Allarick helps dish up plates by the time I bring the children in for the line. I make sure they are with their families before I swim over to my husband. He doesn’t notice me at first, too focused on his task at hand. He smiles kindly to everyone he serves, giving assurances when someone speaks their fears about the impending Leviathan song.
I never thought much about what it means to be a king. Never had a reason to. Grym Hollow doesn’t have kings and queens. It’s full of regular people with mundane jobs—if you don’t count The Guardian.
But when I look at Allarick, I see selflessness, humility, kindness, and love for his people and kingdom. All things I would say constitute a good king. I’m not sure when my feelings for him have changed, but this deep, floaty feeling can only be described in one word.
Love.
And I think I’m finally ready to admit that, but it doesn’t seem like the right time while we are in this predicament. For now, my feelings for Allarick will be my own little wonderful secret.
I wait until the line dies down before approaching Allarick. I come up behind him and wrap my arms around him. His rigid posture instantly relaxes in myembrace. A tentacle wraps around my waist, keeping me close.
“Sweet girl.” His voice is a purr, sending tingles down my body. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I whisper. We saw each other last night and this morning when we woke up, but it still feels like a lifetime ago when we had time together. My mind wanders back to the cabin when it was only him and me. A part of me wishes to go back, but as long as Tetria is in danger, that won’t be a possibility.
“Have you eaten?” Allarick asks.
My stomach rumbles, but looking at the same meal we’ve had the last few days, I can’t muster up the will to eat. “Maybe later,” I say instead.
I loosen my hold on Allarick, and he turns so we are chest to chest. Another tentacle wraps around my arm, and I feel so safe and secure. Who knew it would take a kraken with tentacles to make me feel this way?
Allarick runs his hands down my arms, down to my hands. His thumb brushes over the small abrasions on my fingers. He frowns, looking down at my injuries from playing harp as if they are a stab wound and not just a simple annoyance.
“The kids like to hear the music. It’s helping everyone calm down and not think about the Leviathan,” I explain.
Allarick brings each of my fingers to his lips and kisses them all one by one. This man fills me with butterflies. I’ve had his tentacles inside me, yet this somehow feels like the most intimate thing we’ve done.
“I’ll rub a healing lotion into your hands tonight,” he promises.
“Usually they don’t get this bad. It’s just been a long time since I’ve played like this.” Back when I started learning the harp, I would make my fingers bleed and have to wait a few days before I could play again. Eventually, my fingers got used to the rough treatment, and it didn’t bother me anymore.
“You’ve been incredible,” Allarick’s voice is soft, full of reverence, “through all of this. You’ve been thrown into a war that is not your own and cared for people you hardly know. A true queen is measured by her ability to care for others. Tetria couldn’t have asked for a better queen.”
Allarick stares at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. My chest flutters, heart pounding so loudly, I’m sure he hears it. The tension between us sizzles, and I gravitate toward him. “Erin, I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?” My voice is breathier than I intend, gaze dropping to his plump lips. All other thoughts fly out my mind, replaced with the need for him to kiss me.
“Erin, I?—”
I never find out what Allarick is going to say because, the next moment, guards flood into the room. In the center of them is a disgruntled merman who looks vaguely familiar. The man pants like he’s been swimming for a long time and is about to keel over.
“Nori? What is it? Did my sister send you?” Allarick’s voice booms from next to me. It isn’t until he speaks that I recognize this man. Nori is one of Atina’s men. A manwho can walk between the sea and water, like Allarick and some of the other merpeople can do.
The entire room goes silent when Nori speaks words that send a sinister chill down my spine. “I bring news from your sister. She wants you to know that attacks are coming. Get your people to safety. Her ships are on their way.”
“What do you mean? What is coming?” Allarick demands, moving past me to get closer to Nori.
But Nori doesn’t get the chance to tell us. Because, at that moment, a thunderous noise erupts, like something heavy just hit a cement wall, followed by bloodcurdling screams.
Chapter 34
Erin
Iscream. My voice is lost in the cacophony of sounds all around me. It was like a switch was flipped. One moment everyone was calmly eating their meals with their family or friends, and the next, people are swimming in every direction, screaming. Chaos erupts around us.
Someone pulls me away from Allarick, and I struggle against the hand. “My queen, it’s just me! We need to get you to safety. Now!” Delmare’s voice roars above the noise.
I turn my head, expecting to see Allarick where we left him, but my husband is gone.
