Cassie and Damarian’s big day is approaching and they can’t wait to finally be bonded as humans. Amidst the excitement and stress of planning the wedding, they never once stop showing each other how much they mean to one another. But when they return to land after visiting the ocean, Cassie and Damarian start feeling differently. Every kiss, touch, and whispered promise doesn’t hold the same meaning as it did over the past two years. It’s not long before they don’t feel anything for each other at all.
Damarian rushes to the sea to learn what’s causing this. What he discovers is worse than they could have possibly imagined. If they don’t find a solution soon, they may be lost to each other forever. Will Cassie and Damarian finally get their happy ending?
Excerpt:
Mrs. Cassie Sapphire.
It has a nice ring, doesn’t it?
It’s funny how many names a person can acquire over her lifetime. Cassandra Price. Cassie Price. Cassie Price of the humans. Cassie of the Sapphire clan. Mrs. Cassie Sapphire.
My stomach squeezes together, making my legs weaken. I can’t believe this is actually happening.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry,” the woman crouched by my ankles mutters, some pins between her teeth. “You were fidgeting.”
It takes everything I have not to rub the spot she poked me.
“Cassie,” Mom says, her eyes shining the brightest I’ve ever seen. “That dress is just breathtaking on you.”
Leah, who sits next to her on the chair a few feet away, nods, her eyes also shiny, though there’s no mistaking the emptiness in them.
For the hundredth time since I’ve tried on this dress, I look at myself in the mirror. Breathtaking, Mom said. Honestly, I don’t care much about my wedding dress. Obviously I want to look good, but all that matters to me is that Damarian and I will be bonded for all eternity the human way, surrounded by everyone we love.
A year has passed since Damarian proposed to me. We thought we’d wait a little longer to tie the knot, since we both are still very young, but why wait? We’ve been bonded the merpeople way for two years now, have been through so much together, grew as close as we ever could. It’s time we make it official on land, too.
The dress is very poofy at the bottom, since I’ve dreamed of wearing a poofy wedding dress ever since I can remember. The bodice doesn’t dip too low and it has intricate designs from the top to the bottom. One word to describe the dress? Elegant. Regal. Perfect.
“There she goes spacing out again,” Leah says with a laugh.
I laugh, too. “I feel like I’m in a dream.”
Mom comes over and plays with my hair, tossing it over one shoulder, then spreading it down my back. “I’ve been through this twice, and I’m telling you it’ll take a long time until it finally hits you. My daughter, getting married!”
She and Louis got married four months ago. I never imagined I’d be so emotional as I watched my mother declare herself to the love of her life. It’s not everyday kids have the chance to celebrate with their parents on the happiest day of their lives. I did feel a small pang in my chest when I thought of my father and how much I miss him. How much regret I have that I couldn’t do anything to save him, my stepmom, and all the other sea serpents. But like I tell myself almost every day, I need to move on. My dad wouldn’t want me to cry over him for the rest of my life. It’ll be a long journey, but I know I will get there one day.
“All right.” The seamstress straitens up and scans me from top to bottom. “Perfect.”
Now Leah stands before us, too, watching us with a certain look in her eyes. I know what it is. Not jealousy, exactly, but more like hopelessness. After what happened with Jace two years ago, she hasn’t fully gotten back on her own feet. She’s trying really hard to move on.
“You look like a princess,” she says, then rolls her eyes. “Ugh, that sounded so cliché.”
“But it’s true.” The woman circles me, satisfaction in her eyes. “Some women search and search and can’t find the right dress. You, young lady, have found the right dress.”
My cheeks heat up. I’ve never liked being in the spotlight. I know all eyes will be on Damarian and me in two weeks, but I don’t really want to think about that.
Once the seamstress makes sure the dress is perfect and gives me permission to take it off, I go to the back room. Leaning on the door, I close my eyes and gulp in a few breaths of air. Someone please pinch me.
Damarian’s face appears before my eyes. All the nerves in my body dissolve. I know that as long as I have the merman of my dreams with me, I can get through anything.
Dee J. Stone 