Free Riptide by Erica Cope Page A

Elissa's. “We are on our way to the castle. I'm sure they will be able to help you.”
              The three of us swam on toward Kestia, chatting and getting to know our new friend. Elissa was a modest thing, very gentle and soft-spoken. I liked her immensely and vowed to help her find her way home.
              When we entered the castle, we were met with cheerful greetings all around. Harmonia and I were well known in Kestia anyway, but today was a special day. Everyone knew that today would be the day that the betrothal would be made official. In one moon cycle, Harmonia and Merrick would be officially united and Kestia would have a new king and queen.
              We entered the rectangular throne room where Merrick was with his father, who would very soon hand over the gleaming trident in his hands to his son. The trident would grant Merrick the divine right to reign over the Southern seas.
              When Merrick saw our arrival, his eyes lit up, but he wasn't looking at Harmonia, something she quickly noticed. His focus was entirely on Elissa, as was hers on him. I think the castle could have collapsed around them and it still wouldn't have been enough to break the trance the two of them seemed to be under.
              “Hello, Merrick,” Harmonia said, waving her arms around in an attempt to catch his attention.
              “Hello,” he half-heartedly greeted her, never lifting his stormy gray eyes away from Elissa's bright green ones. “Who are you?”
              “I'm Elissa,” she spoke softly, as she lowered her head, respectfully submissive.
              “She's a bit confused,” Harmonia interrupted the exchange. “I found her swimming around aimlessly. She claims that she doesn't know how she got here or why she's here.”
              Merrick, in a sympathetic gesture, placed his hand on Elissa's shoulder, and in that moment, everything changed. There was a noticeable shift of tension when, at the exact moment Merrick made physical contact with Elissa, identical blue marks appeared on both Elissa and Merrick's forearms.
              Bondmarks.
              “Wha—?” Elissa stared down at her arm in disbelief.
              “So that's why,” Merrick murmured, gazing affectionately down at Elissa. “I never thought this would happen.”
              “Nor did I,” Elissa whispered softly. “But it explains so much—”
              “All this time, I felt like I was looking for something but I guess I was really looking for someone . You.” Merrick held Elissa's hand in his own.
              “The pull—that is what brought me here,” Elissa explained. She had traveled thousands of miles because of the pull of the bondmark. I couldn't understand how something could be so strong.
              There was more to their exchange but I missed the rest of it, because all I could see was the crestfallen expression on my sister's face as she backed slowly away from Merrick and Elissa.
              “No, no, no, no, no.” She muttered rather darkly. Her face blanched. “That cannot be.”
              “Harmonia? Are you okay?” I realized the moment the words came out of my mouth that of course she wasn't. How could she be? In such a short time span, she went from being the future Queen of Kestia to nothing at all as the bondmarks were more binding than any contract. Merrick and Elissa were soul mates. They were destined to be together.
              It was a rare occurrence for bondmates to find each other, and when they did it was cause for great celebration. Though the look on Harmonia's face at that moment was anything but happy. I knew at once that she was slipping farther and farther into the