He seemed totally uninterested in kissing. Frowning, I followed his eyes to see what he was looking at, because what the hell was more important than kissing me, damnit?
But when I saw it, I stared in disbelief. There was a strange, shimmering shape just below the water, like something was slowly emerging.
Remington shuffled closer to me. “Um. Should you go check that out? As a shark?”
“Do youwantme to?”
“I mean, there’s a weird giant thing in the water and I have no idea what it could be!”
He seemed pretty freaked out, but for some reason, I wasn’t. I stood up slowly and watched the shape, almost like a mirage. Remington got up and stood close to me, wearing a concerned frown as he clutched my arm.
Whatever it was, it ascended in a liquid bubble and slowly took on a humanoid form, yet it was clear it wasn’t a human because humans couldn’t magically control water. I exchanged a confused glance with Remington, who still seemed more worried than I was.
I decided to check it out in shark form, since it was obviously bothering my mate. But as I took a step towards the water, the shape came closer, its form as rippling and liquid as the water’s surface.
“What the…” I mumbled.
The humanoid thing became more and more human shaped, but it was too large to be a regular human, and also, it wasmade of fucking water.
“Nero?” Remington whispered. “What is that thing?”
I held his hand. Whatever it was, I wasn’t afraid of it. Not in the sense that I would fight it off for my mate—which I would if it threatened him, obviously—but because it actually instilled me with a sense of calm. Looking at it, I felt the same tranquility that I did when watching a body of water.
“It’s all right,” I said to Remington with conviction.
I felt the grip of his hand loosen slightly. Maybe he took my word for it, or maybe the thing was calming him, too.
Finally, the cloak of water slipped off the figure like raindrops off a duck’s feathers. It revealed a figure whose lower half was a mix of snake and fish—elegant and long, beautifully scaled, tipped with a tuft of fur instead of flippers. It had a male abdomen and arms, but where I expected a human head was something like a dragon’s face. Not like a Game of Thrones dragon, but an East Asian one, complete with long whiskers and a pair of bone-white antlers. On his back was a large, sharp fin, like a shark.
All in all, I was thoroughly confused.
But I still felt no fear. Whoever this being was, I felt a strange connection to him. He had an aura of ancientness and tranquility.
“Hello, Nero,” he said in a deep, wise voice.
My jaw dropped. Remington’s did, too. We both stared in silence at the being. Neither of us knew what to do.
“He spoke toyou,” Remington whispered. “Say something.”
“Why do I have to be the one who speaks to the mythical water man?” I whispered back.
“Because you’re the alpha!” he hiss-whispered.
“Wow, way to be an advocate for omegas everywhere.”
“Oh, shut up, you know what I meant.”
“I’m just saying, it’s not very progressive for you to—”
The water-being cleared his throat. Remington and I immediately stopped whispering to each other.
I sighed and stepped forward. I guessed that since Iwasthe one affiliated with water, I should man up and talk to him.
“Hi, sir,” I said awkwardly, not quite knowing how to address him. “Er, how is it that you know my name?”
He let out a hearty laugh that made the water ripple beneath him, which made me realize that he was floating in the air. I was both awed and a little envious.
“Tell me what you think the answer is,” he said.
