Page 26 of Sunken Empire

"Hello, damselfish," he replies, softness taking over his expression.

There's one thing the mer in front of me had right more than anything. Questions. We have way more of them than we do answers, especially me.

Starting with an easy one, I ask, "What's your magic?"

He smiles. "Unlike my impatient brother, I happen to like surprises. Guess you'll have to wait and find out."

I start to pout, but he lifts his tail out of the water as a distraction tactic. Of course, it works. His has the same bright seafoam green color of his eyes, and like Zephyr's, it flows down into a slightly darker tint. Reaching out to touch it, I find the same texture, too. If I'm honest with myself, I expected them to be slimy or rough underneath my fingers. The contrast of my assumption and reality is like fire and ice. One of the things I'm most excited to find is that I'm not as appalled as I originally thought I'd be. I mean, come on, most boyfriends come with some kind of baggage, but all three of mine come with fishtails.

Mine. the word repeats as I take in the three of them. Yeah, I like that word.

A hand flashes in front of my face. "Where'd you go, Rubikins?"

The old nickname has me turning a playful frown towards Zephyr. "I don't think I like that one, Zephy."

All three of their laughter together does funny things to my insides, which turns to a slow burn as one of their tails wraps around my waist from behind. A quick peek down reveals a blue so vivid that it reminds me of some of the tinier fish swimming alongside the barrier. Where his brothers' colors run darker as they descend to the tip, Zanthus's tail stays the tang-fish blue completely, but as he moves, I notice a darker midnight shade underneath. Each of them is as different as their personalities.

Letting Zanthus pull my back against his chest, I rest my head on his shoulder to enjoy the show Zephyr is still having the sea life put on above us. My question is aimed at the ceiling. "So...I'll be able to breathe underwater like them?"

"Sure will, princess," Zanthus murmurs into my ear. Anxiety rips through me at how much I still don't know about their world. Something so small that I should've thought about, but it never even crossed my mind.

My harsh intake of breath must alert them to where my mind has drifted off to. Zale has my eyes dropping to his as he reassures, "We've got so much to catch you up on, damselfish. What we've had an entire lifetime to acquire in knowledge, you'll have to pack within a short time span. But we're not going to just throw you to the sharks. We'll be here every step of the way."

Shit, in this protective shield the three of them have me hiding behind, sharks being out here never occurred to me. Trying not to be obvious, I let my eyes wander at the open water around us.

"Great, brother," Zeph snorts in Zale's direction. "Now you've got her thinking about sharks."

"There's nothing in here with us," Zanthus says comfortingly. "If you close your eyes and concentrate, you'd be able to feel any living thing around you in the water."

I do as he says but find myself half-dozed instead of focusing on living critters.

His arms become bands around my body, and he whispers softly in that secret language as I feel us gliding through the water. My last thought is disappointment at not being able to watch them transform back.

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