Page 5

Serenia

A full smile slips across my lips as the fading sunshine reflects off the ring on my finger. Duncan’s inside cleaning up after our meal and I’m enjoying the quiet evening. There’s the tiniest hint of water flowing, but it’s so minor compared to when we would surface in the ocean. This is soothing, unlike the roar of the waves out there.

I still can’t quite believe that this worked—at least for me. It seemed almost anticlimactic. I guess I was expecting to feel something…more, deeper, when Duncan said he loved me last night. It was pure perfection in the moment. My heart felt like it could burst with happiness, and I gladly said yes.

It wasn’t until I was almost asleep that it hit me that he’d said it, but I didn’t feel any different. Well, I was even happier, yes. I felt safe and secure enough to fall asleep in his arms without a single worry, but that was it.

When my tail transformed into legs I’d felt it, the tingling sensation that wrapped around me, but it wasn’t there last night. Which now has me a little worried that maybe he didn’t really mean it, but yet, I can’t believe he doesn’t. Not with the way he looks at me, what he’s said about the way he was pulled here. And especially not with him saying he wanted a little girl with me.

Sirens can only have one child and it’s always a girl. Which makes him saying he wants kids with me a little sad because we’ll only ever have the one, but the fact that he wants a girl tells me he won’t be disappointed with that at least. It’s just crazy to think this is it. That we’re really free of the curse—well, at least I am. Hopefully that is.

I can’t hold off another minute now and reach out towards Celestia and Melodia, hoping I’m not interrupting anything with them. I don’t even know if they’ve managed to meet anyone.

We shut out the rest of the Lycophron when we headed to the lagoon, then agreed to give each other space while we were here. To only contact one another if something was wrong, but the week’s almost over and I need to know if the others have experienced anything different if they’ve met someone. Gods, I hope they’ve met someone that is even half as good to them as Duncan is to me, because even that would still be amazing.

Can you talk? I send out to them telepathically, breaking our silence.

‘I can,’ Melodia immediately responds, her tone happier than what’s normal for even her.

‘I can for now,’ Celestia adds calming me.

Checking in to see if everything’s going okay.

‘It’s been great,’ Celestia assures us.

‘It’s so awesome,” Melodia responds, and I can’t stop the grin that hits at the softness of her tone.

Do you want to get together tomorrow to talk more? We only have two days left.

‘Sounds great. I’m good to do the morning,’ Celestia replies surprising me because she’s not usually a morning person.

‘Me too, ooohh…why don’t we meet back at that place where we had breakfast? Their pancakes were sooooooo good,’ Melodia suggests, and I laugh silently, because that is our Melodia through and through.

‘Sounds good,” Celestia agrees.

I’ll see you all there, I add before the turning my attention to Duncan as he comes out the door, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me into his hold, and all I can think about is this right here. The worries over the deadline fade and I snuggle deep into his arms, smiling happily.

It stays throughout the night as Duncan holds me close and I get to the place last, seeing the others in the same booth that we had last time. Duncan was fine with us meeting up, but insisted on driving me here when I told him I could walk here from the greenhouse if he needed to do anything for work. The way he kissed me when he said that wasn’t happening, that he wouldn’t let anything begin to harm me by not taking me, had me more than agreeable to him dropping me off.

“I take it things are going well with the guy from the park?” Celestia asks, as I slip onto the seat across from her.

“Better than that,” I state, unable to keep the smile from my lips. “You found someone?”

“Yeah, he’s great,” she sighs, a little hint of color in her cheeks before I glance at Melodia who is practically glowing.

“You look happier than even normal,” I muse. “I take it you met someone too?”

“After worrying that I wouldn’t for the better part of that first day, yeah,” Melodia says making Celestia’s eyes widen in a bit of surprise. “You found…” she stops, looking to Celestia curiously.

“Dane, his name’s Dane,” Celestia says.

“Dane,” Melodia says with a nod, “well, you found him just a couple hours after Serenia found…”

“Duncan,” I tell them as Melodia grins, giggling a bit when Celestia gives her a curious look.

“Does he own a greenhouse?” Celestia asks and I nod, looking shocked. “Dane said his best friends were Duncan who runs a greenhouse and…”

“Dylan who owns a restaurant,” Melodia blurts out excitedly.

“Wait, what?” I gasp, and Melodia nods bouncing giddily. “So, the guys we met all know each other?”

“Seems so,” Celestia states, shaking her head a bit still. “So how did you meet Dylan?”

Melodia fills us in making me grin as she adds, “One look at him and I was hooked. He made me the most incredible food ever and then took me home. He told me Friday night he loved me, fell in love the moment he saw me, which was before I ever saw him…”

“Duncan said the same thing when we were falling asleep Thursday night. That the second he saw me, he knew I was supposed to be his,” I admit with a sigh, my eyes glowing with happiness and the same look is in Celestia’s as well, relieving me even further.

“Dane told me last night he never believed in love at first sight until he saw me. I just…can it really be this simple?” Celestia adds. “I mean, I didn’t tell him I’m…”

“Neither did I,” Melodia admits glancing my way.

“Are you kidding? I didn’t want him to think I needed to be locked up by telling him that, especially not when he’d just…”

“What?” Melodia asks when I pause, a knowing glint in her eyes before I even say.

“Asked me to marry him,” I state, showing off the beautiful ring that’s incredible and somehow just perfect.

“Dylan asked me Friday night,” Melodia tells us, showing off her ring and it fits her entirely.

“Dane asked me last night,” Celestia adds, and Melodia squeals seeing it on her finger.

“Oh, they’re even more perfect than when I saw them…”

“Saw them? What?” I say stopping Melodia’s words and she claps a hand over her mouth, giggling.

“Melodia…what’s going on? You don’t have visions,” Celestia whispers giving her a little glare.

“Dylan found a pearl in an oyster mistakenly sent to the restaurant, took me to the jewelry store to get them to make it into a necklace and we ran into Dane and Duncan when they came in to find rings for you,” she says with one long rush of breath. “I promised I wouldn’t tell. They both were looking at boring diamonds to begin but once I pointed them in the right direction, they didn’t hesitate on which to buy. Dylan wouldn’t let me try on any of them to see if they’d fit. He had me close my eyes and then slipped this one on me, then bought it without me knowing.”

“Well then, thank you for your help. I love my ring,” I assure her, giving her a hug.

“So do I,” Celestia agrees with a grin at us. “But honestly, is this all it took? I mean, I don’t really feel any different. I guess I was just expecting something more like when we got our…legs,” she adds on a whisper as someone approaches our table, thankfully confirming my worries making me feel a million times better about having them to start.

“And you will, the next time you’re in water,” a voice says from the end of the space, and a gasp falls from each of us seeing the woman there. The undeniable glow surrounding her combined with the adoring looks from all of the men in the diner telling us exactly who she is.

“I’ve been in water since Dylan told me. I was in water with him Friday night when he told me he loved me again,” Melodia responds, and Aphrodite simply smiles at us.

“Natural body of water—a lake, river, or the ocean,” she expands. “It’d be more of a curse than a gift if you transformed anytime you were in water, or if it rained. To not be able to swim in a pool, especially in a place like this.”

“So, the next time we go into the water what? We’ll regrow our tails?” Celestia asks and she nods. “And what about the cold?”

“Have you felt even an inkling of it since you met your men, who by the way, are all outside waiting for you to come out, and who all ignored me on my way in here. If I didn’t know their hearts were only ever meant for you, I might feel slighted,” Aphrodite says with a tinkle of a laugh that brings more male attention to her.

“What does that mean?” I question her, completely shocked and yet thrilled with the idea that Duncan could only ever love me.

“Exactly what I said. You were worried it was too easy, that they fell too quickly,” she adds to Celestia who nods, her eyes flowing over to me as well even though I never voiced the question aloud. “It was never the men that didn’t fall in love, my dears. Even when the ancient sirens were given their chance, the men fell in love with them, but the sirens only focused on their need for revenge. Only allowed the coldness of their hearts to rule. Only when a siren allows herself to want love over anything else can she find it. Each of you opened yourselves up to its possibility and listened when it spoke. You could have ignored the pull to go through the park, but you didn’t, Serenia, allowing you to find Duncan. Celestia, you ignored the rest of the crowd pushing you forward, winding your way down a strange path to find Dane. And my dear sweet, Melodia, you ignored all of the men that would have gladly fallen in love with you but opened yourself up when Dylan appeared.

“No other siren has ever allowed herself that, but I always hoped you three would be different. No matter how many temptations were put in front of you, you never once used your powers to harm. I wouldn’t have been so forgiving of the man you saw on the beach that night that killed his girlfriend. I would have still offered you the chance if you had used your powers and lured him to a watery death,” Aphrodite adds to Celestia who is even more shocked now, but then again, I think we all are. “So now that you know, go get your men. Tell them what you really are so they can love all of you. Oh, and in case you’re worried, there’s one—or two, last gifts for you. The first is perhaps more for your men than you,” she says making us curious. “They won’t have to worry about anyone seeing what’s theirs when you’re in water. You’ll still feel as you did, but your body will be covered entirely like your tail, think more mermaid than siren.”

“Duncan will be happy to know that,” I say with a laugh making the other’s eye brows lift a bit my way and I just shrug.

They don’t need to know that Duncan almost punched some guy that was leering at me Thursday when we were walking through town. They might worry that he’s a brute like others we’ve seen, but it was actually the opposite.

I was wearing a flowy top that had just tiny little strings over the shoulders. I didn’t bother with a bikini top under it, not expecting a gush of wind to lift it almost completely up. Thanks to Duncan’s quick reflexes it stopped just below my breasts, but some jerk started catcalling—as Duncan put it—and almost took his head off when he wouldn’t stop. It definitely made me feel special, because he pulled me in close and just held me, reassuring us both that I was safe. It was truly perfect in that moment.

“And the last gift?” Melodia asks Aphrodite pulling my attention back up to them.

“You won’t have to worry about your daughters’ hearts ever being cold. Their fathers’ hearts will protect them even more than your fathers’ did with you. You were each born of the man who truly loved the woman your mothers should have been, which is why your powers were greater, your ability to resist the cold deeper. None of it will ever touch your daughters and you will get to spend lifetimes with your mates because once your child is born, that is when my last gift to you will come. A shared lifespan created through your shared blood,” she says nodding at the questions in our eyes.

“They’ll share our immortality?” Celestia questions when I can barely breathe, the thought of Duncan never being taken from me like my father was…calmed my soul entirely.

“And every time the others claim another mortal life, it will strength them the same as you. My own little payback for them ignoring my gracious gift so many centuries ago,” Aphrodite says getting up, giving us smiles before she heads out the door, leaving a trail of drool in her wake.

“Should we tell them together?” Melodia asks and at the nod from us, we make our way out of the diner to find our men.

“Done already?” Dylan asks, his brow lifting a bit as Melodia’s stomach rumbles. “You clearly didn’t eat enough, angel.”

“We actually only got around to ordering drinks,” I admit, pulling a grumble from Duncan as I slip into his side, resting my head on his shoulder.

“Everything okay, baby?” Dane asks Celestia.

“Well, we wanted to tell you all something…”

“About where we grew up,” Melodia adds when Celestia pauses.

“You can tell us anything, angel. Whatever it is, we’ll be here for you,” Dylan promises.

“Do you think we could go to the house and explain, Dunc?” I ask, telling Celestia and Melodia about the lake on his property telepathically.

“Of course we can, honey,” he tells me instantly, his eyes warm and concerned, but full of love that I adore.

“Let me grab some groceries so I can cook my girl some breakfast and then we’ll be there,” Dylan states and we all agree, letting me snuggle into Duncan’s side as we head back home. I don’t think we have to worry too much about the truth now. Not with what Aphrodite said about our men only being meant to love us, but they might not like that we’re not exactly human and I don’t want it affecting us going forward. I really want that baby Duncan talked about when he proposed—more than anything I want it, and him to be able to love even this part of me.