Bride of the Sea Monster - Eve Langlais Page 0,4

chance we’ll see it,” Uncle Shax mused aloud. “I’ve always been curious about the lost city, especially since the Atlanteans are renowned for their library.”

“Ugh, reading on vacation.” Lucifer made a moue of distaste.

On the other hand, I knew what my uncle truly meant. Atlantis had a huge library of magical books—aka, they might have an alternate solution to my curse.

“We’ll go.” Shax snatched the tickets.

I blinked at the speed of the grab. “Do I get a say in this?”

The stereo, “No,” had me shaking my head.

“Guess I’m going on a cruise.”

Never saw that coming.

2

Sasha: I should have seen it coming.

The Future: Sucker.

For a supposed seer of the future, I never caught even a hint. It arrived in my mailbox, smelling of the salty sea with a return address I didn’t recognize.

Curious, I ripped open the envelope, read the letter, and laughed.

Laughed way too hard.

Then I called my dad.

“I knew you were going to call,” he said, answering without a hello.

“Then you know why I’m calling.” Conversations with my dad’s side of the family could be interesting because we often knew what the other would say. I’d been at family gatherings were we only stared at one another and then parted, having caught up without saying a word.

“You got a letter.”

“I did. It says the most ridiculous thing. It claims I need to marry a guy to break a curse.”

My father cleared his throat. “It’s true.”

“Since when am I a cure? And what curse?”

“Judging by your tone of voice, I’m going to assume we forgot to tell you about it.”

“Ya think?” Sarcasm, a close friend of mine.

“Didn’t think it was that important. It began ages before even your grandfather was born. I wondered if that boy would find you.

“What boy?”

“The one who showed up on my doorstep. Your betrothed.”

“We are not betrothed because I am not marrying some stranger.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

I ignored my father’s ominous tone. “How is it I’ve never heard of this so-called curse?”

“Because it’s never come up.”

“Which begs the question, why now?”

“Because all things come to an end. That boy, last of his line, will end up like the rest of his family just after the next full moon.”

“Is he going to die?” I had to ask. Because the letter made it sound dire.

Dear Ms. Farseer,

We are strangers, and yet our fates are intertwined. For you see, my nephew suffers from a curse. One that you can break. His life is in grave jeopardy, and the only thing that can help is if you marry him. And soon. My nephew’s life depends on it.

I realize this might be shocking, and your first instinct will be to refuse. Yet before you do, I ask that you meet with my nephew. He’s a good man who deserves a chance to escape the fate of his forbearers.

Signed,

Hopefully your soon-to-be uncle, Shax.

“No, the boy won’t die. But he will become a monster for life.”

“And you want me to marry him?”

“Well, our family did curse his. Seems only right we fix it.”

“What about my life?” I yelled as I mashed the missive and tossed it.

My father tsked. “Really, Sasha. Such melodrama. You’ve had your entire life to prepare for this moment.”

“No, I haven’t, because you didn’t tell me this was a possibility, and I never saw it.” Not a hint. No clue. Nothing.

“There are worse things than being married to a kraken.”

I blinked. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Nothing,” my father mumbled. “I need to go. Someone is about to ring the doorbell.”

“Coward!”

“If it makes you feel better, several of the futures I saw, show you happy.”

“Happily married to a sea monster?”

“Give it a try. You might be surprised.”

“I can’t believe you’re advocating this.” Spoken to dead air. My dad had hung up.

I cursed, loudly and imaginatively.

Since I’d already seen my friend arriving, I didn’t need the warning chime of bells that jangled when someone entered the shop, Fortunes, Curses, and the Best Souvlaki. That wasn’t a boast. I used a special blend of herbs on some pork-like meat, then slow-roasted it over coals and served it over a bed of rice with a Greek salad and tzatziki sauce. I made more money with the food than the fortune telling. At times, I wondered why I didn’t make the switch to full-time restaurant.

“You do realize I could hear you shrieking all the way in my office?” Ysabel noted, looking as prim and proper as ever. As Lucifer’s secretary, she took her role seriously. She’d recently added glasses and done up her