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 ~ ~
Xander was right, I was about to faint.
I brought a hand up to my mouth, covering half my face as my eyes filled with tears and I began to sob. Then I broke away from Xander and threw my arms around my father.
My father.
"You're alive," I whispered, crying into his shoulder as he chuckled, his left hand reaching up to cup the back of my head.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it back to you, son," he mumbled back, his voice cracking with his emotions.
I pulled away slightly to look at him again, taking a long moment to stare before my brain finally decided to come up with cognitive thoughts. "Mom! She t-told me she knew you were alive! I-I didn't believe her, I didn't want to!"
"Slow down," he put his hand on my shoulder. "What happened?"
"She told me she found her wedding ring again. She took it off because she didn't want to see it break, but it was still glowing. It never broke."
"I lost mine," Dad sighed. "They took it from me. I didn't even know if either of you were still alive."
"Who's they? What happened to you?" I sat down on the couch with him, my legs feeling too much like jelly to stand any longer.
"I was taken by people who wanted to experiment on me. I think they were vampires. They were trying to do something, but I don't know what."
Virgil stepped forward and said, "I know what they wanted. They were trying to find out if they could genetically alter themselves to breathe underwater, using your DNA. They wanted to conquer the oceans."
"That's not good," I stood up, stepping towards Virgil and frustratedly running a hand through my hair. "You can do something about it, right?"
"Of course," Virgil nodded. "I'm sticking around to help you catch my sister. After that, I'm taking her back to Votira where she'll be a prisoner. I'll eradicate the experiments as soon as I'm able. I'll make hunting merfolk illegal for any vampire, and I'll push to make it illegal for the whole world. I want you to feel safe in your own homes."
"That means a lot, thank you," Dad said, standing up to shake Virgil's hand. "We haven't properly met, I'm Leon," he said,
"Virgil," the vampire responded. "This is my brother Adrian, and his husband Leslie." His eyes were challenging, like he was daring my father to say anything homophobic.
"Nice to meet you all," he nodded. He didn't even bat an eye at them. Does that mean he'd accept my relationship with Xander? That's already more than Mom could do.
I guess it's time to find out.
"Dad," I rubbed the back of my neck as he looked at me. "Xander, he's my soulmate," I took Xander's hand in mine, making sure he knew I wasn't ashamed. "I'm gay."
