I was starting to think the selkies had decided they were fine with not having control over the sea, but Triton was certain that wasn’t the case. He knew them much better than I did, so I didn’t complain against his caution.

He didn’t bring up breeding again, and I obviously didn’t either. I couldn’t get pregnant yet, so it didn’t particularly matter anyway.

But I found myself thinking about it, every time we curled up in bed together.

A baby with my eyes and his smile.

A squishy little pain in the ass to love, dote on, and snuggle with.

There were so many mated couples having children that I wasn’t personally concerned with repopulating merrae society. But the more time I spent with babies, the more I liked them.

And the more I started to think I wanted one, even if I hadn’t admitted it aloud.

Thankfully, I still had time before I had to really make that decision. Hopefully, a lot of time.

sixteen

ARIA

After a laid-back morning filled with slow, lazy sex, reading together in bed, the most delicious pancake breakfast, and a few hours entertaining children, we waded out into the ocean for another afternoon of training.

The castle was a mess of excitement as everyone prepared for a large party they were throwing the next day. It was a yearly holiday that they called Tide Change, because supposedly the underwater tides changed slightly on that day every year.

I was pretty sure they just wanted something to celebrate, because the underwater tides actually changing on such a specific timetable seemed unlikely.

We would be helping set up for the holiday after a few hours of training, but we still didn’t know if the selkies were going to attack us. So, we were still training almost full-time.

“Run your checks,” Triton instructed me, holding my hand as we waded slowly.

Neither of us was in a rush. We were both looking forward to a day off for the holiday, as our lazy morning had proven. I was getting pretty damn good with my magic, so there was no need to exhaust myself daily anymore.

Time was what would really help me improve, now.

“Something feels different,” I said, frowning as I looked around. Releasing Triton’s hand, I stopped where I was and closed my eyes, focusing on the magic I was sending through the water.

Checking on the ocean around the castle was the hardest thing to use my magic for. It took an insane level of focus, and Triton said it had taken him multiple decades to master it.

I definitely wasn’t there yet, but I kept working at it.

“Different how?” he asked. He ran his checks morning, afternoon, and night, so if something was really wrong, I assumed he would’ve felt it.