bodies, with gems and jewels following the curves of their arms, legs, and torsos. Each movement created a disco ball effect as the light of the room bounced against their jewelry. And every once in a while, the coral would catch the gleam of the ruby eye of the snake-shaped belt worn around their waists, sending a chill up my spine.
I glanced over at Adrian, but he was frozen in place as he stared at the spectacle in front of us.
“For you!” Miriam screamed, gesturing wildly.
I timidly smiled back as her hand landed on the small of my back. With a gentle push, she encouraged me to make my move into the room.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in lieu of a hearty pep talk. There was absolutely no way, zero chance I could do that dance. On the other hand, there was no way, zero chance I wanted to disrespect Miriam and the Mami Wata. Without their help, our mission would be at a standstill.
Thankfully, as soon as Miriam’s presence was known the dancing came to a halt. Better yet, the music lowered to a level that no longer made my head throb. Not that it sounded bad, but I was grateful for a slight reprieve from the thumping of the underwater drums, guitars, and harmonicas. They sounded a lot like they would above water: loud and vibrant—just slightly more muffled.
“My dear family,” Miriam started, addressing her merpeople. “It gives me great pride to welcome the “Second Alpha” to share in our evening. Please make Annabelle and Prince Adrianus feel like our own!”
As she threw up her arms, the room erupted with cheers, hoots, hollers, and smiles that stretched from ear to ear. Each sound jolted my body, shaking me to the core.
A moment later, the craziness of the room ensued. Somehow the intensity of their bodies picked up a notch although I didn’t think it was possible. The little space that cleared from Miriam's announcement quickly filled like a tsunami along the shoreline.
I tightened my grasp on Adrian’s hands, my knuckles completely white. But before I knew it, someone had grabbed my other hand and tore me in the opposite direction.
It wasn't one of those moments where our hands slipped from one another in a dramatic fashion. It was instant. The Mami Wata simply ripped his hand from mine.
I frantically looked over my shoulder toward Adrian, but the sea of merfolk had already swallowed him whole.
With wide eyes, I turned back to the merfolk who had stolen me away.
“Princess!” he said, his eyes unable to focus.
Princess?
If he didn’t pull me into a hug afterward, I wouldn’t have known he referred to me. This was the first time such a title was used to refer to me. And it wasn’t even true. I wasn’t a princess.
I opened my mouth to correct him. Honestly, I don’t know why I bothered. Before a single syllable left my lips, another merfolk swept me away.
A wrinkled face of a mermaid replaced the clearly drunken one of the merman. “I offer my gratitude,” she chimed.
“Oh, you’re wel—”
The rest of my sentence hung with the air bubbles I left in my wake. This time, I stopped nose to nose with another weathered face with a thousand-mile stare. She clearly was just as drunk as the first as she mumbled her appreciation, both hands sandwiching my face, squishing my cheeks so my lips puckered.
One face after another was thrust in front of mine as I spun around the room. I lost track of the amount of times my arms were grabbed, the music changed, I was pulled into an embrace, my name was screamed, or I was kissed.
Actually, the amount of times someone kissed me was the most alarming. Because the alcoholic beverages flowed, the merfolk oftentimes kissed whichever part of my skin they could muster. Their drunken advances peppered my eyes, forehead, hair, nose, neck, and mouth.
At one point throughout the night, someone threw a white poncho over my head. Oddly enough, that split second of darkness was the sanest moment of my night thus far.
I lost track of how long
I glanced over at Adrian, but he was frozen in place as he stared at the spectacle in front of us.
“For you!” Miriam screamed, gesturing wildly.
I timidly smiled back as her hand landed on the small of my back. With a gentle push, she encouraged me to make my move into the room.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in lieu of a hearty pep talk. There was absolutely no way, zero chance I could do that dance. On the other hand, there was no way, zero chance I wanted to disrespect Miriam and the Mami Wata. Without their help, our mission would be at a standstill.
Thankfully, as soon as Miriam’s presence was known the dancing came to a halt. Better yet, the music lowered to a level that no longer made my head throb. Not that it sounded bad, but I was grateful for a slight reprieve from the thumping of the underwater drums, guitars, and harmonicas. They sounded a lot like they would above water: loud and vibrant—just slightly more muffled.
“My dear family,” Miriam started, addressing her merpeople. “It gives me great pride to welcome the “Second Alpha” to share in our evening. Please make Annabelle and Prince Adrianus feel like our own!”
As she threw up her arms, the room erupted with cheers, hoots, hollers, and smiles that stretched from ear to ear. Each sound jolted my body, shaking me to the core.
A moment later, the craziness of the room ensued. Somehow the intensity of their bodies picked up a notch although I didn’t think it was possible. The little space that cleared from Miriam's announcement quickly filled like a tsunami along the shoreline.
I tightened my grasp on Adrian’s hands, my knuckles completely white. But before I knew it, someone had grabbed my other hand and tore me in the opposite direction.
It wasn't one of those moments where our hands slipped from one another in a dramatic fashion. It was instant. The Mami Wata simply ripped his hand from mine.
I frantically looked over my shoulder toward Adrian, but the sea of merfolk had already swallowed him whole.
With wide eyes, I turned back to the merfolk who had stolen me away.
“Princess!” he said, his eyes unable to focus.
Princess?
If he didn’t pull me into a hug afterward, I wouldn’t have known he referred to me. This was the first time such a title was used to refer to me. And it wasn’t even true. I wasn’t a princess.
I opened my mouth to correct him. Honestly, I don’t know why I bothered. Before a single syllable left my lips, another merfolk swept me away.
A wrinkled face of a mermaid replaced the clearly drunken one of the merman. “I offer my gratitude,” she chimed.
“Oh, you’re wel—”
The rest of my sentence hung with the air bubbles I left in my wake. This time, I stopped nose to nose with another weathered face with a thousand-mile stare. She clearly was just as drunk as the first as she mumbled her appreciation, both hands sandwiching my face, squishing my cheeks so my lips puckered.
One face after another was thrust in front of mine as I spun around the room. I lost track of the amount of times my arms were grabbed, the music changed, I was pulled into an embrace, my name was screamed, or I was kissed.
Actually, the amount of times someone kissed me was the most alarming. Because the alcoholic beverages flowed, the merfolk oftentimes kissed whichever part of my skin they could muster. Their drunken advances peppered my eyes, forehead, hair, nose, neck, and mouth.
At one point throughout the night, someone threw a white poncho over my head. Oddly enough, that split second of darkness was the sanest moment of my night thus far.
I lost track of how long
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