Page 2 of Filthy Wishes

“Of course. I am Sally-Ann. This is Rosie and Tyler,” she says, gesturing to the kids, but they have gone back to their games and are ignoring us.

“Tridenton,” I reply, shaking her outstretched hand. The sizzle of electricity that shoots between us does not go unnoticed by either of us. MATE! The voice in my head screams over and over, and without a doubt, I know it is right. This tiny, beautiful girl is mine.

“That’s an interesting name,” she says, pulling her hand backand staring at it. She doesn’t say anything about it.

“I have interesting parents,” I say, shrugging.

“You must.”

For about an hour, I play with them until her brother and sister in law come back. Sally didn’t say, but I know that to be true since I know the woman, though mermaid would be more accurate, walking toward us.

“Hortencia?” She is a member of my tribe. She lives on land most of the time. Now that she is mated, she can get her legs at will. Another bit of magic I won’t see until my mate’s virgin blood is on my cock...

“Tri? I mean Your Highness,” she says, curtseying. Sally frowns.

“Get up. You know I don’t like that,” I tell her, chuckling.

“Habit.” Her husband clears his throat as she stands. “Ah, this is my husband and protector, Gareth, and I assume you met his sister already, Sally-Ann,” she says, gesturing to the brunette. I happen to catch her as she turns around to see what her niece is doing; I suck in a huge breath. On her back is a large birthmark of a trident. The trident lets me know she’s a Protector. My Protector, which makes sense if her brother is one too. Protectors are born protectors. Due to strong ancient magic, everything they need to know is already ingrained in them at birth. All it takes is a merperson, though not necessarily their mate, to tell them what they are, and it activates, for lack of a better word.

“We met,” I say, clearing my throat.

“You must join us for dinner. Is this day one?” Hortencia asks.

“Yep.”

“Excellent.”

“What’s so excellent about it,” Sally asks, her voice strained.

“Everything,” I tell her, giving her my best smirk.

Corfu was the right choice indeed, and from the looks of it, I won’t have much to explain to her, given her sister-in-law is who she is. It’s not in our nature to keep things a secret when we’ve mated, even to a human. Simply put, their family becomes our family, and that’s just the way it is.

Chapter Two

Sally-Ann

When I watched him walk out of the Ionian Sea, I knew he was mine. I can’t explain it, other than I was drawn to him. My body, my heart mostly, responded to the stranger in a way that it never has before. I knew he was like Hortencia too, can’t explain that one either, but I knew.

Hortencia already explained to me what it means to be a Protector, but I never anticipated I would be the Protector of the prince of her tribe. There is a voice in my head, not my own, telling me that this is my mate. Usually, I’d think that I was crazy, but I know that I am not. Fuck, I didn’t even know what a mate was seven years ago. When Hortencia and I met at a , we were inseparable; then I introduced her to my brother, and she became a sister to me.

After the beach, we make our way back to the house Gareth rented for the summer. We live in London the rest of the year, but I usually am training. I have competed in the last two Summer Olympics, winning silver medals both years. My one goal is to get that gold medal in the medley relay. In the water, I feel free. I swim for exercise, for fun, when I need to be alone. And right now, I need to be alone. Every nerve in my body is on fire. I yearn to reach out and touch him as we walkthe few blocks to the house from the beach. Tyler is bombarding him with questions, but Tridenton takes them in stride. Without hesitation, he takes Tyler’s hand when we go to cross the street. He’s only nine and still needs a little help crossing the street. Tridenton will be an excellent father, I think to myself, and I swear to all things Holy, I feel my womb quicken causing me to gasp.

“Are you unwell, Sally?” he asks, coming up beside me in an instant. I love that he’s shortened my name. No one else ever just calls me Sally.

“Perfectly fine, thank you for asking,” I manage to say. I don’t know how I am talking, but all I want to do is lay down and take whatever this merman wants to give me. Get a grip; I chastise myself.

“Are you sure? Your breathing has increased, your skin is flushed, and I can scent your arousal,” he growls, very near my ear now.

“Please stop,” I whisper back. He nods and goes back to chatting with Tyler.

“Why is that man coming with us?” Rosie asks after tugging on my hand. She’s seven and doesn’t quite understand that she’s a mermaid. She thinks it’s all pretend, like dressing up for Halloween, but she’ll learn soon enough. According to Hortencia, her fins will come around the time she turns ten since she doesn’t live in the water all the time. Otherwise, they’d already be here.

“He’s mommy’s… friend,” I say for lack of a better word.

“Oh, okay. He’s very handsome,” she says, giggling.

“I noticed.”