by Dee J. Stone
He nods. “Do humans?”
“Some do.”
“And you?”
I grin. “I definitely do.”
Something nudges my rib. Shoney. I beg your pardon, but I insist we head back to the colony. She scans the area intently. It is unsafe for us to remain out here.
“Shoney is correct,” Damarian says. “It is safer if we return to the colony.”
“Wait a second,” I tell him as something catches my eye, buried in the sand on the floor of the ocean. I ask Shoney to come with me as I dive down to retrieve it. I feel a large smile capture my face when my suspicions are confirmed. It’s a goblet, made out of gold. Probably from a sunken ship.
When I’m back with Damarian, I wave it. “I think Zarya would love this.”
He studies it and smiles. “I believe she shall.”
I get nudged by both Shoney and Fiske. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”
As we near the Sapphire colony, I hear a commotion. A few members of the Guard float near the entrance, with their sharks by their sides. Syren rushes over as soon as he sees us. “Rebels have been spotted,” he says. “We wish to attack before they travel any further. Come inside, to safety. I fear the rebels have heard of Cassie’s return.”
My fingers feel numb, my heart racing so wildly I’m frozen in place. Damarian throws his arms around me and yanks me close to his chest. “No,” I say as the fear starts to leave my body and is replaced with adrenaline fueled by fury. “Let them come. I’ll fight them. I’ll kill them all.”
“Cassie,” Damarian says. “Now is not the time to be brave. We must head to safety.”
“They want to tear us apart. I won’t let anyone do that. Let me go.” I try to twist out of his arms, but his hold is too strong. “Damarian, let me go. I want to join the Guard and fight the rebels.” They’re here to attack because I’m back in the ocean. I won’t let anyone die on my account. I nod to my shark. “Shoney and I make a kickass team.”
Damarian lays his forehead on mine and breathes out heavily through his nose. “Please, my love. I beg you. Let us return to the colony. We shall be safe there.”
I swallow as my throat chokes up. “You have to let me do this. I helped save you. I can do it.”
“We do not have a lot of time,” Syren says. “It is imperative that we attack now.”
“Damarian,” I say.
His eyes rove all over my face. I see him starting to surrender. He gives me a long kiss before his arms loosen from around me. Just as I’m about to grab Shoney and join the others, my ears ring. But it’s not just any ring. It’s like someone is blowing a whistle in my head. I grab my head and cry out.
“Cassie!”
I’m in Damarian’s arms. My eyes are shut tight because it hurts to open them. He’s patting my face.
“What has happened?” Syren asks.
“I do not know.” Damarian’s voice is high-pitched and trembling. “She has been feeling ill. It is the reason we have returned to the sea. Cassie.” His lips touch my forehead. “She is cold. Too cold for a child of the sea. How is this possible, Father?”
Another hand touches my forehead. “I am not certain, but you must bring her to the colony at once. Seek Mother—she will assist you.”
The next thing I feel is movement. It feels like when I was a kid and used to spin around in my chair. I would close my eyes and spin around and around, until I felt like I was about to puke. I open my eyes a drop and see Sapphire tails and sharks. The ringing continues and my eyes snap shut.
“Mother!” Damarian calls. My body is lifted onto the stone table.
“What is the matter?” Kiandra’s voice.
“Cassie!” Zarya cries. “Is she hurt?”
“She has been ill,” Damarian says, his voice shaking more than before. “Please help, Mother. Perhaps your sea plants can be of use?”
Kiandra’s hands poke at different areas of my body. “I do not see a wound.” She swims away and returns a few seconds later. The next thing I feel is something rubbing my neck. “I shall do all I can, Damarian. Do not fret.”
I don’t know what she’s rubbing on me, but it feels good. Soothing. She rubs more of it on my arms, chest, and tail. Immediately, I feel better. My eyes open to see Kiandra and Damarian in my face. They look like they just witnessed my death. The little ones are on the side, their eyes wide.
“Cassie.” Damarian’s hand cups the back of my head. “Are you all right?”
I blink as a nod because I’m not sure I want to move my head. “I’m…I’m good.”
He releases a deep sigh and lowers his head on mine, his lips on my cheek. “I was so worried.”
“As was I,” Kiandra says. Her hands sweep through my hair. “What has happened?”
Damarian’s eyes meet mine. “Would you like me to inform her?”
I close my eyes for a second. “It’s okay. I’ll tell her.” They both help me to a sitting position. The ringing is gone, but I’m a little dizzy. Kiandra takes one hand while Damarian takes the other. The kids stay far away, like they’re scared I might morph into a monster or something. Kiandra kindly tells them to go play in their room.
“Wait,” I call after them. They turn around. “Here, Zarya.” I hold out the goblet. “For you and your brothers.”
She takes it from me. “Thank you, Cassie!” she says. “And may you feel better soon!”
Once they’re gone, Damarian returns to my side. I look at Kiandra. “I’ve been feeling sick these past few days. I didn’t say anything when we first got here because I didn’t want to ruin our reunion, and because I was feeling fine.” I swallow as I lower my eyes to my lap. “And also because a part of me is in denial. I don’t want to believe something is wrong.” I raise my eyes to Damarian, then to his mother. “But I can’t deny it any longer. I know something is wrong with me. It…it scares me.”
She squeezes my hand. “Do not be frightened,” she says softly. “We are here to aid you.”
I nod. “Thanks. Um…I’m not sure when it happened first. I think it was when Damarian and I swam in the ocean the first time after we returned to land.” I tell her how I felt pressure in my ears and how my vision was green. How Damarian had to pull me out of the water because I was frozen. Damarian’s eyebrows rise in surprise. He must have forgotten about that. Then I tell her the rest—the dreams, how the dolphin saved me when I was frozen again, and about the scales.
When I’m done, she looks appalled and bewildered.
“Have you seen it before?” I ask, my body soaked with dread for her response.
She shakes her head. “I am afraid I have not.”
“Cassie questions the possibility that her body rejects being a child of the sea,” Damarian says.
Her face is regretful. “I apologize, but I do not have answers. I however believe it is due to you being a child of the sea, as you experienced the symptoms when you were in the sea.”
“Most of the time I did,” I say. “But not all the time.”
Her eyebrows are wrinkled. “Perhaps Syren will have a solution. If that is not so, we will seek answers from other children of the sea.” She rubs my back again. “Do not fret, Cassie. We will search until you are healed.”
Damarian suggests I rest. He lifts me in his arms and swims to his bed, laying me down in the seaweed and stroking my hair while he looks down at me with love and concern. “Sorry for being such a pain,” I say.
“No. Do not think that, my love.”
“There’s a battle with the rebels going on out there, and you’re all busy worrying over me.”
He nuzzles my nose with his. “You are my mate, Cassie. My family cares for you as if you are their fry.”
That makes me feel good, to have a second family that loves me as if I was their own flesh and blood. But I can’t help feeling that I’ve disrupted their lives. It’s my fault Damarian spends most of his time away on land. The rebellion is my fault because I took Damarian away from the throne. And now I’m both
ering them because my body is going haywire.
I count to ten, telling myself to relax. No, none of this is my fault. I need to believe that. The only ones responsible for the rebellion are the rebels. Damarian and Flora are not forced to be together in a loveless marriage. And whatever’s going on with me—we’ll figure it out. The universe wants Damarian and me to be together. We wouldn’t have gone through all this just to be torn apart.
I guess I must have dozed off, because the next thing I hear is Syren’s voice. He, Kiandra, and Damarian are outside the room, speaking in hushed voices. I sit up and sigh in relief when I don’t feel any pressure or pain. I get out of bed and join the others. Damarian wraps his arm around my middle, asking me how I feel.
“Much better.” I smile.
Syren says, “I am glad to see you are well. At the present moment, I cannot think of any reasons as to why you experienced such symptoms, but perhaps I shall ask others tomorrow.”
“Thanks. How did it go with the rebels?”
“We lost their trail,” Syren says, his expression troubled. He runs his hand through his hair. “It baffles me, the way they just…vanished. How they manage to remain hidden.”
Kiandra pats his shoulder. “You are exhausted, my love. Come.” She leads us into the main room and sits down with Syren at the table. The kids and Doria are on the floor with their toys. Damarian and I join them.
“Is this a human object?” Zarya asks, sticking the goblet in my face.
I take it from her and study it. “Yes. It looks really old, though. A few hundred years old, I’ll bet.”
I don’t think Zarya understands how old that is, but she nods and asks, “What is its use?”
The twins look intrigued, too. Doria seems a bit bored, or maybe she’s distracted? Yeah, I bet I know exactly why she’s distracted.
“We use this to drink water,” I tell them. “We aren’t spoiled like you.” I tickle Zarya and she giggles. “So let’s say I’m thirsty. I fill this cup up with water and I drink.” I show her exactly how, gulping down some water from the cup.
“That is a magnificent device,” Syd says, all excited. “Humans are not as unintelligent as we assumed.”
“Hey.” I give him a face. “We already established that, didn’t we?”
The three of them giggle.
As Zarya shows off more of her toys, acid fills my throat. I’m going to throw up. Is it even possible to throw up in the ocean? I cover my mouth and am about to run somewhere—anywhere—when I get that tingly feeling again in my lower body. Damarian immediately knows something is up, because he reaches for me.
I kick off the floor to swim away, but something is very wrong. My tail feels different. Heavy. Glancing down, I see it’s no longer my sapphire tail but a dark gray one. Just like the one I got that time on the beach. And like the last time, I don’t have a fin, but a tip. It’s like a snake’s tail.
My arms. No, not again. The scales. I touch my cheek. Scales, too. My gaze shoots to Damarian, who is slowly backing away, his expression horrified. Zarya and the twins remain frozen in their spot, their eyes huge with fright, and Doria’s mouth hangs open. When I look at their parents, I find Kiandra wearing the same expression as her kids, but her husband doesn’t seem to share the same emotions. He looks surprised, but there’s something else forming in there, something that’s growing stronger by the second as he takes me in. Anger.
No one moves. We just stare at each other. Finally, Syren shoots out of his seat. “Leave my home at once, you filthy beast!” He swoops toward the little kids, gathers them in his arms, and snatches them away. Away from me.
His actions seem to knock Damarian out of his shocked state, because he rushes over to me, though his still keeps his distance. “Father, what—”
“Remove her from the sea at once!” Syren shouts.
“Father, she is my mate!” Damarian yells back. “She is in dire need of our assistance. You cannot cast her out in such a manner.” He gestures to me as if saying: Just look at her!
“She is more dangerous than the rebels, Damarian. You must remove her. At once!”
“Father—”
“If you do not remove her immediately, we shall all perish.”
Damarian’s mouth opens and closes. His eyes dart to me. He looks lost and confused. My body is shaking so bad, from fear, hurt, betrayal. A bit of everything. What on Earth is Syren talking about? I’m going to cause the merpeople to get killed?
“Remove her,” Syren stresses. “Now. She is never to enter the sea. Do you understand, Damarian? She can never enter the sea.”
Even though it’s hard to tell in the ocean, tears blur my vision. How can he say that? Kiandra and the others are all gaping at him, like they’re wondering if he lost his mind.
“Father, please—”
“If you do not remove her, I shall call the Guard. They will not be gentle.”
Damarian looks at me, regret clouding his eyes. I swim toward him, and that’s when I realize I’m back to my normal mermaid form. “Let’s go,” I say, stealing a sidelong glance at Syren. He looks like he wants to stab his hand through my chest and pull my heart out.
Damarian doesn’t budge. He glares at his father. “I refuse to allow you to speak to my mate in such a manner.”
“I shall call the Guard,” Syren says, seeming unfazed by Damarian’s words. “It is your decision.”
Damarian continues to glare at his father, his arms folded across his chest. Kiandra reaches for her husband’s arm, but he swats her away.
I tug on Damarian’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Cassie,” Zarya squeaks as I pull Damarian toward the exit.
“Cassie is no longer welcomed in our home, Zarya.” Syren’s own arms are folded and he glares at me like I’m his biggest enemy. I swallow as tears choke my throat. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so betrayed and hurt before. Including the time I found out Damarian was engaged to Flora and was heir to the merthrone.
We’re just outside the tunnel that leads to the exit when Damarian whirls around to face his father. “I cannot accept this.”
“You shall.” Syren’s voice is serious, his face devoid of any emotion. “Return her to land and return to the sea. She is dead to you.”
What the hell?
“From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was not who she appeared to be. In time, you will learn the truth.” Syren nods to Doria. “Summon the Guard. At once.”
“No!” Damarian grabs my arm and pulls me all the way out of the colony, not looking back once.
Chapter Fourteen
“What the hell is going on, Damarian?”
His arms are wrapped around me as he speeds through the dark water. It’s nighttime. Fiske and Shoney aren’t with us because we fled without any warning. We’re alone. Alone and not safe.
I yank on his arm. “Damarian! Talk to me. Tell me exactly what’s going on.”
“I do not know,” he says. “But the look on Father’s face.” He stares down at me. “He would have had you executed.”
“What?”
Damarian continues surging through the ocean. If rebels would try to block our path, I swear we’d knock right into them, like a bowling ball.
“Why did he call me a filthy beast?” I ask. “And why did he ban me from the ocean?”
Damarian continues swimming.
I yank on his arm again. “Say something!”
“What would you like me to say?” His voice is raised.
“Don’t yell at me.”
“Do you understand the gravity of the situation?” Damarian demands. “If I would not have fled with you, the Guard would have killed you.” He twists his head back as though he’s checking if we’re being chased.
“What the hell am I, Damarian?”
He looks at me, and even though it’s hard to tell in the water, I can see tears flowing down his cheeks. “I do not know.” His voice is much softer.
A strangled cry escapes my lips.
I knew deep down that something major was wrong with me, which is why I tried to bury it and pretend it didn’t exist. But I never expected this. What’s going to happen to me? To us? Syren said I can never enter the sea. But I still need salt water, don’t I? Will I never be able to see Damarian’s family? Are we destined to remain on land for the rest of our lives?
“When you…shifted,” Damarian says, his voice so low I need to strain my ears. “I felt…odd.”
With my heart practically flying out of my chest, I ask, “Odd how?”
He shakes his head. “I do not know. But it was not a pleasant feeling.”
My hands clutch his arms. “I’m scared.”
His lips brush my temple. “As am I, my love.”
We reach the beach. I hadn’t prepared a bag of essentials because our return to the ocean was unexpected. We roll in the sand to help speed up the drying process, and once we’ve changed back to our human forms, we scout the beach for some clothes. Damarian manages to find a summer dress and male shorts. He puts on the shorts and hands me the dress.
I drop down on the sand a good few feet from the tide and hug my knees to my chest. Damarian remains standing next to me, his eyes on the waves. We don’t say anything. After a short while, he lowers himself next to me and wraps an arm around me. It doesn’t hold its usual love and comfort that has always made me feel protected. It’s empty. Like the way my heart feels right now.
I don’t know what I can possibly say. So many thoughts and worries race through my mind.
Finally, when I can’t take the silence any longer, I say, “What do we do?”
Damarian takes a handful of sand, opens his palm, and lets the grains slide out.
“You…” I swallow. “You’re going to head back?”
“No. If I leave you, I fear I may never see you again.”
I bury my face in my knees. “Things are going to only get worse. If I don’t find out what’s going on with me…”
Damarian heaves himself off the sand and starts pacing. “I cannot believe the actions of my father.” He shoves his hands through his hair. “The manner he spoke to you is unacceptable.”
I close my eyes as Syren’s awful words play in my head. “Maybe he had a legitimate reason,” I whisper. I won’t believe that Syren is just a cruel jackass who wants to deny his son happiness. That’s not the man I met when I was in the ocean searching for Damarian. No, he was a compassionate man who wanted to do what he thought was best for his kids. Does that mean…that whatever is going on with me, whatever I am, is so horrible that I need to be executed? That I’m going to cause all the merpeople to perish?
