by C. W. Gray
The Guppy Prince
The Silver Isles: Book One
C.W. Gray
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Excerpt of The Not so Little Merman
Other m/m romance books by C.W. Gray
Excerpt from book one, The Blue Solace
Excerpt from book one, Hobson Hills Omegas
Copyright © 2019 C.W. Gray
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
For permissions contact: [email protected]
Cover by Sarah Jo Chreene – www.facebook.com/SarahJoChreeneArtist
Edited by Ann Attwood – www.facebook.com/AnnieA2017
Created with Vellum
Chapter 1
Dover Rees floated in the deepest part of his creek, enjoying the rushing sound of the waterfall to his right. Sunlight filtered through the water, glinting off the deep blue of his guppy tail. His thin and delicate caudal fin spread out like an elegant fan, dancing through the warm water as he swayed.
His favorite smooth and colorful pebbles were strewn around below him, and he admired the shells he had collected and placed beside them. Dover breathed deeply and enjoyed the peace and quiet. No one mocked him or bossed him around. No one watched him with cold eyes and hidden smirks. I wish I could stay here forever.
Sudden movement beside him jarred him from his thoughts and he laughed when Chubber grabbed a bright pink stone in his small brown paws and swam away. Dover’s otter friend liked to steal Dover’s shinies then share them with him again later.
A brook trout swam past him and Dover debated grabbing it for an early lunch, but he wasn’t too hungry yet. Lately, he’d been eating less and less, and he couldn’t make himself care.
The quiet water around him hummed as Nami quickly swam to him. His best friend’s guppy tail was a lovely pink pattern with black dots, and her short black hair floated around her head. The cat with a mermaid tail on her black tankini top made him smile. He loved her purr-maid shirts.
“Have you eaten today, Your Highness?” she asked.
Dover scowled. “Don’t call me that.”
“When you’re acting like a pouting asswipe, that’s what you get called.” Nami wrapped her arms around him and settled her head on his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you, Dover?”
Dover had no answer for her. All he knew was he felt empty inside and it was harder and harder to get up in the morning. “I think I ate some bad clams.”
“Every day for the past two months?” Nami leaned back and glared at him, her dark eyes seeing right through him.
Chubber came to his rescue, swimming in between them and wrapping his lean body across Dover’s shoulders. “Chubber wants to get a snack.”
Nami sighed, bubbles filling the water around her. “Mom is in your cottage making lunch. You’re worrying us, bluetail.”
Dover stroked a hand through her hair, then shoved her down and pushed up, swimming toward the surface.
“Damn it!” Nami swam after him.
He laughed, heart warming. Someone cares about me. It wasn’t his family, but Nami and her mom were closer to him than his parents or any of his twelve siblings.
Chubber clung to his back and nibbled on his ear until he mentally apologized. Chubber cared about him the most.
His creek was deep, but it didn’t take him long to reach the surface. Shauna waited for them on the shore, hands on her hips. Chubber’s mother, Shell, stood on her hind legs beside the mermaid, chirping loudly. Uh oh. He really was in trouble.
“You didn’t eat breakfast, did you?” The wind blew strands of Shauna’s pink hair across her face, ruining her glare.
“Sorry, Shauna.”
She sighed. “I made your favorite.”
“Grilled shrimp salad?” Dover’s stomach rumbled.
“With avocado, papaya, mango, and pineapple. All your favorites.” Shauna gave him a soft look. “Come eat, bluetail.”
Dover summoned his human legs and a few seconds later, walked out of the creek, naked, with Chubber clinging to his shoulder. Shauna handed him a deep teal sarong, and he tied it about his waist.
Shell crawled up his leg and into his arms, then rubbed her slick furry face against his. She was a bit heavier than Chubber, but he was still a baby.
“Why does he get all the loving?” Nami asked, grumbling as she tied a sarong around her own waist.
Dover chuckled when Shauna arched an eyebrow at her daughter. “Did you say something, sweetness?”
“No, ma’am,” Nami said, wincing.
“You two come eat lunch.” Shauna turned around and walked toward Dover’s large cottage.
Dover closed his eyes for a moment and savored the feel of the moss-covered rocks under his feet, and the comfortable breeze quickly drying his curly blue hair. He loved his home so much. It was his sanctuary.
“Do you need a moment to commune with nature and shit?” Nami shoved him from behind, making him laugh.
“Maybe I do.” A gleam of metal caught his eye and Dover bent to pick up the ten-strand, graduated freshwater-pearl necklace someone had left on a large rock near his creek. The clasp was a diamond-encrusted, silver guppy tail. “Look. Another necklace.”
Nami made a face. “Why doesn’t someone leave expensive jewelry on a rock for me?”
“It’s always guppy themed,” he said, smiling softly and stroking the pearls. He’d been getting the gifts for years now. He suspected it was one of his brothers raiding the royal treasure vault. Maybe Kai or Kit want me to look the part of a prince.
Nami took the necklace and fastened it around his neck, dodging Chubber and Shell to hook the clasp. “At least this fancy thing makes you smile.”
Dover sighed and walked up the worn path toward his cottage, admiring the thick trees and colorful flowers as Shell rubbed her head against his chin. “I don’t want to move to the castle.”
“What?” Nami gave him a horrified look. “Why would you do that?”
“Father says I have to move to the castle with the others by the end of the month. Lord Eades told him it was time I married and started popping out babies.”
Dover stopped in front of his home, admiring the two story, stone cottage. Lilies, lace leaf, and hibiscus flowers lined the front flowerbeds, and colorful mandevilla vines climbed the posts on either sides of the steps leading to the covered porch. Wind chimes chinked a peaceful tune as they shook in the gentle breeze.
“This is my home,” he said, even though he knew something was missing from his cozy sanctuary.
“Lord Eades wouldn’t try that shit with your alpha siblings,” Nami said, voice angry. “They can’t make you move to the castle and get married, can they? I hate swimming in the ocean and I can’t not see you every day.”
Shauna stood in the doorway. “What’s this? Why would you leave, Dover?”
Dover shrugged and explained his father’s request. “I don’t want to leave, but Father is the king.”
Shauna was quiet as she set plates on the old, scratched wooden table. “Sit down and eat, bluetail.”
Shell rubbed his face one more time, then skittered out t
he door. She had young pups to care for back in the old beaver dam she called home.
Chubber muttered into Dover’s hair, then jumped from his shoulder and ran to his nest in the corner of the living room. He put the brightly colored stone with all the others beside his bed.
The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all open spaces filled with sunlight from the large windows. Colorful pieces of glass hung from the ceiling, and his favorite shinies were scattered around the room. Soft pillows covered the furniture, and a small stone fountain sat in the corner close to the stairs, water flowing constantly. This is home. How can I possibly leave it?
The castle was pure opulence, but was so cold. He would have to wear his prince mask every single day and would have very little peace from the stupid, judgmental nobility.
“Dover? I said sit.” Shauna rubbed his shoulder. “You haven’t been eating right.”
Dover did as he was told and dug into the tasty shrimp salad. Shauna was the best cook and had taught him several of her recipes. He was good, but Shauna was the best and the pompous castle chef could suck a shark dick.
Nami scowled at the table, even as she ate her own lunch. “When did the King tell you?”
“Yesterday.”
“That doesn’t explain your mopey behavior for the past couple of months,” Shauna said, passing him a bowl of crusty homemade bread.
Dover shrugged. “I don’t know what’s wrong.” He looked up from his plate. “I went swimming last week and ended up three miles past the trench. I don’t even remember leaving my creek and I had to have swum down the river, into the ocean, past the reefs and Latch Bay, and over the trench. I’ve never swam that far before.”
Shauna looked worried. “That’s dangerous, Dover. You’re not a warrior and there are a lot of predators in the open sea. A guppy tail like you would make a shark a good meal.”
“That’s if the Coalswells don’t get you.” Nami shook her head. “Why would you do that? How could that even happen? The borders are well guarded. Why would any of the sentries let a prince past them?”
“The guards don’t see me,” Dover said, bitterly. “I’m just another guppy tail. I wish I was just a guppy tail and Shauna were my mom and you were my sister.”
Shauna made an odd croaking sound. “I love you, bluetail. I wish you were mine too.”
“I keep wanting to swim out,” Dover said quietly. “I don’t understand it, but it’s like something is calling me.”
Shauna gasped, eyes widening. “The mating call. It’s the mating call.”
Dover blinked, mouth dropping open. He had a mate? Someone meant just for him. Someone who would accept him as he was. How could it be possible?
Nami made a face. “Seriously? Where is it calling him? The Silver Isles go north and south, not west.”
The Silver Isles were a long strip of islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. They stretched for over two thousand miles, right along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Latch Bay was the most Southern city on the Isles and the capital of the Southern Silver Isles.
Shauna rolled her eyes. “There are merfolk all over the world, sweetness.” She tapped her chin. “West of Latch Bay is open ocean though. No mer would want to live there. The closest colony is near… the Virgin Islands, maybe? I’m not sure. What exact direction are you being pulled?”
Dover closed his eyes and let the pull take over. Time seemed to stand still, until his back hit the hardwood floor, making his eyes pop open. Nami sat on him. “What the hell?”
“You got up and went for the door,” she said. “Your face was all stupid looking.”
“Nami, get off of the poor boy.” Shauna knelt beside him. “What direction, bluetail?”
“Northwest.” He pushed Nami away and laughed when she tickled his side. “Stop it, polka dots.”
Shauna gave him a concerned look. “North America. You were going toward North America.”
“You can’t possibly swim all the way there to find your mate,” Nami said.
Dover lay back on the ground, smiling dreamily. “My mate.”
Chubber’s whiskered face appeared above him and the otter squeaked at him. Of course, Chubber would go with him. That meant he couldn’t swim across the ocean.
“What can I do?”
Shauna gave him a thoughtful look. “Give me a day. I’ll figure it out.”
Later that afternoon, Dover dropped his sarong on the beach and waded into the ocean before summoning his tail.
“All hail the guppy prince,” Lorelei said, voice full of derision.
Thanks, sister dear. Dover should have known better than to try swimming where his other siblings could see him. He only really got along with Kit and Kai. The others either ignored or mocked him, especially when they were surrounded by other merfolk from the Silver Isles nobility.
Dover’s sister sat with her friends on their favorite grouping of rocks along the shallows of the royal beach. Her bright blonde hair and the deep orange and electric-blue of her angelfish tail stood out among most of the other mermaids. Her large breasts were barely covered in her bikini top and many of the aristocratic merfolk on the beach watched her with hunger in their eyes.
“Go back to the freshwater, guppy prince,” his sister, Eugenia said. She looked bored as she floated in the water, her pink and blue parrotfish tail gleaming in the sun.
The merman at her side laughed, eyes smirking. “Guppies don’t belong in the ocean, royal or not.”
Dover swam deeper into the water, ignoring the insults. Most guppy tails stayed in one of the large rivers or the many lakes further inland, and he couldn’t really blame them. It’s what he preferred too.
“Look at his tail,” the merman said, voice carrying in the water. “It’s so… plebian. Are you sure he’s your brother, Eugenia?”
Dover left them behind before he could hear his sister’s reply. If Kai had been there, no one would have dared say anything about Dover’s tail. His eldest brother was stern and distant, but he was also very protective of his family.
I love my tail, Dover thought, heart sore. He thought Shauna and Nami were the most beautiful mers in all the ocean. Forget the angel tails and parrotfish tails. They were nothing compared to his friends.
The real problem was that a good portion of the castle servants were guppy tails which made Dover a bit of an eyesore in the royal court. All of the noble families had a more exotic heritage that showed distinction and good breeding. At least that was what Lord Eades said. Guppy tails lived all over the world and were the most common merfolk.
Rumor had it his great-grandmother on his mother’s side had an affair with one of her servants. Dover supposed he was proof enough to make it more than a rumor.
He tried to push the nonsense away and enjoy his swim since he didn’t visit the beach often. His own sanctuary usually kept him plenty happy. The restlessness hit him hard once Nami and Shauna left. Chubber was taking a nap, so Dover decided to go for a swim.
He swam over the royal coral gardens and spotted his brother, Kit, playing with his daughter, Pearl. The two had matching clownfish tails and fiery-red hair. They zipped around the corals, playing hide and seek.
Dover got on well with Kit, but his older brother lived in the castle and had Pearl to take care of, so they didn’t get to spend a lot of time together.
He grinned as he watched Pearl grab her daddy’s tail and squeal. Kit laughed, then looped his tail up and grabbed her, hugging the toddler tight.
Dover sighed. Their parents would never have done such a thing. The King and Queen of the Southern Silver Isles had certain expectations to meet and playing with their children was not one of them.
Dover swam by without saying hello. He didn’t feel much like playing, though he knew his brother would welcome him.
He quickly reached the Latch Bay Reefs and couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the sea life around him. Merfolk kept the oceans clean and healthy, though the land-dwellers hardly thanked them.
A herd of hippocampi swam above him, so Dover moved closer to the reefs. The powerful animals were protected in the Silver Isles, so they were a common sight. The deep green, blue, and purple water horses were one of the many things that drew the tourists.
Several guppy-tailed workers swam around, completing their afternoon checkup of the coral reefs and wildlife. Dover waved to his friend Moore. The merman was in charge of tending the reefs that surrounded Latch Bay.
After the herd passed, Dover left the reefs behind. Traffic started to pick up as he reached the first small trench surrounding the city. Warriors patrolled the trench, ever watchful for trouble, though they paid him no attention.
Dover stopped and floated as he watched the bustling underwater city of Latch Bay in the distance. The city had an uppercity on the island and an undercity that lay beneath the surface of the bay. Merfolk needed both land and water to fulfill all their needs, and Latch Bay was the perfect balance of both.
A small underwater tour bus moved past him, reminding Dover that the two parts of the city were full of locals and visitors both. Dover hated the crowds and all the noise, even though it was nice to see different species. Inland there were only merfolk and a few aquatic shifters. There were no humans, vampires, witches, or any other of the hundreds of species that lived in the world.
A stingray-tailed merman bumped into him, scowling before moving on, reminding Dover not to linger in the growing crowd outside the city. He watched the man’s winged tail glide through the water before moving on.
He swam toward his father’s home. The large castle in the center of the city was made of shining white stone and thick, clear glass. The underwater portion was surrounded by seagrass and colorful corals while the land portion had exquisite landscaped gardens.
