His hook touched her hand, an inky well of black stared deep inside her. “Calm yourself, Trishelle. You will be fine.”
There was no more talking after that. The mermaids pushed the doors open and a ridiculously long entranceway greeted them. A teal runner led to a set of stairs that led to a dais and upon that sat two thrones.
On the thrones were two of them. Both shining like the sun was bursting through their skin. Everything about them was bronze, from their tails, to the hairs on their heads. Even their eyes were the color of liquid amber.
But unlike the maids she’d seen outside, one of them wasn’t a woman. One of them was a man and he was massive. His shoulders were broad, his chest and abs ripped. Crowns rested on their heads. And when she looked hard enough, she could swear something moved on it. The closer she got, the more she realized she was right. Hermit crabs with shells of gold scuttled along his, on hers swam golden, miniature seahorses.
Their faces were nearly identical, but rather than making him look feminine and her masculine, it looked just right. Chiseled cheeks, sharp noses, and well-defined jaws. Her heart beat a furious tempo in her chest, it was not fair how hot they both were. Made her usual confidence flag.
“The Royal Majesties,” one of the mermaids they’d been following announced in a large booming voice, “Sirenade and Sircco.”
The blare of conch shells sounded and she trembled under the intimidating noise. Neither moved, simply continued to gaze at them.
Hook broke away from her, taking a step forward. “Sirenade,” he said in that gravelly voice of his, “I thank you for seeing us today.”
Alien-like eyes looked him up and down, and when she spoke goose bumps broke out on the back of Trisha’s neck. Her voice was delicate, but strong, ringing with the echo of power behind it.
“Welcome to Seren, Prince of Thieves.”
Trisha released a tiny breath, but she wasn’t completely relieved. The merman was staring at her, he hadn’t blinked since the moment she’d entered the throne room.
True, the man was smokin’, but the intensity of his gaze was beginning to make her very uncomfortable.
“Who is that?” Sirenade peered at her with intense eyes. “And why have you brought her to our realm?”
Swallowing hard, feeling stupidly scared, Trisha tried to remember not to fidget. Hook didn’t look back at her, but she saw his shoulders bunch.
“Sister,” Sircco spoke up and she couldn’t help the shiver that arced down her spine, “is there not something…about her?”
“Is there?” she asked in that dulcet voice of hers, before looking.
A long pause stretched between them before she cocked her head. The tiny seahorses in her crown began swimming faster.
“I wonder,” she said, then rising from her throne, swam slowly toward Trisha.
Her breasts were bare, as were the rest of the mermaids she’d seen. But it didn’t feel sexual, the maids didn’t seem to think one way or another about their nudity, the way they curtained their breasts with their hair was almost a covering. Sirenade didn’t stop until they were little more than an inch apart.
Raising a hand, she cupped Trisha’s face with a claw like fingers. The only part of her body that wasn’t bronze were her nails, they were black and sharp and long as daggers. And when Trisha looked into her eyes, it was like falling off a cliff, or staring into eternity.
Within the amber gaze rolled an endless expanse of water.
Trembling, mouth agape, Trisha lost all her words. All she could think, see, was the water and she wanted to drown in it.
Rose bud lips quirked. “I see you, little sister.”
Trisha blinked herself back into reality as a claw caressed the side of her face. Then she turned to Hook and smiled broadly. “You’ve brought her back. How did you manage to—”
He shook his head. “Forgive me, Queen. I did not bring her back for good. She lives in the Earthly realm now. She is but a visitor in this land and cannot stay.”
Turning back to Trisha, she blinked at her. “Are you sure?”
Trisha didn’t think she was asking the question of Hook. She had zero idea what was going on, but could guess. Yet another person thought she was Talia. It was beginning to feel like nobody really wanted her around, more like they wanted whatever they thought was trapped inside her. She frowned and gently pried her face away.
“He’s right, I can’t stay. A fairy told me I only have three days. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Inclining her head, Sirenade dropped her hand. “The realm is open to you both.” Then stretching out her hand toward Hook, she pulled him into her.
Hook didn’t fight Sirenade, not when she wrapped her arms around his neck, not when she pulled his face toward hers, and not when she crushed her mouth to his.
Then a strong pair of hands clamped onto Trish’s arms and pulled her into an equally large chest. It was Sircco. His touch was gentle, tender even. Large hands trailed up her neck, then cupped her cheeks.