“Her ta-il. Did you see her tail? And she had legs. I saw her running to the sea.”
A wave crashes against my legs. I push Leonard away as I walk to the beach and the water releases my body. “Why did you have to scream? She was beginning to trust me. I was this close.” I show him my two fingers exacting the distance my mouth was from hers. My body is still tense with the overwhelming attraction.
“I thought you were flirting with one of the commoners. In fact, I was sure that you had been delusional and the woman you talked about was one of the girls in the village.”
I walk to my coat and pluck it off the ground. She took my shirt. Spinning around, I look at the ocean. There are no signs of her.
What if she never comes back?
I groan. “Why did you come here?”
“I have important news.”
I turn to look at my beta. “Spit it out.”
“Our rescuing ships, they found Julian and more members of his crew.”
“Are they alive?”
“Yes. They are resting in the infirmary. They were dehydrated, but they are going to make it.”
“And my crew?”
Leonard looks at the sand. “Nothing. Julian can fill you in on the details once he's able to speak. Maybe they were taken prisoner by the Vampire King's men.”
“If they were, they are as good as dead. We know that they don't take prisoners.”
Leonard steps forward with an eager expression. “We need to send word to the king and start a conversation. We need to understand why they are attacking us so close to our home.”
“We need to start building more warships and cannons to defend ourselves.”
“I'll increase the patrols and double the guards at night.”
“Please send word to the princess to stay in our uncle's fortress. A royal ship coming in this direction is an easy target.”
Leonard nods. “As you please, milord.”
Sighing, I come to terms with the fact that my sea goddess isn't coming back. “I'll go see Julian. After, I'll talk with the elders to brainstorm about what needs to be done to protect our men and cargo from this new threat.”
Chapter 6—Debutant Ball
SPENDING TIME WITH my friends and sisters used to be enough for me to be happy. Now, I spend my days sighing and longing to see my human. It’s been two days since I’ve last seen him. Sybil has been watching me like a shark. There’s no way I can sneak away so many times. Dad is getting suspicious, and I have to help with the preparations for the Coral Festival. Merfolk from all around the world are coming to dance, sing, and see the jellyfish perform. It’s the most important social event of the year. It’s also when the single mermen show up to have the first glimpse of the new mermaid debutants.
“What are you doing here on your own?” Dana shows up behind me and giggles. Her long, blonde hair floats with the current and tangles itself in a wave of curls. I shrug and point at the preparations. “I believe this year it will be amazing. I can’t wait to see all the new debutants and the handsome males that are coming. Last year, I danced with a gorgeous prince. His name was Petrus, I believe.”
I smile. “You always have a huge line of males who want to dance with you.”
“You don’t do bad for yourself either. Do you remember your debut two years ago? You had several princes interested in you.”
“My heart is taken.” I swirl around and swim away.
Dana follows close behind. “Have you seen your human?”
“Are you going to tell Father?”
“Of course not. I fancied a human once. But it wasn’t anything special. We had some fun.”
I halt and turn to her.
She stops before we crash into one another. With wide eyes, she inquires, “What did I say?”
Grabbing her hands, I blurt out, “How were you able to speak to him?”
“Oh, you are too young to know the human languages. Dad taught me several changes of tides ago. It’s necessary for the type of work that I do.”
I frown. “What type of work?”
She averts her eyes and shrugs. “You know. Traveling to other sea kingdoms and parlay. Keep the humans away from our borders.”
I follow her line of sight and narrow my eyes at her. “We have guards for that.”
“There are matters that need to be handled in a more persuasively way.” Dana’s expression became serious. Something unusual for her normally bubbly personality. Giggling, she wraps her arm around my shoulders and we keep swimming down the path that takes us far away from the palace. “Do you think Sibyl will find a husband this time around?”
I laugh. “I don’t think there’s a merman in all the ocean who doesn’t feel threatened by her.”
She raises her chin. “Yes, she has the cold princess stigma going against her. I guess being the oldest makes her grumpier. Still, she’ll need to find a suitable husband if she wants to be queen someday.”
“Father is still young...”
“Father can’t rule forever.”
I look at the white sand and little seahorses. “I’ve always loved living here with you. But my human can’t live with us. He’s my fated mate.”
“Are you sure?”
I look at her. “Sure about what?”
“I’ve lived longer than you. Finding our mates outside the sea isn’t usual. We all learn about this when we are growing up. Yet you should ask yourself if it’s worth claiming the human as yours if it means losing your home and your family.”
My heart hurts inside my chest. “He seems kind. We aren’t able to communicate, but he was gentle with me.”
Fisting her hand, she shoves her arm forward. “You’re my little sister. I would rip his heart out if he did you any harm. Still, humans can’t be trusted. They don’t understand what a fated mate is as we do. They don’t live as long as we do either.”
“If only I could talk to him...”
Dana propels her body forward and halts in front of me with a grin. “Forget him for tonight and have fun. Dance with the mermen and enjoy the perks of being a single mermaid princess. If you still wish to go after your human after tonight, then I won’t stop you.”
I bit my lower lip. “Sybil might tell Dad. She’s been watching me like a shark.”
“Leaving at night is also pointless. We’ll be very busy tonight with the party. You can sneak out in the morning when everybody is asleep and meet with your human again.” Her face becomes solemn as she places her hands on my shoulders. “How does he know how to meet you if you can’t speak?”
I look around. “He seems to wait for me in the mornings, and I have no way to tell him when I can see him.”
“Then it’s safe to assume that he wants to see you as much as you want to see him.”
I nod. “He kissed me.”
Dana frowns. “Did you like it?”
I smile. “It was perfect. It was better than I could have imagined.” I swirl around and giggle, creating bubbles around us.
She swims back and touches her long, blonde hair. With pondering eyes, she caresses her chin. “The place where you meet him, I’m concerned.”
I stand still and move closer to her. “Why?”
“It’s the land of the Lycans. Your lover might be dangerous. Do you know if he’s a shapeshifter?”
I shook my head. “What is that?”
The sound of a shockwave reaches our ears, and we look into the distance as a whirlpool comes our way.
Putting my arms around my chest, I watch as Father arrives with his guards from whatever kingdom he went to visit.
Dana swims closer and places her arm around my shoulders. “Look happy, or he’ll be suspicious.”
I force a smile as my father and his guards swim slower in the direction of the palace. As his imponent figure approaches, I wonder what he would think if I told him that I was in love with a human.
Father’s smile is contagious. He’s also broad-shouldered and handsome with black hair and eyes as deep and blue as the sea. He’s ageless and nothing like the statues that humans made for him a long time ago. My sisters and I are born from different mothers. Mermen can be as seductive as the females, and many women have fallen for the king’s charm.
Dad opens his arms as he heads toward us. “What are my beautiful children doing here? Shouldn’t you be home getting ready for tonight’s party?”