The princess abandoned him one week before the coronation ceremony. Without a mate, he could not be king of Nepturia. Oshen walked, shamed, from the council building, his eyes blind to the beauty of his underwater city.
Built eons ago when his ancestors crash-landed on Earth, his people remained hidden beneath the deep waters of the ocean. Finding a true mate was crucial to their existence, especially for the males of their kind. Without the healing bond that came from joining with a true mate, the males usually withered away and died.
Oshen already felt weak with grief. How could Seafoam abandon him? And for a surface human? He groaned as he heard the counselor's emotionless voice relay that his princess had fallen for a surfer she'd rescued.
He needed to woo her back. If she hadn't completed the mating ritual with this human, he might still have a chance.
As for being king, it was decided that his younger brother would be the new king. Surge had a mate, and they even had children.
Oshen walked through the city streets, paved with mother of pearl, until he came upon one of the many portals that used to exit the city.
"Do you have the serum, sir?"
Oshen raised his hand and unfurled his fingers. The syringe glowed with a greenish blue serum that would enable him to transform from his humanoid form to a half-man half fish creature. The metamorphosis was necessary since they didn't have the resources available to build underwater crafts that would help them navigate to the surface.
He took one last look at his underwater home. The metal beams that created a sturdy web to hold the thick glass reflected the crystalline blue of the deep water. His ancestors had used the scraps of the fallen spaceship to build their city, giving everything a pearlescent silver glow.
The citizens of Nepturia bustled about in their daily routines. No one seemed to notice the prince standing by the gate with tears in his eyes. No one seemed to care. Why should they? Seafoam had abandoned him, deeming him a worthless male.
With a deep breath, he stepped into the airlock. The guard closed the hatch behind him, peering through the porthole in the hatch. More eyes peered at him as he plunged the syringe into his chest and pushed the plunger.
At first, he felt nothing, but fear. Then a burning sensation began in his legs. Stripping off his robes with a hiss, he bent and began rubbing at his skin. Then his scalp began to burn as well as the sides of his neck. Gasping, he fell to the ground. He body felt as if it were on fire, and then, to make matters worse he heard the sound of water rushing in. the guard had opened the pressure locks. The cold ocean filled the chamber, making him choke as the water quickly covered his head. Oshen turned beseeching eyes to the guards. Why were they trying to drown him? He hadn't changed fully yet. Water filled his lungs and he felt himself dying. Before the cold grip of death wrapped fully around him, he saw the aquamarine eyes of his brother, prince Surge, watching him through the porthole.
*******
Pearl knew she'd already had too much to drink. She didn't care. Life was cruel. Too cruel. Here she was, at Brent's party, her boyfriend for the past fifteen years, watching him kiss and laugh with...the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. She'd rescued him during the Big Kahuna surfing contest and he'd been smitten with her ever since. Pearl no longer existed for him. Her mother, the scheming woman that she was, insisted they assist the party. After all, mother and Brent's father were still quite the item.
Pearl stumbled out of the sixty-foot yacht's dance room and made her way to the aft of the ship. She stared down at the water until her vision grew bleary. Wiping angrily at her tears, she tossed her crystal goblet over the edge of the railing. The almost full moon turned the water silvery and a school of dolphins followed alongside the ship. Pearl smiled, choking back a sob. She always did love dolphins. How ironic that they should show up now.
She walked closer to where they were, mesmerized. One of them looked strange. She narrowed her eyes and leaned over the railing a bit more, certain she was seeing a human head bobbing up and down in the water, a glimpse of silver hair.
The world seemed to tilt for a moment as the water rushed up at her...or was she rushing toward the water? Cold and black wrapped her in a chokehold. She realized she'd fallen in...and she couldn't swim.
Pearl tried to scream, but water poured into her mouth, making her gurgle. Her arms thrashed in the rolling sea and slowly she felt herself fade. It was all for the best. She was nothing but an embarrassment for her family. Shy and quiet, the only reason Brent had probably noticed her was because her family was filthy rich...more than his.
Just total darkness claimed her, she had the strangest sensation of strong arms encircling her waist, aquamarine eyes staring deeply into her own brown ones. It was a mermaid! Pearl coughed up water, her hand clutching at the decidedly masculine shoulders that hunched protectively over her. A merboy!
*****
The dream continued when she opened her eyes. Millions of glittering stars peppered the night sky over the tropical forest that surrounded them. He carried her a while then set her down on a bed of fallen palm leaves. His hair was long, down to his knees, wavy and the color of moonlight. The warm salty air played with the silver tresses, making them cascade over one sinewy shoulder when he bent to lay her on the ground.
His hand caressed her cheek. "I didn't know surf-human were so beautiful." Wonder filled his melodic voice.
"Am I dead? Are you an angel?" he certainly looked like an angel!
He only smiled and shook his head. "Why are you all alone? Where is your mate that he allowed you to fall into the water?"
"Mate?" Pearl grimaced. He sure talked strange, then she felt herself blush. Did he know Brent? Didn't he know the a-hole dumped her? "You mean my boyfriend? He's seeing someone else now. Her name is Seafoam," Pearl spat. "What a ridiculous name."
Her ethereal savior gasped. His eyes traveled over her. "Can it be? What is your name?"
"Pearl," she said in a decidedly slurred voice. Geez, she was still tipsy and having a conversation with an imaginary, gorgeous, angel/merboy.
"Pearl. What a lovely name."
Pearl giggled at his peculiar way of talking.
He smiled, his impossibly blue eyes twinkling. "I'm Oshen."
"Ocean?"
"Yes." He bit his lip, his finger tracing the roundness of her cheek. "Can I kiss you?"
Pearl's brows drew up. He had the most beautiful face, almost too pretty to be a boy. Her eyes focused on his lush lips, slightly parted to reveal a hint of teeth, straight and bright. The moonlight caressed the sinews of his lithe body and it was then that she realized he was unclothed. Shadows hid his masculinity, but not the longing in his eyes.
"Wow, I'm really drunk."
The pretty being before her pouted in confusion. Before he could utter another word, Pearl threw her arms around his neck and slanted her mouth over his. The scent of ocean, sunshine, and wind filled her nostrils. His satiny skin was cool against the raging inferno that suddenly blossomed in her body. Pearl's fingers explored the contours of his biceps, and shoulders, until they found themselves lost in the wealth of platinum blond hair that cascaded down his back.
He shivered in her arms as she kissed him. Never in her life had she been this aggressive with a guy, but she was tired of always being so damn shy. This was her fantasy and she was going to take full advantage of it before the alcohol wore out and he faded to nothing.
"Thank you," he whispered fervently between nibbles. "I was so hungry for a little affection."
Pearl let her lips stray to the column of his neck, realizing that the scent of ocean breeze and sunshine came from him. "Oh, baby, I'll give you allot more than just affection." She let her hand slide down to his bottom and gave him a squeeze, thinking—oh, yum!
