by Dee J. Stone
His shoulders hunch over as he buries his face in his hands. “Banished.”
I rub circles on his back.
“I cannot live solely on land, Cassie,” he cries into his hands. “I cannot. The sea is my home.”
I continue rubbing his back. “I know. Will anyone from your family come to see you?”
His shoulders heave. “One is not to associate with one who has been banished.”
“Maybe Doria or Kiander—”
“No.” He sobs some more. “No.”
I don’t say anything, just give him the chance to let it all out. After a little bit, he lays his head on my shoulder. “Thank you, Cassie,” he mutters, his voice laced with despair.
I kiss his forehead. “Do you want to do something? Maybe to take your mind off things?”
He lifts his head. “May we visit the sea?”
My heart drops. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Perhaps…” He swallows. “Perhaps…”
It’s no use, but I’ll do it for him. “Okay. Let’s go.”
The beach is busy today. Damarian and I head to an area where no one’s around. He’s clinging onto this hope that he might still be a merman, but I know he’ll be disappointed. I lower myself onto the wet sand and hug my knees to my chest.
He takes a few tentative steps toward the shore. When the tide comes, his feet get swallowed. I hold in a breath, waiting for his legs to shift into a tail. But of course that doesn’t happen. Damarian falls down to his knees and bends over, smashing his face into the wet sand. The ocean hits his face, but he remains in that position.
I get up and press my cheek to his. “Come. Let’s go for smoothies. It might make you feel better.”
I need to get his mind off of this. I need to…I don’t know. What can I do to help him? Nothing, absolutely nothing.
After some more coaxing, Damarian gets up and we make our way to Misty’s Juice Bar.
Leah’s face brightens when we walk in. But as her eyes fall on Damarian, she freezes like she’s never seen a sight like him before. We sit down at the bar. She raises an eyebrow at me, but I shake my head. She nods slowly, then pastes on a smile. “What would you like to order?”
Damarian’s staring at the counter, his face cloaked in anguish. I want to cry just by looking at him.
“Something to lift our spirits,” I tell her.
“I got just the thing.”
She goes to the machine to start working on our smoothies. I rest my hand on Damarian’s thigh, trying to prompt a smile out of him. But he continues to stare at the counter with the same grief-stricken expression.
Leah watches us from the machine, her eyebrows creased. When she’s finished with our orders, she holds one out to Damarian. He doesn’t acknowledge her.
She places it on the counter. “Hey, Damian. You okay?”
That causes him to snap out of his daze. “Damian,” he weeps, covering his face. “That is who I shall be. Damian.”
A lump the size of the whole store clogs my throat. I wrap my hand around my smoothie and gulp in the liquid. I can’t take seeing him so broken like this. I hate that I’m powerless to do anything.
Leah looks very confused as she watches Damarian continue to whimper into his hands. Some of the people in the shop stare. I want to tell them to quit it. If they had any idea what he’s going through…
I slip out my phone and send Leah a quick text. He lost his tail.
Leah’s phone beeps. She plucks it out of her pants pocket and scans the screen. Her mouth falls open and her eyes widen. Her gaze springs to mine.
I nod, my lips pressed into a tight line.
She leans forward to pat Damarian’s arm. “Hey, it’ll all be okay. Whatever you’re going through.”
“It will not,” he mutters into his hands. “It will never be all right.”
She looks at me. I shrug helplessly. I don’t know what to do, save for dressing into scuba gear and searching for his colony. I doubt they’d welcome me with open arms. Not to mention the sharks that would attack me if I get too close.
If only I could speak to Doria. Maybe she can convince her dad to lift the banishment.
I stand up. “I’ll be back. Watch over him?”
She nods. “Sure thing.”
I head back to the part of the beach where no one’s around. Getting down on my knees, I touch the water. “Doria,” I call. I look over my shoulder to make sure no one is close by. Then I turn my attention back to the ocean. “If you can hear me, please talk to your father. Your brother is miserable. I can’t stand to see him so upset. He misses the ocean, misses all of you. Please.”
When I close my eyes, tears drip down my cheeks. I open them, but don’t see anything. Just the waves of the ocean.
I return to the juice bar and find Damarian drinking his smoothie, the same look on his face. I sit down next to him. “Hey.”
He nods, his eyes so, so sad. I drink my own smoothie, hoping it’ll help me blot out the pain I feel for him.
“May we return to the beach?” he mutters.
“Okay. If that’s what you want.”
We stand. Leah mouths “call me.” I nod.
Damarian and I settle down near the tide, where it washes over our feet. Our shoes are tossed to the side. He takes a sip from his drink. “Never have I imagined Father betraying me so. Never have I longed so for the sea.”
I lay my hand on his knee.
“I feel ill. As if I may perish.”
“I understand how heartbroken you are. I wish I could do something to help you.”
He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close to his chest. “You are the only light in my life. If not for you, I am not certain what shall become of me.”
“What the hell?”
Kyle stares down at us. He does that merman bow thing, then gets down on his knees. “My king.” He bows his head again. “What happened?” His eyes bore into Damarian’s face. “You are no longer…”
“Kyle, this isn’t a good time—”
“He’s banished?” His eyes widen in shock. “Who—”
“Kyle, please,” I ask.
“Who will be the king?”
“Kyle!”
Damarian’s staring at the ocean, his jaw clenched. I brush his hair off his forehead.
“Forgive me,” Kyle says, bowing his head another time. Then he disappears.
“I wish to leave,” Damarian says.
Taking his hand in mine, we head home.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
He’s lying under the covers in the guest room. I sit down on the edge of his bed, my hand caressing his arm. He won’t accept my comfort. He won’t even budge.
I’ve tried giving him food, but he won’t eat anything. He’s falling into a deep depression.
“I am sentenced to live in the same manner as Kyler of the Emerald clan,” he says after a few minutes.
I continue caressing his arm. “Kyle didn’t have me.” I lie on top of him, feeling his warmth through the thin blanket. “You have me, Damarian.”
He pulls the blanket off and looks at me, his eyes circling my face. He draws me to his chest and kisses my forehead. “Forgive me, Cassie. I am behaving like a fry. I understood the danger when I left the sea. I left so you and I could be together. You are the most vital one in my life.” He threads his fingers through my hair. “I wish to be with you for all eternity.” His lips skim across my cheek. “I shall learn to embrace my new life as a human, for you are part of it.”
I push some hair out of his eyes. “I’m so sorry it has to be this way.”
He continues to trail his lips across my skin. “It is all right. I shall learn to love this life. I shall learn to say goodbye to my family.”
I hug him close and squeeze him tight. I wish he didn’t have to give up everything to be with me. It’s not fair.
“Fret not, Cassie. It shall be all right.”
We settle down, cuddled in each other’s arms. Nothing will ever be al
l right. I don’t know how I’ll live with the guilt that I tore him away from his family, from the life he loves.
I feel like such a horrible person.
***
Knocking.
I sit up, just as Damarian opens his eyes. “What is that noise?” he asks.
I rub my eyes. “The door.”
Who can it be at this time?
“Stay here and go back to sleep,” I tell him.
Once I get my slippers on, I make my way downstairs, stifling a yawn. I couldn’t sleep at all. Thoughts and worries jammed my mind. One thing that keeps replaying over and over in my head is if I regret meeting Damarian. Had I not, he would still be in the ocean. Maybe he wouldn’t enjoy his life because he would be forced to marry a girl he doesn’t love, but at least he wouldn’t be banned from the sea.
I don’t regret falling in love with him. I didn’t know I could experience something so lovely, so magical and passionate. If a genie would drop by my house and grant me only one wish, it wouldn’t be to go back in time and stop myself from meeting Damarian. It would be to lift his banishment so Damarian can return to his family.
But then he’d be forced to marry Princess Flora. Did I do him a favor? I shake my head. I have no idea.
I don’t realize I stopped in middle of the stairs until I hear more knocking. I push all the worry out of my head and walk to the door. When I peek through the peephole, I stumble back. Kiander stands outside.
I just stare at the door, a million thoughts spinning in my head. Damarian’s brother is here. What’s he doing here? Damarian said no one’s allowed to see a banished merman. Does that mean Kiander broke the law? Does that mean he’ll get banished, too?
Again, this is all my fault.
The next knock makes me jump. I unlock it and slowly open the door. Immediately, I notice something different about him. He looks the same, but he also looks different. I can’t pinpoint what exactly, but it looks like he’s glowing.
“Kiander,” I say.
He bobs his head slightly. “Cassie. I search for Damarian.”
“He’s—he’s upstairs. What’s going on?”
“May I see him?”
“Sure.” I clumsily widen the door. “Of course.”
I lead him up to the guestroom. Damarian lies on his back with his hands folded on his stomach. He must sense Kiander, because his eyes snap open. He sits up. “Brother.”
Kiander bobs his head again. “Brother.”
Damarian climbs out of bed and steps closer to Kiander. I hadn’t noticed it before, but Damarian is a good few inches taller than his brother. As Damarian studies Kiander’s face, his expression changes. He lifts his hands in the air and brings them together, then bows his head. “My king,” he says.
I gape at them. King?
Kiander rests both hands on Damarian’s head. “At ease, Brother.”
Damarian lowers his hands and raises his head, but it’s still slightly bent. Like he’s his servant.
Kiander turns to me. “Where is Kyler of the Emerald clan?”
Words get caught in my throat. I open my mouth, but only manage to stutter. Finally, I say, “He’s at home. What’s going on?” My eyes meet Damarian’s. “He’s the king?”
“Brother,” Damarian says. “I do not understand.”
“I have taken Princess Flora as my mate.”
I feel my jaw drop.
“Kiander—” Damarian starts, but his brother holds up his hand.
“It is the duty I have taken. The crown is now on a Sapphire head. The clans are united.”
Damarian takes a few steps closer. “It was not your duty to take,” he says softly, his voice laced with guilt.
“I have accepted the responsibility.” He gestures to me. “I have no reason not to take it.”
Damarian looks at me. I can see the love he has for me glimmering in his eyes. He turns back to Kiander, bowing his head. “My king. I apologize for any—”
“It is all right.” Kiander holds out his hand again. “All is well. Come. Let us return to the sea.” He nods to me. “Summon Kyler of the Emerald clan to rendezvous with us.”
I’m still confused by what’s going on, but I do as Kiander asks. I deleted Kyle’s contact information from my phone months ago, but his number’s engraved in my memory. I’m not sure how happy he’ll be to be woken up at three AM.
“Hello?” his sleepy voice asks.
I clear my throat. “Hi, Kyle.”
“Cassie?” He sounds more alive now. “Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
“I have Damarian’s brother here. Kiander. He…he’s the king now. I think. I don’t know, really. But he wants you to meet us at the beach.”
He’s quiet. I’m not sure if he hung up. “Kyle?”
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
I hang up and face the brothers. “He said he’ll come.”
Kiander nods. “Very well.”
He leaves the room. Damarian stands there, staring after him. I take his hand. “What’s he doing?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I am not certain.”
His hold on my hand tightens as we head downstairs. Kiander is already outside. We follow him to the beach, where we stop a few feet away from the tide.
In the distance, I see Kyle heading our way. He’s only wearing jeans. He stops before us, his eyebrows creased. When his gaze lands on Kiander, he raises his arms and bows his head, just like Damarian did. “My king.”
“Stand before me,” Kiander instructs Damarian and Kyle.
They do as he says.
He raises both hands and touches each one to Damarian and Kyle’s chests. He closes his eyes and says, “As King Kiander of the children of the sea, I hereby grant you pardon of banishment. You may return to the sea.”
As soon as he removes his hands, Damarian and Kyle bend over, clutching their necks and wailing in pain. They fall to the sand and continue to cry out like tortured whales.
They’re no longer banished. They need to be in the sea.
“Help me,” I tell Kiander, whose eyes are wide in shock. “They need to be put in the ocean right away.”
Together, he and I heave both men and lug them into the ocean. The water starts to bubble. A few seconds later, two tails shoot out of the water, one sapphire and one emerald. My heart explodes in elation when it finally hits me that Damarian is no longer a slave to land. He’s a merman. A merman.
Damarian and Kyle’s heads pop out of the water. I run into the ocean and swim toward them. Damarian meets me halfway and lifts me in his arms. I wrap my limbs around him and laugh, kissing him. Damarian’s heart is beating super fast. “You’re a merman,” I tell him.
“I am no longer a human,” he says, surprised.
I glance at Kyle, who’s floating in the water, staring at his webbed hands, fingering the gills on his neck. Touching his beautiful emerald tail.
There’s a splash near us, followed by another sapphire tail sticking out of the ocean. Kiander’s looks a bit shinier than Damarian’s, probably because he’s the king. When his face appears, Kyle swims to him, raising his arms over his head and bowing his head over and over as he mutters, “Thank you, my king.”
“What happened?” I ask Damarian.
“The king has the ability to pardon banishment. My brother has granted Kyler permission to return to the sea.”
Kyle’s still bowing his head. “I am grateful, my king. You are most generous.”
Kiander nods. “You have been absent for far too long. I am certain your family will be overjoyed to see you.”
Kyle bows his head again. “As am I, my king.”
Kiander nods to Damarian. “As king of the children of the sea, I give you permission to travel freely from sea to land. My only requirement is that you be discreet.” He lays a hand on Damarian’s shoulder. “Welcome home, Brother.”
Damarian gently lowers me to the ocean and gathers Kiander in his arms. “You will be a fair king, Brothe
r. A revered king. A great king.” He pulls back and smiles to him. “I am extremely grateful for your kindness.”
Kiander nods once more. “I shall return to Eteria. Will you join me, Damarian?”
He looks at me. I nod for him to go. I don’t know if he’ll come back, but I’m not thinking about myself now. All that matters is Damarian got his tail back and he can return to his family in the ocean.
“Shortly, Brother,” Damarian tells him, taking me in his arms.
Kiander dives into the ocean.
“Cassie,” Kyle says, swimming closer to us. “I’m so sorry for everything. For hurting you and threatening to tell everyone about Damarian’s secret. I was so sad. All I wanted was to return to the ocean.” His eyes trek to Damarian’s. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I totally get it. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thanks.” He half waves before diving into the ocean.
Damarian and I are left alone. His eyes bore into mine as he raises a hand to my cheek and strokes it with the back of his fingers.
“Go home,” I tell him.
His fingers continue to caress my cheek. “I must make peace with Father.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I shall return to you, Cassie.”
“Even if you can’t return, it’s okay. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy when I am with you. I shall return.”
I grab the back of his head and tug his lips to mine. They stretch over mine as he kisses me with everything he has. When he pulls free, he murmurs, “I shall return to you, my love.”
After giving me another kiss, he turns around and jumps into the ocean. I watch the waves as they crash into one another. When they’re calm, I swim back to shore.
As I walk home, I hug myself. As hard as it’ll be, I need to accept the possibility that he won’t come back. Like I said, if you love someone, you need to let him go.
I’m ready to let him go.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Leah and I stroll around the beach. I’ve updated her on everything that happened. She whistles. “Forget TV. This is drama.”
I laugh, but then I feel my lips pull into a frown.
Leah pats my arm. “He’ll come back. His brother is so nice to do this for him.”