But once he had regained consciousness after the Mer had dragged him down to their underwater city, he was not best pleased that he’d been pulled under without his consent.

Or that they’d magicked him unconscious.

Not to mention, also mer-napped me.

It took considerable time to calm him down, even though I agreed wholeheartedly this was not the best way for the Mer to begin relations between our two realms.

But we’d been in Amphite, the capital city of the Mer, now for hours. Aramus’s men were probably beside themselves with worry that we’d disappeared.

And Dora and Aelia were likely terrified.

We needed to move forward establishing relations and then get home.

And this would be any kind of relations (though, preferably good ones, however, I wasn’t sure how that would happen with such an inauspicious start).

“My king,” I whispered, reaching out to touch Aramus’s wrist where it lay on the table, the better to give him the ability to irritably drum his fingers, something which he was doing.

“We will commence when I hear an apology,” Aramus decreed.

Oh no.

“Then you might as well leave now,” Jorie retorted.

“I have no issue with this,” Aramus stated, beginning to rise.

I grasped his wrist and tugged to keep him seated, hissing, “Aramus.”

“We have done without them for centuries, my queen,” he stated, his eyes not leaving Jorie, but fortunately his behind not leaving his seat. “We can carry on without them now.”

“My darling, he is the king of my people,” I pushed. “And we need all peoples allied, Aramus. Especially those with power. With magic.”

My husband said nothing.

“And he is Silence’s brother,” I stressed

Aramus grinned a wicked grin at Jorie. “Good luck getting through Mars to meet her, my friend.”

Jorie bared his teeth.

Oh, but he wanted to meet his sister.

And that made me happy.

I just needed to get my stubborn king happy about it as well.

“She has no siblings,” I reminded Aramus. “Her mother is as weak as the king who is her brother. Her father is—”

Aramus’s head ticked, having sensed as we all did the kind of man (and more importantly, father) that Johan Mattson was.

But I knew.

In her missives to me, it was clear she had not been raised in a nurturing manner.

I did not share all with my husband.

But he was no fool.

I took instant advantage. “Can you imagine, growing up as she did, discovering your brother, your blood, is King of the Mer? Indeed, growing up alone in that house, for Silence was very much alone in that house, Aramus, and then coming to learn you have a brother at all?”

Neither man spoke for long moments, though Jorie now appeared even more unhappy upon hearing how Silence had been raised.

Aramus broke the silence.

“Your father, he also was king?”

“Yes,” Jorie bit off.