Page 66 of In Rising Tides

What she would do for cake and roasted meat bordered on obscene.

“I won’t be doing that,” she murmured, resting her chin on her hand.

She met Drystan’s gaze with utter boredom. Part of her wanted to push his boundaries and see how much he would put up with, and part of her just wanted to argue and fight.

Drystan glared at where her elbows rested on the polished stone table.

“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice. He’s in charge of all ceremonies, including weddings.”

He threw the words at her like a weapon, but she was prepared for this. This was a tired song and dance that she knew the steps to.

“How about I tell you what I am going to do today, and you can just nod your head in agreement?” she replied, running a fingertip along the rim of the cup in front of her.

It made no noise beneath the surface, but Lyra imagined what the shrill ringing would have sounded like had she been on land.

Ire flashed like flames in his eyes as Lyra began doling out orders before he could stop her.

“I am going to the library to see if our poorly stocked shelves have also suffered under your rule. Then, if I get bored, I will go to the reef without guards before having lunch and taking a nap.”

She left out that she was going to scour those shelves for anything to help her break the tithe.

An outrageous snort slipped from his lips.

“Absolutely not. Aegir has banned mermaids from all the libraries across the kingdom.”

Banned? He had banned mermaids from knowledge?

That was an atrocity.

An atrocity she would correct immediately.

“Did you forget that I am not just any mermaid but the Princess of Atlantis? If I want to enter that library, I will.”

“You are to be my wife, and I prefer for you to remain alive, so we will follow the rules—for now,” he said, the last bit under his breath.

Lyra’s lips pulled back in a snarl. The points of her sharp teeth gleamed in the morning light filtering down from the open ceiling.

For now?

And why had he allowed any of this in the first place?

“For the last fucking time—I will not marry you!”

She slammed both hands down on the table and pushed herself up, her lavender tail twitching back and forth as her shoulders trembled from the anger quaking through her.

“I despise you. I loathe the water that touches your flesh. And if I had it my way, I would kill you this very instant. I am not yours. Nor will I ever be. I will enter the library if I like, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

The fury that surged through her kept her vision pinned on the male in front of her and not Fang, who had silently slipped behind her.

Drystan’s eyes darted to her side, a flicker of something unreadable there as he raised his hand.

Lyra followed his sight—a moment too late.

Angler had the collar around her and buckled in place.

Green, iridescent light flared, locking the collar around her neck without a physical seam. It had been imbued with magic.

Lyra screamed—but no sound came out.