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 ~ ~
I had no idea where Damien was taking us, but I had no choice but to trust him. We escaped two days ago, and we had been swimming for hours on end. All he said was that he knew someone who could help us.
We went to the ocean and swam straight north to Davelree Deep. Davelree is an area northwest of Leviane, the deepest and coldest part of the ocean, full of underwater cliffs, caves, and unknown creatures. They say few merpeople actually live here, and that might just be a legend.
However, judging by what Damien said, someone must live here.
We came across an underwater cave lit up by jars with fairy lights stuffed inside. Another merperson suddenly swam out of the cave, startling me enough to freeze some of the water around me and create chunks of ice that immediately floated to the top of the water.
"Damien!" They wrapped their arms and pale blue tail around him, a traditional merfolk greeting. This person looked very androgynous. They had long, white hair, and boyish features. Their voice was deep, but their tone sounded feminine. I noticed they wore glasses, unusual for a merperson. The way they moved in the water with their large fins looked very flowy and fluid, reminding me of a jellyfish.
"I told you I'd come back for you someday," he grinned. They surprised me by sharing a kiss. I tilted my head as I looked at them.
"Damien, who is this?" I asked.
"Oh," Damien looked back at me with a sheepish grin, and then I noticed he was blushing. Blushing!
"This is my soulmate. Their name is River, and they're non-binary," he grinned excitedly, looking back and forth between us like he couldn't wait to see us interacting.
"Oh!" I gave them a forced smile. It's not that I was unhappy for Damien, or didn't like River. My mood permanently plummeted ever since I saw Xander dead, and I had no hope of feeling genuinely happy. All I wanted to do was sleep, and try to forget that my soulmate was gone. "That's amazing, Damien. I had no idea you had a soulmate, why didn't you tell me?"
"Babe, you didn't tell anyone about me?" River gasped, pretending to be hurt. "Ow, my ego!"
"I guess I just didn't want to steal the spotlight, or act like everything was fine," Damien shrugged. "You were in danger, and I just wanted to help you. I figured there was a time and a place to tell you about this, and I kind of wanted it to be a surprise."
"I'm really happy for you, I just need some time alone," I rubbed the back of my sore neck and stretched my arms above my head. "I'm exhausted from all that swimming, and I have a lot to process."
"We understand!" River gave me a toothy grin. "My cave is pretty small, but there's another one just across the underwater ravine," they pointed behind me and I spun around to see the deep canyon they were talking about. Beyond that, a cave sat among the rocks, lit up by the same glow as the one in the first cave. I'd have to ask how they managed to do that.
