"Resa?" He called her softly. "I can't steal your innocence..." He started to stroke her cheek as she mustered courage and finally locked gazes with him again. "But let me steal something else. Permit me to steal just tonight. You don't have to do a...
"They are taking too long." Herrick said, scanning the surface of the sea with the others.
"We should be particularly worried about Theresa." Astrophel anxiously stepped forward, scanning the sea. "We don't even know if she's okay in there."
"Why don't you go in there and see for yourself?" Lycidas asked, arms folded across his chest.
Astrophel glared at him and looked away without a word. Elaine who had her hands clasped under chin, scanned the sea in worry. "We still have to figure out how she has these powers. What about if they are dangerous to her health, we can't risk her performing different surprises on us."
"Her body simply reacts when there is danger so I don't think we have anything to worry about milady." Lycidas replied indifferently.
"Hear yourself speak!" Astrophel fired and jabbed a finger at the sea. "Theresa is a half nymph and half wolf not a mermaid! We need to find out what just happened!"
"Go ahead then." Lycidas shrugged a shoulder. "I hope you end up being the one that beds her in the heat season after all your obvious efforts!" He said snidely.
Astrophel who understood the insult, advanced towards Lycidas angrily but Herrick stopped him with a hand to his chest. "We are here to help the mermaids not fight each other."
"Then somebody had better tell him to shut the hell up or I'll be doing so myself!" Astrophel said lividly and backed away to his spot still glaring at Lycidas who didn't even flinch or tear his gaze from the sea.
"What are you doing?" Elaine whispered harshly to her son. "You know you can't take him on, he's stronger! Have you a death wish?!"
Astrophel rolled his muscled shoulders. "I don't care, if he says one stupid word about Theresa again, I'll not be restrained!" Astrophel whispered back.
"Astrophel! You shouldn't be doing this, everyone knows that Theresa is not to be your mate! Why fight for what's not yours?"
He glared at Lycidas over his mother's head and simply said. "He doesn't deserve her!" He walked away from his mother and walked closer to the shore, worried for Theresa and eager to end the conversation with his mother. He was tired of being told that Theresa wasn't betrothed to him, even though he hadn't told her yet, he loved her and that was all that mattered.
"There's something in the water!" Myers stepped forward in alarm and the others did the same having heard a deep terrifying sound coming from the sea. Suddenly several mermaids burst out of the water into the air and plunged into different spots then seconds later, Aline shot out of the water into the air followed by Theresa and then a large creature that vibrated the very shore as it shut out into the sky after Theresa, jaws of teeth wide open, came into view.
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"What in Poseidon's name is that!" Darius asked in shock as their eyes followed the creature whose large head and almost half of its body protruded through the water after Theresa.
