Insatiable
Author: Daniele Lanzarotta
Date: 2013-03-08 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Mermaids; Fantasy; Paranormal; New Adult; Romance; Paranormal Romance; Young Adult; Adult
Description: Arianna always felt like she didn't belong in the world where she was born. Ever since she was little, she used to hide behind the rocks in the sea, and watch the human family who spent their summers on that island. Over the years, there was nothing she wished more than to be like them, especially so she could get close to Blake, the human boy who she saw turn into a troubled teenager and then, an unhappy man. Once her dad grew tired of her dreams and hopes for a reality that is not her own, Arianna is thrown into an arranged marriage, and her only way out of it is to make a deal with the powe
Publisher: Rocket Science Productions, LLC

Praise for the Mermaid’s Curse

Think of it as a modern day THE LITTLE MERMAID with a NEW ADULT kick to it. Perfectly paced story, intriguing characters, and intense scenes had me flying through this book and eager for book 2.

—I Read Indie

***

Fairytale romance meets the real world creating a forbidden love that I just can't get enough of!

—Kim Duncan (2011 Books With Bite)

***

I fell in love with the whole book from beginning to end, it was romantic and full of suspense, and I never knew what was going to happen next.

—Starry Night Book Reviews

***

I loved the three main characters so much for different reasons. We see so much growth from each of them. Arianna is a heroine you just fall in love with from page one and you want her to have her dreams come true.

—Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace

Credits

Written by

Daniele Lanzarotta

Edited by Michelle Johnson

Art Direction Meredith Hancock

Front cover photography © Michelle Monique Photography

© Copyright 2013 Daniele Lanzarotta

All rights reserved

ISBN-13: 978-1-937121-99-0
eISBN: 978-1-939954-05-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013934592

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblances to actual events, locales, persons living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my hubs and daughter for putting up with the crazy lifestyle of an author.

To the readers who motivated me to write a more adult book.

To my beta readers, Jen Holcomb and Amanda Sorrells. You are both awesome! Jen, thanks for staying up during all kinds of crazy hours to talk about the characters and the story.

To my hubs (again) and to YA author and friend Natalie Star, for the proofreading.

To Michelle Johnson, my editor for life. Keep those comments coming. They make my day.

… and to everyone who is searching for their own fairy tale.

Chapter One

He’s smiling down at me and all I can do is look away. Happiness seems to be such a rare emotion for him, it always has, and I know it’s only a matter of time until I become the one responsible for that smile turning into something dark.

He places his finger under my chin, lifting my head up. “Well, do you regret it?” he asks.

I want to tell him the truth, that I don’t regret it, that I’d rather have had one day with him than none at all, but the words don’t come out at first. I take a deep breath and I know that I have to lie. I have to push him as far away from me as I can, because I have no other option. So I focus on the part that I do regret. I focus on the fact that when offered my dreams to be made true, consequences didn’t even cross my mind. Not just consequences to myself, but I also never once stopped to think about how my choices would impact those around me, how they would impact him.

All I can think is that my next words are going to shatter everything that both of us have lived for in the past few weeks.

***

There was only one thing that I ever wished for: to be human. I always felt like I didn’t belong. My dad used to tell me stories about the human world and how lucky I was to live in a place even humans considered magical. I used to believe that to be true. Everything seemed so fun: swimming all day, seeing the different colors around, and exploring the ships that ended up on the bottom of the ocean. One day, I stopped feeling like that.

My dad and I lived near an island, which seemed to be owned by one family only; after all, they were always the only ones there. Every summer when they came, I would swim as close to the island as I could and hide behind the rocks to watch them. I wasn’t trying to be creepy, I was just curious about their world.

Years ago, when I was eleven years old, I was hiding behind the rocks when I saw the boy who looked a little older than me. He seemed so mad. I saw a woman coming out of the house yelling, ‘Blake! He didn’t mean it!’

The boy just ignored her and ran toward the other side of the island. That was the day my life changed. I hated what I was because I wanted to go after him and see if he was okay, but I couldn’t.

All I could do was swim back as fast as I could and hide in one of the wrecked ships that wasn’t too far away from my home. I was so mad about what I was and how limited I was because of it, that I didn’t want to see anyone.

I finally decided to go home when it started to get dark. It was only a matter of time before dad decided to send the whole kingdom to look for me.

On the way back, I ran into my friend Desiree. Like me, she liked to watch the humans every once in a while. She came to tell me the humans were leaving and to ask if I wanted to watch them go. I told her I had to get back and that was it.

That was the last time I saw him that summer, but they always came back. Year-after-year, I watched the boy come back to the island. I knew that whenever he was alone, he was the saddest being I had ever seen. I also knew that there were a few things that always made him smile. He loved reading and writing, spending time with his younger brother, and years later, his little sister. I caught myself laughing with them several times, as he played with her at the beach. And then there was this year, the most horrible year of my life… the year I turned eighteen. That was when I saw him with a girl, both lying down on a blanket at the beach, and I felt things that I had never felt before. When he leaned on top of her and I saw his lips touching hers, I wanted to be that girl. I wanted to have legs instead of a stupid tail. I wanted to be the one he kissed.

Chapter Two

The girl was gone the next day, but Blake stayed. The next night, I was hiding behind the rocks as usual, when I heard screams. I saw a surfboard turn and the little girl getting lost in the waves. I swam to the little girl as fast as I could and dragged her to the rocks. I then swam around the rocks so no one could see me from the island. I sat her up there, and she caught her breath, coughing up water. Luckily, she hadn’t been underwater long.

“How old are you?” I asked.

She held five fingers up.

From a distance, I could hear a guy’s voice yell, “Molly, stay where you are!”

I peeked around the corner and saw Blake take his shirt off as he ran toward the ocean, throwing his shirt on the sand before he jumped in the water.

“Molly, I need you to stay right here, okay?” I said.

She looked down in the water and the smile on her face told me that she could see my bright blue tail.

Still smiling, she nodded. I smiled back at her. “This is our secret,” I said as I winked at her.

I swam away before he could see me and only stopped when I was sure the darkness would keep him from seeing me. Even then, this was the closest I had ever been to him. I turned around and watched to make sure she was safe.

Blake climbed up on the rocks with her to make sure that she was okay, and I felt as if my entire body was melting. I wanted to get closer. I wished I could get closer to him more than I ever wished for anything else.

He asked the little girl to hold tight to him and swam back to the island as I swam away back to my own reality.

I took my time as I swam back. Dolphins swam around me and for the first time, they didn’t make me laugh; nothing did. I stopped right before I got near my home and just watched the other merfolk from the distance. My life would never be any different than this. We lived in a community with little over thirty merfolk and that would never change. I would never meet anyone new, at least not my age or older, only the offspring of the merfolk who I already knew. Even our homes didn’t feel like our own. They all came from someone else’s tragedies. Our entire world was built and furnished with what we got out of wrecked ships over the centuries. Most had only one or two rooms for privacy. There were windows that we used to swim in and out of. My home was the biggest and the saddest. Dad made our community build around a large ship that he claimed as our home decades before. Every room was filled with human belongings that only made me wonder more and more about that world.

When I returned, my father was waiting for me and he wasn’t happy.

“Were you watching the humans again?” he asked in a cold tone.

I nodded.

He shook his head and sat down. “I worry about you, Arianna. You have no friends. And then there’s Bram. He’s a good man and he has been asking you to be his for so long.”

“Dad, I’m not a thing that should ‘belong’ to someone.”

“That’s not what I meant, Arianna.”

“Isn’t it though? That’s how we live, Dad. We belong to our parents until we get married and belong to someone else. That’s not what I want.”

“That’s called tradition, Arianna. Watching the humans for as long as you have has put ideas into your head that should never be there. You are not human and never will be. You are my daughter, and as the ruler of our kingdom, I’ll not allow you to be a bad example for the others.”

I stood there, speechless. Tears sprung to my eyes. My dad had never spoken to me as a ruler.

His tone didn’t soften one bit as he continued. “I can’t take any chances, Arianna. Our kingdom has questioned my ability to rule ever since your mother left.”

“But you are a good leader. If they don’t see that—“

“Arianna, enforcing traditions is a part of being a good King. You should’ve been married two years ago.”

“What are you saying, dad?”

“I’m saying that you’ll marry Bram tomorrow evening.”

“What? But—There is no time to—”

My failed attempt to find excuses to avoid this wedding never stood a chance. Father said everything would be ready and there was no changing his mind.

I turned around to leave.

“Sit down, Arianna,” he said in a firm tone.

Avoiding his gaze, I sat down. I hoped that if I didn’t argue back, he would come to his senses.

“Lyra, Anthea, Amias!” he yelled.

The three came as fast as they could. There was a sense of urgency to my father’s voice at that moment. He was using his ‘ruler voice’, which he rarely did at home.

As soon as they were all in the room, father started to spill orders. “Lyra, I need you to go find Bram and bring him to me. Amias, escort my daughter to her room and make sure she doesn’t go anywhere. Lyra, Arianna is getting married tomorrow evening. Make sure everything is ready for the ceremony.”

They were all as shocked as I was.

“GO!” Father yelled.

Amias faced me, and I swam to my room with him following me.

“What did you do to make him so mad?”

I shrugged.

“You were watching the humans again, weren’t you?”

I gave him a cold look hoping that would be enough for him to leave me alone.

Amias put his hands up. “Sorry. None of my business, I know.”

I swam into my room, leaving Amias behind along with the ripples of water that I created as I swam past him.

***

I thought about running away, but there was literally no way out. I was confined in my own home and knowing my father, or at least the ruler version of my father, I knew this was it.

I knew Bram would be happy. At least that made one of us. Bram was like me, born in the same world. He wasn’t bad looking either. Bram was tanned, with abs that made other girls dream of being with him. His dark brown hair came to right above his shoulders and he had dark brown eyes, unlike most mermen, who have either green or blue eyes, and his tail was golden, which was a perfect match for his tanned skin. Bram should’ve been what I wanted, but I felt nothing. Still, I didn’t think this was fair not just to me, but to him as well. My heart belonged to someone else and even if that was like a far away dream, I knew there was no one else for me.

Chapter Three

I stayed in my room until Lyra swam inside to get me in the morning. That entire night I had done nothing but think about Blake. I knew how stupid I was being, after all, he was human and I wasn’t. No matter how I felt, this would never happen.

Lyra’s cheerful mood was gone as soon she laid eyes on me.

“You look terrible.”

I didn’t even respond.

Lyra was my favorite person to talk to. She knew more about the human world than anyone else, in fact, she taught me a lot about humans. Rumors were that she used black magic to learn those things. But as much as I loved talking to her, right at that moment, I didn’t want to have anything to do with her or anyone else.

She got closer to me. “You are very lucky, you know?”

“How so?”

“Bram is a great guy and he’s so handsome. I could stare at his abs and those deep brown eyes of his all day long. It could be worse.”

“But it’s not fair to me or to him.”

“Arianna, let’s be honest. If it’s not him, it’ll be someone else who is chosen for you. You should have been married by your age and it’s not like you’ll get up one day and meet someone new. What you see here in this kingdom, well, your choices are limited to the people you grew up with.”

My mind said she was right and that I needed to go along with it. My heart said that everything about this was wrong and that I’d regret it for the rest of my life, which wasn’t that long to begin with. Have you ever seen an old mermaid? Exactly. Mermen’s life expectancies are much longer than mermaids. I’ll be lucky if I make it to forty.

I nodded and Lyra probably assumed that she had finally gotten the message across.

After that she left me alone in my own misery.

***

It’s funny how whenever you want time to stand still, it seems to go by even faster. That day was a blur.

No one besides Amias and Lyra came into my room. Father was probably avoiding me. Amias came in to bring food and Lyra had everything else that I needed delivered right to my room.

My brown hair, which was usually wavy and down to my waist, was braided with soft purple coral added in. Other than that, there was so little that we ever did about clothes, with a tail and all. My blue tail was decorated with a silver chain around my waist, and I wore a white bathing suit top with it. It wasn’t tradition so much as the fact that our clothes, just like everything else, came from what we found in wrecked ships. This top was one of the few that had been handed down to me.

At some point throughout the day, anxiety turned into numbness. I didn’t want to hate my father for this. I loved him more than anything. I told myself over and over again that this was our way of life and although my mind understood what was expected, my heart didn’t.

Then, darkness fell and I knew it was time.

Father came in to escort me to the area where our kingdom performed the ceremonies.

“You look beautiful, Arianna,” he said.

I gave him a sad smile, and he pretended not to notice the sad part.

“Well, we shouldn’t keep Bram waiting any longer. He has already waited his entire life for this. You can’t begin to imagine how happy he is, Arianna. And you may not feel this way right now, but you’ll grow to love him. It’s only a matter of time.”

Yeah, that’s what I keep hearing, I thought to myself.

As we approached the location for the ceremony, I started to see the merfolk in our kingdom whispering and smiling. They all seemed to be having a great time. Then, we approached the center of where the ceremony would be held, by my father, of course.

The look on Bram’s face when he saw me made me feel even worse about it all. He smiled from ear to ear. Some of the other women didn’t seem so happy to be there and I knew the reason. To them, Bram was a dream come true, but he just wasn’t a part of my dreams. I felt even more horrible thinking that one of those girls could make him truly happy.

Bram took my hand once I approached him and his smile grew wider, if that was even possible. He let go of my hand, moving his to the small of my back as we swam toward my father.

I wanted to turn around and swim away. I wanted to disappear and never return. All I could do as my father talked about traditions and what it meant to be married was to think about how much I wished he was not the king; how much I wished I could be human, and be able to go places where no one would find me.

There were no questions during the ceremony. It was basically, my father telling us how things would be from that moment on and just like that, we were proclaimed married.

When Bram leaned in to kiss me, I couldn’t help but to turn slightly away and he ended up kissing my cheek.

I heard gasps coming from others. That was the first time ever since I first saw Bram that I noticed a flash of sadness, only for a second, but it was there and I knew this would be the start of my making us both miserable. Within a matter of seconds he was smiling again.

Once the ceremony was over I was torn between wanting to get out of there as soon as possible and wanting to stay in order to avoid being alone with Bram. It wasn’t like we had a choice either way. The merfolk talked among one another. There were meals prepared for everyone, mostly arrangements made of seaweeds and oysters. We stayed until everyone congratulated us and wished us a lifetime of happiness. Most seemed to direct their wishes at Bram, as I basically just stood there, looking distant. I made the mistake to glance at my father once and he looked furious, but I didn’t care. I had done what he wanted me to and I didn’t have it in me to pretend to be happy about it. Finally, father dismissed us and said he would take care of the rest of the guests. He hugged me.

“Bram is a good man, Arianna. One day you’ll look back and see that I was only watching out for you and you’ll thank me for this choice. My choosing Bram for you has nothing to do with my duties as a ruler. I truly believe that he can make you happy.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said as I hugged him back.

Throughout that entire time I was just going through the motions. I said goodnight to my father and followed Bram as we went to our new ‘home’. Neither of us said a word as we swam in that direction. I could tell Bram was nervous though. He kept glancing back at me as if he wasn’t sure what to say or do.

I had never been in Bram’s home before. He actually had one of the larger homes, with more than one room. Once we were inside, I took a look around and noticed that all he had were weapons used to catch fish and other sea creatures. The rest was all empty space. Bram approached me and brushed my cheek with his hand. I froze. I didn’t know what to do.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “You know, I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long, I could barely even believe when your father granted permission for us to get married.”

“Yeah, I could barely believe it either,” I said in a sarcastic tone that he didn’t catch.

His hand moved down, brushing against my arm and moving to my back. He pulled me closer and I tensed thinking that he was going to kiss me, but instead, he pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear.

“Arianna, I know you don’t feel the same about me as I do about you. I can tell by the way you move, by the tone in your voice, I know you so much better than you think I do. You are all I’ve ever wanted and you can have as much time as you need.”

He pulled away and opened his eyes. It was as if he had to avoid looking at me while he said all of that.

“What do you mean?”

He moved his hand to mine, holding it softly as he looked at my ring. The ring that once belonged to my mother was silver with a pearl attached to it, and to me, the ring alone was a sign of bad luck. “What I mean is that we don’t have to do anything until you are ready. You don’t have to so much as kiss me until you know that you love me, and I know one day you will, because I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

I watched him carefully as he spoke. There was so much meaning and emotions behind his every word. I took him in, his brown eyes, his – as Lyra pointed out – perfect abs. He was absolutely perfect in every way and I couldn’t understand at the time why that wasn’t enough for me. I wondered if maybe I wasn’t making this out to be a bigger deal than it actually was. Maybe I should let go of my stupid dreams and move on with my reality.

I leaned closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaned enough to where my lips were close to his. He inched forward and his lips were on mine. His lips were so soft and that kiss was just as soft. He held and kissed me as if I was breakable.

I could see his smile as he pulled away. I just stared at him knowing that this was my first kiss with someone who should have been the perfect guy, but I felt absolutely nothing.

His smile faded. “You are not ready, are you?”

I shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Bram. I really wish I was. I know you deserve to be happy and this is not fair to you.”

“Arianna, this is more than I could have dreamt of at this point. You need time and you have it. I’ll be here waiting for you for as long as it takes.”

I nodded.

“Look, you can have our room. I’ll sleep here.”

I nodded and went to the room.

Sometime during the ceremony, all of my things had already been moved. It was as if I was in my own room… my old room.

I swam toward my dresser and stared at the hairbrushes and mirror, and wondered what kind of life the human who these belong to had. Those were the types of thoughts that distracted me from the sadness of my own reality.

I swam to the window and looked at the other homes, the colorful coral that surrounded us, and at the dolphins that I loved watching. I felt so horrible for having to put Bram through this. He didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve it. I literally felt as if I would have a panic attack.

I swam out the window and up. I wasn’t even sure if I swam past anyone I knew. I moved as fast as I could toward the rocks where I had seen Blake sitting just the night before. I moved up and sat on the rocks, staring at the house on the island and I cried and cried and cried. I remembered the first time I saw him. I was sure I’d never get to find out why he was so sad and I would never get the chance to make his sadness go away, or mine for that matter.

I jumped when I heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. I quickly looked to my side.

Standing there and looking amused, stood a man who looked to be about my age. He was human, with dark hair and even darker eyes. Something about him looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it, likely because he was human. I remember thinking that maybe I was delirious. He wore a suit but there was no drop of water on it. I frantically looked around. There was no boat or anything.

I jumped down in the water. “How did you get here? Who are you?”

“I mean you no harm. No need to be frightened.”

“Who are you?”

“Just a bored guy on his way back to the city. I don’t often see you merfolk so close to land.”

“You know about us?”

“Of course! You know, a pretty young woman like you shouldn’t be crying like this and you should definitely not be alone.”

I felt cold just by listening to his tone and moved inches away.

He stared at my ring and grinned. “I’m just making an assumption here, but would I be wrong to assume that you are missing something in your life?”

I involuntarily shook my head.

“What if I could make your dreams come true? Give you the purpose that you look for?”

“You can’t. No one can,” I said.

He looked from me to the island. “What’s the one thing that you wish for the most?”

I looked away wondering why I felt so compelled to tell this to someone who I didn’t even know.

“To have legs,” I said.

He grinned. “That’s an interesting wish. What if I can make that happen? What would you be willing to do to make that happen?”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I’d do anything, but it doesn’t matter. No one can make that happen, and I’m leaving.”

I turned around and almost instantly, I went underwater, but I couldn’t move my tail. I felt as if I was suffocating and was struggling to stay above water, and then, the man reached in the water and pulled me up on the rock.

I stared in utter awe at my legs. I was too shocked to do anything but stare at them.

The man broke my trance like state. “As much as I enjoy the view, I assume you probably want to cover yourself up.”

I just then realized that I was half naked. I tried to get up to jump back in the water, but not used to having legs, I fell and scraped the side of my right leg. The man shook his head and handed me clothing, a pair of shorts that for the first time I noticed in his hand. That was when I knew that somehow, he had planned all of this – right down to the minor details. I still wore my bathing suit top from the wedding, for which I was glad. The man threw the shorts at me and without trying to get up; I put the shorts on as fast as I could possibly do, but I couldn’t get it buttoned. I hated the fact that he watched me. It was strange… even though it felt as if it wasn’t my body, I still felt ashamed.

“Do you need help with that?” he asked.

He grinned, which made me more and more nervous.

“No! Stay away from me,” I warned him. I stared at my legs. “How did you do this?”

“Why? Do you want me to change you back?”

I didn’t know what to say. I wished for this my entire life and now all I wanted was to change back, yet… I couldn’t say the words.

“That’s what I thought,” he said as he grinned.

He sat next to me and put his hand on my knee. I flinched at his cold touch and pulled away.

His grin grew wider.

“Now remember, you agreed to do anything for those sexy legs of yours.”

“I didn’t mean it!”

He laughed. “Relax, sweetheart. At least hear me out before you decide to say no, in which case, I’ll return you to what you were.”

“What do you want?” I asked, afraid of his answer.

“You see, I’m a very successful man and I got some of the things that I have by making certain deals. I’m what we call a trader. I trade souls for wealth. The more powerful they are, the more powerful I become.”

I was horrified.

“You want me to kill someone?”

He laughed. “Of course not! I merely need you to fulfill your cravings. That’s all. When I’m satisfied, you’ll be free from our deal and you can keep your legs if you wish.”

“What will I crave?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Love, human contact, nothing too terrible.”

“And how will that give you a soul?”

“You ask a lot of questions. I’ve given you all the information that you need to know. More than what you need, in fact.”

“What if I want to go back to my life right now?”

He shrugged. “Go ahead, but you will never know what could have been.”

I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I agreed to take his deal.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “The craving is natural human behavior. It’ll be as if you are living a normal life.”

He approached me and I tried to get up but fell again. This time, he caught me, with one hand around my waist and another on the back of my neck. Making sure I couldn’t move, he kissed me, forcing his tongue in my mouth as I fought him and tried to push him away.

Chapter Four

That was the last thing I remembered before I woke up on the island, laying on sand. I opened my eyes to find the man of my dreams staring down at me. Blake was on his knees right next to where I was laying. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt. His hair was messy as if he had just woken up, and his eyes showed me how concerned he was.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I tried to sit up, but felt dizzy and laid back down. “I’m not so sure. What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. This is a private island. I see no boats so I’m not even sure how you ended up here. I was just walking out of the house and spotted you.”

I gave him a lost look. I didn’t know how to explain how I got there or anything else for that matter.

“I’m not sure how I got here.”

“You didn’t hit your head, did you? Do you know who you are? What’s your name?”

“Arianna.”

“Good. Can you sit up?”

I moved slowly, but managed to sit up.

“Come on,” he said as he stood up. “Let’s go inside. When everyone else comes back from the city, I’ll take the boat and take you back.”

“Back where?” I asked confused.

He gave me a confused look in return. “To the city. That’s the closest place to here, so I just assumed—”

“I can’t go back to where I came from,” I told him.

“Well, you can’t stay here.”

I bit my lip and attempted not to cry.

“I have no one and nothing to go back to.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair. “Look, you should at least be seen by a doctor. I’ll take you to the city and we’ll figure it out then.”

This entire time he seemed annoyed, like I was wasting his time.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. I’ll just stay here.”

He shook his head and put his hands up. “Okay, well I guess—hopefully someone will come for you.”

He started to walk away, but looked back. “Look, I’m sorry. I know I sound rude but I’ve been having a hell of a time since this morning. Please, come inside. Let me at least make you something to eat.”

He gave me an attempt of a smile and I almost agreed, but I ended up changing my mind in the last second.

“It’s okay. I can wait here until you can take me to the city.” I had no idea what I would do once I got there, but he was right. I couldn’t just stay here. He didn’t know me, and it made no sense at all. I just needed to find a way to contact that guy so I could go back to my home.

He sighed. “I’ll be in the house if you need anything.”

I watched him walk away and into the house, looking at me once more before he disappeared inside.

I stayed liked I was, mostly staring at my legs. Here it was… the moment I dreamt of my entire life and it was not what expected. Neither was my first kiss, or second for that matter. I hoped I could go back home before morning, before Bram and my father realized that I was missing. Otherwise, I’d have destroyed my entire life for nothing.

I hugged my knees and tried not to think about it. I glanced back at the house and the man, who hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself, looked out the window, watching me. Once he noticed that I caught him looking, he turned away, and I went back to watching the sea and hoping that I would find that man in the suit somewhere in the city.

I suddenly felt a change in the weather. The wind started to pick up and at a moments notice, it started pouring down; yet, that was where I stayed. Soon I started to shiver but I had no desire to move. For one thing, I would probably fall on my face if I tried to walk.

The rain picked up and I didn’t even see him coming. “For God sake’s woman, come inside the house,” he said in an annoyed tone.

I turned around surprised to see him out in the rain, still fully dressed. I was in the worst situation I could’ve been in and all I could think about was how hot he looked right now, with the water dripping from his hair.

He extended his hand to help me get up. My hand touched his and he slowly pulled me up. So, I was wrong… I didn’t fall on my face, but I did lose my balance and ended up falling forward, but he caught me.

“I guess you’re not as okay as you thought,” he said.

He moved his arm, swinging me up and cradling me in his arms. I was still wearing the same shorts and bathing suit top and no matter how cold the rain felt, his hands against my skin felt warm. Any hurry to go back to my world vanished in those seconds while he ran toward the house with me in his arms.

He had left the front door open and carried me in.

Once inside, he put me down and I instantly felt the cold air hit me and I shivered.

“Are you okay to walk from here?” he asked.

I nodded, but stood where I was.

He stood there, watching me…. And I felt uncomfortable, not knowing what to do.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I guess I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Blake Crawford.”

I smiled at him, but I was so cold that I couldn’t stop shaking.

“You should probably dry off. There are some clothes that should fit you in the room down the hallway and to the left. My brother’s ex-girlfriend left them here and, well, I doubt she’ll be coming back. I can throw your clothes in the dryer for you when you are done.

“Thank you,” I said.

“No problem. I’m going to make sure all the windows are closed. The storm is getting worse and I doubt the others will even come back from the city with this weather.”

I waited until he walked away before I took my first few steps. I probably looked like someone who had way too much to drink. After those few steps, everything started to feel a little more normal.

I made my way into the room, closed the door, and for the first time since he carried me in the house, I felt as if I could breathe. That was, until I had a panic attack while I started to think about what I was going to do.

When I finally looked around, I realized how big the room was. The large windows allowed me to look straight at the sea. It was still pouring outside. I walked closer to the window and froze when I saw the size of the waves. That told me that they knew I was gone. I had only seen this happen once before, but I knew that my father’s anger was definitely the cause for the angry sea. I had to go back. I had to let him know that I didn’t just leave. I had to tell him that I was okay and that I would fix this.

I awkwardly ran out of the room and stormed out of the house, attempting to run toward the sea.

“What the hell are you doing?” I heard Blake yell.

Of course, because I wasn’t used to having legs, he was much faster than me. Before I could reach the sea, he grabbed my arm and turned me around. I lost balance and when he tried to catch me, we both fell on the wet sand, with him leaning on top of me.

“You were crying,” he said. “What were you trying to do?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He brushed a string of hair off my face.

“Let’s go back inside, okay?”

I nodded.

He helped me get up and before I turned toward the house, I glanced at the rocks where I used to watch the house from and there was Bram. He wasn’t close enough for me to see his expression but I knew he had to be in pain, pain that must have turned into anger. That was what I figured once a wave like I had never see before started to come up. Blake tried to get me to move, but I couldn’t. I was in shock. Right before the wave crashed, he picked me up and ran.

Back in the house, he put me down. I was shivering, but I couldn’t move or talk.

“Did you see something back there?” he asked. “You look terrified.”

I didn’t move at all. I couldn’t speak.

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me, but that didn’t help. I kept shivering as I stared outside. I could still see Bram hiding behind the rock and looking toward the house. Blake tried to look where I was looking but he didn’t say anything, so I assumed he couldn’t see anything.

“Arianna?” he said.

My eyes were still locked outside. He grabbed his phone and cussed, “Damn it. Still no signal.”

He sighed. “I’ll be right back.”

He came back holding something. I didn’t look to see what it was. My gaze was locked on the sea and I literally could not move.

“I don’t know what happened but you don’t look that great. In fact, you look like you are in shock or something… you can’t stop shivering.” He was babbling on and on like he was nervous.

He walked closer to me. “Look, I’m going to undress and put this shirt on you. I swear I’m not trying anything. You just… ugh…. I don’t know what else to do. Just give me some kind of sign if you want me to stop.”

I didn’t.

He stood behind me and moved my hair to the side. I could feel his warm fingers brushing against the back of my neck as he untied my bathing suit top. I wasn’t sure if it was the waves getting angrier or his touch, or maybe a combination of both, but everything just became too much and I closed my eyes. I could hear his breathing get heavier and I couldn’t help but to bite my bottom lip. Moving slowly, he put the shirt on me, letting it fall on its own. He then walked to where he stood in front of me and unbuttoned my shorts. I could feel his hands shaking, or maybe he was just struggling with the button, I wasn’t sure. I still couldn’t make myself move at all, but it was no longer because of Bram, it was because of Blake’s touch. He let my shorts fall to the ground.

When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me and I couldn’t exactly read his expression but our eyes were locked in each other’s for a while before I finally got brave enough to glance outside. Bram was no longer there.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Just say something. Give me a sign that you’re okay.”

I nodded and he took a deep breath.

“Why don’t you sit down right here? I’m going to throw your things in the dryer, change my clothes, and make you something to eat.”

I still felt as if I couldn’t speak, but I sat down and waited for him to come back.

Chapter Five

BLAKE

I rush to my room and look at my phone again… still no signal. I throw the phone on my bed and start to pace back and forth. My mind races with thoughts about Arianna. Fuck! What am I going to do with her? I shouldn’t have changed her clothes like that. What was I thinking? I catch myself thinking about her curves and the softness of her skin, and that scent that’s a mixture of her and the ocean. Those thoughts stir emotions that shouldn’t have been here to begin with. This is the last thing I need, especially after having the horrible week I had with Brooke.

I brush my fingers through my hair and try to think about something else, but I quickly go back to thinking about how stupid I was to change her clothes. I’m going to get fucking sued. Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse. I hope to God she’s over 18. She looks over 18. Yeah… she has to be older. I take a deep breath convincing myself that I have done the right thing. If she was in shock or whatever, she could have gotten sick and at least for now we are stuck on this island.

Realizing that I have been gone for quite a few minutes, I rush to change my clothes. The last thing I need is for her to rush back into the sea. What was she trying to do? I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I know that she shouldn’t be left alone.

I grab my phone and rush out of the room, heading for the kitchen to get her something to eat.

***

ARIANNA

He didn’t take long. When he came back, he was wearing cargo shorts and a black t-shirt and he carried a tray with food, human food.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m not much of a cook.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

He put the tray down and sat next to me, watching my every move. I nervously leaned forward and grabbed a slice of cheese.

“I thought you said you had no one to go back to,” he said.

I gave him a confused look.

He pointed at my ring. “Or is that who you are running from?”

I didn’t know what to say. I reached for the ring and took it off, putting it on the table. “It doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

“Okay. Sorry. Even if it did, that‘s not my business.”

He turned toward the fireplace, and deciding that the food didn’t taste that bad, I ate another bite. When he turned around, something about the way he looked at me took my breath away.

“Look, I don’t know how to say this without sounding rude, but everything considered, I don’t think you should be left alone tonight. You can take that couch. I’ll take this one. Is that okay with you?”

I nodded.

“How old are you anyway?”

I gave him a puzzled look. I didn’t ask why he wanted to know. I told him that I was eighteen.

He seemed to relax a little. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

While he was gone, I stood up and walked over to the glass windows, looking outside. The sea wasn’t any calmer than before. In fact, it was worse than I had ever seen. I was in tears again. At this point, even if I was able to return home, they would all hate me.

I didn’t hear Blake behind me, but I could feel his warmth. He put his hand on my shoulder and I turned around. Without even thinking, I threw myself against his body, wrapping my arms around him.

He hesitated for a second, and then I felt his arms go around me.

“This storm should be gone by tomorrow. I’ll take you to the city and you’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.”

Only, I became hysterical. “I can’t go anywhere. I’m can’t even get near the sea. I can’t. I just can’t!”

He took a few steps back, probably thinking that I was crazy.

“Okay. Okay. If the sea is a problem, I’ll get a helicopter to come get you.”

I sat on the floor with my back against the glass windows.

“You don’t understand. I can’t leave here. I have nothing and no one. I can’t go back home. I just can’t…”

He sat next to me. “You’re gonna have to tell me why if you want me to help you.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Does it have something to do with that ring?”

I nodded, avoiding his gaze. “My father made me marry someone who I don’t love.”

He looked truly shocked.

“What do you mean by made you? You couldn’t object? Maybe say, ‘no, I don’t’… or just refuse to sign the marriage license?”

I shook my head. “My father married us. There were no questions asked. No documents signed.”

He sighed and sat back against the glass. “Well, the good news is that you are not legally married.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“Trust me. I’m unfortunate enough to have to go to law school.”

“What do you mean by unfortunate?”

“My family has a bit of an issue with controlling every aspect of my life.”

“You don’t sound that different from me.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You could tell them no,” I said.

He grinned. “I doubt that, but maybe you’re right. We might not be much different after all.”

He sighed and sat there quietly as if he was in deep thought.

“Do you want to tell me how you got here, on this island?”

I shook my head.

“Look, I want to help you, but you have to tell me—”

We were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing.

He grabbed the phone and looked at it. “About damn time! Sorry. I have a tough time getting signal here. I have to take this.”

I watched him walk away as he answered the phone.

Whoever he was talking to had completely changed his mood. He responded to everything in a cold tone.

“…Yes, I know!... Of course I’ll talk to her. It’s not like I have a choice anyway… Yeah, well, there’s a pretty bad storm right now so I guess they’ll get here when they do…”

It got silent after a while then he was back. He went straight for a table on the corner of the room and grabbed something to drink.

He turned around and when his gaze met mine, something about his look softened.

“You should probably sleep in the guest bedroom.”

I gave him a puzzled look as only a few minutes before he had insisted that I slept on the couch.

“Trust me. I say too much when I start drinking. I’m afraid that—”

“Afraid of what?” I asked.

He finished his drink and started on another one.

He shook his head and I was startled that he actually answered my question, as well as by the answer itself, “I already wanted to kiss you before I started to drink and you are obviously vulnerable, which is not a good combination.”

I couldn’t control my reaction. I’m sure I looked disappointed.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Here, you had a long day too. Let me pour you a drink.”

He walked toward me and handed me a cup. I drank. He drank.

“What if I wanted you to kiss me?” I asked.

He looked at me, his gaze burning into mine, until he looked down at my lips where he seemed to get lost for a few seconds. He walked closer to where I was sitting and leaned over me on the couch with one hand on each side right above my shoulders. I could feel my breathing get heavier.

“There’s something different about you,” he whispered.

His phone rang again. He cussed and answered the phone.

“What?” he said as he got up and started to walk away.

“No, Dad, I’m not going to do anything stupid…. Yeah, I understand, the merger is priority over everything, including my personal life…. Uh-huh… Yeah, I’ll see you then.”

He hung up the phone and threw it on the other couch. He laughed as he shook his head. “You were right. We’re not that different at all.” He chugged his drink and poured another glass and drank that one within seconds.

Then he faced me. “You should get some sleep. You can take the guest room you were in earlier.” He turned around, poured himself another drink, and went toward the other end of the house.

Chapter Six

I went to the room, where I avoided looking out the window. I took a deep breath and looked at where everything was placed. The closet, the large white bed with blue blanket that matched the blue on the wall, and the white dresser that looked as ancient as some of the furniture found in the sea. I turned the lights off and made my way to the bed where I lay down under the blanket. Soon after, I heard a loud noise as if someone had fallen down.

“Damn it!” I heard him yell.

I got up to check on him. Before I even got to the door, there was a knock. I opened the door and he almost fell in. He lost his balance and I put my hands against his chest to keep him from falling.

I moved my hands away once I realized he had re-gained his balance.

“You should lie down,” I said.

He walked toward the bed and lay down. Not knowing what to do, I just stood there. When I turned to walk away, he stopped me.

“You don’t have to go,” he said. “I just need a minute before I can get myself together.”

“Oh, okay.” I stood there awkwardly.

He tried to sit up, but quickly lay back down after moving some pillows under his head so he could see me.

“Why didn’t you find a way out of marrying that guy?” he asked. “There had to be a way, even if it was running away or something.”

“I’m here now, am I not?”

“How long has it been since you got married?” he asked.

I walked toward the bed and sat at the end of it. I looked at the floor to avoid his gaze. “I got married earlier today.”

He tried to sit up again but failed. He spoke in a soft tone, “You know, I hate not being able to look in people’s eyes while I’m talking to them. Would you mind—looking at me?”

I looked up at him and I could see the concern in his eyes.

“Just lay down. Trust me, I’m in no condition to try anything,” he said.

I lay next to him, toward the edge of the bed… as far away as I could. Not because I didn’t trust him as much as the fact that I was beginning not to trust myself. I felt as if something was off. I was starting to feel things that I had never felt before.

He rolled to his side and stared into my eyes, or at least attempted to. His eyes kept drifting shut. “So what made the idea of spending your life with him so unbearable that you had to take off on your wedding night?”

I looked down, avoiding his gaze. “He is really not a bad guy. I guess I just couldn’t bear the idea of giving myself to anyone who isn’t ‘the one’ and he’s not.”

He gave me a shocked look.

“So you have never slept with anyone?”

I shook my head.

“And you don’t think you could have loved him over time?”

I shook my head again and grinned. “I choose to believe in fairy tales. I can see how learning to love someone over time is possible, but I want more. I want that first kiss that makes you feel nervous, and happy, and makes your heart melt.”

He actually grinned at me, fighting to keep his eyes open. “Yet, you were ready to let me kiss you a little while ago.”

My stomach was in knots now. When I got brave enough to look up, his eyes were closed.

Because I know you are the one, I thought to myself.

His eyes didn’t open after that and I stayed, watching him sleep and knowing that no matter how close I wish we were, in reality, we were worlds apart.

Every time I thought about getting up, I couldn’t make myself move. Then it all hit me at once… every single thing that happened in the last few hours. I was so tired I decided to close my eyes for a second, but I fell asleep.

When I woke up in morning, the sunlight was shining in the room and Blake had his arm over my waist. I made an attempt to move away, but he pulled me back, closer to him, our bodies fitting perfectly into one another.

I felt his hand move down to my hip, getting past the hem of the shirt that I was wearing… his shirt. His hand felt so warm against my skin and even though I knew I should, I couldn’t pull myself away. He moved his hand up, stopping on my waistline and his eyes shot open. We were both well aware that I was wearing nothing but his shirt. He slowly moved his hand away, as he stared at me as if looking for answers. “Did anything happen last night?”

“Nothing happened,” I said.

He took a deep breath and lay on his back. I was surprised that he stayed on the bed.

Still looking at him, I asked, “Why were you asking me those questions?

“What questions?” he asked.

“About growing to love someone instead of falling in love with someone.”

“Oh, that? No reason.”

“The way you asked, it was just so personal.”

“Maybe it was. Tell me why you wanted me to kiss you and I might tell you why I asked you those questions.”

And there I was thinking he wouldn’t remember that part.

I looked away, knowing I had nothing to lose, but still scared to say it. “I just wanted you to kiss me. That’s all.”

“Even with the whole spill about fairy tales and the big kiss? Because I have to warn you, nothing about me comes even close to a fairy tale.”

“What makes you say that?”

He grinned and shook his head. “I don’t know why you have this effect on me. I don’t usually talk or even think about this crap.”

I kept looking at him.

“I’m supposed to be proposing to someone this week.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah… It’s more of a business deal than anything else. My father wants to merge his company with her father’s company.”

I believe shock was the look on my face as I got up.

He sat up and looked at me. He looked so lost. “Like I said… Fairy tale guys wouldn’t do such a thing, would they?”

“But you—you haven’t done that yet.”

“But I will. It’s what I do. I cave and do what I need to do to please my family. That’s what the Crawfords are raised to do. Look, enough with that. Looks like the weather is clearing out which means everyone will be back here soon. I’m going to take a shower and make us something to eat. Just make yourself at home. There’s a shower at the end of the hallway and clothes in the closet that should fit you. When they get back, I’ll take you to the city.”

As if he couldn’t stand to even look at me anymore, he turned around, got up and walked away.

Chapter Seven

I started to wonder why nothing that he told me impacted me as it should. Maybe it was the fact that I watched him summer after summer, running to hide or too mad at the world whenever his dad seemed to be on the island with the rest of the family. That, and I knew what it was like having to do things to please others, to do things because you feel like you have no choice.

As I thought things through, I grabbed a white crochet dress out of the closet and went to take a shower. I knew what showers looked like. The wrecked ships had many of them and Lyra also told me about human habits and necessities. Still, I stared at the knobs on the wall not knowing what to do. After turning them around, the water came down, starling me. I stepped in the shower and flinched as the ice-cold water touched my skin, but I soon got used to the temperature. The worst was the way the water pressure felt against my skin. It was just odd in so many ways, not just the pressure of the water, but also the chemical scent. It made me miss being in the sea, embraced in the warmth of the water that surrounded me.

I didn’t know how long it would be before his family came back, so I made it quick. I put on the dress, brushed my hair and went into the kitchen where I found Blake. He had just gotten out of the shower, his hair still dripping wet, and he was wearing jeans and a white shirt. He was looking inside the fridge and grabbing things out. When he heard me, he turned around and froze. He then closed the refrigerator and walked toward me.

“I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t ask this, but knowing everything that you know, do you still want that kiss?”

I felt my heart racing. I slowly nodded once, already feeling nervous and as if the world was going to stop.

He moved even closer.

“Not here,” I said.

As he asked why, he caught me looking at the sea. Yes, I was paranoid about Bram being able to see us. Somehow, Blake understood me. He extended his hand to me and I held his hand. He led me to the hallway going toward the other end of the house. Suddenly, he hesitated going any further. He stopped right where he was and faced me. His hand moved to the small of my back, he got even closer and pressed me against the wall.

I lifted my head, looking at him, and he titled his head down. I closed my eyes and relaxed against the wall, against his body, and his lips were on mine and I felt it…

I felt nervous, happy, as if my heart was melting, and I felt scared of this being the only time I got to experience that, and then our kiss deepened and I started to feel like I needed more. I had to have more. My hands were behind his neck, I tangled my fingers through his hair and as I felt his body press against mine even more, I tugged at his hair and a moan escaped his mouth. He stopped kissing me just when I felt I needed air. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. That was the kiss I dreamed of and so much more. That should have been my first kiss and every kiss after that.

He started to kiss my neck.

“You need to stop me because I know I won’t be able to stop myself,” he said in a rushed tone.

I didn’t say anything and he kept slowly kissing my neck. His hands moved from my back to the hem of the already short dress that I was wearing and I felt him move the dress up.

“All you have to say is no,” he whispered and I knew he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t really want me to stop him, not kissing me the way he was.

I turned my head slightly where my lips brushed against his ear, and whispered, “I want you.” I don’t even know where that came from. It wasn’t like me, but I couldn’t stop myself from saying it.

My hands went under his shirt, grabbing the hem, lifting it over his head and throwing it on the floor. He grabbed the shirt and opened the door to the first room we walked by, locking the door behind us. Inside the room, we went back to kissing. My lips felt sore, but it didn’t matter. I had to have more. He didn’t even stop kissing me to take my dress off. We just made our way to the bed, where still kissing me, he slowly moved my dress up. I fought between closing my eyes and leaving them open so I could watch him; everything about him: his chest, his brown eyes, his dark hair... He put his hands on mine, fingers intertwined and brought my hands up and over my head and then, I couldn’t help but to close my eyes and bite my bottom lip as I felt him inside me.

“Are you okay?” he whispered in my ear.

I nodded, assuring him that I was but I knew even then, he seemed to be taking it easy. Every time he started to move faster, he hesitated and slowed down again. That was, until he went deeper and I had to fight to keep my voice down, then he moved away and lay down next to me, trying to catch his breath.

“Fuck!” he said.

I gave him a puzzled look wondering if I had done something wrong.

He sighed. “I don’t mean to sound rude or to completely destroy the mood, but please tell me you are on some kind of birth control.”

I stared at him, not knowing what he meant.

“You know…. protection.”

“Oh. Right! Yes, you don’t have to worry about that.” I left out the part where I couldn’t have kids. I might have legs but I was sure that I was still not ‘wired’ as a human.

He took a deep breath and leaned over on top of me kissing me again. This time, he stopped and slowly pulled the dress off me, taking me in. As much as I wanted him again, I wasn’t sure if my body could physically handle more. When my dress was completely off, he laid back down, pulling me closer so my head was lying against his chest.

“You are beautiful, Arianna.”

“Thank you,” I said awkwardly.

“I mean it. I don’t know what it is about you, but this isn’t something I would have ever done. I just couldn’t… I couldn’t resist you.”

There was an awkward silence after that.

“So,” he said, “How was my kiss compared to your fairy tale image? Did you feel nervous, happy, or any of that?”

I grinned without looking up at him. “I felt all of that and more.”

He didn’t say anything, but with my head lying against his chest, I could hear his heartbeat speed up.

He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. “You understand that this can’t go any further, right? After today, I’ll have to do what I need to do for my family and I don’t… I don’t accept the idea of cheating. Love or no love, if I’m tied to someone, I’m not putting them through that.”

I didn’t want to understand, but I did, and all I could do was to enjoy him for as long as I had him.

I nodded and looked up at him. Even though he just met me, I could tell he felt bad for things being the way they were.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I’m going to make us something to eat. Just stay here. I’ll be back soon.” He kissed me before he got up, then he put on his boxers and went out of the room.

This was the first time that I actually noticed my surroundings. The room was huge and beautiful. It had windows going all the way across on one of the sides, and I couldn’t even bear the thought of looking outside… of looking at the sea. Yet, I stared at the windows, terrified at the thought of what was happening in my world.

“Arianna?” he called.

Startled, I jumped and looked to the other side. I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice that he was back in the room. He carried a tray with fruits and juice and set it on the bed.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded.

“I wish you’d tell me more about yourself and your… hmm…. situation. I’d like to help.”

“Thank you, but trust me, there’s nothing you could do to help.”

He sighed. “You should eat something.”

He watched me as I ate, looking as if he was hesitating to tell me something. Then finally, he did.

“I had a message on my phone. Everyone is coming back later today and they are bringing Brooke with them.”

“Brooke?” I asked.

“My soon to be girlfriend again, or fiancé, or whatever you want to call it.”

“Oh,” I looked away.

“I’m really sorry. I feel like I should have controlled myself better around you. I just—”

“Please don’t apologize,” I said. “I wanted this.”

He nodded but he gave me a puzzled look as if he didn’t understand why I would want him.

Still covering myself with the bed sheets, I moved closer to him.

“What are you doing?” he said, grinning.

I shrugged. “You already feel guilty anyway. We might as well take advantage of it.”

I didn’t need to say anything else. Within seconds, the tray was set-aside on the floor and he was under the covers with me, his hands wandering around, exploring every single part of my body as we kissed.

Stopping was harder than I thought, but we knew that his family would soon be here. As I got in the shower and got dressed, happiness was slowly leaving me as reality began to set in. I knew that I’d be taken to the city with no idea on what to do or where to go. I also knew that I’d likely never see him again and that he would definitely never be mine again.

Chapter Eight

When I got out of the room he was already dressed and he stood by one of the windows, staring at the sea. “I can see the boat,” he said in a sad tone.

I nodded getting more and more scared. I sat down on the couch and he sat next to me.

“I know that I keep saying this, but there’s just something so different about you—” He shook his head as if he couldn’t comprehend what he was feeling.

I looked away.

If he only knew how different I was…

I didn’t know how long it passed as we sat there in silence, but next thing I knew, there were two women walking in the house, with a little girl running in front of them. That was the little girl I had saved from the water and she took Blake and me by surprise as she ran toward me, jumping on my lap and giving me a hug.

Blake stared at Molly and me in admiration. The older of the two women gave me a genuine smile. She then looked from Molly to Blake with such love. Something about her made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I didn’t even have to look past the fancy clothes to realize that to her, family was the center of the universe. The younger woman, who I assumed to be Brooke, was the opposite. For one thing, she looked furious. Her perfectly done hair, nails, clothes, and the way she carried herself, made her look intimidating, but none of that was as bad as the way she looked at me.

I was honestly afraid of what the little girl would say, but she just stared at me for a while, then she ran her little hands through my hair, “You are pretty,” was all she said.

It made me smile, and the same happened with Blake. That was the first time I’d seen him smile like that and that smile made me melt.

“Molly really likes you,” said the older woman. “Are you one of Blake’s friends?”

I didn’t know what to say but luckily Blake took over.

“Yes, Mom. This is Arianna. Arianna, this is Brooke,” he said motioning toward her. She looked even more furious! Blake noticed it too. His whole body language changed as he got up and moved toward her. He gave me an apologetic look before looking back at her.

“Thanks for coming. I really want to talk to you,” he said.

“Do you?” she asked in a stuck up tone.

He nodded and gave his mom a look that begged for her help.

His mom looked at me, “Come on, Arianna, Molly… let’s go outside for a bit.”

I froze.

Molly turned to her mom, “I want to play in my room!”

I could hug that kid all day just for that.

“To your room it is,” said her mom.

Molly and I got up and she held on to my hand. As she dragged me to her room, I looked back at Blake and he looked miserable.

Her room was across from Blake’s. Once we closed the door, his mom faced me and said, “Arianna, would you mind watching Molly for a few minutes while I get settled and get her snack ready?”

“I’d love to.”

She gave me a genuine smile.

“Thank you.” She smiled down at Molly. “She really likes you. She usually isn’t this friendly with people at first.”

I smiled as Molly ran over to her kitchen set and started to grab things for a princess tea party.

As soon as her mom was gone, Molly looked up at me and smiled. “This will be a princess tea party. I’ll be Ariel but you can be my mermaid friend,” she said. “Did you bring your tail with you today? It was so pretty!”

After being terrified for a second, I decided to play along and hope for the best. “Not today.”

“It’s okay, maybe you can be Cinderella today. I have a tiara that is really pretty!”

By the time her mom got back, I was sitting on the floor and Molly had done my hair and was trying to do my makeup too. Her mom walked in and set Molly’s snack on the table. Her mom didn’t look as happy as before although she did manage to smile at me once she saw me sitting there.

“Is everything okay, Mrs. Crawford?” I asked.

She sighed and nodded.

“Please call me Cindy.”

“Okay.”

“How did you get here, Arianna?” she asked in a nice way. “I just didn’t see any other boats out there.”

“I brought her in after I took you to the city, Mom.”

I froze before looking up to confirm that the voice I heard was the voice of the man from the sea; the man who made this all possible.

He leaned against the doorframe and grinned at me. His grin alone made my skin crawl.

“Oh you know each other as well?” she said.

“Yeah. Look, mom, Blake doesn’t look too good. Brooke took him back but she is giving him hell. She kicked me out of the living room, too, but maybe you could go help him out.”

She sighed. “Watch your sister,” she said.

As soon as she left, Molly looked at him, “This is a girls-only tea party. Can you please leave?”

“Oh, excuse me for interrupting, princess,” he said playfully.

He looked at me. “I know you want to talk and we will. For now, I’m glad you seem to be adjusting well. Probably even better than I thought possible,” he grinned. “My name is Owen by the way. Come look for me when my mom is back.”

I didn’t even say a word, simply because I couldn’t. I was speechless.

I played with Molly for a while longer until she decided that she wanted to watch a movie… the little mermaid, of course. She fell asleep within minutes and I kept watching it until Blake came in the room.

I stood up, fast. He glanced at Molly before looking back at me. “I know I have absolutely no right to ask you this, but I think I know how I may be able to help you.”

“You do?” I asked confused.

“I want you to stay here.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“Please. I don’t want to send you back to whatever you are running from. That is the least I can do.”

There was such a pleading tone to his words that I couldn’t say no, if not for that then for the fact that I had nowhere else to go.

“My mom needs someone to keep an eye on the house when we’re not here and to maybe help her with Molly a little whenever she is here, which isn’t often. Is that okay with you? She’ll pay you.”

“Have you already talked to her? Is she okay with me staying?”

“Of course. She seems to love you.”

I nodded. “She doesn’t need to pay me. Letting me stay here is more than enough.”

“She insists and so do I,” he said smiling.

“How did it go with Brooke?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“As okay as it can be. She is resting now, which gave me the opportunity to talk to my mom about you staying. You can have the guest bedroom. That is now yours and we all have to go back tomorrow, but you have enough food and clothes for the week. I’ll come back next Friday with more things and everyone else usually comes on Saturday during Summer time.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

We fell into an awkward silence. It felt so strange being this close to him and not be able to touch him.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but finally, all he said was that he had to go. Cindy came back shortly after and talked about how glad she was to have someone to watch over the house and help her with Molly. She walked me through the rest of the house showing me all rooms and telling me that I was welcome to anything in the house. She also apologized in advance if Brooke was rude to me in any way, which I didn’t understand at first being that I had yet to talk to her, but I guess that was more of a warning than anything else.

I found that out later that evening when dinnertime came around. Cindy had cooked dinner and sat a plate on the table for me to eat with the rest of the family. Molly wanted me to sit next to her. That was the first time I saw Owen all day, so we had yet to talk and in a way, I was trying to postpone that a little longer. I wasn’t ready to be alone with him.

He sat across the table with Brooke and Cindy, as Molly had requested that Blake sat on the other side of her. Dinner was quiet and awkward at first then it turned more and more awkward from there. Blake did his best to not look at me. Brooke had her gaze locked on him, and Owen grinned as he looked back and forth between the three of us.

Cindy noticed and tried to make things better by asking me questions, but that just made it all worse.

“So, Arianna, how did you meet Blake and Owen?”

I froze.

Owen decided to interrupt then and answer her question, which took both Blake and me by surprise.

“We met her at a party in the city last summer,” he said.

“Oh, okay. Well, I can’t tell you enough how glad we are to have you here.”

“Thank you,” I said awkwardly.

Luckily, Owen decided to turn the focus of the conversation on Blake, talking about some meeting that they had in a few days and school. It turned out they both worked for their dad whenever they were not in class. Blake was going to law school and Owen to business school. I couldn’t help but watch Blake as he talked about both work and school, he looked truly unhappy and that literally made my heart ache for him.

Halfway through dinner, Brooke looked at me and giving me a look that was making me uncomfortable she said, “Arianna, would you make me a drink?”

“I—I… hmm… sure. What would you like?”

Blake had been talking to Molly and he suddenly stopped. His smile turned into a frown as he quickly got up and announced that he would get it.

Brooke stared right at him. “Why not let the help get it?”

Blake started to say something but his mom gave him a warning gaze.

“It’s okay, I can get it,” I said.

Cindy shook her head and looked at Brooke. “Brooke, sweetheart, maybe you misunderstood my son earlier today. Arianna is a friend and is being kind enough to help keep an eye on the house for us. She’s not our maid.”

Brooke rolled her eyes and got up to make herself a drink.

Cindy looked at me and mouthed an, ‘I’m so sorry.’

Blake just got up and walked outside and Owen looked from Blake to me, seeming amused.

After dinner, Cindy purposely asked Brooke to help with the dishes, as Molly and I sat on the living room floor and colored.

Owen looked at me and moved his head motioning toward a game room they had at the back of the house.

“Time to talk,” he said.

As I got up, this was the first time I was brave enough to look outside and all I saw was Blake sitting on the sand and staring at the ocean. Whatever was happening at my home didn’t seem nearly as important as what was going through his head at that moment.

I was so tempted to go check on him, and I’m sure that Brooke noticed, because she stopped helping with the dishes, and grinned at me before going outside.

I had to practically force myself to walk away and to go talk to Owen.

BLAKE

I had to get out of there. That was all I could do to keep myself from doing something stupid.

As soon as I step outside, I feel like I can think clearly again. My thoughts get tangled again as soon as I catch the scent of seawater. It reminds me of Arianna in a way that makes me crazy. I sit on the sand and stare at the sea wondering once again how she even got here.

I don’t understand what’s going on. Meeting someone like her was never supposed to happen, and honestly, it’s not like I deserve her anyway. I’m sure she thinks very little of me, especially once she met Brooke, after all, what kind of person lives his life based on what others want? And now, I destroyed the whole idea she had of having a ‘fairy tale’ first time, just like my father destroyed every chance of my having the future that I want, and honestly, I didn’t even know what I wanted until I met her.

I have no fucking clue what I am going to do. Maybe I just need to leave the island and not come back. At least as long as she’s here, I know she’ll be safe. But I don’t know if I can stay away. People like Brooke, people who like to talk down to others like she did with Arianna, come and go from here all the time, and then there is Owen. Something about the way he looks at her is wrong.

I hear Brooke coming behind me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I could tolerate her before this. A life with her actually seemed possible, but now, even her touch makes my skin crawl, especially when I wonder what is going through Arianna’s mind whenever she sees me with Brooke.

Chapter Nine

ARIANNA

I’m not going to lie. Being alone with Owen terrified me. I didn’t know what he was, but I knew it wasn’t good.

He was playing pool when I walked in the room. He stopped as soon as he saw me, grinning as he looked at me. “I see you have adapted very well.”

“What if I want to go back?” I asked.

He rolled his eyes. “We both know that you don’t. Besides, I’m pretty sure that storm last night had something to do with you being gone. Why would you want to go back to a place where there is nothing left but hate toward you? Be honest. Do you think they will accept your return?”

“I—I don’t know.” I paused. “What do you want from me?”

He grinned once again.

“For now, I want you to keep living as you are. When the time is right, I’ll let you know what’s expected of you.”

Not knowing scared me even more. I didn’t trust him. In fact, when he took a step closer to me, I flinched.

He grinned. “Relax, sweetheart. I was just going to put the pool stick away.” He moved past me and put it away. When I turned around, he was watching me.

“The clothes look great on you, but I assume you don’t want to keep wearing my ex-girlfriend’s clothes, even though I doubt she’ll ever come back for them.”

“I don’t mind,” I said.

He shrugged.

A shiver passed through my body as I noticed the way he stared at me. I assumed that he was up to more things than I could even imagine, and later I would find out how right I was about that.

“I should probably go out there and help your mom.”

He nodded, smiling as he watched me walk away.

I walked out of the room to find Cindy carrying Molly to her room. “Oh, good. There you are. Molly wanted to say goodnight.”

I smiled at Molly. She gave me a hug and kiss and told me goodnight.

Just as soon as they disappeared into the hallway, Blake and Brooke came in. My gaze went to her hand holding his and I couldn’t look into his eyes. Awkwardly looking away from their hands, I excused myself and went to what was now my room.

I stood there looking out the window for a while. I watched the sea, the waves hitting those rocks where I used to spend so much time. There were no signs of the world underneath. My heart ached and I had no one else to blame but myself. I had caused my father pain, as well as Bram and myself. Maybe I wouldn’t be hurting so much right now if I hadn’t given myself to Blake like I had, but I was only thinking about the present and now, all I could ever have were the memories.

I finally decided to go and lie down, but I couldn’t sleep for quite a while. I kept tossing and turning, and I had this hope that Blake would show up in my room in the middle of the night.

When I woke, the sunlight lit up the room and I was alone.

***

I found everyone eating breakfast. Brooke seemed to be in a good mood. Molly came running toward me and dragged me to the table to sit down and eat breakfast with her. I glanced at Blake, and he avoided looking at me. Owen watched him, amused as always.

Cindy said they would be leaving within the hour to go back home. She was just excusing herself to get things ready when Owen stopped her.

“Actually, Mom, I think I’ll be staying a few extra days,” he said, looking at me.

I cringed. This was the first time that Blake really looked at me since the night before and he must have noticed that I didn’t look pleased. Brooke tensed as Blake spoke.

“What about work, Owen?” he asked.

Owen shrugged. “I can work from here. I’m sure Dad won’t mind. Besides, you’ll be there if he needs anything to be dealt with.”

Cindy gave Owen a puzzled look as if she knew he was up to something.

“Are you okay with Owen staying?” she asked me, which took me by surprise.

“Of course. It’s your house.”

Cindy gave Owen a puzzled look. I could tell that me saying that didn’t seem to be enough for her.

“Look, Mom,” said Owen. “I thought I would be helpful. Arianna mentioned yesterday that she needs to go and get some clothes from the city and a couple of other things.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. She then moved on to do other things.

Blake gave Owen a strange look, but Owen just grinned.

The worst part was that through that entire hour, Brooke didn’t leave Blake’s side and Blake avoided looking in my direction. Either that or he couldn’t because Brooke was all over him.

The hour went by fast, though. Owen said he’d take them to the city so he could bring the boat back. They were all in the boat when I saw Blake get out and run back toward the house. I felt my heartbeat speed up as he approached the house, but I then saw Brooke run after him.

He gave me a look that carried so much emotion to it… Anger, love, jealousy… All he said was, “I told her I forgot something here. I just—UGH! I don’t like my brother alone here with you. Just promise me you won’t trust him.”

Brooke caught up before I could say anything in reply.

“I told you I just forgot my wallet,” he snapped.

“Oh, I know,” she said. “I think I forgot my scarf in our room.”

“You came back for a scarf?” he asked.

“It’s my favorite, honey. It was the one you gave me.” She paused. “Come on, cheer up and I’ll let you tie me up with it later,” she winked.

I felt sick to my stomach. Blake just looked pissed. “Let me know if you need anything before you leave,” I said before I turned around and went to my room.

That was the last I saw of them. I felt as if I couldn’t breathe when I got in my room and I wondered if maybe not seeing him ever again would be better than having to see him with her. I felt as if my heart would burst out of my chest.

I didn’t know when Owen would be back. I was stuck in the house with absolutely nothing to do and I still couldn’t make myself go outside. I felt as if I would suffocate just by staring at the sea for too long, let alone get near it.

Chapter Ten

I’m not the type to snoop around. I’m really not, but I found myself drawn to Blake’s room. I changed my mind as soon as I opened the door and was hit by the scent of Brooke’s perfume. I quickly closed the door not wanting to even look at the bed where he slept with her just hours after being with me.

I headed to the game room where I remembered seeing a bookshelf. I looked through the books, looking for something to read. I got so distracted that I jumped when I heard Owen’s voice behind me. Way too close to me.

“You like to read?” he asked with a puzzled look.

“I didn’t exactly live in a place where I had the opportunity to read.”

“But you know how to?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes at him. “There are certain abilities that we are born with. Language is one of them. I don’t suppose that reading would be that difficult.”

He put both hands up as if he was dropping the subject.

“Those books are Blake’s. You are welcome to borrow them at any time.”

Just the sound of his name made me feel things I had never felt before; feelings that I had to shut out.

“Are all of them your brother’s?”

He nodded. “Yes. He has always liked to read and he used to write a lot but he gave that up.”

“How come?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Life. Or at least, life as far as us Crafwords are concerned. We were born lawyers. No deviation to the plan.”

“But you go to business school,” I said.

“I do… for now.”

“And you don’t mind having your future planned for you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Unlike my brother, no, I don’t mind.” He paused and changed topic. “Anyway, I picked you up some clothes while I was in the city. They are out in the living room.”

“Hmm. Okay. Thank you.” I hesitated before asking my next question. “How long has he been with Brooke?”

“They have been together on and off for years. He’s going to propose to her by the end of this week. That’s his deadline.”

“Deadline?” I asked.

He kept watching me. He was always staring… watching to see how I reacted to certain things. This time, there was a sparkle in his brown eyes that told me he was up to something.

“My brother slept with you, didn’t he?” he asked.

I was surprised by him being so up front in asking me that. Those were things that were not talked about in my world.

I stood there silently and he went on without me needing to say anything.

He grinned. “I’ve chosen you well. That isn’t like him at all. That, you should be happy about.”

He took a step toward me and I flinched.

“What do you want from me?” I asked. “I remember you saying something about being a soul collector. Is that what you want from me? Because I won’t help you do that to him!”

He laughed. “I did say that, didn’t I? Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll do no harm to my brother’s soul. In fact, my plans have changed quite a bit since we talked about that. All I want is for you to make my brother happy.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“But you said yourself that he is about to be engaged.”

“Yeah, yeah… he’ll soon be engaged and you are married, so what?”

My eyes widened at his words and tone.

“Relax, sweetheart. He doesn’t want to be married to her. You’ll be doing us all a favor.”

“I can’t do that. What about your family? I can’t do that knowing that he’ll be turned away by everyone he loves.”

I could see that he was surprised by how much I knew and wondered if I should have shared with him the things that his brother had shared with me.

“He seems to have told you a lot,” he said.

I looked away and nodded.

“So, just make him happy on the side. Be supportive of anything he wants to do. It’ll probably be best if he is with Brooke for a while longer anyway. That will give me time to speed up the merger and work on my father’s feelings toward the marriage. Maybe Blake will get a pass to do as he pleases once the merger is complete.”

“Why—Is that why you’re doing all of this? …For your brother’s happiness?” I asked.

“Why else?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

I knew he was lying. There was a lot more to it. So I tried to push him for more information.

“I don’t know if I can. I don’t want get attached to him and then he ends up being married to her, and—“

“Again with the marriage issues, sweetheart? Don’t you think you are being a bit of a hypocrite?”

“That’s different,” I said.

“How so?” he asked.

“I was forced into married Bram.”

“And Blake is being forced into marrying Brooke. What’s your point?”

I looked down. “It’s different because I have to see him with her.”

I could practically hear him roll his eyes.

He looked at me intensely as he took a few steps forward and I took a few steps back until I hit the wall.

“You don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. They won’t get married.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I know that because you are going to stay here and keep him involved. Anything he wants, which I have a feeling you will also want, you’ll do… and when I tell you to, you are going to make sure the wedding falls apart.” My eyes widened in shock. I was now pinned against the wall and he brought a hand up and brushed it against my cheek, down to my neckline and stopping right at the top of the dress I was wearing, right above my chest. My chest began to rise and fall faster with the way that I was breathing. He grinned, moving his gaze from my chest to my mouth. “I say that is a pretty good deal for everyone. My brother sure shouldn’t have a thing to complain about.”

He smiled, moving his hand away and taking a step back. “Breathe, sweetheart.”

“Wh—What about him being accepted by your family?”

“I’ll deal with that.”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked again, hoping he would slip and tell me the truth.

Only, he seemed to become irritated. “Blake has always been given everything that I ever wanted. He is my father’s right hand on everything in relation to work and that should be me. That’s all I want. See, no harm done. I’ll be happy and he will be happy.”

I took a deep breath. “I can’t. I don’t want to manipulate him like that.”

“You can and you will,” his tone changed drastically, making me feel cold.

He put his hands in his pocket and moved to the side, leaning against the wall.

“This is probably around the time when I should make you aware that you have no choice. We made a deal and if you break it, or even attempt to break it, there will be consequences to pay. I’ll be as direct as I can so that we are clear. I fucking own you and you’ll do as I say until the wedding is off. Once this is over, you can do whatever with your life. You can go back to your little world and take their consequences or you can stay here.” He paused. “Oh, and before I forget, if you keep pissing me off there is one more thing that you’ll do before you are free from me.”

I was too afraid to even know what that was.

“After you break off his engagement—I’ll make you to break his heart.”

I couldn’t breathe.

All I could think to say was, “Is this why you stayed? To torment me?”

He laughed. “No. I actually stayed to find out how long it will be before my brother comes running to check on you. Let’s just say it will give me an idea of how involved he is already. I say two days at the most considering that he does have a meeting tomorrow and that he needs to get rid of Brooke as well.”

I turned around to leave.

“Don’t forget to grab your new clothes.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” I snapped as I rushed out of there and into my room.

Chapter Eleven

I didn’t leave my room all day. I also didn’t eat. I stayed in there crying. Even if I could stop Blake from getting married, I had a feeling that I’d have to break his heart no matter what I did. I wondered how bad those consequences that Owen talked about were. I had a feeling they were awful and I didn’t want to test it. I also couldn’t face the disappointment that I caused my dad and Bram.

I only knew it was night because the room darkened. My eyes felt swollen from crying so much. I stayed in the darkness with my eyes closed.

There was a knock on the door but I pretended to be asleep. Owen was the only one in the house and I didn’t want to see him. Let alone talk to him.

The door began to open and I cussed to myself for not locking it. I still pretended to be asleep.

“Arianna?” he whispered.

It wasn’t Owen. I opened my eyes to find Blake standing there by the door. I sat up abruptly as he turned the light on. I didn’t want him to see me like this. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the light, he closed the door behind him and rushed toward me.

“You’ve been crying. What happened? Did my brother do anything?”

If he only knew…

My hesitation led him to believe that his brother had done something. He got up and started to walk toward the door.

“No, he didn’t do anything.” I decided to go with one of my plans, to distance myself to protect him. If he wasn’t attracted to me, I had no way to break his engagement or his heart and then things would be out of my control and Owen would have no reason to punish me.

I looked away from him. “Your brother didn’t do anything—You did.”

I felt as if my heart broke into a million pieces as I said that. I glanced at him and he looked as broken as I felt.

He ran his fingers through his hair and met my gaze. “I told you I was the farthest thing from a fairy tale you could ever get.” He paused. “I came back to apologize and to make sure you are okay,” he said.

I wiped the fresh tears away. “I’m sorry. I had no right to snap like that. You warned me about everything. I should have known better.”

He nodded. There was pain in his eyes, but he took a deep breath and said, “If you need anything, I’ll be in my room. I have to leave again in the morning.”

I nodded and lay back down, facing away from the door.

I wanted to scream. I worried that Owen would find out what I was trying to pull. But mostly, I wanted to go to Blake. I didn’t want to have to push him away.

I tossed and turned for I don’t know how long before I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling, but I couldn’t fight it either. I got up with the intention of going to his room. I found him in the living room staring outside with a drink in his hand. He turned the other way as soon as he saw me. Finished his drink, and I knew he had had more than one.

“Where is Owen?” I asked.

“He went to a party in the city.”

He stumbled over the table and I rushed to his side to steady him. He put his arm over my shoulder for support, and I started to guide him to his room. He shook his head. “I don’t want you to have to go in that room,” he said in an apologetic tone.

I stood there not knowing what to do.

“I need to talk to you. I also need to get some air,” he said.

“You want to go outside?” I asked nervously.

“Just out front. Close to the door.”

I helped him out and we sat on the sand. Tears sprung to my eyes and I felt like a nervous wreck as I watched the water for any signs of anything or anyone I knew.

I wiped the tears away. Blake was staring at me, but it was so different than the way that Owen watched me. There was pain, loss, and desire.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” I said.

He laughed. “I might be saying more than I’d usually say because I had a few drinks, but this is nothing compared to what I usually drink to forget my reality.” He paused. “For the first time this weekend, I had something happen to me that I didn’t want to forget. Arianna, there is nothing that I can offer you and I’m sorry for that. I wish things were different and that we could—give this a try—but I’m stuck.”

Push him away… push him away I kept reminding myself. “You’re not stuck. You have choices just like everyone else. In a way, I chose to leave a relationship that I didn’t believe in. I chose to be with you this weekend.”

“Things are not that easy,” he said.

“They never are,” I said.

“I lied to you earlier tonight. I came back for more than that. You are right. We have choices and I chose to come back because I wanted and needed to see you. But I also have responsibilities that go above and beyond my choices. So yes, we have choices but I can’t have mine because the only way for that to happen would be to see you behind Brooke’s back and I’m not doing that.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I said.

He shook his head. “I grew up knowing that my dad cheated on my mom for years and years. I can’t do that to anyone.”

I felt horrible.

Then he started trusting me with things that I knew I wasn’t supposed to know. “Molly isn’t even my mother’s daughter,” he blurted out, letting things out. “My mom couldn’t have any more kids after Owen. Then my father had an affair… one of many… and one of those women got pregnant. My mother found out and my father’s way to make up to her was to buy Molly’s mother out of the picture.” He paused. “My mom told him he was crazy. She had every intention of giving Molly back, until she saw her. She fell in love with Molly and couldn’t even fathom the idea of giving her to a mother who had given her up. She has loved Molly like she is her own since the moment she laid eyes on her… we all have.”

“What is there not to love about Molly?” I asked.

He smiled at me. “You are so easy to talk to,” he said.

“Well, you are drunk. I bet you’d say that to anyone.”

We both laughed until a movement near the rocks in the sea distracted me. I stared blankly in that direction. I didn’t see anything, but I kept searching.

I could feel his gaze on me as I stared at the sea.

“I wish I knew what you are so afraid of,” he finally said.

Tears sprung to my eyes and I avoided looking at him.

“He won’t find you here, you know? This is a private island. As long as you stay here, you’ll be safe.”

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

We sat silently for a while.

“I should probably get some sleep. I have to leave early to get to a meeting,” he finally said.

I nodded. He stood up and reached his hand out to help me get up. His touch was so warm. Just his hand touching mine was enough to leave me wanting so much more than that.

I got up and we both went in the house.

“Well, I should probably go to my room,” I said. He nodded with hesitation and watched me as I left. I turned around to look at him before I closed the bedroom door and my eyes met his, still watching me with so much want.

As tough as this was, I managed to walk away from the door without even closing it.

***

There were only a few hours left before dawn and I couldn’t sleep.

Everything was quiet in the house, so I figured Blake finally went to bed. After a while, I heard a commotion and I assumed that Owen was back, but his wasn’t the only voice I heard. It all got quiet soon after it… until someone came stumbling into my room. I sat up quickly because the noise almost gave me a heart attack. The guy turned the light on and I yelled at the top of my lungs as the guy looked at me in shock before he stepped into the hallway and walked away yelling, “Hey, Owen! You didn’t tell me there is a hot chick in my room!”

Within a matter of seconds, Blake was in my room, wearing nothing but his pajama pants. “Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded, still shaken up.

“I’m going to get you a glass of water. I’ll be back.”

He rushed out of the room and minutes later I could hear him, “What the fuck, Owen?”

“Sorry, I had too much to drink. I forgot she was here!”

“I have to leave in two hours. Your friend can take my room. How long are you staying here anyway?” he asked.

“Relax, bro. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Why do you have to leave so early anyway?” asked Owen.

“I have a meeting. You know that.”

“No need to snap. Look, how about I take over the meeting for you and you can stay here and relax. You sure look like you need it.”

“I don’t know. Brooke will probably stop by the office.”

“I got your back, man. If she stops by, I’ll tell her you are in a meeting somewhere else.”

There was a pause. Finally, Blake said, “We’ll wait and see how sober you are in two hours.”

“Just make sure I’m up in two hours. I’ll be fine.”

Chapter Twelve

Seconds later, Blake was knocking on my door.

“Come in”, I said with my voice still shaken.

He came in and gave me a glass of water. He then sat on the bed, putting his head in between his hands.

I took a sip of water as I watched him. He looked exhausted. “Are you okay?” I asked.

He looked up and gave me a nervous laugh. “I think I should be the one asking you that.” He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“You are lying,” I said in a nervous tone.

He grinned. “I just didn’t expect any of this,” he said.

“Well, neither did I.”

He got up and started to pace around. “No, I’m not talking about tonight. I mean… I didn’t expect to meet someone like you. To feel so protective over someone who I just met, and much less to be feeling like a stupid teenager who can’t help the way he feels.”

“Oh. I—I can leave if I’m making things difficult for you.”

He gave me a look that was pure concern. “No!” he said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t even be babbling like this. I probably just had too much too drink and I’m coming on too strong. You have to stay. I’m sorry I brought all this up.”

He sounded even more confused than I felt.

“Promise me you won’t leave,” he said. “I’ll feel better if I know that you’re safe.”

I nodded. “I promise.”

He walked over to the window and stood there, looking outside. “I can stay here until you fall asleep if you want,” he said.

“Okay,” I said.

I didn’t want to hold him up, knowing he had to be up soon, so I pretended to be asleep within minutes.

I could feel his gaze on me. Then I felt him move around me, covering me with a blanket and brushing his lips against my forehead.

I lost all control over my actions as soon as his lips touched my skin. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but I couldn’t stop it. All I could do was keep things from going further. As he was turning around to walk away, I opened my eyes and grabbed his wrist.

He looked at me with a concerned expression. “What is it?” he asked.

“I—I just wanted you to know that even though we can’t be together, you’ll always be my fairy tale.”

“Arianna, I can’t be that guy.”

“But you already are… were… that day we—”

He leaned down and put his finger over my lips before sitting next to me. “Arianna, you can’t know that. You’re just getting out of a relationship that you didn’t want. You’re vulnerable and—” he shook his head. “I’m probably the most messed up person you’ll ever meet. All my life I’ve never made a choice that was my own. All of my choices were family decisions. I even feel bad for Brooke, although I have a feeling she knows that business is the reason behind us dating. I feel like I’m depriving her from happiness… from meeting someone who will actually love her, but I feel like I at least owe her the respect of not cheating on her. And I—I can’t explain why I feel the way I do, but you are a sweet girl. I can see how special you are and knowing about your past relationship on top of everything else… I can’t be the one responsible for you getting hurt. Please do yourself a favor,” he hesitated, “you have to forget about me and move on.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t know what was going through his head. I barely knew what was going through mine.

He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I really do wish things could be different,” he said.

I closed my eyes and involuntarily wrapped my arms around his bare back, feeling his muscles tighten at my touch, and I had to fight to not tell him that he was the one. I wanted so badly to tell him that he was so much more than what he believed, but I kept quiet.

He didn’t move. His arms never hugged me back, and once I let go of him, he turned around and walked away.

***

I woke up late in the morning and considering that I barely ate anything the day before, I was starving.

I hoped that Blake stayed and Owen had gone to his meeting, but as I walked into the living room, I found Owen and his friend.

His friend looked up at me, “Hey. Sorry about last night.”

I nodded and moved past them and into the kitchen.

Owen watched me curiously and it wasn’t until his friend went outside that Owen approached me.

“It took a lot less time than I expected for him to come for you,” he said.

I looked at him, almost afraid to speak. “I can’t do this, Owen.”

“You can and you will.”

I just started at him.

“Look, soon you won’t even be able to control it, so just give in,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You are bound in ways that you can’t possibly imagine.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“Let’s just say that your emotions are heightened to the point where you won’t be able to control it. I’ve seen you watch him before. I see the way you look at him, the desire...”

“I can’t hurt him like that.”

“Come on, you are doing him a favor. Do you think he’ll be happy with Brooke for the rest of his life?”

I shook my head. “But he also won’t be happy without your family.”

“I told you I’d take care of that.”

“Even then… I can’t break his heart.”

He grinned. Owen looked as if he was thinking about something. “If things go exactly as I plan, you don’t have to break his heart.”

There was complete evil behind his words. Anyone could recognize that from miles away.

He shook his head. “Look, let’s start fresh. Just follow your heart instead of your head and I’m sure that things will play out like I hope they do.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“If you are following your heart, you won’t be lying or manipulating him, am I right?”

“I guess.”

“There you go.”

“But what about the whole thing with the heightened emotions?” I asked.

He looked as if he was thinking once again.

“The emotions are already there no matter what, sweetheart. Hence the ‘heightened’. The only help I can offer you in relation to that is to tell you that sea water will help control it.”

“But—will I have a tail if I go in the sea?” I asked.

He laughed. “Is that why you won’t even go outside?”

“Not just that.”

He smiled. “No, you won’t. For now, anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you shouldn’t try to play games with me. Don’t try to push him away or leave,” he said as if he knew what Blake and I had talked about. “Just let things happen. I need you to make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic in relation to Brooke until a day or two after the engagement. That’s when we are closing on the merger. Trust me, with the merger out of the way, my father won’t disown him like he has threatened to do before.”

“Why doesn’t he just break up with her after that then?” I asked.

“Things are not that easy. My father wouldn’t allow that to happen voluntarily. And Blake has morals,” he rolled his eyes as he spoke. “Only someone like you can break him from that.”

… and I’d hate myself for making him do that in the process.

“Trust me,” said Owen. “I’m doing things in a certain way because they have to be done. As far as you and my brother are concerned, well… his happiness will outweigh his moral issues.”

“Is he still proposing to her this week?” I asked.

“Well, that is actually the reason why he couldn’t let me take his meeting today. He had to get back to the city anyway. He’s asking her tonight. There is a surprise engagement party on Saturday, and we are closing the deal by Monday.”

“Oh.”

This was the first time I actually saw pity in his eyes.

“I should warn you that the engagement party is going to take place here. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

I nodded. “I just don’t understand why you want them to break-up, besides the fact that he’ll piss off your father.”

He smiled. “Because when Brooke is heart broken, I will be the knight in shinning armor. I’ll please both her and my father.”

“So you love her?” I asked confused.

He laughed. “I love what she has. Although she’s not bad company either.”

I suddenly felt terrible for her. “Why didn’t you offer to marry her instead?”

He sighed. “Blake is older and it was my father’s decision. Besides, she had a thing for him which helped move things along.”

“What makes you think she’ll go for you?”

He grinned his evil grin. “There’s nothing easier to ‘acquire’ than a girl with a broken heart.”

My eyes widened at the way he spoke about her and his plans. I couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as him anymore, but there was one more thing I wanted to ask.

“Would you really make me break your brother’s heart after all that? Why?”

He shrugged. “I have my reasons, but I can let them go if things go my way.”

***

Owen left that afternoon.

Alone, I decided to venture into trying to go outside and I even managed to get close to the water.

I closed my eyes and I could feel the sand and water on my feet and legs. It felt relaxing, energizing even. I could see right away that maybe Owen was telling the truth. I opened my eyes and walked a little further, determined to not let the water get past my knees, and then, I heard my name from far a distance. I couldn’t tell who it was at first. Only that it was a girl from my world. When she approached a little more and said my name once again, I realized that it was Lyra. Terrified, I turned around and went back into the house.

Chapter Thirteen

BLAKE

I was tempted to stay and let Owen take over my meeting, but I talked myself out of it. I should have stayed. For one thing, I can’t get my mind to stay on the meeting at all. By the way my father looks at me, I know he notices that something is off. Hopefully, he assumes I’m nervous about proposing to Brooke tonight. Nervous isn’t even the word.

My mind always drifts to the same place. Meeting Arianna now, or at all, was a sick joke. I can barely understand how Arianna gets me so crazy over her and we practically just met. Maybe it was karma for me agreeing to marry someone who I don’t love just because my family has certain financial goals. I wished I didn’t have to marry Brooke before, but now…I can’t even stand the idea of it.

I tried to talk myself into believing that I’m attracted to her because she seems so vulnerable and by the sense of wanting to protect her, but there is so much more than that. So much that I’ll have to let go.

Noticing my distraction, my dad shakes his head and goes on with the meeting. By this point, I don’t even care. I never did. All I can think about is that I better stop things with Arianna now. I know it will be easier on all of us, but there is something just so innocent about her. I’m almost afraid she’ll break. I know I shouldn’t have slept with her, especially after her admitting to her fairy tale nonsense. I know how attached girls like her can get. I’ve seen my brother do this to many girls in the past. He would do everything for a girl to the point where they started to act vulnerable around him just to get his attention. He would destroy their lives soon after he got to fuck them. But Arianna is not pretending to be vulnerable. She just has that lost and innocent look. And that look is one of the things that drives me crazy. Just the thought of that look is enough to make me want to touch her again. From this point on, I feel like I’m doomed. My mind takes me to my room. I think about her wearing that white dress with nothing underneath it, and all I can do is hope that this meeting will last a little longer, because getting up right now while I’m hard as a rock, just won’t go well.

My dad gets a phone call and interrupts the meeting to talk to whoever is on the phone. As soon as he steps outside, everyone gets up and starts to walk around. I curse whoever put a damn desk with glass top in this room. I try to adjust myself, embarrassed at the fact that this hasn’t happened to me since high school and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get this fucking erection to go away.

My day goes from bad to worse when the only woman in the meeting room walks toward me. I try to adjust myself again, with no luck, because I just made it even more obvious and it’s clear that she notices as soon as her eyes widen and she bites her lips.

It takes all I have for me to just not roll my eyes at her. This woman is a little older than me, but as soon as my gaze moves down to her long legs, and the way her muscles work as she stands on those heels, I think about how fucking hot Arianna would look in them and I decide this is hopeless. I just put my briefcase on my lap, push it down, and pretend like I’m about to open it to look for something as she talks about my dad’s ideas. All I can think is ‘just please shut up and go the fuck away.’ Then all she has to say is, ‘by the way, congratulations. I heard you are proposing tonight’.

That solves my problem. Out of everything, bringing up my soon to be fiancée does it.

I actually manage to listen to the meeting after that.

As soon as we leave the building, my father is on me.

“I don’t care what you have going on, Blake. You sure as hell better have it together tonight.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. I have a lunch meeting, so meet me back here in two hours.”

I nod.

I know very well what his lunch meeting entails. He’s not even discreet enough to hide the woman who I assume his driver picked up while we were at the meeting.

I start to walk toward the parking garage but decide to keep walking to a shopping center instead. Keeping busy seems like the best way to keep my mind off what’s coming tonight. I spot at a cell phone store and decide that I should get Arianna a phone. She needs a way to reach us in case something happens. At this point, I don’t plan on going back to the island, but I’ll ask my mom to take it to her. I end up getting her a pre-paid phone. Brooke would give me hell if she found out about this, so this is easier.

I walk out of the store with every intention to go and grab some lunch even though I don’t feel hungry at all, but I end up going into another store instead. I walk in there and ask the cashier if they have the necklaces out on the window in different colors. She leads me to the back and I find myself grinning like a fool. I remember Molly talking about the day when she played princesses with Arianna and how Arianna was a mermaid with a blue tail. Molly somehow jumbled that with her accident in the sea and created this entire elaborate story…. Kids… Nonetheless, the necklace in the silver chain has a pendant with a mermaid who has a blue tail and that makes me think of Arianna. I have no plans to give this to her myself, but I can’t not buy it. I get the necklace and think that maybe Molly can give it to her as a gift.

I pay for the necklace and put it in my briefcase along with the phone.

The rest of my day is a blur. My dad drags me to every single one of his meetings, and if it’s not bad enough that I have to propose to Brooke, we also have to celebrate with my family after that.

I keep glancing at my watch once it’s almost time to meet Brooke. I don’t want to do this to her… even though she’s obviously fine with everything, I mean… she has to know that I don’t love her like that.

But the person I’m afraid of hurting the most is Arianna. Again, I think about how we just met, but the way she believes in things, the way she looks at me with so much passion and desire… And I barely know anything about her but everything I do know says that she’ll get hurt. I wish I knew more, about this ‘husband’ of hers. Hell, I don’t even know her last name!

Thinking about her makes the day go by so much faster and then, the moment that I dreaded the most is nearing.

I get a text from Brooke saying that she’s ready. I tell her I’m running a bit behind and I stop at a bar near the office to get a few drinks. I hate this person I’m becoming, but I don’t think I can get through this if I don’t have a few drinks to relax.

As instructed, the driver picks me up at the bar and twenty minutes later we stop in front of Brooke’s house.

I feel sick, but I have to do this now or… well, now. I have no choice.

She opens the door and leans in to kiss me.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“It’s a surprise,” I say in a dry tone.

We get in the car and I ask her to close her eyes, mostly to limit any kind of contact that we have.

I lean my head back on the seat and close my eyes as well. Arianna’s face is the first thing on my mind. I don’t know how she has this effect on me.

My dad had said to just show up at the restaurant and that everything would be arranged. How sad is this? I’m about to propose to my future wife and I don’t even know how I’m about to do it. Again, I feel terrible. Brooke might not be the nicest person, but she deserves better. Everyone does. And the worst thing is that I haven’t even put any effort into this. I just couldn’t. It’s as if I’m emotionally blocked, unable to really invest in something that I don’t believe in.

“We’re here,” says the driver.

I open my eyes and shake my head.

“Can I open my eyes?” asks Brooke.

“Not yet.”

I get out of the car and help her out, leading her into the restaurant and then into the private room, where there are rose petals on the table, and at the center, there is an open box with a ring, which wasn’t even chosen by me.

I shake my head once again and tell Brooke to open her eyes.

She gasps as if she actually didn’t know that this was coming. “YES!” she says. “I’ll marry you.”

Without taking her eyes off the ring, she goes straight for it, admiring it in the box.

I can’t help but to roll my eyes. Honestly, I’m glad I don’t have to go as far as actually asking her to marry me, because I’m not so sure the words would come out, and even if they did, it wouldn’t sound meaningful. She turns around and hands me the box. I put the ring on her finger and ask her to wait here so I can see if the others are on their way.

That’s just an excuse though. I have to get out of here.

I walk into the bar of the restaurant and order another drink.

When I go back to the room, Brooke is on her phone, probably posting a picture of the ring on Facebook. She stops to look up at me.

“The ring is beautiful. I love it!”

I nod and attempt a smile.

“There will be an engagement party this weekend,” I say.

“At the island, right?” she asks excitedly. “I’ve told your parents months ago that when you did propose, I wanted to have the party there.”

“Yeah.” As much as I hate it, I know there is no changing her mind about the location.

Then people start to come in; direct family from both sides congratulate us and ask if we have set a date.

“Three months from today!” says Brooke.

That is news to me. I give her a puzzled look.

“That’s all the time I need,” she says.

With her father staring me down, I can’t even shake my head or give any sign of how much I hate all of this.

Overall, everyone seems happy, except for my mom, who is well aware that I’m being forced into this. I try to smile whenever I catch her looking at me. She looks truly sad, but she’s as trapped as I am.

One by one, people start to leave and Brooke starts to drop hints that she’s going to my place.

“Sorry, ‘sis’,” says Owen. “Tonight, I’m taking my brother out to celebrate.”

If looks could kill… But Owen doesn’t back down. He insists by saying that she’ll have me for the rest of my life and that now, it’s his time. She finally gives in.

I wonder why Owen is being this helpful, but whatever his reasons, it’s likely not worth for me to worry about. Owen is always doing the unexpected, sometimes for his own reasons, other times, just for the hell out of it. For all I know, he could be doing this to get on Brooke’s nerves.

Finally, we say our good-byes and Owen informs me that he’ll be driving, so I get in the passenger seat.

In the car, I lean my head back and close my eyes. I don’t even care where we are going, just as long as it’s away from all of this. Next thing I know, I’m waking up and we are close to the boat.

He hands me the keys and I give him a puzzled look.

“Are you okay to drive the boat?” he asks.

I nod.

“Why?” I ask.

“Well, bro, sounds to me that you only have three months of happiness left. You might as well enjoy it.”

“How?”

“I know you had too much to drink, but don’t play dumb. You want Arianna as much as she wants you. It’s all over your faces.”

“I’m engaged now. I’m not going to—”

He cuts me off. “What you do is none of my business. If you want to go to the island, here are the keys. If not, I’ll take you back.”

I hesitate, but I decide to stay in the car.

“You know, the poor girl was devastated when she was asking me about you and Brooke earlier today.”

I don’t even say anything. I grab my briefcase, get out of the car and start to walk toward the boat.

Chapter Fourteen

ARIANNA

I locked myself in the house for hours until I started to drive myself insane. All I could think about was that Blake was with Brooke and possibly proposing to her. That was when I decided to go to the back of the house to explore the island and try to get my mind away from everything.

On the back of the house, there was a big patio, a pool, and nothing else but trees. I spotted a trail behind the pool and that was where I headed. I started at the trail, but at some point, I got off it and got distracted. I walked for hours and hours trying to find my way back. Eventually, I spotted the end of the trail and made my way back.

The first sign that there was something wrong was that the back door was open. I walked in, cautiously looking around. There was glass all over the floor in the living room. The walls smelled of alcohol. Looking outside, I saw the boat.

“Hello?” I said.

No one responded.

I took another look outside and saw something lying on the sand. I walked outside and saw that the something was an empty bottle of scotch. Then I saw movement on the boat. Blake was walking inside the boat, and it was clear that he was completely drunk. I rushed to the boat knowing that I couldn’t let him go anywhere like this. Luckily, he hadn’t even untied the boat yet.

“BLAKE!”

He looked around and his eyes were wide open. He got out of the boat, falling on the sand. He managed to get his balance and as I ran to help him, he ran toward me.

When he reached me, he took me down on the sand with him. He fell on top of me, then cupped my face in between his hands, before brushing my hair away from my face, and said, “I thought you were gone, and I knew there was no boat. I thought you—I thought I lost you,” and his lips were on mine and I felt everything that I should not be feeling. Every part of my body was awakened by that kiss and I didn’t care about Owen, Brooke, Bram, or any consequences to anything. I wanted Blake and that was all there was to it.

His hands wandered around until my head was clear of anything but what I wanted to do with him… to him. I moaned as he kissed me, and the kiss deepened even more. He kissed me until my lips were sore. And then, a wave crashed and I could feel water under me, covering my body, and replacing every single ounce of energy and common sense that I was losing in that kiss. He stopped kissing me and I gasped for air. He helped me up and I was too afraid to look at the rocks, but I couldn’t help it. I looked and Bram was there and I froze. Blake was too drunk to notice it and he just grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to the house.

Neither of us said anything when we walked in. It was as if we were knocked back into reality. He said he was going to his room and I went into mine to change my clothes. Once I changed into shorts and a tank top, I went back out and started cleaning up the glass and everything else. He must have heard me because he rushed out of his room.

“You don’t have to do this. It’s my mess. I’ll clean it up.”

“I don’t mind,” I said.

“You are making me feel even worse.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“I—” he looked away, avoiding my gaze. “I proposed to Brooke tonight.”

I dropped the trash bag I was holding and stood up, looking at him.

“Owen told me you would.”

“He did?” he gave me a puzzled look.

“He also told me that the engagement party is going to be here, this weekend.”

He sighed.

“I’m sorry. I’d try to get it changed but there is no way around it.” He paused once I didn’t say anything. “What else did Owen tell you?”

I shrugged and not wanting to talk or think about it, I said, “That was about it.”

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I know you have a lot on your mind.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wish your weren’t so understanding. I wish you’d tell me off, push me away… tell me to get away from you and not come back.”

I was taken by surprise that he said that. I knew it would make things easier on him if I turned him away. He wouldn’t be cheating on Brooke if I wasn’t around, but at the same time, he wasn’t even with her because he wanted to be. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted my thoughts to make sense, I knew that was just an excuse to make me feel better about all of this. I still felt bad for Bram every single day. I wished things were different, which was the reason why I understood Blake completely.

“I—I shouldn’t have done that. In a way, I’m still married and—I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t push you away because I understand that being forced into a commitment is—well, I understand you. And I know I’m as wrong to allow things to happen as you are… and I’m the sober one.”

He started to speak but I cut him off.

“It won’t happen again.”

“Arianna, I—”

His phone ringing interrupted us. He looked at it, “Damnit,” he said.

He turned around and answered it, walking away.

“Hey Brooke. No, I’m about to go to bed. …. No, it’s best if you don’t come over. It’s been a long day and I have to be up early…. Yeah… Good night. I love you too.”

‘I love you too’. Those words rang in my ears over and over again. With tears in my eyes, I turned around and I was gone and locking my bedroom door as I heard him call after me.

I watched through the window as the boat left a few hours later. I got out of my room once he was gone. Everything in the house was clean. The glass, the alcohol, and on the coffee table there was a package with a note underneath it.

I opened the note first.

“I feel like the longer I’m around you, the more I hurt you. I promise I will stay away from now on. There’s a phone in the box. Please call if you need anything at all. You can call my mom or even Owen if you are not comfortable calling me. And Molly has been telling everyone about how you dressed up as a mermaid when you met. After she told me that, I saw something that made me think of you. I hope this is not crossing the line, although we already crossed every line there is to cross.”

Inside the box was a silver necklace with a mermaid pendant. A necklace that I would never be able to wear because it reminded me of… me, and it would also be a constant reminder of Blake. Not that I needed something to make me think of him. He was already always on my mind.

Chapter Fifteen

He didn’t show up for the next two days. I kept staring at the phone, which I didn’t even know how to use. I had never felt so alone in my life and I wondered if that was how I would be for the rest of my life. If I stayed, I would be alone. If I returned home, I would be alone too.

In a way, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see him before the party.

That morning, the entire family got to the house first. Well, Cindy, Molly, Owen, and Blake. I was told that his father would be there later along with Brooke, her family, and some friends.

I was happy to see Molly. She distracted me from Blake’s presence, which was difficult to deal with. As soon as our eyes met, I could barely breathe, so I avoided even looking at him.

I stayed with Molly in her room for a while, until the caterers got to the island and then I went to help them. One of them spoke French, one of my favorite languages. He was older, close to my father’s age and he even had some similarities that made me miss my dad. We spoke in French as I helped him put the food away and cut some of the ingredients. I was about to go ask Cindy where to store the rest of the food, and when I turned around, I almost walked into Blake.

“You speak French,” he said, amused.

I shrugged. “I’m good with languages.”

There was something in the way he looked at me that I had not seen before. “What other languages do you speak?” he asked.

“Pretty much any language.”

He looked shocked. “So you are telling me that you can fluently speak any language.”

I nodded.

There was a playful smile on his lips. “Prove it!”

One of the other caterers walked in, facing me. “Ms. Brooke, Where can I put these?”

It took me a moment to realize that she was talking to me. “Oh, I’m not—”

Cindy came in and told her where to place everything and I faced Blake who watched me carefully.

His smile had turned into a frown. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.

“It’s no big deal,” I lied.

Molly came running, saving the day once again.

Cindy came after her. “Blake, would you mind getting Molly down for her nap? I need Arianna’s help for a while.”

“Come on,” said Blake and he picked up Molly, tickling her, and that made me smile… a feeling that was starting to feel odd.

“Come with me, sweetheart,” said Cindy as she led me to her room.

In her room, she handed me a box.

“What is it?” I asked.

“A dress for tonight. I hope you don’t mind that I got it for you—and I hope you like it.”

“Thank you,” I said as I opened the box.

I got the dress out of the box. It was a strapless dress, with a blue top and the skirt was made of a silky material, blue and purple, and it sat as if it was a princess’ dress.”

“It’s beautiful!” I said. “Thank you!”

“You are welcome, sweetheart.”

When I looked up at her, there was sadness in her eyes.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

She sighed. “I can see that my son cares a lot about you. You do know that, right?”

I shrugged. I knew that he did, but what was the point in admitting it?

She avoided my gaze.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if there’s any way that you feel for my son the way I believe he feels about you, and trust me, I can see all over his face that he cares about you… please don’t let him get married.”

Her request shocked me.

“But—even if that is true, he has so many other things… people… who he needs to think about.”

“That’s what he told you, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

She tapped her hand on the bed for me to sit next to her.

“Blake doesn’t know any other way. He was raised to do things a certain way and I was too weak to stand up to his father. I can see the way you look at each other. If there is any chance that you can make my son happy, please don’t let him get married. He won’t stop this on his own, but you can help him.”

“But—he wouldn’t be able to see you again—”

“Sweetheart, he’s my son and I’ll find a way.”

“What about his father?” I asked.

“I honestly don’t know, Arianna. But I’d risk finding out if that keeps me from seeing my son as unhappy as he’s been with Brooke, especially since you came around.”

“Oh,” I looked away.

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. Please, never think about it that way. I’ve prayed that someone like you would get into his life, because it’ll take a fairy tale to get him to choose his own destiny.”

I smiled at the words ‘fairy tale.’

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s just something that Blake said about him being the farthest thing away from a fairy tale as I could possibly find.”

Cindy smiled. “I have a hunch that you know that’s not true. Fairy tale is all about hopes and dreams and even if he doesn’t recognize that yet, I can clearly see that you can give him that.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I know things won’t happen overnight, especially with Blake, and I know that tonight might be difficult for you. Please don’t feel like you have to stay at the party. At any point you want to leave, just let me know and I’ll take Molly.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I feel like we need something fun to make up for this talk.” She laughed. “If you want to get ready now, I can help you with your hair and make-up.”

I smiled at her and I couldn’t say no. I never had this in my life. I never had a mother figure.

She left the room to get more things ready while I got dressed. I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was perfect. Soon after, she knocked on the door and I told her to come in.

“You look beautiful!” she said.

“Thank you.”

“Come, sit here,” she motioned for me to sit in front of the dresser.

She left my hair down, letting the curls loose and brushing against my bare shoulders. She put on some blush and lip-gloss.

“You are all ready!” she said smiling at me.

I stared at myself in the mirror and all I could think about was what Blake would think once he saw me. That is until I reminded myself about what the occasion was.

Cindy’s expression changed to sadness as well. “I’m sure he’ll love your dress.”

“I should go,” I told her. “Do you need my help with anything?” I asked.

She shook her head and sighed. “I should probably get ready, too.”

When I stepped out into the living room, I froze. Brooke was there, standing next to Blake and he had his arm around her waist. They were talking to who I believed to be her parents. He looked at me for a split second… they all did. His eyes widened as he REALLY looked at me, then Brooke put her arms around him and he looked back at her parents.

It was probably rude of me, but I wanted out of there as soon as possible, so I turned back around and went to see if Molly was awake.

Chapter Sixteen

Molly was still sleeping. I sat at the end of her bed and just shook my head. This was bound to be a bad night.

I took a few deep breaths and wondered whether I should wake up Molly and get her ready. Her dress was already hanging in front of her closet door, ready for her.

I was just about to wake her up when I heard the voices coming from outside. I got closer to window, which was slightly opened.

“What’s she doing here?” asked Brooke.

“She lives here,” said Blake in a cold tone.

“Yes, but this is my party and I don’t want her here.”

“You’ll have to take that up with my mom. Arianna was asked to watch Molly during the party.”

“Well, I don’t understand why the kid has to be here in the first place! This is not exactly an event for kids!”

“Brooke, this is a family event, and Molly is family. I don’t care how old she is.”

Next thing I heard was someone slamming the door.

I peeked outside of the window through the blinds and I could see Blake pacing around. He looked as if he felt trapped… devastated.

“WOW. You look like a princess!” I turned around to see Molly sitting up staring at me.

Only that could make me smile.

“Thank you,” I said, “but you know who will be an even prettier princess at this party?” I asked.

“Who?” She said as she smiled.

“Well, you!” I grabbed her dress. “This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen!”

She laughed and rushed out of bed asking for her mom who had promised to do her hair.

I left Cindy and Molly alone and went to my room. I closed the door behind me and almost let out a scream when I turned around to find Blake standing there.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be here. I was just—I just needed some time away from everyone.”

“And you had to come here?” I asked. “If Brooke finds you here—”

He cut me off. “She’s getting ready and Owen is taking her family around the island.”

He started to walk toward my dresser as if something had caught his attention. I watched him attentively as he grabbed the necklace he had left for me and walked in my direction.

I wanted to move away, but I couldn’t move. It was as if something stronger than me was making me stay where I was. I wanted him to get closer to me… to touch me.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

He walked to where he stood behind me. His fingers brushed against my back as he moved my hair to the side. He placed the necklace on me, and the fact that he was having trouble with the clasp on the necklace, meant his fingers were brushing against my skin, and driving me insane. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, wanting so much more even though I knew it was wrong in every way. He took me by surprise when he kissed the back of my neck, before moving my hair back.

He then walked to the door and locked it.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He walked back toward me with doubt in his eyes. I didn’t move.

“You can tell me to go away if you want. I’ll understand if you do, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you… all of you.”

“Bu—But you are getting engaged,” I said.

“I’ll find a way to end this, Arianna. If you’ll have me… If you want this as much as I do, I’ll find a way. It might not be today, but I will. I promise.”

I nodded.

He walked behind me again, brushing his fingers against my neckline, down toward the top of the zipper on my dress. He started to unzip it as he kissed my neckline.

“Blake?” I said, knowing that Brooke wasn’t going to take all day to get dressed. Knowing that we should wait until he fulfilled his promise.

“Yes?” he whispered in my ear.

I turned around slowly to face him. I had every intention of telling him that we should wait, but when I met his eyes, for the first time, I saw hope and I didn’t want to remind him of what awaited for him outside of this room. I kissed him, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him closer to me. He toyed with the zipper on my dress some more, but decided to leave it alone.

We stopped kissing and he pulled away just enough to where he could look in my eyes. “Will you meet me outside later tonight? I’ll wait for you by the end of the trail.”

I nodded and he kissed me again. Before he left the room, he said, “I like the necklace on you.” I gave him a puzzled look while I touched the necklace.

“Even if they are fictional, I always thought that mermaids were beautiful creatures. Of course, they don’t compare to you, but still…” he grinned.

What he said about mermaids made me feel strange, in a good way.

He slowly opened the door and winked at me before he sneaked out of my room.

Shortly after, the door swung open and Owen walked in.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He grinned. “You look hot,” he said.

I looked away.

“Come on. No need to be shy.” He paused. “I assume things are going well.”

I didn’t even answer him.

“Brooke wasn’t too happy just a few minutes ago. She was looking for him everywhere and I think she’d have taken this door down if it wasn’t for me.”

“Are you expecting me to thank you?” I asked.

He laughed.

“Well, the reason why I came here is to tell you that it would probably be a good idea to act like we are together for tonight, that is… if anyone asks.”

I gave him a look that was a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Relax!” He rolled his eyes. “I’m saying this with my brother’s best interest in mind. I told Brooke we were together to get her off Blake’s back.”

“Why would you do that?” I asked, knowing that he didn’t do this out of the goodness of his heart.

He shrugged. “I have my reasons. This is not good timing for her to be suspicious. Also, you should probably know that my father will be here soon and he cannot in any way shape or form, be suspicious that something is off. Do you understand?”

His tone had changed to something that made my skin feel cold. I nodded and he said all guests were already there so we both left my room…together.

As we walked past the hallway and into the living room, I caught Brooke whispering into Blake’s ear, and his eyes went wide with fury as he looked from me to Owen.

Owen leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Relax. I’ll make sure he knows that there’s nothing happening here.” I took a deep breath, but I couldn’t relax, because I didn’t trust Owen at all.

With Blake still watching me, I left Owen talking to himself as I walked away from him and went to look for Molly.

The party was a joke. People talked and drank, and Brooke went around showing off her ring and talking about the wedding. Surprisingly, Blake was the only one not drinking tonight, well, besides me. There were several moments that night when I felt his gaze on me, and I did my best to not look in his direction, but it was tough.

I was glad when Molly’s bedtime finally came around. She said goodnight to her mom, and then I followed her as she went to say goodnight to Owen and Blake. She hugged them both, and Blake looked up at me as he hugged her back. Brooke seemed to be a little more pleasant this time so I figured that maybe Owen’s plan wasn’t that bad after all.

I turned around and took Molly to her room. She fell asleep in no time, and I stood by the window, watching the stars and just wondering how things were with my father, Bram, and everyone else who I had hurt.

When I heard the soft knock on the door, my heart skipped a beat, thinking that maybe it was Blake.

“Come in,” I said in a low tone, trying not to wake up Molly.

A man who Owen had earlier pointed out to be his father, walked in. He was tall, elegant, and very intimidating.

“Hi. Mr. Crawford.”

He nodded. “I just wanted to say goodnight to Molly, but I see I’m a little too late.”

I stood there silently.

“You’re Arianna, correct?”

I nodded.

“Well, Cindy is happy to have someone here to watch the house and help with Molly.”

“It’s my pleasure,” I said.

He nodded. His eyes and his words were so cold. He turned around and walked away. Cindy came in shortly after to check in on Molly. She seemed surprised that I was still there with Molly, but I guess she understood why I didn’t want to be at the party instead.

When the house was quiet and I knew Molly wouldn’t be woken up, I walked out to the back porch and headed toward the end of the trail hoping that I would still find him there.

It was getting cold outside and the fact that everything was so quiet was making me nervous. I started to doubt my decision to walk around alone at night, but I still kept going.

Everything was pitch black, so I didn’t see him until I was at the end of the trail. He looked up at me with a smile on his face. “I thought you weren’t coming,” he said. “Especially after the rumors I heard about you and Owen.”

“Did you believe them?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. And Owen said he did it to get Brooke to back off.” He paused. “When Brooke first told me,” he shook his head, “It wasn’t easy.”

“It’s not easy seeing you with her,” I said, holding back the tears.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said as he approached me. He then wrapped his arms around me and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I started to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can leave you alone if you want. Just say the word.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I cried against his chest. “I deserve the pain. I’ve hurt too many people. My father… Bram…”

He gave me a puzzled look. “Bram?”

“My hus—the one my father chose for me.”

I could feel his body tense right before he took a deep breath. “Arianna, your father forced you ‘marry’ him. You can’t blame yourself for leaving.”

“That’s still a commitment I should honor. Besides, Bram does love me and he’s a good person.”

He got more and more tense. “It’s not even a real marriage!” he said.

I stood there, quietly.

“Please promise me you’re not going back to him. I just need some time to figure things out. I’ll make this right. I promise.”

I nodded and he kissed me, moving his hands up from the small of my back. Then he leaned me back as he slowly kissed from my neck down to the top of my dress, every kiss, leaving me wanting more.

“I want to show you something,” he said, when he stopped.

He used a light from his phone to help him find his way as he held my hand and we walked into the woods. When we stopped walking, he pointed his phone up, where there was a tree house.

“After you,” he said.

I pulled my dress slightly up with one hand so I didn’t trip as I climbed up the stairs leading to the tree house. Once there, I saw there was a blanket on the floor and rose petals around it. I looked at him and smiled. I sat down on the blanket and he sat next to me.

“This is my getaway place. Ever since I was about 11 or so, I would run away just about every chance I got and come here.”

I looked around, remembering how many times I watched him run away.

“Did you build it?” I asked.

“I helped. This was mine and my grandfather’s last project before he got sick.” He paused and quickly changed subject. I could see how much talking about his grandfather hurt him. “I’m really sorry that things are this difficult. Honestly, I never thought I would ever meet anyone who makes me feel the way I do about you.”

I smiled. “So you now believe in fairy tales?” I teased him, trying to lighten the mood.

But his eyes were still sad. He shook his head. “I’m still the farthest thing from a fairy tale, Arianna. You have no idea how damaged I am and honestly, I don’t even understand why you are still here. All I know is that I can’t let you go. I just—I can’t stay away. I need you to tell me that you can’t do this, because if it’s up to me, I have no restraints when it comes to you.”

“I’d be lying if I told you that.”

I could see uncertainty in his eyes. He turned to face me, “Arianna, I have to marry Brooke. There were things I didn’t know before about my dad’s company. It’s not just my future that it’s at risk anymore. I don’t see a way around it, and I can’t turn into my father. What I promised you before, I meant every word, but I can’t do anything about it right now.”

“I don’t understand what you want from me then. It doesn’t seem like there is a solution and I feel like you’re trying to put this on me because you can’t decide for yourself.”

“I can decide for myself, Arianna. It’s just that my decision is not the right one.”

I turned away from him. All I could think about was that I was not the right decision. I was what was causing all of this mess.

I could feel him breathing against the back of my neck as he spoke, “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out the right way.”

“I wish you’d tell me what you want. Just forget everything and everyone else and tell me what YOU want.”

“I want you,” he said. “But this is nothing but a vicious cycle. The more I have you, the more I want you. When it comes to you, I’m insatiable.”

How do you respond to that? I looked at him and all I saw in his eyes was desire, and I was as lost and confused as he was.

“I’m not willingly sending you away, Blake.”

He moved to where he sat in front of me, placing his hands each on one side of my face. “Close your eyes,” he said.

I did and my heart started to race.

“I know we have no future together.” Those words made me feel cold. I opened my eyes ready to tell him to walk away if he felt that way, even though he was right in every way.

“There’s nothing I want more than to be with you, Arianna.”

“I want to be with you, too.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I was hoping you didn’t.”

“How can I not, Blake?”

“Because—”

I couldn’t take this back and forth anymore. If the present was all I had, I was going to take advantage of it. I leaned forward, kissing him. His hand went to the back of my neck, his fingers running through my curls, and he lowered me down to the floor. We kissed until I felt like I needed air. And then the weight of his words fell on me. Either way, I couldn’t have him choose me because I knew how much it would hurt him to turn into his father and how much it would hurt me to know that at the end of the day, he would always go back to her.

I pushed him off me.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing, I—I just think we are being unfair to a lot of people. Maybe you are right.”

“I’m going to find a way to leave her after we get married.”

“Maybe you should stay away from me for a while to see if you’ll change your mind.”

There was hurt in his eyes, and I had to look away.

“I won’t change my mind about how I feel about you.”

“Maybe not, but maybe you’ll change your mind about your decision in relation to everyone else. I don’t want you to regret it.”

“Arianna, my entire life is one huge regret.” There was pain in his tone.

“I can’t be the reason you lose everything.”

“You are my everything.”

I put my hand to his face. “I’m not. You know how you keep saying that you are not a fairy tale? I’m not one either. Blake, you can’t want to be with me because you know nothing about me.”

“And you think you know me?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I know how I feel Arianna. That is about the only thing I know.”

He leaned over and we started to kiss as I felt his hand move from the small of my back to the top of my dress, reaching for the zipper and slowly opening it. My hands were under his shirt, moving to his back. My nails digging deep into his skin as he kissed my neck.

“BLAKE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!”

We both froze and I knew right away that was his father down at the bottom of the tree.

“Fuck!” he said. He looked at me with a horrified look. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Blake helped me zip my dress back up.

“I DON’T HAVE ALL FUCKING NIGHT, BLAKE!”

“Dad?” I heard Owen’s voice in the background.

We both got down from the tree house. They both held flashlights, and the fury in Mr. Crawford’s face made me want to run away.

I saw Owen try to calm him down, to no avail.

“Would you like to enlighten me on what the fuck is going on over here?”

Blake wouldn’t even look at him.

“You could at least wait until you are married before you go fucking around,” he said.

Blake looked up and met his father’s gaze, “Like you?” he said.

The look on his dad’s face made me cringe. Owen got in between them. “Maybe you should talk about this when you both calm down. Let’s just go back to the house.” When it didn’t seem like either of them were moving, Owen said, “We should go back before Brooke comes looking for him. She was already freaking out at the house.”

Without taking his eyes off Blake, his dad said, “You, go back to the house, make up a good excuse, and give your fiancée the night she deserves.”

He then looked at me. “And you and I are going to have a little talk!” he said.

When Blake didn’t move, Owen started to look worried.

Owen looked at Blake. “I’ll stay here with her. Don’t make this worse.”

Blake gave me an apologetic look and left.

His father stood at the end of the trail and watched him leave. While he did so, Owen got closer to me and whispered. “Don’t let what he says get to you. Just tune it out. I’ll take care of everything after. Just trust me.”

Only, I didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust either of them. When Mr. Crawford faced me again, I was even more terrified.

“I know how girls like you think. You just come around acting sweet, and do what you need to do until you get pregnant. Don’t you think I know that all you are looking for is a ring on your finger and a nice size bank account?”

“Dad,” said Owen.

By that point, tears were rolling down my face.

“Take is easy on her,” said Owen to my surprise.

His dad faced him, giving me a cold look. “If you are staying here, you’ll be quiet until I’m done saying what I have to say.”

Owen put both hands up, giving up. I looked down, staring at the floor.

“I’m not after his money,” I said softly.

“And so she speaks!” he said. “Honestly, I could care less whether you are after money or not. I could write you a check right now to get rid of you. But there’s no need because you’re not coming near my son again. He has plans and he’s going to follow through with them.”

I lifted my head up with every intention of telling him those were not Blake’s plans… those were his plans, but Owen shook his head, signaling that I should be quiet.

“I want you gone and out of his life by morning. Owen will take you to the city and you can find your way to wherever you are going from there.”

I started to sob.

“Dad?” said Owen.

“WHAT?”

“I don’t think that’s going to go well with Mom and Molly.”

His took a deep breath and looked like he was reconsidering it for a while.

He sighed. “You can stay for now. I’ll make sure Blake doesn’t come here.”

The possibility of not being able to see him was destroying me.

His dad looked at Owen. “Keep her at the stupid tree house until morning.”

He looked at me with hate and disgust. He then turned around and walked away.

Chapter Seventeen

As soon as he left, Owen actually turned around and kicked the nearest tree. “Fuck!” he said. “Well, this complicates things.”

I turned around and left him talking to himself as I went up to the tree house. I wrapped myself with the blanket that smelled like Blake, sat down, and started to cry even more.

After a while, Owen came up. He looked around at the rose petals scattered all over the place, and sat across from me.

“I’m sorry your plans got messed up,” I said.

“I’ll work something out. I’m just afraid of what will happen to you while I do.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What are you that gave you the power to change me?”

“Oh, I’m human. One hundred percent human.”

“But you have powers that are not.”

He shrugged.

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“Hopefully, nothing. Look around. He’ll find a way to see you and I’ll do what I can to help. The merger gets signed soon anyway. My father will relax after that.”

“And if he doesn’t?” I asked.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

I was afraid, but it wasn’t fear of what would happen to me. I was afraid for Blake. There was no good in his father, or brother for that matter. If his father acted like this toward me, I couldn’t even imagine what he would do and say to Blake.

I could feel Owen’s gaze on me and I knew this would be the longest night of my life.

As if reading my mind, he said, “You know—Blake will be fine. What you saw tonight was nothing compared to how our dad treated us growing up.”

I met his gaze and he looked as if what he said didn’t bother him at all.

“Why?” I asked.

“Control. He feels this need to control everyone who surrounds him.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?”

He shrugged. “Being raised like that, you become immune to it. That’s what happened in Blake’s case anyway. It’s like he was programmed into behaving a certain way and he doesn’t know how to break from that.”

I shivered at the thought of him growing up like that.

“What about you?” I asked Owen.

He grinned. “I didn’t get it as bad as Blake. He’s the oldest and the attention was always on him. Let’s just say that I got lucky. It also helped that I was interested in whatever my dad told me to do. Blake never wanted his life. He never wanted to go to the school he went to, or play the sports that he did. Even though he excelled in everything, he hated all of it.

I turned to my side, leaned my arm on the windowsill and looked at the stars.

“For how long exactly have you been in love with my brother?” he asked.

I didn’t even turn to look at him. I didn’t even stop to think about how my answer would give him even more power over me. All I said was, “For as long as I can remember.”

Chapter Eighteen

BLAKE

This can’t be happening. He’s going to emotionally tear her apart and I’ll be forever reminded of how I was the piece of shit who left her behind with the man who destroyed my life.

I want to turn around and go back. I want to protect her, but I can’t make myself do it. I’ve always been weak when it comes to him, but this shows how broken I am and how much she doesn’t deserve me.

All I can do is hope that Owen has her back. For that alone, I will owe him more than he could ever imagine.

I stare at the back of the house, not wanting to go in, but Brooke sees me through the window and comes out.

“Where the hell have you been?” she asks.

I shrug, “I was getting some fresh air.”

“For this long?”

I say what I have to try and calm her down because at this point, that is all I can do. “I was just walking around and thinking about the wedding, the future…”

She actually smiles at me. “Well, let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“Actually,” I say, “I need to wait up for my dad and Owen.”

“It’s three in the morning, Blake!”

I’m at a loss for what to do. “Alright, let’s go.”

She puts her arms around me and we go into the room. I’m not going to lie. I’m glad she’s exhausted. Still, the whole situation makes me sick, especially when she lays her head on my chest. With every breath I take, I inhale the scent of her shampoo, her lotion, and everything is almost too much. Something about all of those chemicals combined is a turn off and I can’t help but to think about how good Arianna smells, and her scent is so natural. All I do… all I can do is to wish that Arianna was the one laying there. I have no fucking clue how I’m going to be able to live my life like this.

Within seconds, she pulls away from me. I pretend I’m sleeping but I still hear her complain about the smell of seawater on me. When I don’t move, she rolls over and goes to sleep.

After she falls asleep, I get up and go out of the room, wondering if Arianna is back in the house. I have to at least find Owen to find out how things went.

I go to Owen’s room, but he’s not there. In the living room, I grab a bottle of Jack Daniels and make myself a drink, then another.

I hadn’t even seen my dad sitting there in the dark.

I put my second drink down and before I can go for the third, he says, “Done?”

I nod.

“In my office, NOW!”

I follow him there and this is no different than when I got in trouble as a teenager.

His face is full of rage. He comes close to me, clenches his fist, and punches my stomach. I stand there and take it, mostly because the physical pain will take my mind off the emotional crap, even if it’s temporary.

He takes a few steps back, not that he’s any calmer now. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

I stand there with plenty of things to say, but nothing comes out.

“Were you at least using protection? She’s out to get your money, you know? You are marrying Brooke. Unless you want your mom and Molly homeless, we need that merger.”

It’s always with the emotional blackmail. “Yes, I used protection,” I lie. “What is going to happen to her?”

He looks at me and shakes his head.

“Your brother brought up a few points that justify her staying here. But you’re not getting near her again. If you do and I find out, and trust me that I will, well… she will be gone. Understood?”

I swallow the lump that forms in my throat when I think of not seeing her again, and I nod.

“Take Brooke out of here in the morning.”

I nod once again.

“And just so you know, signing those papers tomorrow doesn’t grant you permission to screw around. Especially considering your inability to do so and not get caught.”

This is one of those moments when I hate him more than ever. I hate him for being the man he is and for doing what he does behind my mom’s back. That is the reason why I feel the way I do now about cheating. The last thing I want is to turn into someone like him.

I’m about to leave his office when he stops me and in a sick way, I know what’s coming. “Blake, you know what you have to do now. You have to prove that your head is in the right place. I want you to go into that room and make it up to that girl, and you damn well better be sure that I can hear how satisfied she is. The last thing I need is to lose sleep the day before the merger.”

“Yes, Sir.”

On my way to the room, I just grab the bottle of Jack Daniels and take it with me. He made me do the same exact thing one of the times when I broke up with Brooke. I sit on the recliner in my room and finish the bottle. At this point, I don’t particularly like the person I have become, but I have no reason to fix it either. I can’t see Arianna again. She needs to be protected and if I screw this up, she will have no choice but to go back to her old life, wherever that is.

I wait a few minutes for the alcohol to hit me and I move toward the bed. I put my arm around Brooke and now she complains about the smell of seawater mixed with alcohol.

“Just stop talking!” I say as I remove her panties.

That turns her on. She is now wide awake and pulling my pants down. I grab a condom because the last thing I need is her getting pregnant.

I don’t even bother with the rest of her clothes. I fuck her until she screams loud enough for everyone to hear. I don’t even finish. As soon as she is done, I pull out, roll over and pass out.

Brooke wakes me up at seven the next morning. I have a killer hangover and I already know my day won’t get any better. She says my dad told her that we are all going to the city together for breakfast and then we’ll leave from there.

I get up and get ready. When I step foot in the living room, Molly is upset that she won’t get to say bye to Arianna. That makes two of us…

“Where is Owen?” I ask.

“Well,” my dad says in a sarcastic tone, “word is that he has been dating Arianna and they are out together. Imagine that!” He gives me a look to say he’s not sure how this lie got around. “He’ll just have to meet us later.”

We all head to the boat, leaving the other one for Owen. Our boat is leaving when I spot her and Owen going inside the house. We aren’t even that close, but it’s enough to see that she looks devastated.

Chapter Nineteen

ARIANNA

Owen and I walked back to the house silently. Owen actually walked ahead of me and I knew something was bothering him, but I didn’t care. Once we got close to the house, I could see the boat moving away, but I couldn’t look at it. It hurt too much.

We got in the house and I faced Owen, “When are you leaving?” I asked.

“I have to go back now, but—” He ran his fingers through his hair.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m not sure you should be left alone.”

“What do you care?” I asked.

“I don’t, but—” he sighed. “If there are complications with getting Blake here, I don’t know what will happen to you.”

“Again with that? What do you mean?”

He took a deep breath. “Our deal isn’t as simple as I made it sound. There are things involved that include more than words and giving you legs.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“You and Blake’s souls are bound together.”

For some reason that didn’t shock me. I felt an attraction to Blake even before we officially met. We had a connection—I stopped to think about it and wondered if maybe the connection I felt was one sided and everything Blake felt was merely a result of this bond created by Owen.

As if Owen could read my mind, he said, “Binding your souls only go so far. It works the same as with your feelings. It just heightens emotions that are already there.”

“Will the bond be broken if we stay apart?” I asked.

“Doubtful.”

I started to worry about what would happen and Owen could see that.

“Look, worst case scenario, you will probably have a little heartache.”

Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought about the consequences of us being apart; of him feeling the heartache that I was feeling now.

“Can you try to break the bond anyway?”

Owen relaxed and actually laughed.

“Of course not. I still need you. Besides, bond or no bond, the two of you are already way over your heads in this. Breaking the bond wouldn’t change how he feels. I can see it. He’s never been like this with anyone.”

Owen started to get his things together.

“I need to get going. I’ll be back in a few days. I know that my brother gave you a phone. It won’t work at all times, but if you need anything, try it.”

“I—How do I use it?”

He rolled his eyes and told me to grab the phone. He sat next to me on the couch and showed me how to use it to reach him. He gave strict orders not to call the number that Blake had programmed as his, and then, he left.

I was so exhausted. After he left, I went to my room and reached for the zipper to take my dress off. A shiver passed through me as I remembered how it felt having his fingers toying with the zipper, his hands on my skin. I knew I had to stop doing this to myself, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I took a deep breath and finished taking my dress off. I put the dress in the back of the closet. The last thing I needed was a reminder of the night before. I took a shower, put on a tank top and shorts, and went to bed.

I slept most of the day. When I woke up at night, I spent a few hours doing practically nothing. I tried to read but couldn’t focus. Eventually, I started to feel suffocated in the house and decided to step outside.

It was warm outside and the warm sand felt good against my skin. I stood there, watching the sea, and suddenly, I felt drawn to it. I looked around for any signs of anyone I might have known. I figured by now, most were probably sleeping.

I kept thinking about Blake, thinking about how he was with Brooke, even if their business deal was already done. A part of me hoped that he would have signed those papers, dropped everything, and rushed to see me.

I was so distracted by those thoughts that I didn’t realize how close I got to the water. A wave came crashing; the cold water embraced me and made me want to jump in. During that moment, I missed who I used to be. I missed my tail and how fast it allowed me to swim.

“Arianna!” I heard Lyra’s familiar voice.

She was a couple of feet away from me. I knew that she couldn’t come any closer without getting stuck in the sand and I wouldn’t go any further.

I started to turn around to rush back into the house.

“Please, don’t” she said. “I just want to talk. I want to understand what happened to you. How did this happen to you anyway?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain.” I paused. “How is my father?”

“How do you think he is? He’s devastated and angry, obviously. Others are doubting his ability to lead, but he won’t give up his right.”

“Bram saw me,” I said.

“Oh, I know—we all know. Bram has changed a lot.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He’s bitter. He keeps saying that this happened because he was too nice.”

I shook my head.

“Does my father know where I am and what’s happened to me?”

“Of course he does, but everyone has been forbidden to come close to you for as long as you… well, for as long as you have legs. They are afraid it’s a curse and it will pass on to them.”

“And you are not afraid?”

She shook her head. “If I’m right, this is a curse alright. But it is your curse to carry. Whatever is happening to you is your fault.”

“How do you know?”

“I know because this has black magic written all over it.”

“Black magic?”

She nodded. I have to go before I get caught. I may not be afraid of you, but the consequences of my being caught talking to you are not pretty.”

She started to turn to leave, but turned back around. “And Arianna?” she said. “If I were you, I would stay on that island. Bram has plans to get you back, and I’m afraid of what he will do if you try to get away.”

I nodded.

“I have to ask you something,” she said.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“The one who Bram saw you with… he’s the one you’ve been watching over those years, isn’t he?”

I nodded.

She gave me a weak smile. “Well, I hope he’s worth it.”

And he was. I just had a feeling that was not how he felt.

She turned around and dove into the water, her green tail coming up and out of the water in a fast movement, before she disappeared into the sea, which made me miss that feeling even more.

I sat on the sand, where the water could reach me, and just watched the stars for hours before I went back to the house.

Once inside, I went to my room but I couldn’t sleep. I walked to the bookshelves and scanned through the books. One in particular got my attention. The book gave the appearance that it had been read several times and I wondered if that was Blake’s favorite. I hugged it to my chest before putting it back and I went to his room. I wish the room didn’t make me think of Brooke, but it did. I went to his closet and grabbed one of his shirts. It was my weird way of feeling closer to him. I went back to my room and fell asleep wishing he was with me.

I slept… a lot. All I did was sleep over the next two days. I didn’t hear from him, or from Owen, and then when I woke up on the third morning, I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt sick and weak. And I felt hot. I remembered the phone ringing several times, but I couldn’t make myself move. All I could do was lay there and wish I was taken out of my misery, because that was how bad I felt, both physically and emotionally. Eventually, I fell asleep again.

“Open your eyes, Arianna.”

The bright light and me being so weak made it practically impossible to do so.

I opened them enough to see that Owen was in my room, and then I closed them again.

“Fuck!” I heard him say, then he picked up the phone and said, “I need another favor.”

I passed out before I could hear anything else.

When I opened my eyes again, it was because I felt cold. This time I could see stars and Owen was carrying me toward the sea.

“You can’t take me back,” I managed to say.

“Don’t worry. I’m not. I just want to try something.”

I passed out in his arms once again.

Water… I felt the sea embrace me, inviting me back home, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t face my father after this. I couldn’t face Bram after what I had done and I certainly couldn’t go back to a life with him when all I ever wanted was Blake. I could feel arms around me. I knew that it was Owen and I clenched to his arms so he wouldn’t let me go.

“I’m not letting you go. I got you,” he kept saying.

Then I felt my leg being pulled down toward the bottom of the sea. I was still hanging on to Owen, but the one pulling me managed to get me underwater. My eyes flew open and I was face to face with Bram. Owen got closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, and he kicked Bram on the center of his chest. Bram let go of my leg and Owen swam back up, still holding on to me.

We both lay down on the sand. He gasped for air and I cried.

“So, that was interesting,” he finally said.

When I didn’t say anything, he said, “Are you feeling any better?”

“I miss him,” I said. “I miss him so much it hurts.”

He rolled his eyes. “Are you feeling physically better?”

I didn’t even know if I was or not. I could talk and I was awake. That was something.

He sighed. “I’m going to have to tweak our deal,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Your ability to have legs is tied to my brother and you being together. Without him here you’ll get worse and worse, unless, I give you the ability to be yourself. If you feel sick, you can recharge yourself that way.”

I was still feeling weak, but I slowly sat up. “By using black magic?” I said.

He gave me a shocked look, which told me that Lyra was right.

“Pretty much,” he said with an evil grin.

“Will I be able to control when?” I asked.

He nodded. “I will teach you how. But you can’t go deep in the water, or, well… they are going to try and get you back.”

I nodded.

“He’s not coming back anytime soon, is he?” I knew that if Owen had come up with this elaborate plan, the answer was likely no.

Owen shook his head. Brooke’s dad postponed the merger. He wants to wait until it’s closer to or after the wedding. Let’s just say that he has a hunch there is something going on.

I nodded.

“Is this the only way to keep me from getting sick?”

He nodded.

“So how do I do this?” I asked

“Lie back down and close your eyes.”

I did and as familiar I was with languages, I didn’t understand the words he was saying.

When he finished, he told me to open my eyes. I didn’t feel any different.

He said we needed to sit by the water. I tried to get up but felt dizzy so he picked me up and carried me to the water.

“You cannot wait until you get sick to do this. If I’m not here, you won’t be able to get to the water. Maybe you should just come out here once a day or something until things get better.“

I nodded.

I sat in the water, still not feeling any different.

“You should probably take off whatever is under your skirt.”

I gave him a look.

“What?” he said. The skirt will cover your tail, but I don’t think that panties will work out with the schematic of things.”

“I’m not wearing any,” I said.

He gave me a crooked smile.

I rolled my eyes at him. “You didn’t buy me any!” I said

He smiled and shook his head.

Then he turned serious again. “Keep in mind that I can take this option away from you at any time. Now say, ‘reserassem animas nostras et revertetur mea ad essentiam eius’ which I knew was Latin for ‘unbind our souls and return mine to its essence’.

I stared at my legs as I watched them being covered by the blue silky skin of my tail. It felt so natural. My first instinct was to move deeper in the water and swim as fast as I could. Owen put a hand against my shoulder reminding me that I couldn’t do that. I moved around at the low end of the water, lying down so I was completely underwater whenever the waves crashed. It felt invigorating, but there was still one thing that felt better than this and that was being with Blake.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

I nodded. “What if they come this close?”

“You’ll be able to see them and get away.”

“How do I make it go away?”

“Are you ready for that?”

I ran my fingers over my slick skin, closing my eyes and memorizing that feeling.

“I’m ready,” I said as I opened my eyes.

Say, ‘quem diligit anima mea ad alligandos’, which means ‘bind my soul to the one I love’.

I watched as my tail faded away, and my legs were visible as if they had always been a part of me, just hidden behind a mask.

Owen took a deep breath. “Well, I’m glad that worked, even though it’s going to cost me.”

I gave him a puzzled look, but he didn’t explain himself.

I was feeling better but I was now distracted, worried about whether Bram was hurt.

Owen helped me back to the house.

Once inside, I got the courage to ask him about Blake.

“How is he doing?”

He met my gaze. “Not well, but he’ll get over it.”

“And your dad?”

“Well, he’s even more furious than before with the whole business thing.”

“Why don’t you use black magic to close the deal and take all the credit for it?”

He gave me a look of amusement. “I wish it was that easy. Certain things have to work in their own way. All of this is a part of a much bigger plan. Not just one business deal.”

“But you said—”

“Don’t worry about what I said. It’s my business.”

Owen walked away and I stayed in the living room, once again trapped in the house with nothing to do.

Hours later he came back. “God, could you look any more miserable?”

“If I’m miserable it’s because of you!” I snapped.

“No, it’s because the two of you got caught before it was time.” His tone was full of anger and I flinched as he said that.

He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Do you want to talk to him?” he asked.

I gave him a puzzled look. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey Blake. Call me back. It’s important.”

He’ll call back. Just hope we have signal when he does.

I stayed where I was, closing my eyes and resting. Somehow, I was still exhausted. I don’t know how long it passed, but I heard the phone ring and Owen answered it. I kept my eyes closed.

“Is Brooke or anyone else around you?... Good. I’m with Arianna now, so I thought I would call from my phone and let you two talk… Man, relax. It’s fine… Oh, now you don’t want her to get hurt? Wouldn’t you say it’s too late for that?”

I opened my eyes, sat up and gave Owen a look to just drop it, but he didn’t.

“Just talk to her okay? She’s been sick. I have a feeling that will make her feel better…. Probably something she ate…”

I got up and walked away, locking myself in my room. If Blake was trying to distance himself from me, let him. We had already done enough damage, and I didn’t blame him. He was just protecting himself.

Owen knocked on the door.

“Leave me alone!” I yelled.

“Blake wants to talk to you,” he said.

I opened the door, grabbed the phone, and closed the door on his face, locking it.

“Hello?” I could hear Blake’s voice from the other side and I knew I couldn’t talk to him. I already had this unbearable desire to see him and I was afraid that listening to his voice would make me miss him even more. I turned the phone off and opened the door.

“Here. You lost signal.” I handed the phone to Owen and closed the door on him again before he could say anything else.

Chapter Twenty

BLAKE

Breakfast with the family is hell. My dad watches my interaction with Brooke, and I try my best to listen to her and be as affectionate as possible, but my mind is elsewhere. All I can think about is how Arianna is doing. Every once in a while I check my phone to see if there is anything from Owen, but there is nothing.

When my dad excuses himself to take a phone call, I know I have a break from pretending to suck-up to Brooke, so I focus my attention on Molly instead. He doesn’t take long. He comes back, sits down, and tells us that it was Owen and that he’s just going to meet us later.

I can’t help but to feel that something must be wrong. I wait a few minutes then excuse myself to go to the restroom, where I try to call Owen. He doesn’t answer so I text him. ‘Is everything okay?’

He replies right away, ‘We’ll talk later.’

I clench my fists and punch the wall. I think about calling Arianna but decide it’s not fair to her. If I’m going to stop this, I need to cut all contact with her.

When I get back to the table, my dad is already paying the bill. Brooke is in a good mood and trying to get me to go shopping for wedding stuff. That’s the last thing I want to do.

Luckily, my mom saves the day. “Actually, Brooke, I was thinking we could get some things out of the way without Blake around. The last thing you’d want is for him to see you shopping for the wedding dress. You know, it’s bad luck.”

I try not to laugh. This wedding is already doomed.

But I’m thankful for my mom, and Brooke agrees to the idea. They decide to go to a few stores from here. I take that moment as my opportunity to get rid of everyone.

Before I leave, my dad reminds me that they decided to meet at nine the next morning to sign the merger papers.

I kiss Brooke goodbye.

“Are you going to be at your apartment all day?” she asks.

I nod.

“Good. I’ll head over there when we’re done. I’m spending the night with you tonight,” she informs me.

I want to make up an excuse but my dad is watching carefully. I smile and tell her that I’ll see her then.

As soon as I’m in my car, I call Owen, but he doesn’t answer. I text him asking to meet me at my apartment and he replies saying that he’ll be there soon.

I rush to my apartment to find Owen already waiting on me. I can’t even read the expression on his face. I open the door and as soon as we step inside I ask him to tell me what happened.

He sighs. “Well, Dad gave her this big spill about knowing girls like her and how she’s out to get your money, and all that crap. He pretty much accused her of planning to do everything that Molly’s mom did to him.”

I shake my head.

“I couldn’t stop him, man. All I could do was make sure she didn’t get kicked out of the house. Even then, he told her she had to stay away until you left the island, so we just stayed at the tree house.”

I nod. “Thanks for staying with her.” I hate that he was there for her when I wasn’t, but at least she wasn’t alone. “How was she after he left?”

Owen shakes his head. “She’s a sweet girl, Blake. She cried, A LOT. And she asked some things about our childhood.”

I give him a puzzled look. “She wants to understand Dad.” He laughs. “She’s smart, too. She doesn’t blame you for a thing.”

“But she should.”

He shrugs. “So what are you going to do now?”

I walk over to the bar by the kitchen and pour myself a drink.

“It’s a little early for that, don’t you think?” he asks.

I ignore him.

“I’m going to stop seeing her. I have no choice.”

“Are you going to at least tell her that?”

“I can’t. It’s best if I just don’t see or talk to her.”

Owen shakes his head. “Your call, man.”

I finish my drink and pour another.

“You know, you could just leave Brooke after the merger is signed tomorrow.”

I turn around wondering if I just imagined what he is suggesting.

“Come on, Blake. You can’t keep living like this and honestly, the last thing I want is to see you turn into an alcoholic.”

“What do you care?” I ask as I drink my next drink.

“Either way, you risk losing everyone. Break up with Brooke and yeah, you’ll be cut-off from everything and everyone, so what? Mom will find a way to see you and so will I, and the merger will be done so their wealth won’t lie on your shoulders. Now if you marry Brooke and drink your problems away, well, you’ll destroy yourself right before Mom and Molly’s eyes. They’ll definitely lose you then.”

He has a point.

Owen leaves soon after that and I’m considering what he said. I know that either way, I don’t deserve Arianna, but I can’t keep living like this. I decide that once the merger is closed, I’ll give it a few days until things calm down and until I can figure out how to help Arianna. I’m certain that if I do this, my dad will blame and get rid of her and I need to find her a safe place to stay. I also decide to stay away from her no matter what. She doesn’t need to be with someone as fucked up as I am. She deserves better.

I drink the day away. I don’t want to think anymore. I just want to sign those damn papers and be done with it.

I stare at my phone and fight to not call her. Eventually, Brooke comes in, holding a bunch of bags. I get up to help her and stumble over the couch.

“Nice!” she says. “It’s not even dinner time and you are already trashed.”

Brooke ignores me and goes into the room to put the bags away and when she comes back out, she’s wearing a white night gown. I can’t keep my thoughts straight anymore. I had way too much to drink. She walks by, giving me a look that could kill and goes into the kitchen. My apartment is really not that big. I can see her standing by the counter with her back to me as she makes something to eat. The white gown makes me think of Arianna and her white crochet dress. I start getting hard just thinking about it. I close my eyes for a second feeling like I’m about to pass out, but then I open them again, and I watch her take her hair down. Usually she has her hair straight, but today; it looks more like Arianna’s, only lighter. I get up and stumble my way into the kitchen. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. My body stops listening to my brain and just moves on instinct, bad instinct at that. She doesn’t even turn around when I approach her. I put my hands on the counter, trapping her in between my arms, close my eyes and kiss her neck.

“Hmm, Blake. Maybe you should drink more often.”

My brain doesn’t process who the voice belongs to, and my imagination has a mind of its own. I move my hands to her waist, letting them brush against the silky material as I move them down to where the gown meets her skin. I grab her sides and pull her against my body. I hear her moan and that drives me crazy. I whisper in her ear, “I want you so fucking bad, Arianna.”

Next thing I know she’s turning around and shoving me away from her. I keep myself from falling by holding on to the table.

“What the hell did you say?”

I shake my head trying to process what I just did. “Shit!”

She grabs a wine glass and throws it in my direction. I try to move but my body doesn’t respond fast enough. The glass hits my chest and breaks, cutting my skin, before falling to the floor and shattering into pieces.

“I knew it! I just had this feeling. That little bitch!”

“Brooke! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

I don’t need to be sober to see how furious she is. She’s not even hurt. She is just plain mad.

“You didn’t mean it? You’ve been watching her all fucking weekend like a lost puppy. And I see the way she looks at you too. The slut knows you’re getting married, she should have backed the hell off!” She walks past me and throws a rag in my direction. “Clean the fucking blood off your chest before you get any on the floor. We’ll talk more about it in the morning, when you’re sober.”

I hear my bedroom door slam shut and I make my way to the couch where I pass out.

A splash of ice-cold water on my face gets me to wake up right away.

“What the fuck, Brooke?”

She puts the glass down and stands there with her arms crossed. Bits and pieces of the night before rush back to me. I’m screwed.

Fear of Arianna getting kicked out of the house makes me lie like I have never lied before. “Look, Brooke. Nothing happened and nothing will happen. I love you and I’m marrying you. If you want, I won’t even step foot on that island ever again.”

She watches me carefully. “Do you really mean it?”

“Of course.”

She sighs. “I don’t want to see her or hear her name ever again. Do you understand?”

I nod.

“What time is it?” I ask.

“Ten.”

“Shit! The meeting—“

“Don’t bother,” she says. “The date got moved back. It’ll probably be right before or after the wedding.”

“What? Why?”

“You know damn well why. My dad noticed your attention wandering around this weekend.”

I put my head down and run my fingers through my hair. Now that the rush from the way I was woken up is gone, I notice my headache. I get up, get some pain meds and check my phone. There are several missed calls from my dad. I don’t bother checking them yet. I text him saying that I’m spending the day with Brooke and I go back to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-One

I can’t even begin to describe my days anymore. I stop drinking over the next two days because I can’t afford to make that mistake again, but being sober doesn’t help with me having to deal with thinking about Arianna all day. Still, I avoid all contact with her, thinking that maybe things will get easier over time.

I know I need to give my dad time to calm down about the merger so I avoid him too. I leave a message with his secretary saying that I need to take a day or two to help Brooke with wedding stuff. When he finally gets me on the phone, he seems to have calmed down quite a bit, especially after hearing that I really am with Brooke and that we are heading to the mall to pick out tuxedos. He even has the nerve to suggest that we might as well move the wedding date up, which by default, would move the date of the merger as well.

I tell him that it’s up to Brooke and we both know she’s not changing the date. As soon as I hang up, she looks at me and asks what I was talking about.

“Dad suggested me move the wedding date up.”

She hesitates as if she is thinking it through. “No, I don’t think so. Invitations already went out, everything is reserved… is he out of his mind?”

I shrug.

Hours later, we are leaving the mall with everything that we needed done. I wonder why I was even there since Brooke chose everything.

Brooke spends the night again. In the morning, she gets ready to go back to work. She owns a clothing store at a fancy shopping center and she’s basically only there during this time of the month when they’re doing inventory, new orders, and paperwork. She tells me she’s going to have a girls’ night and spend the night at her friend’s house. Honestly, I welcome the break.

I feel like I’m on autopilot for the rest of the day. I go to work, class, then back to work and I try my best to keep busy to keep my mind occupied with things other than Arianna.

After work, I stop by an Italian restaurant to pick up something to eat. It’s getting dark and they are getting busy so I end up parking toward the back of the place. Before I get out of my car, I spot something that catches my attention. The manager of the place gets out from the side door, lights up a cigarette and then I see Brooke come out right behind him. She’s laughing and clearly all over him. She grabs his hand and pulls him toward the back where I now see her black and orange McLaren MP4-12C. I can’t say that I’m surprised by what I’m watching. I’m not even mad or jealous. I just feel numb. I have a somewhat clear view of where they are parked. I watch as he opens the door for her, and grabs her ass before she gets in. I have no reaction whatsoever. He goes around to the driver’s side, gets in, and closes the door. She lowers her head toward his lap as he leans his head back. I just shake my head and at that moment, I get a clear view of what the rest of my life will be like. Work everyday doing something I hate then go home to a wife who I have no feelings for and who will likely be screwing someone else behind my back. In a weird way, I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that she’s at least finding her happiness somewhere.

I don’t want them to notice me there, so I wait until after he goes back in and Brooke leaves, then I drive away and go back to my apartment.

I have an urge to call Arianna just to hear her voice, and as much as I try to justify the fact that if Brooke is doing this behind my back so I could, too… well, I know I can’t bring Arianna into this mess and I know that no matter what I do, I don’t deserve her. I feel trapped. I need to stick to my plan so at least Arianna doesn’t end up hurt like everyone else involved.

Knowing that Brooke will be gone, I pour myself a drink and sit on the couch, leaning my head back and giving in to my thoughts of Arianna.

The phone ringing startles me. I see it’s Owen and answer it.

“Hey,” I say.

“Is Brooke or anyone else around you?” he asks.

I can feel that there’s something wrong. “No. Why?”

“Good. I’m with Arianna now, so I thought I would call from my phone and let you two talk.”

“I can’t, Owen.”

“Man, relax. It’s fine.”

“This is not fair to her. It’s best if we stop talking so she can move on before she gets hurt.”

“Oh, now you don’t want her to get hurt? Wouldn’t you say it’s too late for that?”

I don’t say anything. I know he’s right.

“Just talk to her okay? She’s been sick. I have a feeling that will make her feel better.”

“What do you mean she’s sick? What’s wrong?”

“Probably something she ate.”

I sigh. “I’ll talk to her.”

Seconds later I hear her yell, “Leave me alone!”

“Blake wants to talk to you,” says Owen.

I want to tell him to just leave her be but the words don’t come out. I need to hear her voice and find out how she’s really doing.

I hear the sound of a door closing.

“Hello?” I say.

I hear the click from her hanging up and I drop the phone to my side on the couch. The thought of her mad at me is as bad as the thought of her sick and alone. I feel like I have to see her more than ever.

I fight it.

I drink to try and forget, but the more I drink, the more I need her… the more I want her.

I lie on the couch, close my eyes and try to sleep, but I can’t. I feel anxious, and my mind drifts to a dark place where I know she is mad, vulnerable, and that my brother is probably the biggest player I know. I want to trust him with her, but I can’t.

I get up, grab my keys, and head to the parking garage.

I feel fine. I haven’t had anything to drink in a few days and what I had tonight is nowhere near what I usually drink. I start the car and drive cautiously out of the parking garage. I feel like the drinks are starting to hit me, but as I make my away out of traffic and into the long and deserted road before the pier, I relax.

I hear my phone and I feel my heart race thinking that maybe it’s Arianna, or even Owen. I grab the phone and drop it by my feet. There are no cars coming, so I lower my arm just enough to reach for the phone. I look to see that it’s my dad. When I look back up, it’s too late. I lose control of the car and get off the road, hitting a tree. I black out. When I open my eyes again, I feel pain everywhere. The windshield is shattered and when I touch my forehead I can feel the sticky blood. I see red lights coming in my direction, but I can’t hold on anymore. I think of the smell of the ocean mixed in with her scent and my eyes close.

Chapter Twenty-Two

ARIANNA

I wish I could have yesterday back. I don’t know why, but I feel this pain on my chest. I should’ve talked to him when he called hours before. Something inside me was telling me I would regret the moment when I hung-up.

Owen left sometime in the middle of the night. I heard his phone ring and then he was gone.

I couldn’t sleep. I knew something was wrong… still do. This time when I lay in bed, exhaustion gets the best of me.

He’s smiling down at me and all I can do is look away. Happiness seems to be such a rare emotion for him, it always has, and I know that it’s only a matter of time until I become the one responsible for that smile turning into something dark.

He places his finger under my chin, lifting my head up. “Well, do you regret it?” he asks.

I want to tell him the truth, that I don’t regret it, that I’d rather have had one day with him than none at all, but the words don’t come out at first. I take a deep breath and I know that I have to lie. I have to push him as far away from me as I can, because I have no other option. So I focus on the part that I do regret. I focus on the fact that when offered my dreams to be made true, consequences didn’t even cross my mind. Not just consequences to myself, but I also never once stopped to think about how my choices would impact the ones around me, how they would impact him.

All I can think of is that my next words are going to shatter everything that both of us have lived for in the past few weeks.

And now, here I am, in the awake of one of the worst moments of my life.

I wake up in tears. I know something is not right. I call Owen, but he doesn’t answer. I don’t want to call Blake at the risk of Brooke being around, so I call Cindy instead. She also doesn’t answer.

I feel sick and I don’t understand why. This isn’t like the weakness from before. Desperate, I get up and rush to the sea. I do what Owen showed me. It takes a while, but eventually, my tail embraces my legs, covering them with the blue silky skin. I feel no difference. When I bind myself back to Blake, I feel like I can’t breathe. Gasping for air, I rush inside and call Owen. He doesn’t answer, but I wait and follow the instructions to leave a message. Gasping for air, I say, “It’s not working. I can—can’t breathe. Something is wrong with Blake. I can feel it.”

I hang up, putting the phone next to me on the bed. Seconds later, he’s calling me back.

“Is he okay?” I ask before he can say anything at all.

He doesn’t answer. “What’s going on with you?”

“I don’t know. I did what you showed me to do when I felt sick, only when I bound myself to him again, I couldn’t breathe.”

“Fuck!” He pauses. “Listen to me, okay? I can’t leave the city right now. I want you to go back in the water and unbind yourself to him. Just stay like that for as long as you can. I’ll be there as soon as I can, but it may take a while. Just make sure you are somewhere where the other merfolk can’t get to you.”

“Okay. You didn’t answer me about—”

He hangs up before I can even finish my sentence.

I walk back to the water with tears running down my face. I sit down, and once again do as he showed me, but nothing happens. I try and try, and nothing happens. I run back inside and call Owen.

This time he answers right away.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

Sobbing, I tell him that nothing happened when I tried.

He cusses. “I’m coming to get you and bring you to the city.”

“I can’t leave!”

“You can if I tell you to.”

“Owen, Bram will try to stop the boat. You saw what he did with that storm. I’m never getting out of here.”

He sighs. “Don’t worry. I’ll find something other than a boat. Be ready within the hour.”

“Owen—”

He hangs up again.

I put on a blue summer dress and I’m ready in a matter of minutes. Time seems to go by so much slower after that.

When I hear the helicopter, I go outside and wait by the door.

Owen is the one flying it and he doesn’t even get out. He motions for me to go on and I run toward him. I get in and he leans over me to make sure I’m buckled in and everything is in place, and we start to move up.

I look down and try not to get sick, and I can already see the waves pick up height and speed. It’s as if they’ve been watching my every move the entire time.

I glance at Owen and something about his expression makes the problems from my world seem insignificant.

He looks forward again and within minutes, we start to slowly lower down on an empty field.

He turns everything off, gets out and comes to the other side to help me out. I stop him, putting my hand over his. I can’t do this anymore. I have to know.

“What happened to him, Owen?”

He sighs, and I can feel my hand tighten around his as he talks.

“Last night… he was in a car accident. He had a lot to drink, and—”

I’m shaking and in tears. I start to sob. “How is he, Owen?”

He shakes his head. “He’s not waking up.”

The sobbing turns into uncontrollable crying. Owen picks me up off the seat and I’m not even sure how I got there, but next thing I know, I’m sitting in his car. The city, all of the surroundings are new to me, but I don’t pay attention to anything as he drives. All I think about is Blake.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

“To my apartment.”

“When can I see him?”

He sighs. “After visiting hours.”

I give him a puzzled look.

“That‘s the best time. Brooke won’t be there and neither will my dad.”

“How are we getting in?”

“I can be pretty charming. I’ll work on the nurses.” He says that with a serious tone, too.

We get to his apartment and I stand there awkwardly. It’s as if everything around me is blurry. I don’t notice anything and there’s nothing in my mind but Blake.

“Have a seat,” he says.

I walk toward the black leather couch and sit down. Owen picks up his phone and calls someone.

“Hey, Mom. How’s he? … He did what? … Well, Arianna is here with me. Are you sure?... Okay. We’ll see you in a bit.”

He shakes his head and comes to sit next to me. I know right away that whatever he’s about to tell me is bad. He puts his hand on mine, but I flinch and pull my hand away.

He sits back and stares blankly at me. “My dad rushed out of town for a meeting. He’ll be gone for at least three days. Can you believe that?”

I sit there, not moving, but I can feel the tears run down my cheeks. As sad as that is, I’m not surprised.

“Brooke said to call her if there are any changes. She said she hates hospitals and there’s no need for her to be there, especially since he’s unconscious. Mom doesn’t think she’ll be back unless she gets called, so I’m taking you there now.”

I nod.

“You need to be prepared for the worst. And I don’t know how I’m going to fix you if anything happens to my brother, but for now, you need to be prepared. The doctors don’t know if he’ll ever wake up or what kind of damage he’ll have if he does wake up. And he has bruises on his face and body. I know it will be tough, but please try to keep it together at least while my mom is in there. She already has fallen apart way too many times.”

Still crying, I nod. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep myself together, but at this point, I agree to anything as long as I get to see him.

Owen gets up and looks at me. “Hospitals are cold. Check the closet by the door. I’m sure someone left a coat here at some time or another.

I go look and I find a denim jacket and put it over my dress.

Owen grabs his keys. “Let’s go.”

I start to shiver as soon as we walk in the hospital. I’m not sure it it’s the cold or if I’m just that nervous. Owen opens the door to Blake’s room and I feel as if my heart is going to stop beating. I stay by the door and my eyes go straight to him. He has a bandage on his forehead, but the bruises go past it. Cindy walks toward me and gives me a hug.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she says.

I don’t understand why she is apologizing to me, but I can’t open my mouth to ask and I’m partially afraid of her answer. It almost feels as if Blake told her things about me…about us.

“I’m going to go make a call to check on Molly. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

I nod.

I take a step forward and she leaves the room.

“Do you want me to leave you alone with him?” asks Owen.

I hesitate. I’m afraid of being alone with him. I’m afraid I’ll fall apart.

Owen starts to move toward the door, but I stop him by grabbing his arm.

I look into his eyes. “Where was he going when this happened?”

“It doesn’t matter, Arianna.”

I feel numb. “I should have talked to him on the phone.”

“Don’t do this to yourself. He needs you. Just let it go.”

I nod. Owen takes another step toward the door, but stops and turns around.

“Look, this is all my fault, not yours, okay? I’m sorry for everything… for the deal… I fucked things up pretty badly. You are free to do what you want. I don’t know how I’m going to fix things if you get sick again and I’m going to pay hell for letting you go, but you’re free.”

I should be happy, but I’m not. What is the point of this freedom if I can’t have what I want the most?

Owen walks out without saying anything else and I get the courage to approach Blake.

I slightly brush my fingers against his face then I pull my hand away wondering if he can feel pain. I rest my hand on his.

“You have to wake up, Blake. You have to fight this!”

I can’t hold the tears back. I lean in to give him a kiss on his cheek and a tear falls on his lips. I can feel his warmth and hear his steady heartbeat through the monitors. My gaze moves to his lips. I close my eyes and lean in even more, slightly brushing my lips against his. Then I pull away, and with my eyes still closed, I whisper, “I love you, Blake. You have to wake up. You have to be okay for your family… for me.”

I open my eyes and there is no response whatsoever…. There never is.

***

Months pass. His bruises have healed but nothing else has changed.

There were never any charges filed from the accident. Blake was lucky that he was the only one involved. The wedding has been postponed indefinitely, and they talk about moving him to the house because this is really just a waiting game. He might never even wake up. Brooke never comes to see him. His father only comes once a week, and Owen and Cindy work together to make sure he doesn’t know that I’ve been here this entire time.

I spend all my time at the hospital, except for nights, when I go to Owen’s apartment. He thought about letting me stay at Blake’s, but Brooke has a key and he doesn’t want to risk it.

My relationship with Owen has changed a lot. He was truly sorry for what he had done and I could see the change in him, but lately, he seems worried and stressed, and I know it is about more than just his brother. I wonder if it’s because of the so-called consequences of him letting me go, but I’m afraid to ask and I can’t afford to get involved with his problems. All I want is to focus on Blake.

When I’m with Blake, I tell him stories about my world, because I know this is the only time I will ever be able to tell him that. After telling him those stories, that world doesn’t even seem real anymore. Blake’s world has become my own. I read him his favorite books and when Molly visits, we both read him fairy tales with princes and happy endings and whenever she is gone, I always make the point to tell him that on the contrary of what he thinks, he has always been my fairy tale.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You were supposed to be getting married today,” I tell Blake. My chair is close to his bed and as always, I really hope that he can hear me. I hesitate. “You know, I would rather have you awake and getting married to her than not knowing if you’ll ever wake up.”

I watch him, hoping for some kind of response, once again disappointed when there is none.

I take a deep breath, put my hand over his, entwining our fingers and just watch him.

Owen told me they closed the merger the day before. He thinks Brooke’s dad felt bad for her not coming to see Blake and for screwing around on him on top of everything else, so he gave in and signed the papers. Make no mistake, his dad still wants Brooke and Blake married. There are other benefits coming from uniting both families and Brooke seems to agree. She might not come see him and be screwing around, but she still has every intention of marrying him.

Cindy comes in that day for a little while but she has to leave soon to get Molly. She lets me know that her husband is coming back into town that night so her and Owen will work on helping me see Blake.

As soon as she leaves, I get on the bed with Blake. Owen gave me Blake’s ipod a few weeks back and ever since then, Blake and I got into a routine. I lay with my head on his chest and I start playing one of his playlists, sharing the earphones with Blake.

I close my eyes and listen to his steady heartbeat along with the music and doze off.

I sit up as soon as I hear the sound of the door closing.

His dad stands there, looking more intimidating than ever.

I quickly take off the earphone and stand up right next to Blake’s bed. His dad makes his way around and stands in front of me. “I fucking knew it!” He shakes his head and he is furious.

He never once even looks at Blake. “Did you know that this is all your fault?” He yells. “He was on his way to the island when this happened and I guarantee it was to see YOU.”

I can feel the tears. Even though Owen tried to say it was his fault, I knew that if I had answered the phone that night, none of this would’ve happened.

My gaze goes to the floor and I’m terrified.

“You need to leave! Leave and never come back!” he says.

Something comes over me at that moment.

I lift my head and stare at him.

“Why?” I yell back. “So he can be alone while Brooke is doing who knows what and you are out sleeping around instead of being with your son and with you family?”

The fury in his eyes makes me flinch, but not as much as him raising his hand and moving it toward me, and I know he has every intention of hitting me.

It’s as if everything is moving in slow motion, yet, I can’t move away. My eyes widen as his hand moves toward me.

I hear the dry voice in the background.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE TOUCH HER!”

Our eyes widen but it’s too late. He slaps me across my face and out of instinct my hand covers my cheek and it’s only painful for a second, because when I turn to my side, I can’t even explain how I feel when Blake’s eyes meet mine.

Chapter Twenty-Five

BLAKE

The yelling… It’s all so familiar.

But I can smell her scent in the room and I know those two things don’t belong together. She should never have to be around the sound of his voice, the sound that terrified me my entire life.

I open my eyes and I feel strange. I feel weak. I can tell that I’m at a hospital, but I can’t remember what happened.

I adjust my sight and turn to my side. I see her, but she looks afraid. What I see terrifies me more than his voice.

I try to move my hand up, but I can’t. My muscles are weak.

I try to speak and my voice comes out all wrong, but I find the strength to say it loud enough to get his attention.

“Don’t you fucking dare touch her!”

But it’s too late. I flinch when his hand lands on her face.

My eyes widen as I watch her hand cover the side of her face. Then her gaze meets mine. She lowers her hand and seems to relax.

We stay with our eyes locked on one another.

The voice directed at her makes me look at my dad.

“I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!” he says.

I’m able to move my hand to where I can reach hers. I grab her hand and pull her closer to me.

I look at my dad. “You need to leave. NOW!”

He stares at me like he’s never seen me before, but before he can say anything; one of the nurses walks in. She’s older and her eyes widen as she looks at Arianna’s face, which is quite red. She looks from Arianna to my dad and makes the right assumption. She looks back at Arianna.

“Do you want to file charges?”

My dad gives the nurse a puzzled look and Arianna shakes her head.

The nurse nods. “Sir, you need to leave.”

“Do you know who you are taking to?” he says.

I can tell the nurse is nervous but she doesn’t back down.

“Yes, I know who you are and I also know that you hit her and that you are upsetting my patient, so unless you want me to call security, you need to leave!”

He never once asks if I’m okay. He looks at me and he’s furious. “We’re going to talk about this later, Blake,” he says as he storms out of the room.

The nurse takes a deep breath and walks toward me.

“Thank you,” I say.

She smiles and then looks at Arianna. “As soon as I’m done examining him, I’ll get you some ice, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” Arianna says.

The nurse starts to take my vitals. “Do you remember what happened to you?” she asks.

Now that I’ve had time to calm down, things start to come back to me. I tell her that I remember everything… the accident included.

I look from the nurse to Arianna. “How long has it been?” I ask.

She avoids my gaze. “You were supposed to get married today.”

I’m still holding her hand and I tighten my grip around it, but she doesn’t look at me.

“I’m going to leave the two of you alone,” says the nurse. She pauses and smiles at Arianna. “I know it’s none of my business but you should know that she’s the one who’s been by your side every single day over the past few months.”

I nod and the nurse leaves. I want to smile, but I’m embarrassed for putting Arianna through this. Yet again, I’m the one making her life miserable.

Still holding on to her hand, I pull her closer to the bed and this time, she looks at me, and I get lost in that look. I wonder how I got so lucky to have met her and her so unlucky to have met me.

The nurse knocks on the door and comes back in. “Sorry. Here’s the icepack.” She hands it to Arianna and leaves again.

“Here,” I reach for the icepack with one hand and use my other hand to click the button to move the bed, helping me sit up. I slowly move to the side. “Can you sit next to me?” I ask.

She doesn’t say anything. Her expression went from relief to concern. She moves closer and sits next to me on the bed. I move her hair back and put the icepack to her face.

She flinches as it makes contact with her skin.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get near you ever again.”

She puts her hand over the ice pack, moving it away. Her arms go around me and she starts to sob uncontrollably.

My arms go around her, and I kiss the top of her head. “I can’t believe you’ve been here this entire time,” I say.

We lay there for a while, not saying anything. I can’t believe I put her through this and mostly, I can’t believe she stayed. I have so many questions, about how she managed to be here without being caught by my dad before and about whatever happened to Brooke, but I feel like I should wait to ask those things. I can feel how much she needs this… just being here.

She falls asleep in my arms and I just watch her.

Minutes later, there is a soft knock on the door and my mom comes in. She has a big smile on her face. Her smile widens when she sees Arianna.

She comes in and quietly kisses my forehead then we talk in a low tone not to wake up Arianna. I can’t help but to run my fingers through her hair as we talk.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks.

I nod. “My muscles feel stiff, but I’m sure it will get better with time. Other than that, I feel great.” I look down at Arianna. “Really great.”

My mom’s expression turns into something sad. “Your dad called me and said to make sure she’s gone before I call Brooke to tell her that you are awake. Then I got here and the nurse told me what happened.” She shakes her head.

“What happened during this entire time?” I ask.

She sighs and smiles at Arianna. “For one thing, she hasn’t left your side, except for at night and always after visiting hours. Even then, sometimes the nurses let her stay longer. I know she must be exhausted.”

“How did she manage that without Dad finding out until now?”

“Well, Brooke apparently hates hospitals so that was easy. Owen and I coordinated the rest, and eventually, most of the nurses fell in love with her and they caught on to what was happening, so they started to help, too.”

I look down at Arianna and smile. “She has that effect on people…” I pause. “So, Owen helped, huh?”

Mom nods. “He really did and she ended up staying at his apartment at night. He wanted her to stay at your place, but it was too much of a risk with Brooke having the keys.”

I nod.

My mom sighs. “Blake, they closed the merger. Please, I’m begging you, just take her and live YOUR life.”

“He’s going to make everyone’s lives hell, Mom.”

“Blake, he already does. I just want to see you happy. Please, do this for yourself and for her.”

“I need to find another job first and get myself together. Otherwise, as soon as I’m cut off, I won’t have anywhere to take her.”

She gives me a sad smile. “I have to talk with Owen about some things, and once I do, I might have something that will help the two of you until you get things together.”

I give her a puzzled look.

“I have to go get Molly. I’ll be back later, okay?”

I nod. “What are you going to do about Brooke knowing that I’m awake?”

She shrugs. “She won’t hear it from me.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

ARIANNA

When I wake up, everything seems perfect. It doesn’t even matter that we’re at a hospital.

I know it’s dark outside and I assume that one of the nurses decided I could stay. Honestly, I knew they only sent me away when they could see how exhausted I was and that I really needed to rest.

He’s asleep and when I move to see what time it is, he wakes up and pulls me closer and I rest my head on his chest.

He runs his fingers through my hair and I close my eyes.

“Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” he says.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t drink again.”

He pulls away enough to where we can look at each other.

“I promise. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I’m for putting you through this.”

Feeling uncomfortable, I look away.

“Arianna, why did you stay?”

“I talked to you about it all the time while you were in the coma. In a way, I wish you could remember.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you said now?”

I skip the part where I tell him about my world, but I do tell him about lying by his side and listening to music, about Molly and I reading him fairy tales and about how once Molly was gone I would tell him that he was my fairy tale. I don’t know where I got the courage to tell him that, but I’m glad I did.

He laughs. “Ah. God knows how much I love you, Arianna, but your concept of a fairy tale prince is very disturbing.”

Both of our eyes widen at the realization of what he just said.

He stops laughing and turns serious. He slowly sits up and leans over me. “I mean it, Arianna. I love you and this is driving me insane, but I need to know why you stayed this entire time.”

I feel like my heart stops beating. “Because I love you, too.”

He leans down, closing the distance between us and his lips are on mine.

We can hear the change in the sound of the heart monitors, and as hard as it is, we pull away before a nurse comes running, especially since I’m not supposed to be here.

He lies back down next to me.

“What is going to happen now?” I ask.

He sighs. “I’m not leaving you, ever… That is for sure. But I still need to figure some things out. If you are okay with it, I could ask Owen if you can stay at his apartment until I do.”

I nod.

“I wonder where he is anyway. I figured he would stop by or something.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” I say. “He seems distracted, like he has something going on. I’m sure he’ll come by soon.”

“Hmm. I’ll give him a call tomorrow.”

He stops and watches me curiously.

I stare back at his eyes. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” he says. “You are all I ever think about.”

I smile and look away.

“I wish I knew more about you,” he says.

“There’s not much to know.”

“Where are you from? I don’t even know your last name…”

Uncomfortable with the questions, I sit up.

“I don’t like to talk about my life, at least not my life before I met you.”

He sits up and puts his arms around me, pulling me back down on the bed with him. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, sometimes I feel like if you were to walk out of that door right now, I would never be able to find you. I would have nothing to go by.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I say and I mean every word.

“I hope not. But I wouldn’t know what to do if your father or… his choice for you, found you and managed to take you away.”

A shiver goes through my body.

“Not that they will be able to,” he quickly says once he notices how uneasy I’ve become. “I’ll make sure they never find you.”

I sigh. “I can’t talk about it right now. Just please trust me when I say that I would never willingly leave you.”

After that, we fall into silence. Blake slowly lowers his hand to the small of my back, moving it under my shirt, and brushes his fingers against my bare skin as I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. This is so relaxing that I end up falling back asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

BLAKE

Making promises to Arianna is so different than promises that I’ve made to others in the past. I used to just say whatever people wanted to hear to make them happy, but with her, I mean it and I can feel the weight of my every word on my shoulders.

“Promise me that no matter what happens you won’t drink again.”

I consider this, and at this point, I know there is no way I’m going back to how things were before. I need to find a way for her to stay in my life and as long as I can do that, I won’t need another drink to escape from reality.

I pull away enough to where we can look at each other.

“I promise. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I’m for putting you through this.”

I know why she stayed over the months. I can see it in her eyes, but I need to hear it from her, so I ask her.

I can see that she blushes and tries to hide it, but she takes a deep breath and tells me about the music, reading, and her fairy tale nonsense, which makes me feel even more guilty for not being able to be that person for her.

I laugh. “Ah. God knows how much I love you, Arianna, but your concept of a fairy tale prince is very disturbing.”

This catches us both by surprise. I can’t believe I just told her that I love her like this. It just came out.

I stop laughing, sit up and lean over her. “I mean it, Arianna. I love you and this is driving me insane, but I need to know why you stayed this entire time.”

I know her answer before she says the words, but the way she says it… everything that she has done for me… I know she’s the one person I can’t hurt again.

I lean down and kiss her. I still feel weak and that, along with the heart monitors are the only things keeping me from taking her right here. I pull away because if I don’t stop kissing her now, I won’t be able to stop myself.

I lay back down and when she asks me what’s going to happen now, I don’t know how to answer it at first. “I’m not leaving you, ever… that’s for sure.” And I offer to ask if she can stay at Owen’s apartment while I work some things out.

She nods and I don’t get it how she can be so damn understanding about everything.

We talk about Owen and it worries me that she‘s so concerned about him. If she only knew… Owen always has some dramatic issue going on. What bothers me the most is thinking that I know nothing about her and she is not willing to talk. Mostly, I have a bad feeling about her dad and so-called husband, and I don’t like the idea of not being able to find her if they manage to find and take her away. The fact that she’s not willing to talk about her past, takes my mind to the worst possible situations in relation to whatever happened to her and I can feel myself get angrier. But she’s not ready to talk and I let it go for now.

After that, we fall into silence. I lower my hand to the small of her back, moving it under her shirt and brush my fingers against her bare skin. Her skin is so soft and warm. I want her and I start to regret stopping myself earlier.

“Arianna?”

She doesn’t answer and I can tell by her breathing that she is asleep.

I reach for my phone and call Owen.

He answers after a few rings and he sounds out of breath.

“Hey. Sorry, man. I was planning on coming to see you in the morning.”

“What are you doing—” I start to ask, but then I hear the girl in the background.

“Never mind.”

“Look, don’t judge okay? I don’t get many nights without Arianna around.”

“Who the hell is Arianna?” I hear the girl snap.

“Relax, sweetheart. I just met you tonight and I don’t do well with jealousy. Arianna is my brother’s girl.”

I shake my head.

“Do you have time to talk?” I ask.

“Sure. By the way, Dad is pissed. They won’t let him anywhere near your room.”

“Good.”

He laughs. “Yeah, good only while you are in there. You can’t hide forever.”

I sigh. “I know, which is why I need your help.”

He takes a deep breath. “Go on.”

“I need a safe place for Arianna to stay while I work some things out.”

“I can’t. He came by earlier and my hands are tied… no pun intended.” He laughs. “Sweetheart, can you untie my other hand?” he asks the girl. “Sorry about that. Anyway… he said if she ends up here, the apartment is gone. I can get away with her here every once in a while, but on a permanent basis, that is pushing it. By the way, you should know that Dad told Brooke that you are awake.”

“Fine. Thanks.” I hang up and throw the phone across the room. I have no idea what I’m going to do. He controls every single bank account I have, and the best I can do is wait until I’m recovered to find a job outside of his company and get money to get us a place, but in the mean time, I’m trapped.

Arianna wakes up abruptly. “What happened?”

I grab her hand and pull her down on top of me. Her lips close to mine.

I move my hand to the back of her neck, pull her down and kiss her.

“Blake,” she whispers as she pulls away.

The last thing I want to do is talk. I go back to kissing her. I move my hand to her thigh and under her skirt, moving my hands up until I reach her waist, where I stop, pick her up, and move her where she straddles me.

When she feels how turned on I am, she looks over to the monitors. I’m not sure what she is looking for, but she stops, looks at me again, and I can feel her hands moving my pants down and next thing I know, I’m inside her and nothing else matters, at least not during that moment.

At some point, I think I heard a soft knock on the door, but whoever it was... a nurse probably… went way.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Rise and shine!” Arianna and I both jump awake at the sound of Owen’s voice. He stands by the door of my hospital room, holding a bag of food and orange juice.

“What time is it?” I ask.

“Early,” says Owen. “I came to get Arianna before Brooke gets here.”

I can feel her tense at the sound of Brooke’s name and Owen can see it too.

“I’ll wait outside while she gets ready,” says Owen. He puts the food down on the desk and leaves the room.

“Look at me,” I tell her.

When she turns, I can see the fear in her eyes.

“Things are not going to go back to the way they were,” I say. “I will never forget you were the one by my side throughout this whole thing.”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to anything because of it. I was here by choice. You don’t owe me anything.”

I shake my head. Does she not get it?

“Arianna, you know there’s more to it then that. I told you, I love you.”

She looks away. “But I’ve also heard you say that to Brooke.”

Ouch. That really hurts. I nod and take a deep breath. “You’ll have to trust me when I tell you that I meant it when I said it to you. That is the only time I ever said it to anyone and really meant it.”

She smiles. “I believe you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t get you stressed over this.”

I smile back and kiss her before she gets up.

I watch her as she fixes her hair. I hate how sad she looks and I also hate the thought that Brooke will be the one standing here shortly.

“Arianna?”

She turns around to look at me.

“I want you to stay.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to be here when Brooke gets here.”

She gives me a puzzled look.

“Trust me,” I say. I actually feel good about this.

The nurse comes in followed by Owen. She checks my vitals and says that the doctor will be coming to see me today and that I’ll have my first physical therapy session as well.

Owen keeps looking at his watch and as soon as the nurse is gone, he asks Arianna if she’s ready.

She looks at me.

“She’s staying,” I say.

I know he’s about to say that I lost my mind, but it’s too late. Brooke is standing by the door and it’s not me who she’s looking at.

“WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?”

To my surprise, Owen walks over toward Arianna and stands in between the two of them.

“Close the door,” I say.

Just then, Brooke looks at me and it’s almost as if she doesn’t know how to react. She closes the door and stands there with her arms crossed and waiting on an explanation.

“Well…” she says.

“If you had bothered to come see me, you would probably have caught her here sooner being that she was the one by my side throughout these last few months.”

Her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open.

“Shit,” says Owen. “Man, don’t say anything you’ll regret later.”

Brooke laughs. “When did your brother become the wise one?”

I start to wonder the same thing.

“Look,” says Brooke. “You know hospitals creep me out, honey.”

I shake my head. “Don’t you get tired of pretending?” I ask.

She gives me a puzzled look and starts to get nervous. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see or hear any of this. I’m sure you are not acting like yourself because you are still recovering anyway. Your dad is already arranging for your physical therapy to be done at the house, so we’ll be able to spend more time together and get back to normal. And everything is practically ready for the wedding anyway.”

“Normal?” I laugh and they all just stare at me. “Brooke, there will be no wedding.”

“Your dad—”

“For now, please just go back to your house and act like everything is ‘normal’, for your dad and mine. At least until we figure out what to do. But you so much as tell either of them something different than that, and your dad will be the first to know about you and the manager of that Italian restaurant.”

Her eyes widen even more. She turns around and leaves, slamming the door on her way out. I can only hope that she’ll follow through with what I asked of her.

I face Owen.

“Holy shit, dude. Who are you and what did you do to my brother?” he asks.

I shrug. I look at Arianna and she’s smiling at me as if for the first time she believes we’re not going back to how things used to be.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

ARIANNA

I have to keep reminding myself that I need to breathe. I’m shocked about what he told Brooke and I’m afraid of what will happen now. Owen looks like he’s just seen a ghost, but he doesn’t say much.

One of the nurses comes in to get Blake to his physical therapy and says that his doctor will meet us there. She asks if I’m going to go with Blake and he says that I am before I even get a chance to respond.

Blake has a little trouble getting out of the bed, but he declines the wheelchair and they give him a walker instead. The nurse smiles, “he won’t need one of these for much longer, especially if he keeps getting his nighttime physical therapy,” the nurse grins and winks at me. It takes me a while to get it, and I blush. Owen is grinning too and Blake doesn’t look happy at the nurse’s indiscretion, but he lets it go.

After about thirty minutes of physical therapy, the doctor says that he wants to keep Blake at the hospital for a few extra days, but that he will be okay to have someone go to his home for the physical therapy, as long as he keeps his follow up visits. He also needs to have someone with him all the time in case of any setbacks. Even though the charges were dropped, the doctor says no driving, even if Blake is able to get his license back right away.

When we get back to Blake’s room, Blake opens the door and almost loses his balance. He stumbles back and manages to back up the walker and close the door, but not before I see Owen behind a nurse who is bent over Blake’s bed.

Blake looks at me and shakes his head. “That’s my brother…”

Seconds later, the nurse opens the door and blushing, runs out of there. We walk in the room and Owen is grinning.

Blake shakes his head once again.

“What?” says Owen. “I have to pay my dues if you want Arianna to be able to stay past visiting hours. Did you think the nurses were just being nice for the hell of it?” he laughs.

I start to feel dizzy and sit down on the couch. I look over at the uneaten breakfast and realize that I haven’t eaten anything yet.

Blake looks concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

I shrug. “Nothing. I’m just hungry and tired.”

He looks at Owen. “Can you take her to your apartment and make sure she gets something to eat and rest? I’ll talk to mom and make sure dad doesn’t find out.”

Blake sits next to me and pulls me close to him. “Don’t worry about me, okay? Just rest. Owen will bring you back tomorrow.”

I nod and get up. Owen hands me the cup with orange juice and says I should at least drink that. On the way out, Blake says, “Oh, Owen, please send a nurse in to change the bed sheets.”

We all laugh.

On the way to the apartment, Owen doesn’t say anything. As soon as we walk in, he makes me something to eat and then he sits next to me while I eat, and I can tell that whatever he has to say, it’s not good.

“You know this is going to get bad, right?” he asks and I nod.

“Good. I just want you to be prepared because if he really goes against our dad, I’m not sure what will be left of him.”

I know that he’s right and it terrifies me.

“Feeling better?” he asks.

“No.”

“Does it feel anything like when you got sick before?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“That’s good. I wonder if you’d be able to turn into a mermaid again now that he is well.”

I nod. “I think I would be able to. I can feel it. Ever since he woke up, I felt this crave for being… me.” I pause. “Can I ask you something?”

He nods.

“What did you have to pay for letting me go? What did you even owe before to begin with?”

He sighs. “That’s my problem. It’s best if you don’t know. Trust me.”

The doorbell rings and he opens the door to Cindy and Molly.

Molly comes running toward me, but Owen stops her saying that I don’t feel well.

Cindy looks concerned. She asks if I’m okay and Owen tells her I just need to rest and eat something… that I over-exhausted myself, and he grins as he says that.

I roll my eyes at him and finish eating.

Cindy sits down and hands him a folder full of papers. “I want you to sign this,” she says.

He gives her a puzzled look and takes the folder from her shaky hands.

“What is this?” he asks

“This is the deed for the island.”

“But it has mine and Blake’s name on it.”

She nods.

“Your grandfather left the island for you and Blake and there are trust funds set out on each of our names.”

“There are?”

She nods again. “You and Blake can’t touch your trust funds until you finish college or get married, but I want to buy your part of the island with mine and I want to give it to Blake.”

I’m in shock and so is Owen.

“Why?” he asks.

She sighs. “I want Blake to have a place to take Arianna and if it has your name on it, we both know your dad will find a way to get your half and do whatever he wants with it. Your grandfather never wanted him to get his hands on the island.

Owen doesn’t ask any more questions. He doesn’t even ask how much she is paying for it. He just signs the papers and hands it over to her. She smiles at him, but it’s a heavy smile, full of concern.

She puts the papers back in the folder and asks if Owen can watch Molly while she goes to see Blake.

Chapter Thirty

BLAKE

The phone rings and I decide to answer it thinking that it’s best if our first conversation after what happened is done over the phone instead of face-to-face.

“Did you get fucking stupid after the accident?”

I take a deep breath. “No, sir.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I’m moving you to the house for your physical therapy.”

“No. I want to be at my apartment.”

“What? Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No, sir. Brooke has access to my apartment. I wouldn’t be that stupid.”

I wonder if my plan will work or if he will even check with Brooke, but I’m glad that for now, things seem to be going my way.

He hesitates then says. “Well, let’s hope you aren’t.”

Then he hangs up without even asking how I’m doing.

My mom comes in sometime after that. When I wake up from a nap, she is there, watching me.

“How long have you been here?” I ask.

“Not too long.”

She takes a deep breath, stands up and walks toward me. She hands me a folder full of papers. “What is this?” I ask.

“The island,” she says. “It’s yours.”

My eyes widen and I look up at her.

“Your grandpa left it for you and Owen. Owen sold me his half and I’m giving it to you. Your grandpa also left you a trust fund but you can’t touch it until you finish school.”

“Do you mean law school specifically? Because I already finished one degree.”

She smiles. “Your grandpa just wanted you to have an education in whatever you wanted to. I’ll talk to the lawyer, but I think you’ll be okay.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Just live your life, son. Be happy.”

“I’m assuming that Dad doesn’t know?”

She shakes her head. “And I’m not sure what he will do once he finds out, but I’ll deal with him.”

“Mom!”

“Blake, I’ve always felt guilty for not being able to protect you and Owen from him. I need to do this.”

I nod. “Please let me know if things get out of hand.”

“I will.”

I hate this feeling, but I know she is lying.

Chapter Thirty-One

ARIANNA

Even after eating, I still don’t feel well. I leave Owen with Molly and go to his room, where I manage to fall asleep. When I wake up in the morning, I open my eyes to find Blake sleeping next to me.

My heart skips a beat or two. I stay there watching him. As if he can feel my gaze on him, he opens his eyes. I love the intensity in the way he looks at me. He’s also smiling like never before.

He moves a lock of my hair behind my ear.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper.

“When I called to check on you, Owen said you still weren’t feeling well. With a lot of persuasion, I managed to be discharged from the hospital.”

“But your father—”

“He doesn’t matter, Arianna. I lost every single ounce of respect for him once he yelled at you that night, and once I saw him hit you, I just…” he sits up on the bed, with his back turned to me, and runs his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never been able to stand up for myself while growing up,” he turns to look at me, “but I will stand up for you against anyone who ever threatens to hurt you in any way.”

“Blake, it’s okay. And you should be able to forgive him one day. He’s still your father.”

“No, it’s far from okay. And I know it’s not fair for me to get you into this mess of a family when you already had to escape yours to begin with. I told you, I can’t give you the fairy tale and I’m not sure I ever will be able to.”

“I thought you were here to make me feel better, not worse,” I say with a playful tone.

He smiles. “You’re right, and I have a surprise for you.”

He’s radiating happiness in a way that I can’t help but to smile. “What is it?”

He kisses my forehead. “You’ll know soon.”

He starts to get up. “I have to run a few errands, but do you feel well enough to go back to the island later?”

I nod.

“Good. Owen is being weird and insists that we can’t take the boat so he’ll be flying you in later.”

“What about you?” I ask.

“I’ll be there waiting for you.”

“You are not taking the boat are you?” I ask concerned.

“What is it with you and Owen?” he laughs. “No, Owen is flying me in before he takes you there.”

I smile, wondering what he is up to and I’m happy just to see him this happy.

He kisses me and says that he needs to go but that he will see me later.

BLAKE

I hate leaving her side, even if it’s only for a matter of hours.

My dad hasn’t found out about the island yet. He had to go out of town again and he still thinks that I’m at the hospital. Honestly, it’ll be best this way. By the time he finds out about everything, it’ll be too late. I just wish I could do things right by Brooke, but I can’t do that without the risk of everything falling apart in the mean time.

I can’t drive, and we can’t trust our driver so I go out with Mom and Molly. Once we are at the shopping center, I go one way and Mom and Molly go in the opposite direction. This time, I make every single decision and everything feels the way it should be. I grin as I hold the box in my hand and I just hope Arianna doesn’t feel pressured by the way I planned everything to the last detail.

I meet Mom and Molly a little while later and we make a stop to pick up one of Mom’s friends before we head to the island.

As soon as Owen drops us off, he goes back for Arianna.

The more time passes, the more nervous I am. I help Mom prepare everything to make time go by faster and then I change into khaki pants and a white shirt and go outside to wait for her. I sit on the sand, close to the house and I can’t help but to relive the first night I saw her. I don’t know what brought her to this island, but it doesn’t matter. I’m just happy that she got here.

When the helicopter approaches, I stand up and wait.

As soon as they land, I rush to get her out of there. Owen sees how nervous I am and he makes a few jokes thanking her for flying and saying that it’s common courtesy for the pretty passengers to sleep with the pilot.

Arianna looks uncomfortable and I know he’s just being, well… he’s just being Owen, but I give him a look that clearly says he’s crossing the line and he walks away.

Owen goes back inside the house and I take Arianna to the tree house, taking the long way there.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

I grin. “You’ll see.”

When we get to the tree house, she seems uneasy and I almost regret my choice, but then I think of what this place represents to me.

“Before you go up,” I say, “I understand that this place brings up bad memories for you, but this is also the place that means the most to me.”

“Because of your grandfather,” she says.

I nod. “That and this was my safe place as a kid. I’m hoping to erase that bad memory that you got with a good one.”

I grin and motion toward the ladder. “After you.”

She climbs up and I get in after her. Like the first time, there are rose petals all over the tree house.

She turns around and although the tree house is not that big, I manage to be on my knee as she does so.

She gasps when she sees the ring, but her gaze doesn’t stay there for long. She looks at me and her gaze is locked on mine and I get even more nervous when I can’t read her expression.

“Marry me,” I say.

“Blake, I—”

“I want you to marry me today. Right now.”

“But Bram—”

“We both know that’s not a legal marriage that your dad forced you into.

She nods and her gaze moves to the floor.

“But what about my last name, or paperwork?”

“Owen took care of everything. Arianna, I don’t even have to look at those papers. Say yes, and from now on, you are Arianna Crawford. No looking back. We have someone at the house to make everything official, just—do you want to marry me?” I ask starting to think I might have scared her off.

I’m surprised when she leans down, crying, and throws her arms around me. “Yes!”

I’m still not all that strong, and I end up on my back with her lying on my side.

I grab her hand and put the ring on her finger. It’s a simple white gold band but it reminds me of her in every way… simple and beautiful.

Chapter Thirty-Two

ARIANNA

We lay at the tree house, side my side, with our fingers entwined. I should be happy… I’m happy… but something is missing.

He brings my hand to his lips and kisses my finger where I now have the ring on.

“Something is bothering you,” he says.

I looked away.

“Talk to me.”

“Blake, I want to marry you and to be with you more than anything. I just feel like—”

“I’m rushing you…” he finishes my sentence.

I take a deep breath. “No, that’s not it. I just… there are things about me that I want to be able to tell you before we get married and I’m not ready to tell you these things yet.” Truth is, I see the way he looks at Molly and it wouldn’t be fair to marry him without letting him know that I will never be able to have kids. “I’m sorry… I probably sound stupid worrying about all these things.”

“No, don’t say that. If you want to wait, we will wait.”

I’m taken by surprise on how understanding he is. I was honestly afraid of being the reason for his smile to disappear once again.

When we go back to the house, we walk by the back porch and it’s all decorated with lanterns and flowers.

I gasp. “You planned all of this?”

He nods.

“It’s beautiful.”

Owen comes out through the back door.

“So, do we have a wedding or what?”

I freeze in place, feeling horrible.

Blake slips his hand into mine and squeezes it.

“There will be, but not today.”

He smiles at me letting me know that everything will be okay.

“I guess I will let everyone know,” says Owen.

I turn to look at Blake. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? You still said yes. That’s more than I could have asked for.”

Later that day, everyone leaves to go back to the city but Blake and I stay. I hear his phone ring and once he ignores it, I know it’s either his dad or Brooke.

“When are you going to tell them?” I ask him.

“As soon as we get back to the city this week. I’d rather do it face-to-face.”

I nod and smile at him.

His phone rings again and this time it’s the hospital. He was waiting on a call back to schedule his follow up appointment. As he answers it, I step outside and sit on the sand, looking at the sea.

The sea is calm and peaceful. There are absolutely no signs of an entire world beneath, controlling its every movement.

I take a deep breath, close my eyes and just listen to the water.

When I open my eyes, Blake is sitting in front of me. He leans in, putting his hand on my back and kissing me as we both lay down on the sand.

He kisses my neck stopping only to take my tank top off. He then slowly plays with the button on my shorts, stopping as soon as he opens the button. His hand moves down to my inner thigh as he continues to kiss my stomach, my chest, and back to my neck. He stops right where I can feel his warm breath against my ear and whispers, “I love you, Arianna.”

“I love you too.”

He moves his hands to pull my shorts down and once he takes his shirt off, he stands up and extends his hand, taking my hand in his.

“Let’s go in the water,” he says.

I freeze. “No, not there.” I look over and see that the water is still calm and I know they have finally let me go. Still, I can’t go in the water like this.

He gives me a puzzled look.

I meet his gaze and say, “I want you right here.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

We have three days until we have to go back for Blake’s follow up appointment, physical therapy, and to talk to his dad and Brooke. We spend every single moment together, mostly in his—our bedroom.

I start to become eager to tell him things about me. He has the right to know everything, but a small part of me is afraid that he will not deal well with it, so I decide to wait until we get back after his appointment.

I know that whatever happens when he talks to his dad will be enough of an emotional stress and I don’t need to add even more to it, at least not right now.

I’m no longer concerned about taking the boat back. I’m convinced that we are safe, and so, we arrange for Owen to meet us in the city to drive us to Blake’s doctor.

We get in the boat and when I realize how blind I was by our happiness and hope that I would finally get my happily ever after, it’s too late. The waves come strong, hitting the boat. We get hit by wave after wave and I know the reason behind it. I know that I’m the reason why we are both going to die. Blake is yelling at me to hold on to something, but I don’t hear the words. All I think about is how my short-lived dream is about to end.

The worst of it all is that the reason why my dream has turned into a nightmare is not because of Brooke or Blake’s father. It’s not even because of Owen and his black magic, but it’s because of my father and Bram.

When the boat turns, we both go under, and by under, I mean that we are being dragged down underwater by Bram and Amias.

I say the words for my tail to appear and in a way I’m shocked that it works to begin with.

I look at Blake, but his eyes are closed.

I panic knowing that he won’t survive being underwater. I might not be able to save myself from my world, but I need to save his life.

I see my father behind Bram and I’m not sure how to read his expression. He’s not mad, but he’s not happy either.

“Please let him go,” I beg him. “Let him go and I will stay without you having to force me to.”

“Let him go!” he orders. Bram is not happy but he lets him go and Blake’s body starts to float toward the top.

“Lyra!” My father calls.

She swims toward us.

“Make sure the human makes it back to the island.”

She nods and gives me an apologetic look.

She swims toward Blake and takes him away, and at that moment, I lose all willingness to live.

Father turns around and swims away, and so does Amias, leaving me alone with Bram, and this Bram is nothing like the one from before. He’s angry and uncaring. I yell because of the pain that I can now feel spreading from my tail to my stomach, but he acts as if nothing is happening. My stomach hurts so much that I bend down and sink to the bottom of the sea. Bram doesn’t even really look at me. He grabs me by my arm and swims toward his house… my prison.

Chapter Thirty-Four

OWEN

My deadline is over and I have nothing to offer in return for the favors that I used. At first my plan was ideal. I was going to take Blake’s place by my father’s side, destroy Brooke and trade her soul for everything that was meant to be mine.

Now I stand here in his office with nothing. I don’t regret it. I messed up so many things with Arianna’s life that I feel as if I owed it to her.

I still want the power and I have no problem giving him anything and everything he asks of me, just as long as the souls that I’m taking are from humans who don’t deserve a soul to begin with.

They both walk in and neither of them look happy.

I stand near the desk, and Darius, the one who I made the deal with, gets dismissed.

As soon as Darius is gone, he slams his hand on the desk.

“All along you, you little shit, were the one fucking things up for me?”

“Dad, I can explain.”

“Shut up when I’m talking. I told you from the beginning that you couldn’t handle any of this. I knew Blake would never be up for it, so I thought… why not… the kid wants to play with dark magic, let him… what is the worst that can happen?”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“You are going to fix this!” he says. “I already owe far too much and I’m not paying for your favors in addition to mine. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

He takes a deep breath and sits down.

You’d think it’s over, but it’s not. This is the part where I get my warning for what will happen if I don’t make things right or find a way to re-pay what I owe.

Darius comes back in, and this time, one of his men walks in with him. I think his name is Derek, but my fascination with trying to remember his name is just my way of keeping my mind away from what is about to happen, and so, the punching session begins. I get hit over and over and there’s no point in fighting back. The less I fight, the sooner this will be over. I can feel the blood dripping down my face, but I still stand there, taking the punches because that’s how Blake and I were taught to do. And throughout the whole time I stare at my father’s eyes, and the grin on his face as he takes a sip of his drink and watches me get beaten for no reason other than his revenge and pleasure.

***

The End.

For now….

Coming Soon

Fated

A Mermaid’s Curse Novel

Other Books by Daniele Lanzarotta

Academy of the Fallen Series

Wide Awake

Nephilim

Sins of the Fallen

Forsaken (Coming soon)

***

Imprinted Souls Series

Imprinted Souls

Bloodlust

Divine Ashes

Blood Bound

Shattered Souls

About the author:

DANIELE LANZAROTTA
is the author of fantasy/paranormal novels, including Imprinted Souls Series, Academy of the Fallen, and Mermaid’s Curse. She enjoys reading and writing young adult novels with just about any sort of paranormal or supernatural bent ... vampires ... ghosts... Daniele currently lives in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband, daughter and two lovable puppies (who are not really quite puppies anymore), Stitch and Gizmo.

***
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You may also purchase this book at Rocket Science Productions’ online bookstore, www.rsplaunchpad.com

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Author’s Note:

I’m honored to share a sneak preview of Devyn Dawson’s

Sapphire – A Werewolf Love Story

This book is NA 17+

It contains explicit language and sexual situations

Sapphire

A Werewolf Love Story

By Devyn Dawson

Prologue

“Shut up! Stop talking to me!” He yells in my face. His teeth are neon yellow, and his breath reeks of coffee and cigarettes. “Are you the one that did it? Did you send those bastards after me?” He pushes the metal folding chair I’m tied to until it almost tipped sideways. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

“I thought you wanted me to stop talking.” He glares at me with his demon-like eyes. I turn my head towards him…don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…stay strong. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know you,” I proclaim for the hundredth time since this morning when he kidnapped me.

“Stop playing dumb…you bitch!” Spittle sprayed on my face as he shouted at me. “I’m sick of girls like you thinking you’re better than me. Was that your boyfriend?”

I take a deep breath to keep my words steady. “Listen, I don’t have a boyfriend. Whatever the problem is, I can help you. Do you need money? I have money, take me to the bank and you can have however much you need.”

Without warning, he backhands me across the face. “Money? I don’t want your money…slut!”

My face stings but he won’t see me play victim. “Please tell me what’s going on. My family needs me, please don’t kill me,” I plead. My sensei would tell us to bargain with our assailant if we’re ever attacked. Keep them engaged until we can get in a position to disarm the person. This guy doesn’t have a weapon, but he’s strong as hell. He’s Hispanic, but talks like he’s lived in the United States for a long time. His accent isn’t strong, it’s watered down. Take inventory of every feature on his face.

Two moles near his right temple.

Flat nose, wide nostrils.

His top lip curls down when he talks, as if he’s disgusted from every word from his mouth.

Chickenpox scar on his left eyebrow.

The most noticeable flaw, the burn marks on his right hand. He’s been burned severely in his past.

My mom and Storm are spending the day together so I left her my car. I rode my bike to work, happy to get out in the April sunshine. I pulled up to work and started to get off my bike when I was assaulted from behind. I’m praying someone will notice my bike at work and how I’m not. How long before they call the police is debatable.

“Your family? You’re going to beg for mercy for your family? Right, I’ll care if you have a family.” He enunciates every word with venom. “I can’t have a family because of you. He might not be your boyfriend now, but he was at one time. He still follows you, did you know that? He watches you, and I watch him watching you. I wouldn’t have figured it out, but one night I saw him parked on your street. What a surprise he’s going to have when he finds you when I’m finished.” He takes a folded up piece of notebook paper and stuffs it in my front pocket of my pants. “There’s a reason he never turned you into a monster. What was the reason Sapphire? What. Was. The. Reason. Bitch!” He does know my name. I’m not random, that changes the rules of the game. He’s out for vengeance for some reason, and he thinks I know why.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Tell me what’s wrong.”

Like a crazed lunatic, he drops to his knees in front of me, and he starts unbuttoning my button down blouse. Before I can register what he is doing, he bites my side.

Chapter 1

SAPPHIRE

Three years ago

“Ruby, you’re getting on my nerves. I told you already, I’ve been volunteering at the hospital all day,” I complain. A few weeks ago, I was sentenced to community service at Mercy hospital after my sister Ruby got into a minor disagreement in the movie theater parking lot. I intervened; and my fist was caught making contact with a mouthy girl’s cheek. The security officer called the police.

“You were there for four hours, how does that make it an all day event?” Ruby asks. She comes into my room to admire herself in the full length mirror. One thing Ruby doesn’t lack…confidence. “How are my girls?” She says and turns sideways to see her profile.

“Your girls look fine. There is more to you than your boobs.”

Ruby busts out laughing. “Okay Phire, I don’t need a lecture about how I’m so much more than my rockin’ body. I picked this shirt up at a yard sale last weekend. I love when I find a name brand bargain.” The red lipstick she carefully applied accentuated the fullness of her lips. “Come on, Erwin will be there with his boys.”

“I know Erwin, and his boys are nothing but trouble makers.”

“Says the girl who just got finished with her community service,” Ruby quipped.

She did not just go there. “Oh, says the girl who started the fight.” The whole fight was over a girl flirting with Erwin. The girl threw a punch at Ruby and I turned and knocked her out.

Ruby crosses the room and kneels next to the bed, “I might be a pain in your ass, but we’re going to go strut our stuff. Get up, throw on your jeans and boots, it’s time to get rowdy.” She holds her hands up in prayer and pouting.

“If I go, you’re going with me to the casino after the game. You promised me that we’d do karaoke when I finished my community service. Keep in mind; as soon as Erwin’s boys start acting like horn-dogs, I’m out. Got it sis?”

Ruby leans over and kisses me on the nose. “You’re the best, I owe you one.”

“Yeah, yeah, about fifty…who’s counting? I hope it doesn’t rain tonight. I can’t wait until tornado season is over.”

Ruby graduated high school last summer but she couldn’t give up soccer games. She played soccer until her junior year when she had an ACL injury. Her coach and doctor agreed her soccer days were over. At nineteen she not only looks older than she is, but she knows she’s an expert at prowling. She never had a shortage of boyfriends but she couldn’t stay committed when Erwin came around. He’d been a senior her freshman year. I was a senior too, but I took classes online so I could work during the day to help with bills. He was the quarterback, and she was smitten, they were picture perfect to the average eye. It wasn’t long before his personality proved he was after one thing and would stop at nothing. They dated off and on for the last couple of years. With every break-up, I loathed him more and more.

I tucked in my black button down blouse, making sure the top two buttons are left open. I turn around and check my butt, making sure the pockets make it look fuller. Black Ariat cowboy boots, and a rhinestone belt, yeah I’d turn heads, with any luck…the adult male ones.

“Ooo girl, wow, for someone that hates outdoor soccer games, you look smoking hot.” Ruby says as she shimmied into her denim jacket.

We’d no sooner walked through the gates for the game, when we were bombarded by a group of screaming girls. Ruby has never had a shortage of so-called friends. I never trusted them; they only seemed interested in our half-brother Stone. His father is from Spain, mixed with our full-blooded Native American mother Pearl. His exotic look and big smile turns heads wherever he goes. He works as a ranch hand, which made him big and bulky, the kind that teen girls and cougars find sexy. Ruby would bring someone home and they’d no sooner walked in the door, and would ask where Stone slept.

Knowing Ruby would be gossiping for another ten minutes, girl can talk! I decide to bite-the-bullet and stand in the concessions line. I stand there staring at my cell phone, pretending to be engaged in an important text conversation. I glance up; my gaze lingers into amber-colored eyes. He’d been looking down at his phone a second ago, now, his eyes boring into me. My heart flutters as his eyes locked with mine.

Don’t stare Sapphire, that’s rude. My mom’s words running through my head. I drop my gaze, but not before he gives me a crooked grin. He is not walking over here. Oh yes he is. I take mental inventory of my surroundings. Habits die hard with me, especially since I was attacked during my sophomore year. I left the library one night after dark, but my car was parked right in front of the building so I didn’t pay much attention to the parking area . I didn’t hear him sneak up behind me until it was too late. It wasn’t until the librarian closed up and she saw me face down in the parking lot. My shirt had been ripped and I had my throat slit open. The weeks that followed consisted of me in the hospital and police guarding me day and night. They were concerned the person would come back to finish the job since he thought I could identify him. Truth is, I don’t remember anything about the attack.

“Hey there, did I catch you at a bad time?” The deep voice startled me out of thoughts. He put his hands up, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Have you ever looked at another person and known that you were in trouble? Not in the bad kind of trouble, the kind of trouble that is sinfully good. I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Oh, sorry, I was thinking about something. Do I know you?”

He put his hands half-way into his front pockets of his faded Levi’s. He was making red flannel the sexiest material I’d ever seen before. My eyes dropped from his gaze and I snuck a peek at his chest. Only fair since I caught his gaze drop to mine too.

“No, I’d remember you if I’d met you before,” he replied. Even though it sounded like a line, it came across as if he meant what he said. “I saw you come in with your friend, and couldn’t help but notice she ran off.”

I’m not used to guys walking over to talk to me, at least not good looking sober ones. “Yeah, that’s my sister Ruby; she still has friends that go to school here.”

“I’m Parker, my friend Collin’s younger brother is playing tonight. He’s told me he’s been training for the Olympics for the last two years.” He holds out his hand for me to shake.

“Next,” the woman in the concession stand says.

“Excuse me for a second,” I say to him and turn to face the PTA mom. I order a bottle of water and some peanut M&M’s. Before I had a chance to dig two dollars from my pocket, Parker has handed the lady the money. “No, you don’t need to pay for my junk food.”

His eyes smiled at me and I knew he did it out of kindness and nothing expected in return. “If I can’t buy a pretty girl a bottle of water, what’s the point of working?”

“You’re good at this,” I grin at him as he holds a hand out to me. “I’m Sapphire, but my friends call me Phire.” We shake hands as we walk away from the concession stand. I look around checking if I can see Ruby, but of course she has disappeared.

“Ruby and Sapphire, I like the names and I love that you’re called Phire.” His five o’clock shadow was a couple of days old and I watched as the sun glinted off his auburn whiskers.

All around us were cheers and the sound of gravel as we crossed over towards the bleachers. His friend stayed next to the chain link fence, and was yelling out with the rest of the crowd.

“Yeah, my mom has always said she’d never have anything more precious than her children, so we ended up with names of gems. My brother didn’t get as lucky, his name is Stone.”

He and I walked up the metal bleachers; he puts his hand on my elbow and guided me to the top seats. A couple of girls nudged each other as we walked past. I didn’t blame them at all; he was nothing short of a younger, healthier, better looking Marlboro man. I’d almost expected him to smell like tobacco, he was that sexy.

Sitting down next to him gave me the feeling of belonging to someone, I feel protected.

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Table of Contents

Praise for the Mermaid’s Curse

Credits

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Other Books by Daniele Lanzarotta

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Author’s Note: