The Mermaid's Curse (California Mermaids Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter Forty-Five: Oceania

Ula watches me closely for the remainder of the Sunday morning with my family. I force my lips into a nearly continuous smile as we all sit around the table, chatting. My parents don’t seem to notice anything awry, but I’m sure that Ula knows I’m faking happiness.

Finally, before lunch, I announce in a falsely bright voice, “Okay, I’m going to the surface now. And I’ll be bringing back a special visitor.”

Doria claps her hands. “What kind of special visitor?”

Father curls his upper lip. “The land boy, no doubt. Okay, then, daughter. Bring him down if you must.”

“A land boy?” Doria repeats, her large eyes twinkling with excitement. “I’ve heard they’re very handsome.”

“Not another one,” my father mutters under his breath.

Nereus laughs and mumbles back, “Hopefully she realizes mermen aren’t so bad either, at least by the time she reaches eighteen.”

I ignore the men’s banter and say goodbye to everyone, but my eyes tear up when Doria says, “I love you, auntie. Hurry back.”

How could I ever leave this sweet little mer-girl for good?

Pushing away the thought, I paddle through the passageways of the house, out the front door, and past the village of Mar. Clawing at the water, I begin my ascent to the surface.

I break through the waves to see Xavier waiting for me at his usual rock. My heart pounds at the sight of his handsome face, muscular frame, and proud upright posture. And when he smiles, love surges through my body, all the way from my head to my tail. 

I ride a wave to the rock, and Xavier fishes me out of the water, covering my tail with a fresh towel and holding me tightly, with absolutely no regard to the fact that I’m soaking his day suit.

Far down the beach, I spot Victoria in a bathing costume, laughing at me as she points me out to the two friends she’d been with the other day. At that moment, I just want to disappear.

“Ignore them,” Xavier says, kissing me gently. “We don’t have time for their cruelty and jealousy. I have something for you, before we go to see your family.”

Dropping down on bended knee once again, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. The band catches the light like a moonbeam, and a cluster of gems sparkles in the center, more brightly than crystals.

“When I asked you to marry me last night, I left out something important—the engagement ring. But I want to give it to you now. Please accept it as a token of my love for you, now, always, and forever.”

My eyes fill with tears of joy as he slides it onto my left ring finger. It fits perfectly, as though it was made for me.

“Thank you so much, Xav,” I say breathlessly. “It’s stunning.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Xavier says, kissing me gently. “Now, are you ready to do this?”

“Absolutely.”

An audible gasp circulates through the beach crowd as Xavier strips off his suit right there in broad daylight, revealing a pair of striped swimming trunks. Unceremoniously, he crumples his clothes into a ball, tossing them down on the top of the rock.

Then, I kiss him fast and hard, infusing him with the enchanted breath of life before I pull him down into the deep blue water.

***

When Xavier and I arrive back to my home, we find my family just as we’d left them, except that my parents’ faces are tense and drawn.

“So this is the land boy?” Doria asks, staring at Xavier’s legs and bouncing up and down excitedly. “He really is handsome.”

“Thank you, young lady,” Xavier says, smiling as he exchanges introductions with Ula’s family. “And you’re very pretty.”

Doria’s round cheeks redden, and she sticks her fingers in her mouth, looking up at Xavier shyly.

Mother brings out caviar and seaweed for lunch, and Xavier says, “Thank you for your kindness once again.” He takes my hand and gives me an encouraging smile. “Oceania and I have something important to tell you.”

Ula takes in a deep breath, compressing her lips into a thin, bloodless line, and Father’s thick brows draw together in suspicion. Mother’s eyes dart straight to my left ring finger, and she gasps; we mermaids also mark our engagements and weddings with rings, although ours are usually carved of coral or found in shipwrecks.

“You’re engaged,” she cries, before Xavier can finish. Her face crumples, and my heart seems to implode along with it.

But I force myself to remain strong, even as my eyes prickle with tears. “Yes,” I say in a shaky voice. “We love each other, and I’ve decided to choose the land.”

For a moment, everyone freezes, staring at Xavier and me.

“But you’ve only just turned eighteen,” my father says. “How can you make this choice so soon?” He glares at Xavier. “You two didn’t perpetuate Grandmer Genevieve’s mistake, did you? Please tell me there’s not a mer-baby on the way.”

I shake my head. “No, nothing like that. We just know that we love each other, and we’ve been offered positions with the symphony in San Francisco. Xavier can’t live down here, but I can’t imagine life without him, either. That’s why I have to live on land.”

Doria immediately bursts out crying. “You can’t leave us, auntie. We love you too much.”

I hug her, and my tears finally spill out, flowing over her silky golden hair. “I love
you
too much. But I have to go.”

Ula floats over and takes Doria into her arms, cradling her like a mer-baby. Glancing at my parents, she says, “Don’t forget, Oceania still has eleven full moons until the choice is made permanent. She can come and go as she pleases until that time.”

“A small consolation,” Father says. “But I suppose we’ll have to be content with that.” He scrubs his hand across his forehead and regards me with weary eyes. “I knew we were in trouble from the day you told us about him. There’s no force more powerful than love.” With a glance at Xavier, he adds grudgingly, “And although I don’t approve of this marriage—or this choice—I can’t deny that you two seem to be very much in love. May you feel it forever, and may it deepen with the years.”

Xavier swallows hard. “Thank you sir,” he says. “I really appreciate that.”

After the emotional outbursts, we all stare at each other, drained. In a way I’m relieved; my parents took the news much better than I’d expected, and, as Ula pointed out, I will be free to travel between land and sea for a while longer.

And who knows, maybe someday, the curse will be broken, and I’ll be able to travel freely, as my mermaid ancestors did before Grandmer Genevieve. Perhaps Doria will break the spell, or maybe Xavier and I will have a daughter who will.

The thought of my future with Xavier snaps me back to present. I look over to see his twinkling brown eyes waiting for mine. He smiles, mouthing, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I whisper.

I see myself reflected in the dark mirrors of his eyes—young and free, with a bright future ahead. But more importantly, I see his love, like a beacon of light guiding sailors through the rough seas and safely to shore.

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The Mermaid’s Wedding
, coming soon!

Chapter One: Oceania - 1912

In only ten full moons, my life will change forever, and the thought terrifies me.

I know I shouldn’t allow myself to be caught up in fear; after all, my life has already become drastically different since I turned eighteen two full moons ago. I left my mermaid home in the ocean to venture to the surface for the first time, met and fell in love with a land boy, and finally uncovered the mermaid’s curse that has hung over the females in my family for generations.

If I survived all of these trials, I should be able to make it through anything, right?

From my vantage point atop Point Joe’s jagged rocks, I gaze out over the tempestuous waters of the Pacific, shivering as the breeze claws at my wet hair with chilly, damp fingers. When I visit the land, Xavier and I always meet in this spot, since it was here that we first met and fell in love. The view is different every hour of every day; sometimes, the white-capped waves glitter in the sunshine, rolling over each other like playful seal pups, but today, they’re a violent shade of dark teal under the steely, cloud-covered sky. The aura of foreboding suits my mood exactly.

Now, Xavier wraps his jacket around my shoulders, encircling me with his strong arms. Since I surfaced a few minutes ago, he helped me to dry my tail so it changed into legs, and he held up a towel so I could slip into his sister Amelie’s corset and dress, free from the prying eyes of the fishermen and beachgoers in the distance. I must admit that, while I still find land fashions uncomfortable, I’ve become much more adept at dressing myself in them.

“What’s wrong, Oceania?” he asks.

“I was just thinking about tonight—it’s another full moon, and after that, I only have ten more moons to travel freely between the land and the sea. I know that choosing land is the right decision, and I’ve even come to terms with losing my immortality and my mermaid powers. But I just dread the day when I can never see my family again.”

Xavier squeezes me tightly, lowering his forehead to mine. “I can’t lie to you; it’s going to be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done,” he says. “And I can only understand a fraction of what you’re feeling right now. But remember that you still have some time to go back and forth—savor that. And above all, know that I love you, and I’m here for you always.”

I give him a teary smile. “I suppose that’s all that truly matters. I love you, too.”

He kisses me, and the sunshine peeks through a tiny hole in the thick layer of clouds. The ray of light only lasts for a second, but it’s enough to tell me that everything will be all right—eventually.

When we finally pull apart, Xavier takes my left hand in his, turning it over to admire the antique diamond engagement ring that he gave me when he proposed. Even in the gloom of the afternoon, each diamond sparkles like a mermaid’s tear. I should know; I’ve been crying a lot of those lately.

“Besides,” Xavier says, “maybe someday the mermaid’s curse will be broken, and you’ll be able to travel freely once again.”

“Maybe.”

I’m about to add, “If I’m even still alive by that time,” but I bite my tongue, holding in the bleak thought. I know that Xavier is trying his best to lift my spirits, but he’s right—he only can understand a fraction of what I’m feeling. His wealthy father did disinherit him when he refused to take up the family business and marry a “suitable” girl, but at least he can still see his family, and they’re still in the same world.

“In the meantime, we have each other.” Xavier grins, his teeth bright white against the swarthy bronze of his skin. “Incidentally, my mother and Amelie have been so excited about our wedding plans. They want you to come over tonight to discuss them.”

Xavier and I are planning a land wedding before we move to San Francisco together to play in the symphony. I want him to come under the ocean with me as well, for a second wedding celebration with my family, but I have yet to actually bring this subject up with my mer-folks. I’m dreading their reactions.

But I shouldn’t think about that right now; it will only depress me. Taking a deep breath of the salty, cleansing air, I say, “Let’s do that. I look forward to seeing them.”

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