by Dee J. Stone
“Cassie, be careful!”
That’s when I notice coral reef right in my path. I’m going at such a fast pace that I’m sure to hit it.
I close my eyes and put my hands in front of me, bracing for the impact. But I don’t hit it. My eyes shoot open. I’m right next to it, only inches away. When I look back at Damarian, I see his hands are raised, his palms facing me. Did he stop me in time?
He lowers his hands and dashes toward me, enveloping me in his arms and kissing my face. “Cassie, are you all right?”
Fiske comes up to our side, his eyes moving back and forth between us.
My chest expands and contracts rapidly. “I’m…I’m okay.”
Damarian clutches me tighter. “Please, do not swim recklessly. I understand you are upset, my love—”
I try to shove him back, but his hold is too strong. “Let me go.”
“No. You are upset and I wish to comfort you.”
“You can’t comfort me, Damarian! Don’t you get that? Hugging and kissing me won’t change the fact that I’m a…that I’ll turn into a…damn, I can’t even say it. Though, I don’t know why, since I’m destined to turn into one.”
“Cassie, please relax. Let us return to the cave. It is not safe here.”
“Can’t you for once in your life give me room to breathe? You’re suffocating me.”
I shove him again, but this time the force is so powerful that Damarian is thrown toward the coral reef. I watch in horror as he knocks into it, a look of shock and betrayal in his eyes. He slides off, falling toward the bottom of the ocean, his limbs frozen as though they’re paralyzed.
“Damarian!” I cry and lunge for him. Fiske beats me to it. He catches Damarian on his back and swims up to me. I rush to him and touch the side of his head. “Damarian.” His eyes are shut tight. I lean toward his gills, straining my ears to hear if he’s breathing. He is.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” I lift my hands and study them. Damarian has always been stronger than me. How did I push him like that?
Sea serpent.
I shake my head so fast I see double. No way. I won’t believe it. But how much longer can I deny the truth?
Perhaps it is wise we bring him to the cave,” Fiske suggests.
I nod. “Yes, please. Thanks so much, Fiske.”
Fiske is a baby shark, so Damarian’s body is hanging off on all sides. I ask Fiske if I can help, but he assures me he’s capable of carrying him. I don’t know if he feels responsible, since he’s sworn to protect Damarian, or if he doesn’t trust me. The latter causes my insides to twist. Fiske has always had a fondness for me—I saw it in his eyes the moment we played together in the ocean the first time. But I don’t see that fondness anymore. I don’t see hostility, either. Just indifference, as though we’re strangers and he couldn’t care less what happens to me.
Pushing it to the back of my mind, I swim to their side and slide my hand into Damarian’s. His closes over mine. Guilt eats away at every part of my body. I hurt Damarian, all because of the serpent inside me. I can’t control it. Will I do worse one day? He’s not safe with me. No one is.
We reach the cave. Fiske stops before the narrow gap. It’s not possible for the two of them to fit in at the same time. “I’ll go in first and take him from you,” I say.
Fiske nods, the look in his eyes still indifferent. Trying not to let his cold attitude bother me, I slip into the opening and hold out my hands for Damarian. Fiske leans his body toward the opening and gently slides Damarian off his back. He falls through the hole, into my arms. He’s so heavy that I plummet to the floor of the cave, my tail breaking the fall. Damarian’s head rolls onto my shoulder, a soft moan escaping his mouth. I press my lips to his forehead. “I’m sorry, Damarian. So sorry.”
Once Fiske gets inside, I wrap my arms around Damarian, and the three of us head to our spot. I lower Damarian onto the flat rock, laying his head on my lap. Fiske floats near us, his eyes pasted on Damarian.
“Fiske,” I say. “I swear I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
He inclines his head, his focus still on Damarian.
“Please don’t be mad at me.”
He finally moves his eyes to me. I am not mad, Cassie. Sharks do not associate with sea serpents.
His words hurt more than Ryter’s. It’s as though he pulled out one of his razor-sharp teeth and stabbed it into my heart.
“Fiske, I’m not…” My lower lip trembles. “I mean, I’m not really one of them.”
“Sharks are ruled by their nature,” Damarian’s weak voice says.
I look down at him. His eyes are open in slits. “Damarian! How are you feeling?”
“They have true loyalty solely to the children of the sea,” he continues. “Perhaps he senses what is inside you.”
So basically the sharks see me as their enemy, too.
I toss the thought aside and focus my attention on Damarian. “Are you hurt? I’m so sorry for pushing you.” I lay my head on his. “I swear I didn’t mean it. I don’t know what happened.”
With my help, Damarian raises himself to a sitting position. He pulls me against his chest, his lips on my temple. “Do not fret, my love. I am all right.”
“But I hurt you. I can’t trust myself to be around you anymore.”
“Cassie—”
“I can’t…control it.” I hiccup. “You heard what your grandfather said. I’m going to turn into one of them. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
His hands run up and down my back. “I do not believe it. And neither do you.”
“I do, Damarian. As much I hate to admit it, I do. Everything that’s happened to me so far leads to that conclusion. The dreams, my bodily transformations. How sometimes I can’t even control myself.”
“Stop. Do not speak in such a manner.”
“We can’t fight it. We can’t.” My voice is so choked up that the words are barely audible.
Damarian lets me cry on his chest, his hands continuing to run up and down my back. He doesn’t say anything. I don’t think he even knows what he can say. Holding me in his arms makes me feel better, but it doesn’t change the fact that things suck. There’s an untamable beast inside me, and I’m powerless to do anything.
I don’t know how long we remain like this. My tears dry up. Damarian lies down on the rock with me still in his arms and suggests I go to sleep because I look exhausted. I want to tell him there’s no way I can fall asleep, for two reasons. One, I have too many things on my mind. And two, I’m scared I’ll have that dream again. I managed to force myself to wake up right before I, along with the other sea serpents, attacked the children of the sea. I won’t let myself reach that point.
But somehow I manage to fall sleep. When my eyes crack open, I find Damarian sleeping soundlessly in my arms, his face anything but relaxed. He’s probably so sore from when I pushed him. He needs food—I don’t know when the last time he ate anything was.
I gently untangle myself from his arms and swim toward the center of the cave, where a bunch of fish are swimming around. I study them for a bit, wondering how on Earth I can catch them. I’m sure I can politely ask one of the fish to come over to me, but then what? I kill it? That seems cruel.
I glance at Fiske. He doesn’t seem to be paying attention to me. Again, that stings.
Maybe I should just charge at one of the fish, grab it, and bite into it. Fast and simple. But still cruel. Why do I need to hear the voice of my lunch?
Strong arms wrap around my stomach. Damarian buries his face into the side of my neck. “It was difficult for me as well when I hunted for the first time.”
I turn around to face him. “Good morning. Are you feeling okay?” My voice is not cheerful. I don’t know what expression I’m wearing on my face, but if it’s like anything I feel, I look like crap.
“I am well, thank you.”
I turn back to the fish. “I was hoping to catch you some breakfast, but it’s not as easy as I though
t.”
He gives me a light peck on the forehead. It doesn’t hold the love and passion as it usually does. “May I demonstrate?”
I nod.
He swims closer to the fish, his eyes scanning them as though he’s waiting for the perfect time to pounce. This is a bit like fishing—you need patience and the right timing. Damarian’s eyes focus on one fish that seems to be swimming slower than the rest of them. His eyes narrow in concentration. Before I have a chance to blink, he swoops toward it and grabs it, quickly biting into the side of its head. The fish is dead.
Damarian swims over and holds it out for me.
“No. Please, you eat it. You need the energy for your body to heal.” From my assault.
It looks like he’s about to argue, but I give him a stern look. “All right,” he concedes. He munches on the fish, devouring it in less than a minute. “Would you like me to hunt for you, Cassie? Or would you like to perform the action?”
Even though my heart is the heaviest it’s ever been, a jolt of excitement passes through my body. Hunting for fish seems very mermaid-like. I want to hold on to as much mermaid as possible.
“I’d like to try,” I say.
Damarian shows me how to position myself. “You do not wish to appear menacing, for you may frighten the fish,” he tells me. “Relax your body. Raise your hands slightly, only slightly, as not to scare them. Examine the fish closely. Are there any that seem weak?”
I study the fish. They all seem to be swimming at the exact same pace. But as my eyes continue to circle around them, I notice a small one slacking off. I point to it. “That one?” I whisper.
“Yes, that is a prime choice. Remember that this is life in the sea. Large fish eat smaller fish. Sharks and whales eat the large fish. Children of the sea eat whatever fish is available. We cannot have pity on our prey. We would not survive.”
I nod.
“Are you prepared?”
“I think so.”
“Once you make the decision to pursue your claim, do not change it. Go forward, grab it, and bite into the left side of its head. That will cause the swiftest death and the least pain.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Adrenaline pumps through my veins. This is exciting—my first time fishing as a mermaid.
I zero in on my prey. I totally have you. I shoot toward it and reach for it. My hands smack together, and the fish is at the other end of the cave.
Dammit. I missed.
Damarian swims over and rubs my arm. “It is all right. Attempt again.”
I do. Ten more times. I haven’t even come close. I’m frustrated and hungry, and I want to quit. I turn away.
“Do not lose hope, my love. Persevere and you will succeed.”
“Forget it. I don’t think I’ll ever get it.”
He takes hold of both my cheeks and pushes his face before mine. “You are adorable when you are frustrated.”
I stare at him, totally caught off guard.
He grins, then pecks my nose. “You are quite cute.”
“Are you trying to tease me or something?”
“No. I am trying to make you smile.”
Despite how I annoyed I am that I can’t catch a freakin’ fish, I smile. That causes Damarian’s grin to widen.
“Ah, much better,” he says.
I playfully push him aside. “I’m going to try again.”
Filled with determination, I search through the selection of fish until I find the most vulnerable one. It’s a semi-large one, swimming gracefully through the water. It’s not swimming slower than the others, but it looks like it has its guard down. I put myself in position and watch it for a bit, learning its every move and when would be the best time to make my move. As it turns toward the left, making its body more accessible, I fire at it, grabbing hold of it. I don’t feel the soft skin of my hands, but something cold and slippery. I let out a small squeal. It’s in my hands. I caught it.
“Bite!” Damarian says.
I bite into the left side of its head, rendering it lifeless. Then I twist around to face Damarian and wave it above me, my lips stretched in a wide smile. Damarian pumps his fists over his head.
I blast toward Damarian and throw my arms around him. “I caught one!”
Laughing, he says, “Yes, you have!” He spins us around in the water, showering me with kisses. “Congratulations.”
Amidst the celebration, something creeps up my spine. I’m too exhilarated to notice it at first, but as it creeps higher, my laughter dies and my smile turns into a frown. I free myself from Damarian and move away from him. “What’s the point?” I mumble. “What’s the point of any of this? I’m going to turn into a sea serpent.” I throw my fish to the cave floor and swim toward the flat rock, lowering myself to it and curling my tail around myself.
Damarian joins me, putting his arms around me. “It is a wonderful sight to see a smile on your face.”
I don’t meet his gaze. “I can’t be happy. Look at what’s happening. I’m going to turn into a sea serpent and…I don’t know what! I’m not even afraid to say the word anymore. That means I’m slowly getting used to the idea.” I press the heels of my palms into my eyes.
I feel Damarian’s lips on the back of my hand. “Do not give up hope. We shall seek answers.”
“How?” I lower my hands. “Your grandfather told us there’s nothing we could do.”
“You are not one to surrender, my love. You did not surrender when the rebels captured me. You did not surrender when I was close to death, when you were required to travel far to search for the plant that would heal me. You cannot surrender now.”
I cover my face with my hands. “This is a battle I can’t win.”
“How are you so certain?” He takes hold of my hands and gently lowers them from my face. “You did not give up when I needed your aid. I will not give up when you require mine.”
“I just feel so hopeless.”
He sandwiches my hands between his. “There is still hope, my sweet Cassie. As long as we have one another and our love is strong, there is always hope.” Even though he can’t see them, he must know I’m crying because he wipes my eyes with his thumbs. “You are the one who holds my heart. Do you believe I would not fight for you?”
“What can we do?” I ask.
He closes his fingers around my wrist and raises my hand so that it stays in front of him. He holds out his own hand. Then he brings it to mine. “Our bond is stronger than anything in this world. Together, perhaps we can annihilate the beast inside you.”
“But your grandfather said—”
He puts the index finger of his free hand on my lips. “Grandfather is nothing more than a recluse who has abandoned his people. I will not do the same. I believe if I were to merge myself with you, I may be able to assist you in defeating the serpent beast.”
I sit forward as his words start to make sense in my head. Could it work? Ever since Damarian and I have bonded, we were able to do things together that we couldn’t do alone. With his love and support, maybe I can defeat the serpent. Maybe that will cause me to cut off all ties with the other sea serpents, which means they will no longer be able to eat off the power I have from Damarian. Which would make the sea serpents inside them dormant again. That would make them no longer a threat to the merpeople.
“Let’s do it,” I say.
With our hands laced together, we lie down on our backs and close our eyes. I try to relax my muscles and open my heart and soul for Damarian. At first, I don’t feel anything, just the slow rhythm of my heart. I furrow my eyebrows and concentrate on the pulse that belongs to Damarian. I don’t feel him.
It’s as though the serpent side has put up extra walls. I concentrate on knocking them down, and then I sense Damarian’s energy enter me.
Behind closed eyelids, I see a bright light. Then it’s as though I’m being shot into the air like a slingshot.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I’m sitting on the sand near the be
ach. It’s not one I recognize, though. When I look behind me, I see many trees. I shield my eyes from the bright sun as I scan my surroundings. It looks like I’m on a secluded island.
“Damarian,” I say, my voice humorous. I rise to my feet and search the area. “Don’t think you can hide from me. The island isn’t that big.”
From somewhere in the distance, I hear a soft chuckle.
“Hey, I heard you!”
Another chuckle.
I take a few steps toward the direction of the sound. There isn’t much there, just lots and lots of trees. “You have to keep quiet!” I call. “The whole point of Hide and Seek is not to be found.”
“What if I want you to find me?” His voice carries over the silent island. The only sound is my bare feet as I crunch on the twigs and branches lying on the ground.
“Then you’re not playing the game right,” I say.
I look to my right and left, but I don’t see anything. I lift my head. The only place he can hide is in one of the trees.
“I know you’re up there somewhere.”
Suddenly, something crashes down on top of me, throwing me to the ground. It’s a body, a manly body. One that smells like ocean water. I’m on my back and he’s straddling my stomach. But he’s not putting his weight on me as to not hurt me.
He gently closes his hands around my wrists and pushes them backward, until they’re lying flat on the ground. He bends forward to nuzzle my nose. “I do not appreciate this game, Hide and Seek. I do not like to hide from you.”
“But that’s the best part. Finding each other.”
He nuzzles my nose again, then sweeps his lips across my chin. “I lost my patience as I waited for you to locate me. I wished to hold you in my arms and kiss you.”
I smile up at him. “Well, you have your wish.”
He returns the smile. “Indeed, I do.”
Still holding my hands captive, he positions his lips over my forehead and slowly—agonizingly slowly—he starts to lower them. My eyes shut and my breath hitches as I wait for the feeling of those warm, loving lips on my skin. It seems like forever when they finally brush against me, and a soft moan escapes my mouth. I hear a satisfied sound at the back of Damarian’s throat.
