The luscious, enticing, brilliant woman sitting beside Kadir listened to his command for the second time with complete shock.

Had he used incorrect words? His English had atrophied in the jail, locked away from all interaction in solitary isolation, and he had labored to catch up with his studies on the journey to the shore.

If she did not understand his words, it was time to take more decisive action.

He shifted forward to claim her lips with his kiss.

Her lashes fluttered wide. She held up their joined hands to stop him. “Me?”

“You.” He pressed kisses to her slender fingers. The chunky jewels that adorned them. “Are mine.”

She took a deep breath. Her chest swelled beneath the thin shirt. Her soul light shone in her chest brighter than a volcano, brighter than a sun. Brighter than any other female in the pageant. Brighter, even, than the female known as Aya.

A distant chime, like the holy music of the Life Tree, tinkled across his consciousness.

Elyssa was his queen. The queen Atlantis needed. Destined to unite his warriors, crush the city’s enemies, and lead their race to peace.

Then, her soul light fell dark. Shocking, like snuffing out all hope. “You don’t mean me.”

Hmm. How could he select a woman whose soul light fell so dark? But he had. And if his survival up to now had taught him anything, it was to trust his gut and act without hesitation.

“I do.”

“But I’m not even a contestant.”

“That is not my concern. You will join with me and carry my young fry.”

“That’s just not possible.”

Behind him, the other warriors shifted in shock. They had also expected him to select Aya.

Kadir had spent the past several hours at this pageant debating women with his fellow warriors. Who best embodied the traits of their long-lost queens? It was a mystery.

A thousand years ago, a great catastrophe destroyed mer-human relations and drove mermen deep into the oceans. Mermaid queens, who were once as plentiful in cities as mer warriors, died out. Now, only sons were born.

The thousand-year-old covenant with the sacred islands saved his race from extinction. The islanders promised not to hunt the mermen or speak of their existence. They sent one bride every year to join with a worthy warrior in exchange for a mating jewel, which modern humans called Sea Opals.

When the sacred islands had been numerous across the oceans, many young fry sons had been born every year in each city, and the mer had maintained their populations. They had not prospered, but they had survived. But now, many sacred islands were empty. Some cities received only one bride a year. Some had received no brides for a decade.

Hiding in the ocean and clinging to the old covenant was killing them. They had to seek modern women for brides. Now.

His treasonous vision had incited riots in the cities and landed him in the prison of the great, ruling All-Council. But it had also convinced a warlord to break his city’s covenant and marry a modern woman. After the existence of mermen was revealed to all, a small army of warriors rebelled from their home cities and freed Kadir.

Kadir’s Life Tree seed was planted in the shadow of the wrecked mer-human city of ancient times, Atlantis. His seed grew into a sapling, founding their new city and crowning him king.

Someday, they would raise the ancient city again. Mer and humans would mingle freely at the surface. Queens would once more flourish beneath the waves, and their race would thrive.

Starting today. His final vision was about to come true.

Their arrival at the crowded South Miami beach according to the instructions of the underwater broadcast had been nothing short of world shattering. Because fewer than one sacred island bride arrived in most of their cities every year, neither Kadir nor his warriors realized so many women existed. And a hundred were gathered in one auditorium to compete to become his queen? It was difficult to grasp.

The pageant’s selection process was also difficult. In the past, the sacred islands provided one bride and the merman city elders pre-selected the worthiest warrior to receive her. It was all decided long before the participants ever met.

Here, Kadir was supposed to meet everyone and choose by himself. On their arrival at the auditorium, the organizer of the pageant, bright bride Aya, had explained.

“Written statements of the hundred contestants’ skills and qualifications will be read while they model evening gowns. You will select the top twenty-five to change into swimsuits for a second round, and then narrow it to nine who will perform a swimming demonstration. From that, you select a final three and then choose your bride. Does this sound acceptable?”

“No,” he said.

She blinked in shock. “No?”

“Show me all your brides now. I will select the one who is most resonant.”

Her shapely brows had drawn into a frown. “Without knowing anything about their qualifications? Or goals? Or—”

“Only resonance is necessary.”

So, with a nervous glance at the television cameras recording their conversation, she had led him down to the stage. He had met all the brides. Despite the unfathomable abundance of females, not one had filled him with certainty that she was most resonant. In the end, he had acquiesced to bride Aya’s original plan and forced his warriors to select the brightest twenty-five, then the brightest nine.

Perhaps the problem was his health. He was still in a poor shape to take a bride. The humans must have noticed his thin arms, atrophied legs, and sunken chest. Were they counting the rib marks from his near starvation, or noting the scars of the beatings marring his tattoos? Nevertheless, they offered themselves to him as if they didn’t see his weakness. It was very strange.

Many of these hundred contestants would make fine queens, but which was best for his queen? His queen must be confident. Radiant. She must shine her inner light and uplift all who looked upon her.

The instant he saw this Elyssa cowering behind the purple curtain, he knew. Finally. She was the one.

If Soren hadn’t been swimming in the tank, Kadir could have simply carried Elyssa out of the pageant to the waiting vehicles. She would have understood her situation on her way back to Atlantis.

She was his.

But he had to acknowledge his physical state. She might question his ability to care for her. “Is my choice unwelcome?”

“No!” She laughed and shook her head. “No, but I mean, I’m no one. They’re amazing.” She pointed at the stage. “They’re all…uh…they’re….”

“Not you.”

“No.” She bit her lip, teasing him with the desire to bite it also. “I didn’t prepare for this. I didn’t even attend Lucy’s mermaid bride training.”

“I, too, did not attend a training.” He squeezed her small hand. “We will learn together.”

Her smile crept back onto her face. She shook her head as though to chase it away. “Me? As a mermaid queen?” Her light began to shine once more. “Really?”

Now she believed.

He pressed forward to seal their agreement with a kiss.

The lights rose abruptly in their section.

“Excuse me.” The leader of Van Cartier Cosmetics, Chastity Angel, strode up the center aisle. She dressed all in cream, and her hair was white. Her face was bloodless like the dead. “Elyssa? Get over here. Right now.”

Elyssa stuttered. “Auntie. Uh, I was just, uh….”

Chastity Angel’s brow rose.

“Um.” Elyssa pulled free and stood. Her soft eyes apologized to Kadir. “I’ll be right back.” She limped unevenly after Chastity Angel.

They were gone for too long.

Kadir rose.

His warriors rose also.

He followed.

Chastity Angel had corned Elyssa on the other side of their privacy wall. She was speaking in short, hard sentences. “… And on top of all that, you’re also interrupting the pageant.”

Elyssa hugged her elbows. “I just told you. It was an accident.”

“Your ‘accidents’ have a way of turning into crises.”

“Aya—”

“You’ve done enough to ruin Aya’s life today.”

Elyssa’s light dimmed.

Kadir stepped forward. “Stop.”

Elyssa startled.

Chastity Angel jerked up. Her narrow jaw clenched. “King Kadir. Elyssa apologizes for any offense she may have caused. She’s leaving now.”

The mer were leaving as well. “Good.”

Elyssa’s cheeks reddened. Her eyes filled with tears.

Did she still wish to watch her cousin? They had stayed as long as possible at her request.

“Return us to the seashore. We leave for Atlantis now.”

“Now wait.” Chastity Angel’s steely eyes took in the assembled warriors. “King Kadir. I won’t allow my step-niece to ruin a mutually beneficial contract.”

“She has ruined nothing.” He focused on Elyssa. “She will become my queen.”

Chastity Angel’s eyes flew wide. “That’s…well. What I meant to say was, I’m so glad my step-niece could entertain you. But you can’t honestly intend to crown a woman who trips over her own feet.”

Elyssa flinched.

He growled low in his throat.

“Excuse me.” Chastity Angel touched the Sea Opal at her throat. What male had given her this mating jewel? Kadir had heard humans wore them for jewelry rather than utilizing their healing qualities, but the pearly iridescence looked out of place on the dark-souled woman. “Elyssa is a fine person within her abilities. We all know ruling a kingdom is outside them.”

Elyssa stared at the floor.

She acted as timid as a young warrior in the old cities. Crushed down by a leader who cursed her. Forced to obey or face deadly consequences.

In Atlantis, Kadir abolished the old ways. Warriors were free to choose their own fates. Who to follow and who to lead. Soon, who to claim and who wished to be claimed.

Behind them, Soren strode up the aisle. Aya was only a few steps behind him.

Aya shone a clean, bright light from her narrow chest. She glowed with determination, and would certainly make a powerful queen. More powerful, perhaps, than Elyssa. Aya was the correct choice based only on the brightness of her soul star.

But Elyssa had a gentle, golden warmth hiding inside her. Her soft skin had caressed his harder palms, and he wanted to draw her body into his arms and seal their promise with a kiss. Suck her lush, pink lips into his mouth and tease her with little bites, nibbling at her jaw and down her neck to the collar. Palm her small globes while his hard cock found her damp cleft and he surged into her, sharing the physical connection he craved until her soul shone brilliantly once more.

His warriors assembled. They were ready to leave.

“Accept my claim,” he ordered Elyssa. If she had been beaten down, like some of his ragged-but-hopeful warriors, then he would teach her freedom once she joined with him in Atlantis. “You are mine.”

Elyssa’s light flared. She looked up. She would say yes.

Then, she saw Aya.

Aya’s determined gaze focused on Elyssa. They seemed to be silently communicating.

Elyssa jerked her gaze away and bit her lip. Her soul dimmed. “Thank you for this opportunity, Kadir. I wanted to meet you more than anything. I’m sorry we got carried away.”

Carried away? He should have carried her straight out to the sea without stopping.

Chastity Angel tapped her heel. “The rules of our agreement are simple. One shipment of Sea Opals for the provision and support of one ‘bride’ from among our contestants. Choose again.”

“I will not.”

He felt Elyssa’s desire. If she were unwilling, he would conference with his warriors.

The king always took the first bride. But Kadir’s vision must come true. They could not leave Miami without a bride. If his rejected him, another warrior must select the first bride. No matter how his warriors protested, this would be another tradition Kadir destroyed if he had to.

Perhaps Elyssa rejected him because he was not fully recovered. The long imprisonment had taken too much of his strength. She did not trust his capabilities.

His jaw clenched.

Whatever the reason, they had wasted too much time. Atlantis was not well defended. Every hour he prolonged the selection process was another hour that his sapling might be attacked or his rebel warriors might be kidnapped and forcefully returned to their home cities. Or, since their own traditions were not well-established, his warriors might fight amongst themselves and tear down the very city they were supposed to build.

He moved to the auditorium doors. “If Elyssa does not join with me as my bride, I return to Atlantis alone.”