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She wished she could say that had never happened But then, Lanthe liked her wine So where was Thronos?

With bleary eyes, she regarded the roo one wall, a waterfall cascaded; scenes from under the sea played across the surface, like a TV

Wait, was that Nereus crossing toward her?

Everything caed or bespelled!

"You’re inlike a kraken about to take his sacrifice As he stalked closer, his shaft swayed under his fila

"I ive hile sounded froold! Lanthe wasn’t atop a mattress; she was atop a collection of curvy Nereids They lay on their bellies, tightly nestled together

Did Nereus sleep on them? Make love atop the od had roofied her with "I need to get back to Thronos He’s going to be wondering where I a on her She backed away frolance out the round underwaterto her left: no help there She was about to turn frolass

Chills broke out on her skin as she scanned the depths A field of glittering geaze Her lips parted with shock

Like the rays of the sun, the gems radiated out from a femaleas shackled to an anchor at the botto black hair streamed across her naked body and floated above her head The strands were coated in phosphorescence, illu her pale, corpselike face, her haunted violet eyes

It was the queen of the Valkyrie, Furie, so naed Arch-Fury Ru, who’d cursed her to this existence, trapped alive underwater, hidden from her Valkyrie sisters and allies

As a Lorean, Furie would drown every fewforwater into her lungs

Lanthe had al

The Valkyrie locked eyes with her Furie’s violet gaze was filled with madness--but also blankness As if she couldn’t conited behind her--Furie’s unique fire wings splaying

Only to be extinguished

Lanthe had been wrong There was another sky-born here at the bottom of the ocean

Realization dawned As with the other realms, Nïx had wanted Lanthe here She was the planted spy, conducting Valkyrie recon

"Do you like my new acquisition?" Nereus asked, as if he’d just pointed out a vase "I found her along the ocean bed"

Lanthe turned to hied to say with Sabine’s coet back to Thronos"

"He’s occupied at the od’s ominous tone filled her with fear "Nereus, I don’t want this"

"Of course you do You think I cannot sense such a thing?"

"If you’ve sensed anything, it was my need for Thronos"

"A shahtened "What does that mean? I know he does He has for centuries"

"He’s with Nereids right now"

"That’s not possible"

"They’re seducing him as we speak For those centuries, how many times has he prayed to be free of the bonds of matehood? To collect his own sexual experiences, as you have? I’a

"Here in Sargasoe, matehood holds no sway The Nereids now exude your scent His body and instinct are as free as if he’d never met you"

So, physically Thronos could stray That didn’t mean he would In Feveris, he’d told her he would be true to her

Except Feveris wasn’t real You said so yourself, Lanthe Still"He won’t go through with it"

"No one has ever resisted theod didn’t understand; if there was any male out there ould prove loyal, it was Thronos He was upstanding, principled, and forthright Heto try to rehabilitate his evil brother, for gold’s sake!

Lanthe straightened her amblers She would bet on Thronos to be, well, Thronos "Care to er on that score?"

Nereus raised his red brows "I would If the Vrekener succuht with ly and lustily"

"And if he doesn’t?"

"I will release both of you, giving you use of Sargasoe’s portal to travel wherever you choose"

"Hoe know?" she asked

Nereus waved a hand, and a new scene played on the waterfall

Lanthe could see Thronos lying on a bed, much like the one in which she’d woken--with Nereids for ato

A dozen more nymphs loomed over him The sea-foam skirts they’d worn at the feast had disappeared Their made-for-sex bodies were completely unclothed, their eyes lambent with desire

Naked nymphs in obvious heat surrounded Lanthe’s male

This situation would be any itated "Where’s Melanthe?" In the face of such splendor, his first thought was of her

Because he’s mine

He pushed the Sogood

"I’ll take your bet," Lanthe told the god in a s tone

Nereus’s smile was unctuous "Then we have a pact, sorceress"

Yet before Thronos could reach the door, the nymphs fell upon his, his chest, his horns, their touch see to daze him "I just want to findit’s important to find her," he murmured

"Find us," they purred, as if with one voice "We desire you so deeply"

Over her shoulder, Lanthe snapped, "They’re bespelling hied "A worthy male, one who intends absolute fidelity, could shake off their spell Otherwise he’ll succumb, and once he does, he’ll never want to leave In fact, he’ll go into a e if separated from his harem"

Lanthe’s stomach lurched as the fe off his shirt on the way