He turned me around so my back was to his chest, and started walking. I had no choice but to walk with him, though my steps were a little shaky after making out with an alt and being carried up the beach.

The demons who were running the portal must’ve been sitting in camping chairs, because I saw them abandoned a few feet to the side. The demons themselves were hidden, which was kind of a relief.

“I think I’m being abducted,” I said.

The guy who’d taken me chuckled. “Surely there are worse fates than being abducted by the king of the sea.”

So he was a king.

…of the sea.

Whatever that meant.

And humility obviously wasn’t one of his strong suits, considering he thought being stolen from my home was a privilege for me.

“What do you even want me for?” I asked, as we neared the portal’s front. It looked like a big, flat circle of swirling mist, and I really did not want to walk through it.

“You accepted my kiss. Now, you are my bride.”

“What?” I demanded, pressing my back against him tightly as I tried to avoid the swirling mist I was about to be consumed by.

“Brace yourself. Portals are unpleasant,” he said, taking a step forward and walking me with him.

The fog engulfed us, and a wave of heat washed over me. It was immediately replaced by an icy chill, which sent painful tingles over my arms.

The king kept moving, and another bout of heat followed.

I made a noise of pain, and his grip on my hips tightened as he picked up the pace. “Almost there, Sweetheart.”

We stepped out of the portal, and I let out a deep breath as the pins-and-needles feeling finally disappeared.

But the moment we were free, the world tilted—and I screamed as we plummeted.

The king’s grip on my waist tightened, and my scream cut off as we plunged into the water.

I fought like hell to kick back to the surface, but the king’s hands remained steadily in place, holding me a long way beneath the surface of the water. An electric shock pulsed around me, and when I looked down, I saw a massive, scaly tale under me. I screamed, and the king pulled me deeper.

Desperation set in, and I shoved weakly at his hands as my vision grew unfocused.

Something alien brushed against my mind. It felt wrong, but right at the same time.

“Just breathe, Sweetheart.” The king spoke into my head.

He was insane.

Utterly insane.

And if I was hearing his voice in my head, so was I.

My fight grew weaker, and everything around me blurred.

Beams of light shone through bright turquoise water, and my hazy mind noticed how beautiful it was as I⁠—

“BREATHE,” the king ordered, and I finally took a breath.