Damarian (A Merman's Kiss Novel) (4 page)

I turn around.

“Have you had a pleasant time with the princess?”

The memories repeat in my head. I do not understand the female that is to be my mate. She does not seem to care about me at all. She appears to only care about my appearance. That is not the correct way anyone should feel about her mate. Or perhaps I am the one who is at fault, for reasons I do not understand.

I do not know how to respond to my sister. I merely nod.

She appears a little guilty, as though she worries her next words will hurt me.

“What is the matter, Doria?”

She swallows. “Hareta has told me…there is talk amongst the children of the sea. That you do not wish to mate with Princess Flora.”

My tail feels as though it has transformed to stone. “Why do they say so?”

“You have worn a scowl when you conversed with her last night, and you carry one now as well. Some of the Violets worry you will not be a good mate for her.”

I shut my eyes. I do not know if I can bear this.

She swims to my side and takes my hand. “You are the future king, Damarian. Nothing will be as it is now. Others will look to you for guidance. They will judge every minute thing you do.” She squeezes my hand. “I am sorry.”

“For what?”

“For Father forcing this upon you.”

I pull my hand away. “Father is not forcing me. This is my choice.” I turn away.

“Is it?” she asks. “Are you certain this is the life you wish to have? Sitting on the throne with a crown tied to your head? Constantly fretting about every creature in the sea?”

My hands fist at my sides. “It is my duty, Doria.” I turn around so my eyes bore into hers. “A child of the sea does not flee his duty.”

She does not move her eyes from mine for a little while. Then she lowers them and nods. “You are correct, Brother. Good night.” She swims toward her room, but turns around. “Now that your decision is final, you cannot change it.”

I nod, pushing away the incident that occurred between Flora and me only moments ago out of my mind. It shall be different when she is the queen and I am the king. We will both be changed. We will put the sea and all her creatures above everything else.

“You are brave, Damarian. I have much respect for you.”

I force a smile. “As you should, for I am your eldest sibling.”

She laughs before swimming to her room.

Zarya is on the floor with her toys when I enter. She beams and raises an object toward me. “Look what Father has presented me!”

“Father? Is he not at the palace?”

“No, he arrived home, but he has left to take care of some matters. He will return shortly. He has already given me a good night kiss.”

I swim closer and lower myself next to her. I take the object and study it, but I do not know what it is. Another human object, scavenged from a sunken vessel. Father and I discover many objects in the sea on our travels and hand them to Zarya. She has a large collection.

“What do you suppose it is?” she asks.

It is oval in shape and grows narrower toward the bottom, so it easy to grasp it. It seems to be damaged, for half of the face of the object is broken. I squint toward the unbroken part. Are those…lips? How is it possible for there to be lips in this object? Is a human trapped in there? But when I move the object higher, I see a nose. It appears identical to Kiander’s. No, to mine.

“It captures your reflection.” I twist it from side to side.

“Your reflection? May I see?”

I hand it to her and she presses it close to her eye. “That is my eye! How peculiar.”

Humans must have the means to capture their reflections. I have seen mine on the surface of the water many times.

“This shall be one of my prized possessions.” She holds it close to her chest.

“It is time you go to sleep, my little fry.” I make a move to chase her, and she quickly lifts herself off the floor and dashes to her oyster shell. Since she is only a fry, her oyster shell is smaller than mine. I have slept with her many times when she underwent a difficult night, and I could not find a comfortable position, for my tail is too long. I stretch the seaweed to her chin and press a kiss to her forehead.

“May we sing?” she asks.

“Certainly. What is your wish?”

“Sing the song you created just for me.”

“All right.”

“They say all in life is brought together through fate,

In my family, we are comprised of eight,

There is Father and Mother, a true pair indeed,

They are always on the ready to help someone in need.

Damarian, the eldest, is forever out exploring,

When he returns, he tells us the most fascinating stories,

Next, Kiander, a child of little words,

Though he speaks so seldom, his actions are always heard,

Doria, the eldest daughter, is constantly with a friend,

Even when we argue, she is quick to make amends,

Syd and Syndin share a bond like no other,

It is because they are the closest of twin brothers,

Then there is Zarya, with a soul that is so bright,

She is quick to make us smile, for she is such a delight.

That is my family, and how we care for each other so,

Whether there will be more, of that I do not know,

But I am certain of a fact that will eternally be true,

That my love for them will stay strong, through and through.”

She claps her hands. “That was most magnificent!”

“You are too kind, Zarya.” I press another kiss to her forehead. “Good night.”

Once I ascertain that she is comfortable, I head for the entryway.

“Dammy?”

I turn to face her.

“Will you ever love anyone as much as you love me?”

I swim to her and nuzzle her nose with mine. “I shall never love a fry as much as I love you.”

She beams at me. Then her eyebrows come together. “Not when you mate with Princess Flora and have fry of your own?”

I feel the smile vanish from my face.

“Dammy?”

I touch the top of her golden head. “Sleep well, Zarya.”

“Sleep well, Dammy.”

My attempt to shake away Zarya’s words as I leave her room is futile. During the brief moment with Zarya, I had forgotten about the princess, about the throne and my future. For a while, I was carefree and happy. It is a feeling I wish to experience more often, not as though I am trapped in one of the humans’ nets.

My swim comes to a halt when I enter the main room. Father sits at the table, devouring a fish. Mother sits at his side.

“Damarian,” she says. “I did not see you return from the palace.”

“Return?” Father asks.

“Yes. Princess Flora wished to speak to him.”

“So you are aware, then?”

I tilt my head. “Aware of what?”

He drops the bones onto the table and reaches for another fish. “The royal family has decided the mating ceremony shall occur tomorrow morning.”

It feels as though my gills have been clogged.
Tomorrow morning
?

“That is wonderful news!” Mother swims to embrace me, but I dash away before her tail can wrap around mine.

“Damarian—”

I flee my home. I flee the Sapphire colony. I flee the entire colony of the children of the sea. A shark warns me not leave, for it is nighttime, but I do not pay attention. I have swum many times at night, for unlike some sea creatures, children of the sea are able to see in dark waters.

I do not know where I swim, but I do not stop.

They wish for me to mate with Princess Flora tomorrow morning. That is the reason she did not want to wait. But I cannot mate with her, not so soon. I cannot take the crown so soon. I wish to spend more time with Zarya and the twins. I wish to explore more of the sea. There is so much I wish to do before I am required to devote my entire life to the sea. Why does Father hurry me? Does he worry the princess may choose another mate?

The sea grows more violent the further I am from the colony and when I swim closer to the surface. It is due to a storm. We are warned when we are fry to never swim in such dire conditions. But my tail continues to pump me further and further away from the life I do not want, from the life I did not ask for.

If Father were in my place, would he mate with a female he did not yearn after? He mated with the right female—why can I not do the same? I am not certain whether Princess Flora is not the right female for me. Perhaps we are destined to be together for all eternity. But not in this manner.

The waves sweep me around as I swim, and the faster I travel, the harsher they hit me. But my tail does not stop pumping.

When the most massive wave I have ever seen in my moons heads in my direction, I quickly turn around and dive under. But even I am no match for the turbulent sea. It tows me to and fro, throwing me as though am I merely the waste the humans throw in the sea.

When another wave crashes over me, I see nothing but blackness.

When I open my eyes, I am faced with a female human. But not just any human—I recognize her as the female I rescued from the sea.

It takes only a moment for my mind to register what my eyes see. If I am before the female I have saved from the sea…

My eyes drop to my body. They take in my chest and then trail lower, past an object that is wrapped around my waist, and to the bottom of my tail. But my tail is not there. There are legs in its place.

I scamper back and nearly fall off an object that resembles a large chair. There are
legs
on my body.

The human moves forward. Her chest rises and falls in an unsteady manner as she studies me. I stare at her. How is it possible that I have legs? And where am I? Have I exposed myself to this human? Have I put the entire colony at risk?

She steps closer to me. I would move further back if this wall did not obstruct me. I cannot escape. She produces a hesitant yet friendly smile. “Hi. I’m Cassie Price. I found you passed out on the beach and brought you to my house.”

This is her residence. She brought me here? For what purpose? She claims she discovered me on land. How…? The storm. I must have been unconscious. That caused me…to shift into a human?

Perhaps this human had not seen me in my child of the sea form. Perhaps I did not put the entire colony in danger. But I should not have swum in the storm. Curse me for not listening to the instructions my parents gave me when I was a fry.

“Do you…do you understand me?” she asks, her eyes—the color of earth—wide and somewhat startled. I notice her light-colored hair is bound in the same manner as before.

Is it wise to communicate with this human? King Palaemon has warned us many times that they are not to be trusted. But this human does not appear dangerous. She seems to genuinely care about my welfare.

I open my mouth to respond, but no sound leaves my mouth. I cover my neck as I cough. My gills—I do not have them. I am breathing oxygen in the manner in which the humans do—through their noses and mouths. How am I to speak when there is no water around me but air?

The human seems a little frightened, for she steps back.

I attempt once again to speak. But she does not hear or understand me, for she says, “I’m sorry?”

My mouth moves slowly as I try to sound my name.

“What?”

I catch sight of the object that is bound around my waist. What is this? It seems to be concealing something…Ah, yes. The humans’ reproductive portions are not hidden behind scales like the children of the sea’s.

“My…name…” It is difficult to say the words, but it seems to grow easier the more I speak. I point to my chest. “Damarian.”

She seems confused, as though she has never heard of such a name. I would not expect her to. Humans have quite peculiar names as well. Cassie Price. Leah. I have heard the name George and Miranda when I observed the humans once. Quite peculiar indeed.

But not as peculiar as these legs. I run my hand down the right one. It is soft yet hard, and there is a muscle behind the knee that bulges out. I raise my leg in the air and bend. I repeat the action. I have seen many legs before and have felt this human’s when I rescued her, but it is much different when one is attached to my body. I can bend one leg without having to bend the other. They are not dependent on each other, as I thought.

When I glance at the human, she has a bewildered expression on her face. That is when I realize she does not know what I am. She believes I am a human like her.

“Do you recognize me?” she asks. “From yesterday? You rescued me when I wiped out surfing.”

Certainly I recognize her, but I do not feel safe with her being aware of this. I must return to the sea before my true identity is discovered. I lift these legs that are quite heavy and swing them over the edge of the large chair. It feels soft beneath, unlike the stone chairs we have in the sea. I study the legs. How am I to walk on them? It seems like an extremely difficult task.

She asks me if I am all right and if I require assistance. She is behaving in a very kind manner, but I am still not certain I can trust her. I rest my hands on the side of the large chair and attempt to pull myself up and balance on the legs. Once I release my hold, I sway for a moment or two before collapsing on the chair.

She hurries toward me and once again asks if I am all right.

“Not quite as simple as I imagined.”

Another peculiar aspect of these legs—I am able to curl the fingers. And I can separate them as far as the flesh allows, just like the fingers on my hand.

“Um…Damarian?”

My name on her tongue causes me to break my concentration and look at her. She once again wears that bewildered expression.

“How peculiar, the way they part.” I slide the fingers from one hand through the fingers of the other. I cannot stop marveling at the lack of flesh. But the human still watches me as though I am a creature she has never seen before, and I do not wish for her to discover that I indeed am. I place my hands on the chair to once again attempt to lift myself. I am more careful now, raising one leg at a time. To my utter disbelief, I find myself standing. Standing on human legs!

And I am walking. Damarian of the Sapphire clan walks on human legs!

The human Cassie Price reaches to assist me when I grow unstable, but I am able to hold my own. She still carries that confused expression, but her face is soft and friendly.

Once I have walked a good distance, I turn to her. “Magnificent.”

Her gaze falls to the object that is bound around my waist, the object that conceals my reproductive portion. Is she worried it will fall off?

My thoughts are interrupted when extreme pain assaults every fiber in my being, particularly at the location of my neck, where my gills are. My body falls forward as I cannot breathe. My chest expands and contracts wildly as my human organ attempts to seek the oxygen from the air, but the air will not enter me. My gills are not present at the sides of my neck, for I am no longer a child of the sea.

“Damari—”

A strangled cry escapes my lips as I fall to the floor, bending my body close together. The sides of my neck are so irritated that I am forced to scratch them. The pain engulfing my body grows more severe that a howl is released from my mouth.

I cannot bear this pain. I cannot. I have never experienced this before in all my moons.

“What’s wrong?” Cassie Price yells. Though I am in pain, I force my eyes open. Her hands are clutched to her ears as she stares at me with a terrified expression on her face. “Why are you doing that?”

I require the sea. I require water. If I do not receive it soon, I am certain I will perish. “Please, kind human, Cassie Price,” I murmur. “I require water. Water. Water. Water.”

She moves her head closer to mine.

“Water. Water. Water. Please. Water.”

“Water?” she asks.

“I…need…water.

Strange sounds leave my mouth. My howls along with the lack of oxygen. I fear the irritation at my neck is my gills ceasing to exist. I will perish soon. I did not say goodbye to Zarya, Syd, and Syndin. Father, Mother, Doria, and Kiander. I will never lay eyes upon them again. Princess Flora will not have a mate. The clans will not be united. All due to the fact that I am human and am dying.

I do not have the energy to hold my eyes open. I hear Cassie Price hurry out of the room. She returns a little bit later and lowers herself next to me. “Here.” She presents me with a clear object in her hand. It appears to be a vessel that contains water.

I shake my head. “Me…in water.”

“What?”

I once again do not have the strength to hold my eyes open, but I force myself to say, “My body…in water.”

“You need to be in water?”

I do not have the strength to utter another word, only a nod.

“I have a pool. Can you stand?”

A pool. I do not understand what that is. I am certain I cannot stand, but I must press myself. It takes all my strength to nod again.

She heaves my arm over her shoulder and lifts me until my legs stand on the floor. I feel my weight nearly crush her, but she does not surrender. She drags me out of the room. I do not know where we are going, for all I see, feel, and smell is the pain that has grown even more intense.

Blackness touches the edge of my mind, a moment before she says, “We’re almost there.” Her assurance causes me to push the blackness away and not yield. I will not perish. I will see my family again. I will play squid wars with the little ones and I will live to take the crown and be the king of the children of the sea. I had my reservations, but now I am certain it is my duty to take the throne.

My eyes slowly open when a comforting feeling passes over my skin. Water. There is water before me. I free myself from the kind female and dive into the human sea.

The pain does not lessen. I still cannot breathe. It only takes a moment for me to realize that this is not sea water but plain water. I cannot survive in this.

“Salt!” I say to Cassie Price.

“What?”

“Salt. I need salt!”

With an alarmed expression on her face, she nods and hurries out of the room. A few seconds later, she reappears with an object in her hand. An object that must contain salt.

I motion for her to pour the salt into the human sea—the pool. I do not have the strength to keep my body afloat. I do not know how much time remains.

Once the salt enters the water, I surge there and spin around, hoping the salt will touch my body and provide me with the energy I need. But this small amount cannot sustain my entire body. I force myself to the surface and ask Cassie Price for more.

Her face is confused and sad. She does not have any more salt.

“Seawater!”

She appears perplexed.

My body plummets to the bottom of the pool. I once again force myself to the surface. I nearly do not have the strength to say, “Seawater, please!”

“I don’t have seawater,” she yells. “I’m sorry.” She turns away and presses her hands to her temples.

This is the end. I will perish here, as a human. I will not have the honor of handing my body to the sea.

Cassie Price suddenly spins around. “I have synthetic sea salt in my basement.”

I am so weak I can barely move or open my mouth. But I push myself to say, “Yes! Sea salt.”

“But why would you need that?”

“Please!”

She dashes away. My body falls to the bottom of the pool. I cannot lift it. I cannot move. Cassie Price is a kind human, but her efforts to retrieve the sea salt will be futile. I will not live a minute longer.

Just as I am ready to surrender to the blackness, I feel something caress my body as a distant voice yells, “Damarian!”

My body is filled with nutrients. Life. I feel as though I am being awakened from death. But just as soon as this lovely feeling emerges, it is replaced by acute pain. It is much different from the pain I have experienced just a few moments ago. It feels as though the lower part of my body is being torn in half. Though I am flailing about, I see my sapphire tail fill the pool. And it is not long before the pain is gone.

I am once again a child of the sea.

A child of the sea in a pool. In front of a human. A human who has been kind and who has saved my life. I am not certain whether she can be trusted, but I am forever in her debt.

I cannot see her, for she is near the wall of this room, but I know she is here because she breaths heavily. “Thank you,” I say.

She sighs in relief. “No problem. Are you okay?” Her head appears before me. The worry leaves her face when she lays her eyes on me. Then her gaze moves lower, to the bottom half of my body.

A gasp leaves her mouth as her eyes grow so wide I fear they may fall out. She stumbles back and collapses on the floor.

My heart pounds. I have put every child of the sea’s life at risk. I have exposed myself to a human.