Merman's Bond (Merman's Kiss, Book 3)

  Merman’s

  Bond

  By

  Dee J. Stone

  Copyright © 2015 Dee J. Stone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to real life, movies, television, games, or books is entirely coincidental and was not intended by the author.

  Titles by Dee J. Stone:

  Young Adult Superhero Series:

  No Ordinary Hero (Keepers of Justice, Book 1)

  Hero’s Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2)

  Hero Reborn (Keepers of Justice, Book 3)

  No Ordinary Villain (Keepers of Justice, Book 4)

  Villain’s Choice (Keepers of Justice, Book 5)

  Young Adult Romance:

  Cruiser (Cruiser & Lex, Book 1)

  Second Chance (Cruiser & Lex, Book 2)

  Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3)

  Chasing Sam

  Young Adult Paranormal:

  Emily’s Curse

  Paranormal Romance:

  Merman’s Kiss (Merman’s Kiss, Book 1)

  Merman’s Touch (Merman’s Kiss, Book 2)

  Merman’s Bond (Merman’s Kiss, Book 3)

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

  Falling for the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 1)

  Loving the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 2)

  Keeping the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 3)

  Email the author at deej.stone@yahoo.com.

  For more information and updates on new releases, check out Dee J. Stone here: https://deejstone.wordpress.com. Or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  Merman’s

  Bond

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Excerpt from Merman’s Love (Merman’s Kiss, Book 4)

  Excerpt from Cruiser

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  I’ve never thought it possible that beautiful creatures of the sea with tails that form crystals in the sunlight could be so evil. I was told they are a peaceful species, one that wouldn’t want to cause harm to anyone. But here they are, surrounding me and my merboyfriend, Damarian, with their sharks at their sides, their eyes laughing as I fight to live.

  My legs kick in the water. Legs that are no longer a tail. Noises come out of my throat as I hold my breath. My ears ring. I won’t be able to hold on for much longer.

  Damarian tightens his hold on me as he spins in the water, still looking for weak spots in the blockade the rebel merpeople have created. I feel the desperation in his movements. The rebels keep their eyes on us like they’re waiting for the show to end. For me to lose the oxygen in my lungs and die.

  “Move aside,” Damarian says for the millionth time, his voice authoritative but wavering. He knows his words are futile. They didn’t budge the first time and I seriously doubt they’ll budge now.

  “Move aside!”

  None of them move.

  Damarian stares down at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. Even though I shouldn’t be able to see tears in the ocean, I see his. The way they spill over his eyes and rush down his cheeks as though he has a water fountain behind them.

  Tearing his gaze from me, he faces the rebels. “You wish for me to be your king,” he says, loud enough for every one of them to hear him clearly. “You wish for me to rule over you. I will do as you ask, if you move aside and allow me to bring my mate to land.”

  What? No! I won’t let him sacrifice himself for me. Shaking my head vigorously, I cup his cheek, forcing him to look at me. I can’t talk, but I speak to him with my eyes, telling him I’ll kill him if he agrees to be their king.

  I also tell him goodbye, because I can’t hold my breath any longer. My lungs are bursting in pain. My eyes start to droop.

  “No,” he says, his voice cracking. He gently takes hold of my chin and lifts it so our eyes meet. “No, my love. Please do not close your eyes.”

  He’s about to say something to the rebels, when I reach for his hand, forcing him to look at me again. I squeeze it softly. I love you, Damarian. You’ve been in my life for a short while, but you’ve taught me so much. You helped me open my heart and face the problems I’ve avoided for so long. You’ve loved me in a way no one has loved me before. Thanks so much for washing up on the shore and into my life.

  My head falls back.

  “No,” he says again, hysteric. “No!” He faces the rebels and roars, “MOVE ASIDE THIS INSTANT!”

  Electricity sparks between our interlocked hands. It shoots up to the surface, into the sky, illuminating the entire ocean. Trying to keep my head up, I look at Damarian and see his eyes filled with silver light. More electricity crackles between us, surrounding us.

  With an enraged growl, Damarian thrusts out his palm toward an Emerald merman. Electricity fires out, hitting the rebel and throwing him back. He does the same to the other twenty four of them, until they are all gone.

  Not wasting a second, he pulls me closer and surges toward the surface. My head falls limp as my vision gets spotty. I have no more oxygen and we’re not even close to the surface. I won’t make it. My hands clutch onto him, digging into his arms as my lungs burn, as my head rings, as the life slowly seeps out of me.

  Through my haze, I hear Damarian say something, but I can’t make it out. The world turns black.

  ***

  “Cassie.” Someone gently taps my cheek, then my other cheek. “Cassie, my love. Please open your eyes.”

  I spring to a sitting position and cough out water. My lungs suck in as much air as possible. When my coughing fit is over and air enters and leaves my body steadily, Damarian draws me to his chest and kisses every part of my face. “Cassie,” he whispers against my temple. “How I worried.”

  Scanning the area, I see I’m sitting on a sandbar. But it’s not the sandbar Damarian and I hung out at when he was living in the ocean. It’s a larger one, probably far from land. The lower half of his body is submerged in the water while his upper part holds me close.

  “Damarian,” I whisper back. Even though I’m low on air, I press my lips to his. All of the sudden, everything feels okay.

  His arms wrap around my waist as he hauls me even closer to his body, fusing us into one, showing the universe that we are meant to be together and we will fight every obstacle thrown in our way. My hands tangle in his hair as I continue to kiss him as though he’s the oxygen I desperately sought a few minutes ago.

  He reluctantly breaks the kiss, takes hold of my face, and gazes into my eyes. “Are you all right?”

  I nod. “Are you?”

  He rests his forehead against mine. “Yes, now that you a
re all right.”

  “You’re wet,” I tell him. “It’s not making me change.”

  “Perhaps your body requires to remain human for a while.”

  I close my eyes, and we stay like this, taking comfort in each other’s arms.

  After a bit, cold wind blows against me. My eyes snap open. I’m a human. I’m naked. “Um…Damarian?”

  His eyes open.

  “I’m…I’m kind of cold.”

  His eyes dip to my body and widen in understanding. “I shall swim to land and search for a garment.”

  “No. You can’t go back down there. There might be rebels around.” Staring into his eyes, I see how exhausted he is.

  “But you are cold,” he says with a frown. Then his face lights up. “I shall return shortly.”

  “Wait, Damarian!”

  It’s too late. He’s back in the water. After a few minutes, he returns with a handful of seaweed. Thick seaweed, enough to use as a blanket.

  “It may cause you to shift,” he says.

  It may not, since my body most likely still needs some time to remain human. I’m willing to risk it because I’m cold and because I’m not very comfortable sitting in middle of the ocean completely naked.

  I wrap it around me and wait. I don’t change.

  Damarian reaches for my hand and rubs his thumb over my knuckles. I see the relief and love he has for me brewing in his eyes. I stroke his cheek.

  What I’d give for some tap water right now. But I don’t say anything because I don’t want Damarian to worry.

  “What happened before?” I ask him. “With the electricity?”

  He shakes his head. “I am not certain.”

  “It’s just like what happened back in the cave when our hands were connected. Electricity sparked between us and dissolved the net around you.”

  He nods slowly.

  “Your powers?” I ask.

  “I do not know.”

  “Your eyes were silver. Like electricity was inside them.”

  His eyebrows crease. “As were yours as well.”

  I had light in my eyes, too? What exactly does all of this mean? Damarian thinks he has some abilities because he is the true king and I, as his mate, have acquired them, too.

  All of this, along with almost drowning, causes my eyes to droop. Damarian brushes the back of his fingers against my cheek. “You should rest, my love.” His own eyes are drooping, too.

  “Let me help you onto the sandbar so you can rest with me,” I tell him.

  “It is quite all right.”

  “You’re always taking care of me, Damarian. Let me take care of you.”

  He doesn’t argue. After a few minutes, we manage to lug him onto the sandbar. I nestle into his arms and hold him as he undergoes the painful transformation into a human.

  The last thing I hear is his soft breathing.

  Chapter Two

  My eyes slowly flutter open. Something blinds me, causing them to tear. The sun. I must have left the blinds open again. And I must have left the air conditioner on too high because I’m freezing. I reach for my blanket to wrap it tighter around me, but my hands close over something slimy and slippery. My eyes jerk open, and when I see my surroundings, I gasp. I’m lying on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean.

  I look to my left and find Damarian beside me, wrapped in thick seaweed, just like I am, his legs tangled in mine. His chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm and his face looks relaxed, as though this is the most sleep he’s gotten in days.

  It all comes back to me. I almost died by those rebels. Damarian saved me.

  I have no idea what time it is, if it will be nightfall soon, or if we slept through the night. But I do know that we can’t stay here like this. I’m pretty sure merpeople can’t catch a cold, but I’m still half-human. Or am I a one-hundred-percent human who can turn into a mermaid? I scratch my head because my brain is too groggy to make sense of any of this.

  “Cassie?” Damarian’s sleepy voice says. His eyes are still shut, so I’m not sure if he’s fully awake. He taps the area near him, searching for something. I slide my hand into his. He brings the back of it to his lips and softly presses a kiss into my skin. It’s so sweet and gentle that it warms my heart, heating me up. I lean forward and brush a few strands of hair out of his eyes. A low moan escapes his lips.

  Watching him sleep so comfortably like this, I don’t care that I’m shivering and that I’m sitting in the middle of the ocean with nothing on but seaweed. My whole body is bursting with love for this merman. For my other half. My soul mate. Everything we’ve been through, all the ups and downs and obstacles, have only brought us even closer together. I doubt anything could keep us apart.

  I lie down as quietly as possible so I don’t wake him and snuggle up to him. I’m completely human now and so is Damarian, but his body temperature is cooler than the average human because his true form is a merman. Being this close to him makes me even colder, but I ignore that and enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. Only a few days ago, he was captured by the rebels and I didn’t know if I would see him again. Only a few hours ago, I was this close to death and thought I would never feel his strong arms enclosed around me or feel his warm, passionate lips molding into mine again. But we’re alive and we’re together, and all I want is to spend every second of every day with him.

  I know that’s not possible, though. There is still so much we need to deal with. But for now, I close my eyes and let myself get lost in the wonderful feeling of sleeping next to my merman.

  ***

  Someone is kissing the side of my neck.

  I feel a smile crawl onto my face. With my eyes still closed, I reach for Damarian and yank him closer to me. His lips find mine, and we kiss each other with so much intensity that it feels like the sandbar is sinking into the ocean.

  My eyes open to the beautiful sight of Damarian, with his long golden hair and striking dark blue eyes. He stares down at me with so much love, and it melts my insides. Sliding his arms underneath my back and legs, he lifts me to his chest and settles down with me on his lap. Laying my head on his shoulder, he strokes my head and whispers into my ear how much he loves me and how happy he is that I’m alive and well.

  I snake my hands around his waist and press my face into his bare shoulder, inhaling his ocean scent I’ve come to know so well. We lie in each other’s arms like this for a few minutes, until I pull back and gaze at the sky. “It’s probably late afternoon.” I look at him. “Do you want to go back to the colony? Are the rebels lurking down there?”

  He shakes his head. “I am not certain. Do you wish to travel to land?”

  “I don’t know.” I have no idea how long I’ve been away from home. I miss Leah and my life there. But if Damarian needs me, I want to be here for him.

  He runs his hand through his hair, clearly distraught. “You must return to land. You have been a child of the sea for too long. I cannot risk you shifting to your human form when we are in the sea.” He rests his forehead on mine. “That frightened me.”

  “Me, too,” I whisper.

  He looks toward the waves. “I shall call for Fiske to check that my family is all right.” He shifts over to the edge of the sandbar and bends toward the water. He touches the side of his head, trying to communicate with the shark.

  He waits for a while, but nothing happens. “I must return to my child form,” Damarian says. He gets to his feet and dives into the ocean. A few seconds later, his sapphire tail shoots up in the air. It disappears into the water and his head breaks the surface. Once again, he touches the side of his head, and a after a little while, a baby great white shark pops out of the water.

  Fiske. He bobs his head to Damarian, then to me. I wave. Fiske saved my ass when I almost got killed by the Sentinel sharks that guard the entrance to the merpeople colony.

  Damarian swims closer to Fiske and narrows his eyes, communicating with him. After a short while, Fiske bobs his head again and swims away.

/>   Damarian places his hands on the sandbar. I move closer to him. “He has informed me that there have been no attacks on the colonies,” he says. “I have sent word to my family that I am to return to land with you.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “I am afraid you must shift into a child of the sea.”

  I figured as much. It’s the only way for me to get back to land. If salt water touches me, I transform into a mermaid. But to be honest, it worries me. I almost died the last time I was in the water. What if the rebels are still down there, waiting to attack again?

  He reaches for my hand, then drops it to his side, a frustrated look on his face. He can’t touch me. “It will be all right, my love,” he says. “I will not allow any harm to befall you.”

  I swallow. I know he will never let anything happen to me. But still, I’m hesitant. I’ve been a surfer since I was twelve years old, and I never imagined I’d be scared of the water.

  Damarian scans around. “Perhaps…shall I swim to land and search for a vessel of transport?”

  He’s referring to borrowing a boat from the marina. I shake my head. “Thanks, but I don’t want to risk you being seen.” I glance at the sky. “It should be nightfall soon. I…um, I’ll get back in the water.”

  “Are you certain?”

  I nod. Being a mermaid is part of my life now. I don’t have to swim in salt water every twelve hours like Damarian, but I will have to at some point. I can’t avoid this forever.

  “Will you catch me?” I ask, edging closer to the water and peering over. It’s so beautiful, yet so menacing.

  “Yes, my sweet Cassie,” he says softly.

  I swallow again and stand on shaky legs. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I raise my arms and jump into Damarian’s.

  He catches me around the waist. My legs hit the water, and a second later, I feel the familiar tingly sensation, followed by an intense burning pain in the lower half of my body. Like it’s being split in half. I cry out and flail around as the pain grows stronger. Damarian murmurs comforting words, tightening his arms around me.

  Just as fast as it comes, it’s gone. The whole ordeal lasts about thirty seconds. I open my eyes and look down my body. I’m a mermaid again.