The Mer King's Mate

I stripped my clothes and dove into the water, my legs turning into a tail again. I was getting sick of my legs. I couldn't wait to get back home to Atlantis. Even swimming as fast as I could, it would take a month. Suddenly, a smell caught my attention, and I followed it. I dove into the ocean for the first time, and I watched my feet change to a tail. I'm a mermaid I never knew. I adjusted to my new form and swam with my sister, swimming in opposite directions, her following a fainter smell while I followed a stronger one. It wasn't long till I found the source of the smell. It was obviously a merman, but I had no idea who he is and what the pull or the smell meant. My mate, at last I found you! I'm Caspian. Who are you? I've never seen you before in Atlantis. I'm Melody, and I had no idea that I was a mermaid till today; that's why you've never seen me. What's a mate, and why do I feel this pull to you? A mate is your other half, and that's the mate bond you feel; that's the same reason we love each other's scents. Atlantis is the home of the Mer folk. Come, I'll show you to your new home. How did you not know what you were? I was left on the shore by my biological parents, and my adoptive parents found my twin sister and me and raised us. They left us a letter telling us to go into the ocean, and it would make sense. So we did, and that's how we found out. I have no idea who or what happened to my biological parents. I might be able to find out for you. Little does she know I'd do anything for her. Do you have any siblings? A brother and a sister. I'm the oldest. I giggled, spoken like an older sibling. I love her laugh. I love everything about her. So where is Atlantis? I've heard of it, but I don't know where it is. It is off the coast of Spain. I'm surprised your parents swam this far and left you on the beach here. They must have been being chased. So I was born in Atlantis. Most definitely. I don't know why or how you ended up here, but I intend to find out. Are there other supernaturals out there? Yes their is even a council for the kings of each race and their mates, although most don't have mates yet. Alaric and Persephone, the Dragon King and Queen. Stephan the Vampire King, Oberon the Fae King, Zane the Warlock King, Connor the Lycan King, Lucian the Demon King. Who represents the Mer people. Yours truly. No way. You're the Mer king. Yes. That means you're the king of Atlantis. I am. You were going to find out when we got there. I'd rather you hear it from me than someone else, little queen. That will take some getting used to. You will get used to it, I know you will. You will make the best queen. What if the people don't like me? They will love you. They have been waiting for their queen a long time. Good to know. I held his hand, and he squeezed mine back. The physical contact felt amazing and comforting. I didn't understand how, but Caspian made me feel safe. You never need permission to touch me, Melody. Always call me Caspian. I will. I stopped and pulled her in for a hug. I loved the feeling of her touch; I always will. I buried my face in her neck, loving how she smelled. I wanted to kiss her and more. But this and marking her scent will be ok for now. I both looked forward to and dreaded our mating ceremony because I knew it would be on land. But she will make it worth the world. Since I'm a king, the council has to be there, but not for the celebration that would be at sea, which made me happy. I already loved everything about her. I'm overjoyed to have found her after so long of waiting. I can't wait to see Atlantis and our world, Caspian. I can't wait to show it to you. The journey took longer than I expected, with Melody learning her new form, but she is learning quickly. It has been a week since I found her, and now we are home. I held her hand, and we swam to the palace. Everyone is going to know she's mine. I passed through the doors. A guard greeted me. King Caspian, he bowed. I'm so glad you're back home. You found your mate. I did. This is Melody, your new queen. It's nice to meet you. It's my pleasure, Queen Melody. Come meet my siblings. Harmony, you're here. I saw her holding my brother's hand. I knew what that meant, Caspian thought. It would seem the wait is over for you too. Yes, Harmony is my mate. I’m happy for you, Caspian. You must be Melody, Harmony’s sister. It’s a pleasure to meet my brother's mate. At least I don’t have to do a mating ceremony since I’m not king. I only need your permission. You have it, brother. When’s your big day? I don’t know yet; I have to inform the council. Do you have to inform a member of the council immediately? Yes, it’s protocol. I will have to go on land to one of my houses. I’m going with you. I crossed my arms, daring him to argue with me. Ok, no need to make that face. I wasn’t planning to take you with me. Triton, you and Harmony can stay here. We won’t be gone long. Three days at most. Then, Melody, I’ll show you our home. Sounds good to me. We swam to the shore. My form shifted back to legs. I took slow steps as I was not used to shifting forms. Caspian held my hand. How do we have clothes on? Magic all supernaturals can do it. You’ll learn how in time. We walked into town, and I took in the sight of Spain. Can humans see us change forms? No magic blocks them; we can’t have them discovering the mer race.There is a barrier that keeps them from seeing Atlantis and us changing forms. We walked to his home. He carried me inside. I didn’t mind. He found his phone and searched through his contacts. Here, this is your phone. Thank you. How did you know? An oracle told me I would find you soon. So I had an extra phone here. What’s an oracle? A supernatural who can see the future. Her name is Athena; she is a dragon shifter. I called Alaric, knowing he was most likely to answer. Hi, King Caspian. What do I owe the pleasure? I heard on the other line. I found my mate. Really, I’m so happy for you. I will inform the other council members immediately. Persephone says she can’t wait to meet her. I feel the same. What’s her name? Is she a mermaid? Yes, a born one. But her story is complicated. I’ll tell you about it in person. I’ll be seeing you soon. Talk to you later. I hung up the phone. I pulled Melody in my arms. I kissed her. I have wanted to so bad. She kissed me back passionately. I pulled away and held her. I’ve wanted to do that since we met. Me to Caspian. I was restraining myself too. Now I can’t, and I don’t want to. That’s one thing we agree on. I thought of myself in pajamas. Hey, it worked. Very good. I got under the covers. I yawned. I need a nap. I’m tired. I put my pajamas on the same way and climbed into bed. Hold me. Always. We fell asleep like that. I woke up to my stomach growling. I guess that meant it was time to eat. I untangled myself from Caspian's arms. He opened his eyes. Are you hungry? Yes. Me too. What do you want to eat? I always have food stocked up. When did you learn to cook? Over the years, when I was on land. What sounds good to you? Well, I always love steak and mashed potatoes. I can make the potatoes. Sounds delicious. I’ll work on the steak. I found the pots and potatoes. I peeled them, then boiled them, then put them to mash, added milk, cream, and butter, and they were done. I scooped them into a bowl. Caspian came in with the steaks. They smelled great; he handed me one. I placed the mashed potatoes on the table and gave myself a helping. He gave himself some. Interesting fact about supernaturals: we can't get fat. We all have fast metabolisms and huge appetites. Well, that explains why I've always been able to eat a lot. I laugh between bites. Do you like sweets or just savory things? I love sweets. I get them whenever I'm on land if I get the chance. Me too. You know, I don't know when my actual birthday is; we always just celebrated on the day my adoptive parents found us. But they said we were three months old in the letter when they found us. I looked at the calendar. Today, twenty years ago, I said aloud. It's June fifteenth, so that would make our birthday April fifteenth. I'd have to check the birth records, but based on what you said, that sounds right. Happy Belated Birthday, my queen. I blushed. Let's go get something sweet to celebrate. I know a good bakery not far from here. Ok. I grabbed the keys and one of my wallets I stashed on land. We headed out of the garage and into the driveway. It was only a mile we could have walked, but I didn't feel like it and suspected Melody didn't either. I parked, and we walked into the bakery. It was busy. I walked to the counter with her. What can I get you both she said in a thick Spanish accent. Melody, it's great to see you. I haven't seen you since you were sixteen. How do you know my mate Caspian said quietly she didn't even know she was a mermaid till a little over a week ago. King Caspian, we went to boarding school together. My parents sent me to boarding school in Australia; that's how we met. I remember now your parents sending you and your brother to boarding school. I only work here during the summer, three days a week. You never told me in school that you were a mermaid, Emma. I couldn't. I thought you were human, but you've always been Queen Melody. Yes, I just never knew because I'd never been in the ocean. Well, that explains why I couldn't tell, but I can now. I'll have a cream puff, and so will he. Ok twelve dollars. Don't give me that look; my money is your money. We are mates. I know I'm just not used to it. But I will get used to it. Good. I intend to spoil you. Tell me about human vs supernatural years your brother was mentioning. Well, I'm twenty-eight in human years; that's my physical age. I bet you can't guess my actual age. Two thousand years old. That's correct. I wouldn't have guessed you'd get that right. Well, I overheard your brother tell my sister before we left that he is a year younger than you. I didn't know well enough to know if he was telling the truth, but I thought I'd guess from that. I can't believe you waited for me that long. You were worth the wait I whispered.