Chapter 38
“Deep breath.”
Hunter fills his lungs, then gives me a nod.
We decided that in order for me to swim at my fastest, he’d hold onto my shoulders and lie along my back.
If he needs a breath, he’s to tap me on the shoulder so I can give him more air.
As I dive under, I’m struck by how quickly I’ve grown to care about not only my starfish, but her two alphas as well.
I’ve never been super aggressive, even for an alpha, preferring to rest in one of my grottos than to train with our protectors.
Guarding our citizens and especially the royals is a worthy duty, but as prince I would be expected to lead, and I’m not cut out for that.
Which is probably why Hunter’s confident dominance appeals to me.
Having him command me, my body, the pleasure I gave to my mate, was an experience I’d like to repeat over and over again.
Hunter taps my shoulder roughly, so I immediately stop swimming, spinning in his hold and bringing my lips to his.
His big body is pressed tight against mine in this position, and though our mouths touching is not meant to be sexual, I can’t help but recall when he took control and stole the taste of Madi from my tongue.
My cock hardens in its sheath, and I will it to calm down. Now is not the time.
Once Hunter has enough oxygen in his lungs, I twirl around again and continue swimming down the canal.
It’s dark, but the veins of glowing stone along the walls illuminate our path.
Detritus litters the floor, everything from pieces of rock, broken furniture, logs and seaweed where it seems fish have made their homes.
Humans and merfolk may have left this city for some reason, but other forms of life have claimed it now as their own.
Those water-cats make me nervous. I’ve never seen such creatures in my life, and it makes me wonder what other dangers may lurk in these waters that are unknown to me.
Each pile of stone or cluster of seaweed could pose a threat.
At least the plants look somewhat familiar so far, but that could change the further we get into the city.
We’re still in the underwater tunnel when I feel another tap. I quickly resupply Hunter’s air and continue on our journey. I don’t want to keep him under any longer than I absolutely have to.
There are offshoots from this canal, but I continue straight, following the glowing signs and symbols that point toward the city center.
I’m not sure if it’s the right choice, since the other paths might lead to the surface sooner, but they might not, and this is the guidance we’ve been looking for, so I stay the course.
Still, I worry for the man on my back.
Each time I have to fill Hunter’s lungs, I’m reminded that we're from two different worlds. His scent appeals to me more than any other alpha I’ve met, and there’s no doubt now that he and Madi are scent matches. Phoenix, too. But how would us being together even work?
Hunter has a life he’s made for himself here, and it isn’t like he can live in Tythas.
Then again, neither can my starfish. After drying out yesterday, it’s also clear I can’t spend forever out of the ocean.
If Phoenix hadn’t acted quickly, I could have perished.
I just found my mate, I’m not ready to leave her.
When I came here looking for Ocearus and information on humans, I was acting on emotion, running from my duty, but deep down, I think I knew I would eventually go home, once I’d satisfied my curiosity.
I told my mother I was going to check on an outpost near our border before the wedding.
She would have expected me back long before now.
What does she think happened to me? What will she do if I don’t return?
And my… betrothed. Will she search for me?
It shouldn’t matter now that I’m bonded to my starfish.
Surely that nulls the arrangement. Princess Farrasea is not the type of female to share.
She’s a fierce alpha just like my mother, the Queen.
She won’t want an omega, much less a pack, ruling alongside her.
Fear swamps me when I think about what she might do to Hunter, Phoenix, and Madi if our connections were discovered.
My mother will have to understand. She wouldn’t separate bonded mates.
We pass a school of fish I recognize. They are peaceful, living calmly in shallow waters. We often eat them. I wonder if the inhabitants of this city ate them, too. I wish this place wasn’t in ruins. If only it was still a thriving place where I could live with my pack.
This city is proof that humans and merfolk once lived in harmony.
The fact that I was able to bond Madison further confirms it.
What I need to know is how. How did these two seemingly disparate groups thrive together?
How did they breed? What of their younglings, were they merfolk or did they lack tails?
Why did Ocearus fall?
The answers have to lie in that library. They must.
A sharp jolt on my shoulder followed by the loss of Hunter’s touch has me whirling around, yanked out of my internal thoughts.
My stomach drops when I see Hunter several paces behind me, his eyes closed and bubbles leaking from his mouth and nose.
Suddenly, he jerks and is floating away. No, not floating. He’s being dragged.
I rush toward him, swimming under his body to try to see what has a hold on him. It’s a creature I recognize. An agual.
Agual can grow to the length of two mermen, but this one is on the smaller side.
It still surpasses the size of most humans.
Its sleek silver body shimmers in the low light, reflecting the surrounding environment to camouflage itself.
It’s part of what makes aguals so dangerous.
Their most formidable feature, however, is their long, spear-like snout.
The sharp tip contains venom glands along grooves in the sides.
When the agual finds prey, it will quickly jab its quarry, and the protective sheathing that usually covers the spear breaks away, allowing the venom to seep into the flesh of whatever it has stabbed.
The venom is not deadly, but it will render their victim unconscious so they can drag their bounty back to their dens. The tip will grow back.
This one currently has its teeth gripping Hunter’s backpack, and is using it to pull him away.
My bigger concern, however, is that Hunt isn’t a creature native to the sea.
His body won’t protect his lungs from breathing in water while he’s stunned.
If I had the daggers I typically carry when in Tythas, I could dispatch of this horrid agual easily.
But I’m not as prepared as I normally would be.
I don’t have time to think of each outcome, or Hunter will drown.
Instead, I swim around to Hunter’s front, ripping the straps of his backpack down his arms. It slips free, and as I’d hoped, the agual thinks it still has part of its prey in its mouth, so it keeps swimming, not willing to face an apex predator for the rest.
I gather Hunter into my arms and push air into his lungs, but he can’t consciously inhale. It will have to do as I desperately swim in search of a place to break through the water’s surface.