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

by Dee J. Stone

  “Never mind, Zarya. Where is Mother?”

  Her little tail sways in the water, just as beautiful as the others. She looks a lot like Damarian, and is very adorable. I wish I could give her a hug—it feels like I know her so well.

  Another mermaid emerges from one of the rooms. Kiandra. Her hair and tail are different shades of colors from her kids. I guess their colorings either come from Syren or are a combination of both their genes.

  Like her youngest daughter, she blinks at me. From the expression on her face, I can tell she knows exactly who I am. Moving toward me at a very slow pace, she studies me, her eyes narrowing at my face intently.

  She continues to stare at me.

  One of the twins yells something at Zarya, who is swimming away to one of the deeper tunnels, a shiny object clutched in her hand. The twin zooms after her, continuing to shout, followed by his brother.

  The room is too empty.

  Kiandra seems to snap out of it. “Damarian’s mate.”

  My hand shoots out. “Hi. I’m Cassie.”

  Her eyes dip to my outstretched hand before returning to my face.

  I drop it. I’m so nervous I forgot that merpeople have no idea what a handshake is. I clear my throat, then open my mouth to say something, but then I snap it shut. I have no idea what to say.

  Kiandra moves forward again hesitantly. Slowly, she raises a hand and runs a finger down the front of my hair, her eyes warm and soft. “Damarian’s mate,” she repeats. She turns to Doria. “Where have you discovered her?”

  “Where’s Damarian?” I ask.

  Her head whips to mine. Her face falls. “You have come to search for your beloved.”

  I nod, probably too vehemently.

  Sighing, she turns away from me.

  I glance at Doria. “Seriously, what’s going on? He’s in trouble, isn’t he?”

  Mother and daughter lock eyes on one another. It seems like they’re having their own private conversation through their eyes. After a few seconds, Kiandra looks at me. “Damarian has been captured.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  It feels like the water in the whole ocean has crashed down on me. Breathing heavily through my gills and with my hand on my shuddering heart, I say, “Captured?”

  “By the rebels,” Doria says, her voice flat, though her nostrils flare.

  “How?” I swim closer to them, wishing I could shake all the information out of them. “When?”

  Kiandra looks away. When I bring my eyes to Doria, her face isn’t exactly friendly. “He was captured as he returned home from land. After meeting with you.”

  Not only has the ocean crashed down at me, it slammed my body into the floor of the cave, smashing all my bones. I falter back. He was captured because of me, because he wanted to see me, because he needed to warn me to stay out of the ocean. If not for me, he’d remain in safety with his family until the situation was resolved.

  I cover my face. “I’m so sorry.”

  The room is silent. All I hear are my sobs, and I feel myself sinking. Suddenly, soft hands take hold of my shoulders. “Do not fret,” Kiandra’s voice whispers in my ear.

  Lowering my hands, I say, “I didn’t mean to cause any heartache to your family.”

  She rubs my back. “Fret not, Cassie. Damarian has chosen you as his mate. You are welcome in our home and into our lives.”

  By the way Doria’s looking at me, I’m not sure how welcoming she is.

  I wipe my eyes. “Where have they taken him?”

  “We do not know,” Kiandra says. “We are currently seeking information.”

  “I felt him,” I tell her.

  Her eyebrows shoot up and she stares at me. “You have sensed Damarian?”

  I nod.

  She and Doria exchange a shocked look.

  “We have not been able to sense him,” Doria says.

  “I thought all the merpeople—I mean, the children of the sea—can sense one another, even on land.”

  They both nod. “But we are unable to sense him,” Kiandra says. “Not even Zarya, who shares a close bond with him.”

  “That means…that can’t mean…”

  “He may very well be dead,” Doria says, her voice flat again.

  My mind yells a bitter, aching shout. “No,” I say, backing away. “No…” I don’t need tears to know I’m crying. “I sensed him as I was swimming here. He can’t be dead.”

  They don’t say anything.

  “They want him as king,” I say. “Why would they kill him?”

  “Perhaps they wish to start a new kingdom.” Kiandra shakes her head. “I am afraid the rebels are not even certain as to what they wish.”

  I’m at the floor of the cave. “I feel him,” I urge, begging them to believe that there’s still hope. “He’s alive.”

  Again, mother and daughter exchange a look. “She is his mate,” Doria says.

  I feel someone behind me. I turn my head and find a tall, muscular merman floating near the entrance to the tunnel that leads here. His gaze is on mine. He looks just like Damarian, except his hair is longer, reaching his lower back.

  Syren.

  Like his wife, his hair and tail are different shades than his kids’. I guess that answers my question—the children’s coloring is a mix of the both of them.

  He doesn’t take his eyes off me. The way he looks at me…I don’t know if he wants to wrap his hands around my throat, or pretend like I don’t exist.

  Kiandra looks at him with hope. He shakes his head. He must have been out searching for Damarian, but no luck. My shoulders heave.

  “Father!” Zarya surges out of the room and makes a short stop right in front of him. She holds out that shiny thing, which I now see is a rock. “Look what Syndin has discovered!”

  “It is mine!” One of the twins zips toward her and tries to reach for the rock, but Zarya hides behind her father.

  “You do not have a fondness for such objects!” Zarya says. “I wish to add this to my collection.”

  The kids seem oblivious to what’s going on. That’s probably best.

  “Zarya,” Syren says in a clipped tone. “Syndin. Enough.”

  They stop shouting and slink away. The other twin emerges from the room, coming to a stop near Doria. The three of them stare at the adults in the room.

  “Please leave,” Kiandra says to them.

  With scowls and bent heads, they head toward the tunnels.

  “Cassie has come seeking Damarian,” Kiandra says to her husband.

  “Cassie?” Zarya rushes back. “This is Cassie?”

  “Zar—” Doria starts.

  “You have arrived!” She blasts herself at me, wrapping her tail so tight around me, I feel it pound. “You have arrived! Did you receive my gift? I have received yours. It is most scrumptious. Have you brought more?” She peers at my hands and frowns. “You have not?”

  “Zarya.” Syren’s tone is clipped again.

  She lowers her head and disappears into one of the tunnels with the twins.

  Syren swims over to the table and nods toward the fish. “She must be famished.”

  He’s right—I am. The fish look amazingly appetizing. I don’t think I’ve wanted food this badly before.

  Kiandra motions to the table. “Please eat,” she tells me.

  Doria sits down next to her father. I tentatively swim closer, like I’m approaching one of the Sentinel sharks instead of a merman. I sit down across from Doria. Syren takes a fish, then Doria does. I take a big one. If I was a human, I’d have no idea how to eat this thing. But my mermaid senses must be working overtime, because I know exactly where to begin. As soon as the meat hits my tongue, my whole body moans in pleasure. I never knew fish could taste so good.

  Kiandra swims over to the corner of the room, to a pile of oyster shells. She picks out a small one, places a few fish inside, and goes to the room the kids swam to.

  The only thing left to my fish is the bones. I should be embarrassed ho
w I ate every last bit, but I’m not. I hope that’s because I’m a mermaid. I take another fish.

  Kiandra joins us at the table. We eat silently, the only sounds are our chewing. Finally, Syren drops the bones of his last fish on the table. “You are a child of the sea,” he says to me.

  Suddenly, I lose my appetite.

  “Syren,” Kiandra says.

  “It is not possible.” His eyes flash to mine. “It is an abomination.”

  “She is Damarian’s mate,” Kiandra says, her voice stern. “His mate.”

  Syren yanks his eyes away from me, to the table. He grabs another fish and bites into it.

  “We—we don’t know how,” I say, my voice the shakiest it’s ever been. “It kind of just happened after…after…”

  “You are bonded,” Syren says, clearly not happy.

  I nod.

  He pushes away from the table.

  Kiandra springs up. “It was his wish, Syren!”

  “What a silly fry,” he mumbles, his hands fisting.

  “I do not believe now is the appropriate time to discuss this,” Doria says. She throws her half eaten fish on the floor. “Damarian is captured. There is still hope he is alive.”

  Her parents’ mouths shut. They both look at her, their chests rising and falling heavily.

  Kiandra rests her hand on her husband’s cheek. “Doria is correct.” She nods to me. “Cassie claims she has sensed Damarian.”

  “I sense him now,” I say.

  Syren’s hands relax at his sides. “You are certain you sense him?”

  I nod. “But it’s weak. Like I have a bad signal or something. And I had dreams about him the past few nights.”

  “Explain the dreams.”

  I swallow. “He was calling for me. And the last one…it seemed like he was in a lot of pain. Like he was being hurt. Tortured.”

  “Were you able to see anything?”

  “It was pitch black.”

  He rakes his hands through his hair. “It is as I feared.”

  “The Deep?” Kiandra whispers, her face even more white, if that’s possible.

  Her husband nods, his lips pressed in a firm line.

  “What’s the Deep?” I ask.

  “It is far below,” Doria answers. “Far, far below. Where life is not sustainable for children of the sea.”

  “They have found a way,” Syren murmurs. “It is where they are headquartered. It explains why the Sentinels and Guards were not able to locate them.” He fists his hands again and mutters something under his breath.

  Kiandra fits her fingers through his. “It will be all right.”

  “What do they want with him?” I ask.

  “We are uncertain,” Syren says. He shakes his head. “They are more likely to kill Kiander.”

  I feel my eyes bug out. “They took Kiander, too?”

  All three of them nod. “There was an attack on the palace,” Doria says. “There was a lot of bloodshed. Queen Flora was unharmed.”

  My head is reeling. All of this, the chaos, the war. I feel responsible.

  “I want to save them,” I say.

  They look at me like I fell from the sky and landed in the ocean.

  Syren says, “That is absurd.”

  “You do not know our waters,” Kiandra says, her tone much softer than her husband’s. “You are not a Guard and do not have the ability to fight, nor to defend yourself.”

  “You would be killed,” Syren says. He rests his palms on the table and leans forward. “Even though it is against the queen’s wishes, I have been organizing a private party to locate my sons.” His lips form a straight line. “The Sentinels and Guards failed. I doubt I will be successful, either.”

  “Father—” Doria starts.

  He holds out his hand. “There is no other way.”

  His head whips toward the entrance at the sound of movement. So do Kiandra’s and Doria’s. A few seconds later, someone emerges. Jet black hair, an emerald tail.

  “Kyle?” I rush toward him and fling my arms around him. It feels so good to see a familiar face.

  His arms tighten around me. “What are you doing here?” He pulls free and scans me from top to bottom. “What happened to you?”

  “I know it’s weird. It just happened.”

  “You look great.”

  I hug him again. The last I saw him, he was swimming away, returning home to the Emerald colony. He hadn’t seen his family and friends in two years. A lot of drama happened between us, but I can safely say we’re on good terms now.

  We both realize at the same time that we’re not alone. Turning my head, I see Damarian’s parents and sister watching us with the most puzzled expression on their faces.

  I drop my arms from around him and move a few inches back. Merpeople don’t know what hugs are.

  Kyle faces Damarian’s family, bending his head slightly. “Syren and Kiandra.” He raises his head and nods to Doria.

  The three of them return a nod. “Why have you come here, Kyler?” Syren asks.

  He looks at me, then back at Syren. “I have heard of the arrival of a peculiar child.” He smiles at me. “I knew they were referring to you, Cassie.”

  News about me is traveling that fast it reached the Emerald colony?

  “You’re here for Damarian, aren’t you?” Kyle asks.

  My throat constricts. I nod.

  He faces Syren. “I beg of you. Please, allow me to join.”

  Syren shakes his head. “I will not put you in harm’s way.”

  “There are many of us willing to help.”

  “I will not argue.”

  He throws his hands up. “Do not be stubborn, Syren.”

  Syren sighs, closing his eyes.

  “Please,” Kyle begs.

  Syren turns toward him and nods. “I will meet with Queen Flora and Callen in the morning.”

  Kyle bows his head. “Thank you.” His fingers close over my arm. “May I speak to Cassie in private?”

  “Yes,” Kiandra says.

  He leads me out of the cave and toward an area that is empty. We sit on stones, facing one another. He grins. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Me, too.”

  He marvels at my tail. “How did that happen?”

  I blush. At least, I think I do. It’s hard to tell in the ocean.

  Kyle’s eyes fill with confusion. “What?”

  How exactly do I tell my ex that sleeping with my current boyfriend caused me to turn into one of his people? I scratch the back of my head. “Well…we…we kinda…”

  His eyes widen. “You’re telling me mating with a merman turned you into a mermaid?”

  I shrug. “Looks like it.”

  He shakes his head, dumbfounded. “Wow. That’s crazy. I didn’t know that could happen.”

  I’m pretty sure Damarian didn’t either, because I’m positive he wouldn’t have slept with me. That thought causes my chest to tighten. I’m so glad we took the next step and grew even closer, despite the fact that I turned into a mermaid. If I had the choice to go back in time and change it, I wouldn’t.

  “I didn’t turn you,” he says, rubbing his chin.

  “You weren’t a merman then,” I say.

  He nods. “Yeah, that’s true.” He studies the area around us. “What do you think of my world so far?”

  “It’s okay, I guess. I’m not exactly enjoying it that much, though.”

  He nods again. “I hear you. You’re worried about Damarian.”

  “His sister claims he got captured after meeting me on land. Do you…” I bite my lower lip. “Do you think that’s true?”

  His face fills with regret. “The last time anyone saw him was when he left to go to land. He never returned.”

  “He could be lost somewhere…”

  Kyle shakes his head. “While he was on land, they captured King Kiander.”

  It feels like I swallowed some sand. “How did they capture him?”

  His eyes cast downward. �
�There was a spy in the palace.”

  Every part of me grows numb.

  “You have to understand, Cassie, we are a peaceful race. We don’t have many wars. We haven’t hurt one another since the battle long ago, where the Sapphires lost the crown.”

  My chest hurts. “It’s all my fault.”

  He takes my hand. “Don’t think like that. Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. Damarian stepped down from the throne. It was his decision. Kiander stepped up. They should accept it.”

  “His family thinks he’s dead,” I whisper.

  Kyle hesitates, his face clouded with pain. “Children of the sea can sense one another. Anywhere, anytime. We can’t sense him. Or Kiander.”

  “I can.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You don’t know—”

  “It’s him. I know it is.”

  It looks like he doesn’t know if he believes me, but he nods. “Syren’s been trying to organize a rescue party, to search in the deep ocean. Queen Flora says it’s a suicide mission. We can’t survive down there. If the rebels did indeed take them down there, it’s a good bet they’re not alive anymore.”

  “But the rebels survive,” I point out.

  He raises his shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know, Cassie. I wish I could tell you something positive, but no one knows what’s going on. No one at my colony is talking.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  He looks a little uncomfortable. “Most of the rebels are from the Emerald clan. The Diamond, too, but mostly from the Emerald.” He presses his lips together. “Some of my close friends.”

  “Why?” I nearly shout.

  He shrugs again. “I honestly don’t know. The leader of the rebels, Gyron, has managed to convince most of the others in the colony to follow his cause, that the crown should belong to the true king, Damarian. The Diamonds seem to be split in half, those opposing and those for it. The Rubies are the most peaceful colony. They are fine with the way things are.”

  “And the Sapphires and Violets?”

  He shakes his head again. “They just want Damarian and Kiander returned safe and sound.”

  I wish I could curl into a ball and cry. I didn’t know falling in love with Damarian would cause all this conflict. I just wanted to be happy.