Tyrion spits out, pushing me behind him, and I grab his arm to stop him doing something foolish like hitting the mermaid king.

“I kept you safe in case Everly returned. Otherwise, you were simply an intruder with no mermaid blood and therefore no place in this world,” Damien coldly replies, locking his eyes with me. “My people kill surface people for sport, and your protector would have been a toy.”

Knowing that Damien was doing what he thought was right, I sigh. “Thank you. We should get going to this meal.”

“This way,” Damien replies with one last look at Tyrion and me before turning around, his cape swirling behind his back in the soft breeze. How do they even have a breeze down here?

“There is more to this, and for me to get my throne back, I need to make peace with the sea. It is half of who I am,” I state.

“We must talk alone soon, Everly,” he replies, his tone suggesting he isn’t happy about everything, but what choice does he have? He knows as well as I do that I promised to marry the mermaid king, and I never break my promises. Tyrion takes my hand in his, which he never does, and links our fingers as we follow after Damien. I try not to think too much about it and focus on the castle as we head down the corridors and stairs.

The walls all look like pure pearl, and I reach out to touch one of the walls, feeling the cold, smooth surface. Glowing white orbs light the ceilings and gently move like they are alive. We get to an archway with two statues of mermaids holding swords up in the air, the tips of the swords lit up blue, and Damien heads inside the room with us following after. In the centre of the room is a large glass table with four settings, two on each side, and Nai is already sat down, drinking wine as he runs his eyes over me. His eyes settle on my hand in Tyrion’s, and the room seems incredibly smaller all of a sudden.

“I saved you a seat,” Nai warmly offers, waving a hand at the seat next to him. I let go of Tyrion’s hand, knowing there is no right answer here, and sit down as Damien and Tyrion take the seats opposite. Two servants in light blue clothing come in and place plates of seafood in the middle of the table and fill our wine glasses up.

“The wine is my personal favourite and takes many years to create. I do hope you enjoy it,” Damien comments as I pick up my glass. I take a sip, enjoying the fruity and light taste that fills my mouth. He wasn’t joking. This wine is delicious and the best I’ve ever had.

“It is divine, almost as if the gods created it,” I clearly say.

“They might have done. The wine has been made in my family since the beginning of the mermaids and the royal line,” Damien answers. “As this very castle itself has stood the test of time.”

“The wine is delicious, I agree,” I comment, feeling a need to tell him that. Damien nods, and we wordlessly start tucking into the food. Turns out the seafood is damn amazing as well, but I think he already knows that. I wonder if they only eat fish, considering there isn’t a trade alliance going on. “Would you ever consider a trade agreement between the land and the sea? I’m sure there is food you would wish for, and we would love the fish only you can source.”

“I want an agreement that includes an expansion of the mermaid lands to include around the islands,” he states, and I’m shocked silent for a second. I couldn’t imagine the mermaids being in all the seas around the islands. Some of the seas are full of poison or covered in ice, and others are so hot they set ships on fire. I guess the mermaids know the sea better than we ever could, but their disdain for my people would not make this easy.

It would start another war…and I will not let that happen.

“That cannot happen until your people decide my people aren’t sport to kill,” I gently suggest. “Peace on land and sea is my goal, as I’m sure it is yours. Killing must be outlawed.”

“If your people don’t hurt ours, I’m sure we can make an agreement. We are locked down here and never allowed to leave…and it becomes tiresome. We wish to explore all of the seas of Calais,” he murmurs, running his finger over the rim of the glass. “Our people can restore the seas in many ways. We are part of this world, and no longer will we be ignored. Our marriage will make this whole transaction easier.”

“If anyone can get your freedom, it is Everly. She has single-handedly shut down all auctions, freed all prisoners, and remapped the structure of the islands. Her people adore her because she fights for them and for the right to be free,” Tyrion adds in. “If Everly decides the mermaids will be free, then they will be.”

“You sound very in love with your queen,” Nai offhandedly comments, and Tyrion holds my gaze as he answers.

“Since the first moment I became her guard, I knew I was protecting the most precious woman in Calais. Far before she became queen, far before we knew who she was. Everly has always been special to me. Everyone who has met her and understood her heart is in love with Everly,” he firmly says.

“And that makes a true queen,” Damien agrees, but I feel like the air has been taken from my lungs.

“There is only one queen in the seas, and that title belongs to me,” a woman, the red-haired one from my room, states as she walks into the room, her shoes clicking on the tiles. “My name is Amaria Pelagia, and I am engaged to King Damien of the Mermaids.”

“What is this?” I demand, standing up from my seat.

“Engaged but not married, Amaria. You will do well to remember that,” Damien casually says with a long sigh.

“A promise is a promise, King Damien,” she sneers back, and I look between them before settling my eyes on Damien and arching an eyebrow. I believe he may have forgotten to tell me something very important. Do I have a fight on my hands for the throne?

And why in the sea am I just learning about this now?

He crosses his arms, a stubborn look on his face. Ah that’s why. King Damien is pretending Amaria is nothing. “My people want a queen and an heir soon after. When you died, they demanded a battle with the females, and the winner becomes my fiancé. I allowed it in order to keep the peace as I knew you would return.”

He looks away from me and to Amaria. “The true queen is alive and well, therefore there is no need for you.”

The sneer Amaria gives me would make most women cower. I don’t. I’m not like anyone she has met before. “I am promised my right for the test, and I am leaving the city to go there now. If your queen wants the throne, she will have to beat me for it.”

“No!” Damien roars, but Amaria is already walking out, her long red hair flowing behind her, and I close my eyes.

“What is the test?”

CHAPTER 10

EVERLEIGH

“T  he Ceremony of Merida is an old tradition, an actual place in the deep sea where it is said the gods live and choose the fates,” Damien explains, and I remember him mentioning the ceremony and Nai joking about it on the ship. It sounds like the place gods live and mermaids go to die.

Funnily enough, I want to pass.

“It is a real place, and I have been there. Please don’t tell me you crazy lot send your queens there for a test?” Nai asks, and the silence following his words answers that question.

I sit back down in my seat, my thoughts swirling around in my head. I could walk away from the sea altogether and let Amaria have the throne, but then she would never make a deal of peace with me. I could tell she hated me in my room, and even then she was a stranger. Amaria will rise the sea’s army and kill all my people if she got the throne, and I doubt King Damien would be able to stop her if she had the people’s blessing. I have to prove myself and take the very throne I’ve been running from. At the end of the day, my father’s family came from this world as much as my mother’s was the land above the sea. I can’t save one and run from the other and still look at myself in the mirror every day. I’ve been given a second chance at life, and that has to be for a reason. I could have died, and the world would have found a way to recover without a queen.

But now I’m here? I can’t sit back and pretend everything is fine. Calais needs a queen to rule all of it, not just the land above the sea.

“Is that where she is going? To the Ceremony of Merida?” I ask, already knowing the answer. I could see in Amaria’s eyes she will do anything for the throne, and that means beating the test of the gods.

“Yes, and if she comes out alive, she will have the gods’ blessing to rule the seas and take the throne with me. I cannot stop her,” Damien growls and slams his hand on the table. “The woman wants power, not me. Not what is best for the mermaids.”

“But I can stop her, right?” I ask, and he pauses before nodding once, not looking happy about it.

“It’s too dangerous,” Nai says into the silence that follows. “I suggest we follow the red woman and kill her. It would solve all the problems.”

“She is engaged to me, and that makes her a mermaid royal. No royal can be harmed outside the ceremony without a curse from the Sea God,” Damien adds in. Well, there goes that easy plan. I guess we are choosing the hard route.

“Well, the gods can go to war against me, because I will not make Everly do this,” Nai demands, and Damien growls in annoyance, waving a hand at the mad god.

“No, the Sea God would make a war between my people for a new royal family. Trust me, the sea would be red with blood by the time it was over, and I do not want that,” Damien states. “We need peace.”

“I will go to the Ceremony of Merida and win. Then I am taking both the thrones, because there is only one queen of Calais,” I firmly say. “And that is me. I will not be challenged by Amaria or anyone for my throne. I’ve battled and bled for the throne before, I will again.”

The room drops into silence as my statement hangs in the air.

“We will aid you,” Damien states, and I see almost pride in his eyes as I wonder how the king of the mermaids can just leave the city. Who will rule for him? Tyrion mumbles about me always putting myself in danger whereas Nai just laughs.

“My father is never going to give anyone but you the thrones. I am certain of it,” Nai comments, waving a hand. “But I have not seen the islands of Calais in a few years, so a trip would be nice. We can call it a pre-honeymoon, Everly.”

I roll my eyes at him as Damien and Ty look like they want to see if they can kill a god’s son for simply talking too much.

“It’s more than that. Diving into the Ceremony of Merida means giving up every secret in your heart and freely promising yourself to serve your people for your life. It will not be as easy as you imagine,” Damien warns. “It will shake your soul, leaving only the pure alive.”

“I imagine nothing easy at all,” I reply. “Now I need to write a letter to Cassandra and speak alone with King Damien.”

“I don’t think—”

“Tyrion, you’ve always trusted me, and right now I need you to wait outside. We will all sleep on Nai’s ship tonight because Amaria does not seem like one to be trusted,” I tell him.

Ty looks once at Damien, his jaw tight before turning his eyes back to me. “We will wait outside.”

“Hold on,” Nai playfully says and stands up with a cheeky grin on his lips. “Does that mean you trust me?”

“Yes,” I answer with a smile, holding his gaze, and he winks at me.

“I’m winning at this love triangle. Wait, can it be a triangle when there are four of us—” Nai boldly says as he walks out, and Tyrion whacks him on the back of his head to shut him up, shaking his head. It makes me smile despite everything.

“Is my word that no one will harm you not enough?” he angrily asks. I fold my arms and stand up, walking around the table. He watches my every move, and I stop near his seat, looking down at him.

“Someone in my own court, the place I thought I was safe, killed my guards before killing me. I will never risk that again, because I know what it is like to die. I cannot die. My people need me,” I explain to him.

His stern gaze softens a little bit as he rises from his seat. “My people need me as well, and I understand.”

“I’m going to only ask you this once, and I want an honest answer,” I say, leaning in closer than I have ever been to him. He smells like the sea, salty and mixed with a masculine undertone which I find myself liking. His purple eyes are darker in this moment. Unreadable. “If you want to marry Amaria, then we can work something out. I will not fight to be at your side on the throne if it is not me you want.”

I gasp when one of his large hands cups the back of my neck and he brings our faces close to together. My eyes shut on instinct as our foreheads touch, and his warm breath blows against my lips, smelling like the fruity wine.

“I have wanted only you since the first moment we met.”

A relief I didn’t know I craved fills me, and I freeze as his lips find mine. The kiss is gentle, nothing more than a brush, but it stings my lips with a need for more nonetheless. He lets me go, stepping back, looking as dazed as I feel.

“The Ceremony of Merida will bond you with your mermaid half and unlocking your true self,” he informs me. “If anyone can survive it, it is you.”

“I am nervous but determined,” I say, feeling oddly breathless and flushed.

“If you were not nervous, there would be something wrong with you,” he replies, and I chuckle, my fingers itching to touch my lips. “This way is my private rooms, and I can find you a letter and pen. I will send my fastest swimmer to the land to deliver it for you.”

“Thank you,” I nod and follow him from the room, wondering when exactly it was I started falling for the king of the sea.

One thing is certain. It was way before our first kiss.

CHAPTER 11

EVERLEIGH

“How do you like your room?” Nai asks, and I swiftly turn around, never having heard him open the door at all. The former god is sneaky as much as he is handsome. I glance around the room, which is much more lovely than I expected it to be on a ship that looks like it’s falling apart. The wooden boarded room has one circular window with white panels and a double bed with deep purple sheets. The bathroom is what most ships have, but the shower is bigger, and there is a cabinet in here full of men’s clothes. I run my hands down the side of the black shirt I found and cut smaller, tying it at the side of my hip. My trousers were once men’s, but I’ve cut down the sides and laced the trousers together with white lace I found in the drawers. I’ve used some of the lace to tie my hair into a bun on top of my head and borrowed some socks. “I see you’ve made use of my old clothes.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” I reply, and he runs his gaze over me.

“No. Not even a tiny bit,” he responds with more than a flicker of desire in his voice. “All you need now is some boots and a pirate hat and you will be perfect.”

A low chuckle escapes my lips. “I’m a queen, not a pirate.”

“Can’t you be both?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye. “The king is here to see you and take you out for breakfast.”

“Nai…do you trust him?” I hesitantly ask.

“I saw into his soul once, and yes, I do trust him because of what I saw there,” he answers me, and without another word, he leaves the room, and I wonder what he saw in my soul when he took me from the sea of souls. I wonder if he really did see a goddess reborn or whatever Damien said. I leave my room and stare at the door to Tyrion’s room for a moment, deciding to leave him to sleep in as he did look tired last night when we all came back to the ship. The long corridor holds all the rooms of the ship, and at the back is the captain’s suite which takes up half the ship, and I haven’t had a chance to go in there yet. I head up the steps to the deck and pause when two men walk past holding barrels. As I come up onto the ship, I’m surprised to see dozens of people walking around and working on the ship. Some are painting, others are rebuilding parts that have been destroyed, and I look up to see Nai leaning against the wheel, watching the sea above him.

“I guessed your size. I hope I am right,” Damien says from my side, and I turn to see him holding out light purple leather boots that look handmade and delicate. I really love them, and how could he possibly know purple is my favourite colour?

“Is purple your favourite colour?” I ask.

“Perhaps,” he replies as I take the boots. I rest against the side of the steps and tug the boots on which are a tiny bit small, but they will work. “I want to take you somewhere. Did Nai say?”

“He did, and he mentioned food. Do you eat fish for breakfast?” I ask, and he frowns as we walk off the ship and down the footpath made of wood that some of the mermaids made last night. Five guards wait at the bottom of the footpath and instantly surround us as we carry on walking, almost making a star shape with us in the middle.

“Does that idea repulse you?”

“Not at all. I grew up on an island called Onaya, and we didn’t have much food, let alone fresh fish, so I’ve learnt to appreciate every single bit of food served to me,” I explain to him. If anything, fish was a special meal for us.

“I admire that trait. I believe we mermaids take the fish for granted, like they will never run out, but the sea could turn on us at any moment. We are in the gods’ favour for now. All food should be treasured either way,” he replies, and I like that he does.

“I’m glad you agree,” I reply. The walk down the pathways surrounding the castle is in silence until we get to where the main part of the city opens up. A busy street is full of carts, and I’m surprised to see the food isn’t all fish after all. Damien leads me to a cart full of pink and yellow dome-shaped food that reminds me of cakes in texture. The older woman behind the cart bows her head and steps back.

“These are a favourite food of mine called Wedas. They are made with seaweed and fruits that grow in the city and around in caverns we look after,” he explains to me before nodding at the woman. “We would like two of each.” I’m thankful he doesn’t speak in his language when he is with me.

“Yes, your majesty. It would be an honour,” she replies, stumbling on the words and sounding nervous. She starts to bag up a couple in green rough paper bags and hands them to us.

“Thank you,” I tell her, and she nods, her eyes wide as Damien drops ten gold coins onto her cart and leads me away. I don’t wait and take a bite of the yellow Weda, and it almost melts in my mouth, reminding me of apples and sugar. It’s lovely, and soon I’ve eaten the entire Weda, and finally I look up to see Damien smiling at me. A pure, innocent, big smile that I return.

“I assume you share my tastes, Everly,” he suggests, and I grin.

“Very much so. I wouldn’t have guessed you were a sweet tooth,” I say.

“Perhaps because you ran away before you could get to know me,” he smoothly replies, and I eye him cautiously.

“You made it impossible for me to turn down your marriage proposal,” I tell him. “My mother brought me up in an old-fashioned way. I want love and a sweet proposal that comes from that love. I wasn’t brought up to be a queen and marry for the throne.”

“And I treated you as a queen and not a woman,” he states. “I see the reason why now. I believed it had more to do with your dislike for me…at least until last night.”

I don’t reply to him, but I feel his eyes on me as we finish off our food and head through the city. We come to the magical barrier at the end of the path, and there is another bubble in the distant water.

“This part, I need to hold you,” Damien asks, holding out a hand. The guards all step back in a line, and it’s clear they won’t be following us. After a brief pause, I take Damien’s hand, and he pulls me to his body, wrapping his arms around us. “Close your eyes.” I do as he asks, and suddenly it feels like wind whips around us and drops of water flicker against my body. Against my better judgement, I open my eyes to see we are in the sea and Damien has purple energy blasting out of him, pushing the water away from us as we glide through it, and his legs are gone, replaced with a blue tail. The tail hooks around my legs, pushing me against him, and feels cold to the touch. He looks down at me, and I gasp, seeing his purple eyes glowing so brightly that they don’t look real, and I can’t look away. After what seems much longer than it was, we pass through the bubble on the other side, and Damien’s power fades away like it wasn’t there, and his legs are back. Gods’ magic is so much more here, so effortless for them, where in our world, being born as a changed one is the only way to have any magical power.

“Can all mermaids do that?” I ask.

“Yes, to some extent. Every mermaid is born with power, but not all can control it. I do wonder if you have some hidden power within your soul from your father’s side,” he starts off and steps back. I look around us to see dozens of floating orbs just hovering off the ground and all in different colours. “That is why we are here. Your father’s family.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, still looking at the orbs.

“This is our place of memory, where the memories of our people’s souls rest,” he softly explains to me and walks over to the far left. I follow him until we get to a part which is held separate by gold gates, his voice suggesting his mind is lost in the past. “My family’s souls are in here, and I can see them if I wish. Maybe one day I can show your people how to do this and no one will ever be forgotten.”

“I heard you killed your brothers for the throne when your mother died. Was that true?” I ask and quickly add, “I’m not judging you, I simply want to know.”

“The three princes of the sea. That’s what my brothers and I were known as, but there were other rumours with too much truth. My brothers loved pain and cruelty. They would have taken the throne and turned our people into monsters that the world feared instead of finding peace, and I couldn’t stand back. I would not let it happen. I killed them and asked the god of souls to take their souls away from here so their hate could not taint the city with their memory and so they could be reborn,” he says as he stares out at the sea. “My father was a cruel man who liked to beat his wife and sons. I was bigger than my brothers and my father did not hurt me like he did them, and that made them cold. My mother was the same, emotionless and distant…”

That’s why he is this way. He doesn’t know any better.

“I’m so sorry, Damien. Did Nai take their souls?” I ask, and Damien looks back and nods once.

“We made a deal,” he almost whispers, and my heart hurts for him. I’m sure he didn’t want to kill his family and have to live alone on the throne with nothing but bad memories for company. Damien walks around the gold fence, and I follow him until we come to a stop in front of a pink orb.

“This is your family line, everyone, even your father. I did research after I met you and found out who your father was,” he softly explains to me, and I stare endlessly at the orb. “We mermaids don’t all live in the city; some of our kind prefer to travel around the sea, and others actually live with the people on the surface.

“A family of three left the city around twenty years ago with the same mermaid energy you have. A woman and her two sons from a prominent line of mermaids, they were close to the throne. Honestly, they could have challenged my parents for the crown if they wished, and the mermaids loved them, so they would have accepted it. Either way, their departure was a big scandal, and they never returned. I do not know what happened to your grandmother or uncle, but your father found himself on the shores of Onaya and in your mother’s arms.”

“I don’t know much either, only that she loved him and he loved her. I was a child born of both worlds because they found each other. My mother hid him on the island until he died,” I softly say, and he smiles at me.

“The orb will hold some memories of your family line, only accessed by blood. You need only touch the orb to find out parts of the past,” he softly explains. I step forward, feeling a light heat from the orb as I lift my hands and cup the orb in them. My mind goes blank for a second before I’m on the beach of Onaya.

“Where are you from?” a woman—no, my mother—says. I spin around, a sob catching in my throat as I look at my lovely mother who sits opposite a man with bright blond hair. A small fire flickers in the middle of them, and the sea laps waves against the sand.

“The city of Merida. The mermaid city, and I wish you could see it,” he explains.

“Why did you leave if it is so lovely?” mother asks, and he looks back to the ocean. I’m seeing my father.

“We wanted adventure, but we found only death in the world. My mother and brother were killed by pirates, and I escaped, although injured as you well know,” he answers her, and it breaks my heart how he sounds in so much pain.

“That is terrible,” my mother says, and he picks up her hand.

“Terrible indeed, but it led me to you,” he replies, and I smile through my tears as the images fade away like they were never there, and the orb is right in front of me again, “and that is not so terrible at all.”

“Did you find what you needed?” Damien asks, and I turn to see him sitting on the ground, his legs crossed. “Or would you like to find out more?”

“I saw more than I ever thought I could,” I reply and turn to him. “Thank you.”

“We should get back to the town. It has been many hours,” he tells me as he stands up and holds a hand out. “It’s time we prepare to leave.”

“Can you leave the city alone?” I ask.

“I’m connected to the magic of the city and every single mermaid within it. I do not need to be here to know what my people are doing and if they are safe,” he explains, and I take his hand. “And my people know my place is at your side, Queen Everleigh of Calais. You’re our freedom, and I’m not sitting back for a moment longer. I will follow you wherever you need me to go.”

And I believe him.

CHAPTER 12

EVERLEIGH

A s the final works on the pirate ship are being done, I go up to the end of the ship and lean on the head of the mermaid statue now directing our course. Damien and Nai have explained it will take around a month to travel to the Ceremony of Merida, and we have stocked the ship with three months’ supply just in case. The last thing we need is to have to stop off at any of the islands where they could recognise me or worse, suspect who Damien is. My people aren’t fans of mermaids, and it will be a long road to convince them to be and to trust them.

I don’t want to start that road today, that’s for sure. As I watch the sea ahead of us, the endless blue depths full of life and secrets that no one could imagine, a water dragon swims into the barrier and through it. The water dragon has blue and white scales covering all of its body and a longer neck than the usual dragons I’ve seen in our world. I’ve always loved the dragons, but a smart part of me is terrified of them and their power. Cassandra has a dragon she has had from an egg and, because of that, they have a bond, and out of every dragon I’ve seen around my home, hers isn’t as scary. It heads straight for our ship, and my eyes are wide as it just misses crashing into the ship and swims around in a circle before stopping on its side, leaving me locking eyes with the dragon rider.

Amaria.

“You will never, ever sit on my throne. The sea will reject you, land queen,” she sneers and pats the back of the dragon, and it shoots off through the barrier and out into the sea. I look behind me to see three mermaid guards, who have chosen to wear strips of fabric over their private parts for clothes, and Ty in the middle of them. He looks at me, wanting to know if I’m alright, and I nod, crossing my arms. The guards walk off after Ty tells them to go, and I look back out at the sea. Amaria’s bitterness isn’t going to ruin my view.

“We are leaving,” Tyrion says as he steps to my side, his hand resting on the top of his sword. “Are you ready?”

“I am the queen, and I have much to prove. We should leave,” I agree, not exactly answering his question. I look back to see Nai tying up parts of the ship and Damien standing by the wheel, staring at it with many questions in his eyes. Somehow we are an odd bunch, and all of them are connected through me.

“I was asking if you are ready, not the ship,” Tyrion comments, stepping closer. “We could escape and go back home if you wish it. If not, I will defend you through this ceremony.”

“Why did you push me away when I became queen?” I turn and ask him the burning question on my mind. I see the hesitation in his eyes, and I place my hand on his arm. “I need to know.”

“Everly…I don’t deserve you, and I never have done.” He steps closer as my breath hitches in my throat. “And I believed putting distance between us would make it easier when you married someone else. When you had kids with them and loved them, but I was lying to myself.”

“I should have told you how I felt,” I say. “I should have fought for us, and I won’t make that mistake again…but things are complicated on this ship.”

“You have a king and a former god in love with you…how can I compete with that?” he asks, and it hurts my heart to know he thinks so little of himself. “I’m a guy from nowhere, with no money or title. I can’t give you anything.”

“Ty…you give me everything. You’re my protector, my closest friend, and the man I trust the most in all the seas,” I whisper, and he smiles, a big, cute smile that makes me grin back just as someone blows a whistle and the ship jolts. A bubble of magic surrounds us, and I rush to the front of the ship as we take off for the surface, leaving the city of the mermaids far behind.

“Can I come in?” I ask, knocking on the door to Nai’s private rooms at the back of the ship. He replies a second later, asking me to hold on, and then he is opening the door with his shirt missing. My body seems to just stumble to a stop as I run my gaze over his tight muscular body and the ripples of muscle on his stomach covered with a faint line of hair. Nai grins, leaning against the door and tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Do you need anything, love?” he asks, and I finally snap myself out of it, nodding once. He backs into the room, and I follow him in, the door swinging shut behind me. Nai’s room is one large place with at least five bookcases in here and a huge desk in the middle. The stained-glass windows are painted to show a sunrise with dragons flying through the sky around the sun, a beautiful view. Different coloured woven rugs litter the dark oak floors, and two lights hang from the ceiling, making the room bright.

“How is the ship running with only us four on board?” I ask Nai as he leans against the desk, watching me. I search his room for a bed but only find a small couch with a blanket dropped over it. “And is my room actually yours?”

“The ships magic is a gift from my father. It will never sink, never drift off its true course. As long as I am on the ship, it will find us where I want to go,” he softly explains to me but looks away once more. “And yes, you have my room, but it is yours now. I’m happy in here.”

“Thank you. That was very kind,” I say, walking to the glass and looking out at the sea. “What do you wish for your future, Nai? Where do we go from here?”

“I will go wherever you need me…even if you do not want me in your life. I have made my choice, and I am happy with it no matter where we end up,” he firmly explains to me, and for some reason, it makes my mouth dry and a smile fall on my lips.

“You gave up being a god for me, Nai,” I softly reply. “You won’t live forever now.”

“If you asked me to give up my life, I would,” he firmly replies. “Being a god is nothing compared to a chance at true love.”

“And I’m that chance for you?” I ask, turning around as he stands up off the desk. He walks to me and takes my hand in his, lifting it and kissing the back ever so softly.

“You are the only chance I want in this world. I’ve waited for you since I was born, and an eternity later I get to be in front of you,” he replies, letting my hand go. “Our fates are one and the same, Everleigh.”

I stare at him for a long moment, wondering if he could be right. Even if it isn’t fate or destiny or magic that binds us together, I see something for us in the future. I’m attracted to him, and he makes me laugh like no one else ever has. Nai doesn’t need to be a god to make me love him, and we both know that.

I want a future, and perhaps we can find one, we can find something in the seas we both came from.

Thankfully, Nai walks away from me and changes the subject. “Do you want to borrow a book? I have collected many from the seas in my passing, and the history here is very interesting.”

“I’d love to borrow one. Which would you recommend?” I ask, and he grins, nodding his head to the side. I spend the next few hours finding books and listening to Nai’s stories about how he found them.

And it’s comfortable, natural almost.

Maybe Nai is right. The fates are at work here after all.

CHAPTER 13

EVERLEIGH

“Something smells lovely,” I say as I walk into the kitchen and dining area of the ship, which is much bigger than I thought it would be. The waves are choppy, making the ship sway quite a bit as we head through a storm that seemed to sneak up on us. I run my eyes over the kitchen on one side of the huge room and two staircases in the middle that lead to the bottom of the ship. At the back is a large circular black table with six wooden chairs, and Tyrion is sitting on one, reading a book. Nai is cooking something in a large pot, and I join him as he lifts the lid, and more of the amazing smell escapes.

“My favourite hot pot soup,” he explains to me. “I thought it was time the mermaid king tried real food that wasn’t fish for once in his life.”

“I heard that,” Damien grumbles as he comes into the room and walks to the table, taking a seat opposite Tyrion who simply looks up once before ignoring him and going back to his book.

“Sit down, I will bring the food over. It won’t be long now,” Nai softly suggests.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” I enquire, not feeling right about him cooking on his own, and it looks like the other two aren’t going to help out much.

“You could carry the bread and butter to the table, love,” he suggests, and I roll my eyes as I get the already cut up bread and place it on the table with the butter. I take my time finding plates, bowls and cutlery and adding them to the table as Nai brings over a steaming pot of food with a large ladle, placing it in the middle of everything.

Tyrion puts his book down and gets the wine, pouring us all a glass as I sit down and we serve each other food. The table soon becomes silent and awkward as we eat, and eventually I have to say something to make it less strange between us.

“How long have you had this ship, Nai?” I ask, and he finishes off his bite of bread before answering me.

“It was a project of mine. I once had a small boat, and it was less than impressive to live on all of the time. In the corners of the world, there were leftover ships, and I spent many years fixing them together until I had my ship. My father blessed the wheel and added protection to make sure the ship could never sink, and here we are,” he explains to me.

“It’s a very impressive ship now my people have fixed it,” Damien contends. Then we are back to silence, and I take a deep drink of my wine.

“What book are you reading, Tyrion, and how long have you been in love with our queen?” Nai asks, and I thought the silence before was worse than anything.

I was wrong.

Tyrion stares at Nai, his jaw pulsing and his hands in fists on the table.

“Did I say love? I meant to say admire. Do tell me how you two first met?” Nai finally decides to say, and Tyrion still doesn’t answer, so I do it for him.

“Ty and I met in the old king’s dungeon. I was a prisoner, and Ty was a guard who helped me and tried to save my mother,” I explain, my hand shaking a little from the memories of that place. The screams of those who died inches away from me will never leave my mind, let alone the screams of my mother and Cassandra. Cass lost her dad in the same place, and in more ways than one, that will always link us. Our story is one of pain, but I bet as Cass holds her newborn daughter with the men who adore her, she would say it was all worth it.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Damien says, and I nod at him, not knowing how to answer him. Nai doesn’t say anything, but the tic in his jaw suggests he is annoyed. I don’t see why, it’s not like he had to live through those nightmares. If the memories of the dungeons don’t keep me up at night, the war does. I saw so much death, so much pain and emptiness in their eyes as they died for freedom or to protect a king who would not protect them.

“Did Ty not help you escape?” Nai asks in confusion, looking between us.

“Yes, and then he kept me alive for a long time afterwards when I was defenceless. We trained for years together before the war and before I became queen,” I explain to him, and Damien seems very interested.

“You picked the right prisoner to befriend it seems,” Damien comments rather coldly.

“I picked nothing and no one. I simply knew Everly was young and could survive when many of the prisoners gave up too easily. I admired her strength and loved her courage. It was that simple for me,” Ty states with a glower. “Everly used to sing a soft song every night in the dungeons to her mother, at least when she was awake. Her songs made the horrible nights less heart-shattering for not only me but the others.”

I didn’t know he listened to my songs, let alone that others liked them. It was the only way I could get my mother to sleep some nights.

“I learnt a lot of my courage from you, Tyrion,” I admit, and he softly smiles at me.

“We should toast to courage,” Damien suggests, holding his glass up. I clink my glass against his, Nai’s and finally Ty’s, and somehow that makes everyone less tense. Nai and Tyrion actually start talking about the book Ty was reading, and Damien makes small talk with me about the storm and how he loved ships since he was a child. By the end of our first night on the sea, I believe we can make it to the ceremony without fighting with each other.

CHAPTER 14

EVERLEIGH

I  laugh as I spin around in circles, Michael holding my hands and grinning at me. I pull my eyes from my boyfriend to look at the stars above us. On Onaya, the stars feel so close that you could imagine reaching up and touching them, letting them take you away and promise you new worlds full of adventure. That’s a life on Onaya…dreaming but never leaving. Michael tells me he loves me every day and can’t wait for me to marry him, and I guess I agree with his statement. He is sweet, kind and a good man who works the fields most days to make sure his family has food. He will be a good husband and give me a good life. What more could I want for my life than him? My mother tells me a man’s love is something worth fighting for, but what if he isn’t the right man? What if I don’t really love him? I’m not sure I know what the word really means. I care about Michael as much as I care about Cassandra, maybe a little less if I’m being honest with myself.

That is love, right?

Caring about someone?

Sweat covers my forehead as the sound of the crackling fire and laughter from those near us fill my ears. I try to be as happy as I can, even though I miss Cass with all of my heart. I miss talking to her the most, her voice and stories used to make me feel more alive than anything on Onaya ever could do. I never had any siblings, but somehow Cass felt like a sister to me, and I would die for her tomorrow if she needed me to. I wish she wasn’t a changed one sometimes, then she would be here right now with me and she wouldn’t be running away. My mother won’t admit it, but she misses Cass’s sarcasm, and we all hate that we have no clue if she is alive. If she survived her trip across the poisoned sea. I have to believe in the Sea God, that he didn’t curse her as a changed one, let her survive all these years only to have the sea kill her.

A scream makes us all pause, the music halts, and I turn to see a man I don’t know in rich clothes walking towards me. Everyone bows around us, falling to their knees, and only when I see the crown on his dark head of hair do I fall as well. I wish I could keep my eyes on the dirt below my bare knees that press into the ground, but I find myself looking at the man walking to me. The fire flickers around his cloak as he passes it, and it highlights all the features of his face. The king is handsome for an older man, enchantingly so. I wonder if the gods made him so seductive so he could get away with being so cruel.

“Is this the silly girl who helped hide a changed one from me?” the king asks, pointing at me as I stare right back at him, never breaking eye contact. It’s like looking at pure evil. I shake in fear, not just for myself and my future, but for what it means for him to be here.

The king knows about Cass.

Sea God, please, please keep her safe. He sneers, a truly insane look in his eye as Michael suddenly steps in front of me, his arms stretched out to block the king’s view of me. Oh gods, what are you doing? I’ve heard the king is mad, but until I looked into his eyes right now, I didn’t know how terrifying that could be, and Michael doesn’t stand a chance.

“Don’t hurt her, she was only her friend. Everly wouldn’t—” He halts, his body shaking before he falls to the ground right in front of me. A man I love bleeds out from a knife in his gut as the king grabs me by my neck and drags me away as I kick and scream, begging for someone to kill me.

I won’t be used by the king against Cassandra. Never.

I scream as hands rest on my shoulders, a calming voice asking me to breathe in and out. It takes me far too long to calm down and realise I’m on the ship, in bed, and Damien is sitting in front of me, talking me back from my nightmares.

“Deep breaths, it will pass. Remember you are here with me,” he softly tells me, his hair messier than usual and blown across his forehead. It’s a wonder he heard me and not the others, as their rooms are closer. “And you are safe, Everly.”

“Did I wake you? I’m so sorry,” I say, and he shakes his head, leaning in closer as he lowers his hands and takes my own. His large hands feel warm and comforting in my own, and I close my eyes for a second, just enjoying his touch. It feels like madness to remember how not so long ago I didn’t want to marry him, let alone be near him, and now I want him not to leave. Strange how time can change so many things so effortlessly. The thin white top he has on brushes against my hands in his lap, and I itch to climb into his arms and let him hold me. I need comfort, but I’m not sure Damien and I are ready to be that for each other.

“Never mind waking me up. What was so frightening in your dreams?” he asks me, and I sense he won’t tell anyone what we discuss. Trusting Damien seems as easy as breathing.

“My first boyfriend, a boy from Onaya where I grew up, tried to defend me from the old king. He died in front of me, and I was kidnapped, as well as my mother and best friend’s father for hiding a changed one,” I answer, tucking my blonde hair behind my ear and taking a deep breath. “I have so many nightmares from that time, but that was the start and always seems to haunt me the most.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to defend you,” he replies, rubbing my hand with his thumb. The gentle touch makes me desire Damien in a way I’ve never wanted a man before. The attraction to Damien is somewhat surprising to me. “Would it help if I told you a nightmare of mine?”

“The king of the mermaids has nightmares?” I question, my voice quiet.

“When I was seven, I thought I could swim wherever I wanted despite the warnings my mother told me.” He smiles at me, and even when it’s only the moonlight shining into the room, I can see his bright purple eyes and how they look like he is lost. “I swam and swam into the sea, even riding a dolphin for a while, and then I was lost. I couldn’t find my way home, and the sea all looked the same to me. I was missing for three days, and in those three days, I learnt to look after myself, but it was hard. No child should have to look after themselves.”

“No, they shouldn’t,” I say, and against my better judgement, I move closer to him until our lips are inches away from each other’s. I can almost taste the mint-like scent on his breath as he blows against my lips, and time seems to come to a halt. Neither of us moves at all for a long time as he waits for me to make my decision, and it doesn’t take me long at all to realise I know what I want.

My lips touch his like the sea brushing against the sand, soft at first, but soon neither one of us can contain the burning need for each other. He sinks his hands into my hair as we deepen the kiss, and I’m overwhelmed by how he tastes so seductive.

Kissing the mermaid king is everything I’ve been searching for. It’s like coming home. We explore each other for a long time, never taking it too far, before he pulls back and stops us. I know we need to take it slow, figure out who we are to each other now.

The sea and the land literally need us to figure it out, but more important than our responsibilities has to be our hearts and what we want. I try to imagine what a future could be like for me and Damien, and to my surprise, it isn’t at all bad. We could easily live somewhere on both land and sea, and our people could learn to live in peace. I’ve changed my people’s lives so much over my short time on the throne, and I’m sure I could make the same changes for the mermaids in the future.

I lean back on the bed, stretching my legs out. Damien lies down next to me, on his back and resting an arm behind his neck. “Can you tell me more stories about you as a kid?” I ask.

“Only if you will tell me some stories about you growing up?” he replies. I curl up onto my side, and the stories effortlessly fall from my lips. I don’t know how many stories we tell each other before we both drift asleep, feeling like the nightmares will be kept away by the king of the mermaids tonight.

CHAPTER 15

EVERLEIGH

“C atch!” Nai shouts, chucking me an apple, and I catch it mid-air before taking a large bite. The apples aren’t like the ones from Onaya or from back home. They have a strange red colour to them, and they taste much sweeter than the apples I’m used to. Nai won’t tell me where they are from, and I just hope we don’t run out anytime soon. He comes and leans next to me as we watch the shimmering green sea in front of us. The weather is amazing today, the sun is shining down on us so brightly, and we are all enjoying the weather. Damien and Ty are sunbathing with no shirts on by the wheel of the ship, and I nearly tripped over thin air when I saw them there earlier. Two very sexy shirtless men should not be allowed in one place. There is only so much a woman can handle. Thank the gods Nai has kept his shirt on, or I’m going to lose my mind.

The men on this ship would tempt any woman. Even a queen.

“Funny how this is the place we first met. At least when you were awake,” Nai comments.

“I did stand here for a long time. You also told me you had a vision of me kissing you and calling you Nai,” I comment, remembering what he said to me as I eat my apple. I eventually eat all of it, leaving only the middle, and I drop it into the sea.

“I saw visions of you for years, but I never could see your face,” he admits, watching the sea. I admire how the sun shines down on his hair, making him looking younger for a moment.

“How old were you when you became the god of souls? Or were you born that way?”

“My mother was born on Seveten, and when I was ten, she passed away,” he softly tells me, and my heart aches for him. “We were both slaves, and without her there, I didn’t want to live there anymore. I ran to the sea, and there was my father, waiting for me. He told me the price for being a god and the rules but promised eternal freedom and so much power. I ran to him without looking back.”

“Thank you for telling me about your past,” I say, and he smiles at me, covering my hand with his. “I hope we can talk more about your life on Seveten some time. It can’t have been all bad, and I’ve never been to that island.”

“Why not?” he asks. “You’re the queen; you should have been to all the islands.”

“When this is all over,” I say, looking out at the sea, “we can travel. I want to see them all with you and my family.”

Nai opens his mouth to say something when a bird covered in water flies out of the sea and slams right into Nai’s chest, knocking him onto the deck. The water collapses on top of Nai, leaving a white bird covered in scales rather than feathers, and it has a long neck and is carrying a red leather tube with gold string wrapped around it several times.

“Ah, Bridges is back,” Damien says, walking onto the deck and picking up the bird from Nai’s chest. He places the bird on his bare shoulder, and I make sure not to look below his face as I’m not sure I will be able to look back up again. Nai climbs up off the floor, and like everything slows down, he tugs his shirt off over his head. Water drips down his muscular chest, right down to his stomach.

Holy god.

Thankfully, Damien starts explaining the bird to save myself from embarrassment. “This is Bridges, a water bird. They can travel hundreds of miles with letters, and they are very intelligent.”

“What was it doing landing on me?” Nai asks, pushing his wet hair off his forehead.

Damien chuckles as he takes the leather tube from the bird’s mouth and whistles. The bird flies off his shoulder and jumps back into the sea as Damien unwinds the string and unravels the tube before pulling out a sealed envelope. I all but run to him when I recognise the wax seal, and he hands it to me without another word. I rip the royal seal open, my royal seal, and unfold the letter.

Dear Everly,

The gods have done something incredible, and when I received your letter, I cried for hours over your words. I knew even death couldn’t keep my best friend from me, but hearing of your death was a moment in life I thought would break me. Thankfully, the Sea God appeared on my ship that night and told me of your return and who killed you.

And I felt like I could breathe once more.

Your story of the god of souls, the mermaid king and Tyrion sounds magical, and I’m sure this is a part of your life that will make who you are.

I do imagine there is danger in your life, and I must insist you return to me alive and soon.

My daughter needs to meet you.

Her name is Riah Everleigh, named after the two bravest women I have ever known, and both of them are queens that will never be forgotten. She has dark hair and bright eyes, and a cheeky smile even so young. Becoming a mother has been difficult for me, as I do not remember my mother and I don’t have my best friend to help me. I hope I am doing her proud, and I will fight to be the best mother I can be.

My pirates tell me I am doing well. I only wish you were here to guide me. Hunter and Ryland have come across issues with the throne, as many of the people will not accept their rule or me holding the place for Riah. I have fought and locked up many of the royal court until your return, and I hope I have made the right choice.

We will not lose the peace you have fought for, not under any circumstance.

But your return is greatly needed soon.

Calais needs a queen, not a pirate.

Calais needs you as much as I do, my best friend.

Find your journey, win the world, and return back to us. We miss you and so does Calais.

All my love,

Cassandra

Tears fall down my eyes as I re-read the letter at least three times and suck in a breath.

“I have a new niece called Riah. She has my name as her middle name,” I tell my men as I fold up the letter.

“Then why are you crying?” Damien softly asks, and Nai looks at me with the same questions in his eyes.

“In happiness, of course,” I answer with a big smile. Nai softly takes the letter from my hands and hands it to Damien. I frown at him just before he picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I laugh as he runs down the ship, and I wonder what the hell he is doing. The air leaves my lungs as suddenly I’m flying off the ship and crashing into the warm water. I sink under the water from the drop, and after a second, I swim straight up to the surface, gasping for air. I look to my left just as Nai jumps into the water next to me, coming back up to the surface in a matter of moments.

“Why the hell did you do that?” I demand as the crazy god just laughs.

“You need to have a bit of fun,” he says, swimming to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

“How could you possibly know what I need?” I ask him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. “And our ship is currently still moving.”

“Damien will figure out the anchor soon enough,” he shrugs, and I shake my head. He really is mad.

And I really seem to like him anyway.

Resting my forehead against his, I let the warm sea sway us around. It’s soothing, and after a while, I understand Nai’s point. “Are you going to save me from the sea?” I ask.

I open my eyes, looking into the gold pits of his. “Not until you learn to save yourself, Everly.”

“Thank you, Nai,” I whisper before I kiss him, and I wonder if this is the vision he saw as he kisses me back.

CHAPTER 16

EVERLEIGH

A s we pass the island of Thron, my mind drifts to the throne and my people waiting for my return. Including Cassandra and her new little baby that will have to take the throne if I do not return. My cousins gave the throne away, and there is little chance the people will accept either of them as king, but they would accept Cassandra as a queen regent for her daughter. Perhaps even accept Cassandra as queen as the world admires her for winning the war and proving changed ones are not dangerous. I was short in my letter to Cassandra, well aware that anyone could pick up my letter and read it before she does. Tyrion said he killed the master who took my life, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t more traitors in the castle.

But how does a queen get rid of traitors without killing all her people?

“You seem very lost in thought,” Nai muses, coming to my side. I’m surprised he is awake as I thought he went to bed early with Damien and Tyrion. “A thought shared is less off your mind, and one thing gods are good at is keeping secrets.”

“I was murdered in my own home, near my own throne. How can I secure my safety on my return?” I ask, turning to look at the former god at my side. He looks past me to the sea as we pass through it, the clear skies above us a hopeful good blessing on our journey as the sun sets, blasting pink and orange across the sky.

“You bind them in a blood oath to you and your kin,” he suggests, and I’ve never heard of such a thing. “The old queens and kings would bind their court, the ones closest to them, in eternal loyalty. If they dared betray the royal blood, the old gods would take revenge.”

“Thank you. I will think about your idea because it has merit,” I say, and he grins, holding out a hand. Honestly the more I think of the idea for even a few seconds, the more I like it. I don’t want to seem like a queen that demands her people take oaths, but I might have to be to rule safely. What happened to me can never happen again. I’ve given up my life and dedicated myself to the throne to do what is best for the people.

And I want to keep doing that, but in a world I know I’m not going to be killed in.

“For my advice, I want you to dance with me,” he asks with a certain glint in his eyes.

“You never stated you wanted payment before giving me the free advice,” I tease, and he chuckles and takes my hand. “Plus, there is no music.”

Nai tugs me into his arms with a smirk, effortlessly swaying as soft music appears out of nowhere. I rest my head on his chest as we dance, the playfulness gone and replaced by a comfort I didn’t know I could find in Nai, but it is here, nonetheless. “You believe I’m your soulmate. A reborn goddess.”

“It is less of a belief and more of a fact. I saw into your soul, though you do not remember it,” he tells me, the music and everything seeming to disappear as I listen to him. “Every god was created with one soulmate. One person in the world they would find their own reflection in, if only they looked into their souls. I searched thousands of souls for you, and I had all but given up when a light soul fell from the sea.”

He stops us and looks down at me, tucking his hand under my chin to lift my gaze to his. “Because I saw the magic in your heart before I even got close to you. I saw myself in your soul the moment I searched, just like you’d see yourself in mine. I am human now and linked to your soul forever from the moment I looked at you.”

“Do you regret looking?” I find myself whispering.

“Never, Everleigh,” he softly tells me, and I know he means it. Funny enough, I’m beginning to think there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for him. I feel that connection, and it’s more than a simple attraction to someone. All my life, I’ve looked for my home, and what if I found it on a god’s ship, in the eyes of a god who acts and looks like a pirate? “You spend too much time in your head, your majesty. Come and spend some time on the sea with me.”

Rather than giving me a moment to overthink it, he kisses me, and an attraction like nothing else burns through me until I want nothing more than to be in Nai’s arms forever. Picking me up like I weigh nothing, Nai presses me against the raised seats at the top of the ship, his lips never leaving mine as I undo the buttons of his black shirt. He chucks it off, breaking the kiss for a moment, and I admire his flat stomach, the line of black hair that disappears into his trousers. His golden skin almost looks like it glows as I run my hands up his chest, and his eyes seem to glow as he looks down at me, looking for permission.

“Yes,” I whisper, reaching down and pulling up my shirt, pushing it over my head and leaving my top half bare. His eyes trace my body like I’m made of pure gold and the pirate has found what he has always been looking for. He slowly tugs my trousers down until I’m completely bare under him, and he comes down on top of me, kissing me with enough passion to drown the ship in the ocean. His lips race down my jaw as his hands cup my breasts, and every soft movement makes me ache for more of him. I never had this the last time. Sex was simply fun but not like this. It never meant anything like this. I help him undo his belt as he cups me, rubbing me in a way that makes me ache for more of him. By the time he has pushed down his trousers and lined up, I’m desperate for more of him. In one smooth movement, he slides into me, and gods he feels amazing.

“I want to spend forever right in this moment with you, Everly,” he whispers against my lips before he thrusts out and back in, making my back arch. I’m lost in sensations for a long time as he slowly moves in and out of me, drawing out the pleasure as he kisses me senseless, and I can’t focus on anything but the building euphoria until it crashes into me like a storm. I cry out in bliss and shock, and Nai swallows the noises with his lips until he groans a few times and comes inside of me. I know we should be more careful, pregnancy does happen, but I can’t regret that moment.

I can’t regret us. Nai stares down at me, his eyes filled with wonder, and I can’t help but smile back.

“We should head down to your room and do that all over again,” I suggest, and he grins.

“Yes, my queen,” he replies, and I laugh as he picks me up, carrying me completely naked back down to my room and repeating everything time and time again until we fall asleep.

CHAPTER 17

EVERLEIGH

“Y ou seem angrier than usual, Ty,” I comment just before he smacks his sword in my direction, and I block it, shoving him off. We circle each other in the middle of the deck, neither one of us giving in any time soon. Ty suggested we continue our defensive training on the journey, and for the last three weeks on this ship, we have done just that.

And somehow our little group works as a family on this ship, none of the jealousy I suspected would happen has actually occurred. Most nights, we have a meal and Nai spends the night in my room, making sure I don’t actually get much sleep done. Thankfully, I found some herbs in the kitchen that are known to stop pregnancy and made myself a mixture to sip every morning. I see Ty in the morning for training and usually play chess with Damien in his room or discuss the many books he brought with him. Or more talk about mermaid facts I couldn’t have known but am happy to learn about. Ty snaps me out my thoughts as he slams his sword against mine, hard enough to knock my ass to the floor, and the sword slips from my hand. Ty is on me in seconds, his sword pressed against my neck as he kneels over my legs.

“I’m not angry, Ev,” he answers me, dropping his sword and climbing off me. He sits down and takes a deep breath as I sit up next to him. I pause for a moment before placing my hand on his arm, and his bright blue eyes turn to me, but I can’t figure out what is going on inside his mind.

He seems to hesitate before covering my hand with his. “I don’t care if you love them, but I love you, and I want to be at your side.”

“Ty—”

“A royal consort, hell, whatever you wish me to be as long as I get to love you,” he softly asks. “As I do love you, and I always will do.”

“I love you too, Ty,” I whisper, and his lips find mine in seconds. He pulls me onto his lap as his hands sink into my hair, and I wrap my arms around his neck. Ty’s hands move down my body, gripping my hips and pulling me closer to him as his mouth never leaves mine. I know in my soul I will never forget this kiss, this moment between us. He pulls back, a big smile on his swollen lips as we both laugh a little bit.

“Does it feel like we should have been doing that since we met?” I ask, and he laughs with me.

“Yes, it does,” he replies. “I knew I loved you from the second I heard you sing.”

“You really loved my songs?” I ask. I haven’t sung in years, not since the prison, where I always used to sing with my mother, and she taught me all the rhymes that stuck in my head. I only sang then because my mother needed to hear something good, something that wasn’t the pain of the place we were in. Any rules about me not singing went out of the water, literally. I miss singing so much. It’s the only part of me I know is from the mermaids and my father, and I always will wonder what his singing voice was like.

“Sing for me. I want to listen to you,” Ty gently asks, like he can read my thoughts.

“There is one song my mother loved the most. I sometimes hum it,” I reply, and he nods, letting me climb off him. I sit opposite him and close my eyes, letting the song escape my lips.

When the sea is high and the moon is low,

The seven islands glow.

They glow for the people,

They glow for the magic,

For in Calais, the seven islands glow.

When the sky is clear and the sun is bright,

The seven islands take flight.

They fly for the people,

They fly for the magic,

For in Calais, the seven islands fly.

For in Calais, the seven islands fly. They fly and fly and fly…

When I open my eyes, I freeze as all my men are watching me with a look of longing and so much more.

“Beautiful,” Damien speaks first, breaking the silence.

“Enchanting,” Nai agrees, and Ty winks at me.

“I think we have found our singer for the rest of the trip. How long have we left?” Ty asks, standing up and helping me stand. I enjoy the cold breeze, a different feel to the heat we have passed through in the last few weeks. I know the weather around Calais can be quick to change, but for some reason, it seems so much colder all of a sudden. I wonder how Amaria is doing on her way here. Travelling by dragon can’t be easy or comfortable all this way, and it makes me wonder if she stopped or gave up somewhere along the way. I guess I’m hoping she has done, as it would make it all a little easier on me.

I’d have to admire Amaria for getting here if she does and more so if she wins the Ceremony of Merida.

“No need. We are here,” Nai comments, not sounding all that happy about being back home.

Welcome to the world of the gods.

CHAPTER 18

EVERLEIGH

I  stare at the swirling vortex of water in the middle of three tiny islands which are no bigger than the deck I am standing on. Our ship rocks and creaks as the vortex of water sucks everything into it just a little bit, but the anchor manages to hold us in place fine. This place isn’t marked on any map I’ve ever seen, and I have no intention of ever letting it be.

The gods should have their privacy.

Says the woman about to dive into their home.

“You didn’t mention the Ceremony of Merida involves that,” Ty all but growls from my side, waving a hand towards the place that looks like no one could survive, let alone me. The currents under the water must be so strong.

“I was unaware. It is a place of gods, and all who came here, including my own mother, never have talked about what exactly happened in these waters,” Damien explains, and I find myself moving to him, squeezing his hand once.

“I can’t make myself a tail to fight the current like your mother could and any mermaid can,” I reply, almost wishing I could. I suspect a tail wouldn’t help me swim against these currents anyhow.

“Then you have to trust that the gods want you here,” Nai states, stepping in front of me. He kisses me without hesitation despite the grumbles from the other men in my life, literally at my side. I’m breathless by the time he pulls back, and I see the worry in his eyes that he won’t voice out loud. “I would never send you in there if I didn’t trust in my father. He wishes you to take this step. It is your fight, Queen Everleigh, and you will survive it.”

“I trust in the gods,” I whisper as he lets go and backs away from me, and I take a shaky breath. I need to be the brave one now. Ty squeezes my hand, and I know if I told him I didn’t want to do this, he would fight the sea to take me back home. I look up at Damien to see him staring at me, a million different questions in his eyes and all of them are going to be ways to get me out of this.

We all care about each other, and I’m the rock in the middle of them all. They can’t lose me as much as I can’t lose them.

We can have a future together at the end of this if I survive, and it may be a long way until we are completely settled in what comes next, but we will make it.

I need to be their queen. Their lover. Simply theirs.

Nai lowers a plank of wood off the end of the ship, placing his foot on the end of it, and nods once at me.

“I will be back very soon,” I tell them.

“And we will wait forever,” Damien replies, and the other two nod at me. Taking a deep breath, I walk to the edge of the plank, the cold air blowing against my leggings and thin top which will be easy to swim with. Thank the gods I’m a good swimmer and my mother taught me how to swim when I was a kid. I remember all the times my mother would sneak us out at night into a small pool of water that gathered near one side of the island. It wasn’t big but enough to teach me to swim. I was like a duck to water as my mother said, and I always wondered why she sounded worried. I know now. I look up at the sun in the sky and smile to myself. This is for you, mother.

This is for my family.

I dive off the plank and into the cold water. The pull of the water is so strong that it almost takes me straight under, but I fight against it and get to the surface. The water pulls me with it as I swim with the direction of the tide and soon realise I should relax as the water is taking me no matter if I fight it.

Fear builds in my chest the closer I get to the vortex in the water, the loud sound blasting against my ears as the water splashes against my face, and every few seconds, the water pulls me under, the salty water burning my eyes and throat as I take in water. I gasp for air as I come back up and swallow the scream in my throat as I get to the top of the vortex where I’m harshly pulled in the current. I close my eyes and pray to the gods as I’m pulled to the bottom of the sea.

CHAPTER 19

EVERLEIGH

C old, brittle air fills my lungs as I cough up water, feeling like I’m going to be sick as I roll over on the floor and blink at the cavern I’m in. The walls look like diamonds, cut smooth and perfect, and light blasts down from the vortex into it. Above me is the face of a god cut into marble, the gods beard turns into snakes that hide around the top of the room.

“I have waited to meet you,” an old man states as he appears in the room, looking like he came from nowhere. The man wears nothing but rags on his skinny body, and his long gold hair is messy, wavy like the sea as it falls down his chest, but it’s his gold eyes that haunt me from the moment I see them.

They look like the sea when a storm takes it over: the waves become angry and the skies themself light up.

The angry sea dipped in gold magic.

The eyes of a god.

“You’re the god of the sea,” I whisper as I crawl off the ground and stand as tall as I can be, and I bow my head. “It is an honour.”

The god walks to me, each step as silent as the next, and holds out his hand which looks cold. “The ceremony awaits you, and if you come back here, we may discuss your future, Queen Everleigh of Calais. One born of land and sea.”

“I will be back.” My firm statement lingers in the air like magic, crackling around us as I take his hand, and suddenly I’m not in the room anymore, I’m in the sea. Alone.

And drowning.

Waves crash into me, smacking my body around and around until everything hurts. The sea doesn’t stay still for a second.

I gasp for air but get only water instead, and I try swimming up, but there is no light anywhere, no way for me to see how I should escape. There is nothing but a light shining in the water around me, and panic takes over as I start to see black dots.

I can’t die here. I can’t. Why would he leave me in the sea?

If this god thinks I’m scared of death, he is greatly mistaken.

I’m a queen born of land and sea, but I’ve lived on land for so long…and this is a water test of some sorts. I stop fighting and open my mouth, letting the water in even as my body instantly wants to react, and I stop myself as my back arches. I simply just float. Eventually, I realise I haven’t passed out, and I open my eyes in shock as I breathe underwater, and then slowly three mirrors fade into existence in the water, surrounding me. I spin around, looking at my reflection in each of them and seeing that each one is different.

The one mirror shows me on the throne in a deep blue dress and a crown that is not one I’ve seen before. It has strange colours, one half red stones and the other blue and meeting in the middle to make one light crystal. It’s a crown to show both the land and sea, I figure out, and I close my eyes for a moment. That is a future I want, and I hope that reflection is true. I turn to the next reflection, and it’s me…but I have a mermaid tail with a deep purple colour to it. My blonde hair is wavy around my shoulders, and I’m smiling as I float in the deep sea, dozens of different coloured fish behind me.

I wonder if this is what I would look like if I had a tail. I doubt I would have survived very long on Onaya as a child if I did. It was a blessing to not have a tail and that power. I was lucky. Pulling my gaze to the final mirror, this one is empty, and I swim closer and closer, but I only see blue water on the other side. This must be part of the ceremony…and which one do I touch? The other two mirrors are seductive, but as I look at the empty mirror, I know in my soul, it’s the right one to touch. I don’t want anything more than what my life has given me, and if I have a future with both thrones, I will not be sitting on it alone. My men will be there at my side…so that reflection is never what I want. I reach my hand out and touch the glass of the empty mirror, and suddenly they are all gone, and in front of me is my mother, floating in the sea.

I can’t talk underwater, but a million words cross my mind to say, and I simply stare as I take her all in. She holds out a hand for me as her hair sways in the water and her eyes like mine just watch me.

I look at the hand, and I know in my heart, I want to take it, but my mother is gone. My tears are swallowed by the sea as I shake my head and swim back, and then she fades away like she was never there. In seconds, I’m back in the diamond cavern, gasping for air as I cough out what feels like the entire sea.

“Three correct choices. Now you have one more,” the god says from behind me, and I pick myself up, brushing my wet hair from my face. Two weapons hang suspended in the air, floating and slowly turning around. One is a spear with a sharp crystal tip in a brilliant red colour. Symbols shine all down the gold spear, but I don’t know what they say. The other weapon is a trident in silver with blue tips in glass and the same symbols but in gold down the side. “You both have one as a reward and then you must leave. You may not speak of your presence here.”

I turn around and see Amaria on the other side of the room, her red hair flat and her eyes narrowed on me like she can’t wait to strangle me for following her here. Amaria runs to the trident, picks it up, and points the end at me. I tilt my head to the side, ready to somehow stop her attack, when the spear slams into my hand. Amaria screams as she runs at me, and I use the spear to block her move and cut a line across her cheek as I jump to the side. Blood trickles down her face as she spins and blocks my attack, but I’m too quick for her on land. I jump and slam my spear into her trident, knocking it from her hand and placing the tip of my spear under her neck.

“Kill me and take the throne!” she spits out with a fevered look in her eyes, her breaths in pants like mine.

“Can you make her leave, god of the sea?” I ask him, and she says something as I lower my spear, but the room fills with a wave of water that sends her flying up the vortex and somehow not touching me once. The water disappears, and I’m left alone with the god, who watches me closely.

“Why did you not take her life?” he asks me. “It was your right.”

“Because it was not mine to take. Life should not be taken so lightly,” I answer, and he inclines his head.

“Love has always confused me. As a god, I assumed my son felt the same way, but yet I saw the second he chose you because of love,” he speaks softly. “It was not your beauty, it was not your bravery, but your soul that took his and my son from me to live a real life.”

“Do you hate me for that?” I gently ask.

“Hate and love are not emotions I understand, and I am aware there is a fine line between both,” he replies, and I don’t doubt him. “Happiness…well, that was taught to me by your friend, dear Cassandra.”

“She has told me stories of you,” I reply with a nervous smile, and he nods.

“And many will forever hear the stories and songs about the changed one and the queen who saved the world of Calais,” he replies, and I hope he is right.

“May I leave now?” I ask, gripping the spear tightly. I hope I get to keep it.

“We must make a deal before you leave,” he replies.

Weighing up my options, I nervously reply, “Many say a deal with the god of the seas is dangerous.”

“But you have no choice and neither do many,” he replies and steps closer, holding out his hand. “There must be a protector in the sea, a god or goddess of souls. As we speak, no one guards the entrance and exit to the souls, and they will leak into this world, corrupting it, and I will not be able to stop it. My son must return, or you must find someone who wants the power and is strong enough to take it.”

My eyes widen with his hidden meaning. “And they will be stuck under the sea forever?”

“Yes, but with unlimited power of a god. I’m sure you will find a person who wants this, or my son must return,” he answers. “Now make a deal with me that your next quest will be to go to the edge of this world and make sure someone becomes the new god. My son knows the way to his old home, and I will be waiting.”

“And if I don’t make a deal?” I ask and watch as his eyes change, the storm growing into a terrifying vision of Calais drowning over and over. Nothing left but the sea marked red with blood. I gulp and look away but understand the warning I just saw. I slide my hand into his, and I feel the promise on my soul just before I’m underwater again, and this time I can see the light above.

And my way home.

CHAPTER 20

EVERLEIGH

I  break through the surface of the sea, gripping my spear tightly as I gasp for air and blink the salt from my eyes as I get used to the star light above me. The air is cold, almost heart stopping cold, as I search for my ship, and I’m relieved to see it floating in the nearby waters. Even under the stars, it seems easy for me to see. I swim over, which is harder than it looks, keeping hold of my spear as I navigate the high waves. After what seems like a long swim, I finally get to the ship and grab hold of the rope ladder, pulling myself up. The water weighs my clothes down as I climb and eventually get to the top, chucking my spear overboard just before a hand reaches over. I grip the hand, and Nai pulls me up and into his arms. His lips are on mine with a fervent passion, and I gasp as I kiss him back, grinning when we break away.

“Two months,” he tells me, and I frown. Gods, that is a long time for them to wait for me. I run my eyes over Nai, seeing the difference in the time I’ve been gone. His hair is a shade lighter, and his skin is heavily tanned, much darker than it was before. He looks like he spent the time training with the others as he is bigger than he was before.

“You haven’t killed the other two in annoyance, have you?” I joke, and he laughs.

“The bastard couldn’t kill me if he tried,” Ty grumbles from behind Nai, and Nai steps back to let Ty pick me up and spin me around as I laugh in some relief. I’m sure Nai wouldn’t kill them, but it was a long time to be left alone with them. Ty kisses my forehead, and we hold each other in silence for a long time before I hear another voice I was missing.

“Come here.” I turn away from Ty as Damien speaks, and in seconds he is holding me tightly to his chest, and I embrace him. It’s funny how three men who never knew each other before have become a family I am desperate to hold together. The fact they have all stayed here two months gives me hope they will continue to find friendship with each other.

Damien looks deep into my eyes, and for a second I think he might kiss me, but he doesn’t. “You’re my queen.”

“She wasn’t the only one who won the ceremony, and I’m calling for a battle. The winner gets the throne,” Amaria states as she climbs over the ledge, dropping to the floor before rising with her trident in her hand. I’m jealous she managed to climb over on her own with a weapon when I struggled to. Damien turns us around so he is in front of me. Nai and Ty are at my side in seconds, making it clear Amaria has no chance of getting to me before they kill her.

“Or we could tie you to a tree in the middle of nowhere, and you would die naturally. Theoretically no one kills you and gets a curse,” Nai suggests, crossing his arms.

“The thrones are mine, and we both know it. I believe you are smart enough to understand this only ends one way. Leave,” I suggest.

“No,” she bites out.

“Why does the throne matter more than your life?” I demand, not understanding her desperation for it. “The throne will only mean you are more at risk. The people want me and Damien; it is right. We will marry and take the thrones, and you are in our way. Make the right choice.”

Damien looks back and smiles at me for a second, and I’m relieved he doesn’t mind me making that statement.

Her sneer never leaves her lips as she replies, “I will not leave, and I demand a battle.”

“That’s a shame as we just got our girl back and we will be busy with her for the considerable future,” Nai says without a hint of shame. Amaria’s cheeks go as red as her hair as she glares at us all.

“I don’t care about your sex lives—”

“Enough,” I say, stepping forward, and before Amaria can even look my way, I whack her on the head with my spear and she falls like a rock to the deck. “Does that count as a fight? As I won.”

They all laugh, even Damien, as Nai gets some rope and kneels down to tie Amaria’s hands up no doubt. I wouldn’t trust her either.

“I’m going to chuck her in my study, and we can figure out what to do with her on the way back to your home,” Nai suggests.

“Wait, we can’t,” I say. Nai chucks Amaria over his shoulder and frowns at me.

“Why?” Damien asks before anyone else can.

“The Sea God wants someone to take the job of the god of souls before the balance of the world is set out of order. He said we can choose someone, or Nai has to go back,” I say, and we drift into silence, no doubt figuring out a way around this. I don’t want Nai to go back, and at this point, it isn’t an option.

So we need to pick someone. Someone strong enough to beat the Ceremony of Merida perhaps. I run my eyes over Amaria’s red hair, knowing she would be a good idea.

“Who can we choose to give that much power to?” Ty asks.

“And wants to live with the souls for the rest of their lives?” Nai adds in, gulping.

“Amaria. We should ask her to take the power as she clearly wants to rule something,” I suggest, and they all look at me like I’m crazy. “Right, well, let’s just head to the sea of souls and figure out the rest on the way.”

“Good idea,” Ty agrees and takes my hand. “Are you hungry? Damien caught some redfish that taste amazing. I’d love to cook you some.”

“Who taught you to cook?” I ask as we follow Nai and Damien across the deck.

“Nai taught me and Damien. Damien has taught us how to fish and what fish can be eaten and which cannot. It’s been a long couple months, Ev,” Ty explains, and I have a feeling there will be much to catch up on.

CHAPTER 21

EVERLEIGH

“Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?” Ty asks as I leave the kitchen and nearly drop the glass of water and apple in my hand. I glare at him, and he chuckles, stepping closer with a cheeky grin. I like this playful side of Ty, and I find myself wanting to spend as much time as I can with him when he is like this. Ty has always been a worrier in life, and he has spent so much of his life protecting me…and I know I caused enough worry to sink a ship. “It’s the middle of the night, Ev.”

“More reason you shouldn’t be sneaking around,” I reply, trying not to smile as I run my eyes over his grey sweater and jeans. He looks like he just woke up; Ty’s hair has that messy wave about it that he has when he runs his fingers through it several times. A memory flickers into my head, and I end up smiling as I think about it.

The rain pours down the window to my room on the pirate ship as we head through the seas. My best friend is pregnant, and she is in love with more than one pirate. I am so happy for her, if not a little bit surprised. The rain is heavy, never-ending as my mind runs over a million different things I should have said to Cass.

“Can I come in?” Ty asks me, knocking on my door with his knuckles at the same time. I glance back and nod with a big smile. He walks to my side, watching the rain with me. His messy hair is a little damp, and before I’ve thought about my actions, I lean up on my tiptoes to smooth down his hair. He pauses, going so still, and his eyes close for just a moment.

Ty and I never discuss how we feel. I never know if he even likes me as more than a friend, but right now, it feels like more.

“Ty…” I whisper, and it snaps him out of the trance, and he steps back.

“Dinner will be ready in five minutes. I was sent to get you,” he tells me before leaving my room in such a rush the door slams a few times before it shuts.

“I’m hardly the only one sneaking around. Am I?” he retorts, and I huff, knowing I’m going to have to admit the truth, or he isn’t going to let me leave.

“Fine, I was going to talk with Amaria. I know we all agreed over dinner to think of another option for this god issue, but—”

“You believe she is the best option,” he cuts me off.

“Simply put, yes,” I answer with a curt nod. He sighs but takes a step back and nods his head.

“I may not agree, but I won’t stop you. I’ve always trusted you, Ev,” he replies and walks off without another word. I don’t know what I did in my life to deserve Tyrion, but I know I should be thanking the gods for giving him to me. I push the door to Nai’s room open and step in, thankful that Nai moved his sofa bed into Damien’s room so Amaria could be kept in here. I’m surprised Nai didn’t come with me to bed tonight, but I was exhausted and I hardly remember walking to my room let alone undressing and falling asleep in bed. It’s no wonder I’m up in the middle of the night, as I think I slept for a whole day.

Or at least it feels like I did.

“Sorry to wake you up,” I say as Amaria gets up and sits straight. Her red hair is messy, and she looks tired but still as strong as ever. It’s all in her eyes. I hand her the water and the apple before sitting with my back to the desk and crossing my legs. Amaria drinks the water and holds the apple as she waits for me to talk. “Tell me why you really want the throne. No lies or tricks. I will know.”

She stays silent for a long time, long enough to make me wonder if she isn’t going to talk, but she does. “My family are no one in the mermaid city, and when I was born, I was dragged around like sand in the sea. I made a promise to myself that one day, instead of looking at the palace from the sea floor in the sand, I would be in the palace and powerful.”

“So this is a childhood wish?” I ask, and she nods her head, confusing me. Who is crazy enough to risk their lives repeatedly for a childhood want? I had hoped there would be a good reason, but if there isn’t, my men are right. Crazy and powerful is not a good mix for a god.

“I have a daughter who is a small child now.” The statement lingers in the air between us as the ship rocks us in the sea. Everything falls into place now, and I sigh, closing my eyes. I know the love a mother can have for her child. My own mother had that kind of love. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to keep me safe and alive, even teaching a changed one when there was a death penalty for such actions, but it was the only way to make sure I had food. And children need food to live. A mother’s love is something to be feared. It makes women go mad, and even the gods couldn’t stop them from protecting their child. “The father left soon after she was born, and I doubt I will see him again. She was created on mermaid wine and one night anyway. It wasn’t love.”

“Even so, a man should stick around for their child,” I tell her, and she nods.

“Well, many in the mermaid city do not. In the bottom of the city, deep in the sand, lie many children who are left to the sea. Like me and my sister,” she tells me.

“That will not be the way for long. I will not have children suffer under my rule,” I firmly say, and she watches me for a pause.

“I want the same thing. I fought and won the battles against the other females to get my place as queen and my crown. I want it for her and all the other children. I want a future where my daughter doesn’t live in the sand,” she states, and I believe her. I can see the truth in her eyes.

“What is her name?” I ask softly.

“Echo,” she replies with a longing in her voice. “When she was born, her voice echoed around the room, so loud and pure. It was an easy choice what to name her.”

“Lovely name,” I say. “Very unusual.”

Amaria leans back, tugging her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. For the first time since I’ve known her, she seems less like an irrational mermaid and more like a normal woman I can relate to. “Now why do you care for my story, and what do you want with me?”

“Do you believe in the gods?” I ask her, and she eyes me like I’m strange for asking such a thing. I understand many people take their worship of the gods very seriously, whereas others believe the gods have all but abandoned us, leaving only the Sea God. Either way, I’m not sure where the mermaids land on this scale.

“Yes, and I’ve worshipped the Sea God since I was a child,” she replies, and it’s just what I need to hear.

“My men think I’m crazy to offer you this, but I believe in your strength,” I say. “And now I believe you are only trying to do the best thing for your daughter. Nai is the former god of souls, and we are heading to his home. Someone needs to be the god or goddess of souls and chart the waters for eternity. I believe it should be you.”

Amaria searches my eyes, likely to see if I’m lying. “You want to make me a god?”

“Yes,” I answer, and she stays silent. “It would mean being in the sea of souls forever. It would mean power and eternal life.”

“But my daughter would still be in the sand,” she says and shakes her head. “If I do this…and want this, you must promise me something.”

“Name it,” I reply, waiting on her word.

“Only when I take the power will I make a deal with you. That is the way of the gods after all,” she replies and lifts her hands. “Now undo my ropes and find me a bed. I won’t be hurting you or running away any time soon when you can give me everything I need.”

Knowing I’m taking a huge risk to make a deal with a goddess in the future, I still believe this is the right thing to do. It may be the only choice we have. The goddess of souls needs to be strong, and I bet there isn’t another mermaid, other than Damien, as strong as Amaria is.

I have to trust in fate and the gods.

“Break my trust, Amaria, and I will find someone else to take your place. And you will die,” I warn her as I get up. I slip the knife I keep in my boots out and undo Amaria’s bindings. “You can have my room for now.”

Making the decision to turn my back on Amaria is difficult, but I hold my head high and lead her to my room, opening the door. She pauses in front of me and smiles almost softly.

“I was wrong about you. Turns out you really are the queen everyone in this world needs.”

“And you will be the goddess we all need. Prove to your daughter that her mother is the good god in this story,” I warn her, and she nods once, tucking her red hair behind her ear. I leave her in my room and head to Ty’s, knowing he will likely be awake and won’t mind sharing a bed with me. I knock on his door once, and in seconds he opens it up, letting me inside. Ty’s room is cosy, just a single bed pressed against the one wall and a chest of drawers filled with books on top. A yellow rug lies by the side of the bed, and cracked white vases rest by the window, matching the white sheets on the bed.

“Everything go well?” he asks me, and I shrug.

“Amaria is in my room, and I will explain everything to Damien and Nai tomorrow. We have our goddess in waiting,” I say, and he steps closer to me. Ty picks up a strand of my hair and lets it fall between his fingers.

“I’ve missed you so much, Ev. So damn much,” he tells me, and I step closer to him. “Let me kiss you.”

I nod, and his lips are on mine instantly, his tongue pushing into my mouth. I moan through the kiss as he picks me up and presses me to the wall by the dresser. We both rip at each other’s clothes until we are naked and he rests between my legs. His hand cups me before sliding one finger inside me as his thumb plays with my clit, slowly building up my pleasure until I can’t handle much more. Almost as if he can sense how close I am, he removes his hand and lines up his length before pushing inside me. Ty swallows my moans as he thrusts in and out of me, whispering my name over and over against my lips. To my surprise, he pulls out of me and flips me over on the bed, pulling up my hips to meet his length and going right back inside me. He fills me so perfectly.

Ty kisses all the way up my back as he slowly thrusts in and out me, every movement increasing the intensity so much more.

“Ty,” I moan as his fingers rub against my nipples. He groans as I tighten around him, knowing I’m so close. In a haze, his thrusts become jerky before he bites down on my shoulder and fills me with his seed, setting off my own orgasm. We both are too loud as we finish, the room only echoing our cries of pleasure so the entire ship can hear. Ty breathless kisses the middle of my back, and I grin into the pillow. That was coming for a long time, and gods, I couldn’t be happier.

“Gods, Ev,” he mutters. “I fucking love you so much.”

“I love you more than the land or sea,” I tell him, and he kisses me once more as he turns us over and his lips disappear down the front of my body, bringing me back alive once more.

The world has nothing on how much I love Ty.

And how much he loves me.

CHAPTER 22

EVERLEIGH

“Everly, come here!” Damien shouts as I lie on the deck, loving the shining sun beaming down on us. I sit up and spot where Damien has a spyglass and is looking out at the sea. I climb to my feet and rush over to him. “Look at that tiny island, and what do you see?” Taking the spyglass, I move in front of Damien, who stays behind me and guides the spyglass until I see the tiny island in the distance with trees in the middle and a rocky beach. On the middle right side of it is a pile of eggs, huge eggs that I recognise straight away.

“Dragon eggs. What are they doing out here?” I ask, lowering the spyglass and looking around. There is nowhere for a dragon to hunt out here, and it is deserted as far as we know. All the dragons in our world are by my home now due to being hunted out here in the seas. Dragon eggs sell for a fortune at markets and in the illegal trading of them. We have outlawed all sales of the eggs since I took the throne, but Cassandra has told me they find dragon eggs still being sold behind closed doors.

“We should stop and get them,” Damien suggests, and I agree. We can’t leave them out here alone to fall into the sea when the tide eventually takes this island. The island isn’t that big, and the small nest won’t hold them afloat, and no one else is going to come this far out into the sea. It wouldn’t feel right to leave them out here, and unless we see signs of a dragon around, we should take them.

“What are we discussing?” Nai asks, coming over to us and wrapping his arm around my waist. Damien follows the action with his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything. Damien shows Nai the eggs, and after looking around, he agrees we should stop and see if the eggs have any sign of the dragons coming back for them. Sometimes dragons will leave their eggs and never come back, but the eggs can survive for years on their own. To hatch however, they need heat, and it is too cold out here for those eggs to hatch, so they could be alone. Amaria hasn’t left her room other than for food, water and to ask me if she can borrow some of my clothes in the last few weeks. In some ways, it’s better we don’t become friends, considering where we are going. She doesn’t want to talk to us anyway, and I don’t blame her.

Ty catches up with our plan quickly, and Damien helps him get a small boat ready as I help Nai lower the anchor into the sea.

“I’m going to watch the ship,” Nai says, kissing the side of my head, reminding me of all the kisses he gave me last night and the many nights since we came back to this ship. I want to tell him I love him, but I haven’t found the right moment yet. I climb down the rope ladder of the ship and into the small boat before we each grab an oar and start moving towards the tiny island.

“There is an old saying about dragons always being born alone,” Ty comments. “I wonder if that is why they decide to distance themselves from us.”

“Not all of them do if you grow up with them or bring them up from eggs. There can be a bond between dragons and us,” I say over the sound of the waves.

“No dragons in the sea are born alone. The dragons always hatch them and rear them,” Damien softly tells us.

“The sea is kinder than the land,” I answer him with a smile as we get closer. Damien and Ty get out of the boat when we get close to the land, and I get out next, flinching at the cold water as it soaks my trousers and boots. We all pull the boat to the shore and deep into the rocky sand before making our way to the right edge of the island. A small bunch of trees hides our view of the other side of the island, and as we come around the corner, we all come to a halt. The remains of a huge dragon lie in the trees, and ivy has grown all over the skull and bones.

“There is the mother then,” Damien comments with a whistle, looking around the remains and pulling out a long black spear. This was one massive dragon, much bigger than the ones I have seen and known. Damien shows us the spear, and I try not to feel nervous. I look to Ty, who recognises the markings the same way I do. The markings Ty used to wear on his uniform for the old king. The king killed this poor dragon, most likely because it challenged his own dragon at some point. The poor creature must have found this island and died here not long after having the eggs. It’s a wonder she didn’t try to leave.

“She never left them. She died,” I sadly whisper, stepping closer to the dragon’s skull. I place my hand on her forehead for just a second. “I hope you are flying with the gods and you have found peace. We will care for your children.”

“There is a storm coming in,” Damien comments, resting his hand on my shoulder. “We must get the eggs and head back to the ship. We can’t risk being trapped on this island.” He points to the horizon, and I see dark, angry grey colours in the skies. Yes, we need to get a move on. We all make our way to the eggs in the nest. There are two bright yellow eggs with slightly green scales at the bottom, and the third egg is a deep blue with silver specks.

“I would bet the yellow are fire dragons, possibly even yellow fire dragons that are rare. The third must be an ice dragon like Cassandra has,” Ty comments.

“How do you know so much about dragons?” I ask.

“Well, Damien and Nai spent the months training while you were gone. I spent it reading,” he answers me with a grin. I’ve always liked a man with a book. “Let’s each carry an egg to the boat.”

I take one of the yellow eggs, and the guys get the other two. They weigh a ton, and it’s a slow walk back to the boat before we carefully lay them down in the middle. Together we push the boat back into the water and jump in. My arms are burning from the strain of the journey, but by the time we get back to the ship, I’m more than just tired. I could sleep for a year. We all make a plan and decide to climb out first before pulling the whole boat up with the eggs inside, carefully wrapped up in some blankets that were already in the boat.

“I’m here to help,” Nai says, taking over my rope and pulling with the other guys. It takes them a good half an hour to pull the boat up to the top and carefully slide it over onto the ship. Just as they settle the boat down, rain pours down on us and lightning flashes across the sky. We each grab an egg and head down into the ship as Nai locks up for the storm and pulls up the anchor.

“There are baskets down below with hay in them. We can take out the wine in them and place the eggs inside,” Nai proposes.

“And perhaps drink the wine,” I suggest, and they both laugh as we head to the second set of stairs. Nai joins us as Ty empties one of the crates, and I place my egg inside it. We make quick work of taking three bottles of wine and one bottle of rum out of the other baskets before putting the eggs inside. We can make a choice to hatch them when we are finished with our god task and we are back home. I’ve always been scared of dragons and their power, but funny enough, I think having a dragon on my side might be a good idea. Most royals have dragons; it’s been well-documented throughout history.

“Will they be safe down here?” I question, picking up a bottle of wine. I undo the cap and take a long sip, remembering how much I do love wine, and this one is certainly nice. I open my eyes to find them all watching me as I lower the bottle and wipe my rain-soaked hair off my face. I can’t read their expressions, but whatever they are seeing makes them all smile and brings a lightness to their eyes that wasn’t there before.

“Those crates kept my wine and rum safe through many a storm. The eggs will survive. Let’s go to my room and have a drink,” Nai suggests, gathering some bottles.

“I could use a drink,” Damien agrees, picking up the rum. Ty grumbles about safety and drinking when we have a crazy red-haired mermaid on board, but he follows me up the stairs. I drink a bit more on the way to Nai’s room, and we all make ourselves at home. I sit by the window, watching the pouring rain pitter-patter across the glass. Lightning flashes across the skies, and thunder makes itself known every so often, but the rain is constant and rather comforting as I drink more wine. I glance back at my guys, my family and my peace in the storm of life. Nai is sat in his chair, drinking rum while reading something on his desk. Ty is leaning against the bookcase, watching me as he frowns at the wine he drinks like it’s poison, and it makes me chuckle. Finally, Damien is pacing—never sitting still, that one—as he drinks wine and every so often watches me.

“We fit, don’t we?” I ask, rather loudly thanks to the wine going to my head.

“We will make an odd royal family. A queen, a former god, a mermaid king and…well, Ty,” Nai comments, and we all laugh as Ty throws a book at Nai, who catches it with a big grin. Nai lights a fire in the fireplace, and soon the heat makes me sleepy. We drink in a comfortable silence for a while, and my hair feels less damp the more the heat from the fireplace warms us up.

“Do you want kids, Nai?” I ask him before taking another long sip.

“How strong is that wine?” Ty mutters, and I shrug.

“Yes. With you,” Nai replies, and I grin as Nai looks to Damien. “What about you, water boy?”

“My answer is the same as yours,” Damien says, and they both look to Ty who shrugs.

“If Everly wants kids, we will have them,” Ty agrees. It’s odd how they all are just talking about us having kids like it is nothing more than a plan into the future. They are talking about us all being together like it’s a done deal and so very simple. “Do you want them, Ev?” Ty asks me, and I realise he might have asked more than once as I got lost in my thoughts.

“Yes. Maybe one or two. Or three,” I answer, and they all laugh. I lie back on the wooden floor and stare at the ceiling, letting the ship lull me to sleep.

CHAPTER 23

EVERLEIGH

“Rough tides today!” Nai shouts over the crashing waves and the creaking of the ship at the bottom of the stairs. The ship knocks us both to the side, and Nai catches me, holding onto the bannister. It’s not been long since I woke up, a lot easier than I usually would do, but the storms were shaking the ship so much that it was a miracle anyone could sleep. Nai slept next to me, but he was in the shower when I woke and was more than happy to drag me into the shower with him this morning. After drying my hair and getting dressed, I thought I might be able to help Nai today, as he usually doesn’t want help with the ship. Something about a magical connection to the ship. Is it crazy to be jealous of a magic ship? I think I might be a little bit. “You best stay down below today, love!” I watch Nai tug his pirate cap on his head and pull his thick leather coat on. I push his hands away, leaning against the bannister as I do up the buttons on his jacket, knowing there is zero point in arguing with my stubborn god. That is one thing all the men on this ship have in common, stubbornness.

“You sure?” I softly ask when I’m done with the buttons, and he kisses me before letting me go and rushing up the steps into the storm as my answer. Rain flickers across my face and hair as the doors slam shut, and the storm sounds so terrible outside. I head back down the corridor and into the kitchen, deciding breakfast is a good idea, pausing when I see Damien cooking.

It’s odd to see the king of the mermaids cooking eggs in the morning as if that were a normal thing, and I doubt he could cook before this trip. Now, as I watch him, he clearly knows exactly what he is doing in here. I like seeing him doing normal things; it gives me hope of us having some kind of normal future. I want a family that is real, not just together for a throne and children that are just heirs. I want my children to know how to cook and to be real people with real lives that don’t revolve around the throne they might have in the future. Running my eyes over Damien’s muscular body, the clothes which are a little tighter than they usually were before the ceremony, I notice he has changed in the months I was gone in more ways than one, it seems. When Damien looked at me before, it was a new kind of desire and a longing, the same way I looked at him, but now we are far more comfortable with each other. We are settled with each other, and I know it has a lot to do with how long he waited for me.

The king of the mermaids waited months, and well over a year before that, for me. He could have anyone in all the seas or land if he wished, and with far less trouble, but he waited for me.

And I think I love him for it.

“This is a long time for you to be away from the throne,” I say as I step into the room. He never pauses, but he looks my way just once. “Do you think your people will be mad?”

“As royals, we do what is best for the people. You are what is best for my people, and you need me here,” he replies so simply, like it is that simple after all. The mermaid king makes life on the throne seem less like a burden and more like something he wants to manage.

“When this is over…we should marry,” I state, and he chuckles.

“I’ve said that from the start.” He pauses in his cooking, turning the stove down and facing me. He crosses his arms, keeping his purple eyes on mine. “What has made you change your mind?”

“You,” I simply answer. “But I also want to marry Ty and Nai…if we can all agree. It’s an unusual circumstance, but I don’t want to be apart from any of you now.”

“Prove it,” he suggests, waving his hands open. “Show me how much you want me. How much you love me.”

“I will prove nothing. I’m a queen,” I reply, holding my head high even as I take a step closer to him. “Shouldn’t you serve your queen?”

His hand cups my cheek, and my eyes close almost naturally. “When we return, we will marry and claim the whole of Calais. Both land and sea. We will command our people to live in peace, and the mermaids will swim in every sea of Calais as free people. Murder between our kinds will be forbidden, and our royal guards will be sent to investigate any problems that arise. Your castle is on the sea, and we can make a home there, and that is how I will serve you, Queen Everleigh. By making you smile every day, by keeping the peace, by being the man and king you need me to be, because I’m in love with you.”

I cover his cheeks with my hands before I kiss him, letting myself sink into his arms. Damien picks me up and carries me to the table. He kisses my shoulder as he tugs my dress down and past my chest until it falls to my waist. His lips drift down my shoulder and to my breast, making me moan as he rolls his tongue around my nipple. His hands slide up my thighs to my knickers where he pulls them down my legs, and I kick them off.

Damien looks right at me before kissing me hard and pushing me back on the table where the cold wood on my back is a welcome chill as he pushes my legs apart. He lifts my leg and kisses down from my ankle to my inner thigh, making me shiver with every single kiss. When his lips meet my core, I moan and arch my back as he uses his tongue to send me spiralling over the edge. My body shakes as he climbs on top of me and undoes his trousers with his one hand and pushes them down. I lean up and kiss him as he covers me with his body, his hand on the back of my neck as he pushes his length inside me. He fits me perfectly and feels incredible. Gods, I didn’t know sex could be like this. As I feel close to another orgasm, he speeds up and kisses me harder, sucking on my bottom lip for a second.

“Damien…I love you,” I cry out as unimaginable ecstasy crashes through my body, and he groans against my lips as he finishes inside me, and I open my eyes to watch him in utter pleasure. We may have spent years to get here, to really be together, but it was worth waiting for. It was so worth it.

I told myself I would wait for true love, that I deserved a real love in my life and not something that wasn’t real, but I know I have it now. I have it in three different men in my life, and there isn’t a power in this world that could take any of them from me.

CHAPTER 24

EVERLEIGH

“We are here now,” Nai says as I stand by his side, watching the dark skies that seem never-ending as we travel deeper into them, our ship creaking and groaning with the fight to hold us above the water. The seas are brutal around here, but Nai said it isn’t always like this, it’s a reaction to there being no god here. Half the time, I wonder if the ship is going to sink into the sea, and then I have to remind myself that I have nothing to worry about, and I take a deep breath. The journey here has been much rougher than the one we took to the Ceremony of Merida, and we all have to admit we are tired. Our food storage is low, and I’m concerned that we will have to stop off on the way back to my castle to get food. Ideally, we won’t have to do that, but I think we will have to.

I run my hands over the white shirt I have on, one of Damien’s that I’ve tied around my waist as it was too long. My once pale skin is heavily tanned, thanks to the sea journey, and contrasts with the white shirt. My blonde hair is brighter than I’ve ever seen it, the sun making it look like snow. I miss the mountains of my old home, the way the snow fell nearly all year and the mountain just had everything anyone could need inside of it. For a girl who grew up on a tiny island where you could walk around the entire perimeter in less than two days—and I did that more than once—I loved having such a large home full of people and magic.

I guess I have more magic now than I ever had before. I flick my eyes to Nai, admiring the way his black shirt, although torn, hangs open in the middle, and I can see his golden skinned chest and the ripples of muscle he has. It’s not his body that made me fall in love with him though, it’s his personality. The way he laughs at everything and smiles even when the world is falling apart. How he would do anything for me.

The way my cheeky, loveable god looks at me like I’m the entire world.

He looks at me with love, even when I didn’t know what the word really meant.

Or how much I needed to have someone love me not for being a queen, but for true love.

The sea wants Nai back, and I will not let that happen. Even if I have to stand in the middle of the sea and Nai, I won’t let him go back there to be alone for the rest of his life. I glance up at Nai, his determined eyes watching the sea in front of us as he holds onto the wheel, steering us away from rocks and any waves too large. I grip the bannister, though the rope wrapped around my waist stops me from falling overboard every time the ship harshly turns to the side. The dark blue, angry waters suddenly change into dark purple water that shimmers with gold. The purple and gold look incredible as our ship stops and the waters become still just around our ship. Nai takes my hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing the back. We know our plan, no matter how dangerous it might be. “Someone needs to jump into this sea.”

“I’m ready,” Amaria claims, walking up the ship and to us with Ty and Damien right behind her. Though she says she is ready for this, there is a wobble in her voice and fear in her eyes. I don’t blame her, I would be scared to do this. I’m proud that she is doing this for her daughter, and I’m sure her daughter will be proud of her when she grows up and learns who her mother became. “Be ready to make the deal I want, or I will drown you all.”

“Comforting words,” Nai growls out.

“I will make the deal you want, Amaria. I owe you a debt after all,” I answer, and she nods once at us all, her eyes lingering on Damien.

“Protect the seas and free our people. They do not belong locked away in the sea. They need to swim in freedom, and that is your responsibility as our leader,” she tells him, rather softly for Amaria, anyway. Her red hair flows down her back as she walks to the top of the ship and climbs up, standing on the very back of the ship, looking down. I expect her to look back at us as she makes this decision, a massive choice in her life, but she doesn’t. Without one more glance, she jumps into the sea, and a loud noise rings out. The noise is so high-pitched it makes us all drop to our knees, and I scream as the noise doesn’t stop until I feel myself passing out.

I don’t know how long time passes before I wake up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance and soft waves brushing across the ship. I look up, expecting to see dark skies, but they are crystal clear, and birds fly across them like there wasn’t a storm here at all.

“Do wake up. I only have an eternity to wait on you,” Amaria’s sarcastic voice drones in boredom from somewhere close. I sit up and search for her until I find her sitting on the edge of the ship, exactly where she just jumped from. Amaria looks different: her hair is now down to the floor and sparkles like crystals, her dress is skintight and dark red with webbing over the top, and her trident is now a dark red colour instead of the silver and blue it was before. Amaria’s eyes are now gold and glow, reminding me she isn’t the same person anymore.

Amaria is a goddess now. The goddess of souls. I only take my eyes off her for a second to glance at my men, who are all passed out around me in a circle. “They will live, don’t you worry.”

“You look older,” I comment, noticing the difference in her.

“The Sea God tested me much for this position as he wanted to make sure the right choice was made,” she replies with a look in her eyes I don’t understand. “And time does not work the same for us as it does for you. Remember?”

“What is the deal you wish for?” I question, crossing my arms. “I very much want to go back to my world.”

“First, a story of my sister,” she says, tapping her nails on the wood of the boat, and I have a feeling my guys are all asleep because of her magic, so I don’t have a choice but to listen. “My sister carried two babies to term, but they were born dead and it crushed her. Unlike me, my sister met a good mermaid and had a home. She had me move in with her the second she could and always looked after me. She was a mother with nothing to show for it, so when I fell pregnant, I knew who should bring my baby up. I’m not like my sister, I don’t have a mothering bone in my body, and it felt right to hand my daughter over to her so I could fight for the throne. I thought if I could give the throne to my daughter, that would make sure she is safe and happy for her life. I love her, and I only ever wanted her happy.”

Amaria is wrong, she is a good mother and understands a mother’s love. There is no way she has done everything she has if she was a bad mother. I believe she is a good person, and what she did for her sister was lovely. “That was a kind thing to do for both your sister and child.”

She smiles tightly at me. “My mother used to tell me that being kind and good was the best way to thank the gods for our lives.”

“I wonder how proud she is of you now. An actual goddess,” I remark, and she laughs, the sound too sweet for my ears. Her laugh dies off, and she hops off the end of the ship, walking to me. She steps over Ty and stops inches away from me and holds out her hand. Her hand glows a bright purple, almost like the souls of the dead are touching her hand as we speak. The crackle of the magic flickers in my ears, and an urge to run away fills me. I steel my back and lift my head. I am never going to run away.

“I want you to promise your firstborn male heir will marry my daughter when they come of age. They will take the throne together,” she says with a smile that promises destruction if I ever said no. “Make the deal, Queen Everleigh of Calais, and go home.”

I suck in a deep breath. I always assumed the deal would be something I would have to give up or a price for me to pay. This would be a price for my son and not me. “What if I have no son?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “I’ve foreseen my daughter’s future and yours. Make the deal with me.”

Knowing I have no choice in the matter, I close my eyes and place my hand in hers. “Deal.”

Power flickers around us before water starts spinning around us in a vortex, yet there is no wind.

Her eyes glow like they are on fire as she slowly disappears into the water, her hand slipping from mine. “Goodbye, Queen Everleigh of Calais, and thank you.”

The water disappears, leaving only a puddle on the deck to prove anything happened at all. Nai wakes up first, climbing to his feet and looking around, followed by Ty and Damien. They all look to me with a million questions, and I don’t have a million answers.

“The deal is done, and we can go home,” I explain to them. Ty takes my hand, Nai rests his head against mine, and Damien wraps an arm around my waist. I stand in the middle of the three men I love and trust more than anything or anyone in the world and take a deep breath.

“Home,” Nai whispers. “I’ve never had one of those before.”

“I am curious to see the castle and to tell our people the good news,” Damien comments.

“Wherever you are, is our home,” Ty says, lifting my hand and kissing it once.

CHAPTER 25

EVERLEIGH

O f all the islands in all of Calais, Onaya has to be the one we need to stop at on our long journey home. We ran out of food yesterday, our water supply is low, and there must be at least five days’ travel to get back home to the castle, so we have to stop. I just suspect it would be my old home. The island of my entire childhood and the one I haven’t stepped foot on since I was kidnapped from here years ago. What I once thought were mountains now look like overgrown hills on the one side of the island. The main part of the town is crammed in the middle of the island, surrounded by dozens of houses with straw tops that are hard for me to even look at anymore. This was my home, and now it feels like nothing more than memories I can’t get rid of.

The island port used to only have one place for one ship—the king’s ship—but now it is bursting with ships and boats, all of the trade I have worked very hard to set up over the years so that Onaya would never starve again. So there would be no more kids like me and the many children I remember from the island growing up. Including the many, many we lost.

It doesn’t take Nai long to find a gap and settle the ship in, lowering the anchor. People we don’t know set up a ladder for us and wave us down. Stepping off the ship, I hold my head high, hoping no one will recognise me as I walk down the steps, Ty right behind me.

“What island are you from?” a middle-aged man with one eye missing and scruffy clothes asks. Ty steps in front of me, shielding me from view.

“We are travelling and need supplies for five days’ travel. We have gold to pay,” Ty says, offering the man his hand to shake, and he accepts as Nai and Damien step off the wooden ladder, circling around me.

“Gold is always welcome on Onaya,” the man replies. “Why don’t the men come with me and we can sort out a trade and lift the crates on board. There is a market for the lady to look around if she wishes. Just head down that way.” He waves a hand down the pathways I know very well, though they have changed over the years.

“I will be fine on my own,” I say before any of them can disagree. With a reluctant nod, Ty agrees, and without needing to know Nai’s and Damien’s opinions, I walk off down the pathway. It follows around the ships and to the hill, with many people walking the same way as me. A few look my way but not for long, so I know they must be used to guests on Onaya now. When I lived here, everyone knew everyone else, and the rare times someone new came to the island, they would be stared at for ages. That’s why it was hard to let Cass out in the island and she spent so much time in her house. I stare up the hill as I get to the main part of the island, and I can see what is left of the burnt-out house Cass grew up in. The burnt remains just about stand tall on the hill, and I can’t look for long, knowing it was a bad idea to walk through this place. It’s just memories.

“Did you know the queen’s best friend lived on this island, in that house? And the actual queen lived in a tiny hut in the middle of the town?” a little girl with dark brown hair and bright green eyes asks me. I barely notice what she says as I see the changed one mark on her forehead.

“Yes, I did,” I say, holding my hand out for her. “My name is Everly.”

“Like the queen?” she asks with wide eyes. “I want to meet her one day. Mum and dad are taking us to her city so I can train with my magic.”

“Then I’m sure you will see the queen soon. I hope your training goes well,” I tell her, and she grins at me.

“Ally!” someone shouts, and the girl turns her head in that direction.

“Bye!” Ally tells me before running into the crowd, and I smile as I watch her go. I was wrong. I thought this island would just hold memories and pain, but it doesn’t. It holds hope and a sign of everything that this world can now be because of the rights and freedoms that I have fought for and will continue to do so. Changed ones are free, something that hasn’t happened in so many years, and Onaya is bursting with life. Magic is free, and everything I’ve always wanted has happened.

How can I be sad to be here?

It might not be my home anymore, but it is proof that I’m doing the right thing in my life. I’m the queen of Calais, and it’s time I go home.

CHAPTER 26

EVERLEIGH

A s I step off the ship into the cavern, the cold air and familiar scents of home fill me as my people cheer. Dozens, if not hundreds, of my people cheer as I walk between them down a clearing, with my men following right behind me. Some people stare at me as if in amazement and others with clear confusion. As far as they knew, I was dead, killed in this very hidden city that was meant to be my home.

Now I’m walking back into the city in leather boots, with a pirate hat on my head and torn clothes. I look like a far cry from the queen that left here, and I’m happy with that. I’ve changed and it is for the better. The courtyard is packed with people, so many cheering and shouting my name that I can’t hear myself think as I get to the stairs, where a line of my guards waits. I recognise all of them, and when they see me, they instantly fall on one knee, bowing their heads.

“Rise and let no one but us pass,” I tell them as I step closer. They each rise, stern and determined looks on their faces as I pass through them, with Nai, Damien and Ty walking up the steps with me. The steps become long and tiresome the higher up we go, but as I start to run, I forget the ache in my legs as I just want to see Cassandra as soon as possible. I come to the top of the steps, which lead to my private quarters, and pause as a tiny toddler waddles out of a door. With dark brown hair and eyes so familiar, I know exactly who this little baby is.

Riah stops when she sees us, giggling just before I hear Cassandra calling for her.

“Riah, where have you gone now?” Cass shouts in frustration. “Your learning to walk will be the end of me, I swear it.”

“Now, now, little bird. She simply loves freedom as much as you,” Hunter’s deep voice replies as Riah gets to me and holds up her chubby fists.

“I believe she wants you to pick her up,” Ty suggests.

“Oh, of course,” I say, shaking my head and leaning down. I’ve not held a baby in many, many years, and I’m instantly scared I’m going to drop her as I lift her into my arms. She giggles and starts playing with my hair as I stare at her in wonder. She is beautiful, just like her mother. Riah tugs my hair around her wrist and snuggles into my shoulder, yawning. Just like that, I’m in love with this little girl.

I look up as Cass comes out of the doorway, her eyes going wide as she jolts to a stop. Cass looks tanned, and her brown hair is darker than before. Dressed in leather trousers and a cream shirt, she looks older than the girl I’m used to seeing. Cass needs her pirate hat and knee-high boots.

Cass doesn’t belong trapped on an island, she was meant to be on the sea. This is my home.

“Ev,” she whispers my name before chuckling. Tears fall down my own cheeks as we walk to each other, and her arms wrap around me. “I see you met Riah.”

“She looks just like you,” I whisper, looking up to see my cousin Hunter next to us, and he smiles, a rare thing for my grumpy pirate cousin. “And I think she is tired.”

“Let me go and put her back for her nap she just escaped from,” Hunter suggests, holding his hands out. Cass lets me go so I can hand Riah to Hunter, who immediately wraps her in his arms like a natural, and she snuggles into him. They disappear into the room behind them, and Cass hugs me again. This time I hug her back just as much, breathing in how she always smells like the sea.

“Gods, I’ve missed you,” Cass admits, and I laugh. “And what’s with the pirate look? You’ve changed!”

“Dying does do that to a person,” I reply, and she pulls back, looking me in my eyes. She wipes some of her tears away. “I will forever worship the gods for saving you.”

“Same,” I whisper, and we grin at each other. Ty clears his throat, and I can’t believe I forgot about them for a moment. I turn around, keeping my arm wrapped in Cass’s as I lead her to my men.

“Cassandra, you know Ty, of course,” I say first, and they both smile at each other, like they know something I don’t. I will ask about that later. “And you’ve met Damien once.”

“The king of the mermaids, on land. What an honour,” Cass says, holding her hand out instead of bowing. Damien surprises me by taking her hand and smiling at her.

“Wherever Everly needs me, be it land or sea, I will be there,” he replies, and Cass turns to me, a twinkle in her eyes that tells me I will be grilled with questions soon. I grin and turn to Nai, who bows at Cass.

“My name is Nai, and I was the god of souls. Now I’m simply Everly’s man, and I’ve heard a lot about you,” he tells her like it’s a normal thing to hear.

Gods don’t usually walk around telling people who they are. I have a feeling Nai won’t ever be keeping his secret around here.

“You’re a former god?” Cass asks with wide eyes turned on me. I smile at my best friend before resting my head on her shoulder.

“I have one long story to tell you,” I admit, feeling a warmth in my heart at being home with my men and the long future of peace I am going to secure. I am home.

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say,” Cass whispers as I get to the end of my story as we sit in front of a fireplace in my living room. Once I caught up with Cassandra, I had to speak to the masters and hold a meeting planned for tomorrow. I glance back at the table behind us when Nai laughs and Ryland pats him on the back. Our men are all getting along really well and currently playing a card game that Nai is teaching them that involves whiskey. I’m certain we are inches off having a room full of drunk pirates on our hands. Riah is tucked into bed, and Cass has told me how she doesn’t like to sleep alone, so one of her pirates is always sleeping next to her. It sounds like one tiny little toddler has a whole ship of pirates wrapped around her tiny fingers.

God help the world when Riah is all grown up. Or the man that falls in love with her.

“Tomorrow I need your help,” I tell Cass, leaning against the sofa as I dig my hands into the fur rugs. “I want to bind my royal court in a blood oath. Sworn to the very gods.”

“I agree. I do not want anyone to think they can simply kill you and get away with it,” she agrees. “And I will help you make this announcement as you take the throne back.”

“How long do I get to keep my best friend here this time?” I ask, taking her hand. She squeezes my hand and looks back at her pirates.

“The sea is our home, you know this. I promise to come back soon,” she answers me, and I sigh. “But you aren’t alone anymore, are you?”

I glance at Ty, Nai and Damien, smiling at my best friend. “No, I’m not. Come on, I want to give you something for Riah.”

I climb to my feet, thankful to be back in my own clothes even if it is a plain dress. Cass follows me back into my bedroom, which was locked up while I was gone. The large bed looks so comfy, and I can’t wait to sleep in it later. At the bottom of the bed are three barrels that I asked my men to bring up here. I pull the lid open for the blue egg and lift it out to show Cass.

“Is that a dragon egg?” she asks me, stepping closer to admire the egg.

“Three actually,” I explain as she rests a hand on the scales of the egg. “I’m going to hatch the other two, which are yellow fire dragons, and have them live here. I believe I need more protection, especially if I have children.”

“And this one?” Cassandra asks with a smile.

“It is for Riah. She should have a dragon just like her mother,” I say, and Cass grins at me, wiping away a few tears. I place the egg back down, and Cass squeezes me tightly.

“Thank you for being you, Ev,” she tells me. “And I’m so glad you’ve found your men and a way to live your future. You weren’t content before, but now, I see the happiness in your eyes, in your soul, and I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“I felt like I was a queen who was drowning…and now I’m swimming into the light,” she softly tells me.

“The sea saved you like it did me,” Cass whispers to me. I stare at the mirror behind us, and for a second, I swear I see the Sea God in the mirror, and he smiles at us like he planned for us to get here. That our ending was written in the waves of the sea but we never knew it. Neither of us needs to say another word as no words could explain this anymore.

The sea saved us both.

CHAPTER 27

EVERLEIGH

M y light blue dress falls to the floor, a long train hanging off behind me and following me as I move. The dress has what seems like a million tiny ice flowers pressed into the fabric, that shimmer as I move. My long blonde hair is gathered into a bun on the top of my head, a few curls hanging down, and my veil is clipped into the bun, hanging off me as I stand in front of the doors to the new throne room which is on the bottom floor of the mountains. One of the many changes I have made since taking my throne is that the throne room won’t be high up anymore; it will be on the same floor as the people we now rule over. The top three floors of the mountains are now reserved for the royal family and royal guests like Cassandra.

Even the masters have been forced to move into the lower levels after taking their vow. The blood vow was not accepted by everyone, but after my death, many took it without hesitation, and those are the guards and staff I trust around me. Most of the mermaids have left their city, and for six months, we have travelled around the islands with Cassandra to sort out the many fights and arguments that have come from this development in our lives. Finally, we managed to return home two months ago, and I haven’t seen the new throne room in the last two months since Damien, Nai and Ty took over the renovation as a wedding gift to me.

I believe they will be surprised what my wedding gift to them is.

Cassandra’s hand finds mine, and I look over at her at my side in a stunning dark blue dress that shimmers like the waves of the sea. Her brown hair is curled with rows of tiny silver bands going down the plaits mixed in. She looks amazing, and my maid of honour couldn’t be a better person.

Master Light steps to her side and holds his arm out. Cassandra hooks her arm through his and looks back at me.

“Good luck and you deserve this,” she softly tells me. “I can’t wait for you to see the changed ones’ work today. We have trained for weeks!”

“They have a good teacher,” Master Light says, and I fully agree. I smile at Cass as she steps through the curtains with Master Light and down the pathway and out of sight.

Cassandra and her pirates decided to spend half the year at the city with us and training the new generation of changed ones. It’s brilliant to have Cassandra here all of the time, and I get to see little Riah grow up. Talking of my little niece, she follows her mother through the curtain in a pretty little blue dress, and she is so adorable. The two-year-old is so cheeky and mischievous, and reminds me of her mother all of the time.

Between the two of them, I’m sure their pirates never get a moment to sit down.

My cousins both step to either side of me and offer their arms out.

“You look stunning, cousin,” Ryland gently tells me. “And very nervous.”

“Why would our cousin be nervous?” Hunter jokes, and I glare at him. “She is only marrying a god.”

“And a mermaid king…and Ty,” Ryland adds in, both of them laughing to themselves. I shake my head at them both. They might be my only family left, but they are pains in the ass. Thankfully, Cass takes them with her when she leaves for half the year. Especially as Ryland, Hunter and Nai are a trio of trouble.

I take a deep breath as the soft music changes, and we all walk out of the curtains and into the throne room. My feet nearly come to a halt when I take in the stunning room. Half of the room is a beach with dozens of chairs in the water, and the other half is on the land with fresh grass growing beneath the chairs. A cool breeze blows in from the open room going out to sea, perfect for my throne room. The top of the room is covered in tiny little lights, all different colours, making it look like a night sky but with multicolours. The silver stoned pathway down the middle has two lines of changed ones using their powers. All the children are different ages with different powers, but they have mixed the elements together so that earth, water and fire are held together in a tunnel that swirls from each changed one to the next. They all hold their hands high in the air, and as I pass the first girl, her eyes widen.

Ally from Onaya, the changed one I met such a long time ago and she had no clue who I am. Her mouth couldn’t be more dropped open as I wink at her, trying not to chuckle as I look away and to the front of the room. On a raised platform lie the three men who own every inch of my heart. Nai stands in the middle of them in a grey suit with a silver tie, and he looks so handsome with his messy hair tamed. Damien is wearing strange green clothing that he explained is the royal clothes for mermaids to marry in. They reveal a lot of his ripped chest, and my mouth suddenly feels very dry. Ty has chosen a black suit with a light blue tie, and he looks nervous until he meets my eyes, then drops them down my body. As I get closer to the back of the room, I notice the four thrones on the raised platform. The thrones are made of white glass with dragons, mermaids and people painted into the stained glass. They are delicate and so perfect for us.

They are a throne for unity between our races. I take a deep breath, trying not to cry as I get to my men. Ryland and Hunter bow at me before stepping back and walking to Cassandra’s side where she holds Riah with her other pirates. Master Light steps up behind my men, and I move in the middle of Damien and Nai as he bows to us. Four changed ones hold white crowns on black cushions at his side, and the room goes very silent as Master Light talks.

“Do you, Naiad of the sea, take this crown and Queen Everleigh as your wife?” Nai looks at me as he answers.

“I do.” He bows on his knees, and Master Light places the white crown on his head before letting him go to sit on one of the thrones. Damien and Ty answer the same before sitting down on their thrones. I bow down as Master Light picks up the last crown. It is pure white stone with dozens of little white crystals inside of it. One crystal is red and one is blue, representing both the land and sea that I now rule and promise to always protect.

“Do you, Everleigh of Calais, take this crown and promise your heart to Naiad, Tyrion and Damien for eternity?”

I look at each of my men, a smile on my lips. I knew this answer before I met any of them. I knew who my soul belonged to well before I died and found my fate.

My name is Everleigh, I love three men, and I am the queen of Calais.

“I do.”

EPILOGUE

EVERLEIGH

SEVEN YEARS LATER…

“Riah is so head strong. It’s a wonder she doesn’t captain your ship by now,” I comment to Cass as we lie on the beach, watching our children in the water. They laugh, chasing each other around with everyone’s eyes on them. My twin boys, Issac and Finlay are chasing around Riah like they always do. Issac has mops of blond hair that is forever growing, with bright blue eyes, and Finlay has dark brown hair and darker blue eyes than mine. Everyone says they both look just like me, and I imagine they are right. The two princes of Calais. I wish I could promise them a simple future, but the reality is that one of them will be a king, and I promised a goddess that her daughter would be queen. Every year, I visit the mermaid city to see my future daughter-in-law who looks like snow with white hair and paler skin. She is sweet, and I’m sure one of my sons will love her.

I just hope neither of them falls in love with Riah first. I glance over to see all of our men near our castle on a little island near Thron, built just for us to escape the day-to-day life. I can’t wait for Cass and me to tell the men our secret. Somehow, we are both pregnant at the same time, and we believe we might be due to give birth close together. Cass wants a baby boy, and I would love a girl. As much as our children have been brought up together, us having children only what might be days apart will be amazing.

The castle is made of natural materials and almost looks like a ship on land, with its high tower in the middle and at the sides. I’m sure it was no coincidence. Since having our twins six years ago, only a year after I came back from the dead and took the throne, Calais has known a peace like never before. Songs are constantly sung about me and Cass, to the point we wonder how the writers of the songs could know so much about our lives.

“Cass, remember when we were little kids and used to run around the apple trees in your garden?” I ask her, digging my feet into the sand. She nods her head before resting her head on her pulled up knees and watching me with a big smile.

“Of course. You were always the better runner, and I could never catch you,” she replies, and I laugh.

“We have come a long way from those little girls,” I say with a long sigh. We were hungry girls and trapped in such a small place, squashed under a big secret. I never once in my life imagined we would escape Onaya and have any kind of adventure, but as I look back at my life in this moment, I realise I was always meant to have this.

Magic and gods have nothing on the pleasure of the little moments life surprises you with. Like when Issac laughed for the first time or when Finlay jumped off the ship and into the sea when he was four. Thankfully, our two dragons were with us and saved him before any of us could jump off the ship after him. When my two dragons hatched, we were surprised to see they were indeed yellow fire dragons, and soon they became part of our family.

I find happiness and magic in every single day I get to spend with my family, my life as queen of both the land and sea.

“But we still have each other, and that is all that matters,” she replies, reaching over and taking my hand. “Who knew we would be two girls from Onaya who would bring peace to the entire land and sea of Calais? We deserve this. We deserve our happy ending.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Ryland shouts from the castle. I stand up, wiping a few tears away, and before we move, I pull Cass into a tight hug.

“Thank your Sea God for me and tell him he gave us the best fates imaginable.”

The end.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR.

Hi and thank you for reading Lost Heir, the final book in the world of pirates. Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved pirates and the sea. I remember many car journey’s to the beach and we would play a game of who could see the sea first on the horizon. Every time I saw the sea, it felt like coming home.

These books are inspired by that feeling of joy.

A big thank you to my family and everyone that supported me with this book! Thank you to my wonderful Pack Leaders for everything. <3 Especially Helayna and Mads! They are my life savers. You’re all amazing and I couldn’t do this without you guys.

Please keeping reading for an excerpt from Escape the Sea, the book that started this world.

If you have a moment to write a review, I would love your feedback on my book!

Happy Reading!! G. xoxo

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DESCRIPTION OF ESCAPE THE SEA

Seven towns. Seven seas. The seven council. The seven words every person lives by.

The sea is lost, pirates are death.

Cassandra should have been killed at birth, like all the other children who have powers like her. The changed ones.

The ones who started the war, lost the seas, and killed millions with their gifts.

Lucky for Cassandra, her father is on the council. One of the seven rulers of her large town and has kept her hidden her entire life.

When she is seen for the first time, she has no choice but to run, and the only place she can go is to the sea.

To the pirates and a certain death.

At least, that is what she thinks. When she meets six handsome pirates and they take her on board their ship, she learns about a whole new world.

If only she can protect her heart when they all desire to own it.

This is a reverse harem trilogy.

EXCERPT FROM ESCAPE THE SEA…

CASSANDRA

“Name the seven islands of Calais,” Miss Drone orders me, like I haven’t been taught them my whole life. Every week, she asks me these questions. I will never see any other island than the one I am stuck on, so I don’t see the point in knowing all their names.

“Onaya, Twogan, Thron, Foten, Fiaten, Sixa, and Sevten,” I answer. It’s like someone has counted to seven, and named an island after each number.

“Who rules all the islands?” she asks as she reads the paper I wrote for her this week. It’s filled with my opinions on the last book she gave me to read, a book about the seven seas.

“King Dragon and his queen, Riah,” I answer. I almost want to add that the pirates own the waters, but I know she won’t like me saying that. It’s not worth the argument that would follow. The king ignores the pirates, and the pirates are said to ignore him. The king chose the seven families to rule each island after he took his throne, then he left us alone on the islands. We only see the king once a year when he visits all the islands with his queen. Well, I’ve never seen him, his queen, or his children. Only the seven council members get to see them.

There’s only one law the king regularly reminds everyone to follow: kill the changed ones, or he sends his guards to the island and kills them anyway.

“Tell me the final words you need to know,” she asks in her cold tone.

“Never go near the sea, never leave the walls. The sea is lost, pirates are death,” I repeat back to my teacher. Miss Drone believes telling me the same thing every time I see her will make sure I understand her. She really has no idea. She nods like she thinks she’s done her job today. Those are always the words she says last to me, every week at the same time, the same hour. The same senseless rules.

My whole life is full of rules that mean nothing to me.

“Cassandra, are you listening to me?” Miss Drone asks in a sharp tone. I glance up from my seat, looking at her. I don’t know her first name. She never told me, and I never asked anyone to tell me. My father always calls her Miss Drone, and her daughter calls her Mother. Miss Drone has light-blonde hair that’s cut short, and she’s wearing an old dress, covered in holes. She is a widow from the poor side of the island. My father says she’s lucky, lucky not to be dead or on the streets, and that’s why she doesn’t tell anyone about me. That’s why she has taught me my whole life for the tiny amount of food my father gives her. I guess it’s because food is treasured here on Onaya, where we have little. People can’t leave, because the seas are full of pirates, and even if you did get to the other islands, they are in no better condition. No one can trade between the islands. The only way we know people are even alive on them is by talking to the couple of people who make it to our shore. They come looking for a home and food, but are sadly disappointed. We grow very little on our farms; the land is dying, and people don’t know why. It’s said to be like this on every island, and it gets worse every single year.

“Yes, of course I am,” I say. I fake a smile at her, and she relaxes in her seat. Miss Drone is terrified of me. Everyone that has ever been near me is. My father has only let me meet three people in my life. Him, Miss Drone, and her daughter, Everly. Everly keeps me from going insane with boredom, and Miss Drone teaches me things I apparently need to know. Like how the seas are lost, and everyone dies out there.

I don’t know why I need to know anything when I can never leave my house, or the grounds surrounding it.

“Well then, I will be off. Everly will be over after school,” she says as she stands and walks towards the door. I wait until she shuts it before I walk towards the window.

I can see my whole town from this window. It’s striking. The island is shaped like a foot, or that’s how I like to think of it. The brown state house stretches like a line straight down the middle, towards my large house and the large acre that surrounds it. Our house is the biggest on the island because of who my father is–one of seven council members. They always get the best of everything.

There are three others houses on my row, but they are far smaller. I have been told there are three more on the other side of the island, too, the same size as the smaller ones next to ours. I don’t know why my father has the biggest house on the island, but he does. I only know what my father has told me. I know that they house the other council members and their families. The council makes all the decisions on the island, everything from enforcing the laws, to how much food they think people need to eat.

The people worship them and do anything they ask, because they give them food. They keep them safe and make sure that no pirates get into their town.

If only they knew about me, his secret, they wouldn’t love him like they do. My reflection shines back at me from the window. My brown hair is in waves around my face, with little feathers braided in and tiny plaits I’ve added when I’ve gotten bored. My hazel eyes match my hair, in my opinion making me look normal. The only thing that isn’t normal is the upside-down, black triangle on my forehead.

My mark; the very thing that makes me hide. The very thing I wish I could get rid of, so I could have a normal life. A life where I could walk out of the house.

“Cassandra, come here,” my father shouts up the stairs.

After one more glance at my reflection, I leave my room.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Contents

Copyright

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Dedication

Description

Note from the author

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Epilogue

Note From The Author.

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Description of Escape The Sea

Excerpt from Escape The Sea…