John
Epilogue
Many years later, I still wake up wanting to see my wife first thing in the morning. Kitty Kat and I have been together forever, but something about merman genes and the mate-bond keeps us from aging.
We do age, only much slower. Not that I mind—it only means I get more time to spend with the love of my life.
She makes it a true blessing to wake up every morning.
I peer down at my left palm, smiling at the human who uses one of my fingers as her body pillow. I'm not much larger than I was ten years ago, but since Kat was attacked by a group of dire wolves last year, my resolve to protect her has grown.
Kat is prohibited from sleeping without me, and I want her around me all the time, even if she is a loud snoring lady. I find it amusing when she sounds like an airplane, so I haven't told her about it.
As I hover above her, I stroke a finger down her petite back, biting my lower lip when she smiles in her sleep. My
This is the last chapter, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this story. I might write about one of the kids in the future if I feel like writing about mermen again. Thank you so much for reading this story!
Natasha Most days, I'm trapped inside my head and stuck on remembering the past before the apocalypse happened. I miss my childhood, when people had regular jobs, and when schools mattered. Ten years ago, I had parents, friends, and neighbors. I was a carefree little girl who rarely worried about tomorrow—that changed when monsters rose from the sea and destroyed our cities. Humans are no longer safe. Most people are bound to live in cities heavily guarded by the military, and others, like me, are forced to steal to survive the next day. And my poverty is all because of Scylla, the monstrous mermaid, who destroyed my entire city and ate my parents. She is a beast, and I have sworn to murder her once I have enough money to buy myself a crew ready to tackle anything. I pick up a photograph. "Ugh," there is a picture of an old woman holding a cat, but the frame is made of silver—I throw it into my black XXL garbage bag that I've slung over my bon
NatashaThe sky is dark and starry—perfect for navigation. Tonight, I won't get lost at sea, and Roger won't have a reason to bully me at home.Roger, my adoptive father, likes to point out that I'm not a full-fledged pirate princess yet. According to him, making it home without a map is something every pirate should know."I will be home in no time!" I toss my stolen goods into my motorboat and climb in, ready to hit the ocean. I'm not supposed to be parking here, and I better leave before there is a ticket."Fuck this man!" A man grumbles from the bridge leading to all the parked luxury boats. Yachts are bobbing on the water surface, and it seems the voice is headed there. "We shouldn't have taken him!"My curiosity gets the best of me, and I silently watch the policemen carry Hayden Archer into their police ship equipped with sirens.Most of the world is underwater, and some countries no longer exist, while new islands have popped u
Natasha I'm fading from the lack of oxygen until something strong curls around me, towing me to the surface. The instant I break through the water, I sharply inhale. Cold air enters my lungs as my chest pulls back. I'm not thinking when I grab whatever is holding me—I'm acting on pure instinct. "What the hell?!" A loud, scary voice is yelling at me, and it sounds like thunder and anger. "You can't swim—why the hell didn't you tell you didn't know how to swim?!" I blink salt out of my eyes and stare at a giant wall of flesh before me. An eight-pack of massive, granite abs draped over with beautifully tanned skin is staring me in the face. My cheeks turn molten. Is this person Hayden? I barely have time to ponder before I'm gently moved away from the water by whoever saved me from drowning. Fingers, thicker than tree trunks, pull me closer to the person's carved chest. But the intimacy that generally would make me blush got me fe
NatashaFinding out Hayden is married is a bummer. But what did I seriously expect? That the hot, tall, and insanely broad-shouldered man wasn't already taken?Ugh—don't be foolish, Natasha. Besides, lusting over a merman isn't wise either, considering my deep fear of them. Hayden seems nice now, but that might change.I stand up, brushing my dirty, black hair to one side of my neck. I'm skinny and malnourished from sailing the seas without food for days, but although I might look like a weakling, I'm brimming with confidence.Although, I feel way tinier than usual around Hayden. His fancy suit is eating up my shoulders as I wear it, and his delicious scent is doing weird things to the chemicals inside my brain. My insides are fluttering, and I hand the guy a smile."So, is there a town on this island?"Hayden studies me. "There is... Why?"My fingers rake through my dirty hair. "Well, since you destroyed my beloved ship, I thin
Natasha When I walk outside of the restaurant, I catch Hayden talking with a group of girls. He is speaking animatedly, yet it does nothing to calm down the girls, who appear terrified of him. Their faces are pale, and I notice their legs are shaking. It's with no surprise that I watch the girls disappear into the restaurant, causing Hayden to mutter after them. "Suit yourself..." I step forward, forcing out my voice. "What was that about?" I'm unstable after Hayden threatened to eat everyone inside the restaurant. And Hayden narrows his eyes in delight as if he savors how rattled I must still appear from our earlier argument. I can see his lips curling by the corners, like my state of fright is his source of satisfaction. His expression bothers me because I would like to believe that the smiling guy I got to see a glimpse of on the beach is real. I genuinely hope Hayden doesn't like it when people are afraid of him. But what d
Natasha I'm a virgin. I've never been with a man before, never kissed someone's warm lips, and Hayden is every girl's wet dream—tall, muscular and exquisite, like a piece of art. His long eyelashes and parting lips whispering dirty words into my ears—I'm falling for everything about this man, and I can't do anything to stop it. Regardless of his claim of not being gentle, his eyes speak a different story when he kisses me and shoves his tongue deep inside of my mouth. I'm burning and going down in flames, loving how his enormous hands remove the little cloth covering my breasts. His voice goes low. "You're beautiful." Suddenly I'm naked behind the goddamn restaurant, but I don't care. My heart is beating, wanting and needing this man. Hayden's large, manly hands squeeze my small breasts, and his tongue goes down, warm and wet, against the sensitive little nub. And the man knows what he is doing. For the first time in my life, I lose co
Hayden I'm waiting on the beach. Natasha told me she needed to grab something important from town, and I handed her some gemstones. Electronic money is useless these days, but coins, gold, and jewels work. "Sorry for the delay!" I move to gaze to the pathway leading to the beach, spotting the crazy woman holding three bottles of rum. She is wearing a pirate hat and beaming at me like the freaking sun. Laughter rolls inside my mind; it seems Tide, the merman voice inside my head, has been awakened. I swear to god I'm a psychopath for having a second person inside my head. Vivian read werewolf novels in the past, where the werewolves had their wolf talking to them inside of their head. Well, I have Tide, a merman who looks exactly like me, speaking to me daily. 'Oh, come on!' I can hear the smile in Tide's voice. Usually, he only cares about eating and hunting, but he likes Natasha. 'Admit our mate is amusing!' I eye the black-ha
Natasha My head is spinning, tripping as I squint up at the sun. I have eaten nothing, and I'm paying the price for drinking rum by puking over the side of the boat. Fuck alcohol, and screw God for creating this delicious liquid, toxic in the first place. What is the point if you're going to end up hungover? I only get to dry my mouth on the back of my hand before my knees buckle, and I once again empty my stomach. "Ugh..." There is a bitter taste inside my mouth after I've royally vomited, and I grow dizzy when the entire boat sways from side to side like a fucking carousel. A head emerges from the ocean, and my little ship almost topples over. "Ew!" Hayden exclaims in disgust, and water drips down from his massive torso when he stretches out in the sun like some newly risen water god. "You did not just puke all over my fucking hair!" I lie down on my back and laugh at his expression. The sun is blocked out, and life would be pretty g