Heiress of the Sea

Chapter 10

"Wait. Hold your seahorses. What do you mean claim me?" I asked.

Lazarus was still breathing heavily. It was apparent that it had taken a lot for him to explain this.

"Claiming is an ancient ceremony, and a means by which Gods and Goddesses declare their forever lovers. Their spouses; mates—whatever you want to call it. Once Soren has claimed you, you're his forever," he explained.

I grimaced. "What if I don't want to be his forever?"

"Trust me. If he claims you, you will."

"Why?" I exclaimed.

"He'll know what to do. He'll know exactly what to do," Lazarus breathed. "He'll do anything necessary to get you to fall in love with him."

"And this is some innate part of him, or something?" I confirmed.

"It's in his nature. Every God has the instinct to claim someone when they're very attracted to them. It's like falling in love, and getting married, only on an amplified scale. The love, commitment and level of devotion you will get from Soren will be a million times more meaningful and intense than you could receive from any mortal. When he says he will love you until the end of time, it is both a literal and a binding statement. And...," Lazarus took a minute to let out a sharp exhale, "he will be very willing to love you, Ailith."

"Why?" I murmured.

"If you didn't know already, you're kind of perfect for Sor. You put him in his place. You can handle him," he explained. "I haven't seen that in a woman before. Ever."

I groaned. "Why does this have to be happening right now? I have a kingdom to save; I don't need some messed up love life."

"If you let him kiss you like that last night, then you mustn't be completely disgusted by the man," Lazarus teased. "Maybe you should let the tide push and pull as it will." He winked, trying to combat his internal anxiety.

"Stop being weird," I commanded, rubbing my temples. "I have to think."

Although I would confess I was attracted to Soren, I definitely was not in love with him. I wasn't in love with him, and I wasn't close to falling in love with him, as far as I knew. I needed to do something to slow this whole thing down, or he'd be 'claiming' me before I had the chance to save my kingdom.

"Do you think," I said to Lazarus, "that if Soren fell in love with me, and claimed me—he would be more likely to help me reclaim my kingdom?"

Lazarus snorted. "That's an understatement. He'd probably fight Goridian for you."

I sighed. "What would you do if you were me?"

Het took a deep breath, placing a hand on the doorknob of the tiny room we were hiding in.

"I don't know. Figure out what you want, Ailith," he told me, his tone both instructing and warning. "Figure out what you want, do so quickly, and then do something about it. Because it seems that Soren is getting ahead of you in that regard."

With that, he opened the door and stepped out, leaving me to my thoughts.

~

I couldn't think about the sparkles on my neck or Lazarus's warning words about Soren trying to claim me for any longer, so I set out to help Caspian with building the army.

I felt all this unnecessary meddling with romantics was just getting in the way of my ultimate goal, so I vowed to focus on the Sea Kingdom and my real purpose for the rest of the day.