Seas and Scepters

By Annee Jones

Thirteen men must die for her to rule the sea… but will the last man claim her heart instead?

In the hidden realm beneath the waves, siren princess Selene must lure thirteen human men to their doom in order to earn her father's Royal Trident—and with it, her ascension to the mermaid court. But when her song fails to claim the thirteenth man, Prince Eirik—whose life is guarded by an ancient sea pact—Selene is cast out of the ocean and cursed to walk among the very mortals she was raised to despise.

Now stripped of her fins and forced to live on land, Selene has no choice but to finish her grim task or forever lose her birthright. Torn between her father's demand for Eirik's death and a blossoming affection for the prince himself, Selene struggles to reconcile duty and desire. As she witnesses poverty and splendor, cruelty and kindness, she discovers that humanity holds more wonder—and more danger—than she ever imagined.

Caught in the crosscurrents of a dark secret and an impossible love, Selene must decide whether to obey the call of her kingdom or heed the longing in her heart. One final kill stands between her and the throne…but will the price of the crown prove too high when the man she must destroy is the only one who can save her?

Seas and Scepters is a dark, seductive new twist on a classic fairytale, blending treacherous magic, forbidden romance, and a battle for the heart of the sea. Dive in—and find out what happens when the tides of fate and passion collide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annee Jones
• Release date: Jul 1, 2025
• ISBN: 9798230165033

Annee Jones

Annee Jones is an International Bestselling Author who writes in multiple subgenres of romance and fantasy. From light to dark, sweet to spicy, and everything in-between, escape to all the places Annee's imagination will take you! Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit. Subscribe to Annee's newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, sneak peeks, and exclusive giveaways:            https://www.anneejones.com/newsletter Find out more about Annee and her books here: https://linktr.ee/anneejones

Book preview

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

About Annee Jones

Cast of Characters

Selene—Siren Princess

King Nereon—Selene’s Father

Queen Thalassa—Selene’s Mother

Prince Caelum—Selene’s Deceased Brother

Eirik—Cursed Prince

King Aldric of Vaelthorne—Eirik’s Father

Queen Isadora—Eirik’s Deceased Mother

Madam Lydia Rosecroft—Brothel Owner

Princess Astrid—Eirik’s Fiancée

King Roderick of Astoria—Astrid’s Father

Sir Hadrian—Eirik’s Advisor

Nell—Selene’s Roommate

Poppy, Celia, Margaret—Prostitutes

Thomas—Doorman

The Sea Witch Morgana

Chapter One

Selene

The sacred pearls felt cold against my throat as I fastened the ancient necklace, each luminescent sphere whispering with the power of a thousand siren queens before me. My fingers trembled—not from fear, but from anticipation. Tonight, I would claim my thirteenth victim and prove myself worthy of the crown that had been denied to me since my brother Caelum's death.

I floated before the mirror of polished abalone shell in my chambers, studying my reflection with critical eyes. The ceremonial jewelry of my bloodline adorned my pale skin like captured starlight: the pearl choker that had graced Queen Nerissa's throat during the Great Storm Wars, the silver arm cuffs engraved with ancient runes that had belonged to my great-grandmother Amphitrite, and the delicate chain of sea glass that would catch the moonlight as I sang my prey to their doom.

My silver-white hair cascaded over my shoulders in waves that mimicked the ocean's surface, and I wove strands of kelp through the lengths—a tradition as old as our kingdom. The dark green ribbons would help me blend with the sea's shadows until the moment I chose to reveal myself. My tail, iridescent silver, and teal like captured moonbeams, caught the bioluminescent light of my chamber's coral formations. Every scale had been polished to perfection by my attendants, each one sharp enough to cut through water like liquid silk.

Princess Selene. My mother's voice carried across the water, formal and distant as always. Queen Thalassa glided into my chambers with the fluid grace that marked our royal bloodline, her midnight-blue tail propelling her forward in elegant undulations. Her crown of black pearls and silver sat heavy on her brow, matching the weight I saw in her sapphire eyes.

Mother. I inclined my head respectfully, though my heart yearned for some sign of maternal warmth. Since Caelum's death, she had grown even more remote, as if loving too deeply invited only pain.

You look... magnificent. Her voice held a note I couldn't quite decipher. Pride? Sorrow? Fear? The blood of queens flows through your veins tonight, daughter. Remember that.

I nodded, touching the pearl necklace at my throat. I will not fail.

Something flickered across her features—too quick for me to catch. See that you don't. Your father awaits you in the throne room. It is time.

The great coral throne room stretched before me like a cathedral beneath the waves, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into the dark water above. Bioluminescent creatures provided ethereal lighting, their gentle glow illuminating the assembled court. Nobles floated in careful formation, their whispers creating a susurrus of sound that reminded me of waves against shore.

King Nereon sat upon his throne of twisted black coral and pearl, the Trident of Power cradled in his right hand. The ancient weapon pulsed with a deep blue light that seemed to emanate from the very heart of the ocean itself. My father's silver-blue tail coiled beneath him, his muscular form radiating the kind of power that had kept our kingdom safe for three centuries. His cold green eyes fixed on me as I approached, and I felt their weight like the pressure of the deepest trenches.

Selene of the Silver Depths, he intoned, his voice carrying to every corner of the vast chamber. Tonight you undertake the Thirteenth Trial, the final test that will prove your worthiness to inherit the crown of the seas.

I swam forward and bowed low, my hair floating around me like a silver cloud. I am ready, Your Majesty.

Twelve souls have already fallen to your song, he continued, his words echoing off the coral walls. Twelve human hearts have ceased their beating at your command. Tonight, you claim the thirteenth and final life that will seal your destiny as my heir.

The assembled court murmured their approval, but I caught the edge in my father's voice—the warning that lived beneath his formal words. We both knew what failure meant. No princess in the history of our people had ever failed the Thirteenth Trial. Those who could not complete it were deemed unworthy of rule, too weak to protect our kingdom from the surface dwellers who had hunted us for millennia.

Understand this, daughter, his voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried to every ear present. Should you fail—should your voice prove insufficient, should your resolve waver—you will be cast out from these depths forever. No child of mine who cannot command death itself deserves to wear the crown.

The threat hung in the water between us like a living thing. Exile meant more than losing my title—it meant losing everything I was, everything I had ever been. A siren cut off from the sea was no siren at all, merely a creature caught between two worlds, belonging to neither.

I understand, Father. My voice remained steady despite the cold dread that had settled in my chest. I will not fail.

He studied me for a long moment, those ancient eyes seeming to peer into my very soul. Finally, he nodded. Then go. The moon is high, and human ships sail the surface waters. Find your prey and complete your destiny.

I turned and swam from the throne room, feeling the weight of a thousand gazes upon my back. The court would wait for my return, counting the hours until I could present proof of my success. In the old days, sirens brought back treasures from their victims—rings, medallions, hearts torn still-beating from chests. But our ways had evolved, become more subtle. Now, we simply returned with the knowledge of our success, trusting in the honor of the royal blood.

The palace corridors blurred past me as I swam upward, following the ancient pathways that led to the surface. Schools of luminescent fish parted before me, their silver bodies creating living constellations in my wake. Kelp forests swayed in the current, and I could feel the pull of the surface world growing stronger with each stroke of my tail.

As I rose through the thermal layers, my thoughts turned to my brother. Caelum had never needed to complete the Thirteenth Trial—as the male heir, his path to the throne had been secured through combat prowess and political acumen. He had died defending our borders from the sea demons that occasionally rose from the deepest trenches, and with his death, the burden of succession had fallen to me.

Show them you are worthy, his voice seemed to whisper in the current. Show them that our bloodline breeds more than just warriors.

The surface broke around me like shattered glass, and I gasped as the alien sensation of air touched my face. Above, the moon hung full and silver in a star-scattered sky, its light creating a pathway across the dark waters. The sea was calm tonight, perfect for hunting. Humans trusted in still waters, believing the ocean's silence meant safety.

They could not have been more wrong.

I floated just beneath the surface, my enhanced senses scanning the horizon. There—cutting through the moonlight like a blade through silk—the dark silhouette of a ship. My heart quickened as I recognized the royal banners snapping in the night breeze. A prince sailed these waters, surrounded by his guards and sailors. Perfect prey for a siren's final trial.

I swam closer, staying hidden beneath the waves until I could hear the voices of the men above. Their laughter carried across the water, full of the careless confidence that came from never imagining the dangers that lurked beneath their vessels. How many ships had I approached like this? How many sailors had I lured to watery graves with nothing but my voice and the promise of beauty?

Twelve times I had sung, and twelve times men had thrown themselves into the sea to reach me. Twelve times I had watched the light fade from their eyes as the ocean claimed them. It should have bothered me more than it did, but I had been raised to see humans as the enemy—surface dwellers who had hunted my people for sport, who had driven us into the deepest places of the ocean with their iron weapons and religious fervor.

Tonight would be no different. Tonight, I would claim my thirteenth victim and return home a queen.

I positioned myself in the ship's path, far enough away to seem ethereal and mysterious, close enough for my voice to carry clearly across the water. The ancient power stirred in my throat, the same magic that had flowed through generations of siren queens. It built slowly, a tingling warmth that spread through my chest and into my vocal cords, transforming my ordinary voice into something that could command the very soul.

I began to sing.

The melody that emerged was older than memory, passed down from mother to daughter since the first siren learned to call the wind and waves. It spoke of longing and desire, of love that transcended death, of beauty beyond mortal comprehension. My voice soared across the dark waters, carrying promises that no human heart could resist.

The effect was immediate. On the ship's deck, I watched sailors stop mid-conversation, their heads turning toward my voice like flowers following the sun. Their eyes took on the glazed, dreamy expression I knew so well—the look of men whose wills were no longer their own.

One by one, they began to move toward the ship's rail. A young sailor with golden hair was the first to