For some reason, this seemed to brighten Nautilus’s mood. “Yes. It was over two decades ago that she and I met here on this very shore. She had taken a break upon her travels and was pleasuring herself on the sand—”
“Oh my God, okay, that’s enough, I don’t have to hear this storythatbadly,” Nero exclaimed, slapping his hands over his ears.
Nautilus kept going. “In any case, I found her lack of shame and enthusiasm for life riveting, since humans are often cowed by shame, you know. I unveiled myself to her, and instead of being frightened of my appearance, she was enthusiastic about it. We fell in love instantly and—”
Blushing, Nero cut him off. “Okay, I get the picture.”
“Wait a second,” I said as a blush of my own crept on my cheeks. “Is… is that why you showed up now? Because Nero and I were just—” I had no idea how to phrase my sentence, both because Nautilus was a mystical spirit, but also because he was my mate’s father. “We were, um… Intimate?”
“Yes, of course,” Nautilus said. “You two were engaged in the creation of life, and what is the essence of water if not life? So in a way, I suppose that makes me the spirit of life as well.”
Nautilus laughed haughtily, his long whiskers dancing around him. He was a strange being indeed. He flipped back and forth between serious and whimsical, though I supposed fluidity was a trait of water too.
“The creation of life,” I murmured.
A thought suddenly hit me. I recalled all the times Dr. Pine sensed an omega’s pregnancy months before they did. Did that have something to do with her close relationship with her mate Nautilus?
“Nautilus, do youknowif I’m already pregnant or not?” I asked.
The spirit threw back his mane proudly. “Of course I do.”
“What?” Nero blurted out. “But weliterallyjust—uh, performed the act?”
“My own son doubts my powers.” Nautilus sighed. “I suppose that is to be expected. You grew up living among humans, not alongside me in my mystical pool.”
Nero bristled. “Hey, I turned out just fine, okay? Mom did a damn good job raising me by herself.”
“You did, my son. And yes, your mother did an excellent job.” The dragon-headed spirit smiled. “I am proud of you for coming all this way to meet me. It was about time I met my offspring. You also have a brother, do you not? I sensed that a pair was born all those years ago.”
“I do,” Nero said, back to being awed by his father’s transcendental knowledge. “I have a fraternal twin. His name is Nishiki.”
“I would like to meet him someday,” Nautilus said. “But for now, meeting you and your mate was enough for me tonight.”
I blushed at Nautilus’s words. Aside from the two of us, I had never heard anyone else refer to us in that way. It made it feel more real to hear it from someone else, especially when that someone was both a mythical water spirit and Nero’s father. It definitely gave the word some gravitas. I wasn’t just Nero’s friend or his boyfriend, I was his mate. Hisfatedmate.
“So,” Nero said, “why exactly did you leave my mom to raise the two of us if you knew we both existed?”
There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. I couldn’t blame him. I’d grown up with only one parent too, but my situation was very different than Nero’s. It wasn’t like both my parents were in the picture; my omega father had died giving birth to me. However, Nautilus had been alive and active this entire time. There was no reason he couldn’t help Dr. Pine raise Nero and Nishiki, was there?
But both Nero and I got our answers when Nautilus shook his head and said sadly, “I did not leave her alone on purpose. Unfortunately, as the spirit of these waters, I am bound to this place. I am unable to leave and therefore I could not help your mother raise the two of you.”
“Then you’re saying if Mom had stayed here, we could’ve been a family together?” Nero asked, a hint of sadness in his tone.
My heart ached for him. He wasn’t the type to dwell on his feelings like I was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t harboring a lot of hurt feelings of his own. This was a question he had lived with for his whole life and now that he finally got the answer, it must’ve been a lot to take in. I stepped closer to him and rubbed his arm, hoping the physical touch was a reminder that I was here for him.
Before Nautilus could reply, Nero sighed. “Nevermind. I already know the answer.” He wore a small, lopsided smile. “Even if Mom knew you were bound to this place, I don’t think she would’ve stayed. That’s just the type of woman she is, always doing things for herself without caring what anyone thinks about her.”
Nautilus mirrored his son’s smile. “Yes, she is a special woman. Perhaps that is why I took a liking to her, enough to produce two mortal sons from our love affair.”
I looked over at Nero, who seemed to be processing all this information. He didn’t seem upset or in shock anymore, just a little tired from taking it all in. I did notice that he was slightly leaning against me, his arm brushing up against mine. He linked our fingers together. His hands were soft and warm, with tiny granules of salt and sand from the shore in the lines of his palm.
“So me being a shark and Nishiki a koi fish were totally random?” Nero asked, raising a brow.
“Not entirely,” Nautilus replied. His whiskers twitched as if he was entertained. “There was no doubt that both of you would be some kind of aquatic animal shifter, but it was entirely up to your souls and personalities. For example, Nero, you are strong, bold, and a fierce protector. You are also impulsive, reckless, and do not know when to back off from a fight.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad,” Nero mumbled.
I snorted a laugh. “He’s not wrong about that.”
