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nine

ARIA

The water went over my head, and I slowly let out a breath before forcing myself to inhale.

Breathing water went against my instincts, and I still felt like I might drown, but I forced myself to stay still while my body adjusted as if it was completely natural.

It took me a few minutes to find the magic within me.

When I located it, it took another minute or two before I figured out how to use it to make myself shift.

When my tail was firmly in place—and after I forced myself to look down and acknowledge that my lower half had been replaced by a gigantic fish—I tried once again to push Triton’s hands away.

And once again, he refused to release me.

I flashed him a dirty look over my shoulder and said mentally, “Let go. I’m not even wearing a shirt.”

“I’m holding on until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

“We can talk after I find the plant I’m looking for.”

“Fine.” Triton turned me around so we were facing each other, then released me.

“But you need to understand one thing. Regardless of the reasons I chose to mate with you, the bond that we have is real and permanent. You are mine, and I am yours.”

I managed a nod before I started swimming in the direction I was pretty sure Joa had pointed me in.

Now that I was underwater, directions seemed a lot more difficult.

And my hair wasn’t even almost hiding my nipples.

I was just going to have to ignore that.

“Where are you going?”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the king was following me.

I’d barely moved.

Using a tail sounded intuitive, but that didn’t mean I was good at it.

“To the cliffs where the birth control plants are. Joa explained how to get there.”

Sort of.

“Alright.” Triton sounded amused.

That probably meant I was going the wrong way, but I wasn’t in a rush.

I’d see if I could find the plants myself before asking for his help.

I swam deeper, though my motions were still horribly awkward.

Maybe the tail thing was harder than it looked.

“You need to roll, Sweetheart,” Triton said, after a few minutes of silence.

We definitely weren’t moving fast, but we were moving.

“That looks painful.”

I rolled once, though that obviously wasn’t what he was talking about.

He snorted, coming up behind me.

I expected him to grab my waist again, but instead, his hand found my abdomen.

His palm spread over it, and I did my best to ignore the warmth that followed.

As much as I wanted to forget what we’d done in his library, it had happened, and it was solidly burned into my memories.

Sex like that wasn’t something I would ever be able to forget.

“Your movements are jerky. It will take time to build the muscles to the point where you can consistently roll from here, but this is the only effective way to swim.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Like this.” He used his hand on my abdomen in an attempt to guide my motions.

I was pretty sure I knew what he was saying, but it felt good, so I wasn’t about to stop him.

“It’s hard to force. Here.” He pulled my hand to his deliciously ripped abs and made the motion.

“I don’t have those kind of muscles.”

“It will take time.”

“How much time?”

“It depends on how much you swim. Probably only a week or two until you have enough strength to keep up with me for a while. Endurance will take longer. A few months.”

“That’s not too bad.”

“Try it.” Triton released my wrist, and I focused on swimming the way he had explained.

I moved much faster, and felt a little less awkward—but after a few minutes, I had to stop and catch my breath.

He waited with me silently.

“If it’s going to be this difficult, you might as well tell me if I’m going in the wrong direction,” I panted.

“The cliffs are much further east.” He gestured to our left.

“Can you just lead the way?”

Triton nodded.

When my breathing was slightly more even, he gestured for me to follow him, and I did.

The man moved so slowly that it looked like it was physically painful for him, but that was all I could manage.

Thankfully, he didn’t complain as he went my pace.

I didn’t see any cliffs as we continued, but the massive fish swimming around us were creepy as hell.

I even saw a small shark.

That made me want to grab Triton and hide behind his gigantic muscles.

I didn’t, though.

Of course.

We had to stop every five or ten minutes, but the king never complained.

On my fifth stop, I finally said, “You really don’t have to stay with me. I’m sure I can find it on my own now.”

“It’s difficult to find a place you’ve never been before underwater, regardless of how skilled you are at navigation.” He was trying to spare my feelings, which was pointless.

I was a shitty navigator on my best day.

“Still, I can figure it out. I’m sure you have things to do.”

“You are mine. I’m not leaving you alone beneath the water.” His voice was solid, but there was an edge to it.

Frustration?

Anger?

I didn’t know what to label it, or what emotion was behind it.

We resumed swimming, and I gave it a few minutes before I spoke again.

I’d started to see the cliffs up ahead, which was good.

It was a short while later when we finally reached them.

They looked like a towering maze of rocks that jutted up from the seafloor for what had to have been much more than a mile, and they were all wrapped with coral in vibrant colors.

Puffy, colorful plants grew thickly over nearly every inch of the cliffs, consuming the rocks and only leaving space for the coral.

A massive shark swam by, and a scream tore through my lips.

I jerked sideways, slamming into the side of one of the puff-and-coral-covered cliffs.

Coral cut my upper arm, and my eyes burned.

Triton’s arms were around me a moment later.

He had my back pinned to a soft clump of puffballs just as quickly.

The cliff we were against towered over us, but neither of us gave a shit.

Our eyes locked, the worry in his gaze so hot it made me warm.

My hair floated around us, but neither of us noticed it.

A shiver rolled down my spine, carrying emotions with it.

Strong emotions.

Emotions I couldn’t even dream about controlling.

Those emotions seemed to ignite the buzzing place within me where my magic was located.

A feeling filled the water around us—one that echoed Triton’s power, but felt slightly different.

Instinctively, I knew it was mine.

Triton gave a low, dark rumble.

“ Do you feel your magic around us?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how to stop it.”

“I’ll teach you that in a moment. First, you need to try to take control of it. What does it feel like?”

“Electricity. Like yours, but different.”

“Yes, that’s the form of energy it most resembles. Though it feels electric, you can use it to control the water. For now, just try to spread it out around us.”

“Doesn’t it affect you?”

“Oh, yes.” His eyes flashed .

“You may as well have your fist around my cock.”

My face heated, and the magic grew a little stronger.

Triton’s hand landed on my face, and he tilted my chin back so I was focused on his eyes.

“Look at me, and nothing else. While you do, push the magic outward as far as you can. It will be difficult at first, but—fuck.” His curse was a shallow breath out as I did what he instructed, pushing the magic harder.

His gaze grew darker.

Hotter.

“Good, Aria. Just like that.”

The end of my tail knocked against a puffball beneath us, and shifted back to legs after a short burst of magic I had no control over.

Unlike me, Triton didn’t shift.

“Keep pushing it.”

I did as he instructed, stretching the magic as far as I could.

After another minute, it started feeling like a rubber band I’d stretched to its limit.

“Can’t hold on much longer,” I panted.

“Just last as long as you can. That’s how you build the muscle.”

“What if it snaps?”

“Then it snaps. It’s magic; it’s infinite. What happens to it doesn’t matter. If you use all that you can access, you’ll exhaust yourself, but it will come back.”

I nodded, fighting to maintain my hold.

The magic itself wasn’t visible, which made the whole experience feel insane.

But there was no denying the power all around me, or the way I strained to hold it.

If I hadn’t been underwater, sweat would’ve dripped down my forehead or spine.

“Just like that, Sweetheart.” Triton’s voice strained.

“I’m impressed.”

“Liar.”

He laughed roughly.

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

I pushed the magic out just a tiny bit further, gasping for air when I stretched it the very furthest I possibly could.

“It’s going to snap.”

“I’ll brace myself.”

After one last heartbeat, it tore abruptly.

A powerful shock of magic ripped through the water like lightning.

Triton growled ferociously, and his mouth crashed into mine as he pinned me harder to the cliff.

I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back, wrapping my legs around his waist when he shifted.

His erection ground against my center as we made out, and even though logic told me I shouldn’t have, I pulled him closer.

His hands moved over my abdomen and breasts, grabbing and teasing and claiming.

I finally managed to break the kiss with a gasp, my heart still racing.

He kissed and licked his way down the side of my throat as I panted, “We should stop.”

“Why?” He sucked on the sensitive part of my throat lightly.

“We still don’t know each other.” As I said the words, I couldn’t stop myself from moving his hand from my breast to between my thighs.

“There’s an easy remedy for that.” He stroked my upper thigh lightly, not giving me what I wanted even when I pushed his hand beneath my skirt.

“But we—oh.” I moaned as his fingers finally brushed my clit.

My hips arched.

My eyes slammed shut.

“Arre vah,” the king growled, the same phrase he’d used earlier.

I still didn’t know what it meant, but my face twisted with pleasure as I rocked against his hand.

“Just fuck me already so I can go back to trying to put distance between us, Triton.”

“Not going to happen, Sweetheart.” He dragged his thumb over my clit, slipping a thick finger inside me.

My legs pressed together tighter.

“If you want me inside you, you have to accept our bond.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Welcome to Alterrae.”

I groaned as he rocked his thumb against my clit, sending a gentle bolt of his magic through me.

I came hard, gasping at the sudden hit of pleasure while I writhed on his hand.

He made a sound of satisfaction, and I pushed his arm, turning away from him.

The feeling of his fingers sliding out of me was far more intense than it should’ve been, but I ignored the sensations as I shifted back and swam away.

Though my sense of direction was still pretty much useless, I could have my choice of any puffy birth control plant I wanted.

After I checked to make sure the shark was gone, I swam toward one that looked bigger than the others.

Mentally, I cursed Triton.

His responding chuckle told me he heard it loud and clear.

He bumped into my back when I stopped in front of the puff, inspecting it.

It was a strange shade of purple, and part of me wondered if there was a creature living inside it.

Triton’s hand found my hip, and I pushed it off.

He brought it right back.

“Easy, Sweetheart. I was just steadying you.”

“You just wanted to touch me. Don’t lie to me.”

“Of course I want to touch you. You’re my female. But I really was steadying you. You favor your left side, and it’s difficult to remove these plants.”

The king was going to be the death of me.

He really, truly was.

Or maybe I was going to be the death of him.

Hard to say which of us would kill the other first.

Probably me, because he was so protective.

I didn’t have that instinct.

“Just back off.” I reached for the base of the plant, eyeing the puffball.

Whatever it was, I hoped it didn’t bite me.

With one sharp motion, I ripped it away from the wall.

Or tried to, at least.

It didn’t budge.

I shifted my feet back, braced them against the rock, and tried once again to pull it out.

When it still didn’t move, I put all of my strength into it.

The stupid thing still didn’t flinch.

I looked back at Triton with a flat expression.

He wasn’t even trying not to look amused.

Bastard.

He grinned at the insult, which he must’ve heard even though I hadn’t purposefully thought it at him.

“Would you like help, mate?”

“Don’t call me mate.”

His eyes gleamed wickedly.

“Wife.”

I wasn’t going to win this argument, and we both knew it.

Because as much as I didn’t want to admit it, we were freaking married.

“Would the bond disappear if I went back to Earth?” I asked.

All traces of humor vanished from his face.

“No. It began on your planet, and the mark of the throne appeared on your shoulder there. Regardless of where you are, you are my queen.” He gestured toward the plant that was still firmly attached to the rock.

“Try again.”

“I obviously don’t know how to get it out.”

“The roots burrow into the stone. They’re invasive plants,” he explained.

“Someone brought one back from the deepest part of your planet a few centuries ago, and they spread like weeds. Thankfully, they can’t travel past the cliffs here.”

“So how do we remove them?”

“Magic.”

“Like everything else in this world, then.”

“Pretty much.” He waved me toward him.

“I’ll help. Come here.”

“Can you just do it for me?” I didn’t want his hands on my body again.

The man had too much power over me.

“If I did that, you won’t learn how to get them out yourself.”

I sighed, reluctantly swimming closer to him.

My tail was still gone, and my hips were starting to feel a little sore now that I wasn’t actively swimming.

I really dreaded shifting back.

Hoping a conversation would prevent me from feeling any more attracted to him than I already was, I asked, “What can other merrae do with their magic? And selkies?”

“They all have power over the water in small doses. We have it in full.”

“Are you only half as powerful now that you share the throne?”

“No, you have the same amount of control as I do.”

“So if you and I ever faced each other in a magical fight after you finished teaching me how to use my magic…” I trailed off, curious.

“We would be evenly matched.” Triton’s answer was simple, and there was no suspicion or fear behind it.

“When enough time has passed, your magic will be stronger than mine, though I’ll always be physically larger than you.”

He wasn’t afraid of fighting me.

I wasn’t surprised about that.

The man could kill me as easily as a human squashed a bug.

I definitely hadn’t thought I could ever be more powerful than him, though.

That would help level the playing field.

Triton pulled me into his arms and settled me against his chest.

His front was to my back as he braced his feet against the rock like I had earlier.

His stance was casual enough that he obviously wasn’t worried he was going to have to throw all of his muscle into it the way I’d tried to.

I set my feet next to his, though my knees weren’t nearly as bent as his were.

Short leg benefits.

My ass rested against his erection, and it throbbed heavily beneath my backside.

At least he was affected by me too.

“I’m always affected by you. Far more affected than you seem to understand, though I continue pointing it out.”

“Stop reading my thoughts.”

His lips brushed the side of my throat as if in apology.

I couldn’t help but tip my head to the side just a little, even though he was ignoring what I’d said.

“Grab the plant again, Sweetheart.”

I reluctantly did so.

Triton’s erection was still throbbing beneath me, and I wanted badly to take it in my hand.

That was just the mate bond talking, though.

Wasn’t it?

“Channel your magic into the water around the plant and force water beneath the roots holding it to the stone. You are in complete control; it’s just a plant.”

I let out a slow breath and tried to ignite my magic once again.

And tried.

And tried.

But I couldn’t find the sparks I had stretched around me earlier.

Maybe I had used too much before or something?

It felt too far out of my reach to access it.

I couldn’t even find the magic I’d need to shift my legs back to a tail.

“It’s not working.”

“You probably exhausted your current pool of magic. It should regenerate in the next few hours. For now, just focus on the way mine feels.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

He chuckled.

“For you, maybe.” His lips brushed my bare shoulder for yet another kiss before he reached around me and grabbed the plant.

“Hands on my arms.”

Reluctantly, I placed them on his forearms.

The muscles there (who the fuck had muscles there?

!

) flexed slightly as a pulse of his magic ran through his hands and into the plant.

I bit my cheek to hide a moan.

He might as well have had his face between my thighs again.

The plant was free of the stone a heartbeat later, as if it hadn’t been absolutely immovable a few seconds earlier.

I slipped out of his arms quickly, and he handed me the plant.

Thankfully, I managed to find a spark of magic strong enough to shift my legs back into a tail.

The alternative would’ve been asking Triton for help, and I knew what that would lead to.

We needed space between us while I came to terms with everything.

And figured out how things were going to work between us now.

So, I needed to avoid his magic as much as possible.

Sex would just cloud my mind.

I held my plant to my chest as Triton led me back toward the castle.

The ache in my hips wasn’t fading, and we had a lot more swimming to do.