Your Heart Will Grow: The Absolutes, #1

By Chace Verity

Human guard Morgan Sunilian wants to be more than anyone believes he can be. He wants to be an Absolute and fight alongside the kingdom of Valiance's most elite guardians in their resplendent gold armor. Morgan will do anything to prove he's capable enough--even follow a corrupted prince--but his dreams become threatened when he meets a magical prisoner who makes him scrutinize his goals.

Mermaids are supposed to be calm, serious peacekeepers. Despite her solemn vows to the ocean goddess, Kelpana can't help letting loose around humans and their glittering parties. However, her carefree spirit places her in prison with the one guard who won't defy his given orders--even if it'll mean her death.

Kelpana and Morgan have always balanced their dreams and duties. As they open their eyes to the broken systems around them, they must reevaluate if they're content with following orders or ready to find out who they're truly meant to be.
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Your Heart Will Grow is a complete, standalone novel in The Absolutes series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chace Verity
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223877967

Book preview

Chapter One / Kelpana

Kelpana loved the way her gray skin glistened after falling into bed with a human.

The moonlight leaking through the arched window allowed every inch of her to shimmer. The blond man beside her ran his thumb across her jewel-encrusted lips and gazed at her in a way that made her wish he’d penetrate her again.

He had forbidden her to touch his hair, which was a shame because human hair was so much fun to get lost in. Kelpana wanted to bring him so close to the edge of euphoria that he begged her to pull his golden locks and dominate him. She wanted to make him orgasm until sweat and sex overpowered his miasma of rose water perfume.

I need to go, Mermaid. The man rolled off the bed and fumbled with his crimson tights on his hairless legs. I have people to deal with out there.

Shall we meet again after the ball? she asked.

Kelpana should have prodded the man for his title or political ties or some kind of hint he posed no threat to the ocean; it’s what a good mermaid would have done. Instead, she imagined the next dance, the next drink, the next lover. Hopefully said next lover would be the person with wine red hair she spotted earlier in the evening.

Could she take her question back and abandon her obligations?

The mermaid lazily wrapped her pearl-laced anklets around her feet and toes and enjoyed the show before her. The man slipped on his bronze armor, perspiration still lingering along the edges of his lovely face. He shined like the sun underneath the chandeliers in the ballroom. He didn’t sparkle so much in the dark, but there was still something magical about him.

They had danced and flirted for three songs before he invited her to find a room. Initially, she had tried to figure out what kind of magic he had underneath his white skin, behind his mossy green eyes. But she couldn’t resist a warm human so smitten with her.

Of course we’ll meet again. He ran a hand through her hair. Stay in here. Leave your clothes off. I’ll be back soon for you.

Kelpana’s hair toppled across her bare chest when she giggled into her shoulder. As if he really had any say in what she did.

Men sexually interested in women were easy to control. Lords and paupers pledged half of their possessions for a chance to see Kelpana’s lips around their intimate areas. The ocean goddess herself had blessed the silver gems on the mermaid’s lips, and the smooth pebbles against the thin skin of their erogenous zones drove men out of their minds.

Women sexually interested in women were different, and Kelpana enjoyed them a tiny bit more. They never offered power or riches to Kelpana, and they approached lovemaking with a greater passion. The mermaid discovered early on in her sexual awakening that women often pampered her with a hot meal or exfoliating scrub after a few hours of lovemaking, which Kelpana was more than happy to reciprocate. Where Kelpana took from men, she gave to women. She had no use for the jewelry or regalia given to her by men, so she would set silk-wrapped presents in the windows of her lady lovers.

Then there were nonbinary lovers, forever unpredictable. Kelpana’s mind raced with possibilities of what would happen when she got her arms around the red-haired person and the deluge of shiny jewelry dangling from their ears.

The pansexual mermaid liked all humans, and many liked her. Immensely. Her tiny mermaid heart did not allow her to hold any kind of human romantic love, but she liked letting humans believe something visceral existed when she kissed them.

The blond man finally left the room in a huff. Kelpana plucked her chainmail skirt from the floor and tied it around her waist then rifled through the linens on the bed for its matching top. Copper, magically treated by Windspun Empire witches, dominated fashion trends. The chainmail outfit, however, didn’t leave a lot of room for the imagination. It also left something to be desired in comfort, but it was shiny, and Kelpana loved shiny clothes the best. Besides, chainmail proved infinitely more attractive than the seashell fad that had engulfed the kingdom of Valiance a few years prior.

Kelpana glided back into the mess of copper-adorned humans. Everything and everyone caught her eye. Humans were the champions of glitter, and formal balls were the epitome of luster.

She had been beyond ecstatic when Lady Cam invited her to the Harvest Ball. Kelpana used her magic to turn her tail into a pair of legs as soon as possible and got her nails done by the jam merchant’s spouse.

Kelpana had yet to see Lady Cam that evening, but she figured the visitors from the Windspun Empire kept the hostess of the ball busy enough.

She fell into the sea of dancers on the floor, switching partners frequently as the adagio from the string band lured the guests into a gentle sway. She missed the allegros from decades past, but surely it would only be another twenty or thirty years before fast music came back in style.

A flicker of resplendence kept distracting Kelpana while she looked for the red-haired person. Several figures in full helmets and armor clung to one side of the room. Kelpana licked her lips as she drank in their gilded uniforms.

Where did they come from? She had never seen soldiers in gold before.

Aragona would know, probably. Her sister had learned a lot about human politics from her circle of nature advocates. Aragona befriended princesses against the jewel mining industry and worked with historians to preserve lakes from pollution when she visited the land.

Kelpana knew she needed to be more aware of institutions among humans in order to keep the ocean safe, but it was hard to be interested. Beautiful people and soft music overshadowed the dullness of militaries and governments.

As Kelpana was getting particularly cozy with a woman with no hair and midnight skin, someone grabbed Kelpana by the wrist. The person jerked her into their side. A gruff voice snarled into her ear, What are you doing?

Kelpana stared at the intruder, the blond man in bronze armor, the burning sun of the ballroom. She chortled when she recognized him, but her laughter faded away when she registered his billowy cheeks and narrowed eyes. He reminded her of a pufferfish.

Her heart stilled itself as a sharp wave of regret washed over her shoulders. She usually had good instincts about whom she slept with. Clearly, she had been wrong about him. Kelpana should have physically poisoned him before he poisoned her soul.

I was dancing. She ripped her wrist away from his grasp.

No one had come to her aid yet. Curious.

In fact, the guests had all stopped dancing to watch the pair with wide eyes.

Did I tell you to come out and dance? The man huffed. I told you to stay in the bedroom.

He has some nerve.

Kelpana rolled out her long, silvery tongue. This childish gesture to the humans served as a warning from the mermaids who knew the many dangers of the tongue, whether poison or well-chosen words slithered out from the mouth.

The man’s glare hardened. You can’t be dancing with people after I had you. That is inappropriate and disrespectful.

Who is he?

You don’t own me, Kelpana said. I will dance with whomever I like when I like. Going to bed with you did not mean I signed up to be your perfume spritzer or armor polisher or whatever domestic duties you would like me to engage in. Now, leave me be, as I don’t wish to see you ever again. If you chase me, I will have the ocean goddess bring a typhoon to whisk you away to Banasta.

The man’s face fell. Kelpana had seen the look of defeat and heartache enough times to be immune to it.

You don’t want me? he asked.

Kelpana had to keep herself from guffawing at his sincerity. No. Why would I?

Are you kidding me?

He stormed off, his boots thundering against the floor with every step. The music did not resume, and the dancing couples remained frozen in their positions. What had happened to cause time to stop? Nobody was staring at her, but they weren’t daring to look at the blond man either.

A flash of rosy skin crossed Kelpana’s vision. She recognized the red-haired person she had craved earlier creeping over to her. Their jewelry clinked against their black and red robes.

I don’t usually have a problem with coming too late, but it seems this is my exception, they whispered. You should run. Hide.

Kelpana’s pulse quickened with panic. Why? Who are you? What do you know?

You do not know who it was you just angered, Mermaid?

No, she replied.

Frustration coated the red-haired person’s sigh. His Royalty, Prince Aeron Ja’Orta, the heir to this kingdom.

No. No. No.

The prince of Valiance? she gasped. Impossible.

I wouldn’t dare lie to a mermaid. Especially one as gorgeous as you.

Kelpana’s breath hitched in her throat. Aragona is going to kill me if I say the wrong thing here. I have to stay calm.

And here come the Absolutes, the red-haired person said before slinking away.

The four men in heavy, golden armor surrounded Kelpana and grabbed her arms. A knot formed between her shoulders. Her stomach flopped about like a fish out of water.

No one made a fuss or questioned her arrest. The hostess of the ball stood in Kelpana’s peripheral vision, guilt stitched into the corners of her lips and eyes. Kelpana cried out Lady Cam’s name while the soldiers dragged the mermaid over to Prince Aeron.

The smug grin on the prince’s face made it impossible for Kelpana to be even-tempered. She spat at him, hoping to get poison in his eye. He turned before the vile purple liquid could scathe him.

Prince Aeron directed his glare toward the Absolutes. She’ll return to the palace with us. Keep her in the prison until she’s come to her senses.

You will not lock me up. Rage and fear clawed through Kelpana’s blood, set her skin on fire. The ocean goddess, the sistren of mermaids, and every drop of water in existence will descend upon you and drown you if you do!

Please, please, please. Save me, dearest goddess.

And how will you reach them? Prince Aeron smirked. I’ve heard about your weakness. You are incapable of casting any kind of new magic or spells without the ocean. You will shrivel up and die in prison, or you will yield yourself to me. It is your choice.

Before Kelpana could scream, a warm cloth covered her face, and the world around her blurred before slipping into total darkness.

Chapter Two / Morgan

Morgan Sunilian slowed his pace down the streets of Valor as the merchant clipped away at a farmer’s beard with a mere twirl of his blades. The merchant in Valor with a thick band of copper spiraling up his arm gave the fastest haircuts in the kingdom of Valiance. Morgan always made sure to watch the merchant give someone a haircut when he came to the market. Nothing more magical existed than those performances.

Mesmerized by the sparkling steel, Morgan bumped into a woman in a beige pinafore, maybe four or five years younger than him. He apologized, admiring her ebony plaits. Her brown skin was a shade lighter than his own, and she had beautiful dark eyes so large and innocent and familiar.

No. You’ve sworn off women.

As she took off through the market peppered with spice vendors and lotion specialists, a slip of copper fell from her wrist. Morgan started to shout, but his hand went to his neck. The muscles in his throat ached too much today. He instead picked up the bracelet and followed the woman into the crowd.

Valor was always busy. Morgan scanned the market and ran his hand through the black curls spilling over his face. Beards were rapidly falling out of style in the capital city of Valor, yet long, luscious hair was somehow acceptable and even preferred.

Not to Morgan. It was too hot and humid in Valiance to have a jungle of hair. He shaved the sides and back of his head, leaving just enough hair on the top of his scalp to fit in with the rest of the men.

Morgan’s eye caught the neat, shimmering braids next to the stall run by twin sisters from Louve. The woman gaped at the variety of teas they offered. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned with a start.

Sorry, he mumbled and handed the bracelet back to her.

The gratitude in her smile warmed his chest.

Do you work at the palace? she asked. Your armor looks like a soldier’s.

He nodded, and she clasped her hands together. So do I! I just started. It’s my day off. Her eyes met his. I haven’t seen you before.

Been gone. He scratched the back of his neck.

My name is Naseem. What’s yours? She toyed with the bracelet on her wrist, keeping her gaze locked on him.

Morgan.

I’ll be looking for you at the palace, then, she said.

The pair parted, and Morgan wormed his way out of the thick forest of people. Once he had room to breathe, he stretched his arms over his head and realized just how sore his muscles were. He groaned, not eager to return to work right away.

His vacation back to Maico had not been much of one. Not only had his father decided to abandon the beach and move to the Windspun Empire with the rest of the family, he had left Morgan a house and a horse. Morgan had to spend two solid days finding a buyer for the horse since he couldn’t keep the marbled beauty in the military stalls.

Selling the house would be another headache, one he would need at least a month for. Maico had become less and less popular of a city to live in.

Morgan’s spirit lit up as two men in golden armor on white stallions zipped by him. One day, he would ride a white stallion, the gilded armor over his torso shouting to the world of his greatness, his strength, his masculinity. Being born with a mental illness was no excuse to keep him from chasing his dreams.

The soldiers in the heavy armor were part of the Absolutes, the royal family’s elite guards. The Absolutes got anything and everything they wished for when they joined. Any person who picked up a weapon in Valiance wanted to be an Absolute, but few become one. No one knew for certain how Absolutes were chosen.

Morgan wrinkled his nose as he neared the pink and white cobblestone leading up to the palace. Queen Lunas favored Jassamin among Valiance’s beach cities and often brought back much of the pink beach with her on her trips. How many barrels of sand and seashells had gone into forming the blocks beneath his feet? Maico had nearly perished under a plethora of pearl-packing pirates and seashell-hungry fashionistas. Morgan could only imagine how ravaged the beaches of Jassamin had become because of the queen’s hobby.

But the Absolutes protect the queen. She was noble. He couldn’t fault her too much for her fascinations.

Could he?

In the middle of the night, a flurry of heavy footsteps stormed down the hallway, awakening Morgan from his slumber. The prison guards’ quarters rested on the first floor of the palace, next to the stairs leading to the underground prison. The thundering clatter of people was familiar enough to Morgan by now after four years of working here—a new prisoner had arrived.

No hint of light broke through the window, so morning was not quite nipping his heels yet. Prisoners never arrived at night. Morgan didn’t have to get up, but curiosity gnawed at his stomach. He threw on his armor and went to check out the commotion.

A man with pale skin and hair as black as a raven’s feathers waited by the entrance to the second level of the prison, playing with the four silver hoops hooked in his left ear. The oil torches along the walls burned just enough to allow Morgan to see the details of his idol. Even though the presence of the other soldiers down the hallway meant Morgan had a new ward to care for. One who probably didn’t deserve to be in prison.

Everyone in the palace knew that that the second floor was for the victims of His Royalty’s hissy fits.

Morgan liked Lorris a lot and was always happy to be near him. Lorris had been plucked from his family’s farm in Florea, and, when Morgan joined Valor’s military, the Absolute gave the young recruit his sickle. Morgan wielded it and a knife instead of the broadswords and longswords the other men preferred. He could handle swords decently enough, but he thought using a piece of Lorris would bring him closer to getting into the Absolutes.

Lorris was kind and even playful to Morgan whereas the other Absolutes were standoffish. Morgan worried Lorris treated him differently because he was transgender or prone to panic attacks, but he also considered the possibility the Absolute fancied him, given the number of times Lorris had brought him dried strawberries for no reason.

Not that Morgan himself was interested in men. He only liked women, romantically and sexually. Women liked him, too, but he had trouble finding someone compatible with him emotionally. Morgan’s best partner had been a trans woman, but she was a pirate who couldn’t stomach land for more than a day. A mermaid without gills, as she put it. Their relationship lasted all of a single day, from sunrise until sunset.

He vowed almost a year ago to quit women altogether. Besides, how could he stand out among his peers if he was too busy trying to fall in love? He put on his uniform each day and trained diligently, brimming with hope that Lorris, or another Absolute, would approach him to take him under their wings.

Sunilian, how long are you going to stand there like a ghost?

Ack! Morgan swallowed some of his embarrassment about being noticed and stepped closer to Lorris. What’s going on?

The woman spurned the prince’s affections. Lorris faintly smelled like roses, a side effect the Absolutes had to endure since the prince drowned himself in rose water perfume. He’s unusually smitten with her. Ranted and raved the entire time we came back to Valor with her. We had to drug her to bring her here.

Drugging was a practice Morgan never could get behind, though one day he would have to. If he wanted to become an Absolute, he would have to accept some of the shadier parts of the position. Compromising a few of his morals for the greater good of protecting the royal family didn’t seem like the worst trade off.

She’s still asleep, Lorris continued. We put her at the end of the hall, away from everyone but the old crone. See if she wakes up during your shift. Make sure I’m the first to know if she does.

Morgan nodded, and Lorris grinned after a long pause.

From what I hear, she’s broken other hearts besides the prince’s. It would take someone exceptional to keep from falling under her spell. Lorris’s voice dropped to a whisper. Someone who could join the Absolutes, you know. Someone magnificent.

Morgan stiffened as the words hit his ear. Did Lorris see potential in him? The golden soldier trudged down the hallway to the other Absolutes, leaving the young guard with his heart racing a million miles a second.

If Morgan worked hard to make himself shine among his taller and more muscular peers, the Absolutes would recruit him. He would do whatever it took to become an Absolute.

The Absolutes had a glowing history. Yore once protected the queen from a demon that snaked out of a watercolor painting in a museum, and he personally brought the museum curator a golden unicorn statue the next day to make up for the damage done in the exhibit. A fire started in a villa while the prince vacationed in the Windspun Empire. The Absolutes escorted everyone out to safety. Taffy even went back inside the burning building and rescued a baby goat. Archdukes, baronesses, and farmers from all over sent marriage proposals to Taffy after hearing of his heroism.

The Absolutes were magnificent, and Morgan could be magnificent, too.

Chapter Three / Kelpana

Kelpana awoke on a cold, dusty stone floor and stared up at the ceiling, too drowsy to move much. With so little light in the room, she could hardly make out the rotted wooden beams barely supporting the weight above it. Her head throbbed, and her dry nostrils and throat burned. Where was she?

She found the energy to sit up after a few minutes, even though she didn’t like the stiffness in her neck. Kelpana ran a hand idly through her hair, unable to feel the grime of the ocean. Then she remembered she had taken a bubble bath in a human house recently. Had her nails done. Went somewhere with humans.

Prince Aeron, the Harvest Ball, and the feel of the Absolutes almost snapping her bones in half as they restrained her came rushing back to Kelpana. Now, she was in a prison cell of some kind. She brought herself to her knees then warily stood up to determine her constitution.

Mermaids couldn’t be away from the ocean for more than seven days. The first few days brought only a slight fever, but on the fourth day, the ocean called for its finned guardians and drained the mermaids of their energy until they returned home or perished.

Kelpana had never tested it before, having heard of her sister’s arduous trials away from the ocean for a week. Aragona had gotten trapped in a snowstorm in Banasta, an independent country between Exalted and Valiance. By the fifth day, Aragona’s skin flaked off when she moved, and her hair went gray. On the sixth day, Aragona couldn’t move, and by the seventh, she couldn’t speak.

Her sister had been lucky to have most of the snow melted in time for her companions to safely return her to the ocean. Aragona was always so careful when she ventured onto land. Unlike Kelpana.

Aragona is going to be furious with me for getting into such a dangerous situation.

Kelpana assumed she hadn’t been asleep for more than a day, as she felt fine and could still smell the lavender oil in her hair. She roamed the tiny room, searching for any weaknesses in her surroundings.

As it lacked a window, it was an awfully dark cell until she crept closer to the iron bars. Oil torches along the walls lit up the hallway, the flames taunting the wooden beams above. She noted a few potted plants in between cells, but she wasn’t sure if they were there for decor or something else. The green leaves stood upright, like a garden of swords. How did she end up in a prison full of plants?

How did she end up in a prison at all?!

Kelpana jumped around in frustration, inadvertently kicking an object. The clink it made startled her more than the puddle of liquid she stepped in.

Careful, a husky voice called from the cell across the hall. You only get one glass of water a day. There’s a bowl of cooked brown rice, too. Eat it before the lice and flies claim it. Be careful not to knock over your chamberpot. They change it very infrequently.

The chamberpot explained the foul smell. Maybe. Something vile and disheartening lingered in the air no matter which way she turned her nose.

Kelpana didn’t plan on staying long enough to consume any prison food, but she swooped down to her knees and scooped up the bowl of rice to test her hunger. Inspecting the rice with her fingers, she determined it was clean of unintended visitors, but her stomach didn’t crave it. The rice reeked with a whiff of death.

Her stomach often didn’t desire any human dish, except the sweet milk and honey concoction popular in Maico. She ate meals provided to her, but nothing filled her with joy quite like milk and honey.

Have you been here long? Kelpana asked.

Yes, the voice croaked.

Can you come closer so I can see you?

I’m fine in my corner.

Kelpana grumbled. "What is your