Page 32 of Magic Potions and the Merman's Lure

Trapped in the water as I am, now my mind races with worry and a sense of helplessness drives my frustration higher as I swim. This is not right. My mate should have returned home a long time ago. Where did she even go? I gnash my teeth, angry at myself. I should have ignored the heavy weight of disappointment that came with the realization that she didn’t wish to spend the day with me to inquire more closely about her plans. In retrospect, I should have hunted down Mr. Clarence to see if he had any clue, but I had honestly expected to find her at any moment right up until it became too late for me to do anything other than turn back to the shore.

I slash out at the water in front of me with a snarl. This will not happen again. Even if I must follow her like a shadow everywhere she goes, I will never allow this kind of risk again. What if she was hurt? Trapped as I am until sunrise, she could be suffering somewhere, and I wouldn’t be able to get to her. Unacceptable!

My heart hammers in my chest in reaction to that terrible thought, and I give my tail a powerful flick, propelling me along the shoreline. She had headed toward this side of the town and never returned. She has to be here somewhere! I do not know who has captured her, but when I find them, I will punish them severely. Everyone is suspect, and every residence I pass looks suspicious to me. Many have darkened windows and appear to be vacant while others have light spilling from the windows.

A splash in the near distance draws my attention. My ears prick at the sound and the spines on dorsal fins slowly rise aggressively as I catch the notes of Aquana song vibrating on the air. A flush of anger fills me, and I speed through the water toward the sound. How dare another male hunt in my territory without permission! I avoided the flirting grounds and the warmer waters that draw those looking for humans who might be caught swimming unaware because I didn’t want to get into a dispute over a mate. This is different, however. This is no female luring males in to compete over her. I am courting my chosen mate and have staked my territory clearly.

Is this male the culprit behind Keri’s delay in returning home?

Panic fills me as I dive beneath the surface to increase my speed, images of my mate being trapped out in the water by a persuasive Aquana on the hunt filling my mind. He is not a Gurekna that is for certain. A male of my own clan would never be so blatantly disrespectful, and it is rare for them to come this far north as my kin prefers tropical waters.

Following the echoes of my rival’s lure, I don’t surface until I finally am within range. Keeping my movements slow, I stealthily slide through the water, drawing in closer to him, unwilling to give my presence away prematurely. My gaze flicks among the rocks rising from the water of the little cove I find myself within, looking for any sign of my Keri until I suddenly have the male with range of my vision. My upper lip curls in a sneer as my focus narrows in on him. I will remove him first and then I can rescue my mate without opposition. Judging by the short, rough pattern of the male’s fins, his blockier build, and his coloring that ranges from moss to the deepest hue of green, he is a Saluha Aquana. His kind lacks the defensive barb and long, venomous spined fins of the Gurekna and other clan pods of the southern waters, but they were not without their defenses.

Not only do they have a heavier and more powerful build, but they also have a far more aggressive temperament that is backed up by the denser webbing of their tail fins which can deliver bone-breaking blows. Outside of that, their claws have a serrated edge on their underside that easily tears through scales and flesh. I’m not likely to escape from this conflict without wounds but I won’t be chased out of my own territory. This part of the coast belongs to me and my mate and the pod that will come from our union. The Saluha will not steal that future from me.

All the same, I am still considering letting him go with a warning since he has not overtly approached my mate until a movement from the house facing the water draws my attention. The weak light illuminates only one window on the lower level but enough to illuminate the doorway and spill out into the night as the door opens, and my mate steps out onto the porch. Her scent drifts over the cove to me and, although night has fallen, I can see her perfectly. Her skin bathed in moonlight and the gentle wind coming off the water plays with the loose strands of her pale hair. It is enough to chill her because she wraps her arms around herself as she walks closer to the railing, her gaze skimming the water as if searching for something... or someone.

My heart thuds in my chest as I turn toward her, eager to swim to her shore and announce my presence. I would happily watch over her little house all night as I drift through the surf waiting for the morning to come just so that I can climb the porch steps and join her. The Saluha’s presence feels insignificant now and I am happy to ignore him in favor of basking in the attention of my mate. I swim silently past the rocks, making for the shoreline, my heart rising eagerly within me even as my song wells up in my chest. I don’t get a chance to release it without opposition. There is a loud splash of water and I look back as the male rises higher onto the rocks, drawing more of his body out of the sea. I don’t think he is aware of my presence as he doesn’t even glance in my direction. His gaze is focused entirely on my female and his song ripples in long intonations across the water.

The sound hits me like a physical blow, igniting my base instincts. There is no way I can ignore him now. Heat spills through me—my intense arousal rising sharply in response to the maddening fury and instinctual need to defeat and drive away the other male flooding my body. I wrestle with the feeling since I am certain that he is still somehow cluelessly unaware of my presence. Is there a chance that the male doesn’t even realize that he is evading another’s territory?

“Hello? Ro is that you?” Keri’s head cranes as she peers over the water. “Strange. That doesn’t really sound like him,” she adds in a quieter voice to herself as she steps off the porch onto the sand.

I turn eagerly toward my mate, pleased that she is thinking of me even if I am a bit insulted that there was even a question of doubt in her mind confusing my melodious song with the Saluha’s trumpeting. Still, she is calling for me and my heart leaps with delight at it. My annoyance with the male is half forgotten as my own song rising again to alert her to my presence, but the Saluha’s song breaks out again before I have a chance, his lure stronger than ever and blatant in his voice as he calls to her. I whirl toward him in outrage. He doesn’t even note my presence as he dares to leap from the rock where he’s perched into the water to speed into the shallows of the cove.

Outrage turns to fury as my mate steps close to the water’s edge as she calls out again, each step putting her closer to the approaching male.

“Ro?” Her voice trembles on the verge of tears and I can taste her fear rising on the air.

That is all I can take. My mate is afraid and calling from me and another male not only has dared to invade my territory, but he is forcing his lure on her, increasing her panic as it runs into the power of my lure that her magic had already long begun to accept. Whether due to ignorance or not on the male’s part, I absolutely refuse to allow this to go any further.

Hissing loudly, the expulsion of air rising into a furious shriek, I dart forward, slicing through the water at full speed. I know the moment the male notices my presence because he drops low into the water at my approach, his spinal dorsal fins shooting up and yellow eyes widening in response to my challenge. He shoots away as if to avoid me, but I twist through the water, my body drawing into a tight arc as I circle around toward him. I attack and he evades, churning the water of the shallows around us and spraying upward with every lunge. I drive forward, my claws and fin blades on my forearms striking on the frontal assault, and my tail spine and tail fins slashing as my body curls inward with each pass. His own tail strikes out toward me, but the attack is clumsy, and his claws barely graze me before I can roll out of his reach.

I narrow my eyes at him as I slow my assault. Gliding through the water, I circle him. His chest heaves as he watches me, his eyes tracking my every movement. Blood clouds the water faintly from the few blows that have managed to connect. I cock my head as I regard him. He looks... young. I frown at that because although he is clearly sexually mature, he doesn’t appear to be old enough to be permitted away from the protection of his maternal pod. And yet I have not seen any sign of Saluha territory anywhere near here.

Water splashes, distracting me from my observation as I turn and surface from the shallow water to see my mate racing through the water to me, a look of worry stamped on her face. Unlike the Saluha, I know that I am far more visible so close to the surface, so her eyes find me quickly. I don’t think she even sees the other male at all, and that both delights and worries me since I wish to be the only male in her eyes, but I am also concerned with just how unaware she is. The look of relief on her face and her smile are enough to steal every bit of magic from my soul with the intensity of adoration I feel for her. And truthfully, I would give it all to her happily and willingly just for her smile. I want to go to her, but I hesitate and look toward the other male warily.

His gaze bounces from me to her and back again as I feel him test the magic in the air. It lasts for only a moment before he suddenly goes pale and draws back fearfully.

“Don’t move,” I hiss and am gratified when he goes completely still in the water.

He is very young indeed.

I swim toward him slowly but stop when I hear Keri splash through the water behind me as she attempts to follow. I glance back at her. She is deep enough that the water kisses her hips, drawing her nightgown away from her legs with light tugs of the current. She watches me with such sad eyes that I want to gather her into my arms and kiss it away.

“Ro? Where are you going?”

That sadness echoes within her voice with such depth that it hurts my heart. It is something mournful as if she fully expects me to leave her but can’t help asking anyway. As if I would ever leave her. The idea is absurd and yet I hurt for her obvious pain and can’t go any further without offering her some comfort. I shake my head in warning.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure her. “It’s late. Go back inside and rest. I will come in the morning.”

She pauses uncertainly but finally nods. “I will leave the door unlocked. Just come inside when you can.”

I incline my head. “As soon as the sun rises,” I promise. “I will be watching over the house until then. You can sleep without worry.”

A soft laugh escapes her that makes me cock my head quizzically, but she doesn’t elaborate. “Strange that I find that so comforting all things considered,” she murmurs instead. “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Although I keep track of the Saluha’s position and movements, my eyes follow my mate as she turns and heads back to the house. Her wet nightgown clings to her thighs as she walks out onto the shore, and I catch her shiver in the night air before she hurries up the steps and into the warmth and safety that waits for her inside. It’s only when the door closes behind her that I finally turn toward my young rival and eye him critically. Though he has sunk deeper into the water so that just his eyes and the top of his head are visible above the surface. I know that look well. I’ve seen it on many young males' faces and wore it myself when being disciplined by an elder within the pod. He wants to flee but is too frightened to do so.

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