There was no way out of this one.
The moment they dropped him over the side, he’d sink to the bottom of the Bering Sea like a useless artifact. The water would crush his lungs and he’d be forever cursed to waking up in the depths and passing out again as his immortal body scrambled to repair itself. A punishment fit for a monster.
“Wait, wait, wait.” He bit down hard on the inside of his mouth until he tasted blood. “Don’t do this. Please.”
“Nighty, night, dark prince.” Earl licked his lips victoriously. “Enjoy the trip.”
Leo sucked in one last breath of cool ocean air as the brothers gave him a shove. He hardly made a splash in the bitterly cold water. The cement encasing his feet pulled him down, down, down, until he couldn’t tell the difference between sky and ocean. Bubbles cascaded around his body. He swung out his arms for something to grab, but there was nothing but empty space. After what felt like an eternity, his feet hit bottom and the dizzying descent ended in a sudden dull thump.
In the blurry darkness of the ocean floor, there was nothing. Nothing but utter hopelessness. Leo fought to release his feet as his chest constricted from the pressure of the water and the lack of air.
There was no relief. It would’ve been better if they’d killed him. He stopped flailing and slouched in defeat, closing his eyes against the unbearable pain in his lungs.
Worst of all, his family would never know what had happened to him. They’d search the world over for a sign of their family member and never know what had become of him. They’d already lost so much of their family.
How could he have done this to them?
?
Eina tread water and eyed the small white boat as its engine roared to life and it sped off. The three enormous creatures aboard the vessel had looked like unintelligent brutes. And what little conversation she’d caught had confirmed that suspicion. They’d kidnapped Prince Leo from the docks in a violent attack and taken their time weighing his feet down with quick cement.
It was luck that had placed her at that same dock during the late night hours. A dark, abandoned wharf was the perfect place for a mermaid to transform her human legs back into a shimmering, powerful tail, without being noticed. When she’d spotted Leo and his attackers, she’d kept a healthy distance, following them out into the open sea. Something had told her to stay on them. And she was glad she’d listened to that instinct.
At that moment, the vampire prince was sinking a thousand feet into the depths. It was a desperate situation. One that would only mean endless torture and suffering for the charming man.
And a ripe opportunity for her.
With the boat out of sight, Eina submerged fully into the cool water. She relished the feel of it on her skin and across her scales. With a stroke of her tail, she swam deeper until the ocean floor came into view, her mermaid senses sharpening within the depths.
It took longer to find her target than she’d expected. Prince Leo had slouched over into a ball, his already pale skin appearing sickly in the tiny amount of filtered moonlight that had made it this deep. His amber eyes were sealed tight. A few bubbles escaped his lips.
He looked like death.
Her stomach clenched at the sight. This was worlds away from the charming, suave man who’d approached her at the royal wedding. Adrenaline propelled her forward and she snatched a rock bigger than her two fists from the sea bed. Leo didn’t flinch when she began pounding at the cement. He’d already passed out. She took a deep breath through the delicate gills on her neck and got to work, chipping away slowly at the rock encasing his feet.
She’d already freed one foot when something grabbed a hold of her arm. Eina screeched and wielded the rock in self-defense, raising her eyes to the vampire prince. His eyes were open and staring right at her. Confusion, pain, and recognition seemed to flit across his face. Eina lowered her rock and reached out her hand, softly running her fingers down his cheek. Despite the cold of the water, the feel of his skin seemed to burn.
“I’m going to get you free,” she said, unsure if he could even hear her. “Hold still.”
His lips parted slightly, as if to say something, but then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out again. Eina worked even faster, chipping away at the cement. Finally, his feet were free. She strung his arm over her shoulders and kicked for the surface, praying he wouldn’t wake up just yet.
Moments later,
they broke through to the cool night air. Eina brushed the wet hair out of her face and held Leo’s lifeless form in front of her. He was still deadly pale, but water had begun to pour from his lips. Sure enough, a rasping breath came from his mouth and he lurched with the strain of returning to life.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you someplace safe,” she said, caressing his cheek softly with her hand. He moaned and turned toward her touch.
With a powerful kick, they were off, swimming across the black waters of the Bering Sea. All the while, a small smile played on Eina’s lips as she watched the sleeping prince.
Maybe she was crazy. She’d never dared to do something like this before now. But tonight’s events had played out far better than she could’ve ever imagined. She’d snuck into a wedding, expecting to come home empty-handed. But with the prince in her arms, her sisters were going to flip.
Finally, they had the leverage they needed.
Chapter Five
Dazzling sunlight shone down on the prince of darkness and forced him from his deep slumber. He swatted at the interference, cursing Rodrigo’s incessant need to awaken him by pulling the drapes in his room. Despite the magical ring around his finger that allowed him to walk in the sunlight without burning to ashes, Leo still didn’t like daylight. It was an innate feeling ground into him since his undead rebirth. A craving for the dark.
When it was clear that Rodrigo wasn’t going to submit, Leo slowly opened his eyes. Something wasn’t right. Gone was his bed canopy, the dark wooden accents of his room, and most importantly of all, the ceiling. Instead, bright blue sky hung above him. He shook his head in confusion, wondering what midnight activity could’ve left him passed out under the stars.