Page 23 of Rock of Stages
“Mine.” She was truly mine now. And I was hers. As eternal as the rocks and sky and sea.
Forever entwined.
The next day,Naiya and I stood on a lower deck, preparing for her departure. While we were docked, a barrier was open with a diving board extended so seafaring supernaturals could go for a swim right off the ship. A soft breeze tugged at Naiya’s dress, and the sunlight gilded her hair with a warm glow. My chest ached, as if weighed with boulders. I tried to project calm and strength, but a maelstrom of dread brewed in my head.
Naiya turned to me, her jade-green eyes appearing almost ethereal.
She brushed her fingers over my cheek. “I’ll meet up with you when the ship sails near my pod next week.”
I gulped as I pulled her into my arms. Her leaving felt wrong, gnawing at me. My beast growled inside, unwilling to let her go. I yearned to be able to protect her, and my wings unfurled. I snapped them back. They were useless beneath the sea.
Was this the mate bond, or was something wrong? An unsettling sensation gnawed at me that I couldn’t shake off.
“Come back to me, Naiya.” My voice was rough.
She trembled, but smiled through it. “I promise.”
I didn’t let go until I had to.
Naiya kissed my lips and stepped back. “Don’t miss me too much,” she said with a cheeky smile.
Before I could answer, she dove into the ocean, sliced through the waves, and disappearing beneath them. I watched, frozen, until she resurfaced. She turned and blew a kiss at me and my heart panged with longing. She dove under, her silver and teal tail emerging as it gleamed beneath the sunlight. I didn’t blink until it, too, disappeared.
And my waiting began.
I’d wait. However long it took. Or I’d go search every inch of the sea to find her.
She was mine.
CHAPTER 14
NAIYA
The sea hugged me like an old friend—warm, comforting, and teeming with life. Velvet currents brushed over my skin, carrying the scent of salt and seaweed. I swam deeper, golden light rippling down in threads like beams of sunlight reflected from above. A pod of whales sang a haunting, echoing melody in the distance.
With each kick of my tail, a subtle ache grew, which exacerbated the more I increased the distance between Caleb and me. But the sooner I spoke to my pod, the quicker I could return to him.
Ifmy father didn’t try to stop me. I winced as I braced myself for the inevitable clash.
Whooshing my tail to propel me, I descended into the glowing reef, where vibrant coral bloomed like underwater towers in every hue—scarlet, orange, violet. Soft anemones waved lazily in the shifting tides.
I swam through swaying kelp curtains and darting bioluminescent fish that flashed like falling stars. The underwater world sparkled with familiarity—but it was time to leave.
My heart pounded. Not from the swim—but from the conversation waiting ahead.
Several merpeople in my pod greeted me back and asked where I’d been. I smiled and replied briefly, noting I’d fill them in later. “Have you seen my father?”
They indicated where he was and I swam in that direction, my pulse edging skyward. I found him near a red fan sea coral. His back was toward me, yet he still loomed—imposing, long, and broader than most merpeople, with powerful shoulders and a deep-blue tail. His long dark hair floated around him like seaweed, streaked with white that seemed to have grown more prominent in my absence.
“Naiya.” His voice was low, rippling with restrained anger. He turned toward me as if he sensed me approach.
I braced myself for what was sure to come next.
“You’ve been gone nearly an entire tide cycle without a word. What were you thinking?” he demanded.
I straightened, struggling to keep my voice calm. “It has not been that long.” Then I took a deep breath and admitted, “But I’m sorry if I worried you. It wasn’t intentional.”
He frowned, fins flicking with irritation. “You missed an important dinner with Tarel’s pod, where we discussed the arrangement.”
