Once Upon a Wicked Heart by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fiction-Atlas Press LLC

Morgana wallowed alone in her lair, the ingredients of her abandoned experiments strewn haphazardly across the surface of her workstation. It had been a full day since she’d last been to the surface to watch Nerissa. She hadn’t even bothered to seek comfort from Llyr, who was probably still scouting the surface for her, oblivious to the failure of the plan; or to spy on Nerissa the night before, when she’d no doubt cooled her feet in the sea and smiled up yet again toward the bedroom of the prince who was steadily falling for her.

The sea witch gazed into the mother-of-pearl mirror at her pathetic reflection and sighed. Corentin’s words had cut her to her core. Why would he ever want a monster like her over the beautiful mute girl he took with him everywhere?

A white-hot fury began to boil within Morgana like the churning of an underwater volcano. No, she was a sea witch, a powerful being who designed her own fate. She would not have her pride wounded by a mortal prince and an eighteen-year-old temptress in the guise of a sweet little maiden. If Morgana could not have what she wanted, then neither could they.

Morgana sat down and leaned over her worktable to think. Nerissa was still untouchable, but Corentin was fair game, and hurting him would hurt Nerissa too. Before a plan could form in her mind, however, a gentle voice behind her cut through her thoughts.

“Excuse us?”

Morgana whirled with a start. Five mermaids floated just outside the entrance to her cave, their eyes wide with fear and awe as they stared at her. She recognized each of them from past sightings over the years, when she’d spotted them visiting the surface for the first time on their eighteenth birthdays. These were the Mer-King’s other daughters. Nerissa’s older sisters.

“Madam Sea Witch?” said the eldest, the one hovering in the front of the group.

“What do you want?” Morgana snapped. She was done with pleasantries.

“It’s about our little sister,” said the second-eldest, and Morgana’s heart stopped mid-beat.

“What about her?” she asked, fighting to keep her voice steady.

“We think she’s in trouble!” This cry came from the youngest, who poked her head between her sisters from the back of the group.

“Our youngest sister, Nerissa, disappeared almost two weeks ago,” the eldest explained. “Then we saw her on the surface last night. She was… human.”

Morgana raised a brow. What were the odds that the illusion she created yesterday would become a reality? She pushed the coincidence out of her mind and studied the mermaids’ faces carefully. None of them seemed to be accusing her of having any part in this—which could only mean they had come for her help.

“And what am I to do about it?”

“We hoped you could tell us how it happened,” said the third sister.

“And maybe help us rescue her,” said the fourth.

Once again, a wicked idea wound its way through Morgana’s mind. She glanced across the cave at the dagger on the wall. Perhaps there

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