I stand on the beach facing Errik. Sitting atop one of the rocks, he takes my hand in his as the priest performs our ceremony. People gather around us on the beach, while several Mer, including Errik’s father and brother watch from the water as we recite our vows.
I place a wreath of shells and flowers atop Errik’s head and he does the same to me. His mouth curves up in a devastatingly handsome smile as he speaks the words aloud. “You are mine, and I am yours.”
“I am yours,” I repeat to him. “And you are mine.”
He captures my mouth in a claiming kiss as everyone around us cheers.
It is the last night of the blue moon cycle. It’s been almost two weeks since my memory returned and I’ve never been happier. Errik pulls himself up over the balcony of my room.
It’s our wedding night, so I am still dressed in my wedding gown as I greet him.
His gaze travels down my form appreciatively. “You are stunning,” he whispers. “And all mine.”
The soft moonlight illuminates his features. I trace my fingers lightly over the pointed tip of his left ear and then move down the chiseled planes of muscle that line his abdomen and chest. The scales of his body like silk beneath my hands. When I reach his tail, I marvel at the softly glowing blue color of his scales.
I know he’s strong, but it still surprises me when he gathers me to his chest with one arm and drags himself, while holding me up, to the bed.
He moves over me and presses a tender kiss to my lips. He pulls back and uses his claws to tear a line down my wedding dress, removing it from my body and leaving me bare beneath him.
His gaze travels over my form, full of fire and possession.
I watch as his stav extends from his body, full and erect.
I wrap my hand around him, feeling the slickness that coats the scales from the several small bumps along the shaft. A bead of blue liquid forms on the tip as I open myself to him.
“You are beautiful, Halla,” he whispers softly as he positions himself at my entrance.
My lips part on a moan as he slowly enters me.
“You feel so good,” he groans as he begins to move deep inside me.
I cup the back of his neck and bring his lips down to mine, curling my tongue around his and deepening our kiss as he pumps into me.
The slight twinge as his stem enters my womb is quickly replaced by pleasure.
Nothing exists outside of this moment between us and the movements of his body against mine.
I move my hands down his back, feeling the powerful muscles of his form with each flex of his hips as he thrusts into me.
The friction of his stav deep in my core is so intense, my head falls back as a low moan escapes me.
He cups my chin, forcing my gaze to his, and growls low in his throat. “I want to watch you as you come.”
His glowing blue eyes never leave mine as he thrusts into me. My body tightens around him and then I’m coming harder than I ever have before.
Delicious heat erupts deep inside me and warmth blooms in my core as he roars my name, filling me with his seed.
When I wake in the morning, we’re tangled in the sheets. My inner thighs are sticky with his release. My cheeks heat when I notice the deep blue color staining my skin and the bedding.
I pull back the covers slightly, and gasp when I notice that instead of a tail, Errik’s two legs are brushing against mine.
“Errik!”
His eyes snap open and follow my gaze. He inhales sharply, staring at his legs in wonder. “How is this possible?”
“I… do not know.”
His legs are heavily muscled and covered in blue scales. I gently run my fingers over them, marveling at this miracle.
I change, and he covers himself with a sheet even though his mating pouch is still intact, hiding his stav from sight. I call for Althea, and when she enters, her eyes widen as they travel over his form. He stands in the middle of the bedroom on two human legs.
Her eyes dart to the necklace he always wears. “The blue pearl.” She smiles. “It worked.”
He blinks. “You knew this would happen?”
“I hoped, but I was not sure.”
“Dorin mentioned Mer used to seek blue pearls for this reason, but why now? Why did this not happen when Halla first regained her memory?”
She shrugs. “I do not know. Last night was the end of the blue moon cycle. Perhaps it is somehow tied to that.”
He licks his lips, considering. “Will I remain this way?”
“There is only one way to be sure,” she replies. “We must go down to the ocean.”
She sends the guards to retrieve my brother. As soon as he enters, his jaw drops. “How did—”
“The Blue Pearl, I suspect,” Althea answers.
My brother quickly retrieves a shirt and pants for Errik. As we walk through the castle, Errik is somehow able to move as if he has always had legs. Whereas, I struggle still to coordinate my movements as I walk with one arm looped through Gerold’s and another through Errik’s.
Our guards all watch wide-eyed but say nothing as we pass. When we reach the ocean, Althea instructs Errik to walk into the water.
Toren’s head peeks above the surface. His jaw drops. “What happened to you?”
Errik smiles. “I do not know. Isn’t it wonderful?”
He arches a brow. “No, you look like a human.” His eyes dart to me. “Forgive me, I meant no disrespect.”
I laugh. “None taken.”
Errik wades into the water, and in an instant, his legs are replaced by his gorgeous blue tail. He flips up his fin to show us, but I notice the concern in his expression as he faces Althea. “Is it gone? Am I stuck as a Mer again forever?”
She shakes her head. “Come back out, and we’ll know.”
He drags himself out of the water completely. His pants are gone, ripped from the transformation, but his borrowed shirt covers his waist down to his thighs. We watch in awe as his tail splits back into two human legs.
He stands and rushes toward me, pulling me into his arms and spinning me around in a slow circle. He captures my mouth in a claiming kiss. “I can live in your world, Halla,” he whispers against my lips. “We can make a life anywhere you wish.”
I smile and dart a glance at my brother. “Then, let us continue to live by the sea. After all, someone has to take care of Gerold.”
Gerold laughs and embraces us warmly, pulling Althea into the hug as well. “I would like that,” he says. “I would like that very much.”
Errik looks to Toren. “And Toren cannot do without me either.”
Toren rolls his eyes, but I do not miss the smile that tugs at the corner of his lips.
