Free A Pirate's Dream by Marie Hall

her you cannot. I am a male.”
    Giving him a cross-eyed stare that seemed to imply “exactly.” She huffed, “Sircco, for such an intelligent merman, you can be quite dense sometimes.”
    He growled and then his nostrils flared.
    She rubbed the bridge of her nose quickly. “You’re as surly as a hedgehog fish. My dear brother, has it never occurred to you that perhaps that would be exactly why you could reach her?”
    “Because I’m a male?” He screwed his face up, confused by her logic.
    “She is of breeding age, brother.”
    “I will not be breeding her.” He took two cautious flicks back, heart hammering violently in his chest when he thought of it.
    He’d seen a painting once that depicted the seduction of a mermaid by a legger. The way they spread their legs—he swallowed hard—it was unseemly.
    And yet when he thought of Nimue spreading hers, disgust was not the first noun that came to mind.
    Sirenade laughed. “Nor am I asking you to. Befriend her, Sircco. It costs you nothing. You hate her because of who she is, not what she is.”
    His eyes narrowed.
    “Get cranky with me all you’d like, you big dragon of a fish, but you know it’s true. She is Hook’s daughter, and though there is peace between us, you’ve never quite managed to forgive him for taking Talia from you.”
    “I am over Talia.”
    And it was true—he was. But perhaps his sister was right. Though he no longer felt the depressive love he’d had for her, his pride had been wounded.
    He was a king, and she’d chosen a legger instead.
    “Good.” She flicked at his chest. “That is very good. Now please, for the sake of my sanity, try to make peace between you two. She will be living with us for the next five and a half months, and I’d rather not feel like I need to swim on eggshells around you two.”
    Huffing, he cast a quick glance out the window. The sun had set, and Nimue was gone.
    Clenching his molars, he made to head toward the banquet hall, but Sirenade said in a loud stage whisper, “And for the Goddess’s sake, let Stygia know she should be spending her nights elsewhere from now on. I’ve reached my tolerance for simpering.”
    Not turning, he gave a brisk nod and went to get settled for the evening’s repast.
    He was just about to enter the dining hall when he smelled sea bells. Hearing his sister’s words echo in his ears, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned around.
    She stood like a frightened deer fish before him. Her blue eyes wide, she clutched onto her skirt. Blood had risen high on her cheeks, giving her dewy skin an almost luminescent quality.
    “Nimue.” He tasted her name.
    Every time he said it, he always tasted it. Pulse going mad in his throat, he executed an awkward bow then held out his hand.
    A soft frown kissed her brows. Such delicate, fine boned brows, she had.
    “Sircco,” she said, startled.
    He hated to see the uneasy wariness in her eyes.
    “I, um...” She blinked, as though unsure what to say.
    Reaching his capacity for words, he grunted. “Take my arm. I’ll escort you to your seat.”
    And when she took it, he refused to analyze what the tremble through his flesh could mean.

Chapter 6
    S he was all too aware of the merman swimming regally beside her as he led her around the long table to her seat. Or so she’d thought. Instead of placing her several chairs down from him, he sat her to his left.
    She felt as though she might vomit. Confused and not just a little dizzy, she took a seat. She thought she may have mumbled a thank you, but her memory was a little sketchy on that part.
    She didn’t get a chance to ask him what he was doing because soon after, the hall filled with merfolk who were ready to eat. And it might have been pleasant had it not been for the fact that Stygia sat directly across from her and was glaring openly.
    A mermaid with bright-lavender hair and intense eyes so blue they were nearly white, General So and So—Sirenade had introduced them once, but Nimue