by Dee J. Stone
Damarian nuzzles his nose into the side of my face. “Are you all right?”
I nod, my heart beating rapidly, my head spinning. “I forgot how painful it is.”
He kisses my temple. “Will it be safe if we return to land?”
We usually swim to an area on the beach where most people don’t venture to, a place with a lot of rocks. I hope no one will be there now. I squeeze his hand. “Let’s try.”
With our hands interlocked, we dive into the water and swim toward the shore. As we pass the many fish and other sea life, I hear humming. In my mermaid form, I can communicate with fish, too. Since there are many around, it’s impossible to make out what they’re saying.
The swim to the beach takes only a few minutes. We slow down when we get closer and strain our eyes. There are a few people still there. I lead Damarian to the rocks and sigh in relief when I don’t see anyone around. He gives me a light push as I try to climb onto the sand and crawls next to me. We gather some sand and bury our tails as much as possible in case someone wanders over.
Damarian takes me in his arms. The pain will start soon. Before I changed into a mermaid, I loved holding him in my arms and comforting him as he writhed in agony. The fact that we can comfort each other makes the pain more bearable.
My eyes shut tight as the fiery sensation overtakes me. When it’s over, I’m left sweaty and panting and exhausted.
We lie on the sand for a few minutes, allowing our bodies to recover from the transformation. Then we scout the beach for clothes. People are always leaving things around. I find a towel a few feet away from the rocks and wrap it around myself. Damarian sweeps something off the sand. A Speedo. He hands it to me.
I shake my head, holding back a giggle. “That’s for men, Damarian.”
He looks at me with a horrified expression. “This small garment is for a man?”
Covering my mouth to hide another giggle, I nod.
“I do not understand how one can wear such a tight garment.” He flings it away. “I shall search for a more suitable item.”
Still trying to stifle a laugh, I tell Damarian to wait here while I look for something. The last thing we need is someone yelling at him for running around the beach naked.
Scanning the area, I find a small towel, a pair of flip-flops, sunglasses, and suntan lotion. All useless. Checking further, I see women’s pale blue shorts. Damarian wore pink ones the time he came back from the ocean the first time, when he couldn’t stop thinking about me. I remember how shocked and happy I was, because I couldn’t stop thinking about him, either. I pluck them out of the sand and make my way to Damarian.
His eyebrows furrow when he sees what’s in my hand. “Sorry, I couldn’t find anything else,” I tell him.
“It is all right.”
These are a bigger size than the pink ones, but he still looks ridiculous. When he sees me trying to hold back from laughing, he hauls me to his chest. He plants a deep kiss on my lips, and before he can pull away, my fingers dig into the back of his head and I pull his mouth closer, savoring the feeling of his warm lips against mine. He sighs contently, dropping to the sand with me on top of him, the kiss growing more urgent, rougher.
“These human desires,” he mutters between kisses.
Our hands are all over each other as we continue to kiss as though we haven’t kissed in a million years. No matter how many times our lips touch, it always feels like the first time. Special, enticing, passionate. I’ll never get sick of this.
When we come apart, Damarian buries his face in my hair. “I love you, Cassie.”
“I love you, too.”
He pecks my lips one more time before getting up and holding his hand out for me. I realize the towel has slid off my body. Glancing around, I’m relieved to find no little kids here. I adjust it around myself, then let Damarian haul me off the ground. He does it with so much force that I nearly fall. Merpeople are stronger than humans, since they need a lot of strength to swim in the ocean. Some of that strength seems to travel over when he changes into a human. But it’s not the case with me. I guess that’s because his true form is a merman while mine is a human.
“Forgive me, Cassie,” he says.
I wave my hand. “It’s okay. I guess we need to get used to the differences between being humans and being merpeople.”
Taking his hand, I lead him to my house, which is about ten minutes away. When we’re standing before the front door, I realize I only have a towel on me. No clothes, no keys. I rub my forehead. This is just great.
Damarian watches as I check under the welcome mat, in the flower pots, and in the mailbox. Nothing. “What is the matter?” he asks.
“I don’t have a key. I guess I can call Leah…not that I have a phone. We can stop by her house…” My eyes catch sight of the kitchen window, which is slightly open. “Hey, give me a boost.” He puts his hands around my middle and raises me off the ground. I stick my hands underneath the window and try to heave it open. It’s stuck. I jiggle it around, but it doesn’t budge. Mustering up all my energy and groaning, I continue trying to push it open. All of the sudden, it crashes open, and I’m knocked back into Damarian. We tumble to the ground. I hear clattering inside the house, like dishes fell to the floor.
I rub my head as I sit up. What was that? Glancing at Damarian, I see he’s bewildered, too.
A light turns on in my house. I scamper back and knock into Damarian again, my heart rate speeding up. Someone is inside.
A head peeks out of the window. Chin-length, dyed red hair.
“Mom?” I jump to my feet. “What are you doing home?”
She squints at us. “Cassie?”
The expression on her face is anything but welcoming.
Chapter Three
“Where have you been?!”
Standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, I’ve never seen my mother so mad before.
“I came home to an empty house and couldn’t find you anywhere. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?!”
I look at Damarian, feeling my cheeks grow warm. I don’t know when the last time Mom shouted at me like this was.
“Mom, we were just away for a few days—”
“A few days? Try two weeks! You didn’t leave a note or message with me or your father! Leah told me you went away with Damian, though she didn’t know where. How could you be so irresponsible?”
Two weeks? I thought I was in the ocean for a few days, a week tops. But two weeks?
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t realize—”
“Are you wearing a towel, Cassie?” She looks me up and down. “You’re naked under there?” Her eyes move to Damarian. “And what the hell are you wearing?”
Some neighbors are looking out their windows. I think they’re more shocked with my mom’s yelling than with what Damarian and I are wearing, but still all I want to do is crawl into a cave and hide until Mom calms down.
“Can we talk about this inside?” I ask.
Her hands are still on her hips, but she seems to appear a little more relaxed now. She throws the door open and mutters, “Maybe you two should put some clothes on,” as she marches inside.
Damarian and I exchange a glance. He looks scared for his life. I pat his hand. “Don’t worry. She’ll calm down soon.”
Mom told me before I left for the ocean that she was planning on coming home for a week. I totally forgot about it. I’m so happy to see her, but I don’t know what to do about the salt water situation. Damarian’s not the only one who needs it, now that I’m a mermaid, too.
We race to my room and quickly get dressed. When we return downstairs, we find Mom standing at the kitchen counter. It looks as though she’s preparing dinner.
She turns around to face us, a knife in her hand. “Either of you care to explain?”
Damarian and I exchange a glance again. I’m at a loss for words. I planned on telling Mom about Damarian being a merman, but I’m a mermaid, too. I doubt she’ll take the news well
. And considering her pissed-off state, I’m pretty sure now is not the right time. Not to mention I need to figure out the best approach to tell her, if telling her even is the right option.
I do something I’ve always hated to do to my mom. I lie. “We, um…” I play with my hair as I try to come up with an excuse that makes the most sense. “Damar—I mean, Damian—won a free trip to um…Mexico. Yeah, to Mexico. So we went there.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Mexico?”
I nod, trying not to swallow.
“Did your cell phone stop working in Mexico?”
“There were thieves,” Damarian says.
Both Mom and I stare at him.
“Thieves?” Mom asks, incredulous.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice wavering a bit. “Someone stole all our bags.”
She returns to her work. “Mexico, thieves. I guess they stole the clothes you were wearing, too?”
I sigh. “Mom, it’s a long story and we’d rather not talk about it.” That’s not entirely a lie. The past few days have been tough.
She faces us again and shakes her head. “I don’t like this, Cass. Going away on vacation without telling anyone, not calling when you were mugged? Don’t they have police in Mexico?”
I bite down on my bottom lip.
Her gaze moves to Damarian. “I told you I’d only let Damian live here with you if you were responsible.”
“We are being responsible, Mom!” If only she knew what went down in the ocean, how we risked our lives.
“Maybe you need to come live with me in New York.”
New York? Mom’s apartment isn’t near the ocean and she doesn’t have a pool I can fill with salt water. If I don’t swim every so often, I’ll die.
“You’re legally an adult,” Mom says. “But maybe what you need in your life right now is an authority figure. I’m sure you can apply to some of the colleges there. Maybe find a job.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Damarian steps forward. “I apologize, Joanie Price. It is I who convinced Cassie to accompany me to travel to…Me…Me…forgive me, to the location we traveled to.”
I fold my arms. “I don’t mean to be rude, Mom, but there’s a lot going on in my life right now. A lot of things you don’t know about.”
“Such as?”
My mouth clamps shut. Such as the fact that I’m a mermaid and need to swim in salt water. How I’m sort of married to a merman and need to deal with things in the ocean, like rebel merpeople who want my mate to be their king. How they almost killed me because of that.
But I don’t say any of that. I can’t. Would she believe me? And if she did, would she let me go back to the ocean?
“I’m trying to do the right thing here, Cass.”
“The right thing for you to do is trust me.”
She eyes Damarian again. “Ever since you’ve been seeing him, you’ve been different.”
I drop my hands to my sides. “Don’t blame Damian for any of this.”
“She is correct,” Damarian says, his eyes apologetic and full of guilt. “It is due to our meeting that—”
I motion him to keep quiet. “No,” I whisper. “Don’t ever think that. Ever. I don’t regret any of this. I swear.”
He steps closer and stares into my eyes. “Are you certain? I feel so much guilt for causing all of this.” He brings his lips to my ear. “For almost causing your death.”
I run my fingers across his cheek. “We’ll talk about this later, okay?” I turn to Mom, who’s wearing the most confused expression I’ve ever seen on a person. “You need to trust me, okay? You can’t force me to come live with you in New York. My life is here. Damian and Leah are here, and I plan on attending the community college here.”
“Community college? Texas is out?”
“Yes.”
She purses her lips. “When did you decide this?”
“Um…”
“I know I don’t live with you anymore, but you need to tell me what you are doing. You’re an adult, but you are very, very young.”
“I know, Mom. And I do want to discuss my plans with you. Just…a lot has happened these past few days and…”
“Are you pregnant?”
“What? No!”
“You didn’t run off to get an abortion, did you?”
“Mom! I’m not, nor was I ever, pregnant.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “All right.” She holds out her hands. “I don’t know what else I can say.” She looks at Damarian again. “What about that interview for the construction job? Damian blew it off.”
I gnaw on my bottom lip again. “Something came up.”
“You two need to be responsible. If you want to live together as adults, you need to act like adults.”
“We will, Mom. I promise.”
Not that I have any idea how we’re supposed to juggle our human lives and merpeople ones. I puff out some air. Both are just as important. I want to remain a human, so living permanently in the ocean is not an option. But I won’t take Damarian’s merman life away from him, either. I can’t forget the fact that there are still rebels down there. I won’t let Damarian abandon his family and friends.
Nothing will be easy.
Mom nods toward the table. “Sit down. You two must be famished.”
She’s right. I didn’t realize I’m starving. She sets before us pasta salad, vegetable soup, and sweet and sour chicken. Damarian and I dig in like we’ve been stranded in the middle of a desert for the past two weeks.
Mom joins us, and the conversation moves to more pleasant matters, like her life in New York. “Did you meet anyone?” I ask, downing a glass of orange juice. “You promised you’d try to meet a guy there.”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
My ears perk up.
Laughing, she says, “Nothing serious, Cass.”
It doesn’t matter, this is great news. After the divorce, Mom refused to date. I worried she wasn’t over my dad. Maybe she still isn’t, but I’m so glad she’s trying to move on with her life.
“And how have you two been?” Mom asks.
“Great,” I say.
Mom leans toward Damarian. “We never really had a chance to chat. Where are you from originally?”
Damarian’s worried eyes flit to mine.
“Europe,” I say.
“Interesting. What country?”
“Um, he doesn’t really know. He was born here, then moved to Europe, and when his parents died, he was brought back here and lived in a foster home.”
I’m surprised at how easy the lie comes out.
Damarian sits as stiff as my surfboard.
Mom rubs his hand. “I’m sorry to hear about your parents. Was it difficult growing up with a foster family?”
Damarian’s eyes move to me again, his face alarmed. He probably has no idea what a foster family is.
“He doesn’t really like to talk about it, Mom,” I say.
She nods. “I understand.”
“Forgive me,” Damarian says, lowering his head.
“It’s okay, hun.” She rubs his hand again. “You’re sweet. I know you’ve been good to Cassie.”
His eyes shine as he gazes at me. “I very much love your daughter, Joanie Price. I will love her for all eternity.”
“Oh, please call me Joanie. And that is so romantic.” She narrows her eyes. “Your accent…it doesn’t sound European.”
My leg twitches. “Mom, please.”
She leans back. “Okay, okay.” She raises her eyebrows. “You two will be sleeping in Cassie’s room?”
“Mom!” My face is scorching.
“I will sleep in the guest room if it will put you at ease,” Damarian offers.
“That is very considerate of you, Damian. I know you guys have been sleeping together, but it would make me feel more comfortable if you slept in separate rooms during my stay.”
Damarian nods. I internally groan.
***
This s
ucks. Damarian and I have been separated for days, and we’re finally together again. Now we’re forced to sleep in separate rooms. I know we’ve spent the last two days practically attached by the tails, but it’s not enough. No matter how much time we spend with each other, I feel like I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg. There is still so much to learn about him, so much to discover. I thought we’d have privacy in my house, but it looks like I was wrong. Not that I’m upset my mom is home. I just wish we could have more time to ourselves.
I can’t sleep. Checking the time, I see it’s one AM. My hand rubs the spot next to me, where Damarian should be. I miss him. That’s crazy. I said good night to him less than two hours ago, after he, Mom, and I watched a movie. Maybe it’s the bond we have. I can feel him. It makes me wish he were lying next to me right now.
My eyes snap open when I hear a light rap on the door, followed by, “Cassie, it is I.”
I flick on my bedside lamp and scramble off my bed, opening the door. My whole body fills with joy at the sight of him, as if I haven’t seen him in months. “Hey,” I whisper. “We said we’d meet at three to sneak to the beach for a swim.”
“Yes, but I cannot sleep.”
“Why?”
He pulls me into the hallway and puts his hands on my waist, gently pushing me against the wall. “Because you are not next to me,” he says softly in my ear.
Those words cause my stomach to clench and heat to pool all over me. I slide my hands up his back until they tangle in his hair. “I can’t sleep, either,” I tell him, before my mouth closes over his. He lifts me a few feet off the floor and I wrap my legs around his middle. His lips trail down my throat, and I throw my head back as he works his magic on my skin.
He walks into my room and closes the door behind him. He sits down on my bed with me on his lap, my legs still wrapped around him. As he shifts over to a more comfortable position, something crashes to the floor. “Shh,” I say against his lips. “Mom’s room is right under us.”
“Your mother is a kind woman,” Damarian says between kisses. “But I wish she were not present at the moment.”
