A Mermaid's Heart

Chapter Thirteen.

There were no vivid dreams about Neptune or visions about seven witches the next morning, having had a decent night’s sleep. Caleb was gone when I sat up in the bed, glancing around the room to find a trey placed on the night side table with a bowl of broth and a piece of bread. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and reached for it, surprised to find a piece of fish on a wooden plate hidden behind the bowl. I finished eating, washed up, got dressed then headed above deck to find that it was no longer raining but that the sky was still grey and the world around me was still soaked. A tired Nolan scratched at the back of his head and groaned, his exhausted eyes glaring at the clouds in annoyance “Bloody weather” he cursed while Ben stood beside him, running a hand over his face. Both of them looked like they hadn’t slept for days due to the rain water pouring into the room below deck through the floorboards. Ben yawned, his drooping, red eyes blinking tiredly at me, taking in the sight of my figure clad in a soft pink dress that went down to just below my knees and had sleeves that reached my wrists. My brown boots soaked up the water on deck and my white curls were pulled into a braid at the nape of my neck, the strands dangling down my back The sky rumbled as if to catch our attention and in the wake of its roar stood a woman dressed in black with hair equally as dark and eyes that stared upward as if she could hear the voice of the thunder calling out to her. She stood between the men and I, her front directed toward me but the sudden appearance caught Nolan off guard “For the love of-f**k sakes, las!” the Irishman exclaimed, jumping at the sight of the woman who resembled the bringer of death in her cloak with the hood pulled up. He couldn’t see her white eyes or the ruby red lips, nor could he see the black crescent moon that was forever embedded into the skin on her forehead. Ben chuckled in response to Nolan’s scare which only angered the Irishman more “Ye know, crap like this used to never happen on this ship” he shot in Ben’s direction, his eyes glaring at the blond haired man who was much younger than him. This only entertained the former fisherman more, leading to Nolan’s enragement. He stuck his finger in Ben’s face “There be a time when the most exciting thing be a fist fight or two, not-.” he turned his fiery gaze onto Aurella’s back, glaring holes into her but she hardly noticed, her hands moving to brush back the hood of her cloak, exposing her long hair and features to the two men “Witches who pop up out of thin air and-.” he motioned to the mast where Blue was laying, her eyes staring up at the sky but her ears twitching to listen in on the conversation below “Fish women who talk to ye mind!” Nolan waved his arms around as if to place emphasis on the madness that was going on around him then shook his head and turned to venture below deck, most likely to catch up on some sleep or to make sure that he hadn’t started hallucinating because of the lack there of “I don’t think he’s tired anymore” Ben muttered, grinning at me, his eyes a little less droopy than they were before. I was about to respond when a voice pierced the air, a familiar, snarling tone that vibrated through me and Ben but Aurella remained unaffected “I am in need of a course!” he was on the helm, his hands gripping the railing while his eyes glared down at the witch below. She tore her eyes away from the sky long enough to glance in his direction then addressed me “The red dessert” she announced then turned to head for the navigation room. A strong gust of wind shot past us, catching the tail of her cloak and revealing the tight fitted black pants along with a flowy black top and heeled black boots. Caleb’s eyes followed her, clearly more annoyed than before with the witch due to their last encounter “Set sail for the red dessert!” I ordered, my gaze falling to the men who roamed the deck when I bit out the words. They jumped, rushing to ready the sails and raise the anchor. Caleb looked at me when the words escaped me and I met his golden orbs. The corner of his lips tugged upward ever so slightly but as soon as they did they were gone followed by him turning his back to me, making his way over to the wheel and taking hold of it. I moved to follow Aurella, finding her standing in the middle of the room, her head tilted back to look at the floorboards overhead just as thunder rumbled once more, this time closer than before “The gods are restless” she said, feeling my presence in the doorway behind her. She slowly began to turn, her eyes searching for my form. The ship began moving, the jerking motion throwing me off balance, my hands gripping for the doorway while Aurella stayed perfectly still “The gods?” I questioned once I was able to stand up straight, my arms dropping back to my sides. Her head tilted to one side as if she’d heard something but there was nothing. She hummed, her eyes blinking lazily “Amun” the name sent chills down the back of my spine. I had thought that Neptune was the only god that we had to worry about, their ruler having slipped my mind. She spun around, keeping one foot in one place while the other leg turned her to face the table “We may want to get on with the spell” she added, her hand reaching for a crystal that lay scattered among the books and bowls, the tubes and herbs. I rushed to her side, my worried eyes searching her features, going from her empty gaze to the delicate curls that framed her face “What is happening?” I demanded, wanting to know where she had been and what she was hearing that I clearly couldn’t. She froze, her eyes searching the wall behind the table like someone was talking to her “He seeks his power” she muttered, her fingernails nervously starting to drum against the wooden surface before her. The ‘he’ she was referring to was Amun and the power was that entrapped within the gems “The brothers are arguing” she hurriedly moved to the doors, closing and locking them before she turned to face me. She wasn’t making any sense but her next words managed to cause my heart to skip a beat, my fingers twitching with nerves “You’ve been in contact with Neptune” her declaration made my throat tighten, my mouth drying and my teeth gritting. She knew about the dream, about Neptune having visited me or rather having taken me to a far off place that happened to resemble a palace fit for a queen “He visits me in my dreams” I admitted, grateful that she’d locked the doors in case Caleb was to walk in and overhear our conversation. Her head tilted to the side again, silence filling the space between us for some time before she stalked her way toward me “Excellent” my eyebrows furrowed up in response to her reaction, having expected her to scold me on how I could lead him directly to us or how he could persuade me not to go through with Aurella’s plans “Why-?” I was about to question her actions and words when she raised her hand, long, black claws stretching toward the floorboards overhead. My eyes examined her hand, the palm of which was facing me and I noticed the outline of a black trident that was placed there. She was listening again, her eyes searching the room, darting in various directions. Her hand clenched and dropped back to her side, shoulders relaxing a bit when she placed her attention back onto me “Amun wishes to send for the jewels-.” she explained, causing my skin to crawl at her use of the word ‘send’, knowing that it meant he’d send a force to retrieve the gems at whatever the costs like Neptune had sent one of the protectors before “However, Neptune disagrees-.” my head shot up, eyes no longer searching the floor but staring at her in confusion and shock. She turned her head, white gaze meeting mine in the dark room “He threatens war if any harm it to befall you” I swallowed hard, my head turning as my eyes closed, unsure of how to process the information. According to Blue, I was linked to the god and had a need for him out of instinct but I hadn’t expected a god to be capable of caring even if I was one of his mistresses “This is why you must seduce him-.” my eyes shot open and my hands tightened their grip on the table that I was leaning up against. Before I could protest and insist that something else be done regarding the issue, she continued “To ensure Neptune’s protection” her boots clicked against the wooden flooring when she began making her way around me, around the table to take a stand behind me, her palms resting on the surface of the table when she leaned over it, her lips pausing beside my ear “The four brothers would be too caught up in their own affairs to be bothered by the gems, giving us enough time to perform the spell” I stared straight ahead at the locked doors, picturing the man in a Captain’s hat that stood stationed on the helm overhead, his golden eyes searching the sea with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his red coat. She inhaled, her lips brushing up against the shell of my ear when she whispered, “Do it for Caleb” the feel of her warm breath on my skin sent child down the back of my spine, deadly chills. She pulled away, leaving me pondering over her words, frozen in place. If Amun sent for the jewels then Caleb could get hurt in the process, he could die “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe you have a nap to take” Aurella stopped directly in front of me, raising her hand to snap her fingers. Black smoke leaked from her fingertips and the double doors clicked open behind her, swinging with a force that made them bounce off the walls. I was about to protest, to insist that I could protect Caleb regardless of what Amun would throw at us but my words died in the back of my throat at the sight of Ben, Rebecca and Nolan on the ship’s deck, tending to their own business whether it be managing the sails or lounging on a barrel with a cup of wine. I couldn’t allow the ruler of the gods to come for the treasures because even if I could protect Caleb, I couldn’t protect everyone onboard the ship. This left me no choice but to do as Aurella had said even if the very thought disgusted me. I pushed off the table and made my way below deck, to the Captain’s quarters, not bothering to spare a glance at those around me. The witch remained in the navigation room, her eyes studying me, a pained gleam in their depths but I hadn’t noticed in my haste to retreat. I stood in the middle of the room that I shared with Caleb, my chest rising and falling with a fear of what was to come. My eyes landed on the bed, my hands unclenching at my sides at the thought of having to fall back asleep. I sunk down on the edge of the mattress, burying my face in my hands and running my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands. I knew that regardless of wanting to tell Caleb of Neptune, of the plan Aurella had suggested that I couldn’t. He wouldn’t approve of it and refuse to have me meet with the god at whatever the costs. He couldn’t know and that killed me. The guilt was already starting to sink in by the time I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes, contemplating what to do next.

Dream.

I was sat on the side of the pool with my legs dipped into the crystal clear water, my hands supporting my weight on the white marble flooring behind me. The golden material of my dress was pushed up to my hips, bunching at my thighs and leaving my long, pale legs exposed. I raised one leg and watched as the water dripped from it, causing ripples to form on the water’s surface. The koi seemed to enjoy the movement since they began darting through the pool, brushing up against my other leg. I returned both limbs to the water and leaned forward, my hand reaching for a white lily, pushing it away from me and deeper into the pool. My eyes followed its course, the petals turning along with the current caused by my nudge. It came to a stop against a muscular abdomen and my gaze traveled upward, over the muscles to the chest of a man and finally landing on a familiar face. The man’s sapphire eyes studied me like I was some work of art on display, as if Leonardo da Vinci himself had painted me but really he was the masterpiece. His black strands hung into his eyes, droplets making their way down his cheeks, his neck and chest. His lips were perfectly arched and his eyes were as captivating as the witchcraft, capturing me in their spell and holding me hostage. I knew in that moment, that falling asleep again was the worst thing I could’ve possibly done “You’ve returned” he said, his shoulders shifting when he moved to run a hand through his wet hair, brushing the strands back and causing the muscles in his back, shoulders and arms to tighten, moving in sync with his motions. I tilted my head back, eyeing him “I am a heart of the sea” I pointed out, my legs swaying in the water, feeling it caress my skin. Neptune’s stunning blue gaze made me feel like I was sat beneath a spotlight when they ventured up from my legs to my thighs, to my stomach and chest, coming to a stop at my facial features “Do you know what that means?” he questioned, referring to me being a ‘heart’. This was when he shifted, his body turning to fully face me, taking a few steps forward. His actions forced the distance between us to shrink. When I remained silent, he continued “It means that you were born longing for the sea-.” I knew this but still I listened, curious as to what there could be that I had yet to learn. The koi began swimming around him, forming a circle that never stopped spinning “Before you could even process emotions. That you could hear the songs on the tide before you recognized your mother’s voice-.” he stalked closer, like a great white shark circling its prey, deadly and powerful yet careful and cautious. I leaned back, wanting to get away from him yet my mind screamed for me to melt into his embrace despite him being a few feet away “It means that you have spent your entire life mourning for the water” ever since I could remember, I had wanted to be one with the sea. As a little girl, I would sneak out of the manor and venture down to the shore where I could spend hours just staring at the waves. I remember almost drowning when I was only five but I was never scared, even though I couldn’t swim or had almost died, I still went to the shore, I still felt the water. Growing up, there was nothing more beautiful than the endless stretch of water, not fancy flowers, expensive jewels or priceless paintings, not even the plays and orchestras. My body went rigged when a thought crossed my mind, one I hadn’t yet pondered over. Had I fallen in love with Caleb the first time because he had brought me closer to the sea? Would I have fallen for him if he was just a bar owner or farmer and if so, would I have fallen in love with him a second time if I hadn’t fallen for him once before? “Those who are born hearts, are my descendants, my blood-.” my lips parted with the realization that centuries ago Neptune had bedded many women, each of which baring him children who would bare their own children and eventually, from those women came my mother and from her came me “And those who have my blood belong to the sea, they belong to me” he was closer then, his hands slapping down on the marble on either side of my body. His thumbs brushing over my bare thighs when he leaned forward, icy breath fanning my face and causing my lips to tingle. He smelt of sea salt, ocean air and freshly fallen rain. The scent was intoxicating, enough to drive me insane but I retrained myself, my hands balling against the marble when one of his reached up, running his fingers over my jaw and cheekbone until he was cupping the side of my face “You belong to me” I blinked at him, my head nuzzling into his palm. His statement was met unopposed. I felt like putty in his hands, molding to his touch, weak to his presence. His free hand moved to grip my hip, dragging me forward so that my core was pressed up against his through the material of his pants and beneath the bunched up skirt of my dress. I tried biting back my groan, failing when his fingers dug into my skin through the dress’s material. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back as his fingers tangled themselves in my hair, tugging on it. He watched me coming undone in front of him, his features emotionless and hardly effected by my actions or sounds. When my eyes reopened, I found him hovering over me, leaning forward with his weight pressing into my chest and his lips inches away from mine. I wanted to scream, to demand that he stop, to crawl my way back and wake up from my dream but I couldn’t, I could hardly think let alone function. I was breathing hard when his lips tugged upward in a sly smirk and I was pulled into the pool. He crashed down first, his back braking through the surface which was followed by me tumbling down face first into the water. The world around us was consumed with bubbles and foam that gave way to an entire ocean of marine life. I stared at every possible species of whale circling around us, at the sharks that swam upward, past us and the school of fish overhead. Looking down, I found that I was still being pressed up against Neptune, my hands gripping his shoulders while his held onto my hips, trapping me. We were plummeting but I was too entranced by the large mammals that danced around us to be bothered by the world beneath me. I pushed away from Neptune, catching him off guard and sending us in opposite directions. My head turned this way then that to take in the sight of the various whales, blue, killer, sperm, humpback. There were even a few narwhals and whale sharks. I closed my eyes, my body drifting among the tornado they created, my hair swaying around me, the skirt of my dress vulnerable to the current. I could hear them, their songs vibrating through me, so powerful yet gentle. My eyes shot open when I felt something sliding along my legs and chest to find a tiger shark swimming upward, past me. I watched it go, bubbles escaping my lips and nose but air remained in my lungs as if I could breathe beneath the water even with my necklace still dangling from my throat. I felt like laughing with joy, the world around me more beautiful than anything I had ever seen on land, even more beautiful than the many mansions I had seen in my dreams and visions. My eyes began glowing, fangs protruding and claws extending while the skin of my feet began weaving together to form a fin that swayed back and forth beneath me. I looked down to find that my legs were still apart and that my feet were the only portion of my lower half that had transformed. I leaned my head back to take in the clear water overhead where the sunlight danced off the surface, sending beams of light down into the darkness. My knees began to raise when I looked at the world behind me, dangling with my head back and vision upside down. My fingers became webbed when the sight of two orcas dancing caught my eyes, circling around each other, twisting and turning. I hovered upside down, starring at them, so free, so enchanting when something beneath me caught my attention. There was a coral reef below where Neptune stood watching me, a strip of blue lights on either side of him that stretched on like a runway for me to land on. My lower body began to drift downward when I beat my fin, propelling myself further into the depths and toward the strips of light. The stream that my movements created rushed past me, filled with bubbles and small waves that crashed out into the mass. Once I had reached the reef, I raised my head and came to a stop in an upright position, my fin still beating beneath me when my feet began to separate as if knowing that I wished to stand on the rocks the reef had formed. My two feet kicked in opposite directions below and I could stretch out my legs to gracefully land on the reef, toes first with my eyes staring at the man before me and my hair swaying in the liquid, strands sometimes obstructing my view for the briefest of moments. Neptune held his hand out for me to take and after some time spent contemplating whether I should take it or not, I did. His touch was chilling in a way that wasn’t the spark Caleb ignited but instead it was a familiar, comforting caress that made me feel safe, like I was home “You’ve spent so much time in Mary’s world that you’ve-.” he was saying, tugging on my hand and leading me along the strip of glowing plants that appeared luminescent in the dark. I stared at the world around me, at the small crustaceans, at the manta rays that swam along the reef on their way to their birthplace, migrating. They passed overhead, their flat bodies acting as a barrier between us and the surface from their fast numbers. My eyes fell from them to the man in front of me who had stopped, as if trying to catch my attention and lay it upon his next words “Forgotten about Evangeline’s” he was right and his words made me realize this. I had spent all my time among the human’s, worrying about treasures and pirates and Mary that the thought of what Evangeline’s life would look like had slipped my mind. What if Aurella hadn’t given me the necklace? What if I had awakened as Evangeline in the water, never to know human life or Caleb again? Is this, the endless breath taking sights and feelings of belonging what my life would’ve been? Neptune noticed my furrowed brows and gave a faint grin, letting go of my hand and taking a step back, off the side of the reef. I watched him plummet and moved closer to the edge when he was no longer within my sights to find him disappearing among a million pink jellyfish. I knelt on the edge, my body leaning forward, ready to go with my hands gripping the coral but I paused, glancing back up at the surface, at Caleb. Would I be able to return once I dared venture that far down? Without giving it a second thought, I flung myself from the reef and down into the blushing mess of jellyfish, their tentacles caressing my skin and not hurting despite what I had thought. I twisted and turned, my hands brushing along their limbs, my eyes searching past their vibrant color for a man, a man with raven black hair and pale flesh. My dress tangled with my legs and my body moved in every direction as if I were floating. I caught sight of his form past the tentacles and tried reaching him. I gasped when my body struck something, something soft. My eyes searched my surroundings to find that I was on the mattress of the bed in the room where it had all began. The koi in the pool swam calmly through the crystal waters while Neptune’s body weight kept me pinned in place. His hands held my head in place, my eyes finding his only to tense at how close he was. His lips hovering over mine, his nose brushing past mine with his knee positioned in between my parted legs. His lips parted “Evangeline” the name sounded so sweet, so forbidden coming from him that it made me melt before him, becoming vulnerable and at his mercy. He kept repeating my name, the single word growing dimmer along with the lighting in the room that grew almost impossible to see. He was disappearing again, the dream fading as I awoke and even though a part of me felt relieved, there was also a part of me that didn’t want to leave. I sighed in my sleep and tuned to blink at the room I was in. It was the same as before, a desk, dresser, Persian carpet with the old armchair pushed into the corner and on the nightstand beside my head sat a familiar heart locket. I tried squeezing my eyes shut to force all thoughts of Neptune away but the more I willed them to leave, the stronger they would return. My chest began to rapidly rise and fall at the thought of him, his touch, his features, those captivating sapphire eyes. I wanted more of him, I wanted to lose myself in his embrace, to drown in him like the seas that he ruled over. I needed to be close to him, my body ached for it, my fangs throbbing and my eyes glowing behind my closed lids. I needed to know more about him not just because I wanted to but because I wanted to understand why I felt the way that I did toward him. I felt that by understanding him and his background that maybe it could help me resist him. Caleb’s face appeared behind my shut eyelids, his strong jaw, his powerful golden gaze and masculine build. I could feel his fierce grip on my hips, his stubble scratching at my neck whenever he would kiss it and the low growl that always seemed to emanate from his chest that rang in my ears. I could smell him, the scent comforting, so inviting. My eyes blinked open to find the same red Captain’s jacket that he had been wearing draped across my body. I sat up, tugging it onto my body, over the auburn ruffled shirt I had been wearing, the length of which was longer than expected. The letter on the desk caught my eyes, the one I had written as Mary but read to Caleb as Evangeline explaining why I had committed suicide, because I couldn’t live without him. If I couldn’t live without him then than I couldn’t possibly live without him now. I pulled my hair from the collar of the coat and stood, deciding that the navigation room would be the best place to start my research on how to escape Neptune’s hold over me, for both mine and Caleb’s sakes.