Opening my eyes was a struggle as I felt like something was weighing them down, preventing me from opening them. I groaned as I tried to move but my head pounded and my body ached. I'll be fine in a minute if I just regain my senses I thought to myself as finally was able to pry my eyes open.
Whoa...
Above me were thousands of beautiful blue shimmering crystals that sparkled and mirrored my own fuzzy reflection. Each one a different shape and a slightly different shade blue than the rest. My eyes travelled around the oval shaped room and I could make out two more fuzzy outlines of Caspian and Leo who were looking down at something. I shifted on whatever I was lying on and whimpered as my skin felt like it was tearing.
"Jonah!" I heard Caspian's voice and his fuzzy outline ran towards me.
"I can't see," I cried panicking that I was going blind.
"It's okay, shh, you will be fine in a while Kitten just relax for me."
"What happened, where am I?" I asked trying desperately to get my eyes to focus.
"You're safe we are in a cove, you will remember what happened soon but for now just relax, you're wounded."
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths and opened them again. The level of vision I had increased but it still wasn't back to normal. I groaned and shifted around but gasped at the pain in my back, it felt like my skin tore again.
"C-Casp, my back." I strained to say finding breathing difficult because of the pain.
"Stay completely still Jonah, you'll hurt yourself more." He said but something about his voice made him sound uncertain.
"Leo, bring the plant quickly!" Caspian shouted.
The burning pain continued and tears slipped down my cheeks. I heard Leo's heavy footsteps as he ran over to us and handed Caspian a handful of red seaweed that was attached to a silvery rock.
"I'm going to roll you over so I can treat your back, okay?" I nodded in response and Caspian quickly moved me from lying on my back to my stomach.
My eyesight had drastically improved to my relief and I was lying in some kind of rock pool/seaweed bed. I was surrounded my small rocks and stones some of which glittered with small crystals. I was lying on a mound of very soft and warm seaweed surrounded by hot steaming water that warmed the seaweed bed like an electric blanket.
"I'm sorry if this hurts you," Caspian said quietly before pressing the cool stone to my back.
It stung like alcohol on a cut at first, but the coldness of the stone soothed the hot burning pain. He rubbed it over every area my skin prickled with heat as the stone felt like it was dispensing something onto the infected areas.
"What does the stone do? It feels so good." I sighed in relief as the pain subsided and it felt like I could breathe again.
"This is called a healing plant. It diffuses a type of medicine out from the plant then into to the rock which cools it and puts it onto your back, look," He held the plant at an angle so I could see it and the once red colour it held was now gone and replaced by a dull grey. "The medicine is in the plant and it has drained out now so its colour has gone." He explained.
"Wow, well it feel lots better, thank you." I said tiredness hitting me suddenly.
"Anything for you kitten, I love you so much." Caspian replied kissing my cheek.
"I love you too; can you lie down with me?" I asked hopefully needing to have my mate close.
"Of course Kitten." He said softly nuzzling my neck. "Can you drink this quickly Jojo; it will help with the healing."
I nodded and watched him scoop out some of the water around the seaweed bed I was lying on into a large white shell. He held it to my lips and I sipped the water surprised it didn't taste like salt. It was warm and didn't really have a taste. I drank it all feeling very sleepy after.
"I'll cuddle you now Kitten." He smiled softly before helping me turn on my side so he could cuddle me into his chest but being careful not to touch my back.
"Thank you, for everything." I murmured exhaustion consuming my body even though it felt like I was asleep for days.
"Anything in the world for you Jojo, get some sleep, we will be moving soon."
"Mmhm," I hummed snuggling into his warmth.
"I'm proud of you Jonah." He whispered as he ran his palm up my thigh that was thrown over his waist and rested it on my bum.
"What for?" I asked after yawning.
"I'll tell you when you wake up, sleep now."
"Can you sing for me please?" I asked hopefully kissing his bare chest.
I closed my eyes breathing in Caspian's comforting scent as he started the deep rumbles and purring noises creating a soft relaxing melody putting me to sleep. I was still confused of why we were here or what happened but I had Caspian with me so I wasn't too worried.
---
The next time I opened my eyes I had remembered everything. Leaving home because of the dream I had, getting attacked by those horrible eel creatures, Bennett getting hurt and revealing to Caspian, Bennett and Leo the powers I guess I had.
"BENNETT!" I shot up from the seaweed bed splashing the hot water around me everywhere panic filling my mind of where he was.
"Jonah, stop!" Caspian ordered lifting me up and securing me back in the bed with him on top.
"Where's Bennett?!" I cried struggling against his hold on me that wasn't helping my healing back.
"Stop it, stop panicking!" He growled.
That's the first time Caspian has ever gotten seriously angry with me and it sent a shooting pain through my heart. I met his gaze and saw his eyes widen with realisation of how his tone affected me. I wasn't doing anything wrong in my mind, I was worried for my best friend and wanted to know where he was. I let out a whimper of sadness and partial regret of coming into Caspian's world. What were we thinking of swimming off to a different world leaving everything behind?
Our families, friends, collage, future... our whole lives.
We knew nothing of Caspian and Leomaris' rules in their world and what they would expect of us. I knew nothing of their kingdom and ruling beside Caspian one day. We drank the underwater ability potions taking the risk that it could kill us. We were blindly following our mates not having a clue what was going to happen next. And now I'm lying in a cove, injured and not knowing if Bennett was alive or not.
"Please, please," I whimpered pushing against Caspian. "Where is h-he?" I cried the tears clouding my vision.
"I-It's okay Kitten, I'm sorry, don't cry." Caspian said regretfully whilst flipping us over carefully so I was on top.
I cried into his bare chest hugging him for dear life letting all my emotions and worries out. He ran a hand though my hair and kissed my neck telling me to let it out. I cried for Bennett, my family I lied and anxiety of being so far underwater, my fear of the Zambezis and what they're planning, all the dangerous creatures lurking in the shadows that could attack at any time and finally the powers I possessed somehow that I didn't even know how to control, or what to expect when they came out.
"I'll show you Bennett," Caspian said holding me to his chest as he stood up and walked further into the cove. "He's there." I slid out of Caspian's hold and turned to face my best friend.
My hand flew to my mouth and I let out a sob as my heart felt like it was breaking. Bennett lie on the same seaweed bed as I did surrounded by hot water and rocks but covering his body were what looked like deep wounds caused by teeth and chunks of his flesh missing for his sides, legs and arms. Leo was hunched over sat next to him silently crying. I stared at Bennett in shock not knowing how to process what I'm seeing. His face was pale and lifeless and his chest just barley rising letting me know he was still alive. A fair few of the healing plants lay scattered around him along with a pile of unused ones. The wounds on him were deep and some had green puss oozing out of them. Caspian touched my arm and I fell to the floor sobbing.
"He needs the healers in our Pod, but we also have to give him time here." Caspian told me with pain in his voice.
"H-He's g-going to die w-we n-need to help h-him, n-now please, w-we need to d-do something." I shouted grabbing every healing plant in sight.
"L-Leo, we need to c-clean them and cover them." I said wiping my eyes furiously so I could have clear vision.
Leo nodded and grabbed two large shells handing one to me. He scooped up some of the water from the rock pool Bennett was lying in and poured it gently over the areas those eel's teeth had dug and ripped away at his delicate skin. Caspian helped to by collecting what I think were bandages made out of seaweed fused together before helping us clean the wounds. He scooped up the green infectious substance as best he could that was festering in his wounds before squeezing the stone at the end of the healing plant that disposed the healing enzymes in a cool gel substance into the wounds over his body. Tears fell from my eyes seeing my best friend who was like a brother to me in such a vulnerable state like this. Every deep scar and chunks of missing flesh would be a constant reminder to him of what he had suffered because of my selfishness. I made the choice we needed to leave and it couldn't wait until morning so in my stupidity, it had cost Bennett.
I had so many unanswered questions about what happened with those creatures. Why wasn't anyone talking during the attack and why weren't we fighting back but only ignoring it? Why has no one asked about the wall I created to stop them and how it had killed them all? Why hasn't Caspian explained anything to me? Why we were here, how far away his kingdom was or how I was able to defend everyone?
Leo and Caspian helped each other seal the cuts with the bandages and I cleaned the next wounds of any bacteria or blood that when hit the water completely disappeared. The only sound through all of it was Leo's song for Bennett that had changed pitches and tones from when we first started and it was almost like he had a burst of hope for his mate's life.
"He will survive, I know it." I declared standing over his body that was patched up to the best of our abilities.
"Thank you." Leo said softly running his fingers along Bennett's cheek.
"H-He needs a doctor fast." I whispered clutching my hands to my chest.
"He will be better off in this cove until morning, we will move then." Leo decided whilst smoothing down Bennett's hair.
I nodded and Caspian held my hand and led me to another portion of the cove leaving behind Leo's soft melody for his mate. We walked into another small room that only had the soft glow of the floor lights under a layer of water for us to not be in complete darkness. The whole oval shaped room walls were covered with inky black and some dark blue crystals that glittered and shone above the light.
"It's so beautiful, what are these?" I asked trailing a finger over the rough stones.
"Join me, the water will clean you and help with your injuries." Caspian said guiding me by the waist into the relaxing warm water. "And the whole cove is one for healing, the darkness calms mers."
"Ohh," I gasped as the water rushed up my back making it tingle and relive the stinging sensation before.
"Yours weren't as bad," He said cupping some of the water in his hands and throwing it over my healing back. "Bennett's body reacted badly to the toxins, we were lucky we found this cove and were granted access but getting in wasn't really the biggest problem as you two were in a bad state."
"When will Bennett wake up and what do you mean granted access? Can't you just swim in?"
"He will wake up but because he is human he needs different medicine that we only have at my kingdom. Then it will take time for his body to accept what we give him. We've done the best we can for him right now though, don't worry."
"What about being granted access into here?" I asked.
"This is a healing cove like I said before and you need to speak to the ones who guard it and they decide if you need it. They could smell all the blood like the rest of the animals in the area could so it wasn't a hard decision." He finished.
"And w-what were those things?" I asked looking down and wondering if he was going to bring up anything to do with me and the crystal. I wanted him to in some ways so I could get answers but then I didn't because I'm scared to face the truth of why this has happened to me.
"We don't know really. In some way they must be connected with the Zambezis but nothing as of yet is matching up with them. We know practically nothing."
"Why didn't you say anything or fight back though?"
"If you are being followed you have to pretend they are not there because if you acknowledge them it gets worse. They don't like being ignored so will try and get a reaction out of you, that's how they work but you have to ignore it. That's about as much as we know. By the time we realised they were following us it was too late to warn you or Bennett what was going to happen if you talked or acknowledged them."
"Will they come back though?" I asked processing this new information.
"Not this close to the kingdom, we will be safe from here and onwards." I nodded trusting Caspian and relaxing in the warmth of the water.
Caspian stood in front of me, the water just below his neck and his eyes glowing gold. His hands slid down my sides that were holding me up in the water and he grabbed my ass and pulled me flush against him whilst growling slightly. He claimed my lips in a desperate kiss seeking the closeness and intimacy we both needed. I was hard in seconds and so was he as I grinded against him moaning into the kiss. Caspian lifted me up and glided to the corner where there was a ledge he sat down on. Never breaking the kiss I sat up on my knees and grabbed his erection and lined it up with my entrance. I threw my head back and groaned as I sunk down on his leaking member. Caspian kissed down my neck making me moan and whimper every time he slammed into me.
He held my hips and guided me as I moved up and down his shaft. The warm water around us only seemed to grow hotter with our movements. Our love making was slow and sensual with heated touches and heated words. Every movement, every kiss was speaking what words couldn't. Showing how deep our love was for each other and how we were connected and bound together for life.
I weaved my fingers through his black tousled hair pulling on the strands as Caspian moved me up and down on his shaft at the speed he wanted. My own erection rubbed against his chiselled abs leaking precum from the soft head. Caspian adjusted himself so he was hitting that pleasurable spot inside of me on every thrust.
"I'm close," I breathed, burring my face into Caspian's neck.
The walls sparkled with the black and dark blue crystals, every one of them catching the glow of the light. Shadows cast on Caspian's body made him look truly magical. His eyes that connected with mine were not human at all. His stamina wasn't either. Caspian blinked open those big beautiful vibrant gold eyes that held the resemblance of a tiger. His eyes so mysterious that held so many things hidden away and kept secret from the world. His eyes full of trust and love for me. The skin around them so fresh and smooth waiting for a long, healthy life ahead of him. Those eyes I had the pleasure of seeing every day. When he was sad, angry, happy or aroused, I got to see them. All the different colours he went through and every time they changed, I got to fall in love over and over again with them.
Under this light in this cove, he looked even more spectacular. Even though he had taken human form, he didn't look human. It must have been in his eyes, or the way he moved, or the sounds coming from him. Every rumble, purr, hiss, growl, I loved them all. They all made Caspian, Caspian. The Prince to an underwater kingdom complete with creatures only imagined up in a fantasy books.
Creatures with magic and powers that could transform into different forms but still be themselves.
Creatures that can sing like a pod of whales and dance along the ocean floor.
Creatures that could co-exist beside humans and we would never know.
A superior species always one step ahead of us.
The way they draw you to them like luring sailors off their ships.
Their songs so full of life and faces full of beauty.
The underwater world I'm being shown. All the animals I'm being shown and all the knowledge I'm being fed only captures you and drags you in further. You recede from your boring life into a whole new one that leaves you hungry for more of what's out there. Everything you can discover all the new and exciting things you can see only makes you want this life more. The life with the one you love full of surprises that gives you a completely different outlook on life.
How they mark what is theirs with a bite that leaves a mark so beautiful and sentimental.
I snapped back into the moment at the feeling of Caspian's teeth scraping along my shoulder to my neck before the pleasure rocketed and I was coming undone in his arms. Unable to say a word, my mouth was open in a silent scream as both our orgasms ripped through us clouding our minds with the only feeling of our skin on each other. Our bodies tightly joined in the most intimate way as Caspian's essence poured out of him and into me.
We stayed in that position for awhile coming down from the high before we washed each other in the hot spring we made love in. The crystals and soft glowing lights created a romantic and loving atmosphere keeping us in our own little bubble until we had to return to the present.