Chapter Forty-Three

We arrived in Atlantis in the span of four long hours. I held onto my trident tightly, afraid that if I dozed off I'd drop it. When we arrived, I thanked the Orca and the four of us swam into the front door. Aquis sat on his throne in a deep thought, rubbing his beard.

"You just let him go to war like that?" I tapped my trident on the floor, snapping him from his daydream. He looked to me and stood.

"He prevented me from doing anything. I had been bound. Where is he? He will be punished for treason." His eyes looked around coldly. I just shook my head.

"Come in." I sighed. Mom and Arlo waited outside until I gave the okay. We weren't sure how Aquis would react since he was the one to send my mom to her death.

"Arlo! You are being-"

"Not so fast." Mom stepped to my side. Aquis looked to her and his expression went from ice cold to warm.

"Alice...."

"Aquis." She looked irritated. "I know you had to sacrifice me because the city told you to." He moved towards her with his arms slightly outstretched.

"That doesn't mean I still love you." She backed up slightly. "Instead of using your power to save me, you killed me. Or at least you thought you did. And you let our son do whatever he chose. You didn't guide him at all."

"I am very sorry, Alice. I didn't want to sacrifice you to the trench. How did you survive?"

"That's the thing about the women in our family. We don't die easily." I crossed my arms. "Now, can I trust you to repair the Brine Kingdom or do I need to kick you off the throne early?" Aquis looked down to me and blinked. As if it suddenly clicked in his head, he nodded.

"I will take care of the damages." He turned.

"Make sure Arlo is a part of the group that helps. I'm going home." A hand slipped into mine as I uncrossed my arms. Gazing up at Jason, I smiled. "And maybe we can finally start planning the wedding."

"That sounds like a good plan." He agreed. Mom joined us as we left Atlantis, ready to be on land.

*~~*~~*~~*

After seeing my aunt and uncle, Jason and I laid on my bed. We took a very long nap, curled up in each other's arms. We woke up to my aunt bursting into my room.

"What?" I rubbed my eyes.

"It's on the news! Wreckage is starting to wash onto the shore!" She huffed.

"Okay. Just tell me if they have a problem with it." I rolled back into Jason's embrace. He shifted slightly, pulling me closer.

"We should go check on Atlantis." He mumbled after a moment, his eyes still closed.

"We should, but do we have to?" I turned to look at my clock. "Its midnight."

"We can at least go for a swim." His lips touched my neck gently. It caused me to look back at him. "Please?" His emerald green eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Okay. Let's go."

"Yes!" He jumped up almost instantaneously. I smirked at him as he pulled his shirt off then go to my dresser. He had been keeping a few pairs of clothes in there and his deodorant. He grabbed the plastic tube and lifted his arms to rub the white object against his armpit.

"Why are you so excited?" I laughed as I stood.

"We've been sleeping for 12 hours. I'm ready to get back into the water. It'll feel great." He tossed the tube back in and took my hand, dragging me out of the room. "We are going for a swim and will be back soon." My aunt and uncle looked over at us. I shrugged in response then followed Jason out the door. The fresh air was sweet in my lungs and suddenly I felt excited to go into the water.

"Race you to the water!" I nearly yelled as my drowsiness changed into happiness. I lunged into a run down the hill, nearly falling forward. Jason was right behind me, taking long strides. The momentum that built up as I ran made my heart spasm, in fear that I'd fly forward. When we hit the water, the speed halted suddenly and I was thrown forwards. I laughed as I pushed to my hands and knees. The water was shallow and the waves pushed into my face softly. I felt hands on my sides before they lifted me up. "Jay!" I squealed.

"You went head first into the water. Why didn't you slow down?" He set me on my feet and I rotated so that I faced him.

"I was going too fast." I giggled, biting my lip. I could see that his bare chest was wet and his black jeans were heavy. It pulled then down slightly, exposing more of his V-Line and abs. He never wore shorts. He always wore jeans even to swim. I felt my smile fade as I touched his chest, my fingertips gliding against his tattoos. Water droplets slid down his skin and my heart began to pound. He was my fiancé and I've never seen him without clothes. He's never seen me either and maybe that is because we are best friends as well. I wasn't sure why this realization came into my mind and why I felt butterflies in my belly. It didn't occur to me that I wanted him that way. We had been so busy with everything that we never even tried.

"Blake?" Jason pulled my chin up with a finger. I looked up into his eyes as my thoughts went haywire. "What are you thinking about?" His voice was so soft and it made my heart throb. I stood on my toes, wrapping an arm over his shoulders. I kissed him passionately and he placed a hand on my thigh. His lips were gentle as we kissed, but they caused my body to buzz. This feeling was strange because I felt it all over me. Steadily, he pulled my legs up and around his waist, supporting me by holding me by my butt. I felt him walking as we kissed, the water getting higher and higher until it covered my shoulders and arms. I ran my fingers through his hair, careful not to pull. His hair was tangled as usual so when I got my fingers caught, I pulled away to see what I was doing. His lips touched my neck causing my legs to tighten slightly. The reaction would've weirded me out if I wasn't enjoying it. We went under the water and he pulled my shirt off, casting it aside. He fidgeted with my bra before I reached back to unclip it, exhaling deeply. I couldn't explain how amazing it felt to have my skin touch his. To feel his lips against mine. It was the best feeling in the world.