I wake up snuggled in Damarian’s strong, protective arms, my tail curled around his in our oyster shell. It doesn’t take long for the events of last night to cloud my head. I stare down at my merman, watching the way his gills expand and contract peacefully. I love watching him sleep. Other than the fact that he looks adorable and pretty darn sexy, he always looks like he’s happy in his sleep. Many times it’s because he’s having an awesome dream—I should know, since I’ve been pulled into some of them—but mostly because he’s truly content with his life. I wish I could give more to him, especially with spending more time with his family, but he constantly tells me it’s enough that he’s with me. I guess I should be thankful that we can even have a life together and that we have the ability to shift into humans and merpeople at will. Only two years ago, we weren’t sure of anything.

I gently push some of his golden hair out of his eyes and kiss the spot near it. He moans in pleasure, a large smile on his face.

My lips feel tingly. The same kind of tingly I get every time they make contact with his skin. I trail them down the side of his face, once again feeling them tingle. My whole body sighs in relief. Yesterday was just a fluke.

“Mmm, my love,” Damarian murmurs as my lips continue their trek down his face.

I move to the other side of his face.

“My beautiful mate,” he murmurs again. He opens his eyes and his face brightens at the sight of me. “Good morning.” He reaches to grab me by the waist and pull me closer to his body, but I dodge him.

“No way. This time I’m the one in charge.” I press down on his shoulders so that he’s flat on his back and slide on top of him. “Hmm, what should we start with first? Your hair?” I run my hands through it. “Even in the ocean it’s so silky smooth. I remember the first time I touched it, when you were passed out on the beach. I couldn’t believe how soft it was.”

Damarian’s hands tangle in my hair, gently tugging on the strands. “Your hair is always beautiful, whether you are a human or a child of the sea.”

I put my hand on his lips. “Shh. This isn’t about me but you. So, where to next to? Your forehead?” I lean closer to brush my lips across the length of it. “You know what’s so great about your forehead, Damarian? It’s a long patch of skin, the perfect spot to place all different kinds of kisses. Small ones.” I give him a few quick pecks. “Medium ones.” I open my mouth and press a few small kisses there. “And long ones.” I touch my lips to his and leave it there for a few seconds before removing them and moving to the next spot. With every kiss I give him, my stomach gets all twisted and every part of me engulfs in fervor. I may not be the receiver, but I feel it almost as much as him.

“Cassie…” he breathes heavily.

“Now we’ll move onto the next area. Yep, the eyes. And what pretty eyes they are.” I bend closer to lay a soft kiss on each one. “I remember how mesmerizing they were the first time I saw them. I was on the boulder, and the first thing I saw were your eyes. I thought you were an angel.” I give them each another tender kiss. “I love your eyes, my merman. Everything you feel is written inside them. I can stare into them all day.”

His breathing has gotten very laborious and it appears as though he can barely keep his eyes open.

I nuzzle his nose with mine. “I love the effect I have on you.”

“I love the effect I have on you,” he says.

“But this is my time now.” I tap his nose, then look down at his lips. “Ooh, what do we have here?” I rub my fingers against them. “They look like very kissable. Do you want me to kiss you there, Damarian?”

“Yes,” he groans. “Please.”

“Only because you asked so nicely.” I push my lips into his. All the doubt I had from last night flies out of my head like a bird zapped with a super speed. My entire body melts into his as my mouth moves over him in desperation. I have felt this way many times in the past, when we fought so hard to be together, when we thought we’d never see each other again, when I thought I would lose him forever. But this is different. As our lips dance together in their own special beat, I’m reminded that our love is always and constant and that nothing will tear us apart. Never.

I don’t feel my fingers and toes. My stomach twists in all different directions I wonder if it will just slide out of me. Our tails roll over each other’s almost as desperately as our lips.

When we break apart, every part of me gets ice cold. Damarian must feel the same way, because he tucks me close to his body. Our gills are expanding and contracting so violently I wonder if we will ever catch our breaths.

His eyes heavy, Damarian says, “Thank you, my sweet Cassie. I love you so very much.”

Though my head is fuzzy and my body still numb, I manage to laugh. “You don’t have to thank me.”

He kisses my temple. “Yes I do. For I want you to comprehend how much you mean to me and how much I appreciate you and all that you do for me. I cannot thank you enough, my Cassie. You are so very wonderful.”

I shake my head, placing my finger over his lips. “You’re the wonderful one. And don’t you dare try to refute. This will take us all day.”

He opens his mouth to take in the finger that’s on his lips. “Damarian!”

“Every part of you that I can kiss, I shall,” he says with a wide grin. And before I can blink, he spins us around so fast that the next thing I know, I’m lying on my back and he’s on top of me. He grins again. “Now I am in charge.”

I playfully slap his chest. “Do you always have to one-up me?”

“Naturally.”

Once he’s done, I’m so tired I just want to go back to sleep. But we promised Flora and Kiander that we’d stop by today.

Syren and Kiandra are eating at the table. Ryter and Zarya woke up early to go exploring and the twins are still in bed. Damarian and I devour fish like we haven’t eaten in days.

“Please send our love to Kiander, Flora and little Saeria,” Kiandra says as we get ready to leave.

“And hand her this.” Syren places a tiny, bright yellow fish in Damarian’s hand. “I hunted it myself this morning specifically for her.”

“Certainly, Father.”

Shoney races to us as soon as we’re close to the exit of the Sapphire colony. May I accompany you?

Of course, I tell her.

She swims over to the other great whites patrolling the area and gives them orders, then makes her way back to us.

So how is it going? I ask.

All is well. We no longer worry about the humans drawing too near to the colonies. What of you? Is life all right on land?

All is well, Damarian says. We are very much content with our life on land.

Shoney nods curtly.

I sometimes get a feeling, due to our shark/mermaid bond, that a part of her wishes we would abandon our life on land and live in the ocean only. I would have to travel to land every so often and switch to a human so we won’t have another incident of me shifting back into a human thousands of feet in the ocean. But then the other part of her wants to reprimand the other side, because she knows how much I love being a human and how I don’t want to cut myself off from my family. Shoney’s a bit of a loner and has a hard time growing close to others. That’s why she doesn’t want to let me go.

I take her fin. Do you think you’ll ever meet a nice great white and have some pups?

She gives me a face like I fell from the sky. Why would I want that?

I hold up my hands. Just wondering.

I am not made to mate.

Sure.

She glares at me.

It doesn’t hurt to have a male friend, I point out.

Another glare.

Too bad Fiske is much younger than you. But does that even matter? He’s an adult now.

She’s still glaring.

Fine, I surrender.

We’ve reached Eteria, the capital city and where the palace is located. It’s the most beautiful castle I have ever seen in my life. It’s made of different shades of sapphire crystals, each one gleaming, even without sunlight. I know it will look even more breathtaking when Princess Saeria becomes queen, because I’ve seen it. It will be made from sapphire, violet, ruby, emerald, and diamond crystals, representing the five clans, because when she takes the crown, she will symbolize the total unity of the clans.

Damarian floats near me and slips his hand into mine. “I can never get enough of its beauty,” I tell him.

“Indeed. It used to cause me unease many moons ago, for it reminded me that I could not escape my fate of becoming king.” He rubs my knuckles. “But not any longer.”

Like all the other times we’ve visited, the place is swarming with tails of all different colors, plus the five species of sharks that guard them. I remember the first time I came here, when I came to save Damarian. There were mostly Violets with a few Sapphires, and mostly hammerhead sharks. Seeing how they all swim together in harmony fills my heart with warmth.

Shoney waits outside while Damarian and I enter the palace. An Emerald Guard notices us and dashes over. “I will inform the king and queen of your arrival.”

“Thank you,” we both say.

She lowers her head and swims toward the throne room. A few minutes later, she beckons us to enter. Flora and Kiander sit there with many members of the Guard, including Callen. Morteran floats near them.

We bow before the king and queen.

“At ease, Brother and Sister,” Kiander says.

“Cassie and Damarian!” Flora leaps off her throne and wraps her tail around ours. “We are so overjoyed by your arrival!”

Ever since she had Saeria, her behavior has changed. She’s always been more serious and strict, and now she’s softer and more playful.

I hug her the human way. “We’re so happy to be here. Where’s the little princess?”

“She plays with her shark,” Kiander says.

I lift an eyebrow. “She’s already been assigned one?”

“Certainly,” Flora says. “One can never be too careful.” She nods to Morteran. “Please bring my daughter.”

He nods and swims out of the room.

“We will continue this meeting at a later time,” Kiander tells the Guards.

One by one, the Guards leave. Callen stops before us and lowers his head. “Hello, Cassie and Damarian. How do you fare?”

“Very well, thank you,” Damarian says, clasping my hand. “And yourself?”

“I am well. There are no threats in the sea, only minor issues between the many creatures that we can easily resolve.” He touches my shoulder and then Damarian’s. “It gladdens me to lay eyes upon you two once again. And I am very glad that you seem well.”

“You too,” I say. “But I can’t help wondering…”

Callen shakes his head with a smile. “I am afraid I have not met my soulmate, Cassie. But that is all right. I spend my days overseeing the Guards, and that is very rewarding.”

“As long as you’re happy,” I say.

He nods and leaves the room.

A small hammerhead shark swims into the room. A little mermaid rides on her back, clutching on its fin, her tail hanging off her side. The shark moves very slowly to make sure Saeria doesn’t slide off. If she teeters just a centimeter, the shark quickly sways her body the other way to keep her straight.

That tail. I can’t keep my eyes off it. It appears even more mesmerizing than the last time I saw it. Each scale, whether sapphire, violet, ruby, emerald, or diamond, gleams in the water like millions of crystals. Her eyes—the same shade of blue as every other merperson, lights up as she rides.

Flora swims over and pucks her daughter off the shark. “That is enough riding for today. Thank you, Kunn.” She rubs the top of the shark’s head. Kunn nuzzles her nose into of Saeria’s rib. Saeria giggles and pats her head, staring into her eyes. Though she can’t speak, I know she’s communicating with her shark. Kunn once again prods her nose into Saeria’s side, producing some more giggles. Witnessing the budding bond between shark and master is amazing.

Reluctantly, Kunn leaves the room. Flora and Kiander take us to the room, next door, where we sit down on sapphire chairs. Kiander holds Saeria in his arms.

“She’s so beautiful,” I say.

“Thank you.” Flora strokes her daughter’s head. “I never knew how much delight I would feel in my heart. I felt it when I carried her all those moons, but now that she is out here with us…” She kisses the top of her head. “Especially because we have waited so long for her.”

“We’re so happy for you,” I tell them.

“Saeria would not be here with us if not for your aid,” Kiander says. “My mate and I are forever in your debt.”

I shake my head. “We are family. There are no debts to pay. Damarian and I would gladly do it again if we had to.”

“Certainly we will,” he says.

“If I may ask?” Kiander says.

“Yes?”

“Now that my queen and I understand what joy a fry brings, I cannot help but wonder if you plan to have fry as well.”

“It’s definitely been on our mind this whole year.” I laugh. “How can it not be when everyone in the sea are having kids?”

They laugh, too.

“Seriously, though?” I look at Damarian. “Things are different for humans. I’m young, only twenty years old. Many humans have kids at this age, but most wait until they’re a little older. I always thought I’d wait a while until then, but…” I glance at Damarian again. “Maybe we’ll have one sooner than I thought.”

Damarian slides his hand into mine. “I leave the decision up to Cassie.”

“There are a lot of things to think about,” I tell them. “The kid might be human, she or he might be a child of the sea. We may need to live only on land, or we may have to live in the sea.”

Flora nods. “Yes, that is quite a lot to think about. You are correct, there is no need to be hasty.”

“Thanks. So how have things been lately?” I ask. “It feels like forever since we talked. You’re always so busy when we visit.”

“Things are magnificent,” Kiander says. “Since the birth of Saeria, many children of the sea wish to emulate us. Not only are many mating with members of other clans, but they are producing fry, each one wondering which tail the fry will inherit.”

“Majority still mate with children from their own clan,” Flora says. “They have a better understanding with one similar to themselves.”

Kiander nods. “Yes, but even so, I worry that food will soon grow to be an issue.”

Damarian sits forward. “To what are you referring?”

“We are growing in numbers,” Flora explains. “Many children of the sea are venturing further out to hunt for food. With the help of the mako sharks, we need not worry about the humans growing too close to the colony. But Kiander and I have discussed asking the sharks to feed further out, forcing the fish to flee in our direction.”

“We are not certain whether that is the best solution,” Kiander says. “We feel guilt at the thought of leading the fish to their slaughter.”

Flora shrugs. “But we need to feed the children of the sea. We may not have a choice.”

Damarian nods. “You must do what you can to ascertain every child of the sea is safe and nourished.”

“Yes, we have sent the Scouts to search for more fish in the meantime. And to obtain a cure for Zarya.”

Damarian purses his lips. “You still do not wish to yield?”

Flora raises her chin. “I promised her I would do all that I can to help her. A child of the sea does not break her promise.”

Damarian purses his lips again, but doesn’t say anything. I don’t know who I agree with. On one hand, we should always have hope and never give up. On the other hand, Zarya needs to love herself and move on.

“Let us discuss more pleasant matters,” Kiander says. “Your human mating ceremony.”

Flora nods. “Yes, it shall be very exciting, for we never witnessed such a ceremony before.”

“We hope you’ll be there,” I say.

“Certainly,” Kiander says. “We would not dream of missing it.”