by Dee J. Stone
I swallow. “I know. I’m just worried, I guess.” I rub my forehead. “I didn’t know relationships could be this stressful.”
Leah grins. “For the average human relationship? Yeah, relationships are at a ten. But for a human-merman relationship? That’s a hundred, easy.”
I smile back. I know I can count on my best friend to make me feel better. “So what’s happening with you and Jace?”
Her grin widens. “Oh, it’s happening.”
“Ooh.”
Her gaze drops to the sand as she grins even wider. She kicks a pebble. “You were right about giving him a chance. I really like him.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
We continue walking in silence, enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.
“What about school?” she asks.
“I sent in my application to the community college here. I’m not moving away from the ocean. I mean, assuming Damarian comes back.”
“He will,” Leah says.
“What about you?” I ask.
She waves her hand. “Still undecided. I think I’ll spend my year working at the juice bar and figure out what I want to do with my life.”
“Sounds good.”
She hugs me. “We don’t have to separate!”
She’s right. I was so preoccupied with Damarian and my life that I didn’t pay much attention to what would happen to my friendship with Leah if I were to go away for school. I’m so glad we’ll be able to remain best friends.
We sit down, burying our feet in the wet sand. “Where do you go from here?” Leah asks.
“What do you mean?”
“With your relationship with Damarian. Will we tell him I know?”
I puff out some air. I hate that I’ve been keeping a secret from him. But if he and I will be together, I’ll need to tell people. Like my mom. She’s living in New York for a while, but she’ll drop by often and eventually travel back home.
“I’ll tell him,” I say.
“And what about taking your relationship to the next level?”
I feel a blush crawl onto my face. “I guess we’ll see.”
She bumps her shoulder into mine. “I think you meeting Damarian is the best thing that happened to you. You were in such a dark place after Kyle broke up with you. In a way, he saved you.”
I play with some sand. “We saved each other.”
***
“I have a cute little apartment,” Mom tells me over the phone. “You’re welcome to drop by whenever you like. You’ll love it.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“How are you holding up?” she asks. “Everything okay with Damian? With work, college planning? Life?”
I’m sitting on Damarian’s bed, inhaling his ocean scent. Even if he doesn’t return, I feel at peace. It was enough just knowing him. “Everything’s great,” I tell Mom. “How’s your job?”
“Amazing!”
I laugh.
“I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing okay, honey. How are things with your dad?”
“They’re going really well,” I say. “I’m invited over for dinner tonight.”
“I’m so happy you made the call.”
I smile. “Me, too.”
***
I’m standing on the rocks, watching the waves. They move in a steady beat. My heart races with anticipation and hope.
His head pops out of the ocean. I jump in my place, my lips stretched to the max. I grab the blanket and towels and race down to the shore. Damarian is already on the sand. I throw the blanket over him and jump on top. Our arms encircle each other as my lips search for his. When they come together, I’m engulfed in flames, in pixy dust, in fireworks, in everything. We roll over each other as we continue to hold onto one another like the apocalypse might come.
“There is no need to rush,” Damarian whispers in my ear. “We will be together forever.”
I squeeze him even closer to me. “What did your father say?”
“He understands what you mean to me. He has given his blessing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I love you so much, Damarian.”
His lips trail kisses down my throat. “My love for you will only blossom in the moons to come. I will always love you, Cassie. For all eternity.”
Eternity. I like the sound of that.
Read on for an excerpt from Merman’s Touch, Book Two in the Merman’s Kiss series, now available on Kindle!
Chapter One
It feels so good to be wrapped in the arms of the love of my life. Damarian’s lips trail down my neck, and I inhale his familiar ocean scent. He sweeps his lips toward my mouth and lightly brushes them against mine.
I moan.
Damarian chuckles softly and leans back on the couch. He focuses his attention on the book in his hand. “I do not believe I can do this.”
“Read me a couple of lines.”
His eyebrows crease as he squints at the words. “‘The young boy…neared the monster. The beast’s eyes…were as red as…fire. The boy hes…hes…’”
I bend forward to scan the page. “Hesitantly.”
“Thank you, my love. ‘The boy…hesitantly approached the monster and…with…withdrew his sword. After a few slashes, the beast was…slain and the village was…s…safe.’”
I clap. “Very good, Damarian! Soon you’ll be reading Shakespeare.”
“Shaksfear?”
I giggle and peck his lips. Before I can draw back, he locks his arm around my waist and lowers me to the couch, nuzzling my nose. Next, his lips move over mine.
It’s been a few weeks since Damarian and I have become an official couple. The first thing he wanted to do was learn to read. I ordered a program online and he tackled it right away. I’m amazed at how quickly he picked up on it. Maybe merpeople are super smart. Or maybe Damarian is just very determined.
He smiles down at me, his eyes filled with nothing but pure love. He strokes my cheek. “I am very fortunate to have you, Cassie.”
I cover his hand with mine. “Me, too.”
He leans toward my ear. “Forgive me. I have not spoken in a human manner.” He sits back and thinks for a few seconds. “I am so lucky to be with you, Cassie.”
I force out a smile. “Very good.”
“What do I receive as a reward? No. What is my prize?” He laughs and reaches for my lips, but I turn my head. His eyes cloud with confusion and hurt. “What is wrong?”
I look away.
“Cassie?” He runs his finger down my cheek.
Still not meeting his gaze, I say, “I don’t like seeing you change yourself. You’re so amazing because you’re not human. You’re a merman. The way you talk, the way you carry yourself, that’s what makes you special, what makes you you. And you’re throwing it all away.”
He tucks his fingers under my chin, lifting my face so our eyes meet. “But what am I to do, my love? I cannot live on land behaving as though I am a child of the sea.” His eyes search mine. “Is it not your wish that I remain on land with you?”
I shut my eyes. “Of course, Damarian. I want more than anything for us to be together.”
He lowers his cheek on mine. “Then this is what I must do. I must learn to behave as a human. I must learn to read and I shall seek work.”
My eyes fly open. “Seek work? You mean, a job?”
“Yes.”
I haven’t thought about that. I teach a surfing class every morning, but it’s summer now. Soon I’ll be starting my first semester at the community college here, and Damarian…what will he do all day? I’m so selfish for not thinking about him.
I wish we could run away to a secluded island and just be together, where we won’t have to deal with real life issues. Where it won’t matter that I’m a human and he’s a merman.
He lightly runs his lips across my forehead. “Fret not, Cassie. All will be well.”
I keep convincing myself that if
we want it really badly, we can make it work. But I don’t want Damarian to give himself up. I’ll love him no matter what, but he’s changing for me. I feel like I’m robbing him of his essence.
He gets to his feet and grins. “I shall return with your worms.”
I smile as he heads for the kitchen. Then I reach for his book. He loves me so much that he’s sacrificing himself. If only there was a way for me to go into the ocean. At least that way, he wouldn’t lose a large chunk of himself.
He returns with a bag of gummy worms and plops down near me. I crawl on his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist. “So…my mom’s coming home in a few weeks.”
Damarian nods. “Yes, we have discussed this.”
“Right. But here’s the thing…” I gaze into his innocent eyes, the color of the deep ocean. “I think we’ll need to tell her about…about you.”
His face fills with alarm.
I wrap my fingers around the back of his neck. “I know it scares you, but I have no idea how long she’ll stay. We can’t run back and forth to the ocean, can we? I mean, if you want to go home until she leaves, I’ll understand, but—”
“My sweet Cassie,” he murmurs, resting his forehead against mine. “I understand. It is so very difficult when we are apart. When I am in the ocean, I long for you.”
“So what should we do?” I whisper.
He encloses his arms around me and pulls me tight against his chest. “Do you believe she will, as you humans say, ‘Freak out?’”
The words sound so natural on his lips. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. I bury my face in his chest. Even though he hasn’t been in the ocean for several days and swam in my pool a few hours ago, he smells like sea water. It’s a smell I can never get tired of. “Of course she’ll freak out,” I tell him. “But she’s my mom. She’ll be okay with it.”
He doesn’t say anything, but I feel a tremor travel down his body. I clutch onto him. “I’ll be here, Damarian.”
He nods against my head. “Thank you.”
***
Damarian grips my hand as we make our way toward the beach. I squeeze his. I know how hard it is for him to be so close to the ocean. His family and friends are there, his life.
Tightening my hold on my surfboard that’s starting to slide down, I say, “You don’t have to do this to yourself. You can go back home.”
“It is all right.”
I tell this to him every morning. I can’t stand to see the hurt in his eyes. But he insists on coming. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s bored and lonely at home or because he wants to accompany me. Or maybe being near his old home eases his mind somehow.
He sits down a few feet away from the shore, far enough that even a drop of salt water can’t hit him. I fall down to my knees. “I don’t like seeing you upset.”
He twirls a strand of my blonde hair between his fingers. “Do not worry. I am not upset.”
“Okay.” I kiss him again. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“That is not possible.”
I wink, pick up my surfboard, and run toward the tide. Some of my students are already gathered there. I watch them for a few seconds. Uncle Jim mentioned how good I am with the kids. He used to teach the surfing class before he injured his leg. I haven’t really thought about what I want to study in college because I didn’t want to deal with it. Being an adult, having all these changes, scares me. I never considered being a teacher. The only thing that comes to mind is how my high school classmates made my teachers’ lives a living hell. But maybe teaching younger kids would be different.
I glance back at Damarian. He’s observing the many people on the beach with an amused and curious expression on his face. He keeps telling me that humans never cease to amaze him. A lump forms in my throat. Here I am making plans for myself. But what about Damarian? Assuming he learns to read like a pro and how to act like a human, where will he work? I doubt many places are willing to hire someone without proper ID, let alone a high school diploma.
“Miss Cassie!” eight-year-old Timmy yells from the distance, lugging his surfboard as he runs toward me and the rest of the kids. “I’m here on time.” He beams.
“Yes, you are.”
“How many more days?” he asks.
“About a week,” I say with a pout.
He frowns. “I love surfing.”
“I know, sweetie.”
“I’m gonna be so sad when it’s over.” He lowers his head toward the sand.
I ruffle his hair. “But when the classes are over, you’ll be such a great surfer you won’t even need me anymore.”
He raises his head. “Really?”
“Of course!”
He beams again.
I clap my hands. “Come on, kids!”
When class is done, I grab my towel and make sure to dry every part of myself. My eyes move to the spot Damarian was in before my class started, but I don’t find him anywhere. My heart races. He’s been on land for a while now and can take care of himself, but I can’t help stressing when I don’t see him. Ever since Kyle, another merman and my ex-boyfriend, threatened to expose Damarian, I’ve become more vigilant. He caught Damarian’s transformation from merman to human on camera, and I worry someone else might do the same. Except this time they would go to the media.
I scan around, but don’t see him. I grab my surfboard and am about to head to Misty’s Juice Bar, the place my best friend Leah works at, to see if he’s there, but then I spot him by the ice cream stand. My whole body sags with relief. I smile. He’s so cute. He’s like a little kid marveling at our world.
I head over, just as the guy hands him a long, rainbow-colored popsicle. Damarian’s eyes are bigger than beach balls as he stares at it. He catches sight of me and grins. “This appears like coral. Yet, it is edible.” He licks it, and his eyes light up. “Delicious! Would you like one, Cassie?”
I laugh. “Okay.”
Damarian hands the guy another dollar, and he gives me a popsicle. I haven’t had one of these in years.
As we make our way home, I keep my eyes on Damarian, watching the way he licks the colors of his popsicle, trying to determine if they have different flavors. My view on life has changed now. Damarian looks at everything with innocent, curious eyes. He studies our world the way scuba divers and marine biologists study the ocean. To him, we are his ocean. He makes me learn to appreciate our world and everything and everyone in it. We get so busy with life that we never stop to just admire it.
I rest my surfboard against the living room wall and sit down next to Damarian on the couch. He’s devoured over half of his popsicle while I’m hardly a third in. He’s used to cold temperatures.
He finishes and tosses the wrapper into the bin. “Maybe you should try out for the NBA,” I joke.
“NBA?”
“Basketball.”
His eyebrows come together. “Yes, I recall that sport.”
I hold out my popsicle. “Want? I can’t finish it.”
His eyes shine. “Gladly! Thank you.” He bites off half of it.
I giggle.
He finishes in less than a minute and throws the wrapper into the bin. Merpeople have sick eye-hand coordination.
Damarian leans back, rubbing his stomach. “What shall we do today?”
“Well, first things first. You need to swim in my pool.”
He nods. “Of course.”
“Then maybe we can do something human?”
His eyes light up. “Yes, please! What shall we do?”
I motion “one minute” with my finger and go down to the basement. I return holding a large box in my arms and drop it on the couch.
Damarian eyes it. “What is that?”
“Open it,” I urge.
He carefully does. A new pair of rollerblades sits before him. With a bewildered expression, he lifts one of the black blades and stares at it. He spins the green wheels, then brings his eyes to me. “I do not understand. This resembles shoes, but the whe
els…” He spins them again. “Are we to ride on this?”
“Yep. I’m going to teach you how to rollerblade.”
He stares at me like I told him I’m going to jump into the ocean with a bowling ball attached to my leg. I can’t help but giggle at how adorable he is. “I really want to share my interests with you,” I tell him, pushing some of his golden hair out of his eyes. “But since we can’t surf together, rollerblading comes close. Maybe one day we can go snowboarding, too.”
He continues to finger the rollerblade, staring at it like it’s some foreign object that landed from Mars. “I would very much enjoy to participate in activities that interest you as well. But it frightens me.”
I close my fingers around his wrist. “I’ll be there to make sure you don’t get hurt. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
He nods slowly. “Yes, I believe it shall be fun.” He grins. “Shall we go?”
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Read on for an excerpt from Falling for the Genie, now available on Kindle!
Chapter One
“Waitress? Over here, waitress,” the four teenage guys call and whistle from table number eight. I sigh and give my best friend Macy a look. She lifts an eyebrow.
“Take them,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No way. I served them yesterday. It’s your turn.”
I can’t argue with that. Those jerks gave her a hard time. “Why are sixteen-year-olds so annoying?” They’re only two years younger than us, but it feels like ten years.
“Believe me, they’re no better at our age,” Macy says. “Just take their orders and leave.”
Easier said than done. I sigh again and tuck my curly auburn hair behind my ears. Time to get this over with. Putting on a fake smile, I head over to their table. “What would you like to order?”
One of the guys, a redhead, scans my nametag longer than it should take. “Hello, Lily. What a nice name.”
I try not to roll my eyes. Did he forget he says that to me every time? “Do you want to hear the special?” I ask.
A blond winks. “I already see something special standing before me. How about you come meet me out back when you’re on your break?”
