Tempted by the Forbidden Mate, page 1
TEMPTED BY THE FORBIDDEN MATE
ELLIE POND
Copyright © 2023 by Ellie Pond
All rights reserved.
Ebook Cover design by Natasha Designs
Paperback Cover design by Natasha Designs
Developmental Editing: The Word Faery
Line edits by Lori Diederich
Proofreading by SB Edits
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: TEMPTED BY THE FORBIDDEN MATE
Betrayals, dark passions, and a trial that could change everything
In the shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, Annabelle finds herself torn between love and destiny. While she yearns for the familiarity of Boston, her heart is ensnared by not one, but two men who claim it as their own.
Nico, falsely accused and facing a perilous trial, is sentenced to the treacherous chasm. His task? To retrieve a mythical trident and prove his innocence. But the depths of the chasm hold more than just a trident, and Nico's journey will test him in ways he never imagined.
Back in the city, a lavish ball introduces Annabelle to the enigmatic Eros. With a charm that's hard to resist and a gift for the books she treasures, he might just be the key to the answers she seeks. But every gift comes with a price.
Holter, ever the protector, sees the strings of fate tangling around Annabelle. With time running out and threats lurking in every corner, a desperate decision could be their only hope.
From the glittering balls of the elite to the hidden cameras watching every move, secrets will unravel, and loyalties will be tested. Dive into a whirlwind of romance, mystery, and danger in a world where the line between love and sacrifice blurs.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Also by Ellie Pond
Also by Ellie Pond
About the Author
Acknowledgments
1
Annabelle
There’s yelling coming from down the hall, the docking auditorium, and each step on the marble floor clicks. Acid rages in my veins, burning in the back of my throat. I don’t want to go back to the ship or the docking auditorium. I quickly glance over my shoulder at where I left Nico. Pulled away from me for bringing me here. For mating me. The hallway is empty, of course. The guards took him through the other door. There’s only one way to go, toward the commotion. Around the corner, Castor stands in front of the closed door. His golden brocade suit makes him appear royal.
“Annabelle. Come.” He reaches his hand out to me.
I swallow hard against my tight throat. But I give him my hand, and he places his over the top of mine. The noise swells in the room, and I swear I hear someone say my name.
“They don’t deserve your attention. Pay no heed. Nico should have been more forthright about his arrest.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nod my head anyway.
“Right, well, I’ll smack him around a bit when I see him. Remind him that a mated male doesn’t leave his mermaid out, big things like that. That’s not how pods behave.”
“I don’t have a pod.” I’m keeping the tears at bay. I’ve had lots of practice. Nothing got my uncle going more than seeing tears on any of us.
“Two people are the start of a pod.” He pats my hand and, with his other, opens the massive door. “Don’t look at any of them.” With a straight back, he guides us into the room.
“Where are you taking me?” I whisper. The crowd has thinned out, but there are plenty still standing around talking, holding goblets of a clear liquid.
“To my mother’s apartment. But first I’m taking you to the main Glyden Dome. It’s something you really have to see.” He gives my hand a squeeze and opens the door.
I crane my head around the room. “Holter,” I whisper to Castor.
“He’s on a mission to find Alder. It’s weird he didn’t show up,” Castor whispers and maneuvers us through the room.
As hard as I try not to look at the surrounding crowd, it’s hard not to. They’re staring. Did they know I had to come back through this door? Even thinned, there’s still a massive amount of people, both on the upper level and in the area around the golden pathway. They have champagne flutes in hand, and there are servers roaming the hall with trays of food. None of the food is recognizable to me. The weight of everything during the ceremony kept me from looking around at my surroundings. This room is larger than a hockey arena, beyond huge.
Three tiers, and each section has a different color scheme to match the domes. The colors are consistent with the stripes on the crewmen’s uniforms. But the seats are empty now. A few are still gathered at the edge of the balcony. Over and over again, a woman is surrounded by lots of guys. The railings shine with gold. The whole room is over the top, including several massive chandeliers. I’m gawking, I know it, and Castor gives me a hurry-up nod.
“Castor.” A man dressed in head-to-toe gray steps in front of him.
“Robertos.” Castor inclines his head and then steps us around the male.
“Drakos. I’m going to need to talk to you.”
“I understand.” Castor stops. “I would like to take Nico’s mate to my mother’s apartment. She’s going to be under her care.”
“And not your care?” Robertos’s eyebrows dart up.
Castor makes a noise in his throat. “That’s what I said. Nico is my best friend, and Annabelle is his mate. I’m taking her to the main Drakos penthouse. She’ll stay in my sister Kai’s old suite until Nico and her get a pod apartment of their own.” He turns to go.
“After Kai, she’s now the highest-ranking female in the dome. And as far as Arabel—”
Castor cuts Robertos off. “Annabelle.”
“As far as Nico’s mate goes, she’s going to need a new pod. There are lots of eligible mermen in Permula who would love to make a new pod with her. You would be able to watch her closely. With a newfound alliance between Glyden and Permula, my son could bridge the gap. And my daughter could help you in your bid to be king.”
I want him to tell the guy to take his daughter and shove her where the sun doesn’t shine. But Castor makes that noise again and nods, his face devoid of emotion. “We need to go.” I’m not sure who he’s telling it to, Robertos or me. Either way, his hand is on my arm again, and we move out at a more reasonable pace.
We’re heading for the back wall but not before I catch the eye of Ophelia, Castor’s mother. She smiles, and I try to take it as a good sign.
The room is as deep as it is long, and as the clear glass window of the docking platform reflects back the massive Centauri, the far wall has to be at least two hundred yards or more. One hundred and seventeen smoots—gad, I’m a geek. Better to occupy my brain with odd measurement conversions than picking my nails. It’s strange to feel like I’m suffocating in a space bigger than a stadium. I’m gripping Castor’s jacket so hard I know I’m making it wrinkle, but I can’t help it. My nails are sinking into the fabric. I want to go back there and tell Robertos what I think of him and his children. But my comebacks always come too late.
A server with bright blue eyes darts to Castor’s side. “Kelp wine for you, Mr. Drakos?” She flashes her eyes over me. “Arabel Portsmouth.”
“It’s Annabelle. And now we are leaving,” Castor growls at the server.
“Thank you,” I say over my shoulder as Castor guides me up a long ramp. We’re almost to the back wall. Its plush carpet cushions my golden shoes. Each step is like walking on a pillow. While Castor is smoothly stepping up this ramp, I’m more tiptoeing through a muddy spring field. I’m racing to keep up with him while I’m still sinking in.
And I’m trying to not look at anyone. “Castor,” I whisper.
His eyebrows shoot up in question, but he does slow down.
I cock my head to the hem of my dress where my golden shoes are sticking out.
“Sorry, my starfish. I only want to get you away from these sharks,” he whispers in my ear. “Now laugh like I’m the funniest person in the world.”
My eyes widen. Because I don’t have one of those cute little girl laughs. My laugh is somewhere between a donkey bray and a cough. Instead, I slap his arm and say, “Ha ha.” I
His eyebrows shoot up again, and he laughs. But it’s genuine, rich, deep, and shoots right through me. Castor’s green eyes twinkle. And my lips mimic his. I can’t help but smile. I have my own personal storm of confusion going through my body.
Castor proceeds to the doors, but this time slower, allowing me to get a grip on the squishy carpet. Unlike the normal door on the tunnel the guards took Nico through or the huge door to the other corridor, this one is round. There’s a sign next to it in a language I recognize as Dorian. When I get closer, it flashes and changes to English. Great Sculpture Hall, parking, food and shopping this way, it reads.
When we approach the huge door, it rolls open instead of sliding. It’s gleaming brass with a shiny blue stone embedded and at least twenty feet tall. During the docking ceremony, I saw it over the top of the crowd, but it was so far away and not moving. And I was trying so hard to remember every detail about the members of the council and their mates. The rest of the room sort of blurred out.
The door rolls back, and I gasp.
2
Holter
Watching Belle being led away from me was as hard as watching Nico turn himself over to the city guards. There was no other option for either, of course. Nico wasn’t going to get away with things, and no one was going to let Annabelle go anywhere alone with me. Not unless they assigned me the task.
They leave the docking auditorium, and I wonder what Belle thinks about the great hall. Bass showed her videos of it in her lessons, but it really is one of those places you have to see for yourself.
With both Belle and Nico gone, I’m off to find Alder Callis, our dad. He raised the two of us after the Drakoses flipped the small Callis world upside down. Nico’s father. My father too. Muster and Alder are both our dads. Dorian don’t talk about who in a pod is the biological father of a child––we aren’t even supposed to think about it. But to me, no matter how much people try to say Nico takes after Alder or Muster, he doesn’t look like either. No, he resembles Pietro, one of the two mates who died in the crash with Nico’s mother Richeal.
Muster is off on the Omicron. He’s a military male, always has been, but he’s never striven to become an officer or a diplomat. Not that he would be much use when it comes to something like this. He’s the least diplomatic person I’ve ever met.
I’m still shocked that Alder isn’t here. I’ve never seen him miss a docking ceremony before. He’s usually the first one to rush toward Nico after they step off the line. But then, today isn’t one of honor. Still, it’s not like Alder at all.
My only thought is the docking is a surprise, but there was a good turnout for our arrival. He had to have known about it. The room is still full of people searching for favor from the governors. But the crowd is parting for me. It’s like they are all schooling fish and I’m the killer shark. It’s rather fun actually. As a geminae, I’m used to having no one notice me. But that’s not the case today. Today, I’m the person to avoid. It’s a weird feeling to like being the unwanted—not that I want Nico to be in the position he’s in. But then again, I never thought either one of us would have gotten this far in life.
Castor took Annabelle out the main door to the great sculpture hall, which is near the parking area for the solo aguvan bajeskåf. They’re personal subs, as plush as any expensive human car. I’m heading in the opposite direction of both the government holding areas and the great hall. Glyden Dome.
I wind through the crowds. My destination, the citywide transport, is just up ahead. Officially an omada aguvan bajeskåf, we just call them omadas. It circles the outer rim of all the domes and will be a lot faster than taking direct transport with the crowds of the docking ceremony crowding the platforms. The mermaids and mermen who were there aren’t the type to take city transport. No, they are the type to have private vehicles. And they aren’t the type to shed their beautiful gowns and uniforms to take to their flukes.
“Holter.”
I’m almost to the back entrance of the hall, and I want to ignore the voice calling to me. But fuck if I can, not when it’s a friend of Nico’s and also someone with a little bit of clout. He’s known to hang with males I wouldn’t trust my garbage with. Governors mostly, but all kinds of government types.
I pivot-turn toward him. “Eros.”
“Hey.” He reaches his arm out for me, shaking it like I’m not a geminae. I’d appreciate it, but I don’t trust him. Only, as they say, as far as I can throw him. He’s always got another motive.
I take his outstretched arm, and he pulls me in for a complete hug.
“I’m so glad to see you.” He smacks my shoulder like we’re good friends.
“Good to see you too.” I take a step toward the door, but he hasn’t let my hand go, so I slingshot back to him. I glare at his hand, and he drops mine.
“What’s your rush?” Eros’s trademark smirk is firmly in place. I heard a squid once, in the geminae dorm, talking about who they thought had killed more people. Nico was in the lead, I was in the top ten, but Eros? Eros’s name was thrown by a geminae from Zaffiro. The other squids shot the idea down. But he wasn’t wrong.
I give Eros the look that says you can’t be serious and cock my head. “I’ve got to get going.”
“Oh, seriously, you can’t be worried about Nico? This is just a little hiccup for Nico Callis. He’ll get out of this with a wave of his golden hand.”
I cross my arms, not sure why I’m still standing there. And I’m not sure if by golden hand he means Nico’s or Castor’s. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Because I have a very strong suspicion he’s wrong. This isn’t going to go well for Nico. At all.
“Oh, come on. You’re really worried? You, if anyone, should know that Nico always swims away from any trouble.” Eros cranes his head around the room. “I didn’t see Alder or Muster.”
“Muster is on the Omicron.”
“Oh, right, I always forget he stayed in the military. But Nico? Now that he’s got a mate, guess he’ll give it up.”
I unsuccessfully keep the shock off my face. I hadn’t even thought of what might come next for Nico if he is able to keep Annabelle. Nico without a ship is like . . . a fish out of water. Imagining him staying in the Veiled City? No, I can’t. He’s bound to life with his crew and duty to the nation. Although, I suppose he’s going to have to do something. If he gets through this, he’s going to need to be here for Annabelle. I can stay. It’s such a forceful thought I lose track of Eros’s talking. Because of course he is. He’s always talking.
“Where are you going? I’ve got a private transport out front.” He motions to the main entrance.
I steady my breath. I don’t want to get Eros involved in this. He has a way of making things about him; the squid wasn’t wrong. Eros has a tendency to be the last person to be seen with people who go missing. But fuck, he’s also the son of one of the highest-ranked mermaids in Zaffiro. “I’m heading back to Glyden.” To see where Alder is and if he’s already got a plan. But I’m not telling Eros that.
“Perfect. I’ll take you.”
“Eros, what’s in it for you?” Because there’s always something in it for him.
“For me?” He smooths back his brown hair. His hazel eyes dart around the room. “Nothing. I’m simply helping an old friend out.”
