Page 58 of Magic Potions and the Merman's Lure

He shakes his head. “I have builders arriving to move onto the next stage of our home and I asked him to inspect the construction of the water tunnels before they start putting up the frame.”

“Wise choice,” I agree. Although I really don’t have much of a concept of what he’s speaking of, he did take some time explaining to me that nesting tunnels were important to have leading out into the open water. It would help him feel more secure even if he was lounging within the pools as they would open into the lower level of the house. “That should keep him busy.”

“Given that he will have his own entrance, he was eager to help,” Ro agrees. His gaze shifts to the water I have set up and he smiles. “Now show me what you are working on. I am yours until sundown.”

Until sundown for now, but hopefully soon we will have all of our days and nights—aside from that pesky full moon. But then I may just join him in the water. I’m becoming a little more accustomed to it in small amounts. Who knows what may happen in the future.

Chapter 37

Ro

My gaze fastens on Keri as I lean forward on the other side of the table separating us. She has something called a hot plate between us and several glass containers. Magic swirls within the essence captured in each of them, brightening in response with her as Keri lifts and examines them one by one. She gives me a focused look over the top of the container and hands it to me.

“So, I take it that the phone call with your mom went well?” Adiele asks as she watches us, her elbows propped on the end of the table and her chin resting between her hands.

Keri’s lips twitch faintly, and she shrugs, making me bristle with irritation that anyone would dare harm my mate’s tender emotions.

“About as well as can be expected given how tense everything has been. And she didn’t really enjoy me calling her out on how unhelpful her last divination was. There was some frustrated weeping and denial, but she eventually came around after about an hour or so and strong armed my dad into looking into the matter. Mom is better at foresight, but Dad is where the money is if you need to solve immediate problems. Let’s just say he needed the most convincing since he was pretty determined to hold out hope and resist me, uh, throwing my gifts away to pursue this.”

I scowl in response. Due to her family living much further inland from the coast than her aunt Katherine, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet them and reassure them that I do not seek to steal their daughter away. It is just one more reason that I need for this to work. I do not wish to cause a rift between my mate and her family or her coven any more than she wishes to cause me the anguish of being forcibly parted from the sea. We both need these things that make up who we are.

“And your sire—he was helpful?” I posit hopefully.

A real smile curls her lips, and she nods. “That he was! We brought in Katherine on a three-way conference call and hammered out the details. I have everything I need except where to start. And that’s where you come in. I need to know which of these—or which combination—feels like the energy of the sea.”

I look at the glass container in my hand and the others lined up across the table in front of us and suddenly feel very uneasy. What if I select wrong? I know nothing about this sort of magic.

“I do not know if I am the best one to make this decision, Keri,” I murmur. “I know nothing about this.”

Adiele sighs as she looks over the sample. “I still don’t understand why can’t we just grab any old saltwater and make a potion from it. You have the core, after all, so shouldn’t any of these do?”

Keri shakes her head. “The mineral composition of the sea is incredible, and its balance supports the lifeforms within it, but it doesn’t necessarily compose the magical elements of the sea. That involves a combination of the plants that grow within it, the influence of the lunar tides, its relationship with the shores and the rivers that empty sediment into it. The water carries an imprint of all these things and that makes up its magical nature.”

“Fuck,” Adiele breathes, and I can’t agree more with the sentiment.

My mate’s expression softens, and she reaches over to place her hand on mine. “Just relax, Ro. You can do this. This should feel as natural to you as breathing. All you need to do is tell me what feels like home to you.”

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