Sebastian taught her a few swimming tricks and lessons, how to relax enough to float on her back, and how to swim back up if she went under, so she would have enough confidence in the water to attempt summoning her little friend.

His wife turned out to be a fast learner, and he didn’t have to repeat himself much. Without the panic clouding everything, she picked things up quickly, and when she seemed confident enough, he eased back a little to give her space to make her first attempt.

"You can do it, sunshine." He encouraged, watching her draw a slow breath. "And if it doesn’t come out, show me the other water ability you told me about. Take your time."

Viola gave a nod and brought her hand forward above the surface, trying to pull the current upward the way she had done that time in the shower. Nothing happened at first. She bit down on her lower lip and tried again. She still hadn’t fully understood how she had done it the first time, and she was beginning to lower her hand when she noticed the surface of the water beginning to tremble and slowly rise.

It came up as though it was trying to form itself into a water ball, but her excitement at seeing it made her turn to her husband, and the moment her concentration broke, it collapsed back into the pool and splashed over her.

"Did you see that?" she asked, turning to Sebastian, who was watching her with narrowed, focused eyes.

"You are doing well, my love, but you lost your concentration. Try again, and do it as though you are alone here," he encouraged, and she gave a small nod before turning back to face the water.

He had also never seen a mermaid’s ability in all of his life before, and seeing it for the first time, with the person controlling it being his wife, naturally made his wolf tense instinctively, as though preparing to protect himself from it, and Sebastian immediately reassured his wolf.

’Calm down. She is not attacking you, she is only practicing.’

Muffin scoffed. ’Yeah, right. You can’t feel the mermaid’s aura the way I am feeling it whenever she raises the water. I don’t like mermaids. Their Goddess cursed us and made us suffer every full moon. You shouldn’t allow her to hone the very powers that will get her into trouble if she is ever found out. Let her be our mate without mermaid connection.’

Sebastian let out a sigh, his eyes remaining on his wife, who looked to be mentally preparing herself to try again. ’No matter what, she is part of us now, and I will support her. She needs to hone her ability and learn to control and hide it. If she can’t protect herself by being a werewolf... she can protect herself with her mermaid ability someday if anyone tries to attack her for being who she is, and you know such a day might be inevitable.’

Muffin still didn’t like his human’s way of thinking. ’I would rather we let her suppress the mermaid blood in her. And let me remind you that her being a mermaid means she is not our prophesied mate after all, for our prophecy speaks of a full she-wolf with a mark on her wolf. I still want her, but you are making a mistake right now. She is—’

Sebastian locked Muffin away, no longer interested on hearing the rest of his opinion. His wolf’s dislike for the creatures who were the reason they had been cursed and forced to suffer almost every month ran so deep that he wouldn’t forgive them, even when their mate carried their blood. Rather than listen to Muffin list all the reasons he shouldn’t allow Viola to hone her mermaid ability, he would rather not hear another word.

He wouldn’t allow his mate to unintentionally give herself away someday simply because she didn’t know what else she could do. Since he had given his word and sworn to love her through anything, Sebastian intended to keep that promise.

As for the prophecy, he no longer cared, for she had already scratched herself from the possibility of being his cure, and he didn’t need her to be. With that thought settled, he turned his full attention back to his wife, who kept trying and failing to raise the water again, and she was beginning to look frustrated.

"You can do it, honey," he encouraged.

"Thank you for the encouragement, but I think I lost the ability. It’s not coming forth anymore," she muttered, looking down at her hands.

"Try thinking about the water rising, and let’s see what happens then," he told her.

She took a deep breath and raised her hand again, thinking about the water as he said. A surge of energy rose from somewhere inside her as the water’s surface lifted, and this time she held it up. She formed not just one water ball but many. The surface began to ripple and rise in dozens of shifting, gleaming spheres, reflecting her face back at her from every direction, and her eyes went wide as she spoke without breaking focus.

"Seb... can you see this?" She said excitedly, and heard nothing in return. Her brows drew together and she glanced to the side, only to find the space he had been occupying moments ago completely empty.

She looked around quickly. His clothes were still folded neatly on the chair beside hers. She hadn’t heard him leave the pool. Hadn’t heard any movement at all. He couldn’t have left without making any movement in the pool, and that too in a blink of an eye!

Her heart thudded hard. "Sebastian?"

Silence.

She dropped her hands and every water ball crashed back down at once, some of the water falling directly over her head, but she barely felt it through the panic and confusion rising in her chest.

She worked her arms and legs through the water the way he had shown her and moved toward the edge. Then, just as she was about to climb the steps to leave the pool, she looked down and saw movement beneath the surface. Her stomach dropped as she made out the shape of her husband beneath the water.

He looked like he was struggling.

For a moment Viola forgot every fear she had about water entirely and dove, but the armbands pulled her straight back up. She cursed, ripped them off both arms without hesitation, and dove again. She found herself cutting downward at a speed that would have startled her under any other circumstances, heading straight for Sebastian.

When she reached him, she could see something wrapped around his neck, and she narrowed her eyes as she made out the shape of it. The water form. Its eyes unmistakable even down here and she frowned at it in displeasure, but it only tightened around his neck.

Viola didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand and sent a rope of water coiling around the creature, wrenching it away from Sebastian’s neck. Then she grabbed his hand and they pushed upward together.

They broke the surface with a gasp, Sebastian coughing and cursing at the same time, and she held onto him.

"I think we have company in the water." He said, catching his breath and casting a sharp, alert look down at the pool below before wrapping a protective arm around her.