by Kristen Day
He balled his fists with intensity and let out a booming celebration, shaking the windows of the castle and dislodging a slew of sand on the cliff side. The Tydes in the Arena followed suit, cheering for their new Leader and celebrating the continuance of their Order. I stiffened when his strong arms suddenly clamped around me and spun me around with happiness.
"Mom would be so proud of you," he whispered to me once he set me back on solid ground.
"And of you." I grinned at him. I felt Olivia's essence move closer as she approached Sebastian with caution. He followed my gaze and faced her delicately. She searched his sparkling eyes for an answer to a question no one else could hear.
"Does this mean...?" she began, fear and apprehension licking at the corners of her essence as her pulse quickened. "You don't have to go...?"
"I'm never leaving you," Sebastian answered her with indignation, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. Instead of kissing her like I expected, he continued to gaze into her eyes as if he was waiting for something. She didn't disappoint.
"What are you looking at?" She squirmed, her true feelings written in the smile on her face and the ebbing of her essence.
"Nothing, except you. I see only you." He grinned, and then bent down and entangled her in a kiss.
STASIA
"I think she misunderstood," Finn snickered next to me.
"I think she knows exactly what she's doing." I cut my eyes at him, pride welling up in my heart. The soft sea floor bloomed in a cloud of fine sand as I shifted my legs out from under me, stretching them out and wiggling my toes. I took in a deep breath of water and glanced over at Finn. His dark hair danced with the current of the waves above, and the sun filtering down from the surface highlighted the skin of his arms and chest. His deep blue eyes gazed out into the sea with pride and love, filling me with a level of happiness I never imagined was obtainable. I diverted my attention back to the reason for our family outing that warm afternoon, and shook my head with amusement.
"She takes after you," I mocked Finn lightly.
"Clearly," he joked back. I looked on in awe as our little girl, turning five years old next month, commanded what could only be described as an entire herd of tiger sharks, their fins whipping in every direction to keep up with her. She squealed with excitement as they playfully darted around her, looking over her shoulder every so often to make sure we were watching. I had instructed her to summon one tiger shark. Just one. Instead, the entire tiger shark population of the Atlantic paid us a visit.
"Mama, those sharks gon' eat Lessie?" The melody of our son's voice melted over me as he swam up beside me, apprehension heavy in his bright blue eyes. His blond hair danced against his ears and neck as he watched his sister wrangle an army of sharks.
"If anyone's getting terrorized, it's the sharks," Finn muttered with a knowing smirk.
"Of course not, honey." I pulled Nikolas's little body close and he latched onto me with his legs. One year younger than our daughter, he was shy and deliberate, where she was more adventurous and bold. "Lexie has an affinity for sharks, just like Daddy."
"What's affininny?" he asked, peering up at me curiously.
"She can connect with them. They're her friends," I tried to explain simply.
"Like Miles?" he mentioned his best friend innocently. "He's my friend."
"Exactly." I smiled down at him. His affinity had yet to show itself, but the fact that Lexie's emerged only a month ago was staggering. Her abilities would soon follow.
"Lexie!" Finn called to her and gestured for her to come back to us. She appeared to communicate something to the mass of sharks before they scurried away into the deep, back to their feeding grounds. Her dark hair trailed behind her as she made her way back to us. Her angelic face was flushed with excitement and her deep blue eyes twinkled in accordance with her warm, dark essence; bursting with happiness.
"Did you see me, Daddy?" she exclaimed. "Did you see?"
"I'm so proud of you!" Finn tried to embrace her, but she wiggled from his grasp easily and circled him twice before he was able to catch her. "I wasn't talking to sharks until I was much older."
"That's 'cause I'm gonna be Prime!" she cheered. "Just like you!"
Finn began to speak, but I silenced him with a look. We'd cross that bridge when we came to it. She was the first Daughter of Daimon; the first of her kind, and the strongest.
"You can be anything you want to be," I answered with a proud smile instead.
"I want to be a seashell!" Nikolas collapsed into a fit of giggles.
"Well, my little seashell," I replied while tickling him, "it's almost time for your sister's induction ceremony."
"Thomas said that we had to balance a dead fish on our heads and then eat it raw!" Lexie scrunched up her nose, and then she and Finn conversed about dead fish and why she shouldn't believe everything she heard as we swam out to the Sons' tower. We filed inside our private quarters beneath the surface of the water and dressed for the ceremony. Finn's old underwater home had become our makeshift home while visiting.
Once Finn disappeared up to the tower above with Nikolas, I helped Lexie into her black ceremonial dress and pulled her hair up with a black ribbon. She would begin school next month with the rest of the Sons her age, and the induction ceremony was to usher them into this new chapter of their lives. I fussed over the seam of her dress as emotion swirled inside of me. I couldn't believe she would already be starting school.
"Mama, you're pulling my dress down," she protested. I forced myself to step away and take a deep breath. She twirled around with a smile and curtsied before asking me. "Do I look pretty?"
"Like the darkest waters of the sea on a starry night," I replied, providing the same answer I'd given her since she learned how to talk. We shared a smile before I took her hand and we made our way towards the elevator.
We stopped halfway up and filed onto the new holding area constructed where the old winch system once was. I didn't mind being lifted in the rickety basket back in high school, but I had no intentions of taking my daughter up in that thing. Thankfully, it was replaced with a modern glass elevator; soaring up along the massive pylons holding the tower out of the ocean and ending at the catwalk right above. We quieted down as they started the proceedings. The children would be called one by one, riding up the elevator and meeting their fathers on the catwalk to be escorted into the tower.
"Alexandra Willow Morrison," the Son called out, and Willow's head snapped up at me.
"Why am I first?" she asked as we stepped into the glass elevator.
"Because you're special," I answered, my double meaning lost on her. As we rose into the air, I gazed upon the horizon beyond; a wide expanse of ocean that stretched out in every direction. It was just as beautiful as the first time I'd made this trip. The Cimmerian Ball felt like a lifetime ago. I glanced down at Lexie, whose face was smashed up against the window with wonder. The elevator slowed once we reached the top and I turned her to face the catwalk.
The elevator doors slid open and my breath caught in my throat. I was thrust back into a memory from long ago. Just like the Ball years ago, Sons lined both sides of the catwalk, wearing black suits and an air of confidence. I urged Lexie to step onto the catwalk as her eyes widened and her feet stuck to the ground. We made it onto the catwalk just as the elevator closed on its trek back to the platform below to pick up its next passengers.
As the first Daughter of Daimon, this was new territory for all of us. Normally, the father would meet his son at the catwalk and escort him to the ceremony. But now, for the first time, a young girl dressed in black with eyes as blue as the ocean gazed down the catwalk at her father, the Prime and my Paramour. He stood several yards away, holding two black roses in his hands.
I met the same beautiful blue eyes I'd seen in my dreams so many years ago. The same beautiful eyes that had seen me through the hardest times of my life. The same beautiful eyes that now peered up at me from my daughter's face. I sm
iled down at her with encouragement and nodded for her to go to him. With the entire Sons Order captivated by her presence, she slung the weight of the world on her shoulders, let go of my hand, and took the first steps toward her destiny.
Sometimes we find a world that touches our hearts in a way that never lets go. I hope the world of the Daughters of the Sea has touched you and sent you on a journey that could enrich your life for a short time. The Daughters of the Sea will always be here - should you ever want to come back and swim with us, laugh with us, or explore parts of your essence you never knew existed.
Be bold. Be true. And always be you.
With love and sea goddess tears of joy,
Kristen
Acknowledgments
To my Indie-visible girls! You've taught me that just a single idea can change the world... as long as there are those willing to put the whole of their hearts and minds into it. And because of the beauty I see in each one of you, I know nothing is ever impossible.
To my DotS VIPs - Amy, Jamie, Catherine, Morgan, and and Jenny! Your love and support has meant so much to me over the last couple of years! Thank you for being a part of my journey!
I heart you guys!
To all my Warriors!! In my darkest hours you were there to pick me up and help me believe in myself again. I don't know what I'd do without you! That's not true - I'd still be rocking in a corner, sucking my thumb, and drooling. #truestory
And to Finn. Because....Finn.
About the Author
Kristen Day is a native North Carolinian who, in true southern fashion, is addicted to sweet tea, baked goods and football. She graduated from Appalachian State University and bleeds black and gold. When she's not kayaking or making jewelry, she writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels.
