Epilogue
MATEO
“Are you ready?”
Mateo blew out a breath, excitement and nerves duking it out in his gut. He was more than ready to finally go visit Dax’s family home, but despite having spent a lot of time in the water since they bonded, he was still nervous about the dive.
Rovan, who’d met them at the portal and would accompany them for the swim to the kraken city, patted Mateo’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’ll be alright. And it goes by faster than you think.”
That wouldn’t be true if Mateo was swimming alone, but they’d all decided he wasn’t ready yet to do the swim on his own.
It was too far, and Mateo was still too new to swimming that long and deep to handle it.
Plus, at one point, it was going to get seriously dark, and while he had better vision now in the dark, it was nowhere near as good as Dax’s.
Instead, he’d be holding onto Dax’s back for the journey.
Dax assured him he could handle the extra drag and had been very grumpy when Rovan offered to trade off if Dax got tired.
Mateo had relented, not wanting to make Dax upset just because he was worried about him overdoing it.
If they needed to pause for a break, they could.
It wasn’t like there was anything they needed to worry about. Right?
“Time to go!” Dax said, like he could just tell Mateo’s mind was swaying toward anxiety and he needed a distraction.
He snagged Mateo’s wrist, pulling him into the water, and allowed Mateo swim on his own until they got deep enough he could climb onto Dax’s back easily and not be so self conscious about it.
Unlike his first trip to the coral realm, where Dax had taken Mateo to a private cove so they wouldn’t have any unwelcome visitors, this time they were smack in the middle of all the activity.
They’d be traveling along an underwater highway of sorts, following the fastest route between the kraken city and the surface, so the water was a whole lot more crowded.
To Mateo’s shock, there weren’t just aquatic supes traveling either.
Some people traveled in what looked like giant bubbles, while others used a kind of submarine aid tool to get them deeper.
He gaped when an actual centaur swam past, a bubble around their head and some kind of spell wrapped around them that made the water move like a mini tornado, aiding them in swimming deeper.
Rovan, who swam alongside them, noticed Mateo’s wide-eyed expression and grinned at him. “They like to say our home is impossible to reach without being part of the aquatic community, but some are determined enough to make the journey. Or mated to a supe who can get them there.”
He winked at Mateo, who flushed, hugging a little closer to Dax. The water got colder the farther down they went, but thanks to the magic Dax had given him when they mated, his body adjusted, and he didn’t feel more than a passing chill before his body temperature dropped and regulated again.
The farther from the surface they got, the darker it got as well, and at one point Mateo got nervous when it started to look like they were headed into pitch black nothingness with only a few scattered lights from those traveling with them showing that they weren’t all alone.
He could barely see Rovan right next to them, and he was hugging Dax so hard, afraid to get separated from him, that Dax had to move him to cling to his front instead, encouraging Mateo’s face against his neck while he held him closely to reassure him.
“Mateo. Look,” Dax murmured against his ear after a little time had passed.
Uneasily, Mateo looked over his shoulder in the direction they were headed, frowning at the sparkling lights in the distance.
They started off small, like stars in the night sky, but as they got closer, the lights started to multiply and got brighter and brighter until Mateo could once again see everything around him glowing against the light of the city.
“Oh, wow!”
Dax helped him back onto his back so he could get a better look as they came closer, pointing out different parts of the city as they passed.
“That’s the old castle. We used to be a monarchy, once upon a time, but while they’ve still got status, they aren’t in power anymore.
Over there is the market we have to stop at for Miles.
It’s the most popular hub when people come down here for a visit and has a large ward around it so those who need air to breathe can move around more easily without worrying about spells. ”
Mateo was in awe of the glowing city under the ocean.
It seemed to be made of some kind of bioluminescent stone, every inch of it glowing in different colors that seemed to make up different neighborhoods.
It wasn’t anywhere near as dark as Mateo had feared, and he was so awestruck by it, he didn’t even realize they’d arrived at their destination until Dax helped him off his back and held his hand instead.
“And this is home.”
Mateo spun around, taking in the building that looked like it’d been carved out of coral, glowing like the rest of the buildings around it and– “It’s pink!” Mateo laughed.
Rovan huffed, shaking his head, an exasperated smile playing at his lips. “Our mother chose to settle in this neighborhood specifically because she loves this color. Come on, little brother. Time to meet the rest of the family.”
DAX
Dax couldn’t stop smiling as Mateo took in his home.
He could feel Mateo’s emotions through their bond now, he’d felt when Mateo got scared and needed more comfort during the journey, but now the only things that were coming along their bond were awe and delight.
He didn’t even need to ask if Mateo liked it.
All of his siblings were waiting when they swam through the door, and even though he hated being separated from his mate, he allowed Mateo to be passed around for hugs.
Krakens were all hands on with their affection, it wasn’t just for mates, and Mateo was smiling so brightly by the time he was returned to Dax’s side, it made the momentary separation worth it.
Besides, he had his own rounds of hugs to get through.
His siblings weren’t going to leave him out.
His youngest sister, Eliana, was only fifteen and squealed when she saw him, leaping into his arms for a big hug. “Dax! You’re home!”
Dax feigned a grunt, swaying a little, then held her at arms length, looking her over with narrowed eyes. “You’re growing again, aren’t you? I swear you’ve sprouted a few inches since I’ve been away. I told you, you aren’t allowed to do that.”
She snickered, wiggling free of his hold to twirl and show off the length of her tentacles. “Rovan said I might be taller than Meera on land.” She stuck out her lip in a pout. “He won’t let me go check, though.”
“You’re not old enough for that journey,” Rovan chastised with a long, exasperated sigh, like he’d had this argument many times before. “I told you, you have to be at least thirty.”
She crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl before swimming off. Rovan shook his head at her back, and Dax patted his shoulder in understanding. As the eldest, Rovan basically raised them all. Which made Eliana his seventh teenager to deal with. Dax didn’t envy him.
Meera, his one older sister, swam over for her own hug, looking him over with the kind of motherly affection she always had. “You look well, little brother. Being mated suits you.”
Dax beamed at her, a tentacle darting out to snag Mateo when his youngest brother tried to steal him away and pulled him to his side. “I love it,” he said without breaking the conversation, giving Mateo an affectionate squeeze when he shot him a relieved smile.
Wes was a troublemaker, and if he was trying to steal his mate, Dax knew it wouldn’t be a good thing. His brother gave him the stink eye before swimming off himself, and Mateo let out a breath of relief, leaning into Dax’s side.
“Come, sit,” Meera instructed, leading the way to the living room so they could relax. “I want to hear all about how you met. Rovan wouldn’t say much, he’s still the keeper of secrets, that one. I didn’t know humans had mates. How long did it take for you to know?”
“I knew the first time we got in the pool,” Dax said, pulling Mateo into his lap on the sofa. “Mateo didn’t officially know until I told him a few weeks later, but he said he felt the pull right away.”
Mateo nodded, then shrugged. “I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I felt a pull to be close to him, and I completely ignored all my reservations about inter-office dating. I wouldn’t normally even consider that, especially so soon after I got hired. Too messy.”
“Good instincts,” Rovan said as he rejoined them, setting down a platter of snacks. “Had it not been a mate bond situation, I would’ve suggested against that kind of relationship as well. But fate works in funny ways.”
Inea, who was born right after Dax was, leaned forward in her seat to ask, “Were there any complications with bonding? I heard there can be, depending on species, but I’ve never met a human mated to our kind before.”
Inea was a researcher in her own right, though she chose to stay beneath the surface and work in the city here instead. Sometimes they collaborated on projects, though, which was always fun.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Dax answered with a frown before turning his focus onto his brother. “Though, you didn’t really give me all that much information about the whole process. A little heads up would’ve been nice. His amulet stopped working at one point, and I thought he was going to drown.”
Rovan raised an eyebrow at him. “You never mentioned you were bonding. You only told me you were taking things slow. I stopped getting updates after that. How was I supposed to know?”
Mateo snickered, mumbling, “He’s got a point,” quiet enough that only Dax could hear him. His mate still got a poke in the ribs for that, even if he’d only said it between them.
“Everything seems like it went well anyway,” Rovan continued. “At least, that’s what I assumed, given that neither of you said anything to dissuade me from that thinking.”
“It was amazing,” Dax breathed, and Mateo nodded emphatically in agreement, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment to talk about such an intimate moment. Dax wasn’t embarrassed to share with his siblings, though. Rovan raised him, after all.
Speaking of which. He shot an accusing look at his older brother. “How come you never told me how amazing it could be to let a partner take you? I’d never even thought of doing that before, and it was never mentioned in any of my health classes.”
Rovan, who’d just taken a bite of one of the treats he’d set out, choked on it, whipping his head up to look at them both. “What do you mean by that?” he croaked.
Dax cocked his head, confused. Was it possible Rovan didn’t know? He was over a hundred years older than Dax was. How would he not?
“What? You’ve never tried it?”
Clearing his throat, Rovan sat up, his expression weirdly serious. “I have, but only with my mate. Unless you’re looking to sire children already, I’d suggest against it. Male humans can’t get pregnant by their mates, but our species can, no matter the gender.”
It was Dax’s turn to choke and Mateo turned a startling shade of white.
“What?!”