African violet family. This is the part you’ll want to listen closely to. This flower takes on the shape of a dolphin.
“I believe this is why you were brought here. It resides along our shores on top of a great peak. And I dare say this is the flower you must recover.”
Glancing over at Adrian, I imagined my face resembled his own. It was a mixture of shock, excitement, and hopefulness.
Realizing Miriam wasn’t going to add anything more, Adrian was now ready to chime in. “Can you take us to it?”
A smile cracked her lips. “It gives me great pleasure for you to believe my old body is capable of such a thing, but no, I will not. However, Maddox will accompany you to the waters edge.”
“Great,” I said. “When can we leave?”
“Soon, my dear, soon as the light sets on the land. This great flower rises with the morning sun.”
A peek at the nearby window answered my next question. The corals only dimmed slightly, which meant morning wouldn’t be here for hours.
As my hand moved to my necklace, I tried not to visibly show my frustration, but I didn’t hide it well. With a soft look, Miriam led my arm back to my lap, keeping her hand lightly on my forearm. “There’s nothing more we can do this eve but wait. If I may, Mamadjo requests your presence at a celebration in your name. It’s the least we can do after all the sacrifices you’ve made and for those yet to come.”
“A what?” I cringed, not wanting to think about the sacrifices portion of her statement.
“A simple celebration is a tradition of ours for guests.”
Adrian cut in, sending a sympathetic look my way. “We’d be honored.”
Odd how after only a week or so, Adrian had become so in tune with what I felt. I hated being the center of attention. It wasn’t something I’d openly discussed, but Adrian innately knew this. As we followed Miriam from the room, he gently squeezed my arm and shot me a look of empathy.
Then he did the sweetest thing. His hand lowered to meet my hand, wrapping his fingers threw mine. Without hesitation, he raised the back of my hand to his lips. Just a soft brush before he brought our hands back to our sides.
It was in that moment that I realized the significance of Adrian in my life. I prayed he would never break our grasp. I needed him more than ever.
CHAPTER NINE
The water literally thumped as Adrian and I approached the door to where my “party” was already underway. The huge wooden doors barely muffled the ear-pounding music. I’d never been to a club before, but I imagined this is how it felt to approach a bouncer protecting the door.
Jealously toward Shamus and Clemente spiked inside me; they were off with Maddox devising a game plan for the morning⎯far, far away from whatever madness waited on the other side of this door.
Adrian and I, on the other hand, had no choice but to partake in the festivities of the Mami Wata. I wanted to disappear, to shrink to a miniature Annabelle and discreetly slip away.
I had no such luck. When we were a few feet away, two merfolk heaved the doors open in one fluid pull. My mind launched into full retreat mode at the sight in front of me. I instantly kicked backward, the only thing that kept me in place was Adrian’s hand still tightly grasped in mine.
Merfolk jam-packed the room. I mean, barely room for us to enter. Everyone’s arms flew every which direction to the beat of the music. Hips swayed, heads bounced, and tails flapped.
Chaos.
It was the most intimidating thing I’d ever seen⎯which was a big deal coming from the girl who squared off against a fifty-foot megalodon just yesterday.
Red poncho looking garments draped all the mermen. The women wore identical white ones. For the Mami Wata, wearing red was customary of males during festivities. It represented physicality and power. For the mermaids, the white was a sign of new life and spirituality.
Regardless of gender, endless amounts of embellishments covered their
“I believe this is why you were brought here. It resides along our shores on top of a great peak. And I dare say this is the flower you must recover.”
Glancing over at Adrian, I imagined my face resembled his own. It was a mixture of shock, excitement, and hopefulness.
Realizing Miriam wasn’t going to add anything more, Adrian was now ready to chime in. “Can you take us to it?”
A smile cracked her lips. “It gives me great pleasure for you to believe my old body is capable of such a thing, but no, I will not. However, Maddox will accompany you to the waters edge.”
“Great,” I said. “When can we leave?”
“Soon, my dear, soon as the light sets on the land. This great flower rises with the morning sun.”
A peek at the nearby window answered my next question. The corals only dimmed slightly, which meant morning wouldn’t be here for hours.
As my hand moved to my necklace, I tried not to visibly show my frustration, but I didn’t hide it well. With a soft look, Miriam led my arm back to my lap, keeping her hand lightly on my forearm. “There’s nothing more we can do this eve but wait. If I may, Mamadjo requests your presence at a celebration in your name. It’s the least we can do after all the sacrifices you’ve made and for those yet to come.”
“A what?” I cringed, not wanting to think about the sacrifices portion of her statement.
“A simple celebration is a tradition of ours for guests.”
Adrian cut in, sending a sympathetic look my way. “We’d be honored.”
Odd how after only a week or so, Adrian had become so in tune with what I felt. I hated being the center of attention. It wasn’t something I’d openly discussed, but Adrian innately knew this. As we followed Miriam from the room, he gently squeezed my arm and shot me a look of empathy.
Then he did the sweetest thing. His hand lowered to meet my hand, wrapping his fingers threw mine. Without hesitation, he raised the back of my hand to his lips. Just a soft brush before he brought our hands back to our sides.
It was in that moment that I realized the significance of Adrian in my life. I prayed he would never break our grasp. I needed him more than ever.
CHAPTER NINE
The water literally thumped as Adrian and I approached the door to where my “party” was already underway. The huge wooden doors barely muffled the ear-pounding music. I’d never been to a club before, but I imagined this is how it felt to approach a bouncer protecting the door.
Jealously toward Shamus and Clemente spiked inside me; they were off with Maddox devising a game plan for the morning⎯far, far away from whatever madness waited on the other side of this door.
Adrian and I, on the other hand, had no choice but to partake in the festivities of the Mami Wata. I wanted to disappear, to shrink to a miniature Annabelle and discreetly slip away.
I had no such luck. When we were a few feet away, two merfolk heaved the doors open in one fluid pull. My mind launched into full retreat mode at the sight in front of me. I instantly kicked backward, the only thing that kept me in place was Adrian’s hand still tightly grasped in mine.
Merfolk jam-packed the room. I mean, barely room for us to enter. Everyone’s arms flew every which direction to the beat of the music. Hips swayed, heads bounced, and tails flapped.
Chaos.
It was the most intimidating thing I’d ever seen⎯which was a big deal coming from the girl who squared off against a fifty-foot megalodon just yesterday.
Red poncho looking garments draped all the mermen. The women wore identical white ones. For the Mami Wata, wearing red was customary of males during festivities. It represented physicality and power. For the mermaids, the white was a sign of new life and spirituality.
Regardless of gender, endless amounts of embellishments covered their
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