Not that he didn’t feel guilty at his brothers’ sacrifices, but he didn’t have the courage to tell them. He didn’t want them to think he was ungrateful. He was also terrified of losing them. The three of them were triplets, and they had been close to one another all their lives. They left the Pacific Ocean behind more than a century ago to live on land because the merfolk community they resided in was becoming rather hostile toward someone like him. He couldn’t blame the merpeople, though. Sirens were cruel, violent, and more than a little insane when angered.
“Balt!” He jumped in surprise and turned toward the door. It was Caspian, the oldest of the triplets. “Are you okay? I called you twice, and you didn’t respond.”
He smiled at his oldest brother and nodded. “I’m fine. My class was just over a few minutes ago. Are you done with your plants?”
Caspian stared at him in silence for a few seconds too long before answering. “Yeah. I managed to complete all the orders about thirty minutes ago.”
“The regulars?”
Caspian entered the room and leaned against the wall. “Yeah. A few of them have also requested for rare herbs for next week. I’ll be using plenty of water magic to speed up the growth for my plants and herbs.”
Baltic scrunched up his face in bewilderment. “All of them?”
“Of course not. I’ve told you that the effectiveness of some plants or herbs will be greatly reduced if they’re forced to mature.”
“That’s what I was worried about.”
Caspian chortled. “Don’t worry about the plants and herbs in the backyard, Balt. That’s my job. How were the beginners?”
Baltic heaved out a loud sigh. “Not as bad as the ones I had to deal with a few months ago, but horrible enough to make me rethink the wisdom of opening up classes for beginners three times a year.”
Caspian snickered. “You’ll get through to them soon.”
“I hope so. I cringed and winced multiple times earlier when some of the students didn’t listen to my instructions properly. They ran the risks of injuring themselves in class, and I wanted to avoid something like that.”
Caspian shrugged. “You can use your healing magic on them.”
Baltic threw his brother an unimpressed glare. “Uh-huh, and how can I explain their instant healing to them?”
Caspian chuckled. “You’ll figure it out, baby bro.”
Baltic narrowed his eyes in irritation. “How many times do I have to remind you not to call me that? We’re of the same age.”
Caspian stuck his tongue out and winked. “I’m three minutes older than Drake and fifteen minutes older than you are. Suck it up, baby bro.”
Baltic rolled his eyes and ignored Caspian’s jab while walking toward the door. “Whatever. Where’s Drake?”
Caspian mock-gasped and did silly faces before chuckling and pointing at the room across the hallway from his yoga studio. Baltic was startled into laughing loudly himself. Caspian moved closer to him to whisper into his left ear. “He has one last client.”
“And he will kill you if he knows you’re making fun of him. You know very well Drake doesn’t look that weird when he’s seeing into the future. He simply freezes and stares without blinking for a while.”
“He won’t know because we’re both going to keep our mouths shut. Right?”
Baltic chortled. “Are you terrified of Drake?”
“Aren’t you?” Caspian shot back at him while shuddering a little.
“I am,” Baltic admitted while walking next to Caspian toward the end of the hallway. “But I’m not the one making fun of him.”
Caspian snorted. “Drake is too serious. He needs to lighten up.”
“And you’re too casual most of the time,” Baltic retorted without missing a beat. “That’s why I can’t have heart-to-heart conversations with you. You’ll be cracking jokes at the wrong moments.”
He was about to climb up the stairs, which were located at the end of the hallway, when Caspian grabbed him by his right shoulder. He turned to face Caspian before raising an inquiring eyebrow. He was astounded to note the serious expression on Caspian’s face.
“I’m not good with the heavy, emotional stuff, but I love you, Balt. I’m your oldest brother. You know you can always confide in me, right?”
Baltic nodded before giving Caspian a brief hug. “I know. Let’s go upstairs and get lunch ready. I bumped into the most gorgeous elf outside the library earlier. I will tell you all about it later when Dray joins us upstairs.”
Caspian’s eyes widened, obviously excited. “For real?”
“Yeah. I haven’t felt such an immediate attraction toward anyone in a long time. Not that I’m hoping for anything to develop between me and that elf, but this is progress. I thought my feelings were dead after I turned into…you know.”
Caspian embraced him for a moment before pulling back. “This is awesome. I can’t wait to hear all about it. Let’s go up now. If Dray doesn’t come up in the next ten minutes, I’ll come down here and drag him upstairs myself.”
Baltic laughed at the image. It helped to reduce some of the nervousness that threatened to overwhelm him. This unexpected development couldn’t come at a better time. He had been feeling rather depressed lately, especially after the relationship between Drake and Edwin grew more serious. He was elated for Drake, but he was also envious at the same time. He never thought he would ever feel normal emotions for the rest of his existence on the mortal plane.
Even though he was a siren only between the period when the sun set and rose, he couldn’t stop thinking about luring men and women to their deaths even when his merman magic was intact within his human form. There was no place for an emotion as mundane as being attracted to somebody. He just wanted to kill. Hence, his interest in the elf gave him hope that maybe he could still find love someday in the future, which would in turn rid him of the siren magic within him. He wished it to be true. He yearned to be a full merman again. There had to be a way.
Chapter 2
Jefferson chose the appropriate magic potion from the rows of drawers inside his home office and handed the bottle over to Cecil, the alpha werewolf, ignoring her entourage of beta werewolves. He provided the clear instructions to the alpha, reminding her to follow every step if she wanted to rid her half-crazed beta of the magical ailment caused by an insane sorcerer. He also had to take note of the name of the sorcerer. The council might want to know about him.
After the werewolves left his house, Jefferson stood by the door and waited for them to exit through the outer gate. Once they were far enough, he called upon his magic. He was about to raise his magical ward to prevent unwanted visitors from barging into his sanctuary when he noticed the portal of swirling water at the edge of his property. Moments later, Gavin Barton, a water dragon shifter and his other best friend, appeared and grinned at him.
“Hey, Jeff.”
“Hey, yourself. You really need to get a job to occupy your time instead of gallivanting around my house or Ed’s bakery and penthouse. You may be bored, but Ed and I are busy, productive members of the society.”
Gavin snorted. “Don’t pretend like you don’t miss me.”
Jefferson rolled his eyes and beckoned for his best friend to enter the house. “What brings you here?”
Gavin placed both palms against his chest and gasped. “Ouch! You mean I can’t visit my buddy just because I love him and I want to look at his ugly mug?”
“I’m tempted to kick you off my property, Gav. Tread carefully.”
Gavin laughed. “Fine. Lighten up, man. Anyway, have you heard about the sorcerer who has been going around casting curses all over the place?”
Jefferson was startled and turned to face Gavin in a hurry. “That’s such a coincidence. I just had a visit from a pack of werewolves. One of the beta werewolves was hit by a curse last night. The beta is unable to return to his human form. He would have turned feral the longer his baser instincts ruled over him. I hope my potions will work
on the beta werewolf. I’m not looking forward to dealing with an out-of-control werewolf going on a rampage in plain sight of all the ordinary humans.”
Gavin scrunched up his face and tapped on his chin thoughtfully. “Is there a reason why those werewolves were targeted?”
Jefferson shook his head. “The alpha claimed the sorcerer suddenly attacked her betas.”
“No rhyme or reason?”
Jefferson shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe the sorcerer is insane. Regardless, I’ll be reporting this matter to the council.”
“You do that.”
Jefferson nodded. Then, he noticed the mischievous glint in Gavin’s eyes. “Oh, no. I don’t like that look on your face. Whatever shenanigan you’re cooking up inside your head, I’m not getting myself involved. Ever.”
Gavin grabbed onto his hand before slinging one arm over his shoulders. “Jeff, my good old buddy, old pal—”
“Nope. Whatever it is, count me out. Nice try, though.”
Gavin threw him the most piteous gaze. “Come on. It will be fun.”
“Ha! We’ve been best friends for thousands of years. Your definition of ‘fun’ is skewed toward dangerous, irrational, irresponsible, preposterous, and deranged. Thanks, but no thanks.”
Gavin glanced at him for a few seconds longer before sighing. “Fine. I guess you’re not interested in hearing about when Ed and Drake are going to mate with each other.”
Jefferson was stunned for a moment. He was tempted to ask for a further explanation, but he was also terrified of being dragged into whatever half-baked idea Gavin would come up with. In the end, his curiosity was too strong to suppress. He cleared his throat and feigned disinterest while sitting on the couch in the living room. Gavin took the empty spot next to him.
“I guess I can be persuaded to listen to what you have to say.”
Gavin smirked, obviously knowing Jefferson was simply pretending to be indifferent. “You, Ed, and I have been best friends for thousands of years, haven’t we?”
“Go on.”
“Every time we met him over the past few days, we could tell how sexually frustrated he was.”
“Duh! Drake is a merman. Merpeople will only give up their virginity to their mates. They’re as pure as the gentle and innocent unicorns or the righteous and honorable pegasus shifters. A merperson takes the meaning of a soul mate very literally. For the merpeople, mating is the bonding of the souls on the mortal plane and beyond. The connection can’t be broken, not even by death himself. If the merperson’s mate is a supernatural being, they will live together forever. If the merperson’s mate is an ordinary human, he or she will pass beyond the veil the moment his or her mate dies.”
“I know all that, professor.” Jefferson ignored the sarcasm in Gavin’s voice. “What I’m trying to do is something noble and altruistic.”
Jefferson scoffed. “Yeah. Right.”
Gavin narrowed both eyes at Jefferson. “It’s the truth. I can’t stand the stench of sexual desperation that surrounds our buddy, Ed, anymore. Therefore, I think we should devise a foolproof plan to push Ed and Drake—”
“Hold it.”
“What?”
“Gav, be serious for a minute. Mating is sacred. We can’t interfere.”
“Come on, Jeff. I’m doing this for Ed’s sake.”
“No, you’re not. You’re just bored. Find something better to do with your time.”
“Jeff, please,” Gavin whined while Jefferson snorted and shook his head.
“Nope, and if you try to carry out whatever crazy plan you have in mind, Ed will know about it. He will be pissed off at you.”
Gavin attempted to change Jefferson’s mind, but to no avail. “Fine. You’re a spoilsport. I hate you.”
“Lie. You love me. In fact, I think you love me a little bit more than you love Ed.”
“I’m changing my mind. From this day onward, I’m going to devote all my love and affection to Ed. I’ll only give you one percent of my attention.”
Jefferson snickered. “Whatever. I’ll be busy anyway.”
Then, he noticed the gleam in Gavin’s eyes. “Jeff, my lovely buddy, have you been keeping secrets from me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Gavin snickered. “You’re the worst liar out of the three of us.”
“That’s what you think,” Jefferson muttered under his breath while doing his best to ignore Gavin’s smirk. “Don’t you have investments to take care of or something?”
Gavin chuckled in amusement. “It’s just money. I have way too much of it.”
“Lucky you.”
“You’re one to talk. I know you and Ed have just as much money as me. I don’t understand why Ed has to open a bakery and you have to open a clinic at your house.”
“That’s because we don’t want to be bored like you.”
“Whatever,” Gavin mumbled before shifting a little closer to Jefferson on the couch. “Now, Jeff, talk to me. I’m your best friend and I’m an excellent listener.”
“Not to mention the worst gossip around.”
“Ouch. I’m wounded. That’s an unjustified accusation.”
“Don’t be dramatic. Anyway, do you want anything to drink? I’ve recently purchased some wine from my hometown. Amazing quality, too.”
Gavin shook his head. “As much as I love the taste of wine from the land of the elves, I’m more interested in hearing about the thing, or person, that will keep you busy for the foreseeable future.”
Jefferson wanted to deny everything, but he might need Gavin’s help to find out the identity of the merman. “Fine. I bumped into an alluring merman earlier today. He has the most incredible icy-blue eyes and the most beautiful strands of platinum-blond hair.”
Gavin choked on air and coughed loudly. “Platinum-blond hair? What’s his name?”
“I…I didn’t get to ask him. I was too stunned by how gorgeous he looked. Then, he disappeared into a portal of water before I could inquire about his identity.”
Gavin was quiet for a moment before speaking up. “Jeff, I hope that’s not Drake.”
Jefferson gaped at Gavin. “What?”
“Drake has platinum-blond hair, but I can’t remember if Ed has ever told us about the color of the merman’s eyes.”
Jefferson could feel the dread pooling in his gut. “This can’t be happening. Maybe it’s one of Drake’s brothers? Baltic and Caspian, right? Or it’s probably another merman who is completely unrelated to Drake.”
“Did the merman seem interested in you, as well?”
“I…I think so. I’m not sure. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Gavin laughed. “Too aroused to use your upper brain?”
Jefferson threw Gavin an unimpressed glare. “Be serious for a moment, Gav. I’m freaking out here. What if the merman is Drake?”
“Then, Ed will be really furious at you.”
Jefferson slumped against the back of the couch. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry, man. What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know. I can’t get the merman out of my head, though.”
“We don’t poach on someone else’s potential mate, especially if that person is our best friend. That will ruin our friendship.”
Jefferson narrowed his eyes at Gavin in irritation. “You think I’ll do something like that? Fuck you, Gav.”
Gavin leaned against the couch and wrapped one arm around Jefferson’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry, man. I really hope it’s not Drake.”
Jefferson heaved out a loud sigh. “Me, too.”
For the next few moments, Jefferson didn’t utter a single word as he and Gavin continued to sit on the couch. He could hear his and Gavin’s combined breathing filling up the silence in the room. Once in a while, he could also detect Gavin’s worried glance next to him. He was at a loss now. He was attracted to the merman, but he would be horrified if Gavin’s guess turned out to be accurate. He wondered if he should still return
to the public library and attempt to meet up with the merman again. He yearned to get to know who the merman was, but he would be more than a little disappointed if the merman really was Drake. He hadn’t felt such an instant attraction toward anyone ever. It would suck if the first person he had such a powerful crush on happened to be his best friend’s potential mate.
* * * *
Baltic sat on the couch between Caspian and Drake as they watched an episode of their favorite comedy show on TV through one of those paid subscription services. The three of them had been mostly quiet throughout lunch, and he was more than a little surprised neither of his older brothers had pushed him to open up about his unexpected infatuation toward the elf. However, he had no doubt they were both more than a little curious, so he elbowed both of them gently.
“You aren’t going to ask me about the elf?”
Drake shook his head. “I want to know all about him, but I’m not forcing you to talk.”
“Me neither,” Caspian added while shifting his body slightly to get more comfortable on the couch. “Are you ready to share?”
Baltic didn’t respond for a moment, but he knew he needed to hear what his brothers had to say about the situation. “He’s a giant.”
Drake sat up straight and stared at him in bewilderment. “Wait. Is he an elf or a giant? I thought I heard Cas telling me—”
“An elf,” Baltic cut Drake off midsentence before chuckling softly. “He should have been a giant, though.”
Caspian turned toward Baltic before speaking up. “Why?”
“He’s really tall. Besides, his chest is the widest of any man or woman I’ve ever seen.”
Drake snorted. “Hate to break it to you, Balt, but most people will seem huge to us. We’re too short and lean in our human forms. You’ve met Ed before. Ed is very muscular, too.”
The Tattoo of the Elf [The Triplet Mermen Trilogy] Page 2
