The Heart of the Ocean

“Everything, in time.”

-Anonymus

The first thing she felt was a cold caress on her face. The temperature had dropped and the autumn breeze wasn’t welcoming anymore. Combined with the droplets on her flesh, it turned her cheeks scarlet as a feeling of numbness overcame her. As she started to regain her consciousness, her body started to shiver. Her wet clothes didn’t help her case either.

Her fingers twitched in her attempt to grasp the ground beneath her. Confusion overcame her when they caressed a rocky and slippery surface. Her nose burned as she tried to take a deep breath of fresh air -the overwhelming smell of salt clouded her senses. She tried to open her eyes, but there was a terrible tingling feeling preventing her from doing so.

Before she could realize what was happening, she was turning over and emptying the water that had filled her lungs. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as if she had run a marathon. Her whole chest was hurting as she heaved on the side of the pond. Her wet hair was sticking on her face like annoying algae, making her job even more difficult. She didn’t notice when a gentle hand moved her locks away and caressed her back comfortingly.

It took her a while to stop crying -horror and disbelief had clouded her mind. She was breathing heavily by the time her lungs were empty. Her body continued to tremble as the coldness of the night registered in her bones, but she had no energy to do anything about it. She couldn’t quite grasp what had occurred -everything happened so quickly. Aileen being manhandled, Petra getting drunk, Alastor throwing her in the water -hell, wasn’t that supposed to be a fun night? When did it turn from a silly high school party to a nearly-death experience?

She lay back down as she tried to get a hold of herself. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her racing heart and overworked lungs. Her head was laying on something extremely comfortable, although her back could feel the rough surface of the rocks. Her brows furrowed when a hand pulled a wet strand away from her face and caressed her cheek gently. Her eyes opened instantly and met familiar purple ones.

They didn’t talk for a while. They just stared at one another as if they couldn’t believe that they were in each other’s company. Evander continued to caress her wet locks as her head lay comfortably on his wide tail. Her eyes took in his changed features -he seemed more mature than the last time she had seen him. His muscles were more emphasized, his back seemed wider and his face even more alluring. His eyes were brighter than the moon itself, focused solely on her trembling form.

“This is a dream, right?“, Aide finally whispered.

His eyebrows furrowed at her words.

“Why would you believe that, cor meum?“, he gently asked.

She hummed in pleasure as his fingers made contact with her cheeks and his lips touched her forehead in a soft kiss.

“It’s too good to be true”, she sighed, “Nana is right –you aren’t real. You’re just a figment of my imagination.”

A small growl built in his chest. His hands grasped her body carefully, making her sit properly on his lap. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips as her hands reached out to him to stabilize herself. Her eyes widened as he took hold of the seashell resting between her breasts. It seemed too fragile in his large palm, but he treated it with care.

“Why did you keep this?“, he asked her hoarsely, “Why would you keep a piece of me, if I only exist in your dreams?”

She stared at the blue shell resting on his hand, not answering his question. Not because she didn’t have an answer rather than she felt it was too embarrassing to share. He waited eagerly for a response that never came. After a few moments of silence, he decided on a different approach.

“You know what? Perhaps, you should throw it away.”

Her eyes widened in horror at his suggestion –her body tensed.

“Let me help you with it”, he took hold of her pretty seashell, “It will only take a momen-”

“No.”

Her voice was sharp and loud, taking him by surprise. Her hand quickly grasped his wrist, stopping his movements. Her panicked eyes found his intense ones. Their breathing was labored as they stared at each other silently –the sound of waves filling the silence between them.

“Why did you keep it?“, he asked again.

She sighed deeply, facing away from him.

“Because...“, she mumbled, “...it is important to me.”

His chest started to vibrate softly as a content purr built in it. Aide’s tensed muscles relaxed as he began to comb through her hair once again. He noted that the act comforted her –it made her body melt into his.

“I just –I know it sounds stupid, but...“, she bit her lower lip, “I was just hoping that it wasn’t a dream. That you were actually real, no matter how crazy that sounded. The shell was the only proof I had.”

He grasped her chin gently, making her gaze into his eyes. Her heart raced as the bright purple orbs seemed to look into her soul. He guided her hand to his chest, allowing her to feel the beating heart under it.

“I’m real, cor meum”, he said firmly to her, “And this time, I’m not going anywhere.”

She pulled her hand away, examining him carefully.

“Don’t you have to go back to Atlantis?“, she asked in true curiosity, “Last time you seemed to be in a hurry to return back home.”

Evander threw his head back and let a heartfelt laugh. Aide could only watch him mesmerized by his every move.

“You have a good memory”, he finally said.

“So, I’ve been told”, she furrowed her eyebrows, “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Evander took in her form –her hands crossed upon her chest, her foot tapping impatiently on the rocks and her eyes filled with determination for answers. He sent a prayer to Selene to give him strength –his soulmate was definitely a handful. And he couldn’t help but love her for it –Aide wasn’t afraid to ask for explanations and she wasn’t backing down until she got what she wanted.

“What do you know about merpeople?“, he finally asked.

She bit her lower lip in thought, unknowingly turning his attention on the pink flesh.

“Not much really”, she finally answered, “That you are water creatures, live in a place called ‘Atlantis’ and are deadly to encounter?”

He raised a thick eyebrow.

“Deadly to encounter, huh?“, he smirked, “Shouldn’t you be frightened then?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she made herself comfortable on his lap. His body was a wall against the cold breeze and she took full advantage of it.

“You saved me from drowning twice”, she reminded him, “Besides, Nana has taught me to take nobody’s bullshit.”

“I need to meet that Nana of yours”, he smiled softly, “She sounds like an interesting woman.”

“For your own sake, I hope not”, she mumbled against his chest, “She’ll want to turn you into sushi.”

He was confused by her words.

“Is that a good thing?“, his voice seemed worried.

“I wouldn’t recommend that to you”, she chuckled at her words, “Anyway, you wanted to tell me something about merpeople.”

“Well, I know humans view my kind as dangerous and bloodthirsty. That’s how your stories portray us to be. Indeed, many years ago this is who we were -hunters looking for prey and killing each other for it. Until we almost reached extinction because of our ways.”

“That sounds terrible”, Aide whispered, placing a palm on his cheek. He kissed her fingers before rubbing her back in comfort.

“It was horrible –something had to be done about it. That’s where our goddesses came in –Thalassa and Selene. They found a way to stop the bloodshed. They figured out that we needed someone to tame our wild nature –someone who would calm our restless souls down. If we had someone to take care of and love, we could finally stop killing each other and focus on our beloveds and our families.”

“Hmm”, she mumbled, “That sounds like a plan.”

“They worked together in order to create soulmates. Selene had the power to look inside each person’s soul and find a perfect match for each one of us. Thalassa made sure that mates always find each other during their life, no matter how far away they are. Their paths always meet. It’s what we name the Call of Thalassa. It would be cruel to know that your other half is out there and there is a possibility to never meet them.”

“How do you know when you’ve met them?“, Aide asked in curiosity.

Evander smiled at her tired form.

“We have to come of age –to be matured enough to acknowledge the importance of our mate and be capable to protect and cherish them. There is nothing more shameful than to let your mate be hurt when they are under your protection“, the thought was enough to terrify him.

“Their scent is extremely enticing for us. Their touch sets our skin on fire. Their looks are enough to drive us crazy. And the thought of them doesn’t leave our mind, no matter how much we try”, he sighed before resting his chin on the crown of her hair.

“You speak as if you met her”, Aide concluded.

“Indeed, I have”, he smiled at her, “I didn’t realize who she was to me at first –I wasn’t of age when I met her. But then, I felt the Call and I couldn’t be happier.”

“Aren’t you a lucky man?“, she patted his chest comfortingly.

He was confused at her reaction.

“Aren’t you going to ask me who is she?“, he furrowed his eyebrows.

“No”, she shrugged her shoulders.

“No?“, his body tensed.

“No”, she confirmed, “I’m just happy I’m not crazy. Mermaids are real and my obsession with my seashell is finally explained.”

His heart was racing for a whole different reason –fear. He had no idea what was happening and her reaction was all the more confusing. Why was she acting like this? Shouldn’t she be at least a bit jealous? If she had spent all these years keeping the seashell he’d given to her, shouldn’t she feel something about him? Why was she so calm? He had expected a different reaction.

Suddenly, soft hands slithered up his body. The feeling was enough to create goosebumps on his greyish skin. His breathing grew labored when they painted a pathway from his chest to his neck, before getting lost in the thickness of his dark hair. He couldn’t help but purr at the euphoric feeling. Aide leaned forward as his arms tightened around her waist. Her breathing fanned over his trembling lips.

“Evander...“, she whispered against them.

His whole body was trembling.

“Yes, cor meum?“, he asked hoarsely.

“I accept you as my mate.”

And then, she kissed him. Under the moonlight and the star-filled night, their lips touched with a fiery passion. They had finally found each other and they didn’t plan to let go. They kissed until they had run out of breath and the first rays of the sun appeared on the horizon. That’s how the sunrise found them –murmuring sweet words and exchanging desperate kisses on the side of the familiar pond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 10!!

Exams are over! I’m officially back!

Latin Translations:

1. cor meum: my heart

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Until next time!!