The Triplet Mermen Trilogy
The Tattoo of the Elf
Jefferson Workman, an elf, is instantly attracted to the merman he bumps into outside the public library, but he has no idea how to get in touch. He doesn't even know the merman's name. He won't ever forget those enticing icy blue eyes, though. He's saved from his constant pining when he's tasked to deal with an evil sorcerer who attacks supernatural beings at random.
Baltic Pelagius, a merman, is astounded by his instant attraction to the elf he briefly talks to because he hasn't felt something like that for a century. However, he dares not hope for a happy ending. He's an abomination due to the siren magic within him which urges him to lure men and women to their deaths. He also has to contend with a sorcerer who uses dark magic on him. Then, he crosses path once again with the elf.
Can Jefferson and Baltic work through their issues together while fighting against the evil sorcerer?
Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 35,629
The Tattoo of the Elf
The Triplet Mermen Trilogy
Casper Graham

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
The Tattoo of the Elf
Copyright © 2018 by Casper Graham
ISBN: 978-1-64243-228-2
First Publication: May 2018
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2018 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at
[email protected]
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
DEDICATION
I always start out by thanking DRS, my lovely boyfriend, who has stuck by my side through thick and thin. If I could have a tattoo on my chest over my heart, I would want it to be of your name.
Thank you for your love and support through everything. I appreciate them!
To all the incredible readers, I hope you’ll enjoy the second book in the trilogy. Baltic Pelagius is the character that inspires me to write this trilogy in the first place. Thank you for supporting me in my journey toward becoming a better writer day by day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Casper writes because it’s a passion. He writes because he has stories to share with the world. He writes because he needs a creative outlet.
Sometimes, his head is filled with so many competing ideas/thoughts all at once that he simply has to put them all into words. He always has his smartphone with him, including shower time, because the muse hits him at unexpected moments and he doesn’t want to lose the ideas later.
He has been dating a wonderfully supportive and loving man since January 2013—someone who is willing to accept his shortcomings, someone who is willing to tolerate his idiosyncrasies. The journey has been long and difficult, but they have their good moments. Casper’s lover has a love/hate relationship with the fact that he sometimes includes a part of their stories, but he enjoys writing "them" into the stories anyway.
He hopes readers will all join him in his writing journey and get a glimpse into his life through his stories.
For all titles by Casper Graham, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/casper-graham
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Tattoo of the Elf
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
The Tattoo of the Elf
The Triplet Mermen Trilogy
Casper Graham
Copyright © 2018
Chapter 1
Jefferson Workman had departed the land of the elves and lived in the mortal realm long enough to realize he was considered as an anomaly in more ways than one. It wasn’t his hair or eyes. They were black in color, so there was nothing unusual about them. It wasn’t even his height or weight. Being six feet five inches tall and weighing two hundred pounds might not be the norm regardless of species, supernatural or otherwise, and people might stare at him a little bit due to his size, but he was able to blend in with the ordinary humans without too much trouble. He had been “thirty-two” years old for thousands of years, but all supernatural beings were immortals. He was normal in that regards.
What was strange about him by any standards was his love of waking up at four or five in the morning. He was also very energetic the moment he opened his eyes. He didn’t need any caffeine to perk him up. Since he didn’t keep an eight-to-five schedule like most mortals did, he could enjoy a quiet hour in the park, which was located about a ten-minute walk away from his house. The mornings were always peaceful, and he also loved the fresh air. It was of a much better quality than the ones he had to breathe in once those damn vehicles started filling up the roads.
Another reason he liked going to the park was because it reminded him of the land of the elves, where nature was still the dominant feature in everything. He had a huge garden in his backyard at home, but it didn’t feel the same. After an hour or so at the park, he would go home for a nice, warm shower before he checked his schedule for the day. As a healer, his patients consisted of the supernaturals and the very rare few ordinary humans.
He had different ways of handling both groups of patients. The supernaturals knew he was an elf, so he could prescribe them magical herbs and potions. He even used some of his magic to heal the more dire cases. When it came to the supernaturals, he almost always had to deal with the more urgent cases than otherwise. After all, the supernaturals had superior healing ability. They wouldn’t need him for physical wounds for the most part. What they required from him most of the time were the solutions for mental wounds that were inflicted by magic.
He had a few patients who were ordinary humans, but those people often asked for stupid things like cream to stay youthful for as long as possible or some sort of beauty products. He was certain they weren’t aware that he was an elf, but doing what he did in the mortal realm, he understood that the term “healer” was sometimes associated with being a weirdo or even a quack doctor. After all, his “medicines” weren’t the usual chemical stuff that would be prescribed by those doctors in the clinics or hospitals.
He could have given them magical products to fulfill their hearts’ desires to remain young until the day they died, but he had no doubt the council for the supernaturals would punish him for doing so. After all, ordinary humans weren’t meant to look young the older they grew. He sympathized with them, though. Hence, he would sometimes slip in a bit of magic here and there in his cream or lotions to make them really effective. They would work well enough for the purposes they were intended for, but at the same time, they wou
ldn’t risk exposing him and the other supernatural beings.
When he had no patients for a stretch of time, he would visit Edwin Barrett, a phoenix shifter and his best friend, at the man’s bakery. However, he hadn’t been able to do that as much lately. He knew Edwin was busy with an assignment from the council, which was related to a siren. There were also missing merpeople for Edwin to deal with. Moreover, Jefferson was aware that Edwin was courting a merman named Drake Pelagius. Hence, he didn’t mind they weren’t able to meet up often. He could always go to the public library near to his house and spend an hour or two reading one of the books there. It was on such an occasion that he bumped into the most good-looking man he had ever laid his eyes on.
“Shit! I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
The man glanced up at him from the ground for a second or two before slowly getting up on his feet. He was struck into silence at the sight of those icy-blue eyes and platinum-blond hair. The man was also really short compared to him. He would estimate the man’s height to be around five feet five inches or five feet six inches with a good, lean build. Then, there was the smile. It made the man even more gorgeous, if that was even a remote possibility. It amplified the stranger’s ethereal beauty, and Jefferson gaped at the man like an idiot. He yearned to say something witty or sexy to impress this unknown man, but his mind was blank. He even had to remind himself to shut his mouth.
“It’s all right. It’s also my fault. I wasn’t paying attention earlier because I needed to leave the library in a hurry. I have a class to teach in thirty minutes, and my house is about a twenty-minute walk away from here.”
Jefferson nodded. “Cool. What’s the subject?”
The stranger seemed confused for a moment before his expression brightened up. “I’m not that kind of teacher. I’m a yoga instructor.”
“Cool.” Then, Jefferson grimaced. He sounded like a moron with a limited vocabulary. “You must be really flexible then.”
The man laughed out loud, displaying neat rows of perfect, white teeth. “I’m okay. It comes with the territory.”
“Cool,” Jefferson blurted out for the third time in a row before wincing. “Damn it! I don’t usually use that word over and over again. You must think I’m such an immature loser.”
Jefferson’s heart beat faster and harder at the sight of the grinning man in front of him. He had existed for thousands of years. He had seen more than his fair share of pretty men and women, but the one in front of him made all the rest looked plain by comparison. Then, there was that melodious voice. He could feel his dick taking an interest in the stranger. He wondered what the man would sound like underneath him in bed as they made love to each other over and over again.
“Not at all. I think you’re a handsome elf and a veritable hunk.”
“Yeah?” Jefferson replied before he replayed the stranger’s last sentence inside his head. “Wait a second. How did you—”
The man smirked at him. “I can smell your natural woodsy, earthy scent, not to mention the lingering smell of your magic. It’s leaking all over your pores. You must be very powerful to have so much magic that your body can’t even contain it. I’m surprised that you haven’t detected what I am yet.”
Jefferson stepped a bit closer and inhaled. The salty seawater smell took him aback.
“You’re a merman.”
“Indeed. Anyway, it’s nice to bump into you, but I really have to go now. Bye.”
He didn’t get the chance to respond at all because the merman disappeared into a portal of water a second later. He glanced around in trepidation, heaving out a sigh of relief when he realized there wasn’t anyone else right outside the public library building. It wouldn’t be catastrophic if an ordinary human or two had noticed the display of water magic. He could always erase the memories from their minds. However, he didn’t feel like spending the next minute of his time doing something as tedious as that.
He shook his head and tried to make sense of the strange encounter with the merman before adjusting the bulge at the front of his light-blue jeans. His dick was more than a little hard after a whiff of the merman’s incredible scent. Whoever that merman was, Jefferson was determined to get to know him. He hadn’t had such an instant reaction to anyone in years. He would be a fool to let the merman go without at least attempting to ask him out on one date. All he needed to do was to find out who the merman was. The merman would come back to the library sooner or later. Then, they could go on a date or several dates before mating with each other. That should be easy enough.
* * * *
Baltic inhaled and exhaled deep and slow as he sat cross-legged on his yoga mat, doing his best to pay attention to all twenty-three members who were attending his class that afternoon. Almost all of them were beginners, with the exception of two or three who weren’t quite in the intermediate level yet, but they weren’t totally inexperienced either. As a yoga instructor, it was his responsibility to make sure his students were taken care of. He wished there weren’t as many people in this particular class, so he could focus on each student a little bit more. However, this class and time slot happened to be the most popular among the beginners. He would simply have to do his best. A few minutes later, he ordered the students to get up on their feet and stand at the front edge of their respective mats.
“We’re going to start with a few rounds of sun salutation. Breathe in, and sweep your arms overhead in wide arcs. If your shoulders are tight, keep your hands apart and gaze straight ahead. Otherwise, bring your palms together, drop your head back, and look up at your thumbs. Continue to breathe in and out. Never hold your breath…”
As he recited the instructions, he walked around the room and corrected the movements of those students who seemed to be performing the worst. Yoga wasn’t a competition. They were supposed to concentrate on themselves, but he was aware some students had too much of an ego, forcing themselves to be better than the people around them. Beginners were the worst in this aspect. They didn’t comprehend the essence of doing yoga yet, so they were prone to exert too much pressure on themselves, especially when the people next to or in front of them were already more advanced by comparison. Once he was satisfied, he told them to bend their knees, place their palms flat on the floor, and put their right leg as far back as possible, which was followed by their left leg into the downward-facing dog pose. Again, he had to make sure that none of his students hurt their back in this position.
One of the students raised her hand. “I can’t…a little help, please.”
He approached that particular student in a hurry while still hammering out instructions to the others in the room. “If the back of your feet can’t touch the mat completely, it’s fine. It’s more important for your entire back to be straight. Remember to relax your shoulders and neck. Don’t stop breathing in and out at your own pace. Now, take another deep breath into your lungs and step your right foot forward. Make sure your hands are still on the floor to keep you steady. When you’re ready, breathe out and raise your arms forward and up into a high lunge position. Your right knee must be aligned with your ankle. Excellent…”
For the next hour or so, he went through the various poses with all the students in his class. He wasn’t surprised to note he had gone slightly over the allocated sixty minutes for this group of students. The beginners required more of his time because he had to provide step-by-step directions, which included the things they had to watch out for and constant reminders to continue breathing. When the last student exited the room, he grabbed his water bottle to quench his thirst. He barely perspired during the class earlier because he spent most of the hour correcting the students’ poses instead of doing the movements along with them.
He was thankful at how busy he was during the class because he didn’t have to think about the gigantic man he had bumped into earlier when he was rushing out from the public library. The stranger was definitely unforgettable. Baltic had been tempted to run his fingers through the man’s thick black h
air and stare into those beautiful black eyes. He was also in awe of the man’s height. He was only five feet six inches tall. If he hadn’t smelled the elven magic swirling all over that attractive stranger, he would have guessed that the man had to be a giant. He glanced at his reflection inside the mirrors that surrounded all four walls in the room before sighing. Compared to the elf, he was tiny and lean. After all, he only weighed one hundred and sixty-five pounds. He had enough muscles on him, but they were nothing next to the humongous elf.
He was a realist. He had no doubt the elf wouldn’t be interested in someone like him. He was a siren from sunset to sunrise. He was certain the elf, along with everyone else, would label him an abomination. He was thankful his older brothers, Caspian and Drake, were willing to feed him a little bit of their blood each day before the sunset to keep him halfway on the side of the light, preventing him from slipping away into the darkness and transforming into a full siren.
He frowned a little as the memory of him turning into a siren washed over him. It wasn’t a painful transformation. It was just a cold sensation overtaking him, his magic, and all of his senses. He had been overpowered by the siren magic when his heart had been broken after an acute emotional pain caused by the rejection of the snake shifter he had fallen in love with more than a century ago. He didn’t even like thinking of that snake shifter’s name because it still infuriated him. If it had only been an ordinary heartbreak, he would have been fine. Unfortunately for him, the snake shifter had made promises of mating him someday. He had devoted himself to the snake shifter and trusted in what he thought was a real feeling between them. When the snake shifter had admitted to his lies, his heartache and broken trust sent freezing chills through his entire being. That was when the siren magic had latched onto him. It was only thanks to his brothers’ interference that prevented his merman magic from slipping away and turning him into a hideous siren completely.
The Tattoo of the Elf [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy] Page 1
