Page 43 of In Rising Tides

Would it end differently this time?

A figure shifted closer to the center, and Lyra turned to stare at him. It was Rigel, the Prince of Pavlopetri, her sister Thalassa’s husband.

“I believe we should discuss the details of her kidnapping,” Rigel shifted his attention from Drystan to Lyra, “before discussing a wedding she is adamant will no longer take place.”

A pensive expression pinched his face, but his remark had been tinged with humor.

The rich-tan color of his skin was lovely against his pearl-colored tail. He too had forgone any sort of armor.

Actually, most of them appeared bare-chested. Pavlopetri was a neutral territory.

It was no surprise that he didn’t feel the need for added protection.

Lyra had always wanted to travel to his territory, to set eyes on the plants that resembled trees.

She didn't find that she wanted to travel there nearly as badly now that she had seen actual trees on land.

Rigel’s iridescent, pearl-colored tail flicked quickly as he whipped his head around the room incredulously.

A merman with impressive muscles and an amber tail clicked his tongue—Ishmael, the Prince of Naguni, husband to her sister, Nerida.

“I disagree. I think the more pressing information is her denial of our king.”

Lir, who floated between Caspian and Rigel, nodded in agreement. That was not a shock.

Her refusal to Drystan was probably the most incredible thing they had ever heard. It simply wasn’t done.

A mermaid didn’t have the right to refuse.

It annoyed her. She clenched her teeth, trying to staunch the vitriol she wanted to spew from her lips about the despicable nature of their ways.

But it would do no good.

She’d be better off arguing with a wall.

The logic was slow to win favor with her mind.

“It was against my will that the agreement was struck in the first place. Surely, my feelings on this matter come as no surprise.”

Rigel’s amusement grew as his lips twitched and he hid them behind a brush of his fingers.

But it was a soft chuckle that drew all her attention.

It came from her right, from Adamaris. The prince of Zeal.

A sort of friendliness softened his eyes when they met hers. His olive skin reminded Lyra of the Wilds, as did the kindness that radiated from him.

The reflection of his tail’s turquoise scales cast the surrounding water in a near-silver glow.

It eased some of the tightness in Lyra’s chest. She hadn’t realized just how nervous she truly was.

Somehow the hooks of this place had pierced her mind, making her feel overlooked and undervalued.

Lyra hadn’t felt that way on land, and she wasn’t sure when her feelings had started to change here.

Hadrian crept closer to the center of the circle. His was yet another familiar face that relaxed her mounting unease.

He looked just as he had on the day of his wedding. Dark hair and soft laugh lines. Hadrian shared a look with Rigel before they turned their attention to Drystan.