Page 45 of Oceansong
“You would?” Angie sat straighter. “Where is she?” After she asked, it struck her that even if he told her where in the vast ocean it was, it wouldn’t hold any meaning for her.
“Over two hundred fathomspans below and—” Kaden stumbled over his words and cut himself off. Angie did the math in her head, converting what she assumed to be fathoms to feet. “In my queendom.” He spoke as if forced to reveal something he didn’t want to.
Angie’s stomach fluttered, and she jerked her head back. “Did you sayqueendom?”
“Well.” Kaden rubbed his neck. “It’s my parents’ queendom, not mine. The mer-king and mer-queen.”
The admission rendered her speechless. “So, you’re, what, a mer-prince? That’s why you kept saying you can talk to your leaders. Why didn’t you tell me?” The sun emerged overhead, and she used her hand to shield her eyes from the luminous onslaught.
Kaden tucked his tail on the opposite side of him, basing with one hand on the ground. “At the time, I could not trust you with the truth, could not have your people coming after me to use us for their ends. Obviously, royalty would attract more attention.”
Damn him for making sense.
“But if you’re a prince, shouldn’t you be, you know, spending more time at court? Doing princely things? You’re at the surface an awful lot.” Angie scratched her chin, thoughtful.
“I do not wish to be at court,” he swallowed hard, “nor do I have much desire to be near the mer-king and mer-queen these days.”
His fingers tapped his forearm with nervous energy. Angie moved closer, gazing at him with laser focus, and put a hand on his bent elbow. “Kaden?” He swept a fleeting glance over her hand, and she retracted it.
“They have started talking marriage prospects for me, since I am of age. The queendom buzzes with excitement.” He said the wordexcitementdripping with disdain.
A jealous pang burned her chest, and Angie forced herself to smother it, failing to understand where it came from. “S-so your parents pick out a wife for you?”
“Yes. When we are old enough, it is customary for our families to go to a seer, who foretells a union and presents them with a list of appropriate mates. In my family, it happens during an engagement ceremony, where theprinces and princesses are to narrow down the list to one.” Kaden paused for a breath. “I do not wish to attend the event where my family would present me with prospects. They have been actively searching for the seer’s recommended mates for the last year. When my parents are in mate-hunting mode, I have no desire to listen to them bombard me with this mermaid name and that one, names that mean nothing to me.” His back and arms became taut. “Cyrus is doing his part. He is bonded, and he has agreed to take over once my parents are gone, or should they abdicate the throne.”
“Do you ever want to rule?”
“Not unless it were imposed on me. The rest of my family make much better leaders. Simply because they want that power.”
“I guess. But if you lead, you can help change things.” Angie had always liked the idea of being a leader and having the power to make changes.
“It’s something you aspire to?”
“There’s a saying, ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ I can do that by leading and not always following.” The notion of leading one day, whether it was the docks, a research project, or coming up with an innovative product made her flush, exhilarated. “I want to see change happen in our environment and advocate for healthy seas. You can’t sit and hope that someone else takes the lead.”
Slowly, Kaden nodded. “You’ve given me some things to think on. Thank you for sharing your perspective.”
Another silence befell them, and Angie thought back to what Kaden had said about his parents finding marriage prospects. “Earlier, you said you were of age to find a lifemate. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Is that old or young in mer years?”
“Young. We live to about a hundred tidesyears.” A brief silence.
Ah. They had similar lifespans.
“So.” She swore his voice’s timbre had lowered, sounding huskier. Angie spun on her backside to face him, crossing her legs. “Humans find their own mates, yes?”
A bundle of nerves inexplicably unraveled. “It depends, I guess. Some people’s families pick a partner for them. But yeah, mostly we look for our own.”
“You look for your own partners?” Kaden ran one finger along his defined jawline. “How?”
Angie tucked her chin. She never had to explain the concept of dating, and she was worthless with impromptu explanations. “Well, you go on dates, and if you like each other, then you bring it to the next level.”
“And what’s that?” Kaden closed the distance between them and brought his tail closer to his body.
“Well, if you’d let me finish.” Angie chuckled and nudged his shoulder with hers.
