Page 9 of Entangled

He quickly pulled back, afraid if he kissed her again, he would lose control. Being a king, he couldn’t let that happen. To do that would make him weak and vulnerable. He couldn’t have that at all.

“Tell me what I want to know or you’ll never get this back,” he said in a half whisper. He taunted her by dangling the shell in front of her face since he knew now that she couldn’t touch it unless he gave it to her.

“I don’t want to tell you.” She squeezed her eyes shut. He saw the struggle on her face. She wanted to tell him but didn’t want him to know, all at the same time.

“Do it!” he commanded, causing her to jerk. Her eyes sprang open, interlocking with his. Neither of them seemed able to look away even if they had wanted to.

“All right. I’ll tell you,” she said softly, releasing a deep sigh. “That is my personal shell charm that holds all my desires, emotions and…wanton pleasures.” When she said the latter, her voice dripped with lust if he wasn’t mistaken. “It is meant to help a sea nymph keep in control. Especially since sea nymphs have a huge sexual appetite that can get out of control easily.”

“Oh!” This time it was he whose body jerked. He almost dropped the damned shell when he heard her say that. Thinking about sea nymphs and sexual pleasures all at once was making him grow hard already.

She continued. “If a human takes an undine’s personal shell charm, that human holds control over the undine, able to make her do whatever he wants.”

“Whatever he wants,” Sebastian repeated softly, his eyes drifting from her to the shell in his hand. Oh, this was all too tempting. “Forever?” he asked, curiously.

“Until the object is freely given back to them.”

“Is that so?” He chuckled and took a drink of wine, liking the position he found himself in. After all, it wasn’t every day a man could control the sexual desires of a sea nymph. “Hmm, this is interesting. Very interesting indeed.” He cleared his throat, thinking how much fun he could have with this. “So, do sea nymphs have magical powers?”

“Nay. Not really. Besides a tail or legs emerging, that is.” She said the words but since he was holding the shell that controlled her, he could tell she was lying. She had some kind of power but wasn’t telling him about it. He wanted to know more, but his erection was getting uncomfortable. He decided not to press her about it right now. After all, he held all the power now that he had her personal shell charm. He could find out whatever he wanted to know later. Being a king, Sebastian craved as much power as he could possibly get, even if it was only power over a nymph of the sea.

“Have some wine,” he said, handing her the goblet.

“Nay, I don’t want any.”

He rubbed his thumb over the charm. “Have some wine, I say.”

Her head slowly lifted and those plump lips parted seductively. “Of course, my king. Whatever you want me to do,” she said, taking the goblet from him. She drank down the wine in three gulps and handed the cup back to him. “Did that please you?” she asked him.

“Well, nay. I mean, not exactly.” He played with the goblet, looking into the depth of the empty cup. He’d just controlled her, but for some reason it didn’t make him feel as good as he thought it would. Something about it just didn’t feel right. Sebastian couldn’t understand it. Since when did power and control feel wrong? This is everything a king craved. It should have made him happy. He needed to get away from this girl and come back when he had a clear head.

“Where are you going?” she asked him as he headed for the door. “And why haven’t you given me back my shell charm yet?”

“I need to decide what to do with you.” He looked down to the shell charm in his hand, feeling confused and conflicted. Then he closed his fingers over it instead of giving it back to her. “I believe I’ll hold on to this for now.” His eyes sought her out and then his gaze returned to the undine’s most precious possession, now in the palm of his hand.

“Nay. Please. Just put me back in the sea where I and my sisters belong.” Her voice was frantic. She was begging.

He looked back at her once again. “Your sisters?” He raised a brow. “So, there are more of you then?”

She gasped and her hand covered her mouth but slowly dropped to her side. “I mean me. I meant just me.” Her cheeks were red and he knew the effects of drinking the wine so fast must have made her careless with her words. She’d slipped up and told him one of her secrets.

“You asked about your sisters on the ship as well. Tell me about them.”

“There’s no getting anything past you, my mighty king, is there?” She sounded angry now. Merrow reached over and picked up her goblet from the table and downed that entire cup of wine as well, banging it back down when it was empty.

“You had sisters that came through the portal with you, didn’t you?” Sebastian took two steps back into the center of the room. “There are more of you here. That is what you’re worried about. You don’t want me to find them. That is why you asked me if we had more than one net on the ship. Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” She was acting cocky again and he didn’t like that. He was a king and all his subjects needed to treat him with respect. He didn’t tolerate lying.

He held up the shell in his hand and rubbed it hard, purposely showing her that she could no longer keep the truth from him. “I want to know everything, you little devious sea nymph. Tell me now. Did your sisters come through the portal with you or not?”

She looked at him with hooded eyes, slowly getting up off the bed and making her way toward him as if she were a predator stalking her prey. “Yes, my lord, that is correct. I had two sisters come through the portal with me and I will do anything to find and protect them,” she told him in a monotone voice. It almost didn’t even sound like her. Perhaps it was because she was telling him against her will. Mayhap he’d rubbed the charm too much or too hard.

Merrow gripped him by the front of his tunic and pulled him to her, slamming her lips up against his. She kissed him, bit at his lips, and her hands wandered over his body. She ripped open his tunic, her fingers gliding over his chest and biceps. Her fingers dug into his muscles, and then her nails scratched his skin. He meant to pull away, but she just kept on going. Her hands were at his belt, her fingers gliding over his clothes, causing his manhood to become even more erect. Dammit, he was so excited! He realized he had brought this on by rubbing her charm. He also realized that he really liked it. Damn, now she was controlling him. He couldn’t have that. There was no way he was about to let her control his sexual urges even if that is all he could think about at the moment.

“Nay. Stop!” He pushed her away from him, releasing a deep breath.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, batting her long, curvy lashes. “Isn’t that what you wanted when you rubbed my shell charm so hard that it almost broke? And if you say no to me right now, I will know you are lying. We both see the proof.” Her gaze slowly raked down every inch of his body, stopping at his protruding form sticking out from beneath his breeches.

“This is over. For now,” he told her. “Now stay here. I am locking you in the room for your own protection.”

“Give me my shell charm and I’ll leave here on my own accord. I promise you will never have to see me again.”

Sebastian never felt as confused as he did right now. He should have probably just given her the damned charm, but stubbornness made him cling to it even tighter now.

“I think not, my little mermaid. And don’t try to control me again, because I’m a king and you will never succeed. I am much too wise and strong and powerful to fall for your little games. Ever.”

He turned and left the room. When he was locking the door from the other side, he swore he heard her talking to herself inside the room. It was just a mumble, but it sounded to him as if she said, “We’ll see how wise and strong you are when my father finds out what you’ve done.”