“Your soul is compatible with mine, and you have become my mate. That’s all she needs to know.”

“What do you mean, our souls were compatible?”

“A mate bond can’t be created by just anyone. The sky goddess, the being that all of Alterrae answers to, must approve the pairing. It’s not something that can be forced. That’s why I spent so long looking for you—my soul and magic weren’t compatible with any of the other women I saw on Earth.”

“What if you hadn’t found anyone?”

“The demons would find another batch of humans for me. Yours was the tenth.”

“The tenth?”

“Yes. I went through more than one hundred thousand women to find you.”

“Holy shit.” I shoved a hand through my hair. My very blue, very weird-feeling hair. “Why are we compatible?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the goddess.”

I scoffed. “Clearly.”

The king’s lips twitched, almost like he was fighting a smile. “Come here. I want to see your scale.”

“Fuck off.”

He laughed. The sound was low, rich, and melodic. I liked it far more than I should’ve.

Triton crossed the room in a few steps and kneeled down at my back. He captured the green silk from my hand before placing his own on my hip again. His touch was so hot, I nearly shivered.

“You seem to have a thing for touching me, Your Highness,” I drawled.

“It’s more like an all-consuming obsession.” He didn’t bother denying it. His thumb dragged over the same place the other woman had pressed, and a shiver rolled down my spine.

Why did it feel so good when he touched me?”

“And for the record, I did like the way you looked before you started to change. I was attracted to you the first moment I saw you. Have you forgotten the part where we made out on the beach when a simple kiss would’ve worked just as well to seal the bond.”

My face burned, but I could clearly remember his reaction.

“Evve tah.” You’re perfect.

“That was your fault,” I said.

“I’ll take credit for you getting lost in our kiss any day.”

I swatted his hand away from my scale, and he finally stood up again. His hand was still on my hip, his body only a breath away from mine as he lingered at my back.

“If all it takes to seal a mate bond is a kiss, do people in your world not do it casually?” I asked.

“No, kissing is not a casual thing here. It’s not possible to kiss just for pleasure. Even if it was, it’s considered sacred to us. A man or woman’s mouth does not touch the body of someone who isn’t their mate.”

My eyebrows jumped up again. “You don’t do oral sex?”