Katrina

The view is absolutely stunning as I walk out onto the deck following the Cunt-A-Saurus... I mean our hostess to our gazebo, a fucking gazebo, not just some outdoor table, and chairs, but a whole ass gazebo to ourselves. As the hostess side-eyes me some more before she walks away, I can't help but wonder if she's one of the sluts Miles used to fuck. And the term slut isn't something I'd use against any woman who has sex. It's only a term I use toward women who can't seem to realize that the man she's oggling is MATED and that his mate is the other woman she's being snarky with. Otherwise, it's a term of endearment, a word that the female community took back and made our own. I want to confront miss skanky about it, but I don't want to ruin this date, so instead, I shoot her daggers as she walks away, hoping she can feel my laser beams on her back.

Miles looks at me like he's expecting me to say something about the hostess's behavior, but as soon as she walks away, I let all my aggression go, instead turning toward the ocean and watching the waves crash against the shore. It's such a calming sound, listening to the lull of the ocean as it washes away, cleansing the beach of its impurities.

I feel the sudden urge to get my feet in the water, and I don't hesitate as I slip off my heels and shout for Miles to catch me as I run manically to the ocean's edge. I can hear Miles's feet pound the ground behind me as he tries to contain his laughter. Today's date was definitely needed. I don't think I've ever seen Miles as happy as he's been today. There was just the one time at Cupid's when he seemed angry, but it seemed to pass quickly. It makes me wonder if his relationship with his father is as strenuous as my other mates. The only one who seems to have a semi-decent relationship with their family is Samael, and I don't even know if that exists anymore after he blew up on his father.

Miles' reaction to Cupid's comment makes me nervous about meeting his father tonight. I know I have to meet him at some point, but I don't know if I can take another parent hating me, and if he's anything like his brothers, then I know he'll despise me before he even allows me a chance to persuade him to like me.

Miles disturbs my thoughts, having finally caught me only seconds before my feet touch the water. I wait for him to haul me back up to my gazebo, but to my surprise, he carries me bridal style out into the ocean, he, himself going waist-deep, drenching his jeans.

"MILES!" I screech, "YOU'RE SOAKED!"

"Is this not what you wanted, Kitten?" He asks, adjusting me until my legs are wrapped around his torso, and his arms are holding me up just above the water, the very bottom of my sundress soaking in the ocean as it seeps into the water.

"Well, I was just going to get my feet wet," I reply, barely stifling a giggle.

"The ocean called to you," He replies, his forehead dropping down to touch mine, "It was beckoning its Queen to the water."

"Wait... Was the water calling to you too? How do you know that?" I ask, confused.

"The way you were looking at it when we first stepped onto the deck, it seemed like you were in a trance, and then out of nowhere, you decided to run to the shore. I know you're spontaneous, Kitten, but I also know that running out to greet the sea isn't something you would normally do. We have an ocean view just outside of the academy, and you've only been once when Beckett took you along to his water training session."

His assumptions aren't wrong. While I've always loved looking at the ocean and hearing the crashing sound of the waves, the unknowns in the water have always terrified me until Beckett dragged me in it with him. I remember the ocean seeming to lull me in that last time too, but I resisted. When Beckett brought me into the water, he'd told me that vibrations on my skin were the sea creatures calling me. Is that what they're doing now?

"Do you think it's trying to communicate with?" I ask Beckett, pulling my head back so I can look into his eyes.

"No, it's just telling you that Beckett is headed home, and it's calling to his Queen, wanting her to be beside him when he enters Atlantis." He responds, his beautiful hazel eyes twinkling in the sun, making them lose their blue shade and taking on a more golden appearance with tiny flakes of green.

"How can you tell?" I ask, gazing into his eyes to try and see if he's full of shit.

"Are you willing to submerge yourself in the water?" He asks, removing one of his hands that was supporting my bottom, causing my dress to dip a little more into the water.

"As long as you're here to pull me back up." I respond, still a little nervous about the water and it's mysterious depths. Not to mention the fact Miles' is at least a foot taller than me, and he's already half submerged.

"Always." He replies his response reminding me of the undying love that Severus had for Lily. Yeah, I know, how corny, but it is the greatest love story that never had the chance to be written. Stupid James.

As he gently lowers me into the water, I can feel the gentle vibrations on my skin; the water is surprisingly warm for this time of year. And while I'd assumed my dress would feel heavy once fully submerged, it felt like I wasn't wearing anything at all. Miles stops lowering me when the water reaches my chest, his hands holding me up by my armpits as he watches me, making sure I haven't changed my mind.

I give him a silent nod to let him know that it's okay, and when he lets go, and the ocean's waters fully cover me, the vibrations on my skin stop; instead, I can hear the voices of the sea. A mother dolphin is singing to her newborn baby, a school of fish warns a different school of the fishing boat up ahead, and then there are the sirens singing to me, calling me home. Singing a melody of how the prince has returned once again without his princess and how their hearts ache, wondering why I don't love the water as I do the surface. I want to call out and respond to them, but I don't know how. I hope my presence in the water will be enough to let them know I've heard their calls.

When Miles pulls me up, I'm still in awe of the ocean's wonders and slightly confused. Beckett had told me I wouldn't be able to hear the many voices of the sea until I became his Queen. Which I haven't done yet, and I won't do until the current kings abdicate their thrones or are forced from them.

"Why can I hear their voices now?" I ask once Miles has pulled me into his arms again.

"I don't know. Something changed that night when we all came together as one. Your power seemed to increase, like something bound inside of you had been unlocked, and then our bonds grew stronger, linking us all together. I have all four affinities now, each as powerful as the other. I think it has something to do with the prophecy and how you'll unite the kingdoms as the one true Queen." Miles states as he walks us back to the shore.

"Something did come undone that night. Whenever I reached down inside me to find my hidden gift, I kept finding a box instead. The box was bound with chains and locked away behind bars. That night when I freaked out, it felt like a part of me was missing. When I went into my room, I realized it was that box. It terrified me; I thought I had opened up Pandora's box. And then, when my succubus spirit grew stronger, I figured she had been what was locked in the box."

"No," Miles responds, "Your succubus has always been there. Luka could sense her when he searched for your powers, and that very first night when you fought with Samael, she was there. Whatever was in the box was something completely different. My bet is it was your parents who bound what was in it as a way to protect you from whoever was chasing them. They must've spelled it so that it would only open once you'd found your mates."

"But I'd already found you guys. We'd already mated; if that were the case, it would've been released after I mated with Beckett." I reply, even more, confused as we add yet another mystery to our ever-growing list.