Hidden Depths

by L. M. Brown

  “He lets Prince Justin go to land.”

  “Prince Justin was married in the Goddess of Love’s temple. Prince Finn and his bodyguard aren’t joined in any way. I heard they refuse to be officially bound together because they have another lover.”

  “Still, the king won’t let him suffer through the mating season without relief.”

  “I heard he did before.”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “One of the guards told me after Prince Finn disappeared. Apparently, that was why he left. His father had demanded he remain untouched.”

  Finn sighed as he realized his ears should have been burning quite a lot following his departure to England. He had been forbidden from going to land, but his mother had been the main one holding him prisoner, and she’d had good reason to do so.

  Still, his father had always expressed a wish for Finn to be officially joined to a mermaid. Obviously, that was out of the question, but would his father want him and Kyle to make things official before they were allowed to go to land?

  Finn didn’t know where the mermen had heard about Jake, but neither he nor Kyle had exactly kept it a secret. They hadn’t actually discussed any form of marriage or bonding, even though Medina had indicated that, in her temples, the union could involve all three of them. Whether they made things official or not, Finn had no intention to doing so without all three of them being present and in agreement. He had no idea when they would see Jake again, but he didn’t want Jake to rejoin them to find they had taken such a huge step without him.

  No, we aren’t going to be making anything official, no matter how much my father might wish it otherwise.

  He hoped the king wouldn’t try to stop him from going to land during the mating season. If he did, he was in for a nasty surprise, because Finn had every intention of going to land and helping Kyle break his fever. He hoped they could find somewhere secluded and private so Kyle could return the favor.

  There was only one way to find out what his father’s opinion on the mating season was. Finn would have to talk to him.

  King Nereus was in his chamber which, while one of the larger caverns, was still a hovel compared to the luxuriousness of the palace.

  “Father, do you have a moment?” Finn asked as he hovered in the doorway.

  “For my favorite son, of course.” King Nereus waved him in and directed him to the newly installed sponges.

  Finn smiled and took a seat. “I bet you say that to all your sons,” he teased, in a way he would never have dared a few years ago.

  “You’ve caught me,” his father replied. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about the mating season,” Finn said. “It’ll be here in a couple of weeks.”

  “Yes, I know. Our scouts have been swimming in the area to check for land that is safe for the mer to go to.”

  “Have they found any?”

  “There aren’t as many islands in the area as there were around Atlantis, but there are a few possibilities. There is one island a few miles away that appears to have been discovered by men but is uninhabited at the moment. There are also a few more that are completely deserted, but almost twice as far away.”

  “Do we want to risk the one that men have been to?” Finn asked.

  “I think if we keep a close eye on it, the island may serve our purpose, at least for this first season. If it appears humans are returning there, we’ll have to look to the other islands.”

  Finn chewed on his lip as he worked up the courage to ask the question he really wanted an answer to.

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?” his father asked.

  Finn nodded. “I was wondering what your thoughts are about me going to land with Kyle during the mating season.”

  King Nereus chuckled. “I try not to think about what my sons get up to with their lovers.”

  “That’s not what I meant. It’s just, well, you know, before…” Finn struggled to find the right words, ones that wouldn’t offend the man sitting across from him. “I wasn’t allowed on land, and I wasn’t sure whether I would be now.”

  Finn’s father reached over and took his hand. “I’m so sorry for what your mother and I put you through. We should never have held you prisoner in the city. Of course, you may go to land with Kyle. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you even have to ask.”

  At his father’s words, Finn realized he didn’t know why his mother had been so insistent Finn remain in the water. Having discovered his father could read his mind whenever he wanted to, Finn had assumed he knew the truth about that, too. Apparently, he was wrong.

  “You really don’t read your subjects’ minds, do you?” Finn asked. “You didn’t read Mama’s mind?”

  “No. Like I told you before, I try to avoid prying. Your mother’s mind was probably the most tempting for me to look into, but I resisted, probably out of fear of what I might discover. Had I done so, I’d have discovered the truth about your paternity long before I did.”

  Finn nodded. “You’d have found out something else, too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll remember I have a twin brother, Alex?”

  “Yes. What of him?”

  “He was born with legs and couldn’t take mer form until his twenty-first birthday. That’s why he lived on land.”

  “Ah. I did wonder why your mother left one of her children when she must have known bringing me two sons would have been a cause for a double celebration.”

  “He couldn’t survive in the water,” Finn said. “And I couldn’t have lived on land, because I was his opposite.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mama took me to land right before Kyle was banished. I had no human form.”

  King Nereus moved to sit beside Finn and pulled him into a warm hug. “Oh, Finn, I had no idea.”

  “Me, neither,” Finn replied. “But I found my legs at the same time Alex found his fins. Mama didn’t mean to be cruel by keeping me in the water. She did it because she thought it for the best.”

  “I’m glad you told me,” King Nereus said. “And I’m pleased you have your human form now. You have my blessing to go to land with Kyle. I hope that one day you, Kyle and Jake might make things official.”

  “Thank you, Father.”

  With his mind eased, Finn left the cavern and went to track down Kyle. It didn’t need to be the mating season for Finn to want his lover in his arms.

  Despite his joy at being treated like any other merman, there was one thing that did bother Finn, and that was his mating trigger. He had found it hard enough to admit to his lovers what it was he needed to break his mating fever. Over time he had become more comfortable with expressing his needs, and had even confided in Justin’s partner, Lucas, that his trigger was being spanked on the arse by one of his lovers.

  In the privacy of the bedroom, Finn had no hesitation in bending over the knee of one of his lovers, usually Jake’s, as he eagerly anticipated the sharp sting of the slap of a paddle or a hand on his flesh.

  The problem now was that there weren’t going to be any bedrooms on whatever island they swam to. Anyone in the vicinity would be able to see and hear what they did, just as Finn and Kyle would be able to see the others. The thought made him cringe.

  Finn spotted Lucas helping Justin learn his way around the new caverns. As a sightless merman, Justin had to be finding things difficult as they settled into their new home.

  “Lucas, do you have a minute?” Finn called as he swam up to them.

  “Of course, Finn, what’s the matter?” Lucas, while he wasn’t a prince himself, was, by virtue of his marriage to Justin, a member of the family and one of the few merpeople in the community who didn’t call Finn by his title.

  “Um, I wanted to talk to you about something we spoke of when you visited England.”

  “Yes?”

  “Privately,” Finn clarified, with a nod toward Justin. Finn wanted to make sure that Lu
cas would keep their conversation private, as Finn himself was doing. When communicating telepathically, as the mer did when underwater, it was far too easy to forget to direct thoughts to one person instead of anyone in the vicinity. Justin, who had lived most of his life on land, still sometimes struggled with this, much to his embarrassment, particularly when he sent some of his more intimate thoughts to Lucas during a family meal, only to have everyone in the cave hear him.

  “Of course,” Lucas replied.

  “Do you remember when we talked about triggers?” Finn asked.

  Lucas nodded. “Yes. What about it?”

  “Have you told anyone what mine is?”

  “No.”

  “Not even Justin?”

  Lucas smiled. “I swear on my life that I’ve not spoken to anyone about what you told me.”

  Finn breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What’s the problem?” Lucas asked. “You were pretty open about what you need when we were in England. I didn’t form the impression you were embarrassed, not like I was.”

  “I wasn’t, but it’s different here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Finn gestured around him. “Here I’m Prince Finn. Back in England I was a regular guy, no one special.”

  “I think Jake and Kyle might disagree with that.”

  “You know what I mean. I never liked being a member of the royal family, but I see now that it’s part of who I am, whether I want it or not. The mer come to me for guidance, just as they do Justin.”

  “Even more than Justin,” Lucas pointed out. “You were raised in Atlantis, and you’ve been missed a great deal while you’ve been living in England. The people love and respect you.”

  “And that’s the problem,” Finn said. “How can they respect me if they find out what my trigger is? If I were a regular merman I wouldn’t care. I mean, I’d be a little embarrassed at first, but not enough for it to bother me.”

  “You think the rest of the mer might treat you differently if they see you getting a spanking from one of your lovers?” Lucas guessed.

  Finn nodded. “Maybe not everyone, but we all know there are those who would make a big deal about it.”

  Lucas rubbed Finn’s arm in a gesture of comfort. “I know, but you have to ask yourself… Do you care what mermen like Otus think about you?”

  “I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.”

  Lucas smiled. “I think you’re worrying over nothing, but if it bothers you that much, I promise not to say anything to anyone about your trigger, not that I would have anyway.”

  “Thank you.”

  Finn left Lucas feeling a little better, but all it took was one sneer from Otus as they swam past each other for him to start worrying all over again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jake woke to the sound of a deliberate and pointed cough from the end of his bed. When he opened his eyes to see who had disturbed him, he nearly fell out of bed in surprise.

  “Caspian? What the hell?”

  Caspian threw him a robe and Jake quickly covered himself as he struggled to disentangle himself from the sheets. He wasn’t sleeping well these days. The bed was too large for one person alone and he missed the presence of his two lovers.

  “The new colony has been established,” Caspian said without preamble. “We’re going to start the transportation of your guests immediately.”

  Jake took a moment to check the date on the calendar. It had taken nearly five months for them to reach their new home. The mating season was imminent, as Jake was well aware, thanks to his still uncontrollable powers.

  “Did everyone make it there safely?” Jake asked.

  “Yes,” Caspian replied. “They took longer routes when there was danger ahead, to ensure everyones’ safety.”

  “And Kyle and Finn?”

  “They are also with the colony.”

  Jake nodded. Time had run out for him to make his choice. It was still not safe for Kyle to return to England. Not only was Natalie still asking questions, there had also been several journalists snooping around. They couldn’t approach the house, thanks to Medina’s magic, but they were lingering around town with the persistence of dogs with bones. Jake didn’t know when they would finally give up and find someone else to pester, but with Atlantis still in the news on a regular basis, it wasn’t likely to be any time soon.

  The US government had taken control of the island and various science and archaeology teams were making new discoveries all the time. Although it was no longer headline news, there were frequent reports from the city.

  There was no chance that Kyle could simply come home and not be hauled in for questioning. If he had made it back quickly enough, they could perhaps have claimed the naked man to be a lookalike, but the longer he remained away, the less plausible that sounded. Unfortunately, the risk of having Kyle taken in for questioning and his secret discovered was too great.

  “I’ll go round everyone up,” Jake said. “Delwyn will want to stay here with Fabian, of course, but everyone else is eager to return to the ocean.”

  With life in the ocean no longer an option for Fabian, Jake knew he and Delwyn were also eager to leave and start a new life together. They would probably have moved out before now but had stayed in the crowded mansion to help with the evacuees. Jake was very grateful for their kindness. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to cope on his own. Delwyn especially had been invaluable, with many of the mer happy to approach him, whereas Fabian and Jake were human, and worse, Atlantean.

  Jake roused Fabian and Delwyn first, setting them both to the task of gathering everyone together in the hall.

  “What about Marin?” Delwyn asked. “You know he wants to return to the ocean, but if Caspian is doing the transporting, he won’t take him.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe Medina can take him there? I’ll go wake him and see what he wants to do.”

  Delwyn snorted. “We already know what he wants to do.”

  “He’s not ready to take on Urion,” Fabian said. “He’ll end up getting himself killed.”

  Jake suspected Fabian was right, but there was no telling Marin that. He was a grown man and free to make his own decisions.

  “Marin, are you awake?” Jake called through the door.

  The door opened to reveal Marin. From the shadows under his eyes, Jake suspected Marin hadn’t slept at all.

  “Are you okay?” Jake asked.

  “I’m fine. What is it?”

  Jake pointed to the stairs leading down to the hall. “The mer have arrived at the new colony. We’re gathering everyone together, so the gods can transport them there.”

  Marin nodded. “The new colony has no interest for me unless the sea dragons are there.”

  “They aren’t,” Jake said. “From what Caspian has said, they stayed close to Atlantis after the island was raised.”

  “Then Atlantis is where I need to go.”

  Jake shook his head. “The place is swarming with humans and all the mer have left the area.”

  Marin glared at him with a stubborn set to his jaw. Jake could tell he was gearing himself up for an argument and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

  “Marin, I know you want to track down Urion and make him pay for what he did, and I don’t blame you in the slightest.”

  “But…?”

  “But if you’re spotted in the waters around the city, you could put all the mer in danger of discovery.”

  Marin snorted. “And—let me guess—Calder wouldn’t want that, right?”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  “Then what were you going to say?”

  Jake steeled himself. “I love Kyle and Finn more than anything, and I won’t let you do anything that would put them, or their families, in danger.”

  “You think you can stop me from seeking revenge for Calder’s murder?”

  “If your revenge for the one you loved puts the men I love in danger, then yes, I’ll do wha
tever I can to stop you.”

  “Love,” Marin corrected without meeting Jake’s eyes. “I still love him.”

  Jake put an arm around Marin’s shoulders as the young merman began to shake. “I know you do.”

  “I can’t let his murderer go unpunished,” Marin said.

  “Cari says that if you go after Urion, he’ll kill you, too. She’s seen your future.”

  “Possible future,” Marin argued.

  “Likely future,” Jake insisted.

  Marin pulled away and walked over to the window. “I don’t care. At least then the pain would stop.”

  “You’d be with Calder again, I guess,” Jake added.

  Marin glanced back over his shoulder. “No, I’d return to the sea, as all mer do.”

  “You don’t have any merpeople heaven?” Jake asked.

  “No. We don’t know that concept. We have one life before we become one with the ocean again.”

  Jake had never asked either of his lovers about the beliefs of the mer, though he knew they had no religion of their own. “No reincarnation, either?”

  “What’s that?” Marin asked, for the first time showing a spark of interest in something that wasn’t training with his weapons.

  “Um, in some human cultures, they believe that a person’s soul leaves the body after death and is reborn again to a new life, but with no knowledge of the ones they have previously lived.”

  Marin smiled. “So, in that case, Calder would be alive again?”

  “I guess.”

  “I suppose that would be better than imagining him gone forever, but the mer don’t do that, either. When we’re dead, we’re dead, and that’s it.”

  Caspian chose that moment to appear in the doorway, an impatient expression on his face. “What’s taking so long?”

  “Sorry,” Jake said. “We were just talking.”

  “So I heard,” Caspian replied. “I’m going to start transporting the mer to the new colony.”

  “I want to go, too,” Marin announced.

  “Absolutely not,” Caspian snapped.

  “You have no right to hold me prisoner on land.”

  “We both know that if I were to take you to the new colony, you’d simply swim right back to Atlantis and your death.”