Page 45 of Magic Potions and the Merman's Lure

Of course, that’s not all we’ve been doing. Ro has been practically attached to me from the time we meet in the morning until just minutes before sunset. All the while I’ve also been trying to work out a solution to the supplements he wants and not getting any closer.

Which is why we’re spending a portion of our day together a little over an hour inland to meet with my aunt Katherine here at the coven house. Her hair elegantly coifed, Katherine is both intimidating as the head of the coven and a comfortable, familiar presence as she frowns down at her copy of my notes while her mate hovers anxiously behind her with a sort of larger-than-life presence that is all dragon. At her elbow is a copy of the recipe from the Underidge coven. I don’t know how she acquired it, only that she made an oath that she would not share it or permit the recipe to be replicated in any fashion.

Not a difficult promise to keep considering that I have no intention of using it. Even if Ro eyes it with avid interest. Gah, I hate the rejected flounder look he’s been giving me since Katherine produced the recipe and then said she wasn’t handing it over to us. Suits me just fine, but I keep that to myself. I’m not going to drive the screw deeper even if I’m privately relieved.

Katherine sighs deeply and rubs her eyes. “Good gods, Keri. This is a mess. I see exactly what your concerns are. Even without seeing the recipe, you’ve underscored nearly everything problematic with the supplement the coven provides. On paper, what they are doing makes sense. Negate the regular tidal pull by dampening the connection. Separation from the source of the problem is often used to treat a problem. And if it was used only rarely then it probably doesn’t cause much harm, but our coastal communities are seeing a larger influx of aquatic species. Of course they aren’t going to want to have to go to the sea every evening. But the coven hasn’t considered the long-term effects that usage would have on an aquatic person using it on a daily basis and how important that connection is to the sea for their health and general wellbeing.”

I nod and lean forward. “I figure that aside from the general magical core essence of the sea that is a part of them, Ro’s people and other species like his must have some sort of inner biorhythm connected to the sea. Even though technically the tide goes in and out several times a day, we must consider it similar to their magic—at a certain point they are pulled back out to rejoin their source. And this may also be why the pull during the full moon, which has the strongest effect on the tides, is one that they cannot resist.”

My aunt hums in agreement and I lick my lips nervously, uncertain if I’m correct with the direction my research and experiments have been directing me. My eyes drop to the cup of tea by my right hand.

“So I’m basing my work off of the idea ‘what if instead of blocking that connection, we work with it?’ We don’t try to separate their land-dwelling form from the sea. That would be like trying to separate the steeped essence of the leaves from the hot water. It is one. Instead, what if we try to change the pattern?”

I lift my hand over it, palm down, my first two fingertips pointing to the liquid and slowly work my fingers in a clockwise motion as I tap into the energy of the water and merge it with my own aura, calling on the nature of the substance as I’ve been slowly learning to do with my potion making. “The alchemical nature of water is transmutable, so it makes sense to work within their biorhythm to sustain their natural ability to form themselves... but what if we utilized something that works with the natural tide within their magic instead by utilizing a core ingredient that taps directly into the primal energy of the sea and drawing from it. We could simply convince his body that it’s ‘high tide,’ so to speak.”

Katherine sits back in her chair and purses her lips thoughtfully. “You mean expanding upon utilizing something that is the magical equivalent of a hormone-based birth control pill? But instead of tricking the body like the hormone pill and supplement does, you are trying to artificially provide the magical essence that their bodies need as if they were actually in the sea.”

I nod in agreement. “Essentially yes—and doing it that way will hopefully result in this new supplement being without the side effects that occur with the Underidge recipe. Done this way, it would be something that he could take daily but then once a month, for three days, if necessary, go off to keep in time with his natural tide.”

“I would assume that includes reproductive tides as well,” Adeon interrupts as he stares at the Aquana sitting beside me. “If I’m not mistaken, a lot of sea peoples have a fertile cycle highly in tune with the magical tides of the sea. If you are making him feel at his peak all month—” His voice drops as he chuckles as Katherine muffles a laugh behind her hand.

I give them both a quizzical look and turn to Ro. “What am I missing?”

Ro clears his throat awkwardly and lets out a small, embarrassed hiss from between his teeth. “My people get very... amorous when the ocean’s magic heightens. As you know, we breed in the sea, and the full moon has often been used by our females to be the most desirous time to set out their flirting grounds.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you saying that you will literally be very fertile all the time? If that is the case, when the full moon comes, and you have to go to the sea—”

He nods quickly. “I will be in a very heightened state wishing to mate. I managed to resist the urge in the past when I briefly used the supplement, but it is a hard instinct to quell, and will be even more so now.”

We both startle and look over at the loud cackle from the other side of the table. Aunt Katherine waves a hand rapidly in front of her as her eyes stream with mirth, and she desperately tries to smother another laugh while Adeon grins down at her. She makes a small, choked sound and swipes at her eyes.

“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t mean to laugh,” she gasps around a chuckle. “It’s just that you are going to have a very interesting full moon. I do hope you’re prepared to stay in the sea with your mate during those days,” she teases.

I turn pink at the assumption and glance over at Ro, my cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. I am curious if he will admit it now that it is out in the open, though. “Oh. Umm, we aren’t—”

“Mating is too important to make any decisions about while it remains unknown what sort of factors will have to be taken into consideration—with or without a supplement,” Ro interrupts as he gathers my hand in his. “Keri has devoted much of her energy to resolving this problem. I am fortunate to have such a female by my side.”

I peer over at him from beneath my lashes, uncertain of my own feelings. Although warmth curls within me at his praise it is overwhelmed with a bleak realization that there is a good chance that he is not considering this thing between us as permanent as mating. Obviously, it is not casual for him, given the level of loyalty he has always shown me, but his sweet words now feel like a double-edged sword of respect and admiration with little else outside of that. While a lot can be said of a relationship built on trust, loyalty, and admiration, there is also a good chance that there will come a day when another more compatible female that he likes more will come around and he won’t be able to ignore his instincts to mate anymore.

That could be a long way off, maybe even a hundred years or more for all I know, but the possible eventuality still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. He may enjoy the fruits of having a new supplement while we are together, and I know I will enjoy the benefits as well, but being with me is not his end goal when it comes to finding a mate. The gods certainly do have a wretched sense of humor.

Katherine smiles at him with genuine pleasure before giving us both a sympathetic look. I know that she is completely misreading the situation between us, but I don’t have the heart to correct her, romantic soul that she is. “I’m sure that having a potion to help him be less sea-bound would help. It’s hard to pin your future on someone if you aren’t certain of whether they are staying or going. I should know,” she adds with a fond look to Adeon.

There is that. What if that is what Ro is waiting on? If that is the case, I certainly can afford to wait a little longer and see.

“Once I mate, I can never leave,” Ro replies solemnly. “Once a male’s lure is merged with a female’s magic there is no separating them unless the female casts the male aside.”

That sounds a little ominous. I give him a searching look. “And what the fuck would that do?”

An uncomfortable look crosses Ro’s face. “It does not need to be spoken of,” he assures me quietly, but Adeon snorts loudly and shakes his head as he outright ignores the sharp look Ro gives him.

“If they are anything like some of the aquatic species I know of, then it means that once they’ve bonded to that degree, they will die without their mates,” he says bluntly.

Ro’s upper lip pulls back from his teeth, and he hisses at the dragon before turning a sweet look to me as he smooths my hair back with one hand. “As I said, it is nothing that needs to be spoken of. Aquanas give their hearts, but we cannot survive without them. But this is nothing to worry about right now.”

Of course not. As we are not mated, I don’t have any claim on his heart. Given the repercussions, that is both sad and a relief. I don’t think I could deal with the knowledge that there was a good possibility of him dying because of me if anything went wrong with creating this supplement.

“Death is a little harsh,” I mutter but Ro chuckles softly and skims the side of his hand along my cheek.

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