Free Starving for Love by Nicole Zoltack Page B

king. "Now, now, hide your temper and be a good king." Her tone was mocking, and Kristian hated himself for admiring her audacity to talk to the ruler in such a fashion. "You know you can't touch me."
    "Accursed treaty," the king grumbled, the words almost unrecognizable.
    "Besides, my deals are binding. I take and I give. That's the way it works. Your girlie knew the terms before I worked my magic."
    "So make a deal with me," the king uttered in a low tone.
    Kristian's body quivered. If anyone should make a new deal, it should be him, not the king. Before he could come forward, the king gazed in his direction, and Kristian realized the king had allowed him to follow him. The king could have swum much faster and left Kristian behind with no choice but to return to the surface.
    Still not pleased with this turn of events, Kristian stayed where he was.
    "There's only one thing I want from you," Merlinasea snarled.
    "I know," the king said solemnly.
    The transformation from bitterness to elation on Merlinasea's face was instant. Kristian's stomach to churn. This could not be good.
    "Very well then. What do you want?" The glee in her voice echoed off the cave walls.
    "For you to spend one day in Castle Heroica, in its market, near its piers, near the town. One day and one night. That's all I ask."
    "And you'll step down as ruler?"
    "Yes." The king faced Kristian for a second. Despite his being in the water, Kristian could see the king's eyes become teary. King Tritonion whirled around toward the sea witch again. "When my daughter killed the zombie, she became so overcome with remorse that she returned to the water and died. Her death is on my hands. If she had only told me about… I could have…" He hung his head then raised it. "But no. I have no desire to rule anymore. Too much misery have I faced at the hands of the humans. I hope they give you as much misery, if not more, during your time above the waves."
    "I accept these terms," Merlinasea hissed. She cackled and touched the trident, caressing it. "This will soon be mine."
    King Tritonion jerked the trident away from her and instructed, "Today you will go to the town."
    "I'll go now," Merlinasea promised.
    They shook hands, and the king didn't look over at Kristian as he left.
    Kristian lingered behind in his hiding place as Merlinasea glided over to a vanity set. She rummaged through a drawer and removed and uncorked a purplish-red vial. A billow of orange smoke emerged and floated in the water, like an ink spot. When she swam into it, the orange flickered to black for a second before turning to yellow, and then a brilliant piercing white, which disappeared a moment later.
    Blinking against the light, Kristian expected Merlinasea to have vanished. In a way she had, because the half-female, half-squid was no longer in front of the mirror. Instead, an exquisite-looking human was there. Completely transformed, Merlinasea now had black eyes, a small nose, full lips. Every facial feature had been changed. Only one did Kristian recognize — Sirena's luscious hair.
    It angered him to see Merlinasea steal his beloved's locks, but he held himself in check as Merlinasea swam past him. He waited until he couldn't any longer, wanting to be certain the sea witch did not learn of his intrusion, and swam toward the shore as fast as he could. Kristian had to find Sirena. The king had done his part to save her. Now it was his turn.

Chapter Seventeen
    Something shifted in her mind and broke through the burning stomach pain, the unending hunger. Whatever it was, she didn't recognize it.
    Legs stiff and uncooperative, she stumbled out of the town. Her head felt as if it was being squeezed together, the pressure too much for her to handle. Collapsing onto the sand near the water, she gripped her head and let out a loud moan of frustration. If eating would take away this pain, she would eat a thousand people. She would do whatever it took. But somehow, she knew she wasn't just