Blood On The Altar

Chapter 22

I woke up the following morning with tears on my cheeks. The few times I'd managed to doze off the night before, I was surrounded by angry mermaids and mermen, all wearing furious expressions. "Murderer," a merman spat, his eyes full of grief and pain. "My daughter was only fifteen. Your mother took her away from me. You should be ashamed."

I wilted under their gazes, powerless to resist the pull of my depression. To my horror, one of the faces was someone I knew. Or, used to know. King Drake. The joy that had been on his face whenever he was around his wife and son had disappeared, replaced by shame. "How could I have been so blind? You were never fit to marry my son. You don't even deserve to be a princess."

Hearing him say those words (even in a dream) just made me sink deeper into my depression. It would have been better if he'd just slapped me. "I'm sorry," I sobbed, feeling tears on my cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

I took slow, deep breaths, concentrating on my breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. After repeating this several times, I felt my heartbeat return to normal. Getting ready for the day was suddenly a monumental task, one I dreaded immensely.

I made myself get dressed and ready for breakfast, even though the thought of pretending everything was fine made me want to dive right back under the covers. When the door opened, I flinched. Kai swam in, a gentle smile on his face. "Oh, good. You're awake," he said, closing the door behind him as he swam towards me.

The minute he saw my face, the emotions in my eyes, his smile disappeared. Worry appeared on his face as he took my hands. "What happened?" He asked softly.

As I looked at him, the eyes that always held love whenever he looked at me, I noticed something I hadn't before. He favored his father in so many ways. The crease between their eyes whenever they were worried or concerned. The way their eyes sparkled with love and shone with anger. Before I could stifle them, tears were in my eyes, quickly spilling down my cheeks.

"'You were never fit to marry my son.'" That sentence played over and over in my head, the words biting and cruel.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said, squeezing my hands. The concerned look had never left his eyes—if anything, it had only grown.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, a helpless look in my eyes. How could I possibly compare the cold-hearted, cruel merman in my dream to the kind, generous king that had ruled alongside his wife and welcomed me with open arms?

"Are you sure you want to go out today?" He asked, stroking my cheek with his thumb. It wasn't until then that I realized I was trembling. I swallowed hard, considering my answer. Did I want to endure the stares and whispers that were sure to follow me wherever I went?

After a few moments of silence, I realized Kai was waiting for an answer. I took a long breath, then slowly let it out. "I'm sure," I said, but my voice didn't come out as strong as I'd intended it to. Nonetheless, he waited patiently until I got dressed before taking my hand and swimming out of our suite.

I visibly tensed as we swam downstairs, unable to ignore the eyes and whispers. We'd barely reached the entrance to the dining room before a page swam up to me, bowing to us both before handing Kai a folded letter. He released my hand as he took the letter.

I sensed the anger in him a heartbeat before his body language confirmed it. His nostrils flared; his free hand clenched into a fist. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined what he was reading. The thought was almost enough for me to swim back to our suite and never come out. Nadia was at my back before I'd so much as turned around.

"Troy and Jesper are out securing the perimeter of the palace," she said, noticing the looks in our eyes.

I turned to Kai, my hands betraying my fear. Eyes straight ahead, mouth a thin line, I was the portrait of composed on the outside. As evidenced by my trembling hands, the inside was a tangled mess of fear and anger. "What does it say?" I asked.