by Dee J. Stone
I lock my fingers with his. “It’s too good, I feel like it is a dream.”
He sits up and studies the beach and the people. “Is it safe?”
“We’re okay. But a few hours have passed and you might need seawater. Let’s get you into my pool just in case.” I reach for the pants and jeans. “Dress into these in the changing room. I’ll show you where it is.”
As I get to my feet, I realize how stiff I am. I slept in a really bad position. At least tonight Damarian will be in my house, sleeping in the guest room next door, and we won’t have to worry about him changing on the beach or someone seeing him.
I take his hand and swing it as I lead him to the changing room.
Damarian smiles. “You are cheerful.”
“I’m so happy you’re here.”
He squeezes my hand. “As am I.”
He enters the changing room and I wait outside. As I turn away, I catch sight of Kyle standing next to a group of guys by the ice cream shop. At first, I think he’s studying the area behind me, but then I realize his eyes are on me. When he notices me looking, he smirks and lifts his hand in a small wave.
I cross my arms over my chest. What exactly is his problem?
The door to the changing room opens and Damarian steps out. My eyes land on his chest, at how good he looks in that shirt. Then they travel lower, to his khakis. Mmm, those pants definitely do him justice.
“Come.” I link my arm through his. “Let’s get you in the pool, and then I want to take you out for breakfast.”
As we walk away, I look back at Kyle. He takes a sip from his water bottle, his gaze on us. A chill runs down my spine. I don’t like the way he’s looking at us.
***
We return from breakfast and settle down on my couch. I scoot closer and climb onto Damarian’s lap, clasping my hands around his neck and gazing into his eyes. “Tell me about your world.”
“My world?”
“Yeah. You know so much about humans, but I don’t know anything about merpeople. Other than they are half man and half fish.” I laugh.
He places his hand on the back of my head and lowers it to his chest. He plays with my hair. “I wish to tell you all, but I am concerned—”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone. Not a soul. Not anything living or non-living. I swear.”
He gazes down at me. “I believe you.” He leans forward and brushes his nose against mine. “I wish for you to be part of my world.”
“Me, too.”
With his eyes still on me, he says, “We are of five clans. The Sapphires, the Violets, the Emeralds, the Rubies, and the Diamonds. Our tails represent which clan we belong to. I, as you know, am of the Sapphire clan.”
I poke him in the chest. “I think your color is the prettiest.”
He laughs. “The Violets are the ruling clan. They live in Eteria, our capital city.”
“That’s interesting. I’d think the Diamonds were the ruling clan.”
He shakes his head.
“So is there a castle in um…the capital city?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Have you ever been there?”
“Once or twice,” he says. “It is most beautiful.”
“So there’s a king and queen? I know we spoke about it a little bit, but I didn’t get a chance to ask you anything specific.”
His gaze moves to me. “Yes. King Palaemon and Queen Lamara.”
“So they rule the rest of the clans.”
“Yes.”
I snuggle closer and smile up at him. He only told me a little about himself, but I feel so much closer to him. “Thanks so much for sharing this with me.”
He wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. “It gladdens me to.”
My fingers tiptoe up his arm, his neck, and tangles in his hair. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
A faraway look captures his face. His eyes get unfocused. Then he blinks and laughs, shaking his head. “How I miss them. I have only returned.”
“It’s understandable. I miss my mom like crazy, even though I’m sort of glad she’s away.”
He runs the back of his fingers down my cheek. “Your mother is away?”
I nod. “She has a job where she needs to travel a lot.”
His eyes soften. “I had not realized. I presumed you reside alone. I am sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s good for her, and I need to learn to be independent, anyway. I’ll be away at college in two months.”
He nods slowly, and his gaze drops to the carpet. My heart lurches. If I go to school in Texas, I won’t be near the ocean. I won’t see Damarian. Two months. That’s such a short amount of time.
My mind runs with the different options I had. I applied to some local colleges here, hoping for a scholarship, but my grades weren’t that great and I’m not a pro surfer. The only school I got into is in Texas.
Damarian shifts on the couch and pulls me closer to him. He bends forward until his breath tickles my cheek. His lips are only a few inches away. “I have three brothers. Kiander, and Syndin and Syd, who are twins. I have two sisters. Doria and Zarya.” He smiles at the blank TV screen. “How I miss Zarya.” His eyes sparkle. “She very much enjoyed your gift of worms.”
I grin. “I’m glad. Do you have a mom? You’ve only mentioned a father.”
“Yes.”
“What are their names?”
“My father is Syren,” he says. “My mother is Kiandra.”
“You all have such pretty names. I’m sorry you miss them.”
He shakes his head, placing his finger on my lips. “Please do not be sorry. My only wish is to be with you.” His lips graze my cheek and ear. “Only you.”
A million butterflies flap around in my stomach. My heart races and my breathing is heavy. “Me, too,” I whisper.
He takes hold of my waist and backs me up against the couch’s armrest. Lowering his lips to my neck, he trails kisses down my throat. A soft moan escapes my mouth. His gentle, warm lips sweep a little lower, to my collarbone. My head rolls back and I moan again. His mouth leaves my neck, and a second later I feel them on my lips. When we break apart, he mutters, “Cassie, please forgive me.”
He makes a move to back away, but I grab his hand. “Forgive you for what?”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “I feel things. Things I have never felt as a child of the sea.”
I cup his chin and force his eyes to meet mine. “It’s okay. It’s probably human hormones that you’re feeling. I guess they’re more intense than your merman hormones.” I stroke his cheek. “It’s perfectly normal to feel this way.”
He presses his forehead to mine. “Do you feel what I feel?”
“Yes.”
His body is heavy against mine, but not too much that it hurts. “I am not accustomed to this. It is overwhelming. I have desires…”
I swallow. “What kind of desires?”
“I do not know. I do not understand them.”
I enclose him in my arms. “It’s okay. Let’s take one step at a time.”
Two months. The words ring in my head. I shut my eyes. I won’t think about it. I can’t.
Damarian rests his forehead on mine again, and I open my eyes. “Thank you,” he says. “You are very understanding.”
We lie in silence for a few seconds. Then I say, “Do you want me to give you a tour of the city?”
“I would very much enjoy that.”
Chapter Fourteen
Damarian and I drive around. We stop at a few seafood restaurants so he can try some of our goods. While he likes them well enough, he claims nothing beats catching them with his bare hands and eating them while swimming in the ocean.
The weather is extremely hot today, and I worry he might need water, so we cut our trip short. After he takes a swim, we sit on my couch. He insists on wearing his towel, since he feels more “free.” I don’t object, even though it makes me uneasy.
A sci-fi thriller is on TV.
Damarian seems intrigued, especially when the robots come on the screen. I take a few minutes explaining.
His eyes grow wide. “The human world is quite fascinating. I could not have imagined so.”
“Your world’s pretty amazing, too. I’ve always been blown away with whales. They are so cool.”
I remember seeing pictures of size comparisons between humans and whales. The humans were ants compared to the some of them.
He smiles.
A few silent seconds tick by.
“Um…are you tired?”
“Yes, I am exhausted.”
“Let’s get ready for bed.”
I grab his pajamas and hand them to him. Before he closes the bathroom door, he wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me to his chest. When his lips touch mine, they are almost savage-like, like he can’t get enough of me. He’s not hurting me, but it’s intense enough to stir something in the pit of my stomach.
He releases me, and I’m left reeling, barely standing on my own feet. He disappears into the bathroom and I stumble to my room. I take care of some personal things, like answering emails and texts, and then it’s my turn to hit the shower. When I’m done, I find Damarian asleep in his bed, the blanket gathered by his feet. I slide it out from underneath him and pull it up to his chin. It can get pretty chilly at night, since we have central air conditioning.
I stand there for a little while, watching him sleep. His chest rises and falls in a steady, calm rhythm. He’s not snoring, but his mouth falls open occasionally. His hands curl and uncurl at his sides.
My heart fills with something, something deep and intense. Love. But it can’t be. I’ve only known him for a week. I’m not the kind of girl to fall for a guy that quickly. But as much as this scares me, I feel a sense of peace. Because I know that I trust him. I know he won’t hurt me like Kyle did. Like my dad did to my mom and me.
My gaze travels down his body, to his feet sticking out of the blanket. I sigh. He’s a merman—he lives in the ocean. Can we have a future together?
As I study him, something dawns on me. I’m willing. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be with him. If that means I need to wait for him every other day at the beach at three AM, I will. If it means I’ll live near the beach my whole life, I will. If it means I’ll have to provide him with a pool of salt water, I will. Because I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and I’ll do whatever I need to have a future with him.
I turn to leave. Damarian clasps his hand around my wrist. “Cassie?” he says sleepily, squinting up at me.
I kneel down. “I’m here. Are you okay?”
“Must you sleep there?” His eyes flutter until they’re open and staring at me.
“W-what?”
“Sleep…here?”
My stomach muscles clench.
“If it is all right with you,” he says.
It’s such an intimate thing to do. Almost every single part of me wants to flee to the safety of my room, but the part of me that wants to stay is the authority figure now—my heart.
I nod and walk over to the other side of his bed. Taking a deep breath, I lift the blanket and slide in next to him. My leg brushes against his. It’s warm and soft, and it sends a jolt of electricity up my body. Damarian flips onto his other side so we face one another. We’re only a few inches apart. I can smell him, and every so often I feel his breath on my cheek.
“Hi.” My heart is beating nervously.
He touches my ponytail. “Hello, Cassie. May I unbind your hair?”
I nod.
He drags off the pony holder. Once my hair is free, I feel it fall down my shoulders and back. Damarian combs his fingers through it. Every hair on me stands on edge. I shiver.
“Are you cold?” He takes me in his arms and hugs me close. I feel the heat radiating off his body.
“For a guy who lives in cold temperatures, you sure know how to keep a girl warm and toasty.”
He laughs and pecks my temple. “I wish only to protect you.”
His words wrap around me and lift me in the air. I shut my eyes and sink into the bed and pillow, releasing a relaxed sigh. I open my eyes and find his on mine. We gaze at each other for what feels like an eternity.
Damarian says, “Cassie, may I hold you closer in my arms?”
Our arms are wrapped around each other and our legs are intertwined. I don’t see how we can get any closer. But I nod and shift over. Our chests are nearly glued together. I close my eyes and let go of my fear and insecurities. I lower the wall I built around myself and am completely vulnerable, at his mercy. If I’m going to risk my heart with someone, I want it to be Damarian.
He dips his head, and our lips meet. His fingers dig into my skin as his mouth moves over mine. I clutch the back of his head as his lips devour mine as though he’s dying from thirst and I’m the spring of water he desperately seeks. When he moans, it fuels the energy inside me. I yank his hair and immerse myself in this kiss, in this feeling, in the magic sparking between us. His hands explore my body, and mine explore his. It feels as though my molecules are dispersing and I’m floating up and up. I don’t feel anything except for the heat bouncing between us and the throbbing in my body.
“Damarian,” I breathe.
“Cassie.”
His lips are roving down my throat. I throw my head back and moan as ripples of pleasure pass through me. I try to lift my arms and touch him, to feel his smooth, hard flesh beneath my fingers. But they are so heavy.
I whisper his name as he touches me, caresses me, kisses me, brings me to oblivion and back.
“What I feel for you,” he says softly. “I do not wish for it to end.”
It takes a few seconds for his words to enter my fuzzy mind. “Me, either.”
Chapter Fifteen
Something knocks into my face. My eyes open. Damarian’s hand is blocking my view.
Waking up next to him feels really, really good. His face is smashed into the pillow. I wonder how he looks when he’s in his merman form and sleeps in his oyster shell with seaweed.
As if he senses me watching him, he slowly opens his eyes. He smiles, then shifts onto his back.
“Good morning,” I say. “How did you sleep?”
“Good morning. I slept very well. Thank you for sharing the bed.”
I slide closer and rest my head on his chest. “Can I ask you something?”
“Certainly.”
“The morning I found you washed up on the beach. What were you running from?”
His eyes that were full of life a second ago now turn dark. He tears his gaze from me and stares straight ahead.
I place my hand on his arm. “Sorry. I see I touched a sensitive topic. Do you want to talk about it?”
He puffs out some air. “Father and I…we quarrel often.”
“What do you fight about?”
He’s quiet for a little while, his expression serious, his breathing heavy. I rub circles on his arm, hoping to soothe him. This discussion clearly upsets him.
He shakes his head. My heart sinks. I’m slowly opening up to him, but it doesn’t seem like he’s doing the same. We share such deep, emotional moments together, have amazing, passionate kisses. But he won’t let me in.
“Damarian, please. You can talk to me.”
“We quarreled that night,” he says and shakes his head. “I should not have been swimming in the storm.”
I’m about to ask more, dig more, but he sits up, dragging the blanket with him. The cool air of the air conditioner blows on me, and I shiver. When he realizes, he quickly untangles it from around his body and throws it over me, wrapping it around me and lifting me toward his body. His lips graze my cheek. “Humans and children of the sea are alike in many ways. I have issues with my father as well.”
“Another thing we have in common.”
He nuzzles my nose. “Yes.”
I won’t pry. He’ll tell me when he’s ready. I guess it doesn’t matter whether it’s a human guy or a m
erman—men don’t like to share their innermost feelings.
“How about some breakfast?” I ask.
The door to the guestroom springs open and a woman gasps. My head whips around. Mom stands there, a suitcase handle in her hand.
“Mom?”
“Cassie?” Her wide, shocked eyes trek from me to Damarian. She blinks and steps back.
“What are you doing here?” I want to bury my face in my hands, but my body is wrapped in the blanket like a cocoon.
She stares at the two of us, her mouth slightly ajar. After a few seconds, she gathers herself and holds her hand out to Damarian. “I’m Joanie.”
“Damian.” He shakes it like a pro. I sigh in relief that he remembers his human name.
“What are you doing home?” I ask.
“I feel so bad for always leaving you. So I spoke to my boss and got a few days off.”
I’m glad to hear that, but at the same time, I feel disappointed. I want my mom here with me, but she has rotten timing. How can I hide a merman in my house when she’s around?
I clear my throat. “Um, Mom, can you please give us some privacy?”
“Oh, sure.” She walks backwards to the door. “And you and I are going to have a talk,” she says to me.
She shuts the door after her. My cheeks are burning. Damarian unwraps the blanket from around me. “You resemble your mother.”
I push some hair away from his eyes. “Yeah. You know what this means?”
He raises his eyebrows.
“You can’t…I mean, the swimming pool...” The words get stuck in my throat.
He nods slowly. “I cannot shift into my merman form.”
I nod.
His lips form a straight line.
“I’m so sorry, Damarian. I didn’t know she’d be back—”
“It is all right. Do not fret.” He smiles, but I know it’s forced.
I take him in my arms. “We’ll think of something, okay?” I bite my lip so I don’t offer to tell my mom. That decision is up to Damarian. I doubt he’d want to tell anyone else about his true identity.
We sit in silence for a long time.
After a while, I ask, “Do you feel okay?”
