Crooking a finger at him sets him in motion across the room. Zephyr and I finally break apart as Zale crawls up to where we are and lays his cheek against my stomach.
"Just out of curiosity," I start, “if I were to ask the Keep for a bigger bed, do you think it would give us one?"
Three chuckles vibrate through my skin all on sides. Running my hand through Zale's blond hair, I gaze out toward the ocean.
“The one in your room is clearly large enough,” Zephyr suggests with a wiggle of eyebrows.
Another question pops into my head before I can respond to him. "I didn't think to ask before, but we can't be seen through that right?"
Zephyr snickers again, worrying me for a second before Zale puts me at ease. "No, damselfish. That barrier isn't even visible. Anyone who swims close enough to touch it is diverted away."
"Anyone?" I squeak. Here I was thinking about the animals that wouldn't give us half a glance. I hadn't even thought of other mer.
The sound of my stomach growling cuts off the train of conversation, and Zale laughs against my belly. "Are we feeding you enough, damselfish?"
"I didn't think about the energy she expended last night," Zanthus admits defeatedly before sitting up and kissing me with an apology.
He jumps up from the bed, letting my reassurances of being fine hit his back as he steps into the closet.
Zeph lays back and props his hands beneath his head with a common grin. "He's going to be increasingly more difficult now."
"Without a doubt," Zale agrees.
Stepping back into the room with his lower half showcased in a tight pair of jeans and a sundress in hand, he levels his brother with a glare. "Yeah, and it'll be payback for having to put up with both your antics together on a daily basis."
Completely ignoring his brother's jab at him and me, Zeph snorts, "Is it just me or are your pants tighter?"
This grabs Zale's attention enough for him to lift his head and look over to where Zanthus rubs a hand down the side of his thigh with a scowl.
"I like them," I admit. "They make your ass look good."
A flash of understanding crosses Zale's face before he buries his face into my stomach and laughs. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know what has happened, but it takes Zephyr a minute to catch up. The hoot of laughter that follows has me giggling too.
Zanthus looks ready to maul all three of us before a still laughing Zephyr explains, "Your closet must like her more now. It tailored your jeans tighter because she likes them like that."
Strange words flow from his lips in a rapid pace, making me have to cover my mouth with a hand to keep him from seeing the grin plastered there.
"That funny, brother?" Zanthus asks, stalking over to my empty side. I squeak in surprise when he reaches to lift me right out from under Zale who brings up an elbow to rest his head on and watch.
The former helps pull the blue sundress over my head as he addresses Zephyr again. "Just imagine what she'll give you to dress in the first time you make her angry. We all know you'll be the first to catch that wrath."
Joining in on the fun, I add, "My options are limitless."
Zephyr places a hand to his heart as though wounded, but the smile ruins the gesture. Making my way around Zanthus, I come to Zephyr just as he's standing. Going up on my tiptoes, I press my lips against his. Then my stomach breaks the quiet with another growl, and he takes my hand to lead us from the room. Without looking back, I know my other two mer are following.
"Is it always this quiet in here? Are there no servants or anything? Who cleans the Keep?" I ask, my questions all seemingly running together. The guys are princes of their clan. Out of all the royalty books and movies I've ever seen, they always had a staff of servants. If they've been in the Keep, I'm either blind or oblivious.
"Merrick is taking care of everything we need for now," Zale answers from behind us.
I let my confusion show on my face when I glance up to Zephyr.
He doesn't disappoint. "There were more here before you arrived. We thought it best to give you space."
"More like make sure they understand who you are and that you will under no circumstance be touched by another male," Zanthus all but growls.
"Ahh," I reply with a quick wink up to Zeph. "So, you just wanted everyone to know you've claimed me. What if I wanted one of the other mer?"
A golden flicker of possessiveness flashes in Zephyr's eyes, but it's quickly overridden with amusement. He knows I'm jesting. My brutish mate, however, does not. One of his thick arms wraps around my waist from behind, and he lifts me off my feet.
"You will not be touched by another male that is not my brother," he warns in my ear.
Allowing my head to fall back against his shoulder, I let out a short laugh that Zephyr joins in on. Muttering that language in my ear, Zanthus sets me on my feet and steps back. Though, he doesn't go too far if the heat behind me is any indication.
Ignoring his tantrum, I ask, "What language is that?"
"Luanerik," Merrick answers from the doorway in front of us. "It's native to our realm, though not many use it anymore. How are you feeling today, highness?"
It takes me a moment to realize his question and soft smile is for me. I'm appreciative of the answer, one of a hundred that I need, but the way he addresses me catches me off guard.
"Just fine and you?" I reply politely, knowing the uncertainty is evident in my voice.
Zephyr chuckles as he tucks me underneath an arm and steers us around Merrick toward the table. It could just be my imagination, but the motion seems stiff. As though he's as worried as Zanthus with another male in our presence, outshining all of those playful words and pretense of not being affected. All three of them are just going to need to get over their shit because we're all in this together and need all the help we can get.
In a classy respectable move, Zephyr scoots my chair out for me then back in as I sit. I'll admit that there's a fleeting thought of him pulling it out from under me altogether, but he doesn't. More than likely, too scared of one of his brother's retribution. Mainly the brutish one.
Waiting until the others are seated and Merrick has laid out food from the silver rolling cart, I ignore the scent of actual bacon and eggs wafting to my face to invite him to sit with us. His eyes go wide, and I feel the Zs tense around the table. When his questioning gaze flicks to Zanthus, irritation makes my voice harder. "Don't look at them, Merrick. I asked you to join us, please."
Zale's scrutiny has my chin turning toward him.
"Spoken like a true princess, damselfish," he boasts.
There's plenty enough food on this table to feed the five of us three times over, and Merrick smartly doesn't argue when I tell him to eat. Unashamed of my actions, I roll a fried egg up in a slice of toast with two pieces of bacon before taking a huge bite, using my fingers and all to make sure I don't lose any of it. Before I can stop it, I beam at Zale, mouth closed, of course. How is that for a princess?
None of them even bat an eye, disappointingly enough. They allow me to eat my fill in peace, taking the fun out of acting out.
Leaning back against my chair, my belly now full to bursting, I sip at the orange juice in my glass. If we weren't in a completely other realm buried under leagues upon leagues of water, I'd say they just went out into the grove and picked the damn things to squeeze. Merrick's eyes never drift far from his plate, but the other's do. They watch him like a hawk stalking its prey. Which, in itself, is unnerving as hell. The man seems to have been a close advisor, if not a friend, before I was brought here. Things like that shouldn't change for several reasons. One, loyalty is a hard thing to earn and even harder to keep. No reason to throw that away or stir mistrust with jealousy. Two, Merrick doesn't call to me the way my three mer do. They have absolutely nothing to worry about there.