(Eric's P.O.V.) -In the secret cove-

I hummed lightly as I laid a blanket upon the shore, glad that there's a crescent moon, yet the stars are looking to be quite bright tonight, resting the container of purps, hoping that Jim will love them. I occasionally had purps which is rare on the shore as they are more popular inland, and I sure was glad that there was a traveling peddler who had picked some...

It's hard to believe that it has been seven months since that day, and I haven't regretted my decision about saving Max...If it wasn't for that simple choice, I or Henry wouldn't have met Jim and Ariel, and we couldn't then had incredible days of talking, discovering, and learning...nor that I wouldn't have realized that I was literally falling in love with Jim from the top of my head to my hooves...

And now today is Jim's birthday...Did he have fun with his family and friends down under the surface? I should have bought something better than a bag of purps! "ic? Eric!", I blinked, shaking my head, seeing Jim waving at me at the entrance of the cove, and I grinned, "Come in, Jim!".

Jim swam on, and I exhaled softly, seeing his skin and scales shine somewhat in the crevices of moonlight, and I laid down on my horse legs, reaching out to help Jim move himself as he climbed into the shore, "You good, Jim?".

Jim nodded, "Yep.", before looking up to see the stars, "Wow, they're really bright tonight.", and I chuckled, "I was almost nervous when I saw clouds earlier, but the winds gratefully blew them away to the horizon. I got something for ya if you're hungry.", with a smile.

"I had a lot of kelpcake and a lot of food, but you're lucky that I'm still hungry. So, what's for dessert?", Jim grinned, and I laughed, "Something you never had before.", grabbing the container, and gently opening it into the blanket between us, "They grow around Montressor far inland, and some other places as well. We call them purps, sorta a mix between strawberries and grapes.".

Jim picked one up with a look of excited curiosity, and looked at me, and I smiled, picking another up, and taking a big bite, chewing it while Jim followed my example. A bit softer than I remember, but it must have been tumbled around on the trip with all the walking that the peddler did.

I then hummed as I kept eating, "Did anything interesting happen down there?", and Jim smiled brightly as he went into a tangent about the party as I happily listened and asked questions occasionally. Before I knew it, I had finished two purps when I decided to lay back on the blanket, with my horse legs laying on the side.

Jim did the same, and he gasped, looking up, "Oh, they're even better from this angle! Is it true that you can find shapes in the stars?", glancing over at me, and I grinned, pointing a finger, "See that one? That's a seagull, see the wings?".

Jim nodded, "Oh, you're right. Oh, over there, that's a seahorse, see the curled tail there?", and I laughed in agreement as we kept talking, finding more shapes in the stars, and eating more purps. I sighed deeply as I looked at the crescent moon, "You know, it's even more beautiful when it's a full moon.".

Jim whispered softly, "Perhaps, but you're beautiful 24/7.", and I blinked in surprise as I looked over to him, seeing him look at me with an expression on his face while eating the last purp, feeling a rush of heat through me. I ignored the pitiful tiny voice, and I dived for him, taking half of the purp into my mouth as I kissed him.

He moaned lightly as he kissed me back, somehow managing to chew the shared purp and swallow, and I reached around his back with one hand as I pressed closer with my other hand wringing through his hair, half breathing for air and half kissing, loving the taste of his lips as I plunged my tongue into his mouth, hearing his whimpers and moans as he grabbed into my shirt and hair with his hands.

He breathed, "Eric.", and I growled, desiring to hear him call out for me, moving on to kiss his skin all over as I got up partially, my hands touching all over his chest and waist where the scales are, and I latched into one of his nipples, hearing a gasp, "Yes!", feeling his hands grab into my shirt, pulling it up, and I allowed it, feeling more free and exposed as Jim stared at me.

I breathed, "Jim.", and Jim plunged his lips into mine, his tongue wrestling for dominance with my tongue, and I groaned, feeling my family jewels down there, coming out into full glory, and I growled, getting up with him in my arms, with one arm around his back and one arm under his hippocampus belly, moving into the waterline.

Jim pulled back for some air as I sat down on my hindquarters, seeing his fins and tail squirm, and he looked down, seeing my family jewels, and he looked at me so intensely that I nodded, and he then came down on his arms.

I then shouted, "Yes!", as I felt his mouth around the head, feeling so tight and hot, and I leaned down, grabbing into his scales on the back, groaning as I felt him eat me out. I then cried out when I felt one hand grab around the balls, playing with them, and I tightened my grip, hearing whimpers.

I then smelled it, the sweet, tangy allure of the secret spot under the tail, and I leaned closer, but I couldn't quite reach it, but decided to lick the scales, hearing a shout when I felt his hand latch harder into my family jewels, and I gave a growl.

I smirk, keeping on licking the scales slowly and sensually, my nose smelling so much; the sweet aroma of flowers, the salty air, and something else that's not quite the same, different than strawberries and something altogether when I felt Jim moving up with his hands transferring to the fur above, and I gasped when I felt his face into my fur, sniffing and kissing.

I growled out loud, "Jim.", and Jim called out, "Eric.", his voice sending down vibrations, and I groaned, feeling my family jewels barely holding back, and I pulled back, touching Jim's head as I tugged his hair back, causing him to look up at me, and I stared at him so intensely.

Jim then nodded, moving back and swiveled so gracefully and fast, moving a bit deeper into water, but he was still halfway visible, and he twisted slightly, looking at me as he surrendered his tail, showing the glistening sweet spot.

I breathed deeply with a rumble in my chest, feeling so powerful as I got up on all fours, walking closer, and got into the water, and I grinned, rearing up, successfully on mark as my front horse legs came around Jim's front hippocampus half.

Jim grunted slightly, getting used to the weight, keeping strong, and he looked at me with a sultry expression, "Make me yours.". I purred, kissing him, "You're already mine, and I'm yours.", reaching down with a hand to the slit, hearing gasps as I gently and slowly wore him smoothly and ready, hearing whimpers as I added fingers one by one.

"Please, Eric, please!", Jim panted out loud, and I smiled softly as I kissed his neck, suckling his skin as I widened the slit, hitting a wall when he shouted, "Eric!", sounding even more desperate, and I then chuckled deeply as I removed my hand, creeping closer and closer as I moved over his back, my hands wrapping around his waist as I felt my family jewels lined up for entrance.

I breathed lowly into his ear, "Beg me, my True One.", and Jim whined, "Take me, my soulmate!", and I then entered, hearing Jim yell, and I kissed his shoulder, "That's it, my Jim.", as I patiently moved forward, hearing whimpers as he panted, "My Eric, please...".

I nodded, and then pulled back, and plunged as hard as I could, hearing Jim cry out, and I growled, pumping as I bucked into him, and Jim moaned, groaned, and whined as I went faster, "Beg me, Jim.".

Jim turned his waist halfway, facing me, and kissed me, "Please fill me, Eric. I love you!", and I purred, my chest rumbling as I grabbed into his hair and neck, "I love you too, Jim.", feeling so close to the edge, grunting and growling as I pumped into him, moving a bit more over his back when he cried out, "Yes! Yes, I'm so close!".

I grin, realizing that that's the sensitive spot where he goes into seeing stars, and I grit my back legs firmly as I pump harder, hearing his cries and shouts, feeling him clench around me more and more. Then I felt it, and I shouted, seeing stars as well when I gave out, crying out, "Jim!", biting him on the shoulder.

Jim cried out, "Eric!", feeling his body clench and go through my family jewels, and I kissed him passionately as I knew I was filling Jim's womb with my seed, feeling his body quiver and splash around. I purred softly, "Happy birthday, Jim.", and Jim smiled brightly, and his eyes plead to me, "Can we do it again?".

I growled with a shit-eating grin, and kiss him as I finally finish filling him, and passion fills me once more as I then saw black. When I came to, I was waking up to sunlight, and I saw Jim sleeping next to me, looking so gorgeous in the sunlight with his hair all puffy, making me smile as he smelt so delicious with my mark on his shoulder, signifying our relationship as mates.

Wait, mates?! I gasped, getting up, feeling so sore in places, and I then saw our tails intertwined, seeing signs of hoofmarks, scratch marks, bite marks on both of our bodies including one on my shoulder as well, and my heart clenched, hearing Henry's words in my head, echoing, and I look at Jim, remembering flashes and bits of us mating...under the stars, in the water, on the blanket, on the rocks...

I didn't want to do this! I didn't want to hurt him, I didn't want to make mistakes! Gods, what if he leaves me forever? Something must have affected us to do this! Sure, we consented, but I didn't remember! I gulp, looking at Jim again...He looks so heavenly, sleeping with those beautiful eyes closed to the world...

I sigh, knowing what Henry would want me to do, and I ain't a coward...I'm the second prince of Monstressor, the future co-King of France...I lean down, shaking his shoulder, speaking loudly, "Jim. Hey, Jim, wake up.", feeling my heart both thump and break at the same time as I saw his eyes open sleepily.

Jim groaned lowly, "Five minutes, Eric...", closing them before snapping them open as he finally processed the sight of me before him, and he looked at me silently for a half-minute before he suddenly sobbed, his hands in his face.

I gasp in concern, wrapping my arms around him, "Hey, hey, it's okay.", a tiny bit of me wanting to pull away, but he's my mate forever and ever...I can feel it... Jim sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I messed up your chance of finding true love!", and I growl, "No, Jim, no way. That's not true, and you're my true love, you..you are my mate.", wiping away his tears.

Jim looked up at me with tearful eyes, "How do you know?! I'm a disaster waiting to happen, and it happened! I couldn't stop!", and I grasped his chin firmly, "I couldn't stop either. Look at me, this wasn't your fault. It was my fault...I hurt you...".

"That was only part of mating, Eric. And you know what? It wasn't your fault either...We just happened to do it, that's all...Gods...what will they think?", Jim sniffed, and I whispered softly, "Hey, Henry and Ariel will support us like they had in the past...My parents are gone, anyway...and well, maybe I actually wanted to do this...It just came out of nowhere, that tiny nudge got bigger, and now, I actually don't regret falling in love with you...", looking at him with a weak, sincere smile...

Jim widened his eyes, his breaths fast and half-choking as he whispered, "Y-you love me?", and I caressed his cheek, "Who wouldn't? You're incredible, brilliant in crafts, and your wit, it's so sassy, and I love the way you smile, the way you laugh, and gods, your singing, it's so beautiful, just like you...Yes, I love you, James Pleiades Atlantica...", with an adoring smile.

"By Neptune's Moon...", Jim breathed, staring at me, and I didn't look away, and he then smiled widely, "I love you too, Eric Gulliver Charmont.". My heart suddenly became whole as I smiled brightly, leaning closer as I breathed softly, "Kiss me?".

Jim caressed my cheek with a cheeky smirk, "You don't have to ask.", leaning in, and I sighed deeply, relishing in the taste of his lips as we kissed, my hands holding him around his back and neck. No matter what happens, he will be always my mate, through sooner or later, I'll have to ask him to marry me, but for now, this is more than enough.