“You have nothing to thank me for, sweet boy,” he said, nuzzling my hand. “We are destined. You would have found a way through the Veil had I not.” He drifted forward, his lips brushing softly against mine, his intention clear.

He didn’t get to bridge the final gap as, at that same moment, water sloshed beside us, snatching my attention. I squeaked, jerking out of his space and eyes widening at the sight of a mermaid with her arms laid on the bank, cheek resting on the fold, staring up at us. Her lower half was in the pool, but the fin of her fiery orange tail flitted in and out through the surface.

“Hello,” I said lamely.

Because what else am I supposed to say to a mermaid?

“Hello,” she said, amusement clear in her lilting tone. “I have ne’er seen one of your kind before. Human, yes?”

I swallowed thickly, nodding like a dumbstruck idiot meeting their favorite celebrity. “Uh, yeah. Half human.”

“Interesting,” she purred, elongating the word. Her opaque eyes switched to Cair. “And you are a prince.”

He dipped his head in agreement, saying nothing.

That didn’t deter her. She lifted her head, making a throaty, inhuman sound as the gills in her neck fluttered. She was… pleased?

“’Tis my lucky day,” she chirped, shifting to prop her hands—webbed, I noted—on the grass before rising further out of the water as if displaying herself. “’Twould be an honor to be taken by a human and his prince, should that please you.”

I blinked.

My jaw dropped.

“Um…” Not one coherent sentence was coming to me. What the fuck? “N-no, we don’t… We’re not⁠—”

Cair’s arm wound around my waist, hugging me to his chest in a possessive display. “Thank you,” he said, his voice level, but I could sense the jealousy in his words. “But my mate and I shall decline your offer.”

If she was disappointed or offended, there was no sign of it. She just smiled sweetly, nodding once before pushing off the bank and disappearing under the water. She popped up seconds later on the other side of the pool, much quicker than it took for me to come back online.

“You are positively bewildered, my heart,” Cair teased, trailing his nose up the column of my throat before kissing my jaw. “Should we have accepted her, hm?”

“No, no, no,” I chanted, and Cair’s pleased hum vibrated against my back. “I was just startled, is all. I didn’t expect to be propositioned by a mermaid. A mermaid, Cair.”

“And why not?” He sat back, staring down at me in both affront and confusion. “You are an enchanting creature, Luca, and it pains me to hear that you don’t recognize your own worth or allure.”