This is Book 1 of the Arcelia Series.* Book 2 is in the works!
*Can be read as a stand-alone
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Malik Jackson needed help. After being exiled from the ocean, he washed up on the beach covered in injuries and missi...
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~ ~ Malik ~ ~
The day after we received that freaky picture, it just had to be one of Xander's work days. We were both on edge, unsure if I should stay behind, or go with him. He was leaning toward me staying with him, but I was too exhausted to go anywhere. A nightmare woke me up at dawn, so I had been up for hours already. Xander agreed I could stay, but left me with a spare phone to contact him if needed.
A thunderstorm began shortly after Xander left. I got up and started pacing the floor as the rain hammered against the windows and the roof, filling the silence.
I tried to stay calm, I really did. But it was nearly impossible when the first clap of thunder was so loud, it practically shook Arcelia. As he felt my anxiety, Xander messaged the phone he gave me.
"You okay?" Was all he sent. I could feel his underlying worry as he tried to remain nonchalant through his messages.
"Sorry, it's the storm," I replied. "I'll be fine."
I was not fine.
After just twenty minutes, the storm made me so anxious that I just had to get away. Against my better judgment, I left the house on my own and ran through the rain, panicking even more as the thunder was so much louder outside. I remembered the way to the beach after looking at the map, and taking that walk with Xander. Even through the rain and fog, I knew where I was. I could hear Xander's guards shouting at me and following me through the woods, but I didn't stop.
I made it to the beach and discarded my shirt as I jumped into the water, bringing out my icy blue tail and swimming as fast as I could to the deeper parts of the shore.
I felt like a coward for running to the water like that, but I had no choice. Xander wasn't there to keep me calm, and I wasn't okay. I didn't know how to handle a surface storm. I should've stayed inside while I wasn't safe from a potential stalker.
Especially when cold webbed hands wrapped around me from behind.
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~ ~ XANDER ~ ~
I shouldn't have left him alone when I knew there would be a storm. Hell, there were a lot of things I shouldn't have done, but I had no time to dwell on that now.
