Merman's Love (Merman's Kiss, Book 4)

by Dee J. Stone

  Her mouth snaps shut and her claw drops to her side, her eyes filling with pain. “C…Cassie.” Her voice is deep, but it sounds broken. Her body plummets toward the bottom of the ocean.

  Callen rushes over, followed by Damarian. “She is calm,” Callen says. “Whatever it is you wish to do, you must do so now.”

  “I…” I look at Damarian. I have no idea what to do, and from the look on his face, he doesn’t, either.

  “Cassie, Damarian,” Callen urges.

  I grab Damarian’s hand and lay my free one on Ruthie’s chest. I start replaying every memory I have with her, from the moment we first met. She was so shy at first, so hesitant to be alone with me. She would follow Bobby wherever he went and peek out from behind him when she thought I wasn’t looking. It wasn’t until we played her favorite board game that she started opening up. I missed so much of her life and I promised myself I wouldn’t miss any more. I always wanted a sister, and I couldn’t ask for anyone else. I look at Bobby. I couldn’t ask for anyone else for a brother.

  “I love you to death,” I whisper, pressing my cheek against hers. “Both you and Bobby. Come back to me, sweetie. I miss you.”

  “Cassie?”

  Bobby’s voice. My gaze shoots to him. He’s lying flat on his back, slightly rolling right and left as his eyes flutter. “I won’t admit it out loud,” he whispers. “But I love you, too.”

  “And me,” Ruthie says.

  One of her legs transforms into a human leg. Bobby’s face is no longer a sea serpent but his. I gasp. They’re changing. I grip Damarian’s hands. They’re changing back to humans!

  Shit. They’re changing back to humans.

  I leap up. “We have to get them to land!”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Damarian rushed me to land the time I shifted back into a human, I almost didn’t make it. I don’t know how much longer my little brother and sister have. No matter how fast we swim, the surface doesn’t seem to be drawing closer. It feels like I’m swimming in quicksand.

  “I don’t think she has any more air in her lungs!” I say as I look down at Ruthie.

  I need to do something. I can’t let her die.

  “Damarian, give Bobby to Callen and come to my side. Please.”

  He transfers Bobby, who still hasn’t completely transformed into human, into Callen’s arms and comes over to me.

  “Don’t stop swimming,” I order them.

  Damarian wraps one of his hands around the back of mine that is supporting the bottom of Ruthie’s body. He rests his other one on her chest. I feel my energy, my life force, leave me and mesh with Damarian’s. Then it enters Ruthie. The only person I was able to revive from death was Damarian, and the only reason I could was because he’s my mate. I have no idea if this will work on my little sister, no matter how much I love her. Maybe if Damarian and I hadn’t given up the crown, we’d have more power. But I can’t think of that right now. I need to act.

  “Please,” I beg no one. “Please.” When I glance up at the surface, I see we’re only a few feet away. We can make it, we totally can. But not if Ruthie’s run out of oxygen.

  Damarian’s eyes are shut tight, his lips pressed firmly together. I feel him putting everything he has into Ruthie, but if he doesn’t cut back, he’s going to spend himself and pass out.

  I almost drop Ruthie when I see her chest expand as big as a balloon. Oh my God, it’s working. Her chest deflates and then expands, as though we’re pumping her with a resuscitator. When I look at Bobby, I find him totally transformed into a human. It doesn’t look like he has a lot of air left. Thankfully, we’re nearly at the surface.

  As soon as we break it, both kids take in large gulps of air. They look completely disoriented. Callen, Damarian, and I make our way to the sandbar and lay them down. “Seaweed,” I tell Damarian. He nods before disappearing below. I brush their hair away from their foreheads as I stare at them with nothing but relief and joy. They’re okay. They’re okay.

  They’re so tired that they fall asleep. The full moon casts a small glow on their faces.

  I smile to Callen. “Thanks for all your help.”

  He inclines his head.

  Damarian returns with thick seaweed, and we wrap the kids as gently as possible so we don’t wake them, though from the looks of things, I think even a meteor shower wouldn’t wake them. The poor things have been through so much.

  Now that the fear of losing them is over, I fall into Damarian’s arms and just let everything out. I cry on him and grip his shoulders so tight they turn red. He rubs my back, murmuring words of comfort in my ear.

  I draw back and move my eyes to the kids lying on the sandbar. “We need to get them home.” I look into Damarian’s eyes. “Though I don’t know where ‘home’ is for them anymore.” They’re orphans and I’m the only family they have left. I can’t imagine breaking the news of their parents’ deaths.

  “We shall travel to land,” Damarian says. He turns to Callen. “We are very thankful for your assistance, Callen.”

  He inclines his head.

  “Wait, you can’t change into a human,” I remind Damarian.

  He stares down at his body. “You are correct. The poison from the sea serpents.”

  “Is there no hope for a cure?” Callen asks.

  My chest feels like it’s made of wood. If Damarian and every single merperson are bound to sea without the possibility of changing into humans, that means Damarian won’t be able to come on land. Which means I’m the one who will have to give up my human life and live in the ocean.

  As if reading my thoughts, Damarian takes my hands and shakes his head. “No, my love. I cannot bear removing you from the home and people you hold dearly.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “I cannot.”

  “Try climbing onto the sandbar. Maybe the poison died with the sea serpents.” Although deep down, I know how unlikely that is.

  Damarian nods. He places his palms on the sandbar and swings his tail over, careful not to hit the kids. The three of us wait patiently for the change to come, and since I have no towel or anything to speed up the process, it feels like it’s taking ages.

  “You do not need to remain with us, Callen,” Damarian says. “We are thankful for all you have done.”

  “It will ease my mind with the knowledge that you, your mate, and the fry are safe on land.”

  “Thanks,” I tell him. “You’re a good friend.”

  He inclines his head again.

  We remain silent as we continue waiting for Damarian to change. I glance at the sky, trying to figure out what time it is. The fishermen will start their catch early in the morning, and the last thing I want is for them to find three merpeople with two unconscious human kids. It doesn’t seem to be getting lighter, so I’m hopeful we have some time. That is, assuming Damarian changes.

  I’m pretty sure ten minutes have passed. Damarian is still a merman. His body is still wet, though, and the sun is not out. Maybe he needs more time.

  Ruthie stirs. My heart rate speeds up at the thought of her waking up to the sight of three merpeople, at the sight of her sister as a mermaid. But the panic flies out of me when she turns to her side and continues to sleep.

  I study Damarian’s tail. It’s dry. “You’re not going to change,” I say.

  He nods, a solemn expression on his face.

  He’ll never be able to shift into a human, never be able to enjoy life on land with me. He was so excited to continue learning how to read and write and discovering all he can about my world. But I can’t complain, because we’re both alive and healthy and now with the sea serpents gone, we can start to live again. Maybe things haven’t turned out the way I dreamed, but there is so much to look forward to in my life.

  “Cassie, perhaps you can attempt to cure the venom,” Callen says.

  “What?”

  “It was you who poisoned Damarian, was it not? Perhaps you can cure it.”

  “Yes,” Damarian says, his eyes brig
ht with hope. “I am certain you can.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. It’s not like I consciously poisoned Damarian—it happened when we slept together—so how can I consciously heal it? But I’ll do anything and everything I can to get rid of it. “It’s worth a try,” I say.

  Damarian shifts over on the sandbar so he can put his hands in mine. I close my eyes and…I don’t know what. I take in a few gulps of air and let them out slowly, focusing my mind on the venom coursing through his bloodstream. I draw in as much energy as I can from Damarian and concentrate on removing the poison. When I open my eyes, I hope to see Damarian undergoing the shift, but he’s just lying there, his eyes shut tight.

  I sigh. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Combine your energies and attempt to cure me,” Callen says. “The two of you are powerful together.”

  Damarian helps Callen onto the sandbar. All three of us hold hands and close our eyes. Damarian’s power leaps into me, and I feel us growing much stronger than we were when I tried to cure Damarian on my own. I concentrate on the poison in Callen’s body and then I see it in my mind. A thick, gooey green substance running through his bloodstream.

  I grip both mermen’s hands as I focus on eliminating the poison. While the venom is green, I see clouds of black and I know that is the hatred, destruction, and chaos that were the essence of the sea serpents. And I don’t know how I know this, but I know that the way to combat this is through love, life, and caring for our fellow merperson, human, and every other creature in the world.

  I focus on the love I have for Damarian, for his family, people, and the entire ocean. I focus on the love I have for my mother, my siblings, my friends. I focus on the life I want to build with my merman, how I want to marry both merperson world and human world. The sea serpents wanted to destroy all that was beautiful in this world, but we did not give up until we stopped them.

  Callen groans. My eyes snap open, and I see him convulsing. Damarian’s jaw nearly drops into the ocean. He quickly puts his hand on Callen’s arm. “It will not be long until it passes. I know it is terribly painful, but I assure you it shall pass.”

  Callen’s body is so jerky and wild that I’m worried he might accidentally hit Ruthie or Bobby. But then he stops and lies flat on the sandbar, completely frozen. The only movement is his chest as it heaves.

  And now I can safely say he is the second merman-turned-human I’ve seen naked. Though I wonder if I should count Kyle in the equation, too. I reach for some of the extra seaweed Damarian brought and throw it over his man parts.

  I know how exhausted Callen must be, because I’ve experienced it many times. I wish we could let him rest here, but Damarian and I need to get the kids to land.

  “Callen.” I lightly touch his forehead that is damp with sweat.

  His eyes move behind closed eyelids. “That,” he breathes, “is the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced in my life.” His eyes slowly open and pin on Damarian, then move to me. “I do not believe I could undergo this every day.”

  “Well, twice a day,” I say. “At least for Damarian. I only need to dip into salt water every so often.”

  Damarian takes my hand in his and rests them against his chest. “It is all worth it, for I love Cassie so very much.”

  I squeeze his hand. “I love you, too.”

  Damarian helps Callen sit up. He stares at his legs, then blinks at the seaweed covering his privates. “I see.”

  “Yes, humans are quite different from children of the sea,” Damarian says with a laugh.

  Callen is about to respond when Damarian lets out a wail and goes splat on his back on the sandbar. “Damarian!” I cry.

  His eyes roll over and his body starts to convulse. I gasp. He’s shifting into a human. Both Callen and I just gape at him. “How is this possible?” I ask. I want to reach for Damarian and cradle him close as his body continues to shake, but he’d turn back into a merman. When it’s over, Damarian falls back and mutters, “Quite some time has passed since I have shifted. I forgot how painful it is.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, wishing I could touch him. “But you’re human.” I look at Callen. “I have no idea how.”

  Callen rubs his forehead. “The poison was transmitted from child to child through contact. Perhaps the cure operates in the same manner.”

  “So you’re saying all you need to do is go back into the ocean, and you’ll cure everyone?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “You okay?” I ask Damarian.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Callen helps him sit up. “I believe I shall return to the colony. I am glad you are now able to bring the fry to their home.” He touches Damarian’s shoulder. “Do not hesitate to ask for my assistance.”

  “Many thanks, Callen.”

  Both he and Damarian fall back into the ocean and shift back into mermen. Callen looks like he just went through the most traumatic thing in his life, but there’s no mistaking how happy he is to be a merman again.

  “Farewell, Damarian and Cassie.” He nods to him, then to me. Oh, what the heck. I grab him and give him a hug. Like I suspect, he remains completely still, but after a few seconds, he pats my back. “When will you return to the sea?” he asks as we break apart.

  I look at Damarian. He looks at me. None of us seems to know the answer to that.

  “Be well, my friends,” he says before disappearing beneath the surface.

  “I don’t know how long we have until sunrise.” I carefully gather Ruthie in my arms. She stirs a bit, but thankfully doesn’t wake up.

  “Cassie, what shall be of them?” he asks as he lifts Bobby.

  I stare down at my sleeping sister. “I have no idea.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Damarian and I gape at the sight in front of us. I blink a few times, wondering if we stepped into another dimension. Because the beach we’re staring at is not the same beach I’ve grown up with my whole life. It’s completely wrecked.

  “What has happened?” Damarian asks.

  Parts of buildings and broken trees lie all over the place. Some of the sand is gone.

  “There must have been a hurricane,” I say, though something tells me this was not the result of a hurricane.

  “A hurricane?” Damarian asks.

  “It’s a very strong storm. We get them often, but I’ve never seen one do this much damage.”

  We just stand there, staring at everything. Some of the shops that have been on the beach for years are completely destroyed. The beach chairs and umbrellas are gone, too.

  “We’ll have to find out what happened later,” I say. “First we need to get the kids to my house.”

  “Your house?” Damarian asks as he follows me along the beach.

  “Yeah.” I gently bend down and dig through some wreckage when I see what looks like a large shirt peeking out. Sure enough, I pull out a male’s white shirt. “This should be good for Ruthie.”

  “Am I to understand that we are to care for your sister and brother?” Damarian asks. “I am willing, if that is what you wish.”

  I puff out my cheeks. “I don’t know. I have no idea what options we have, if we even have any. Though, I did think of one.”

  “Yes?” he asks.

  I find khaki pants. “Dress Bobby into these.”

  We lower the kids onto the sand. Dressing Ruthie into the shirt without waking her is no easy task. She’s normally not a heavy sleeper, but both her body and Bobby’s probably need a crapload of rest. I won’t be surprised if they sleep the entire day.

  “This garment is too large,” Damarian says.

  I glance at them. Bobby’s legs are too short and the waistband of the pants is too big. “Stay here with them while I look for more clothes, and something for us to wear, too.”

  After searching for what feels like twenty minutes, the only thing I manage to find is a muddy robe and a small towel. I dress into the robe and hand the towel to Damarian, where
he ties it around his waist.

  “What is the option you have thought of?” he asks.

  “Well.” I press my lips together. “I thought maybe I can ask my mom to take care of them.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. “Your mother?”

  I hold out my hands. “It’s either her or me. I won’t let them be thrown into the foster system.”

  “Foster.” Now his eyebrows furrow. “Yes, I believe I know that word.”

  “It’s not an easy life for foster kids. Many of them don’t have real homes, don’t grow up with people who love them. If Mom doesn’t want to take them in, I’ll have to. They have no other family.”

  Damarian takes my hands. “I believe you mean we shall care for them.”

  I kiss him.

  He strokes my head. “They are your family.”

  I look down at them. They don’t know that when they wake up, their lives will be changed forever. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure they’re happy and live full, productive lives.

  We gather them in our arms and head home. Since we’re being careful not to wake them, it takes us just a little bit longer to get there. There is some damage to the beach houses, and every part of me beats with panic. But then I see my house standing and I relax. I have no idea what happened in the human world while I was in the ocean, but there’s time to learn about that later. Ruthie and Bobby are our top priority.

  “Great,” I mutter as I stand before the door. “I don’t have a key.” Seriously, have I not learned my lesson from the last time we ended up in front of my house with no key?

  “Perhaps the window?” Damarian suggests.

  I walk around the house, but all of the windows are firmly shut.

  “Perhaps someone is home?” Damarian rings the bell.

  “Wishful thinking. Who would be home? Mom’s in New York and Leah…oh my God, Leah.”

  “What is the matter?”

  “The last I saw her was when my dad kidnapped me and threw me into the tank. I have no idea if she’s even okay.”

  Damarian makes a move to rub my shoulder, but he’s got Bobby in his arms. Instead, he says, “I am certain she is well. The sea serpents had no reason to harm her.”