Page 20 of Lost in the Dark

He was attractive, for a human.

I wanted to feel his muscles again.

I wanted to feel him alive against me.

A noise filled my throat, my gills flaring. I could feel my cocks stirring at the thought of breeding him.

Would he let me? Would he let me take him?

I would find out. And I would find a way to convince Aegaeon that he was ours.

I dragged him close to me and held him as I took off, heading deeper in the water. It would take us awhile to get home, and I would need to be quick so I could keep him out of sight of the others.

Still, I was our leader’s mate. I was able to do almost anything I wanted without a problem.

Even bring a human into our home.

Our world was vast with many different pods. Some of them larger than others. Ours was the oldest, with lines of merfolk that held the most power. Our magic was ancient and came straight from the gods themselves.

I had always been an outcast until Aegaeon had chosen me as his.

I loved him, despite how brutal he could be.

And he loved me, despite the fact that I hardly ever obeyed him.

My skin began to glow the deeper I went, the light from above growing further and further away. I swam past fish, past other creatures that wouldn’t dare to mess with me or the human I carried.

Finally, I saw the mouth of our cave. I went through, immediately taking a right down a tunnel.

Even our guards had gone out hunting.

I made it to our home and went through the barrier, a layer of magic that was used to keep out unwanted guests. My human started to stir against me as I pulled him to my room.

My room was a smaller cave that allowed me to look over the trenches. Like our main doorway, there was a layer of magic that allowed me to look out but not for others to look in.

At the center was the mat I rested on. I took my human there, setting him down.

A low moan left him, bubbles parting his lips.

When he woke up, I knew he would panic. His mind would not understand how he could breathe or why he was alive.

I would help him, though. I would help him understand what he was to me.

I ran my webbed fingers down his body, studying him. His muscles beneath the fabrics he wore were hard, his brown hair floating around him.

More bubbles parted his lips and he stirred, making another little helpless noise. I watched him, my gaze never leaving his face.

His eyes slowly opened, blinking. He closed them again before sucking in a breath—

That was when his eyes flew open.

“Human,” I said, leaning forward. “Human, look at me.”

He immediately let out a scream, thrashing away. He gripped at his throat, choking. More bubbles left his lips and I knew it was the last of the air leaving his lungs, his body purging itself.

“Human,” I said, reaching for him.

He was horrified and frightened. He made noise again, clawing at his skin.

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