The Mermaid Catches Her Mate

 

Luna needed water like mortals needed air to breathe. She swam effortlessly across the lake, propelled by the pure force of her powerful fin. She broke through the water’s surface and twisted in mid-air before diving back into the deep unknown. The splash created an illusion of a light rain shower and she laughed as she reveled in the freedom of her natural form.

Mermaids have always been depicted as mythical creatures known as seductive, yet deadly sirens. That was, until the pop-culture-made-cutesy version turned them into the latest trend. Now everyone couldn’t get enough of them. Created by the benevolent Goddess Quan Yin to balance, heal, and protect the majestic waterways and its creatures, her immortal species had quietly existed under the radar for many millennia. The law assigned to these ancient mermaids and mermen was specific, with rules preventing them from living among mortals.

Luna’s family was an exception.

As the mer-tale goes, her great grandfather had saved the life of a Fae disguised as a mortal. She’d slipped off the mountain’s ledge on a stormy day and fallen into the sea. Instead of letting her drown, he’d interfered with the pact between the worlds and pulled her to safety without fear of being punished. In return for his selfless act, the Matsya lineage was blessed with the ability to integrate with humans. Unlike other mer-people, who could only stay on land for a handful of hours, the Matsya could live within both worlds. By learning from mortals, it would be easier to protect the bodies of water and creatures from further destruction. Some of the clan had become teachers and ocean activists, while others infiltrated the scientific world to help preserve the oceans and its inhabitants.

However, there were rules to abide by in order to maintain this valuable gift.

Cinderella’s magic may fade at midnight, but her problems could be easily solved by a glass slipper and a Prince. For Luna, if she were to fall in love with a mortal man, and he didn’t love her in return, her body would gradually forfeit immortality. Within three months, her mermaid’s heart would no longer beat again, and destined to die alone without knowing true love. Once a Matsya chose her mate, it was forever.

Luna made it a mission to never give her heart away. Her hand balled into a tight fist just thinking about that day she had witnessed first-hand what it had done to her aunt. The heavy emotion still weighed on her chest like a ton of bricks. The memory was as vivid in her mind as it was that fateful day years ago, although she struggled to remember the secret she’d overheard. There was one way to reverse this tragic fate—this came from the mouth of the very Fae that blessed her family.

“Feels more like a curse, to me,” she scoffed.

Luna shook off the gloomy thoughts and floated on her back. She stared up at the beautiful full moon as it shined brightly above. She closed her eyes and allowed the soothing sensations to flow through her. Her body hummed, glowing almost as brilliant as the moon, rejuvenated by the water’s sacred powers. This had become her nightly routine for the past five years since arriving in Nocturne Falls. It was a no brainer for her to choose a town that proudly touted, “Where every day is Halloween.” The kind of place she easily blended in without her parents pressuring her to take over the family business. Time was winding down and she’d have to give her answer by her twenty-seventh birthday. Roughly three months away.

The scales on her once dull mermaid tail were now a glittery spectrum of green and blue hues. This change always alerted her that her time in the lake had come to an end. She dove beneath the ripples, but the sound of muffled voices, echoing from a distance, made her quickly resurface.

“What in Neptune’s name!” she spat out. Her eyes zeroed in on where the commotion was occurring.

Several vehicles were parked carelessly over the property line that separated the Ellingham’s land and her private lake. The door of the red Range Rover hung wide open. Her perfect vision latched onto the handsome dark haired man deeply engaged in conversation with another burly one. Her ultrasonic hearing automatically tuned into the frequency of the voices and every nerve ending in her body lit up in alarm.

“Pike, the tent must go up first thing in the morning,” Mr. Tall and Delicious instructed. “Got it?”

“No problem, Ace. It’ll all be taken care of,” the henchman replied.

She didn’t know who gave these men clearance to construct some kind of tent near her property, but she’d get to the bottom of it first thing in the morning. Whether this was temporary or not, this would make it tricky to indulge in her nightly swims without being caught.

Luna didn’t wait to hear any more of their ridiculous discussion. Her temper flared and she swung her tail in anger, slamming it across the water with a loud thud. The strength of her action kicked up a makeshift rainstorm. The heavy droplets drenched the men and she couldn’t help feeling a bit of satisfaction for squelching their conversation.

“What the h—” Ace pivoted around and his eyes widened, riveted on her.

“Crap!” Luna squeaked and ducked down. “Could he really see me?”

She watched him blink several times, praying he chocked it down to a late night hallucination. Better yet, perhaps he’d had some of the magical spring water that shielded mortals from seeing her true form. Thankfully, the burly man hadn’t spotted her, too. Within seconds, Luna high-tailed it out of there, swimming hard and fast as if sea Daemones were snapping at her tail.