We can't communicate. I shouldn't keep her with me. Yet I don't want to let her go.
When I turn around, I see that she's trying to stand. Her legs shake as she attempts to move forward with her arms reaching for the ocean. I grab her by her waist and turn her around. She's crying. My thumb wipes her tears. Pushing me back, I understand that she wants to return to the sea. I take her in my arms, noticing her sexy feminine curves glued to the cotton fabric of my shirt. My blood boils as my stomach flutters with the attraction. I'm going to regret this, but I can't keep her with me against her will. So, I return her to the salty water and watch her transform into a mermaid again and sway her tail back and forth as she swims away. Diving, she disappears, leaving behind the bittersweet melody of the sea caressing the sand.
Chapter 4—Longing
IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS since I returned home. Since the mermaid saved me, I keep having the same recurrent dream. We are on the beach, her tail transforms into two legs—her once scaled bottom is now two beautiful buttocks—and her hair falls along her back like ebony silk, concealing her feminine curves. All I want to do is trail kisses along her body, massage her muscles, and adore her like the goddess that she is. She giggles with my kisses. I get harder each time my fingers touch her satin skin as I draw patterns on her thighs. I wake up just when she's turning around and raising her mouth to meet mine. Painfully frustrating. Mainly because I wake up completely aroused.
Blinking, I adjust my vision to the sunlight streaming into my bedroom. I sit up and try to ignore the erection between my legs. I know that no matter how much I rub it, there's only one solution to my problem. I need to find the mermaid and convince her to stay with me as my queen. One night won't be enough to satisfy my hunger. I need her in my bed, blushing, moaning, and giggling under my body. I need her to bare my children. I'm losing my mind.
A few minutes later, I'm dressed and roaming the corridors of the castle, greeting my subjects and ignoring the flirty smiles of all the maidens that have been flocking to my domains since they heard I need a wife. The death of my father made me an early successor. As King and alpha, I have the duty to keep them safe and provide for an heir. I have plans for that once I find the goddess with the silvery eyes.
For the past two days, my morning promenades consist in descending to the beach and sitting there, waiting. I would sleep on the sand if my beta didn't give me a headache about how dangerous that was.
On my way, I grab a few flowers from the garden and trek down the path to my private beach.
Leonard appears from the blind spot on the descent. My beta signals me to halt.
“I've been there. There are no signs of an imaginary mermaid.”
I frown at his joke. He hadn't believed me. I've only told him about how I had arrived safely and unharmed.
My lips stretch into a smile. “Funny.” The wind musses my hair, and I run my hand to arrange it. “Have you found a fisherman who can tell us where to find them?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like someone who would joke about something like this?” I folded my arms across my chest to make my point.
Leonard's face becomes serious. “I'll try to find someone without making a fuss and leading your subjects to believe that you've gone mad.”
I clench my jaw. “The only reason you have a king is because she saved me.”
“Are those flowers for her?” Leonard smirks. “She really got you good.”
I stretch my arms and circle him as I mumble, “Take care of your love life, and I'll take care of mine.”
Leonard shouts, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
I don't even bother to look at him, but I shout back as I wave goodbye. “I'll be on the beach for a while.”
Trekking along the path, I look at the emerald sea irradiated by the sunlight. In the afternoon, I plan to have a conversation with the head librarian. I'm sure he can find something more about the merfolk in our vast library.
***
THREE DAYS! THAT WAS how many days I have been grounded. My father hasn't decided how many more days I should be locked up in my room. I keep swimming back and forth, confined to the walls of my sleeping quarters as my heart aches from being apart from my human lover. Meanwhile, I have plenty of time to play with the trinkets and clothes of the humans we’ve found in the trunks of the sunken ships. I need to be familiar with those if I plan to go on an excursion of the dry land. I play with the clothes that I know belong to the females. If I wear a dress like the statues we find in the submerged cities, I can go to shore, use my legs, and search for my human. Still, how can I find him if I don't speak the human language? Dad talks all of the languages. I covet his ability now, more than ever.
“You need to eat.” Sybil's voice startles me because I didn't hear her come in.
“I'm not hungry.” I float to my clamshell bed and rest against the mattress made of sea sponges and covered by a blanket of soft seaweeds.
Sybil's expression changes from concerned to upset. “You are here because you disobeyed Dad's orders. Again,” she reiterates.
I fold my arms and raise my chin. “I saved him. So, it was worth it.”
My older sister leaves the seashell with my fish fillets and clams and floats to my side.
Leaning against the mattress, she reminds me, “He's human. It doesn't matter if you fancy him. Dad would never allow you to be with him.”
“Why not? My mom was human.”
Sybil combs her fingers through her floating purple hair. “Your mom died a long time ago. They couldn't be together because he couldn't bring her to live here with us. How do you plan to live with your human?”
I purse my lips and move closer. Whispering, I tell her what I discovered. “We can go to land. Our fishtail transforms into legs once it's dry.”
Sybil's eyes grow wide. “I don't believe it.”
“If we go to land, I can prove it.”
My sister recoils and looks at her hands. “We aren't allowed. You know that.”
“I think Dad doesn't want us to find out about this. But I need to get out, so I can find my human.”
Her eyes snap to me. “We know nothing about the human culture and language. He may be with his kind and not even remember you anymore.”
“He's mine. If I could talk his language, I could explain to him that we...”
“Only the witch could...” Sybil covers her mouth.
I squint my eyes. “The human witch in the crystal cavern?”
She points her finger at me. “Don't even think about it. It's forbidden. Plus, you know that she doesn't do anything for free or from the goodness of her heart.”
I shrug. “I've never asked her for anything.”
Sybil bites her lower lip. “She'll want something that you can't give her. It's not wise.”
I blink and then look around. Bouncing up, I stare at the closed trunks. “We have trunks filled with human currency, gold, precious rocks, clothes.” Swimming forward, I open one and dig my hand into it, showing her the shining coins. “This means nothing to us. I'm sure I can convince her.”
“Mirella! Mirella.” Dana interrupts my speech, entering my room at full speed. She stops in front of the bed and turns around to look for me. In her hand, there are a few flowers that only grow on dry land. The only time we see them is when the humans throw them into the ocean to honor their deceased ones.
“What's wrong?” I ask as her eyes focus on me.
Putting a hand on her chest, she says, “The beach where you left your human is covered with flowers.”
Before I have the time to react to her words, Sybil gets up with a frown on her face. “Have you disobeyed Father?”
Dana stutters, “I was curious.”
I swim to her side. “What did you see?”
“Flowers. Hundreds of them.” She shows me the ones she brought. “They were pouring them into the ocean from the top of the cliff. I've never seen so many.”