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A growl rises in my throat as I see the male standing far too close my mate, gesturing wildly as his voice drifts clearly to me through the glass and open door.
“Really, Keri, what were you thinking? If it weren’t for the fact that he asked specifically for you, I would pull you out, effective immediately. Not only do you lack the experience or knowledge necessary for this sort of study, but this shows a remarkable lack of judgment. What made you think the instructions to ‘collect a specimen from the subject’ meant giving a hand job to the merman?”
“Aquana,” she corrected softly, making my lips twitch briefly in amusement despite the protective anger rushing through me up as I rapidly close the distance between us. “And I’m sorry, Mr. Clarence. It was a simple misunderstanding. I mean, shit, you had me putting my hand on his dick and checking it out. My hand was already there, and the next instruction was to get his semen, so my mind just followed along to the natural conclusion.”
“You’d better hope that he was infatuated enough by that handy to return. If you’ve fucked this up and he doesn’t, you will not only be out of a job but I will have your name not only delisted from the Arcane Society, but I will personally see to it—”
“Enough!” I hiss as I storm through the door.
The male—Mr. Clarence—startles as he whirls toward me, his look of anger melting away to be replaced with a smile. I glower at him because I am no fool and take exception to the way he is looming over Keri. His smile deflates into a look of surprise as I feel my back sail snap up. and as do the sharp fins that run down my arms. My claws begin to lengthen dangerously, and an angry shriek rips from me as the male throws up his arms fearfully.
His magic spills from him without direction or focus, but it still slams into me like shards of glass. It’s not enough to keep me from tearing him apart—but, fortunately for him, my mate is. She grabs my arm and yanks me toward her until I am brought down closer to her height and facing her. Her eyes are wide with fear, and I wince, certain that I must in part be responsible for putting that there.
“Ro—stop! What the hell are you doing?” Her gaze snaps to the male, and my anger flares anew at the apologetic look she gives him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Clarence. Ro overreacted a little. We still don’t know much about Aquanas and what might set them off, but Ro and I are making progress. He wouldn’t have attacked you if he knew who you are and that you weren’t going to hurt me.”
My eyes narrow at her. “Of course I mean it. No one will threaten you. I will not allow it,” I hiss. “He thinks to make you beg fearfully? Then I shall return the favor.”
“I see,” the mage mumbles and gives a sharp, humorless laugh. His eyes cut between us as he smooths his layers of clothes and smiles far too widely at me. “I’m sure that this must have looked alarming to you since you and Ms. Thane-Durmont have gotten so close these last few days. I find it admirable how protective you are of her. Rest assured, she didn’t have anything to worry about, certainly not from me or anyone else in the Arcane Society,” he adds with another of his false, ingratiating laughs that sends an unpleasant itch beneath my scales.
“Mr. Clarence is my employer, Ro. He was just chiding me for a mistake I made. It’s fine.”
Keri may be fine with it because she sees it as normal, but I am not. I do not understand “employer” except that he presumes a certain amount of control over her, and this I dislike even more. I growl softly as I watch him, but Keri is squeezing my arm tightly between her small hands, so I snap my teeth shut and give him a begrudging nod. His smile widens as his entire bearing relaxes.
“I actually came by because I was hoping to meet you, Ro’karek,” he says jovially with a terrible accent that places the emphasis and clicks in all the wrong places. “I wanted to make sure that you weren’t offended by Ms. Thane-Durmont’s, ah, actions. She was a little confused as to what I requested, and we all are aware that fae do not like to be touched without permission.”
I grunt, amused in spite of myself. “She was invited… repeatedly,” I point out, and the male blushes briefly with embarrassment.
“Oh… well, I suppose that changes the entire matter,” he replies hurriedly, and behind me Keri coughs to hide her quiet laughter. “I’m thrilled that you two are building such a comfortable rapport.”
“I’ll say,” Keri mutters behind me, but I don’t quite understand her quip and I choose to ignore it.
“With the purpose of furthering relations, I have approved Keri’s request to give you access to the dolphin pool for carrying out further observations beyond the constraints of our tanks… and hopefully acquire some moreexplorativeinformation that may come up in a slightly morenaturalsetting.”
I find his words strange, but Keri stiffens by my side and threads her fingers with mine as much as she can, and I feel a pleasant pressure on my webbing. As pleasurable as it is for me, I sense that she’s finding some strength in my touch, as she almost seems to anchor herself to me by our joined hands. She is nervous though. I can feel the tremble through her, and I wonder if she is thinking of what could so easily happen between us in the water.
I know I am thinking of it and my cock presses against my sheath in response as I imagine myself circling her in the water and the brush of my fins against her supple body. A pool big enough for a dolphin to swim comfortably would be more than enough room for me to flirt with my female and lure her in.
“That’s wonderful,” my mate replies with a sweet voice, and my gaze snaps over to her in surprise.
That is until I realize that she is not responding to my fantasy but to the words of the male who preens happily over what he has offered us. Part of me wants to refuse it so that my female has no reason to thank him in such a way. It is unseemly to thank him as if she owes some debt to him. If he attempts to call on a debt, I will slaughter him. I bite back my unhappy hiss because my mate seems to genuinely be pleased. Her excitement sends an electric current through her energy that infuses through the lure that connects us.
I rumble softly as I look down at her. Her excitement is catching because my anger fades and now I’m once more eager to get to this pool.
Mr. Clarence doesn’t take much more of our time. He dismisses us with a polite murmur when his phone rings. Another member of his Society, and one of some value to him, I suspect from the way he happily addresses the person on the other end of the phone. We are forgotten and have been dismissed. My mate gives my hand a tug, and I am happy to follow her out the door as she makes a quick phone call.
We do not go immediately to the front but to a small room nearby. It smells unpleasantly of human bodies and stale food, but I wait patiently for her while she collects her belongings. By the time we have stepped out onto the street, I’m pleased to see that there is a taxi waiting for us. I climb into it after her and find that I thoroughly enjoy being enclosed in the small space with my mate as it ferries us along the roads. I want to wrap myself around her but even though she has not invited me to yet, I’m thoroughly enjoying the proximity to her and sweet musk of her.
I am not entirely sure where this aquarium is, but it must not be too far away because we arrive there far too soon for my pleasure. I’m torn between my excitement of enjoying the pool with my mate and the incredible pleasure of being confined in a close press with my mate. The latter has me in such a grip that I struggle to find the desire to leave, but thankfully Keri decided for both of us when she opens the door and steps outside.
“The dolphin pools are in the larger rear structure of the building. Do you see it?” she asks, pointing to the blockish end that seems more set apart from the rest of the building.
I nod and she smiles, taking my hand in hers once more, and my lure tightens deliciously between us further.
I do not say a word as I follow her inside. The staff give us curious looks when we enter but we are alone before long with the doors leading to the aquarium locked between them and us. The large pools that stretch across this part of the building smell just like the ocean just outside the doors, and I don’t waste time stripping off my clothes as my mate’s eyes silently devour me.
The water splashes around me when I dive, its cool embrace sweeping over me with a comforting touch as it slicks over my skin. My legs draw together as my tail reforms and fins unfurl with the bloom of my magic. As always, the return to my natural form is one that brings me incredible physical pleasure, and every part of me feels as if it is sparking with magic and life as I propel myself through the water.
I twist within it flirtatiously because I know my mate is watching, and when I roll up, I capture a glimpse of her sweet face through my tailfins. She smiles at me on the other side of the aquarium glass and there is longing there in her eyes. My instinct demands a response. It demands that I give her what she needs.
