“We’ve got a little bit of every kind of shifter here in town, so I never really considered it unusual,” Octavius said.
“It’s safe for all shifters and magical creatures. Humans are only allowed in on special occasions, and we have a plan in place for those days,” Tempest explained. “No accidental displays of magic or shifting in public during public events.”
“We tend not to mingle with the shifters,” he said.
“Oh! So that’s why no one knew the merfolk lived so close by,” Tempest said.
“My ancestors decided that humans were too great a threat to risk interacting with, so we’ve stayed hidden for generations,” added Reed. “That's why I had no idea about Crescent Cove until quite recently.”
The octopus shifter raised one dark eyebrow. “You avoided all humans?”
They said their goodbyes to the octopus shifter and turned back toward the edge of the Boardwalk. His family had been wrong. That would take some time for him to come to terms with. Sea creatures who could walk on land, like seals and sea lions, made sense to him - that they would choose to live on land and sea in both forms.
This, though, was something else entirely. Undeniable proof that his kind could live freely in this place, hidden from mortals, without fear of discovery. Shifters like Elliot and Octavius were not the first generation to have grown up in this place, free to be their truest selves.
They might have never gotten close enough to learn this if he hadn’t directly disobeyed his mother’s rules. Reed was right. The thought made his head spin. Listening to the wisdom of theirancestors and elders was a core belief for mer.
Leaning on the railing, Reed stared out to sea and listened to the crashing waves as he tried to figure out how he could tell his pod this great news. Could he convince them to listen this time? He had his doubts.
His thoughts tumbled over one another, wave after wave of uncertainty and worry. The sun had begun to set, casting bright strokes of orange and pink across the sky. Then a soft hand settled on top of his and Reed remembered the gorgeous witch beside him.
“I’m sorry, there’s a lot on my mind,” he said quietly.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Tempest asked gently. “I’m a pretty good listener.”
“My pod has strict rules to avoid the Coastline, to stay away from human places,” Reed glanced at her as he spoke.
“I’m guessing that’s what’s kept you all safe until now?” she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Yes,” he admitted. “But it isn’t enough anymore. The seas are changing rapidly and the old ways are not sustainable any longer.”
She nodded, frowning. “Overfishing, the melting northern seas, the oil tankers destroying whole swaths of ocean. I can imagine that’s changed quite a bit for your family.”
“We’ve been in hiding for so many generations that I can’t convince the pod to come ashore for help,” his voice shook as he spoke, betraying his growing fear.
“When we met, you were holding a huge bag of fish,” she said thoughtfully. “Were you getting food and supplies for your family?”
Reed nodded, his frown deepening. “I was given a thorough tongue-lashing for my brazen disregard for the safety of the pod and told never to step foot on land again.”
“Oh, no!” Tempest looked dismayed. “Will you be in troublewhen you go home?”
“Most assuredly,” he sighed, finally turning away from the sea to face her.
“If you’re not ready to leave yet,” his sweet witch said, “You can spend the night with me.”
He blinked in surprise. “You would do that for me?”
“I…wouldn’t normally let a stranger sleep on my couch, but I trust you,” Tempest said softly.
Together, they watched the sun dip below the horizon and finally disappear from view. Shoulder to shoulder, leaning on the railing at the edge of the Boardwalk, in companionable silence.
He had heard such terrible tales about humans all his life. Yet here was Tempest. A human with magic, and the opposite of everything he’d been warned about. His trip to land had provided far more than he had dared to hope for in his wildest dreams: plenty of food, friendly people, magical creatures of every kind, and a place where he was accepted.
And her.Tempest. His Little Storm. The prettiest person he had ever come across in all the oceans of the world. She embodied the temperamental and passionate nature her name implied. She looked at him as if his presence brought her comfort, made her happy.
That, more than anything, made his decision for him. Whether or not his pod believed him, or agreed to come to land, Reed would stay in Crescent Cove. He wanted all this place could provide for him, all the new experiences waiting for him.
His deep affection, adoration truly, for the storm witch beside him only added to the appeal.
