Monster March: Sakari the Mermaid

Male Reader x Female Monster

I’ve lived by the ocean since I was born. I’ve always felt a  connection to it, even when I was little. My mom tells me I used to get  up at night and run a full bathtub while everyone else was asleep. Both  of my parents had been lifeguards, but after I was born, my mom started a  snack shop by the beach. My dad continued to be a lifeguard.

My mom told me stories about when she was young, having grown up in the  same beachside town all her life. She had so many stories in her head,  as I grew up, I wondered why she shucked snow cones for a living instead  of writing a book.

“My stories aren’t meant for just anyone,”  she told me. “I tell you these stories hoping you’ll remember them and  pass them on in the future. Or maybe even use them to your advantage one  of these days.”

“How so?” I asked, curious as ever. Aside from never being able to leave the water, I also never stopped asking questions.

My mom grinned at me. “You never know.”

“How are stories about mermaids and sirens going to help me?” I asked in a huff.

My mom’s smile became mischievous then, and she sat beside me. “You  know better than to follow a siren’s call, correct? You know better than  to trust a mermaid leading you into the reef, I hope.” She touched my  cheek and pushed my wild blonde hair away from my face.

“Mermaids and sirens don’t have to be that exactly. They can be danger  and trouble in life. People who mean you harm. Mermaids and sirens don’t  go out seeking harm specifically. They trapped and tricked sailors  because the sailors were hurting them. But the mermaids and sirens in  the real world, they might seek to lure you and trap you for the purpose  of absolute harm.” The look she held in her eyes was enough to make me  reach up and hug her.

“I want you to know what songs to listen to and which ones to ignore.” She squeezed me so tight then.

“I know, Mama,” I told her as a promise.

I very much wanted to be a lifeguard like my parents. But they both  agreed I wouldn’t begin the training until I was sixteen. Until then, I  worked in the snack shop with mom. I had always been a chubby kid, my  mom said I came out made of chunky rolls. I was tall too and had a mop  of wild, uncontrollable blonde hair. This combined with being an awkward  kid and heavy set made me something of a target. For the longest time, I  was self-conscious and unhappy with myself.

When I turned  sixteen, my dad started training me to become a lifeguard. Well, it was a  hard first few months, but soon, I noticed I was losing weight. I had  swum and played in the water all my life, but it wasn’t until I was  training and working with my dad that I started to change.

I  was still an awkward, shy kid, but I started noticing that I was getting  stared at on the beach. Lots of girls, sometimes guys, would come to  the lifeguard tower requesting me for help with something. By the time I  was eighteen, I even had people singing at me when I was out on the  beach.

“Oh Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind. Hey Mickey!”

I really hated that my parents named me that.

Despite this, I was still the same shy, awkward, and easily  flustered guy you could meet. But even this made me something of a  target for admiration. I was described as mysterious, brooding,  something you might use to describe Lord Byron. But no, it was anxiety.

The only time I didn’t feel this way was when I was in the water.  When I swam and surfed and was able to put the world and all my anxiety  behind me. I was my best self when I was on my board, no anxiety, no  nerves, no worry.

I was twenty-two when my dad died. Tourists  had gotten stuck in the riptide, and my dad risked his life saving them.  After that, my mom closed up the snack shop, and she took over my dad’s  spot in the tower. For a while, I found it hard to get back into the  water. The one place that had given me the most peace had now become  something I couldn’t understand anymore.

“You can’t be afraid  of the water, Mickey,” my mom said to me. “Your dad doesn’t want that.  He did what he did because he respected the water. He knew the danger,  he knew exactly what he was doing.” She then pointed out over the waves.  “He’s in the waves now, always watching you and waiting.”

“Mom,” I scoffed. “Enough stories! Enough mermaids and loch ness and  fairy tales!” I shook my head. “Dad is gone. There’s nothing out there  but tides and water. I know what Dad did, I know what he thought. I  can’t help but still see him out there struggling.”

My mom put her hands on my back. “Don’t stop doing what you love because there is a ghost out there,” she told me.

I opened up the snack shop again, working there instead of being a  lifeguard. I shucked snow cones and corn dogs, feeling separated from  the world I once loved and needed by the thin walls of the stand. I  could hear the waves outside, and I felt called to them, but I ignored  that call.

“You can come back at any time. No one is going to  miss the snow cones,” my friend, Luka, says as I hand him a free cream  soda.

“You’ll miss your cream sodas,” I laugh, hoping to change the subject.

“That would probably be for the best, honestly,” Luka laughs. He  looks out beyond the stand and sighs. “Waves look mighty fine. Have you  been out surfing any lately? Now’s a great time. Not too many tourists.  Not too many locals, either.” He gives me a look with those big brown  eyes of his. “You know you wanna. I’ll even watch the shop for you.”

“And risk you eating my stock? No, thank you,” I laugh.

“Bullshit,” Luka scoffs at me.

I look up at him, seeing his usually jovial face is dark and  serious. Hell, he looks like a completely different person. “If you keep  making excuses, you’ll cripple yourself, and you’ll never go back out  there.”

“I know,” I huff. “I don’t know how to make myself…move. I feel trapped.”

“Trapped? How? Do you need a shovel? Pick-axe? Maybe sheers?” Luka tilts his head.

I smirk and laugh. “No, not exactly.”

“Look, you need help, let me help!” He bounces. “Tell me what I need to do.”

I shake my head and push my hair away from my face. “I guess that’s what I need to figure out first.”

I close up the shop, but I don’t leave the beach. I sit on the still  hot sand as the sun sets and the lamps all flicker on. I sit there,  staring out as the waves come rolling in. They’re gentle and slow,  almost as if they are apologizing to me and trying to comfort me.

I sigh and, as I stand up, I’m struck upside the head by a seashell.

“Ow!” I cry out and hold my temple. I look down, seeing a half shell  on the beach. It’s wet and probably has my blood on it. “What the  fuck?” I look up and around. Maybe a bird dropped it? Are there kids out  here?

Something else hits my legs, and I look down to see a terrified crab scurrying for its life away from me.

“What the hell?” I gasp.

“Coward!” I hear someone yell.

I look up, seeing there’s someone poised on a rock near the shore.  They have something ready in their hand to throw at me again.

“What?” I snap towards them. “Stop throwing things!”

“No!” They bark. “You’re a coward! You’re weak! I will throw what I  please at you!” They throw something else and, as I dodge it, I see it’s  a horseshoe crab. I scoff and pick it up, helping it back to the water.

“Stop throwing crabs!” I snap.

“I hate them too!” They shout, shaking their fists in the air.

“Who are you?” I bark back.

“A concerned admirer!” They toss a rock that nearly hits my knees. “Get back in the water! I won’t hesitate, bitch!”

I stare, horribly confused. “What?”

They rise up on their rock, and there is something strange about their silhouette. “Get in the fucking water!”

I turn and run, not caring to stay and listen to this crazy person  who may or may not look like a creature from one of my mom’s stories. I  race home, slamming the door behind me.

“Mickey? Is that you?” My mom calls.

“Yeah,” I pant. I’m still clutching the one-half shell in my hand.

My mom steps out and looks over me. “You ok?” She asks. “You look  like you’ve seen a ghost,” she chuckles as she strokes my hair from my  face.

“I uhm-” I take a step back. “Not exactly a ghost,” I can’t help but laugh. “There was someone yelling at me on the beach.”

“Yelling at you?” My mom asks.

I turn and look out the window. “Yeah. It was weird, but uhm-” I  chuckle. “You know, it was probably just Luka,” I tell myself this to  think my way out of it. If I lingered too much on it, my anxiety could  take me down a dark rabbit hole this Alice would never get out of.

The next day, I always go to the concession stand early. I clean,  take care of needed repairs. I create the special for the day, and I  often go shopping for supplies. As I’m taking a huge crate into the  shop, something lunges out from hiding behind it and tackles me down to  the ground.

“You aren’t running today!” They huff.

“Get off me!” I try to struggle, but they’re much stronger than me.

They pin me down, placing my arms above my head. As I look up at  them, I realize it wasn’t Luka who was playing a gag on me. The person,  or creature, whatever they are, that’s pinned me down is gray all over,  with shimmering gold stripes running down them. Down the center, they  are pale gray. Their eyes are vivid gold, almost frighteningly so. Their  face is flat, slits where a nose would be, and their mouth is wide.  It’s sliced back across their face, and I can see rows of super sharp  teeth inside. Where hair would be, are long dreadlock-like tendrils that  end in fleshy frills, making the top of their head look like it is  crowned in seaweed. Their body is long, ending in a thick, heavy tail.

My breath is stolen. I had always assumed my mom’s stories were just  that, stories. I had wanted mermaids to be real since I was little, I  never thought they actually were or that I would meet one face to face  like this.

“I’m going to drag you back into the water, even if it kills me!” The mermaid snarls.

“You’re real,” I whisper.

She glares down at me. “Excuse me?”

“Let me go,” I say. “Let me go, let me see you, let me-” She cups  her webbed hand over my mouth. It’s a hand that has seven fingers.

Her lip curls up over her sharp teeth. “I’m not even supposed to  show myself to you. I could get in so much trouble for this,” she  snarls. “But if you don’t get back into that water, I’m going to make  you sorry.”

I gaze up at her, wide-eyed and awed.

She pulls her hand back. “Why does it matter to you?” I ask. “Why should I get back in the water?”

She scowls again. “I owe your mom a debt,” she snarls.

“My mom?” I gasp.

She sits up and, with a heavy toss of her tail, she slingshots me  across the sand. She then lunges forward before I can move, and grabs  me.

I’m able to sit up and look at her. “What are you talking about?” I ask. “Tell me, and I’ll go into the water willingly.”

She scowls at me and sticks her tongue out. “Fine,” she hisses. She  keeps her fist tight around my wrist. “When I was little, your mother  saved my life. She rescued me from a fishing trap and got me home.” She  squeezes my arm. “I’m paying her back now by getting you into the water,  where you belong.”

“Why do you think I belong there?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on her.

She scoffs. “You know you do! Why do I need to explain it to you?” She gets up in my face. “Now get. I told you!”

I shake my head. “Not quite,” I look over her. “Who are you?” I ask, breathless and still stunned.

“Sakari,” she says slowly. She then tugs me forward and plants a  long, strong kiss to my lips. She holds me close, and I can’t help but  melt into her kiss. She tastes like salt water and cold breezes. I can  taste blood, but it’s just something that lingers on her tongue. I feel  her sharp teeth and, as they part, her golden eyes flash brightly.

“A woman who has loved you for a long time,” she growls.

“Oh,” I gasp. I’m in even more disbelief than I was before.

Sakari then shakes me. “Now get in the fucking water, or I will eat  you!” She juts her finger out towards the water and glares at me.

I stand up, her hand still wrapped around my wrist in a sharp vice. I  glance out towards the waves, and she jerks me. She lunges across the  beach and then slips into the water. She drags me with her, pulling me  into the waves. I struggle, feeling suddenly terrified as the water  touches my legs.

Sakari doesn’t give me any time to think. She  pulls me down into the waves and keeps a hold of my hand. She pulls me  way out, and when I pop up for air, I no longer see the beach. She’s  pulled me out and behind the rocks where we are secluded.

“Doesn’t this feel much better?” She laughs.

I can’t seem to form words. I feel heavy and strange as I bob there in the waves.

Sakari looks at me, blinking slowly. One set of eyelids goes up and  down while a second set goes side to side. “Aren’t you happy?” She asks.

“Not-” I gasp as I try to reach for a rock. “Not exactly.”

She helps me over to the rock, and I feel a bit better touching something solid.

“Why are you so afraid?” She asks me. “I thought you loved the water.”

“I do,” I sputter. “It’s just-” I hang my head.

Sakari touches my legs as I sit on the rock and she stays in the water. “Your father,” she murmurs. “I know.”

“I can’t get it out of my head,” I grumble.

Sakari looks up at me, her strange features are quite beautiful.  “You have always been in the water. I have seen it. You belong in the  water. You need to be here!” She grabs my hands and squeezes them.

I look at her and smile softly. “Is it so important to you?”

“I told you it was!” She snaps. “I owe your mother, and I love you! I  want you happy. You aren’t happy on land!” She scowls at me. “Be happy,  or I’ll eat you!”

I laugh and touch her cheek. She nuzzles  into my palm. “I have always wanted my mom’s stories to be real. I  dreamed for so long of meeting a cute mermaid.”

She scowls. “I am the cutest.”

“Sakari,” I murmur, “do you really want to help me?”

“More than anything. I risked being seen to help you! I wasn’t even  supposed to reveal myself to you. If I’m found out, I’ll get in a lot of  trouble,” she repeats. “Mermaids and mortals don’t mix.” She then  scoffs. “But what do those old fuckers know?” She looks up at me with  wide and hopeful eyes.

“Even if I do get in trouble, I know  that I did it for the right reasons,” she grumbles. “I did it for you  and to make you happy again.” She nuzzles back into my palm and kisses  each fingertip. “Even if I am being selfish.”

I chuckle and slip back into the water. Sakari puts her hands around my waist, then swims with me.

“Doesn’t this feel better?” She asks me. She swims in circles around me like a shark. “You belong here.”

I chuckle. “I feel…different,” I say. “Like two magnets fighting against one another.”

“Magnets?” She asks, bobbing in the water in front of me. Her  strange hair floats on the surface, very much looking like seaweed.

I shake my head. “Never mind.”

Sakari turns her head then scowls. “I can hear people,” she says.  She then takes my hand. “You need to get back to the beach.”

“You’ll let me?” I ask.

Sakari scoffs. “Not because I want to.” She takes me back to shore,  and she points a finger at me as I rise out of the water.

“You’ll come back,” she tells me sternly. “I will be waiting on you!”

I smile at her. “If I don’t, you’ll chase after me again.”

She grins at me, showing off all her sharp and dangerous teeth.  “Exactly!” She then disappears under the water as voices come from  shore.

“Then I’ll come back,” I smile, waving as Sakari swims  away. I turn, looking up to see people already coming down towards the  beach.

That evening, I go back down to the beach. As people  begin to vanish and I am left alone on the cooling shore, I see a fin  part the water. Sakari’s tail splashes the water, and then she slides up  on the sand. She looks up at me, eyes glowing in the dim light.

“Good, you came back,” she stretches her arms out to me. “I won’t have to hunt you down and kill you.”

I chuckle, staying seated. “Can you hunt on land?”

She scowls when I don’t come to her, and she lunges at me, knocking  me down into the sand as she sits on top of me. “I can hunt anywhere,”  she snarls near my ear. I then feel her teeth on my skin, and I shiver.

Sakari sits up with a wicked grin on her face. “So you best not test me.”

She lets me sit up, and she poses in the sand. “Is that the only  reason you came back?” She asks with a pout on her face. “Because you  are afraid of me?”

I chuckle. “No,” I murmur. “Today was the  first time I’ve been back in the ocean since my dad died. It’s  been…years now,” I murmur.

Sakari turns and looks at me. “Your mother still gets into the water,” she says. “Why is it different for you?”

“I’m not sure,” I confess.

Sakari puts her thumb in the center of my forehead, the rest of her  fingers flourished out. “It’s all in here,” she says. She then strokes  her palm down my chest and plants it there. “And it’s making you feel it  in here.” Her palm strokes down further and she presses it against my  belly. “But what does your gut say?”

I smile at her and glance  down at the sand. “My gut and mind have always been at war,” I tell  her. “Except when I was in the water.”

“Then that’s the answer,” Sakari announces loudly. “Are you stupid?”

I laugh and look at her. “Maybe I am, Sakari.”

Sakari stretches her hands out, and she cups my face between her  palms. “Listen to the water, then,” she says. “Follow it and find  yourself again.” She pulls me close, kissing me again.

I lean  into her kiss and place my hands around her waist. She’s cool and slick,  and her body feels hard. As I pull back, I look into her terrifying  golden eyes.

“Why do you kiss me like that?” I ask her.

Sakari scoffs, curling her lip at me. “Why do you think?” She pats  my cheek. “Mortals, so stupid.” She moves back to the water. “Now come  on!” She waves to me.

I take off my shirt and toss it aside. I  follow Sakari into the water, and she takes hold of my hand where she  pulls me out. She takes me out far, where I can no longer see the shore  behind us. She then takes me onto a small island where I can rest.

The island was a place I had been to many times. My parents would  take me here for special occasions when I was little. I can’t count how  many picnics we shared here.

“It was near here your mother  saved me,” Sakari says as she smooths her palm through the sand.  “Fishermen had set up illegal traps, and I got caught in one. She had  been swimming nearby, and she found me. She got me out and helped me  find my own mother.”

“She never told me,” I murmur.

Sakari smirks proudly and tilts her chin up. “That’s because my mama told her that if she ever told, she would-”

“Eat her?”

Sakari stares at me with her mouth open.

“I figured you would have had to have gotten it from somewhere,” I chuckle.

Sakari splashes me with her tail. “You only wish you had so viable a  threat to make!” She snaps at me. “What could you possibly do to me  that could cause me any feeling whatsoever?” She smirks like she’s  already won. “Go on, tell me!”

I turn and look at her, my eyes  gliding down her body. I touch her, running my fingers up her side and  then clutching her chin and making it tilt towards me. “I bet I could  say quite a bunch of things that could make you feel something.”

Sakari swallows, and she blinks rapidly. “Doubt it,” she huffs.

I lean in close, brushing my lips against her cheek and down her neck.

Sakari grabs me and forces me back.

“See,” I smirk, “I didn’t have to say anything.”

Sakari snaps her jaws in my face as a warning. “Cheap ploy! You used  my feelings in your favor.” She turns away from me and folds her arms  across her chest.

I touch her back and run my fingertips along  her fin. She visibly shudders and keeps her back to me. “Thank you,” I  say. “For getting me into the water today.”

She turns her head slightly then juts her chin back out. “And?”

I kiss her shoulder and put my arms around her. “And?”

She leans her back into my chest, her fin stabbing my stomach. “What else should you be grateful for?” She pouts.

“For loving me?” I ask.

Sakari turns around and places her wide palms on my chest.  “Exactly,” she murmurs. “It isn’t every day a mermaid falls for a  mortal.”

I smile and stroke her cheek. She nuzzles into my  palm and sighs softly. “You’re so warm,” she murmurs. “I’ve always  wanted to touch you.”

“I wish I had known ages ago,” I murmur.

She looks up at me with wide eyes and smirks. “Can I touch you wherever I want?”

I place my fingertip to her lips. “Not anywhere you want.”

She pouts and nips the tip of my finger. “Ok, fine.” She pushes me  down onto the sand, pressing hard, hungry kisses to my lips.

I continue taking my daily swims with Sakari. I visit with her in the  mornings before going to work, and then in the evenings, we go swimming  and to the island. I admire her strength and tenacity, and the more I  see her, the more excited I become.

One day, as I close up the  shop, I look at it and sigh. I don’t much like the place anymore. In  fact, when I’m working there, I daydream more of being in the water  again.

“What’s that look for?” My mom asks one evening. “You look a little lost in thought.”

I look at her and chuckle. “I am,” I say. “I’ve been thinking I would like to come back and work at the tower,” I admit.

“That’s great! Of course!” My mom hugs me tight. “What changed your mind?”

I look out towards the shore, and I see Sakari peeking around the rocks. I take Mom’s hand, leading her down.

“Do you remember Sakari?” I ask.

Sakari ducks behind the rocks then peeks out again. She tilts her  head and eases out of hiding, looking up at my mom with a bright and  cute expression.

My mom steps into the water, a great big  smile on her face. “Oh, it’s you.” She touches Sakari’s cheek and holds  her hand. “I remember you, little one.”

Sakari looks up at her, and she beams brightly. “Hi,” she says shyly.

My mom looks back at me. “She got you into the water again?”

I nod. “Well, she forced me,” I reply. “She said she was fulfilling her debt to you.”

My mom looks back at Sakari with a big grin. “There was no debt, little one. Knowing you were safe was all I needed.”

Sakari smiles up at her. “It didn’t matter,” she says. “You were owed, and I wanted him happy.”

My mom kisses her head. “Thank you for looking after him.”

Sakari nods, and she points to me. “He’s mine now!” She says suddenly. “I’ll make sure we produce worthy heirs.”

I balk, and my mom bursts out laughing.

“You will have strong heirs,” Sakari says seriously. “Powerful and deadly. They will protect you.”

My mom grins at her. “Is that right?” She looks at me with a big smirk. “Have you two been trying for these heirs already?”

“Mom!” I scoff and start to fold into myself.

“Not yet,” Sakari says just as seriously as before. “With your permission, I would like to start tonight.”

I spit take on air as my mom is trying her hardest to not break a rib from holding her laughter back.

“Well,” my mom takes a deep breath. “Who am I to stop young love?”  She asks. “By all means, take my son and create as many heirs as you  want.”

“Mom,” I whisper to her. “Why?”

“Thank you for your permission. I promise to take good care of him.” Sakari looks up at me. “Do you promise too?”

My face is burning like smoldering coals, and I can barely contain  myself. I don’t know whether to laugh or run away crying. My head is  spinning and running out of control, but I step into the water, and it  goes quiet enough that I can hear my gut.

“I promise,” I say. “I love you, Sakari.”

Sakari grins up at me in triumph. “That’s right you do.” She grabs  me and drags me down into the water, kissing me under the waves as my  mother applauds us from the surface.

“Bring him back in no less than three pieces,” my mom shouts as Sakari drags me out into open waters.

As we reach the island, Sakari looks me dead in the eyes. “Did you mean it?” She growls.

I touch her cheek so she can nuzzle to my palm. “Of course I do.” I  smile at her. “You didn’t need to announce all of that to my mother,  though,” I laugh.

“I had to. She’s the most important person  in your life. She has every right to know!” Sakari places her hand to my  chest. “Now,” she murmurs softly. “Do I have permission to touch you  anywhere I want?”

I tilt her chin up, kissing her softly. “You do,” I whisper into her ear.

Sakari shivers and kisses my neck. “I’ll be careful with my teeth,” she coos as her kisses trail down my chest.

“What about you?” I ask, watching as she kisses my belly. “Can I touch you anywhere I want?”

Sakari tugs down my trunks as she looks up at me. She grins wickedly. “You’ll know when,” she purrs.

She rips away my swim trunks and watches as my cock lays against my  thigh. “Ah,” she coos. She takes my shaft into her hand, stroking  slowly.

“Hot,” she whispers. “Very hot.” She nuzzles her cheek to it.

I grunt and my hips jerk as she touches me. She feels good, but it  is a strange sensation. I’m not even sure if we will be compatible.

“Sakari,” I moan.

She looks up at me, rising and kissing me. She nips my lip as her palm continues to pump me slowly.

“Here,” she whispers and guides my hand down her smooth torso and to  a soft, squishy slit. She moans softly, gasping into my ear as she  presses closer to me.

The more I touch, the softer this slit  becomes. It grows wetter and a little wider. I slip my fingers inside,  feeling around. There, I find it’s slick and deep, and it suctions  around my fingers tight.

Sakari grunts and moans, clinging to  me. She then pushes me down onto the sand, placing herself on top of  me. She pins me down with her hands on my shoulders.

“You ok?” I ask as I put my hands around her hips.

She moves on top of me, guiding my cock to the squishy slit. Moving  forward, she pushes me inside. She gasps softly and bows her back.

“Mm,” she groans, “very ok.”

I grunt as she takes me inside. She clamps around me, squeezing  tight. She takes me deeper, moving herself forward and then laying  against me. Sakari rests her head on my chest and bucks her hips. She  thrashes her tail, making us move.

It’s a strange sensation,  but it feels good. Sakari gasps and pants, pushing me down into the  sand. The waves crash over us and Sakari arches her back. She lifts up  and thrusts herself forward, pushing me deeper and harder inside of her.

I take hold of her hips, helping to ease her work a bit more. I push up, pressing deeper inside of her.

Sakari yelps and looks down at me, her mouth hangs open, and she  doesn’t say anything. She moans louder, and then I feel her insides  clamp around me like a vice. I grunt, twitching and then feeling a deep  heat from inside her. It pulls at me, and I can’t help but follow it. I  throb and twitch and soon, we’re both moaning and singing towards the  ocean.

As she lays on top of me, the waves crash over us  again. Sakari snuggles to me, holding me tight. Softly, she sighs and  lifts her head to kiss me.

“How was that?” She murmurs.

I press my forehead to hers. “Different, but good.” I murmur.

“It takes a lot to assure an heir,” she coos with a soft smile on  her lips. “Can you do that for me?” She reaches down as I slip from  inside her. “I don’t think that will be enough.”

I swallow, feeling nervous. “Oh?” I laugh. “Just uhm…just how many times will it take?” I ask.

“As many as it takes,” she kisses me, pushing me back down into the  sand. “I made a promise, you can’t make me look like a fool,” she  teases. “If you do, I’ll eat you.”

“You haven’t yet?” I laugh as I wrap my arms around her.

Sakari grins at me, kissing me again. “Well, I suppose I can go easy  on you just this once.” She snuggles back down on my chest and pets her  hands up and down my sides.

I hold her close, gazing up at the sky. “Thank you,” I say.

“Mickey?” She chirps.

“Yes?” I kiss the top of her head.

Sakari sits up and looks down at me. “This is what you want, right?”  She asks. “I mean…I’ve dreamed of this for so long but-” she frowns.  “Maybe I acted in haste.”

I sit up and kiss her cheek. “It’s  not what I planned at all. I never imagined you, let alone meeting  someone like you. I did always want a family. If this is the plan that  fate has destined for me, so be it.”

Sakari fidgets. “So, you’re ok with someone like me?” She points to herself. “What about that Luka?” She frowns.

I laugh and kiss her again. “Luka is my best friend. Have you been jealous of him?”

“The way he looks at you,” she frowns. “I can tell he loves you the  same way I do.” She looks up at me. “I was this close to eating him  several times,” she says. “But you cared for him, so I didn’t.”

“Sakari,” I murmur. “I do love Luka, but I don’t have the same  feelings for him as I have for you.” I hold her in my arms. “Do you have  a brother for him?”

Sakari shoves me and laughs. “Yeah right!  As if I’d subject anyone in my clan to Luka.” She then grins at me.  “But, I may have an idea if you’re really that concerned for your  friend.” She strokes up my side. “But, I’ll need you again if you really  want to know.”

I kiss her softly and look into her eyes.  “Just another few minutes,” I whisper. “Let me enjoy knowing you were  jealous of Luka a bit longer.”

She shoves me down into the  sand and bites my neck. “I’m going to eat you now,” she giggles. “Do you  want a head start?” She looks into my eyes. “Because you aren’t getting  one.”

I touch her cheek. “Oh no, it’s awful,” I tease. “Please, beautiful mermaid, don’t eat me.”

Sakari licks her lips. “Ok, but I’m hungry.”