“My right hand?”
“Your second in command,”
“Flynn.” Thayde announced, making Flynn do a double take. “I want Flynn as my second in command.”
Regan’s demure facade fell.
“But the right hand is already chosen!”
“I won’t trust someone I don’t know.”
Her voice dropped. “I understand.”
“Was it you?” Thayde asked.
Regan nodded. “Usually it is the next most powerful in line.”
“Thank you,” he said and she frowned.
“For what?”
“For caring enough to find me and tell me. I trust Flynn. I don’t know you. Yet,”
Regan took a step back. “I will return and inform the family. Shall we expect you in a few days?”
Thayde nodded and she disappeared back into the trees.
“Thayde?” Flynn’s voice was incredulous. “You want me to be second? I’m shocked.”
“It’s going to be hard work,” Thayde sighed. “You know more about them than I do. And I trust you.”
“But I changed you.”
“I know. You stuck to the plan despite a huge risk to yourself and I appreciate it.”
“The plan?” I interrupted. “What plan?”
“I couldn’t let Gavran sacrifice himself,” Thayde began. “He’s not strong enough. He would have died and it would have been for nothing. So I met with Flynn that night when we left Pizza Hut. I told him it had to be me.”
Once again, Thayde had put his life on the line for me. “You didn’t know it would work! Why would you take such a chance?” I asked.
Thayde’s handsome brow furrowed. “I would die for you.”
Flynn cleared his throat and took the stance he had when he was about to drop through the earth.
“I’m going to return to Florence. I’ll have Regan start the proceedings.”
“Flynn?” I pulled away from Thayde and put my arms around Flynn. “Thank you,” I whispered in his ear. “For everything.”
He patted my back lightly. “It seems I do have a purpose after all.” He said.
“You always did,”
Flynn shook his head. “You merpeople,” he grinned and with that, melted through the ground.
I turned to Thayde and reached up, placing my hand against his cheek.
“I love you,” I said, tears forming.
He smiled that gorgeous smile. “I love you.”
“What happens now?”
“Anything you want.”
“Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE BEGINNING
To be courageous means you go forth, despite your fear.
To quote a line from the epic film Dune: The beginning is a very delicate time.
A beginning is also an end. Once you start something, you end what was. Thayde and I were treading on very new ground and the entire merfolk species was holding their breath. Would this work? Could this work?
In the eyes of the Elders, Thayde was an abomination. But the only reason anyone thought that was because it hadn’t been done before. Thayde was extremely powerful, retaining all his powers as a merman and his new ones as a vampire. Not only was he able to swim at a sonic level, but now he could fly it as well. He didn’t break and he was incredibly strong. He did become Superman, in a sense.
A few days after my change, I watched Thayde’s initiation as the vampire leader. Flynn stayed by his side the entire time. The reverence with which the vampires held Thayde was awe-inspiring. They immediately accepted him. Thayde was born to rule and his immediate changes brought an end to much of the squabbling and disputes on both sides. With a renewed sense of being, Flynn stopped wishing for death and looked forward to the new life he had been given.
With Thayde’s permission, I blessed the several hundred gathered at his initiation. It allowed for an extended life of up to five hundred years. It was decreed illegal – one punishable by death – to kill a merperson for their blood.
The Blessing caused an uproar within the mermaid community, but it was the only way to stop the attacks and gain a truce. With the law in place, both sides could begin to heal. Our word was law and so it was done. It only took a few weeks for the merpeople to realize the changes were for the best and they begrudgingly settled into a new era. Gavran’s ability to bring peace and calm made him a fantastic ambassador and he settled into the role easily.
It was funny to think of a vampire and merman as best friends, but it worked well. Flynn and Gavran were perfect in their roles and the fact that they like each other, worked out to everyone’s benefit. It looked as if life would go on, despite the deaths and upheaval. But there was just one more thing I had to take care of.
“Do you hate me?”
Tiesa and I sat on the bench where we first met. I remembered being shocked at how open and at ease with the world she seemed. I had always admired that about her. Tiesa spoke her mind when she wanted and it was always the truth.
“I don’t hate you.”
“But you don’t like me?”
She turned to me, fidgeting with the heavy charm bracelet hanging around her wrist.
“Of course I like you,” she said.
“Then what is it, Tiesa? You told me you hated vampires. Do you still hate them?”
“Yes,” she admitted, turning her eyes back to the sea. “They took my mother from me. They left my father alone to raise Fallyn and me.”
I sighed. She had every right to feel the way she did, but where did it leave our friendship?
“I’m half vampire now,”
“I know,”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I know,” she repeated.
“So what happens now? Do you still want to be friends?”
When she turned to me, she had tears in her eyes.
“Of course I still want to be friends, you idiot!” A laugh escaped her and she wiped her eyes. “You’re the best friend I ever had. It’s just different. I don’t hate you. I love you.”
I returned her smile. “I was worried.”
“You don’t have to worry. It will be a little strange when you’re still nineteen and I’m like, eighty, but…” she trailed off, her shoulders shaking as a little sob escaped.
“I’m sorry,” I said, suddenly understanding what was happening. She was in mourning, in a sense. Her friend had died and now there was this new friend – one that wouldn’t die of old age. One that couldn’t die by natural means.
“It’s okay. I’ll get used to it, I suppose.” She wiped another tear. “I guess I should be glad to know that my children’s children will always be safe with you around.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” I agreed.
“And I’ll never have to go to your funeral.”
“I suppose that’s good,”
“And you’ll have your family.” Her sentence ended quickly and she stood. “I’ll get used to it.”
Pushing myself to my feet, I dug my toes into the soft sand. It was a beautiful day in Florida, as usual.
“We should get something to eat. Seaweed sounds good.” Tiesa was finished with the subject.
“I hate seaweed, you know that.”
“Yeah, I know that.” She put her arm around me, a sly smile about her face. “You haven’t changed that much.”
It was true. I hadn’t.
Lars and Aletheia were married in a double wedding with Tiesa and Ezen on the lawn at Tammer’s home. In his will, Tammer had left the property to me, but I couldn’t bring myself to live there. The memories of my family were too painful. Naira’s little voice seemed to echo in the hallways and I ended up giving Aletheia and Lars the property as a wedding present. Lars was in love with the three horses that had survived and promised to care for them like they were his babies.
Thayde took me completely by surprise and bought a few acres of beachfront land in Bora Bora. Construction commenced the wee
k he bought it and we were looking forward to moving to our new home. Ezen and Tiesa bought a small 2,000 square foot home right next door to us and spent their entire honeymoon there. When it was finally over, they returned to Vero and took Fallyn with them.
I imagine the question on everyone’s mind would be: what was it like being half mermaid and half vampire? It wasn’t so strange. My powers were precise, crystal clear and super-human. I also didn’t need to eat which was a relief as I’d never got entirely used to eating raw fish. I was still somewhat leery of the worms, no matter how much Thayde played it down.
I continued to eat enough for the baby. She grew quickly and by the fifth month, I was waddling around our rental home wishing she’d just arrive already. Don’t get me wrong, being pregnant was wonderful, but the last month was not one I’d care to repeat. No matter how many times people tell you you’re beautiful, it’s hard to believe as you always feel like a turtle that’s been flipped onto its back – legs and flippers desperately rotating as you attempt to extract yourself from everything: a bed, a chair, the car – you name it. What a pain!
My love for Thayde continued to grow, especially since I knew I could survive without him if I had to. It freed me to love without fear. We were rarely apart and with the day of Leigh’s birth nearing, he was never more than a few steps away.
It was the night before Leigh arrived that I found him sitting alone on a large stone in the middle of the garden. The rental house balcony looked down upon its tiny plot of earth and I watched from above as he looked out across the ocean.
Tottering down the wooden steps, I placed both hands underneath my large belly holding Leigh as I walked across the warm grass.
“What are you up to?” I called. He turned, the pale moon highlighting the sharpness of his cheek.
“Come here, baby.” He held up a hand.
“Are you okay?” I asked, as he lifted my hand to his lips.
“Yes,” he pressed my hand to his face. “Just wondering what life will be like with a newborn.”
“I’m sure it’ll be another adventure for us,” I laughed and he smiled up at me. Taking my belly in his hands he lightly rested his forehead against it.
“Are you coming out of there any time soon?” He called. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his head, holding him against me.
“That would be very nice. I already feel like a beached whale.”
“Oh, baloney – you look lovely.”
Taking his face in my hands, I shook my head.
“That’s something everyone says to pregnant women.”
“You’re beautiful,”
“No I’m not,”
“You are. You make a very pretty beached whale.”
“Thanks a lot!” Thayde ducked away from my playful slap and stretched.
“I suppose we should go in.”
Before I could answer, a tiny sound like the ringing of a bell tinkled.
“Did you hear that?” He looked around my enormous belly and stood.
“I did,” I said and the bell tinkled again. “What is that?”
“Fairies,” he answered, pointing to a hibiscus tree. One flower was aglow in soft purple light.
“Fairies?”
“They are extremely shy,” Thayde whispered. “You never see them.”
The light grew as a tiny figure stepped from behind the flower’s petal. I could only see its outline because the light was so bright.
“Hold out your hand,” Thayde instructed.
Suddenly the light sparked as the fairy shot from the flower, alighting on my palm. When she landed, her light dimmed, revealing a fragile, delicate girl. With skin like porcelain, she looked nearly transparent. A pale blue dress made of the tiniest pieces of silk hung loosely on her thin shoulders. Her fragile wings flitted a few times and she jutted her sharp little chin upward as she looked me over.
“Peace to your people,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I am Catie Nicole. I bring a gift for your daughter.”
“Thank you,” I stammered.
“Hold out your hands,” she ordered Thayde and he did as he was told. With a quick flick of a hair-thin wand, a small box presented itself in his hands.
“We eagerly await her birth,” Catie Nicole announced and stepped up into the air, hovering above my hand. “She is a special child.”
“Thank you,” I repeated.
“Peace to your people,” she said and evaporated, leaving a sprinkling of purple glitter in the air.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“That’s unheard of! You never see them!” Thayde’s shock mirrored mine. We looked like codfish.
“What’s in it?” I motioned to the box suddenly remembering we had a gift. He tugged at the white ribbon and dipping his hand into the box, pulled out a figurine. I recognized it immediately – it was the fairy nightlight from Leigh’s room in my dream. The pretty little fairy lay asleep on a mushroom. I remembered her wings lighting, casting a sleepy glow about the room.
“It’s beautiful,” I admired.
Thayde put an arm around my ample waist and kissed the top of my head.
“If the fairies are looking forward to her birth, she will most likely have a relationship with them. Troen was right; she will be a very special child.”
I turned into his chest and rested my head against him. The silver moon shone down through the clouds, lighting us.
“I love you, Thayde.” I murmured, pressing against him, breathing him in.
“I love you, Morgan.”
As if in response, Leigh kicked hard against my stomach, kicking Thayde as well. He rubbed the top of my tummy.
“And you,” he chuckled, “I love you too.”
With that, we walked back up the stairs. Thayde slipped through the glass doors and I paused resting my gaze on the dark ocean. The lazy waves rolled upon the silver sand making it sparkle like diamonds in the moonlight.
I breathed in as deep as Leigh would let me. Her little foot pressed against my stomach – the outline clear as day. I rubbed it and she pulled it back.
I once thought being alone with Thayde would be the best thing we could ask for. I was wrong – being a family would be.
“Babe?” Thayde called from the living room and I turned and walked back to my love.
EPILOGUE
Dreaming. Finally. It’d been a while. I was lying on a beach, the upper half of me on the white sand, the lower half in the blue waves. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the glowing sun was generous in her warmth. I was wearing a brown bikini top that went really well with my skin tone. My hair was long and it spread out all about me in cascading waves.
Looking down the beach, I saw someone walking toward me. As he got closer, I realized it was Thayde. He wore blue shorts. His beautiful pale body set off his dark eyes. When he reached me, he smiled and stopped.
“Hello baby,” he said and knelt next to me.
“Where’ve you been?” I asked, feeling my heart racing in my throat.
“I’ve been with Leigh,” he said and ran a finger down my arm. “She’s so happy we brought her here.”
I wasn’t dreaming. This was very much real life. After Leigh’s birth, we’d brought her to our new home in Bora Bora.
“Are you staying with me?” I asked.
He put one arm under my back and the other under my legs, lifting me. I realized my legs were not there. In their place was my beautiful burgundy tail. Thayde stood and held me close to him.
“Forever,” he said and kissed me as he carried me into the sea. When he was waist deep, he pulled me underwater with him. A blue flash later, he had phased. Holding hands, we swam deeper into the sea.
THE END
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