Merman's Touch (Merman's Kiss, Book 2)

by Dee J. Stone

  “I’ve done this before, remember?”

  She holds out her hands. “Let’s calm down and think this through.”

  “There’s nothing to think through. Damarian is in trouble and I’m going to help him.”

  “You’re going into the ocean all by yourself? You’ve never swam that deep before. Who knows what kinds of creatures lurk there!”

  Damarian’s warning to not step foot in the ocean bounces in my mind. I shove it away. I don’t care about the rebels. My merman is in trouble.

  “But you don’t know where the colony is, Cass!”

  “Calm down, okay? I’ll be fine.”

  “You…” She groans. “But.” She groans again. “Damn, you’re so stubborn.” Her expression changes, going from shock and bewilderment to concern, and I see her eyes fill up with tears.

  “Leah…”

  “Don’t be reckless,” she says in a low tone. “I…” She hiccups. “I get that you want to help Damarian, but I can’t let you go. You have no idea what lies there.”

  My own eyes fill with tears. “I love him so much, Leah. So, so much.”

  “I know.”

  “I need to go.”

  She brushes her tears away, not looking at me. “What if you get hurt?” Her gaze shoots to mine. “You’re my best friend.”

  I take her hand. “Would you try to help if you knew I was in trouble? If you heard me shouting in pain?”

  She wipes her nose. “Of course I would!”

  “Now you understand why I need to go down there.”

  With more tears escaping her eyes, she pulls me into her arms. “I’m just so scared something will happen to you.”

  I squeeze my arms around her. “I know. I’m scared, too. But I need to do this.”

  She nods, sniffing.

  “I’ll come back as soon as I can.” I pull back and look into her eyes. “I’m tougher than you think.”

  “I know you are.” She laughs lamely and wipes her eyes again. “I suck at goodbyes.”

  “It’s not goodbye,” I tell her. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  She nods.

  I get up and peer at the water. My throat constricts. I have no idea what lies in the deep ocean, but Damarian needs me. I need to be strong, for him. For us.

  Leah takes hold of the hem of my skirt. “Good luck.”

  I place my hands over hers. “Thanks.” Winking at her, I raise my arms and dive into the ocean.

  As soon as I hit the salt water, the familiar pain engulfs me. I twist and flail around, biting hard on my lip and begging for it to stop. When it does, I find myself floating in the ocean, moving along with the current. Like before, the coolness of the water feels good against my skin and fills me with energy, nourishing me. I close my eyes as I soak it all in.

  “Cassie?” Leah calls.

  I swim to the surface.

  She sighs in relief. “Good, you’re a mermaid. I mean, not good, but…I mean…” She shakes her head. “I’ll shut up now.”

  I laugh lightly, then swim closer, putting my hands on the edge of the boat. Leah’s gaze dips to my webbed hand. She hesitantly puts hers on top of it. “I’ll be okay,” I tell her.

  She nods unsurely. “Okay. But if a shark wants to eat you or something, punch it in the balls.”

  I laugh. “As if I know where its balls are.”

  She laughs, too.

  “Thanks for everything, Leah.”

  “No. This sounds like goodbye.”

  I hold back the tears threatening to pool in my eyes. What if this is the last time I see her? Damarian warned me to stay out of the ocean, and I’m deliberately putting myself in harm’s way.

  Not wanting to dwell on it, I say, “See you soon,” and dive into the water.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I don’t know where I’m going, but my tail steers me deeper into the ocean. As the surface draws farther away, I know I should feel like an alien, and a part of me does—the human part. But the mermaid part feels like I returned home.

  Last time, Damarian was with me, sharing the excitement as I experienced swimming in the ocean for the first time as a mermaid. Now I’m alone. Alone and afraid.

  I swim past the fish and other ocean life. Like the last time I was in the ocean, I hear the humming sound from all the fish. At any other time, I would stop or slow down to watch and study this amazing, beautiful world. But Damarian needs me.

  My heart thumps as I look to my right and left. Anyone can be lurking around. Rebels. I swallow and keep swimming. I won’t give up on Damarian, no matter how nervous or scared I am.

  Goose bumps crawl over my skin. Damarian—I feel him. It’s so much stronger than when I was on land. I spread out my arms and close my eyes, scrunching my eyebrows as I concentrate on the pulse going through my body. I don’t feel anything else. I can’t sense if he’s hurt.

  I speed up. After what feels like hours but is probably only minutes due to my pacing, I raise my head and see I’m far from the surface. The area is darker and the temperature is colder, but a nice, welcoming cool. Am I closer to the merpeople colony?

  I twist my neck around, scanning the area. That’s when I see two dolphins a few feet away. I swim toward them. They squeak when they see me, one rolling over on its back while the other spins around me.

  “Hey,” I greet.

  The one spinning around me, who is slightly bigger than the other, stops and nudges its beak into my palm. The other continues to squeak, rolling on its back again. I smile. I’ve always wanted to swim with dolphins. I do a small dive and a somersault. The dolphins squeak again and do their own somersaults.

  I laugh and rub the top of their heads. “Do you know where the Sapphire colony is?”

  They flap their flippers and nod. They motion for me to follow them and they take off. I hurry after them. They lead me farther into the ocean, flanking me on either side. The temperature drops.

  I try to push away the fear pricking my nerves. I’m getting closer to the merpeople colony. How will they react to me? I’m pretty sure it’s not common for a human-turned-mermaid to drop by. And the thing that scares me more is Damarian’s family. What will they say when they see me? What if they don’t like me?

  When I see something large and dark in the distance, I ask my tour guides to stop. The thing’s moving closer. I falter back. Then I realize what it is. A blue whale. It’s huge. I can’t help but gawk. Blue whales are the largest mammals in the ocean. It swims past me, its tail sweeping behind and creating a whooshing sound like I’m in a giant washing machine. It’s like I’m standing in front of a ship.

  It’s so amazing.

  One of the dolphins squeaks. I nod. “Let’s continue.”

  We must be pretty deep in the ocean. I see fish I’ve never seen before in my life, so colorful and bright. The coral here is exquisite. I don’t realize my pace has slowed until one of the dolphins swims back to me and nudges me. Nodding, I speed up.

  We swim for a little while before the dolphins come to a halt. They squeak and point their beaks in the distance, to a gap between two large rocks. My heart starts to race. The Sapphire colony must be there.

  I rub the top of their heads. “Thanks.”

  Our pleasure.

  My hands freeze. Did they just speak to me?

  They flap their flippers again and zoom away. I watch them until they’re out of sight, then slowly turn toward the rocks. There it is—Damarian’s home. His family. His life.

  Taking in a large gulp of water and letting it out slowly, I swim toward it. As soon as I’m out of the rocks, all I see are fish and sharks. Lots of sharks. I saw a few sharks on my journey here, but not like this. There are all different species here, hammerheads, blue sharks, great whites, bull sharks. And tiger sharks. The image of Kayla’s bloody body and severed arm flickers in my mind. My stomach clenches. It feels like years since I left land. I miss it already.

  I convince myself that the sharks won’t hurt me and swi
m forward. It’s as though I tripped an alarm, because at once the sharks surge toward me. I stumble back and whimper. I do a one-eighty and am about to dive back through the hole, but sharks block me.

  A large bull shark stops before me, its intense eyes gazing into mine. I swallow. If I was human, I’m pretty sure I would feel sweat breaking out at every area I have sweat glands.

  It opens its mouth, revealing razor-sharp, deadly teeth.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The only thing that enters my head is: I’m going to die.

  I find myself inching away, but I’m surrounded by sharks. Large and small, deadly-looking and even more deadly-looking. I would scream, but my vocal chords must be frozen.

  The bull shark snaps its mouth open and closed. I flinch and cover my face with my arms. Hopefully, the bite will be quick and fast, but who am I kidding? I saw the way Kayla looked after the attack.

  No. I won’t go down without a fight. I drop my hands and fist them.

  They fly to my temples when I feel something scratching the inside of my head. Who is trespassing?

  I blink at the shark. Did it…?

  I said, who is trespassing?

  Holy crap. The shark is talking to me. I feel its voice in my head.

  Answer me!

  Two large blue sharks float on either side of the bull, their intense eyes on me. I try to open my mouth to say something, but I can’t move. Those teeth…they look really sharp.

  Looks like a child, the blue shark says, I do not recognize the tail.

  Neither do I, the other one says.

  I look down at my tail. It’s not the same shade as Damarian’s. They noticed. Does that mean they’ll kill me?

  “I’m here to see the Sapphire clan,” I say.

  The bull shark exchanges looks with the others. When they look back at me, they have murder in their eyes. My heart hammers in my head. Either they don’t give a damn about what I said, or they don’t believe me.

  “Damarian of the Sapphire clan,” I say.

  The bull shark moves closer. We do not recognize you. We will kill you.

  Tears form in my eyes. I know I won’t feel them on my cheeks. They’ll drip into the water, their salt mixing in with the salt of the ocean.

  Damarian. I came here to save him. I risked my life for him. And this is my fate? To die by these sharks?

  “Please,” I say. “You have to hear me out. Damarian’s in trouble. I came to help him. I know my tail is different, but I—”

  The bull shark lunges at me, and just as I’m about to yell the loudest one I’ve ever yelled in my life, I hear someone shout, Stop!

  All the sharks turn around. A small shark, a baby, swims toward me. A great white.

  “Fiske!” I say, my whole body sagging with relief. Damarian introduced me to him a few weeks ago. I’ve never been so happy to see a shark before in my life.

  The bull narrows its eyes. What do you want, pup?

  Fiske swims closer to me and nudges my hand so I touch the top of its head, feeling the familiar rough surface. What are you doing here, Cassie?

  I don’t know if I can communicate with him without using my mouth. Concentrating hard, I think in my head, Do you know where Damarian is? He hasn’t been to land in a few days and I’m worried he’s in trouble.

  I’m not an expert on shark expressions, but it seems as though Fiske’s eyes fill with regret.

  What? I ask, dread soaking my body. Is he hurt?

  Fiske turns toward the bull shark. This is the friend of Damarian of the Sapphire clan. It would be in your best interest not to harm her.

  She is not of the sea. She does not belong. She must be eliminated.

  My throat chokes up.

  The Sapphire clan would have you executed. Fiske turns back to me. Come. I will bring you to the Sapphire clan.

  I feel like jumping in the air and saying “I’m free! I’m saved! I won’t die!” But I rub the top of Fiske’s head and say, Thanks.

  The bull shark and Fiske give each other death glares. I grab onto Fiske’s fin and let him draw me away, deeper into the ocean. When there’s a good distance between us, I say, “What the hell are they?”

  Sentinels. All the creatures that come or go must pass through them first.

  That’s how the merpeople manage to stay hidden from humans. Other than the fact that they are deep in the ocean, the sharks won’t let anyone get past them. If not for Fiske…I’d be a dead fish.

  I am in training to be a Sentinel, Fiske says. Most do not believe I am fit for the job because of my age. But I will prove them wrong. I swear he’s giving me a smug smile.

  “That’s great,” I say, my head spinning. All this…I can’t wrap my head around it.

  The area we’ve been swimming through has been mostly empty, with just fish and coral, but soon enough, I see them, and I stop dead in my tracks. Mermaids and mermen, with different tails. Oh my God. I’m actually here in the ocean with merpeople.

  A young couple stops swimming and stares at me. Others do, too. They all look at my tail, their eyes and mouth wide. I feel like the spotlight is shining on me.

  The Sapphire clan is this way. Fiske gestures to the left, where I see a large cave. Gulping in some more water, I follow him inside. When we emerge out of the other end, I nearly lose my head. All around me are sapphire tails. Mermaids and mermen of all different ages, swimming around. In the distance, I see many more caves. They talk and laugh and eat fish. They’re all so beautiful.

  Each and every one of their tails is a different shade of sapphire. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is. They all have golden hair, but again, each a different shade. The only thing identical about them is their eyes—they are all deep blue.

  There are also a few great white sharks around, though most aren’t swimming, just floating in place. Like they’re on guard.

  “Cassie?”

  I look to my right and find Doria next to a girl who seems to be around her age. Two boys with the same face are swimming around her, chasing each other. They have the same color hair and tail as her. They must be Damarian’s twin brothers, Syd and Syndin.

  Damarian’s family. I can’t believe I’m here.

  Doria’s gaping at my tail, her jaw practically sweeping the bottom of the ocean. “Your legs…” Her eyes move to mine. “You are a child of the sea?”

  The boys stop playing and gape, too. So does her friend. If I were a turtle, I’d hide in my shell.

  “Um…yeah,” I say lamely.

  The four of them continue to stare at me. Fiske stays silent by my side. Some of the nearby merpeople stare, too.

  I swim forward. “Where’s Damarian, Doria?”

  She hesitates. The twins exchange a glance with each other, then with their sister. Even Doria’s friend looks uncomfortable.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You should not have come,” Doria says, her tone dead serious. We haven’t had that much interaction, and I wouldn’t call us friends, but I’ve never heard her talk like this.

  “Why?” I move closer. “Because of the reb—”

  “No!” She holds out her hands and looks at me like I told her humans are about to invade the ocean. “Do not speak it.”

  Syd and Syndin’s eyes are the widest I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ve seen them before. Doria’s friend looks like she’s about to pass out.

  “Come,” Doria says, grabbing one of the twin’s arms and throwing him over her back. She looks at me. “Follow me.”

  I swim forward, then twist my head back toward Fiske. His eyes are on me. I give him a thankful nod, and he returns it before leaving.

  Doria is a good distance away. As I try to catch up, I watch the way her sapphire tail pumps behind her. The matching, smaller tail of the twin on her back floats just above hers. His arms are locked around her neck in a tight hold. The other twin holds her hand as they speed toward the direction where I imagine their house is.

  There is beautiful coral all arou
nd me and many caves. Do the merpeople live in them? I don’t see any fish around, or crabs, or other creatures. Damarian told me when we first met that he, his father, and brother went out hunting for food. I wish I could slow down and admire everything, but Doria is moving way too fast.

  When I finally reach them, she has slowed down, her gaze pasted on the spot in front of her. I follow it. There’s a cave. Two large great white sharks guard it on each side. Their eyes are bolted on me.

  “Is that…where you live?” I ask.

  Doria’s eyes stay on the cave for a few more seconds before she turns to me. “You should not have come.”

  My heart and stomach twist. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  She looks at my tail. “I do not understand how it is possible.” She tightens her hold on the twin and moves a little closer to the cave. “Father and Mother will want to speak with you.”

  I freeze. Damarian’s parents. I knew coming to the merpeople colony meant I would meet his parents, his family, but now it’s becoming a reality. What if they don’t like me? Syren’s not exactly my biggest fan. But I need to push my selfish thoughts aside and focus on the reason I’m here: to help Damarian. Syren liking me is at the bottom of the ladder.

  Doria swims toward the entrance and motions for me to follow. My gaze is locked on the two sharks, who don’t look too happy to see me.

  “They will not harm you,” Doria says.

  Taking a deep breath, I follow closely behind her as we enter the cave. There is no door, just an opening that seems to lead to a deep tunnel. When we reach the end of it, I find myself in a large, open space. There isn’t much in here, just a stone table with matching chairs. Some fish lie on top of the table. Further down, I see other tunnels. I guess rooms.

  “Mother,” Doria calls.

  I swallow, my heart beating so fast I swear it’s about to bullet out of my chest.

  Someone emerges out of one of the tunnels. But it’s not Kiandra. It’s a young mermaid, with the same color hair and tail as Damarian and Doria.

  Zarya.

  It seems like she’s about to launch herself at Doria or the twins, but she stops dead in her tracks and blinks at me. “Who is our guest?”