Chapters (28)
His lips brushed my forehead, then my shoulder. “You are far better than anything I could have ever imagined, even in a fevered fantasy.”
“So are you,” I admitted.
“Well, I am the king of the sea.”
A laugh escaped me, and I swatted him on the back since he was still holding me to his chest. “You are so full of yourself.”
“You’re still the only one who gets that privilege.” He nipped at my throat
I shoved him away with another laugh. Everything spun when I did, though—so Triton grabbed me again, concern knitting his eyebrows.
“Did you push yourself too hard?”
“Just a little.”
He growled, sweeping me off my feet and into his arms. My crown yanked on my hair again, and I winced.
“Do you have the magic to hide that thing again? It’s kind of heavy, and I’m out.”
“I don’t know, I like seeing you wear it.” He was being playful, but his hand brushed my ear almost immediately, storing it back in my hoops. “You need to rest.”
“We need to get everything settled before you hide me away in our room,” I countered, as he started carrying me back to the castle. I knew he planned on forcing me to take a break for recovery’s sake, but the timing wasn’t right.
“It can wait,” he said.
“No, it can’t.”
“You come first for me, Aria. I don’t give a damn about anyone else when you’re struggling.”
“Well, I care about them. We have to make sure everyone is okay before you force me to rest. If I eat something, I’ll feel less dizzy.”
Probably.
“I heard your probably,” he grumbled, but I could tell I had convinced him.
We spent the rest of the day talking to the merrae and making sure everyone was alright. Every time we saw one of the warriors, they grinned and high-fived me, much to Triton’s annoyance.
They saw me fight for them. With them. And I guess it made me one of them.
Even the judgy, bitter merrae who’d voted against letting Triton take a mate didn’t act like they hated me for once. There were no glares. A few of them even complimented me. Joa told me herself that Triton had chosen well, which was a real shock coming from her.
By the time we made it back to our room, we didn’t even have the energy to go down to the grotto before we collapsed in bed together.
My mate held me in his arms and whispered sweet words to me while I fell asleep.
Even in my wildest fever dreams, I had never imagined myself married to the king of the sea.
Yet, I was.
And somehow, it was the best thing that had ever happened to me.