I nodded my head.
“What does this mean for you?”
“It started almost a month ago, but we didn’t know what it was. It wasn’t until we…” I was open with my mom. We talked about a lot of things, but what had happened on the beach that night was between Blake and me. “We’re linked now. Mireille said that when we hit a certain age, mermaids start looking for their mate; it’s programmed into us. I just got lucky to find mine so quickly.”
“I see.” She smiled, and I was relieved to see that she wasn’t upset. “You’re an adult, Meena. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” She lifted my hand and looked at the intricate lines that wrapped around my left hand. “It’s gorgeous. I wonder if they all look like yours or if it’s unique to the two of you.” She pulled me to her for a hug. “There is so much that we never knew about you. I started out as a scientist, but you taught me to believe in magic.”
“There’s something that I wanted to talk to you about.” I watched her as she put the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Shoot.”
By the time we got to Flukes, Mom and I had come to an agreement. She had said yes almost immediately, which thrilled me to no end. Dad waved at us, and I smiled when I got my first look at the new sign. It was beautiful, just the right design to stand out in a sea of tourist attractions.
“What do you think?” He waved his arm like a game-show host.
“It’s gorgeous.” I wrapped an arm around his waist.
“It matches your eyes.” He looked down at me and I winked. I looked back and realized that he was right. The mermaid tail was almost the exact color of my scales and eyes.
“Wow.” I turned and looked at the rest of the sanctuary. The new greenery really popped, making everything look high-end and lush. I’d only been gone for a day and a half, but the place looked amazing.
“C’mon.” He tugged me down to the dolphin pens, and I realized that Mireille and Jacen were swimming with Mitch and Jallia.
I hopped down the ladder to the floating platform and called for Mitch. She swam to me with excited squeals. Her excitement was contagious and I couldn’t help laughing. She was so glad to see me and I was glad to see her, too.
“How’s Blake?” Jacen swam over and rested his arms on the platform.
“Good. They sent him home.” The feeling that I should know him hit me again. “Thank you. If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t think we would have made it.”
“It’s no problem.” He narrowed his eyes for a minute. “You must feel overwhelmed.”
“A bit.” I watched as Mireille let Stormy push her through the water. Her blue hair was pulled back in a tight braid. “So, is it real? Her hair?”
Jacen laughed. “She wishes. Mireille has a flair for the dramatic.”
“I didn’t know.” I shrugged. “There is so much I don’t know about us.”
“When I realized you seemed to not know what the bond was, I figured you might have been raised by humans.” He tilted his head up at me. “It happens, rarely. Mermaids are a pretty close-knit community, so we notice when one of our own goes missing. But it does happen sometimes. Just like in the human world. Do you remember anything about your parents? Your biological parents?”
“Not really.” I frowned. “I remember impressions, mostly. Being happy, swimming. Not much else. I don’t even remember what my mom looked like.”
“Ben said that she had red hair.” His voice was gentle and I wondered what he was getting at.
“I think so.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “This will sound crazy, but you look familiar.”
“My mom says that I look a lot like my Aunt Sabrina. She disappeared with her daughter a couple of months after her mate died.” He watched my face carefully and for a minute I just stared at him, looking at his features. “It was about eighteen years ago. I was about two when it happened.”
“You think that I might be your cousin?” My heart hammered in my chest. Could it be true?
“I called my mom and asked her to tell me a little more about her sister and my cousin.” He pulled himself up out of the water and sat next to me. “My uncle died in a car accident. Not long after that, my grandparents invited Aunt Sabrina and my cousin, Maleena, to stay with them in Jamaica. They never showed up.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say. Maleena sounded a lot like Meena. I could see how a child might not be able to say it just right. My parents were standing on the dock, their arms around each other. They were watching us and I realized that Jacen must’ve already told them this.
“Mermaids come from clans. Each clan has an affinity for a certain animal. Ours is with dolphins. We aren’t the only clan out there connected to dolphins, but we know all the clans on this side of the world that are. When Aunt Sabrina left for my grandparents, she traveled with a dolphin that had recently calved.” He looked out at where Jallia played with Mireille. “We tend to bond with an animal, a lot like a mating bond. If you’re Maleena, Sabrina’s dolphin would not have left you, even after her death. She would have seen you as her responsibility.”
I chuckled, but it was watery. “Jallia thinks she’s my mom.”
“That sounds about right.” He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows.
“So, you and Mireille are my cousins?”
“Well, if you’re Maleena, which I think you are, then you’d be my cousin. Mireille is my cousin on the other side.” He smiled. “I wasn’t kidding. Mermaids are a tight group.”
“Is that why you go on swimabouts? To try and find a mate that you’re not related to?” I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
“Partly. But as you noticed, we mate with humans, too.” He winked at me. “More than you might think, which I think is to introduce fresh blood to the community. The swimabout started a long time ago. When we come of age, something in us automatically wants us to find a mate. Probably to ensure the continuation of the species. We start early, because it can take a long time. Mermaids can’t reproduce without their mates, except for very rare instances. Like the siren I killed on your beach.”
“So, his mom was a mermaid?” I frowned.
“It would have been one of his parents, but it’s likely that his father had some mermaid in his DNA, too. If you breed without your mate, then it comes out wrong. Some of them are mostly human, usually gorgeous by human standards, to help lure people to the water. But once they hit the water, they change into something closer to the animal the mermaid’s clan claimed.” He rubbed the top of Mitch’s head with his foot.
“I’ve never had trouble with sharks. They usually leave me alone.” I shuddered and reminded myself that Devin hadn’t been a true shark.
“It wasn’t the shark part that hated you. It was the siren.” Jacen sat up and frowned, obviously choosing his words. “Sirens hate us. We’re what they should have been but aren’t. We gain strength from the water, can change easily into forms that work well on land and in the sea. Sirens gain strength from stealing the energy of humans. Usually in a physical manner. Sex or violence. Not all sirens do it. They live their lives like humans for the most part, but it’s easy to fall into that cycle.”
“Since I’m bonded with Blake, our children won’t be sirens?”
“No. They will be merfolk.” Blake smiled. “And since you haven’t been around many merfolk, let me tell you that when you decide to have kids, you’re going to have your hands full.”
Relief washed over me and I couldn’t help the giant smile that pulled at my cheeks. I couldn’t wait to see little mermaids. Mom and Dad didn’t have any pictures of me in my tail for fear that they might be found.
“Thank you, Jacen. You’ve given me so much more than I could have hoped for.” I grabbed him in a hug and laughed. “I feel like I understand myself so much better.”
He hugged me back and patted my shoulders. “You’ll rethink that when my family descends on you. My mom was in hysterics when I told her about you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already swimming here.”
“I don’t even know where you guys live!” I laughed again. “There’s so much I still don’t know.”
“Mom and Dad live in Melbourne, Florida, with my younger sister and brother, but Mireille and I were going to college in California.”
“Meena! I think you should get ready. Jallia is getting ready to welcome her baby boy.” Mireille raised her voice so that it would drift across the water.
Chapter Twenty-Two
- Meena -
As soon as the workers were gone, I wasted no time changing. I hadn’t been able to attend any of the other births in mer-form, and I really wanted to be able to assist Jallia.
Jacen and Mireille had changed to their mer-forms, too, which had been an interesting experience. I felt like a pervert, but I couldn’t help but watch as they shifted. They didn’t seem to have any nudity hang-ups, but Mireille left her bikini top on. I was pretty sure that was for my family’s sake.
There really wasn’t much to do for the actual birth. I mainly swam with Jallia and Mitch around the enclosure, offering soothing thoughts. Jacen and Mireille took turns swimming with us, offering support and love. I surfaced at one point, floating next to her as she rested, and realized that Blake was sitting on the dock. He was watching me with a smile, his feet dangling in the water. I swam over to where he was sitting and propped my chin on his knee.
“Hey.”
“How’s she doing?” He reached a hand out and traced my jaw.
“Good. Jallia’s a pro.” I reached up and tugged at his hand. “Come in with me.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“Meena!” Jacen called. “The flukes are out.”
“C’mon! I want you to be part of this.” I tugged at him again and he caved.
“Okay.” His eyes were warm as he watched me. He pulled his shirt off and slid into the water. The stitches along his shoulder and arm made me wince, but the wound was looking even less angry and red than it had earlier that day. I took his hand and crossed the water quickly, careful to keep my flukes from slapping into his shoulder. Jallia was in the shallows now, so Blake would be able to stand. I kissed his cheek quickly and let go of his hand so I could check on her progress. Mitch swam around us, nudging Blake to make sure that he was okay. I could feel her giving him grief for getting hurt and then turning around to make sure he really was okay.
Jallia was moving back and forth in the shallows. Once the baby’s flukes are out, it isn’t long to the full birth.
“Hey, lady.” I ran a hand over her back, checking her progress and how the baby was handling it. She twisted in the water, her body trying to expel the baby. I hummed quietly, wanting to offer her some kind of support.