Page 109 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 35
Zane cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice. “Tiridythas,” he shouted. It wasn’t the first time he’d yelled his mate’s name, but this time he finally got the sprite’s attention.
“Yeah?” he called out from where he was floating in the water.
“If you don’t get back on land, you’re going to turn into a merman.”
Tiri scrambled up onto the sand and ran over to where Zane stood. He didn’t bother doing anything about the water cascading down his clothes, which were luckily thick enough to protect his modesty. “Are they real?”
“Someone needs to read their council book,” Zane teased. “Of course they’re real.”
“I’d very much like to meet one.”
“They tend to keep to themselves and spend a great deal of time in the water. They don’t like to shift into human form if they can help it.”
Tiri’s eyes grew wide and he turned to scan the waves. “Do you think any of them are here now?”
With two fingers, Zane pulled Tiri’s face toward him so he could kiss him. “They have private beaches.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.”
“They should’ve known a crazy sprite was here waiting to make their acquaintance.”
“Crazy?”
“A little part of me died inside when you threw yourself into the water.”
The sprite’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe as a concerned mate, I was troubled by the idea of you drowning.”
“I never considered that I might drown.”
“It was your first time near water, hence the word ‘crazy.’ ”
Tiri cocked his head and studied him while Zane tried his best not to smile. “I think you’re teasing me.”
“Come on, there’s an area over here where you can change into some dry clothes.”
“Are we leaving? I was going to spend more time in the water.”
“You’ve been in there for hours, and we’re all starving,” Zane replied, not pleased with the disappointed expression on Tiri’s face. “We can come back.”
“Perhaps you could find me a beach with mermen.”
Zane handed him his clean outfit. “No ogling mermen—you’re a mated man.”
Muttering something under his breath, Tiri marched over to the changing tents. There was no one else around, and Damian was keeping a watchful eye on the entire vicinity, but Zane still stood guard outside where Tiri was getting dressed. His sprite took only a few minutes to emerge, and Zane grabbed the wet clothes from him, which he stuffed into a bag.
“Are we going home now?” Tiri asked as they strolled toward where the rest of their family was waiting.
Zane was pleased to find Chrysander and Ellery hand-in-hand. The two had barely put any space between them since they emerged from their bedroom. While fear continued to clutch his heart about their future, he wanted them both happy. “We’re going to a restaurant.”
“The one at the Circle of Druids’ garden?”
“No, one close to the beach, so you can enjoy the waves.”
“How am I supposed to enjoy them when I’m not in the ocean?”
