Married to a Merman: A Fantasy Monster Romance Novel (Bargained to Monsters) by Moore Elena

Author:Moore, Elena
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

* * *

Pelayo settles us into another small chamber, a hollow as the mer call it. I poke a spongy blue creature-plant growing on the side of the wall, which belches up a cloud of bubbles. I suppose that explains why there are air pockets beneath the ocean. Is this place magical? It certainly looks magical, filled with colors and corals I’ve never seen before.

Will we be safe here? I ask, looking around.

Perfectly safe, Pelayo says. Mer guard the coral palace’s entrances from any predators, as the Matron’s safety is paramount. We shall benefit also from their protection.

I don’t say it, but after the Matron’s warning to me, I’m tempted to ask whether I’m also safe from his people.

It’s good to be back home, Pelayo says, tucking himself into a rounded area, his lids already drooping. Safe means I can sleep soundly at last.

His hand slides up my lower leg and he gives me a gentle tug. I let him tuck me against his belly. He makes a contented noise, and then goes quiet and still. After a while, his arm around my waist loosens a fraction, and I turn to peek at his face. His lids are closed and his lips slightly parted, his ear-fins relaxed.

I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him so deeply asleep.

My merman well and truly exhausted himself for me. I stroke a strand of Pelayo’s thick, seaweed-like hair back from his face and tuck it behind his ear-fin. He doesn’t stir. This emboldens me to cup his cheek and run my thumb over the soft, delicate scales below his eye.

Not only did Pelayo save me from the surf at the base of the cliff, he also put himself between me and mortal danger when my blood lured the eelker.

The day I met Pelayo, I worried he might abandon me if a large predator ever showed up. But when that moment came, Pelayo didn’t hesitate to defend me from a monster many times his size. And once his weapon broke, he didn’t leave me behind, but held me close and dove, swimming me away to safety in the coral palace at the bottom of the sea. And then he’d gathered others to slay the creature once and for all while the Matron tended to my wounds.

My lips wobble and I smile to myself, then give Pelayo a soft kiss on the cheek. After everything he risked to protect me, my merman more than proved his affections sincere. But can I be just as confident they’ll last?

I disentangle myself from his limbs and crawl up onto a dry section of rock. I’m not really tired; the journey didn’t exhaust me in the same way it did Pelayo. I sit with my legs dangling in the water and cup my hands to my chest. After a hesitation, I draw his pearl from me.

I wait for the crushing headache to return, but it doesn’t. A benefit of the coral palace, perhaps. The gills close in my neck and I sigh as I’m able to breathe air again.

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