might breathe in the under as he does.”
“And if they don’t?” She shivered, hugging her arms to her chest.
“Then it’s Davy Jones’ Locker for us.” He smiled, patting her shoulder gently when he noticed the fluttering beat of her pulse in the side of her neck. “They’ve known for some time we’re coming, if they’d truly not wanted us we’d have died during our passage here. Do not worry, Trishelle, you will be fine.”
“Captain,” Smee’s voice interrupted them.
“Aye?” He looked at his first mate, who was now scrubbed and wearing fresh clothing. His men knew the maidens would play so long as they presented a pretty face; the maids had a weakness for anything shiny.
“We are here.”
Chapter 9
Trisha hadn’t known what to expect, but not this. This place went beyond imagining, and after everything she’d already seen, how was that even possible?
The floors were made of gleaming marble with flecks of silver and bronze throughout, the walls of hammered gold. Crystal hung from the ceilings and fronds of green swayed and danced. Massive towering stems with equally large jeweled petals blossomed as they passed. Tiny puffs of gold rained down on them from the pistils. She wished she could inhale its fragrance, but Hook had explained so long as they walked inside the pocket of air they’d be unable to smell anything. When they’d disembarked a piece of the ship’s bubble had attached itself to them.
It carried just enough air for thirty minutes, which meant they wouldn’t have a chance in hell of breaking surface if the king denied his magic.
This place was beautiful, but so potentially deadly she couldn’t enjoy it. Her knees knocked the closer she got to the gigantic, pearl doors.
Two mermaids swam before them, their white tails swishing back and forth as they gracefully moved ahead. Trisha couldn’t get over what she was seeing. She’d read the Little Mermaid, watched the movie and always thought how cool it would be to actually meet one someday.
But to actually see it in person—totally different. It was almost macabre to see skin give way to scales. As pretty as they all were, it didn’t make it any less strange.
And the women, they were all breathtaking. It wasn’t hard to see why Hook had fallen for one; they had an ethereal quality about them that beguiled the same way their song had earlier. Grabbing a corner of her dress, she began to fidget as images of her gasping for breath and her face contorting into a horrible, ugly mask slammed into her thoughts.
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
“And if they don’t?” She shivered, hugging her arms to her chest.
“Then it’s Davy Jones’ Locker for us.” He smiled, patting her shoulder gently when he noticed the fluttering beat of her pulse in the side of her neck. “They’ve known for some time we’re coming, if they’d truly not wanted us we’d have died during our passage here. Do not worry, Trishelle, you will be fine.”
“Captain,” Smee’s voice interrupted them.
“Aye?” He looked at his first mate, who was now scrubbed and wearing fresh clothing. His men knew the maidens would play so long as they presented a pretty face; the maids had a weakness for anything shiny.
“We are here.”
Chapter 9
Trisha hadn’t known what to expect, but not this. This place went beyond imagining, and after everything she’d already seen, how was that even possible?
The floors were made of gleaming marble with flecks of silver and bronze throughout, the walls of hammered gold. Crystal hung from the ceilings and fronds of green swayed and danced. Massive towering stems with equally large jeweled petals blossomed as they passed. Tiny puffs of gold rained down on them from the pistils. She wished she could inhale its fragrance, but Hook had explained so long as they walked inside the pocket of air they’d be unable to smell anything. When they’d disembarked a piece of the ship’s bubble had attached itself to them.
It carried just enough air for thirty minutes, which meant they wouldn’t have a chance in hell of breaking surface if the king denied his magic.
This place was beautiful, but so potentially deadly she couldn’t enjoy it. Her knees knocked the closer she got to the gigantic, pearl doors.
Two mermaids swam before them, their white tails swishing back and forth as they gracefully moved ahead. Trisha couldn’t get over what she was seeing. She’d read the Little Mermaid, watched the movie and always thought how cool it would be to actually meet one someday.
But to actually see it in person—totally different. It was almost macabre to see skin give way to scales. As pretty as they all were, it didn’t make it any less strange.
And the women, they were all breathtaking. It wasn’t hard to see why Hook had fallen for one; they had an ethereal quality about them that beguiled the same way their song had earlier. Grabbing a corner of her dress, she began to fidget as images of her gasping for breath and her face contorting into a horrible, ugly mask slammed into her thoughts.
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
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