Our Fated Tail

Seren

The way Anilena was shaking right now worried me. I was so used to the strong, stubborn, and resilient Anilena. Not this shaking bundle of nerves. She was trying to keep herself standing as this man, her ex-fiance, glared at her. The way her eyes glazed over in fear twisted my heart. I wanted to hit him so bad as he stood there taunting her and enhancing her fear. It came off of her like waves. 

As I stood there mentally strangling the man, I felt a familiar heat on my hand that was clasping hers. Venenifer had obviously had enough. "Anilena, let's go inside." 

"So soon, Eren?" I saw Kasey's eyes widen and he stepped back. My hand was dropped as she shoved Kasey against the side of the house. He whimpered at the heat of her skin against his throat. "Listen closely, Kasey. You attacked me. You have tried to kill me twice. Try and push me one more time, and that knife will hit your heart. I will kill you." 

I watched her eyes flickering between Venenifer's and her's. I watched her hair change it's color from brown to white. Her black and red streaks in her hair were vibrant. Kasey's eyes started rolling into the back of his head to I grabbed Anilena's hands and pulled them off. The man gasped for breath, glared at us, and ran off. Anilena leaned against the door and I smoothed back her white hair. It was soft and like silk. Grabbing her chin, I made her face me. 

"Is Venenifer in control? Or is it just the voice and appearance?" 

She gave me an insincere smile. "I'm in control." 

I kissed her forehead and cracked a smile. "You scared him so bad." 

"I did, didn't I?" 

"Think you can calm down so we can go inside? I don't think your..." 

I looked at the window next to us and froze. Andrew was watching us with wide eyes and an open mouth. Anilena followed my gaze and covered her mouth. Instantly, any trace of Venenifer was gone and she looked like Anilena again. Andrew moved from the window and I looked at his sister. She looked like she was having a battle in her head. Wouldn't surprise me. I grabbed her waist and lead her inside the house so that people walking past us wouldn't see her if she freaked out. When we got inside, I sat her on the couch in the living room and knelt in front of her. She needed to calm down. 

I spent the next few minutes trying to calm her down. She was shaking harder than ever and gasping for breaths. Her hair was slightly disheveled from how much I was smoothing it back out of her face. Anilena looked like a hot mess and I didn't know how to help her. Her skin went from warm to clammy and cool. As I was trying to tame her hair into the hair band she had on her wrist, her brother walked in. He had a warm rag and a glass of water with aspirin in his hands. Watching the way he reacted to her earlier, I didn't know if he would pull something. I watched him sit next to his sister and pull her chin toward him. He placed his forehead on her's and stared at her. She was looking anywhere but him so he tapped her cheek. When she met his eyes, he gave her a giant smile. I was amazed by how fast she calmed down. Color returned to her cheeks and she took deep breaths. 

"Andy?" Anilena's voice was barely audible. 

"Yeah?" 

She looked down. "Are you afraid of me?" 

Her brother tensed up and chewed on the inside of his cheek. I got up and left the room. They didn't need me listening. I went to where I thought the kitchen was, marveling at the cream walls and the little pictures that were placed everywhere. When I got to the kitchen, Mrs. Connors was struggling with a giant pot and her husband was no where in sight. I hurried over and took the pot from her. She told me to set it on the table and I finished helping her set the table. She was a very perky woman. There was a bounce in her step that matched with the chirp in her voice. I could see where Anilena got her quirks from. Her mother talked to me about how Anilena was in high school and how she had changed when she met Kasey. The whole subject with the man was touchy for the whole family. Some time later, Andrew and Anilena came in laughing and I smiled when Andrew yelped as his sister pinched his thighs. I knew how bad those hurt. 

When Anilena saw me watching, her cheeks flushed and she went to sit next to her mother. Mr. Connors came in the house and sat at the head of the table with a beer in his hand. Andrew sat on his right, Mrs. Connors on his left, Anilena on her other side, and me next to Andrew. The dinner was actually very nice. I hadn't ever really sat with my family and had a proper meal before. It was a new experience. Anilena picked on her little brother about his girl problems, giving advice only to sit there and snicker at him for his troubles. Mrs. Connors asked Anilena if she was happy wherever she was. This made Anilena look at me and smile. She nodded and stuffed vegetables in her mouth before anyone could ask more questions. Mr. Connors was very quiet, save for the few laughs he would let out at his children's bickering. At one point, Anilena flung a piece of food at her brother and it hit him right between the eyes. She burst into tear inducing laughter before her father scolded her. She sat straighter and apologized to Andrew. But when her father turned away, I caught the way she stuck her tongue out at his back. I bit back a smile and excused myself from the table. After clearing my dishes, I went out onto the porch. 

It was dark and the moon was hanging in the sky above me. It was always strange for me to see the moon out of water. Where it was clear by the waves. I shivered as a cold breeze blew over me. There was a sweet laughter and I turned to see Anilena leaning against the house. She had two blankets in her hands and tossed one to me. I wrapped it around my shoulders and sat on a step with her. The moonlight was putting her in a natural spotlight and I took the time to admire her. Her body was definitely toned, like she was an athlete. The clothes she had taken from the boat seemed to fit, if not slightly snug on her legs. I could see the goose flesh on her legs from the wind on the holes in her jeans. The t-shirt was a looser cotton fabric that seemed comfortable on her. Her skin seemed to glow and I wanted to touch it. But I clenched onto the blanket more and she gave me a soft smile before sitting closer to me. 

Anilena sighed as she set her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. "Andy's scared of me. He says he's not but I know he's lying." 

"Anilena,"I said softly. "You left for a week and come back as a mythical creature. What did you expect?" She looked at me with saddened eyes. "Maybe you should get some sleep." 

She gave me a short nod and I walked her into the house and up the stairs to her room. It was a small bedroom with pale green walls. The floor was a shaggy black carpet and there were several pictures in the room of her and her brother. I was surprised by the closeness between the two siblings. With a five year difference, I figured they would have been farther apart from each other. Anilena tugged on my hand and I looked down at her. The cashmere blankets were at the foot of her bed and she looked worn out. I looked down at her, watching her struggle to keep her eyes open. 

"Get some sleep Anilena." 

She pulled me down so she could talk to me. "Lay with me? The floor isn't that comfortable, you know." 

"No. It's okay. I'll head back to the boat." 

She shot straight up and gripped my wrist painfully. "You can't go back to that boat, Eren. Kasey knows what you look like. He'll hurt you," she whispered. "Stay with me, Eren. Promise you won't leave." 

Sighing, I kicked off my shoes and laid next to her on top of the covers. I didn't want to lay with her in her bed. I didn't want to feel her warmth next to me, or hear her soft breathing evening out, or feel my heart race and my skin tingle. What is she doing to me? I am a Mer prince. I can't give everything up for her. Anilena is a beautiful creature. She has a big heart, a wild side, a strong tempered spirit. But I had to do what was best for my people. And I knew that that wasn't her. They didn't like her and I didn't want them hurting her. There was no doubt that she could handle it. But to what point? When would the insults, the pressures, the hate, catch up to her? Everyone had a breaking point and I wasn't willing to push Anilena to her's. 

I felt the bed shift and Anilena put her head on my shoulder, her hand placed on my stomach. Every muscle tensed as she murmured in her sleep. After a few moments, I relaxed and closed my eyes. I let my arms wrap around her with a new confidence. If I couldn't have her when we went home, I would take this opportunity I had now. With that resolve, I let sleep take over.

"He shouldn't have been here anyways!" 

I jolted awake and looked at the spot next to me. Anilena was missing and I was under the covers. There was shouting in the hallway and I could pick out Anilena and Andrew. 

"How was I supposed to know he would show up! I thought the jerk was dead Andy!" Anilena yelled. 

There was a thump and a crash. "He isn't going to leave you alone, Lena. He's going to come after you. I thought you said you were done with him!" 

"I was! I was by the warehouses with Eren when he..." 

"So it was his fault? You are so stupid sometimes!" 

"Don't push me, Andrew." 

Great. Venenifer was out again. I swear that she was out to ruin Anilena's relationships with people. I got out of the bed and ran out in the hall. Andrew was pressed against the wall and Anilena was staring him down with those cold white eyes. Her hair had changed and seemed to float around her. I gave Andrew a warning look before grabbing his sister's arm. I hissed at the heat of her skin. It was burning my skin but I refused to let her go until she calmed down. She turned to me and I watched as she instantly became herself again. She looked at me with guilt and pain in her eyes. Andrew was still cowering against the wall and was looking at me like I was insane. 

"Better?" I asked, ignoring him. She nodded. "I think we should be heading back home. We're needed there." 

She nodded again and turned to look at her brother. She mouthed something to him before running to her room. I flinched when she slammed the door behind her. There was a muffled sob and a crash. I went to go check on her when Andrew shook his head and walked down the stairs. Giving her room one more glance, I left Anilena to herself and followed her brother to the kitchen. Their mother was at the stove, flipping pancakes and signing to the country song blaring from the radio. I smiled to myself as she danced around the room, poking at her son and making him dance with her. 

When she saw me smiling, I was pulled into her little dance. I shook my head frantically as she grabbed my hand and twirled me around. Andrew snickered as a slow song came on and his mother pulled me closer to her. I saw Anilena watching in the entryway behind Andrew. I twirled their mother to Andrew and pulled her towards me with a grin. She shook her head but I gave her a look. Her eyes sparkled with something and it made her look alive. Something I hadn't seen from her before. Her smile was bright and joyful while I spun her in a small circle. Her head was thrown back in laughter, making her dark hair fly around her. I saw Andrew looking at us warily and his mother was dancing with him, whispering in his ear which made him frown and then laugh. Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise and smoke was everywhere. Mrs. Connors screamed and then started whipping a towel at the pan on the stove. Anilena started heating up but I grabbed her chin. 

"You need to get her under control before she does something to scare away your family. She needs to know you are capable of taking care of yourself.¨ 

"She's just overprotective," Anilena tried reasoning. Even she seemed to be able to hear how horrible that explanation was. ¨I don't know how to control her, Eren. What if I make her mad and she doesn't let me change back?" 

I gave her a small smile. "Anilena, you're strong enough to fight back. I'm not saying that she can't help, but she needs to know when you're actually in danger." 

She nodded and I felt her skin cool down. By the time we left, my hands would need looked at. Mr. Connors decided to come marching in at that moment and handed an envelope to Anilena. She looked at it and her face paled. All of the life that was in her eyes before was gone. Drained in a matter of seconds. I frowned and looked at her father. His eyes were wet and his face sagged in worry. I took the note from her hands, looking down at the dark ink. Opening it up, I read five words that were scrawled with dark red ink:

It's time to come home.

I looked at Anilena, "Who sent this?" Then her father. "Do you know what this means?" 

"It's not ink." 

I looked at Anilena. "What?" 

She took the letter. "I said that it isn't ink. You need to go, Eren. You need to go back and tell your father I'm gone. Don't give him details and please don't tell him where my family is.¨ 

¨No.¨ I looked around at the three pairs of eyes staring in confusion. ¨Not after what happened. You can't just leave like this. What's wrong? Tell me what's going on?¨ 

She looked at me and gave the note to her father. He gave her a weird look as she pushed my chest. I looked down at her like she was crazy. She shoved me harder with both hands and I snatched them in an iron clad grasp. Her skin started to heat up in an alarming rate and I hissed in pain but didn't let go. Her eyes started to flicker and her skin began to faintly glow. I switched both of her hands into one of my own before grabbing her neck. It wasn't aggressive or attacking her. I just held her face under her jaw and turned her face to look me in the eyes. They flared white before flickering back to her green ones. Her dad took a step towards us, but Andrew grabbed his arm. I gave him a thankful look before turning to handle Anilena. 

¨Are you really going to do that now? Stop. Not here. Get it under control before I handle it. I don't want to hurt you. You know that.¨ 

She calmed down slightly. "You need to go," she whispered. "Go tell your father he won't ever be seeing me again. Go home and tell Georgia I'm sorry I couldn't help her with Cobius. Tell Shelby that I'm sorry I made her hate me. You need to leave." 

"Why?" 

"I'm going to die tonight."