2. Under the sea

2

UNDER THE SEA

D elphin

My mate was going to kill me.

Not only had I just broken a pact that our kind had made long ago, but I had also brought the reason with me.

The human slumped in my arms, the taste of his blood filling my mouth.

I had just created a mating bond with him so that he would survive. So that his body would take oxygen like mine. I touched his neck, feeling the slits that formed where my bite was.

I pulled him down further from the choppy surface, away from the ship that was being dragged down into the depths. I was thankful for the feel of the water on my body, for the freedom this human had just given me.

He had saved me from the others.

"Delphin!" my mate snarled.

I swam faster, dragging my human with me. I swam away from my pod, and even away from my other mate.

"DELPHIN! " Aegaeon bellowed.

I clutched the human to me as one of Aegaeon's sharks smacked into me, knocking us to the side. I let out a growl, but it was too late.

Aegaeon rushed in front of me, his face contorted with rage.

He burned in the darkness, his body luminescent. His scales glinted like a rainbow, and his black eyes narrowed.

" What…what is this? Why do you have a man with you? You were captured by them and I rocked the entire sea to save you. To bring you back to me. And you insult me by bringing a man with you? "

"He's mine," I hissed, baring my fangs. "He saved me. And I can feel that he belongs to us. "

" HE DOES NOT BELONG TO US!" Aegaeon growled.

"He does now. I gave him a mating bite."

Aegaeon stared at me for a moment and then rushed forward. I shoved him back, but he still managed to rip my human from me, gripping me.

I froze against him, my heart pounding.

" Why? " He whispered. "My dear mate, why would you do such a thing? To a human?"

" Look at him," I urged, sadness swelling inside of me. "Look at him and tell me that you don't see it. He is ours. Yours too, mate."

Aegaeon shook his head, letting out a snarl. He was furious and scared, and I knew that later I would be punished for disobeying him.

At least my punishments usually ended in me filling him with my cock.

We both looked at the human, who was now floating and unmoving. The wound I had inflicted had already closed up, and I knew that his body was adjusting.

We weren't supposed to make these types of bonds with humans any longer. Aegaeon, who was the leader of our pod and direct descendant of the gods, had been there when that rule had been made.

But, I couldn't stop myself.

The moment I saw the human, I felt it. I had felt him.

He had helped me without any hesitance.

I had witnessed his pain in seeing one of his own die.

But he had still carried me out. His body straining beneath me, fighting to free me.

I had promised to save him because I wanted him.

"You can keep him for a few days. You can do whatever you want with him, Delphin. But then I will kill him. We cannot have a human mate, my love. We are creatures. Monsters. He does not belong in our world. And by doing this, you have taken him from his own. What if he already had mates?"

It was my turn to growl now, a flash of jealousy burning through me.

"He belongs to me!" I yelled.

"You will obey me," Aegaeon snapped. "Go before the others come. And go before he wakes up and sees us devour his kin."

I looked back at the ship, already seeing our pod pulling bodies from it.

It was about to be a feeding frenzy.

"Have fun with your pet. I will be home later. I expect you to be waiting for me."

"I will have him with me," I said.

"Then he can watch."

Before I could answer, my mate turned and swam off. He glided through the water, faster than a sailfish.

I turned back to my human and lunged forward, grabbing his body before he could float too far.

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.

I grabbed him and rolled him, pinning him back onto my mat.

I held him down, forcing him to look at me. He fought, shoving against me until finally— he stilled.

"Breathe," I growled. "Breathe how you're used to."

He was crying, I realized. A pang of guilt worked through me.

"It's magic," I whispered. "This is real and you're okay. You're alive, as I promised. Through your nose, human."

He stared at me and I started to stroke the top of his head, hoping to calm him. The fresh gills in his neck flared and I watched him take his first fully conscious breath underwater.

"Breathe with me," I whispered softly.

He made another noise, his expression contorting. "How?"

His eyes widened as he realized he could speak.

"Breathe," I reminded him, my voice becoming almost hypnotic.

His chest swelled as his gills flared, bubbles coming from his lips.

"You're safe," I whispered. I continued to stroke his head while he watched me, his eyes still wide. "You're safe and you're mine."

I felt something stir against me and I frowned, looking down between us.

His human cock was hardening beneath his clothing, straining against the fabric.

I smiled, unable to stop myself.

His body knew it belonged to me.

Now, I just had to convince him that his heart did.

"See something you want?" I asked him, looking back up.

"I'm scared but I'm also horny. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I'm losing my mind," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said. "Do you want to see mine?"

"Your what?" he asked.

"My cocks," I said.

He made a noise, his eyes closing for a second. His cheeks flushed, his body warming against me.

"You belong to me now, human. I created a mating bond to you when I saved you. I'm sorry," I said.

"A mating bond?" he asked. "Fuck. My mind is spinning."

"I'm sure it is," I said, chuckling.

Silence settled between us before he raised his head, his eyes sliding over my body. I shivered, feeling my muscles flex. I wanted to please him, wanted him to find me attractive.

The soft feathered fins down my hips lifted, responding to his piercing gaze.

He was mine. I could feel it deep within my soul, the same way I had felt with Aegaeon when we met long ago.

I had felt this human's presence which was why I had wandered so closely to the surface. They had been fishing when I'd become caught in their horrid nets.

Even though I was strong, the nets were difficult to fight against.

I had been drawn to that ship because of him, I was certain of it.

Would he ask to see my cocks? Was it too soon? I could already feel how much I wanted him and I wouldn't fight my instinct.

My body demanded that I fuck him.

Would he accept me?

I waited patiently, hoping that the answer was yes.