by Dee J. Stone
“There is no legitimate reason for speaking to you in that manner,” Damarian says. “What we required was an explanation.” He paces on the sand, his hands fisted at his sides.
“You should go back to find answers,” I say. “Maybe your dad will be more willing to talk to you without me being there.”
Damarian drops down near me. “Absolutely not. I will not leave you. Not now.”
I scoot closer to hug him, but he moves away, shaking his head. He rests his elbows on his knees and presses his forehead into his hands. He doesn’t want my comfort now.
I fold my arms as a chill passes over me. “What’s going to happen, Damarian?” I whisper.
He opens his mouth to respond, when something black knocks into his head. He slumps to the ground. I don’t have time to react before I feel a sharp pain on my head, followed by blackness.
***
Something digs into my wrists. My eyes slowly flutter open to darkness. I’m lying on what feels like a cot, and my hands are stretched behind me, locked together. I yank on them, but they don’t budge. There’s a cloth over my mouth.
Trying to yell through the gag, I tug my arms and kick my legs. They are tied together, too. The only thing I’m managing to do is tire myself out. What’s going on? Where am I?
Am I captured by the rebels? But I’m not in the ocean. I have legs. I’m human.
I call for Damarian, but my voice is muffled by the gag. I look to my right and left and as far as my neck can stretch, squinting my eyes in the darkness. It doesn’t seem like anyone else is in here.
My heart has been beating wildly the second I realized I’m tied up, but it starts to intensify when it dawns on me that Damarian is not with me. We were together at the beach. I saw him get hit and fall down. But he’s not here. Where could he be?
I need to calm down and close my eyes and focus on his energy. Except, that’s not so easy because I can’t concentrate. I take in a deep breath, let it out, and count to twenty. The only way to discover if Damarian is hurt is if I connect with him. I squeeze my eyes and picture him in my head. His golden head, his deep blue eyes, his smile that melts my heart. I hear his soft, romantic voice in my ear, feel his hands on my body. Then I sense him.
There’s something off, though. While I can feel that he’s near and that he’s not hurt, my connection to him is distorted, like there’s static. Maintaining the link takes up so much of my energy, and it’s not long before I’m cut off from him. Damn. I bang my head backward against the cot. I sensed that he’s okay, but what if he’s not? What if the rebels somehow got him? I yank on my restraints again, but it’s no use.
Footsteps. Near the door. My chest turns into a block of ice as I hear the sound of keys. The door creaks open, blinding me with a strong light from outside. Someone walks in. I can’t see his face due to the bright light, but I hear him moving close, until he’s right by my side.
Something jabs into my skin—a syringe. I cry out. The guy marches out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Then I see black.
***
“I told you not to tie her up or sedate her!”
I groan as my eyes open. My arm stings from where that guy pricked me, and my wrists and ankles hurt from being tied up. My mouth is parched. I swallow a few times, but that doesn’t help.
“It doesn’t matter,” that voice says again. “You do what you’re told.”
I shoot forward, but the restraints jerk me back down on the bed. That voice. I know that voice. It can’t be…
Someone sticks a key in the lock and pushes the door open. Once again, light floods the room, blinding me. A man marches over. It’s not the same guy from before because his footsteps are heavier and he’s broader. My stomach does a few somersaults. I must be dreaming. Tell me I’m dreaming. Because the man looks like…
“Dad?” I gasp, though it’s hard to tell due to the gag.
His face blocks the light and I can see him clearly. It is my dad.
He smiles warmly, sitting down on the edge of the cot. “Hey, Cass Bass.”
I just gawk at him.
“Let me help you out of those things. They look painful.” He produces a small knife from his back pocket and cuts the bindings on my wrists, then on my legs. He pulls the gag off my mouth. “There. Much better.” Another smile.
I continue to gawk at him, not believing what I’m seeing. What the freakin’ hell?
He gently takes hold of my arms that are still poised over my head and folds them over my chest. “I’m sorry they tied you up. I gave specific instructions not to do that.”
The only things in my head right now are question marks and a whole lot of curse words.
Dad lays his hand on my back and helps me to a sitting position. I rub my wrists, my gaze locked on his. He strokes my cheek. “Are you okay, honey?”
My mouth moves, but no sound leaves me. I wet my lips. “W…what?” I cough because I’m so thirsty.
Dad snaps to a guy standing outside. “Bring her a drink.” He focuses his attention back on me. “It will make you feel better.”
“Dad,” I manage to croak. “What’s going on? You…” My voice falters. “You kidnapped me? Me and…” My mouth snaps shut. I don’t know what I should reveal. Maybe Damarian got away. I mean, he’s my dad, but he kidnapped me. I have no idea what to think.
Dad kisses the top of my head. “Don’t worry. Damarian is okay.”
I blink at him, every cell in my body filling with panic. How does he know Damarian’s real name?
He rests his hand over mine and rubs it. “I know, honey. I know Damarian is a child of the sea.”
I can’t breathe. How does Dad know to call the merpeople “children of the sea?” How does he even know about them? I think I’m having a panic attack.
He rubs my shoulders. “Don’t be alarmed. Everything is okay.”
A man walks in with a glass of water. Except, it’s not water. I smelled the salt water the second he walked in.
Dad hands it to me. “Drink it. You’ll feel better.”
“It’s salt water,” I say, my voice unsteady and suspicious.
“I know. Trust me.”
Is he serious? I have no idea what’s going on. It feels like I walked through a portal and have been transported to some whacky world where my dad kidnapped me, knows that my boyfriend is a merman, and is totally cool with it.
“I’m not tricking you, sweetie,” Dad says. “I promise it will make you feel better.”
There’s something about the glass in my hand. It’s sending a light shock throughout my body, beckoning me to drink it. Before I can stop myself, I gulp it down. It’s as though I’m drinking the sweetest lemonade known on this planet. I stare at the cup. I’m pretty sure there was salt water in there, not lemonade. From all the times I drank salt water—as a human or as a mermaid—it’s never tasted like that.
“Better?” Dad asks.
I’m shaking so bad I can hardly move a muscle. I nod weakly.
He gives me another one of those overly sweet smiles and takes the glass from me, placing it on the floor near his foot. “I know you’re confused,” he says. “We have a lot to discuss.”
“Where is he?” I demand.
“Damarian? I told you not to worry. He’s safe.”
Safe? From what? Am I losing my mind? Maybe this is one of those dreams I’ve been having and I need to wake up. I pinch my arm. Nothing happens. I pinch it again, harder. No effect. My skin stings when I pinch it even harder, but I’m not waking up. Dammit, I need to wake up.
Dad wraps his fingers around my wrist, gently prying my hand away from my arm. “You’re not asleep, Cass.”
“I want to see him.”
“Okay, soon.”
My eyes flash to him. “I want to see him now.”
He rubs my shoulder. “There’s no need to get upset.”
I wrench myself away from him. I can’t believe this. He’s my dad. I lost touch with him in the pas
t and we’ve recently reconnected. He never once gave me the impression that he’s capable of doing…this. Whatever this is.
“Cass Bass,” he says softly, reaching for me.
I want to tell him to shove his Cass Bass up his Ass, but my eyes have adjusted to the dark and I see his expression clearly. He looks apologetic, regretful. It makes a dent in the anger and distrust that surrounds me.
“Cass Bass,” he says again in the same soft tone. “I didn’t want to upset you, but you won’t like it when you see Damarian.”
Every organ in my body plunges underground. “What do you mean?”
He rubs my shoulder again. “You’ll see for yourself. Follow me.”
He holds out his hand to help me get to my feet, but I don’t accept his help. Does he expect me to trust him? Who in their right mind kidnaps their own daughter?
As soon as we leave the room, I’m hit full blast with the light. It causes my eyes to tear. After a few seconds of blinking, I can see a little better. I’m in a house. It looks like a normal house, small but with nice-looking furniture. As if it was just recently bought.
Two men stand right outside the room. Three more lounge around the living room area. I sigh in relief when I don’t see any guns.
Dad puts his hand on my lower back as he leads me down the hall, to a room on the left. There are stairs that lead downstairs. When we reach the last step, I’m smacked in the face with the invigorating smell of ocean water. Ocean water. Damarian. I sprint toward the smell.
“Cassie, wait!”
I throw the door open and rush inside. I stumble back at the sight before my eyes. There’s a large, rectangular tank on the floor, filled with water. And inside lies an unconscious Damarian.
The tank is too small for his broad chest and long tail. He’s cramped in there.
I whirl around to face my dad. “What have you done to him?”
He moves closer, lifting his hands to rest them on my shoulders. I dodge him. “Cass—”
“What. Have. You. Done. To. Him?!”
He shakes his head. “He’s done it to himself, honey.”
“What the hell?” I explode.
Dad manages to lower his hands on my shoulders. He clutches too tightly for me to escape. “We had no choice but to sedate him. He would have hurt himself.”
I’m huffing and puffing, my body pumped with anger, betrayal, disbelief, wariness. I’m so mad that tears form in my eyes. “Get him out.”
“I can’t do that, honey.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? What the hell do you want with him?”
His hands dig into my shoulders, not enough to hurt me but it’s still uncomfortable. “You need to relax, sweetie. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”
I fling his arms off me and fall down in front of the tank. My heart aches as I see my merman lying in there, helpless and at his mercy. Rage boils inside me. My hand shoots out to him, ready to scoop him out and get the heck out of here, punching my way through. But then I realize I can’t get wet. I can’t turn into a mermaid, because then I’ll be at Dad’s mercy, too.
I get to my feet and face my father, my hands fisting at my sides. “Get him out,” I say through clenched teeth.
Dad shakes his head again. “I already told you I can’t do that.”
I lunge at him. Dad grabs hold of my arms and blocks me from doing serious damage to him. He’s much stronger than me, but I have this rage that rockets out of me. I shove him to the floor and he hits the ground with loud bang, a groan escaping his lips. For a few seconds, I just stand there, my whole being laced with guilt. But then I remember Damarian behind me, cramped in that tiny tank. Captured. Just as I’m about to slap my dad or kick him or step on him, someone wraps his arms around me and uproots me from the floor. I’m tossed aside like a sack of potatoes, slamming to the ground. My left side stings.
Another man and a woman are in the room. The man is bent over Dad while the woman stands in front of me, her arms folded over her chest, her legs spread out. The man’s hand closes around my father and helps him to his feet.
When he faces me, a shocked gasp leaves my mouth. “Jace?”
Chapter Fifteen
Jace smirks. “Hello, Cassie. I’d apologize for knocking you out and tying you up, but I’m not sorry.”
I back up until I hit the wall, my body shaking. Jace is part of this, too? Leah’s Jace?
Dad gives Jace a disappointed and furious look. “I told you to be gentle with her.” He walks over to me and holds out his hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I flatten myself against the wall, not wanting him to touch me or move any closer. “Go away.”
Dad gets down on his knees—too close to me—and rubs a hand down his face. “This wasn’t how I planned to do this.” He sighs. “Cassie, there’s a lot we need to talk about. Please, let’s go upstairs.”
If I squeeze myself any more against the wall, I’ll meld into it. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Dad shifts his position so that he’s right next to me, leaning his back against the wall. “Please give us a few minutes,” he says to the others.
The woman leaves, but Jace doesn’t budge. He stands there with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Jace,” Dad says.
“She’s one of them. I don’t trust her.”
“She’s our only hope.”
Jace glares at Dad. Dad doesn’t flinch, just keeps his gaze on Jace. Jace’s eyes look so defiant, so hostile. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s always been so sweet and considerate.
“Jace, I won’t ask you again.”
Jace doesn’t move for a few more seconds before reluctantly lowering his arms and marching out. I crawl away from Dad, to Damarian, and touch the glass, wishing I could touch him. I watch him sleep, his chest rising and falling heavily, as though he senses something’s wrong.
I feel Dad behind me. He places a hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off.
“This isn’t what it looks like, Cass,” he says.
I fold my arms. “What does it look like, then? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you captured my boyfriend as if he’s an animal.”
He replaces his hand on my shoulder. “Let me explain. Come.”
I don’t move.
“Cassie, you’ll understand everything once I explain.”
I can’t leave Damarian like that. Tears gather in my eyes.
Dad’s hand closes around my arm. “Come,” he says softly.
I’ll have to think of a plan to get Damarian and myself out of here. I don’t know what Dad could possibly want from him. Could he somehow be involved with the rebels? But that seems highly unlikely because the merpeople don’t associate with humans. I doubt Dad would waste his time with a conflict going on in the ocean. What does he want?
Then it dawns on me. Bile rises in my throat. He somehow discovered that Damarian is a merman and now he wants to expose him. Sheila lost her job, which means their financial situation must be pretty bad. Dad thinks he’s going to make money by exposing Damarian.
I can’t let that happen. I need to get him out of here.
Dad tugs my arm. “Let’s go upstairs.”
I obey like an obedient puppy. My strategy is to seem as cooperative as possible so Dad will think he can trust me, and hopefully he’ll lower his guard. Then I’ll escape with my merman.
He leads me to the living room, where we sit side by side on the couch. The other guys seem familiar. I know I haven’t seen them before, but there’s something about them. And Jace and the woman, too. Obviously I know Jace, but there’s something…I can’t explain it. It feels like he’s related to me. All of them seem to share my blood.
Dad once again asks for us to be alone before he turns to me. “I hope you’re not too angry about all of this. I understand how it must look. Waking up here tied up, your boyfriend captured.” He shrugs helplessly. “Had I been in town, I would have done things differently.”
“I’ve been around the country,” Dad says. “Recruiting. The family thought we were on an extended vacation.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Recruiting?”
“Yeah. I’ve been looking for people like us.”
What in the world is he saying? He has to be insane. That’s the only logical explanation to all of this.
I get to my feet. “Look, Dad. I think it would be best if Damarian and I leave. Mom must be worried sick.” I won’t tell him that she left for New York.
Dad puts his hand on my arm, lowering me back down. “You will be able to leave, Cass. I’m not holding you prisoner here.”
“No one will believe you,” I blurt. “Even if you have proof.”
Confusion climbs onto his face. “What are you talking about?”
My tongue grows thick. “Exposing him and his people. You won’t get away with it. I won’t let you.”
Dad stares at me before bursting into laughter. “Exposing him? I assure you that’s the last thing I want.”
Relief washes over me, though I still don’t trust him. “Then what do you want?”
He scoots closer to me and reaches for my hand. I let him take it, only because I’m bursting to know what the hell he has planned. “You’re not a child of the sea, Cass.”
I gape at him. He knows I’m a mermaid, too? And what does he mean by that? When I get in the ocean, I grow a sapphire tail. I am a mermaid.
The images of the gray tail with no fin and those scales all over my arms and face flashes before my eyes. A hard swallow struggles to get down my throat.
