by Dee J. Stone
“Damian?”
“Oh. I’m not sure. Probably soon.”
“You’ll be fine alone?”
“Yeah. No problem.”
Her eyes stay on me for a few seconds before she leans forward and kisses the top of my head. She plays with my hair.
“What?” I ask.
She smiles, a bit of sadness in her eyes, though there’s pride in them, too. “Nothing, sweetie. Just, you’re growing up. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I say, my voice low and laced with guilt. I need to tell her everything, and I want to. But she’s leaving and I can’t drop such a big bomb on her when she’ll be miles away. I want her to enjoy her life in New York without having to worry about her daughter who is half a fish. Now’s not the right time. I don’t know if there ever will be a “right time,” but I can’t tell her now.
“Let’s do something fun tonight,” I say. “Just the two of us. What do you say?”
She smiles. “I’d love to.”
***
My legs swing back and forth as I sit on the biggest rock on the beach. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but I do know one thing: Damarian is coming home tonight. I can’t explain how I know, I just do. It’s a strong feeling in my heart.
But as my eyes start to droop, I wonder if all of this is in my head. Maybe I miss Damarian so much that I think I feel him. I’m not an expert on this whole mermaid “sensing” thing. I could wait for him all night and he’d never show up.
The salt-water-filled wind sweeps across my face. I close my eyes and tilt my face toward it. Every part of me yearns to dive into the water and feel the nurturing sea water on my skin, but it wouldn’t be smart. I don’t know what the situation is like with the rebels, and I don’t want to put myself at risk.
My whole body perks up as goose bumps crawl over my skin. He’s here.
I scramble to my feet and strain my eyes toward the water. I don’t see anything but the waves. I stand on my tippy toes and stretch my neck as far as it can go, hoping to see any slight movement in the ocean. But nothing.
I fall back on my heels and puff out a frustrated breath. Could it be this is all still in my head? My fingers itch to run over Damarian’s strong arms and hard chest. I want to feel his soft, warm, passionate lips against mine. I dream of hearing his romantic whispers in my ear, to feel his gentle hands as they touch all the sensitive parts of my body.
“Come back to me, my merman,” I whisper. “My Damarian.”
I am here, my sweet Cassie.
His voice echoes in my head. My body perks up again. “Damarian?”
I hear the sound of his tail pumping as he surges through the ocean. I falter back and my eyes widen. I can hear his movements from such a distance? Is it because of our connection?
My eyes flit across the ocean, checking right and left, and all over. I bounce in my place. Where is he, where is he? Finally, I hear splashing. I fall to my knees and peer over the rock. Damarian’s head surfaces, and it’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
“Hey, handsome,” I call.
He waves both arms. “Hello, my beautiful Cassie!”
He ducks back into the water. That’s when I see Fiske, Shoney, and the other two sharks behind him. I wave to them, and they nod in acknowledgment before swimming away. I gather my bag and rush to the tide to meet Damarian. When I get there, he’s already heaving his body out of the water. I drop the bag and fling myself at him. He catches me in his arms, and the force is so strong that we roll into the ocean.
“Crap, sea water!” I totally forgot.
I lie back and brace for the shooting pain. It doesn’t come. Instead, I get this weird tingly sensation running up and down my body. It’s different from the one I always get when I shift. It feels like when my foot falls asleep, the pins and needles. But it’s all over me, crawling like ants.
Damarian is still, his eyes wider than the largest rock on the beach.
“What?” I ask, dread nestling in the pit of my stomach.
He’s gaping at my arms. I lower my gaze and release a small yelp. Scales cover my arms, a bluish, greenish, grayish color. When my eyes move a little lower, to my tail, I let out another yelp. My tail is different. It’s not the beautiful shade of sapphire that is unique to me. It’s dark gray. And I have no fin, just a pointy end.
I scamper back, my elbows dragging across the wet sand.
A burning sensation overtakes me, one I’ve gotten to know so well. I collapse on the ground and shut my eyes tight as I writhe in agony. When it’s over and my eyes open, I see my tail is back to normal—sapphire—and when I examine my arms, I see those scales are no longer there.
“Cassie?” Damarian is a few feet away from me, his hand raised like he wants to touch me but is terrified.
“I…” I croak. “I…”
He drags himself closer and takes me in his arms, hesitantly at first. When he sees I’m back to me and no longer…that, his arms tighten around me. “What has happened?”
My throat is parched. I swallow a few times, but it doesn’t help. I’m trembling. “I…I don’t know.”
Damarian rubs his hands down my back and my arms. Though his touch is just as sweet and gentle as usual, his eyes look spooked. When he sees how bad I’m shaking, he rummages through the bag and produces a large towel. He holds me close against his chest and wraps it around us. I bury my face in his shoulder, soaking up the warmth and comfort he’s providing me. What the hell is going on with me? When I gaze into Damarian’s face, I see he’s bursting to ask me a million questions, but he doesn’t. He most likely wants to comfort me first.
My nails claw into his arms as the pain hits. Damarian squeezes me tighter as he groans out. His palms are flat against my back, though they dig into my skin. But not enough to hurt me. Fighting through the pain, I raise my face and bring my lips to his. They welcome me, and our mouths push against each other, hard, rough, trying to blot out the excruciating invisible flames devouring the lower half of our bodies.
When the pain stops, our lips come apart. We’re panting and sweaty and our eyes can barely stay open. Damarian cups my cheek. “Are you all right?”
I nod. My head slumps against his chest and his rests on mine. His heart is racing a million times a minute. I touch my heart, feeling it racing just as fast.
“What has happened to you?” he finally asks.
I swallow the tears forming in my eyes. “Is it possible…that my body is rejecting being a mermaid?”
He places his hands on my shoulders and gently pushes me away, tucking his hand under my chin and lifting my face so our eyes meet. “To what are you referring?”
I swallow a few more times. “This isn’t…it’s not the first weird thing that’s happened to me.”
Worry skips across his face. “Please, inform me of these occurrences.”
I tell him about the pressure I felt in my ears when I was in the ocean and how I heard voices in my head. How I was frozen in the water and could only move once that dolphin touched me. I also tell him about the dream I had last night.
Now there’s more than worry on his face. Fear, uncertainty, and confusion have joined. “I have never witnessed such a thing.”
“Could it be a side effect from becoming a mermaid?” I ask. “Or is my body rejecting my being a mermaid?”
Damarian shoves his hand through his hair. The strands are still a bit wet, and for a second I think he might shift again. But he doesn’t. He lets out a long breath. “I have heard of no such occurrence, but I have never encountered another human who has shifted into a child of the sea.”
His eyes look so panicked and freaked out. I feel guilty. I take his hand and squeeze it tenderly. “Hey, don’t worry about me, okay? I’m fine.” I gesture to my body. “See? Totally normal. My body probably still needs some time to get used to all of these changes. It’s been through a lot.”
Damarian’s eyebrows crease and his lips are set in a firm line.
/> I kiss the back of his hand. “You’re tired. I’m tired. Let’s go home to my comfy bed and fall asleep in each other’s arms.”
He doesn’t say anything. His eyes are focused on the dark water.
“Damarian?”
He snaps out of his trance and turns his head to me. His eyes still look pained.
“Please don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Maybe something is happening to me, maybe not. But whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when the time comes. Right now, all I want to do is climb into bed and cuddle with my merman. I want to lie in his strong arms and feel his sweet lips on my body. I want to spend every single second with him without having to worry about anything.
Damarian strokes my cheek. “I cannot help but fret, my sweet Cassie. My love for you is so profound. I do not know what I shall do if something were to befall you.”
I lean forward to give him a deep kiss. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, okay? Let’s go home.”
I can tell he doesn’t want to drop this, but he nods. Hand in hand, we return home and fall asleep tangled in one another.
Chapter Ten
Damarian’s face is swallowed in the pillow. I sit up in bed and stare at him, watching the way his chest rises and falls. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, so happy and carefree. I want him to wear that expression all the time. I want him to be happy. I know that we’re going to have to deal with a lot of unpleasant things during our life, but I’ll do as much as I can to make the love of my life happy.
I press a light kiss on his exposed cheek. “I love you, my merman.”
He sighs contently in his sleep.
I’ve decided that today is going to be a Cassie/Damarian day. We’re finally alone, since Mom left for New York. All we’re going to do is stay home and talk and eat and make out and talk some more and make out some more. That’s one of the perks of being apart from him for so long—making up for all the time we lost.
Damarian usually wakes up before me and makes breakfast, but now it’s my turn. I reach for the omelet recipe I found online and get to work. Once I’ve made three of them, I place them on a tray and carry it upstairs. After laying it down on the coffee table, I climb into bed and settle down next to Damarian, balancing on an elbow.
I don’t want to wake him. I can stay here like this forever, watching him sleep.
Damarian stirs. His eyelids move around. He opens his mouth, then closes it. He turns toward me, and when his hand touches me, he gathers me closer.
“Cassie,” he mumbles.
“Are you awake?” I whisper.
“What is that divine smell?”
“I made you breakfast.”
His eyes flutter for a few seconds before they open. He smiles. “Good morning, Cassie.”
“Did I wake you? I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head. “It gladdens me to awaken with you in my arms. How I have missed it.”
“Me, too.”
He looks past me, to the tray. “Preparing breakfast for you gives me great joy.”
“Preparing breakfast for you gives me great joy.” I peck his lips. “I’m so glad you’re back, Damarian. I want to show you.”
He sits up with me in his arms, then gives me a long kiss. “Thank you, my love.”
I reach for the tray and place it on our laps. Damarian cuts into his omelet, but instead of bringing it to his mouth, he offers it to me. I bite into it, and my eyes light up. “This is good!” I cut a piece for Damarian and feed it to him.
His eyes light up, too. “It is most scrumptious.”
We take turns feeding one another. Between each bite, Damarian kisses me. The whole thing is romantic and intimate, and my stomach flutters. When we’re done, he leans against the wall with his arm around me. “Thank you, my love.” He presses his cheek to mine. “I am so fortunate to have you as my mate.”
I link my fingers through his. “I’m the lucky one.”
We sit like this for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company. Then I say, “Damarian, how is your family?”
“They are well. Zarya insisted numerous times that you return. Mother and Father are eager to see you, as are the twins and Doria.”
A warm feeling flushes me. When I first entered the ocean, I feared his family wouldn’t accept me. Some of them didn’t at first—like Syren and Doria—but we’ve grown close. Damarian’s capture brought us together. I have a second family in the sea.
“And how are the colonies doing? Any more rebel threats?”
A shadow flashes across his face. “There has been an attempted attack on the palace. It was halted immediately.” He tucks some hair behind my ear. “Kiander enlisted many more members into the Guard. The children of the sea are capable of defending themselves. We have no reason to be alarmed.”
I lower my head to his shoulder. “When is all of this going to end? I mean, are they ever going to give up? You’re not planning on taking the throne, and Kiander and Flora have no desire to give it up. What do they want?”
He shakes his head. “Father claims they will eventually tire and cease their attacks. But he worries they are afraid Kiander and Flora may punish them for treason. It is possible they continue to attack due to that fear.”
“I can’t wait for all this to be over.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Neither can I.”
I climb onto his lap, wrapping my legs around his middle. It’s a little hard because his back is pressed into the wall. He scoots up a bit to give me some room, then closes his arms around me and gazes into my eyes. “How much love I have for you, my human,” he whispers.
My fingers tiptoe up his stomach, up his chest, his neck, until they settle on his lips. He opens his mouth and sucks on each one, causing me to produce soft moans.
“My hope is that we do not need to be apart again. How much it pains me.” He dips his head toward my neck and gently nibbles on my skin. A small yelp escapes my mouth. Damarian quickly pulls back. “Forgive me. Have I hurt you?”
“No.” My fingers dig into his shoulders as I draw him back to my neck. “It felt good. Do it again. Please.”
“I shall do as you wish, my love.” His breath is warm and makes me lean in closer, yearning to feel him all over me.
“Making up…” I moan as he nibbles again. “…for lost time.”
“Yes.” He showers kisses all over my neck and upper chest, yanking my top aside to expose more skin. I fall back on the bed, bringing him down with me. When I hit the mattress, it feels like I’ve landed on a cloud.
He plants sweet, passionate kisses on every part of me, pulling aside any fabric that gets in his way.
Then he stops.
It’s a struggle to get my eyes fully open because I’m still in a love-daze. But when I do, Damarian is looking at me with concern floating in his eyes.
“What?” I ask.
He takes my arms and twists them back and forth, examining them. Then he looks at my legs. I follow his gaze, but don’t see anything.
“What?” I ask again, panic starting to settle in my limbs.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I have a strange feeling…inside.” He touches his chest, then shakes his head. “Perhaps it is my human emotions.”
“I’ll bet it is. Come here.”
I jerk him back to me.
“Are you certain you are all right?”
“Yes.” I latch my lips to his and sigh at the amazing feelings this merman gives me.
But he frees his mouth. “Are you certain?”
“Damarian! You’re totally ruining the moment.”
“Forgive me.” He closes his lips over mine, and our mouths move over each other desperately, tasting one another and taking in as much as we can.
Damarian pulls away again. “What of jobs?”
“Damarian!”
“Sorry, my love. It lays heavily on my mind.”
I reach for his shoulders and
haul him back to me. “I have an interview tomorrow for a teaching assistant job.” He opens his mouth, but I put my finger on his lips. “No talking now. We’re making out.”
“But what of me? Of the job your father has promised.”
I sigh. “You really want to talk about this right now? Can’t we just celebrate being together? I missed you like crazy, you stubborn fish.”
His eyes crinkle as he smiles at my words, but then he frowns. “Yes, I very much would like to celebrate. But I have concerns.”
I touch his cheek. “I know you do. And so do I. But let’s enjoy each other for now. It’s Cassie/Damarian Day. We are not to talk about anything serious until tomorrow, okay? We’re just going to spend the whole day being together. Agreed?”
He gives me a smile and lays his forehead against mine. “I agree.”
***
My dad still hasn’t responded. I hold my phone tightly in my hand, biting my lip as I count how many times I called him. Twelve. Twelve calls, twelves voicemails, dozens of texts. I’m beyond worried.
Damarian cranes his neck to look over my shoulder. His hair is a little damp from swimming in my pool. “Have you not heard from him?”
I shake my head. “I think we should stop by his place.”
We get into the car and I step on the gas. My fingers tap on the steering wheel when we’re stuck behind a truck. I feel like the longer we take, the more likely it is that something is wrong. Damarian rubs my thigh, which doesn’t soothe me. Nothing will, until I know my dad and his family are okay.
I tell myself they could be on vacation. But wouldn’t he have told Mom? Wouldn’t he or Sheila answer their phones? I thought about calling his friends, but I have no idea what their numbers are.
“Move, you stupid truck,” I mutter.
Damarian rubs my thigh again. “All will be well, Cassie.”
I nod, my throat constricting. I know I may be overreacting a bit, but this seems so unlike him. Not that I have a lot of experience, but something still feels…off.
The truck finally moves and I stomp on the gas. It seems like forever until we get to my dad’s house. I park in the driveway and hurry out, Damarian close behind. I almost trip over my feet as I rush up to ring the doorbell, and I knock too many times.
