“I don’t know.” I waded out further, scanning the horizon as if it could tell me more than the sea.

It couldn’t.

I was just looking for an answer.

When I didn’t see anything, I slipped beneath the water and closed my eyes, sitting down on the sand. The waves stilled around me, responding to my desire for calm water.

“What do you feel?” Triton asked, and I could feel his attention on me.

“I’m not sure. You don’t feel anything?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” I focused on what was off.

“Where is the feeling coming from?” Triton asked. “Which direction?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe the tides are changing.”

“That’s just an excuse for a holiday. They don’t actually change.”

I knew it.

“It’s probably nothing,” I said.

“Aria, we rule the sea. If it’s warning you, we need to listen, and figure out why.”

“Why would it warn me and not you?”

“Because you’re the queen. Or perhaps because I’m too consumed by my perfect mate.”

I snorted, rolling my eyes at him. He flashed me a small grin.

Something nudged my consciousness, and I closed my eyes. There was a tiny bolt of familiar, comfortable magic in my mind, and I followed it with my own power until it stopped.

Where it stopped, I scanned the water.

Something was there, and moving quickly. Stealthily.

“The selkies are coming,” I whispered into Triton’s mind. “They have something big with them. I’m not sure what it is. Monsters, or creatures, or⁠—”

“Where?”

“They’re in the cliffs right now.”

A moment of silence passed before Triton swore viciously. “They’re bringing squids. They still want the throne.”

There was only one kind of squids the merrae were afraid of—the poisonous ones that the selkies usually kept under control. Merrae warriors could kill the squids themselves, but they considered it an unnecessary risk. That breed of squids never came to the part of the ocean we lived in, anyway. They preferred warmer water, like the selkies.

Triton’s gaze was dark when it met mine. “I need you to lock down the castle. I’ll gather the warriors while you and Rayna secure it.”

I would’ve much rather helped Triton, but I wasn’t a warrior. I had no idea how to kill a poisonous squid without getting myself killed.

The best way to help my king was to do exactly what he wanted. Even if it scared the hell out of me.

“I’ll work with Rayna like we practiced. You focus on staying alive. Do not let them kill you,” I said to Triton.

“I have no intention of dying so soon after claiming you, Sweetheart. Be safe.” The worry in his voice terrified me, but telling him that wouldn’t do me any good.