Waveborn | The Oceane Series

Three

The darkness slowly disappeared from my vision, but my head still throbbed, sending sparks of pain across my temple. My limbs were numb, giving me no clue as to where I was or what had happened. My memory was a blur of black and white, the figures across my mind's eye foggy and unrecognizable, further frustrating me as I tried to open my eyes again. My senses slowly came back, blood flowing down my arms as the pins and needles sparked across my skin as I came to. My eyes fluttered open. I pushed myself up, trying to register what had happened.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" a man's voice exclaimed from my side. Turning to him, I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked him over, realizing that this man was not only the same man from earlier today, but he was wearing my father's clothes. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed these." He paused, looking down at the clothes he wore before looking back up at me. "I didn't think you wanted me to walk around naked again."

Without warning, my memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, pulling me down as the information tried to suffocate me. Delmare wasn't human. He had broken into my home while naked. Delmare had fled the ocean and was a merman. I felt the fear then as my hands shook, absentmindedly pushing myself away from him.

"Anna," he said calmly, as he inched toward me. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Closing my eyes, I tried to think of what I could do. There was no way this was real. I was still dreaming; I had to be. But a part of me knew that this was definitely not a dream. This was all too real. We still hadn't investigated the entire ocean floor, and it was entirely possible that there was another intelligent species beneath the depths of the sea. Of course, I wasn't sure how I felt being the one to discover it. He seemed human enough, I mean, in this form, he was entirely too human and incredibly gorgeous. Maybe that was his tactic to pull me in—promising sweet things until he pulled me under the waves to drown me.

"I won't drown you," he said as my eyes shot open. "I mean you no harm, Anna. I know that saying this means nothing right now, but please know that I am being truthful to you."

"Did you just read my mind?" I asked, dumbfounded and a little uneasy. "Why should I believe you or trust you at all?"

He cautiously walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Yes, I can read your mind. I don't believe you will trust me, not now anyway. That's something I must earn, but I guess this isn't the best way to earn that trust."

I nodded as I looked down, realizing I was no longer wrapped in a towel and instead wore my pajamas. "How am I in my pajamas? Did you dress me?" I asked, horrified.

"Yes. I figured you didn't want to be naked in a stranger's presence, so I dressed you in your night clothes. I hope you don't mind." He paused. "This is not what I had in mind when I wished to meet a human for the first time."

With wide eyes, I stood up, completely freaked out that he had seen me naked and had dressed me while I was unconscious. This was not okay! I wanted him out of my house, but where would he go if he couldn't return to the ocean? I cleared my throat. "I mind. You can't go around telling complete strangers that you're a merman, and you definitely can't break in to someone's home naked and then dress them while they're unconscious. That's wrong and disturbing, and it makes me uncomfortable." I began pacing the length of the room, then I stopped abruptly, cautiously looking back up at him.

"I know, and I'm so sorry. I know you have boundaries and I crossed them." He paused, looking back at me sincerely. "I will leave. I am sorry I have made you uncomfortable."

I didn't say anything, just watched him stand and leave me alone in my bedroom. Within minutes, I heard the soft click of the front door as the stranger left wearing my father's clothes. Shutting my eyes, I tried to comprehend everything that had happened and wondered if I was hallucinating.