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Standing this close, Athlen smelled of seaweed and salt and crisp ocean wind. The scent reminded Tal of the depths of the blue, the cool rush of water, and the beaches near the castle, smooth stones and swirling eddies, coarse sand on the soles of his bare feet.
Athlen stared with wide, grateful eyes, then a smile broke out over his features like the sun breaking through the clouds. His cheeks dimpled, and Tal’s gut flipped with something other than seasickness at the sight.
With a furrowed brow, he ran the calloused pads of his fingertips over the smooth skin between Tal’s fingers and along the underside of his wrist, his touch unusually cool. No one had touched Tal like this before, with impropriety and wonder, not even his family, and his heart pounded in his ears. Athlen lifted Tal’s hand closer, his breath warm and rhythmic on Tal’s skin, before he pressed a kiss to the palm. His eyelashes fluttered against Tal’s fingers, and Tal exhaled in staccato. “Your magic is wonderful,” Athlen whispered. “I’ll remember you.”
Garrett stood. He ruffled Tal’s dark hair as he passed. “Don’t worry, Tal. Put these thoughts aside for now. This is your coming-of-age, and I promise it will be as rowdy as my own, if I have any say. Tales will be told. Epics will be written by bards.” Tal offered a weak smile. At least in Garrett’s stories Tal would be the hero, and not the villain he was so scared of becoming.
Tal had been given many gifts over his lifetime, all lavish and expensive, meant to curry favor if from members of the court, or to look pretty in his room or on his person if from his family. This gift confused him and delighted him in a way that touched his core. His heart fluttered like a butterfly within the cage of his body, and he pressed his closed fist to his chest. “Thank you.”
Who was this boy who valued sea glass the same as pearls and gold? Who was he to smile slyly and tease Tal and touch him casually and make his heart race?
Tal’s heart thumped hard when Athlen met his gaze, the playfulness gone, replaced with a somber appreciation. He nodded, and a shiver raced down Tal’s spine, as if a cold wave had splashed over him while he stood on the warm, sun-bleached shore. The weight of the moment meant something. Tal didn’t know what, but red and gold rippled over Athlen’s skin.
The colors of twilight played over Athlen’s pale skin as he moved. He was ethereal, and for a moment Tal thought he looked as if he didn’t belong on land at all and was a creature from the sea, more used to undulating in the waves and currents than slapping bare feet on the paving stones. Then Athlen smiled, his cheeks dimpling, his brown eyes shining, and Tal couldn’t conjure poetic metaphors anymore.
Tal’s first kiss was rough and frantic, Athlen’s mouth bruising against his own, a tight seal on Tal’s lips. A burst of oxygen followed, filling his lungs like sails. Tal surged back to awareness. Athlen broke away, gaze roving over Tal’s body, then he hooked one strong arm around Tal’s torso.
She’d known about Tal even before he told her that he was attracted to the athletic squires and the beautiful ladies of the court and those who identified somewhere between. She’d merely smiled and cupped his reddened cheeks in her jeweled fingers and told him he was fortunate to have so many people to choose from for his potential spouse—when and if he wanted one. And whoever he did choose would be lucky to have him.
Tal’s cheeks blazed as he nodded. His knees trembled and Athlen clasped him tighter. This close, Tal tipped his head back to meet Athlen’s unwavering gaze. He spied the light line of freckles that spread over the bridge of Athlen’s nose, and the dimple in his cheek, and the slope of his neck as the collar of his shirt slipped sideways. Tal’s blood pounded and his head swam, and he didn’t know if it was due to illness or something else, something about Athlen’s proximity and the strong cage of his arms and the salty smell of his skin.
She pushed a tendril of hair away from her face. “Once we get to the horse, I guess you won’t want a lengthy good-bye. And I’m not sad you’re leaving. You’ve been a pain in my neck since you showed up at my door with the things my mother needed.” “Dara,” Tal said with a roll of his eyes and a slight smile, “that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”
Tal had thought romance absurd. How did the princess or the servant or the warrior always end up swooning in a lover’s arms? How did the right moment always find them between battles or after escape or right as the sun set? It all seemed ridiculous and farfetched and contrived. But he understood now—that moment of awakening, the heady rush of realization, and the beautiful ridiculousness of it.
“Don’t discount yourself. You saved me,” Athlen said with finality. He scooted closer. “But if you must know, it helps that you’re nice to look at.” Tal laughed, his unease melting away. He knocked his shoulder into Athlen’s. “You’re nice to look at too.” “Of course I am. I’m a merman.” He winked.
“Can I touch you?” Tal asked, stepping closer. “Yes.” Tal wrapped his arms around Athlen’s shaking body and held on. “I’ve got you.” “I know.” His breath was cool on Tal’s neck. “For how long?” “Until you tell me to let go.”
“I’m scared of what’s going to happen next.” Garrett’s hand landed heavy on his shoulder. “Tally, you’re forgetting something.” “What?” “You don’t have to face any of these things alone. You’re home. We’re here. Whatever happens, we’ll be together.”
“There are rumors in the towns about me. And I know you’ve always said they’re just rumors, but if enough people speak them, if enough people believe in them, then they aren’t just rumors. They are truth. Those same rumors are why I was taken and why we’re in this situation. Hiding me may have been the right choice when I was young, but it’s certainly not anymore. Now we must control the narrative. We have to change the misconceptions about magic, and to do that, I have to reveal myself. I must show the world that I’m not another Lon.”
“The world isn’t kind,” Tal said as Garrett held him at arm’s length, the flames of the torch flickering from the ground, casting them both in eerie shadows. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be.”
“I know we’re young,” he blurted. “I know that we met under stressful circumstances. I know that I’m a prince and you’re a merman. But I also know that I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I know we’re both the last, and we’ve felt alone. But we could be alone together.”
“You promised once”—Athlen’s lips grazed Tal’s cheek—“that you’d show me what the bed of a prince was like.” “I didn’t mean it like that.” Athlen smiled, coy yet fond, while he played with strands of Tal’s hair. “I did.”
“Are you going to swoon into his arms?” Garrett asked, nudging Tal’s shoulder, grinning madly. “As soon as you can stand and run to him.” Kest snorted behind his hand. “You will run, right? It will be an epic ending to your love story.” Isa threw her hand over her eyes and collapsed into Garrett’s arms. “It’ll be like a scene from my favorite novel. Except you’re both soaking wet and covered in blood.”
The noise had Athlen turning his head. He spotted Tal and smiled, wide and bright, as beautiful as the sunset on the water. “Are you going to kiss him?” Isa asked. “I just puked seawater.” “I don’t think he’ll mind.”
“You’re my beloved,” Athlen said, his voice a vibration against Tal’s lips. “And you’re mine.” They kissed, and kissed, and Tal would’ve thought it a fairy tale if not for the sand in his collar, and the water in his boots, and the ache of his body. But he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
