The wind picked up her red hair, flinging it messily about her face.
“Lucky you!” she continued. “You on your way home?”
“Yup.”
“Home, Jeeves!” She yelled and floored it.
Chapter Eight
Back To Normal
It took two weeks before Thayde was strong enough to sit up on his own and hold an extended conversation. I went through the motions of going to school and prayed for the day to end so I could return home to be with him. My routine was simple: get up, check on Thayde, eat, go to school, return home, check on Thayde and stay with him until I got so sleepy I had to go to bed.
Tammer was withdrawn. He didn’t love the fact Thayde and I were together. Mom knew what Thayde meant to me. It was how she felt toward Tammer. It was kind of nice actually, having a parent who understood how you were feeling and didn’t try to stop you.
This whole world of the impossible was hard to get used to. If you’d told me that all this existed a few months ago, I’d have thought you were mad and stayed as far away from you as I could. But this was my life now and my old life seemed so, well, unimportant. Insignificant. Boring.
It was Friday and thankfully school was over. The walk up the drive was a muddy mess, as we were experiencing yet another torrential downpour. Mom met me at the door looking happy.
“What’s going on?” I asked, dropping my backpack and pulling off my drenched raincoat.
She handed me a package wrapped in purple paper.
“Open it,” she said.
The wrapping fell to the floor as I opened the gift. After a few minutes of struggling with the box, I opened it to find a beautiful dive knife complete with a sheath and arm band.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
“Tammer wanted you to have it.”
“It’s really cool!” And it was thoughtful, too. I smiled at her. “Please tell him thank you.”
“I will.” She changed the subject. “Thayde’s doing very well. He’s able to walk around a bit now and is getting stronger each time he tries. I think he’ll be good to go in a few days”.
“That’s great,” I said, walking past her and heading for the guest bedroom.
“Morgandy,”
Turning, I could see she had something she wanted to say.
“He won’t be staying here long after he is better.”
“What? Why?” Where else was he supposed to go?
“Sweetheart, he’s a junior at Columbia University! He has his own apartment. He needs to get back to school.”
I shook my head. “But things have changed now.”
“He can’t stay here forever, honey.”
“But he’s got me now!”
“What do you expect him to do? Completely drop everything and come and live with you forever after?”
I stopped. Well not really, but I hadn’t even thought about what would happen next. Surely we’d be together.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“He’s twenty-three in human years, Morgandy. I understand you have corded, but honestly, you hardly know each other. I know that that doesn’t matter much to you, but it would be nice for the both of you to at least wait to be together until you graduate.”
I knew she was right, but the selfish part of me didn’t want to hear any more. Turning away, I hopped up the stairs, two at a time. I’d have to finish high school. Then, maybe I’d just go to the same university Thayde was attending. We could be together then, but I didn’t want him to leave. Could he put his school schedule on hold? Now I really was being selfish.
I knocked lightly on his door and when he didn’t answer, I cracked it slightly. He was curled up in the middle of the bed, fast asleep. Squeezing through the door so as not to make any noise, I tiptoed to his bed. A sheet was wrapped haphazardly around his body and his hand lay next to his handsome face on the pillow. I noticed the red marks around his wrists were considerably lighter. The scarring on his face was still red, but much better than before. His chest was still wrapped tightly.
What was I going to do? If he was better, which he certainly looked, that’d mean he was leaving and that was the last thing I wanted. We hadn’t even been on a date yet. Frustrated, I plopped down into a chair next to the bed, and held the topaz pendant that hung around my neck. I had to come up with a plan.
When I looked up, it was into his deep blue eyes. He was watching me stew.
“Hi,” I said. Those eyes took my breath away every time.
He turned, little gasps of air escaping, as the pain was obviously still there. When he was sitting back in his pillows, he sighed but smiled at me.
“Hello,” he said and patted the bed next to him.
Standing, I nervously grabbed at my hair and twiddled it. This was going to be hard.
“Thayde, I’ve been thinking,” I said, easing onto the bed. I didn’t finish. The look of love on his face was beautiful.
“I’m not going to leave you.”
That took me by surprise. I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Being apart,” he hesitated, “it’s not good for us.”
He seemed to struggle with the words.
“I’m trying not to sound like a possessive freak.” He laughed slightly, wincing. “I know you’re new to all of this. Once you cord, if you’re away from your love for too long, it’s unhealthy for you. You start to get sick. You should talk to your Mom about what happened with her and Tammer.”
“I know a little, but, let’s face it. We don’t really know each other. I mean, you know nothing about me other than what you’ve dreamed. How do we know we’re supposed to be together? We obviously like each other, but what if I have quirks that irritate you and you can’t stand to be around me?”
I was starting to rattle through my words. They kept spilling out of me, like water through a hose that’d been left on.
“I know you’ve got school you’ve got to finish and things you need to sort out with your family and I know I’d just get in the way, but I honestly don’t want to be away from you, “ I said. “ I don’t want to be selfish either, because I’m afraid you won’t like that side of me and will leave.”
He listened to me with a great deal of patience while I prattled on. When I was finished, he said three words.
“I love you,”
It took me by surprise. I wanted to say it back, but would it be real? I’d never wanted to say “I love you” simply to say it back. Wasn’t it too soon to be saying that?
“How do you know you love me?”
“I’ve always known,” he said. “But you’re right. It would be good for us to at least go on a date. I’d like to spend some time with you outside of your parent’s house and this bed.”
“Oh really?” That got my hopes up. Spending time with him away from home would be nice.
“And when do you think that’s going to happen? You’re in bad shape right now.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m good now, apart from the ribs. Your Mom helped heal so many broken bones in me that when it came time for my ribs, she didn’t have any more healing power left for them. It’s ok. They’ll heal eventually. She said she didn’t want me getting bed sick, so I’ve been walking a bit. She was right. I do feel better.”
He pushed back the covers and edged to the side of the bed. Swinging his legs carefully over the edge, he eased to his feet. I watched the muscles in his back and arms contract as he swayed slightly, keeping himself balanced. It was like looking at a Michelangelo sculpture. Would I ever get used to how beautiful Thayde’s body was?
“Well, what do you think?” He asked. “I’m standing. That’s a good sign.”
His pretend enthusiasm made me smile.
“Yeah, well now you’ve got to make it to the bathroom, right?” I dared him.
Gingerly, he walked toward the door.
“Oh, so you’re attempting to make yourself presentable, huh?” I teased.
“Well I’ve got to take you on
a date,” he jabbed back over his shoulder. “It’d be nice if you made the effort too, you know.”
Closing the door quickly made him miss being clobbered with a feather pillow.
A date! A date! My heart soared. When I told Mom Thayde wanted to go out, she seemed a bit apprehensive.
“Does he feel up to it?” She asked, mid-chop through a pile of smelly seaweed. Another one of her new hobbies was apparently cooking. Or something like it.
“I think so. He said his ribs still hurt but they’ll heal.”
“Hmm,” she shook her head. “I think it’s still a bit too soon, but what do I know? Just take it easy.”
“I don’t think he’d do this if he didn’t feel up to it,” I pressed.
“All the same…” She trailed off.
I was getting impatient.
“Are you going to help me get ready or are you just going to pretend to cook?” I asked.
“Pretend?” She feigned insult. “I’ll have you know that Vitahl is my instructor and when you finally learn to love seaweed, you’ll be sorry you said that.”
I would never in my entire life love seaweed. She put down the knife and wiped her hands.
“Oh all right,” she relented.
A quick shower, a dusting of mineral makeup and lip gloss, and fifteen minutes later, I was standing in front of my immense new closet with my hands on my hips.
“What on earth am I going to wear?” I shied away from the closet and collapsed on the bed, tightening the towel around my chest. “I have to look pretty, not old.”
“I am not old!” She cried from within the clothes. “What about this?”
A pink sundress flew at me.
“No.”
“This?”
A long blue skirt.
“No way!”
“Fine.” There was a pause. “This?”
A pair of bright green shorts sailed through the air, landing on the floor, just short of the bed. That was followed by a yellow shirt.
“Eeew!”
“For heaven’s sake, Morgandy.” Mom exited the closet and sat next to me on the bed. She pointed to the closet. “You go in there and choose.”
“If I go in there, I might never come back,” I said somberly and she pushed me off the bed.
After exhausting nearly every option, I came across a pretty white peasant shirt and a pair of black Capri pants. Slipping on some black leather sandals, I faced the mirror. I looked decent.
Mom pulled my long hair up at the sides and clipped it with a silver clasp.
“You look lovely,” she said and gave me a squeeze. “Let’s go and find him.”
Thayde was standing in the living room across the coffee table from Tammer, who was sprawled on the couch, limbs askew, resembling a sea anemone. When I looked quizzically at Mom, she whispered “He’s been hunting. He’s a bit tired.”
Thayde, on the other hand, didn’t look the least bit tired. He was completely dressed in black from head to toe. A long sleeved parson’s shirt hid the scars on his arms. His blue eyes were piercing. He looked up as we entered the room and his smile made my knees wobble.
“Thayde, are you sure you’re up to this?” Mom fussed.
“Elan, he’ll be fine.” Tammer’s muffled voice called from between the pillows. “He immersed and he’s feeling much better.”
“Immersed?”
Thayde walked toward me and took my hand. “The bathtubs have a healing gel. That made me feel a lot stronger.”
He nodded to Mom. “Thank you for helping me. I was just saying to Tammer that I couldn’t have recovered as well if I had been at home.”
It was sad to hear and it was wrong. Everyone should feel safe and comforted in their own home.
“I’m glad we could help,” she said and made her way to Tammer. “Please be home by midnight, Morgandy,” she huffed as she dug him out of the couch.
“I will,” I led Thayde out the front door away from Mom and Tammer the slug.
Parked in front of the walkway was a shiny black Ferrari. I gasped.
“Is this yours?” I asked as he opened the passenger door for me.
“Yes,” he seemed apologetic. When he slid into the driver’s seat he continued. “It’s not brand new.”
“It’s beautiful,” I pulled on my seatbelt and caressed the leather seat with my hand.
“Do you like sushi?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I’ve never tried it.”
“Would you like to?”
No.
“Yes,” I said.
Starting the engine, he cocked his head. “Liar!”
What do you say when you’re caught? I started to stammer.
“Honestly, I’ve always been afraid to try it. I’ve always heard of worms growing in your stomach and all that.”
He smiled.
“Worms, huh? Let me take you to a proper sushi restaurant where you won’t get worms.” Shifting into first, he shook his head. “Worms,” he chuckled.
We drove with the top down. The warm wind flew through my newly long hair and made me shiver. Thayde noticed and asked if I’d rather have the top up. I said no. This was perfect. He was perfect. What could be better than driving in a beautiful car with the love of your life and feeling pretty and in control for once? Not much.
We drove to a new restaurant on the beach called The Dolphin named after the dolphin fish, not the actual dolphin. I still had to get used to Florida and its strange names. For instance, Vero Beach was called Zero Beach by the locals. They figured that nothing exciting ever happened in Vero. How wrong they were.
Settling into a velvet covered chair, Thayde took his seat next to me and reached for my hand.
“Thank you for being open minded,” he said.
Sure - anything for the most handsome man on earth. How bad could sushi be? Besides the worms, I mean.
“Still worried about the worms?” He asked, as if reading my mind.
“Do you read minds?” I blurted.
“No. That’s Tammer’s gift and it’s pretty rare. It would be nice to have in some respects, but not in others. Can you imagine knowing what every man was thinking about your lovely wife? It’d be enough to make me want to attack them!”
“What is your gift?” I asked, not meeting his eyes. Instead, I focused on stabbing a lemon in my ice water with my straw.
“I have three,” he began and when I looked up, he smiled that gorgeous smile again. “What?”
“It’s nothing I guess. It’s just that Vitahl said normally merpeople have two gifts at the most. Why do you have three?”
“He’s right. Most are. But my biological father was from a line of purebred merpeople and so was my mother. When you’re from a purebred line, you usually have more gifts.”
“Okay,” I said stupidly and Thayde continued.
“Limus fell in love with her the first time they met and she married him. I know she didn’t love him like he loved her. He was nice to me, but never very loving as a father should be. When she passed, he remarried and had the twins Akin and Herra, and later Gavran. They’ve always been nice to me, but it was always made very clear that I wasn’t real family. When Limus got his own son,”
“Akin,” I interjected.
“Akin, he focused everything he had on him. I was left alone.”
“That’s so sad!”
“It is what it is. I haven’t let it bring me down.”
He swirled his water and took a gulp. Somehow, I didn’t believe him. It hurt him more than he let on.
“You shouldn’t have taken the punishment,” I blurted out, surprising myself.
The look he gave me was so sad.
“They know I’ve corded with you. They’ve always known you were coming. That’s why my father was angry when Elan brought you here. They knew that if I corded with my love, I’d gain my fourth power.”
“Fourth power? You still haven’t told me what all your powers are.”
“I will,” he c
ontinued. “They knew I’d change and they didn’t want me getting any more powerful. Also, they have an instant prejudice against anyone who isn’t purebred, which is stupid. Some of my best friends at university are Halflings.”
The word made me shiver. It sounded dirty and wrong. Thayde could see that he’d hurt my feelings.
“I’m sorry, Morgan,” he squeezed my hand. “I’m just trying to explain. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I nodded.
“They believed everything Akin said about what happened, even though it wasn’t true and they took his word over mine because it’s easier for them to do what they want if it all happens how they want it to happen.” He watched me trying to understand. “Sorry if it’s a bit jumbled.”
A waiter brought us our plates. Staring down at mine, I couldn’t bring myself to mess it up. It looked more like art than food.
“It’s more art than food, isn’t it?” He took the words right out of my mouth.
“Are you sure you can’t read minds?” I asked.
“No, not that I’m aware of.”
“Where should I begin?”
“With this.” He eased his fork into a white rice-covered thing and brought it to my mouth. “This restaurant doesn’t force you to take huge, revolting bites. Instead, they leave you wanting more.”
I took the food from him. A most exquisite taste filled my mouth - one that I’d certainly never tasted before. It was heavenly.
“What is that?” I asked.
“You don’t want to know,” he said and took a bite.
I didn’t care what it was. It was delicious. Eagerly, I dug into my own plate. Each bite was sumptuous and seductive. I finished my plate before he did.
“Liked that?” He asked as he finished.
“Yes.”
“The longer you stay mermaid, the more you’ll begin to crave this food. It’s all we eat. We don’t eat anything cooked. Steak, chicken, and pork taste foul to us. One day, you’ll notice this too.”
“What do you mean, stay mermaid?” I asked, not understanding.
Thayde hesitated, then wiped his mouth.
“Halflings have the choice to stay or leave. Once they make the choice, it’s permanent.”
This was news! No one had mentioned this before. I didn’t say anything as the plates were whisked away.
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