East Nine
Guns and Legs
She is life. . . for me. . .
As a mermaid, Saleeni was voluptuous. Absolutely riveting and fierce.
In human form, she was pixie-like. Her long fin had transformed into petite legs and little feet that didn’t reach my ankles when she rested her head on my shoulder.
Instantly, I recognized how vulnerable she was.
Her human form was way more fragile than her mystical one.
To add to my growing concern, it appeared the transformation had worn her out. Fatigued, she was sprawled on me, boneless, her weight now mine to carry.
On the stairs, in the water, her body didn’t move. Just rested on me. We lay there in silence, maybe shock, until she admitted, “I am very tired.”
Still dumbfounded by how easily she seemed to be speaking, and that she now seemed human, I wrapped my arms around her, surprised to feel her skin cold. “Okay. Rest.”
The spiritual connection we found in the pool was still very present, even as we were in uncharted territory for both of us. Our confusion matched, and we needed a bit to compose our thoughts.
Exhausted, she rolled to her side and curled into a ball. “I don’t remember you being so warm.”
She never noticed because she had never been cold in the water. Her body thrived there. Now, neither of us knew what would help her thrive again. Or how long she would stay in this form.
Her head still rested on my right shoulder. The rest of her was on my chest and stomach. “Why is my body moving like this?”
I rearranged my arms to cover more of her. “Humans shake when they are cold.”
“I don’t like it.”
The way she pronounced her words, so carefully, almost sounded like an accent.
I explained, “Neither do we. Normally, we have to dry off to warm up.”
She pressed her forehead to the side of my neck. “I’ve never been dry before.”
I leaned my head to hers. “I know, baby.”
I could feel her emotions building before she quietly cried, “I’ve never been out of the water.”
Deep inhale… Again, I was being reminded of how complicated this all was. There was no magic movie scene where we would run into each other’s arms and live happily ever after. This was going to be one day at a time—one moment at a time.
I exhaled her sadness that was flooding my heart. “I won’t leave your side.”
Her shaking intensified as she whispered-cried, “Will it hurt to walk?”
As I moved her body so I could cradle it, I said, “That is something we will find out later.” Then I stood with her in an embrace that offered all promises I could see to fruition.
I had so many questions now that her speech had drastically improved, but the need to care for her made none of the inquiries feel important. Only her health, her well-being mattered.
Water dripped from us both as I did something never done before. Each step up and out of the lagoon was weighted. I was carrying a mythical being from the only element she had ever known. Water, in a pool that was designed only for her because she had a fin. A tail.
Now, both were gone.
Once I left the last stair behind, I noticed Saleeni already asleep. I felt like Neil Armstrong, walking on a moon that never had a human footprint until now.
Neil had a team behind him. Brilliant brains to guide him. I had a grandfather who was staring at me. His eyes were determined. I knew he was willing to die for me. Did Neil have such dedication?
As Styx came to me with four folded towels, I told myself, Fuck rocket scientists. I have him.
With a gentle touch, he laid one towel over Saleeni’s naked body, tucking it between her and me.
The sentiment had my eyes welling. Noma…
Styx dabbed Saleeni’s face and hair with another towel. As he studied her, his expression showed how much he adored her, even more now.
Then he went to my bed, pulled back the blanket, and laid a fresh towel down. Another dry one went over her pillow to soak up the water in her drenched long hair.
After he made space for me, I knelt and laid her on the dry towel, her back to the pool. I removed the now damp towel from her body and covered her with the blanket.
While I dried off with Saleeni’s damp towel, Styx left only to return with more blankets and another dry towel. He tossed me the towel, then laid the blankets over Saleeni’s unmoving body.
Wrapping the fresh towel around my waist, I followed him to the refrigerator.
He handed me a beer after opening two of them. We clinked them together, then each took a long swig. Then… we both exhaled, long and hard, while staring at the pile of blankets.
I don’t know how long we stood there in disbelief, but soon, we were hugging, wiping tears, so relieved for the full-circle moment.
He and his son had started this journey years ago, and now their vision was coming to reality.
There was hope that, after all our tragedies, a fantastic love story would have a chance.
Soon, the tears turned into quiet laughter because we couldn’t stop staring at Saleeni, snuggled in my bed and safe. It was as if we both knew she had no idea how protective we were going to be. She was clueless that two men, who had already taken a life or a few, had found our most treasured gift.
I pointed to the inner part of my middle finger, silently telling Styx I wanted a replica of his Gift tat.
He held my shoulder and shook it, nodding and smiling. I knew I’d have one soon.
Drinking our beers, Styx walked us over to the security desk. We typed keys, we studied screens, and exhaled, knowing that for tonight, we were sheltered.
We quietly placed two empty bottles in a garbage can before we embraced again. Then Styx went to his room while I crawled into bed with my dream come true.
Saleeni slept for two days. She didn’t wake to eat or swim.
She only woke after I begged her to. Her eyes struggled to open, but then she would offer the sweetest little smile before falling back to sleep.
I was worried sick, but Styx kept assuring me the first transition must’ve been hard on her.
Told me to trust the process. That it had led us right so far.
“Look,” he said, “that bite mark has already healed and is as cryptic as yours.”
How I managed to mark her as she had done me, with some sort of ancient symbol, was beyond comprehension. I hadn’t maneuvered my fangs to create some design on her skin. I just held on with a vengeance I was feeling guilty about.
Styx was having none of my remorse babble. “Stop it, Silly Rabbit. She bit you, you grew fangs. You bit her, she grew legs.” He walked toward Church, motioning for me to follow. “All part of a bigger picture.”
He opened the rounded wooden door and left it open after going inside. In the center of the windowless room with four white walls sat a large wooden table with twelve Camelot-looking chairs. He stood behind one of them at the head of the table. “Ready?”
I looked to the open door, contemplating. “No.” I looked to him. “I’m too distracted.”
Half expecting a ‘silly rabbit’ lecture, I exhaled when I received a smirk.
“Recognizing weaknesses means you are far more ready for this place at the table than you know.” Without delay, he moved on.
Grabbing two manila folders, he said, “You’ll save us lots of time, and you’ll be rich much faster, if you ask no questions and sign the name that is on each folder to the marked papers inside. ”
“Uh, okay.” I sat down and got to work. One folder read Maddox Gentry and the other Johnny Watts.
When done, I slid them back to him. “Anything else, Gramps?”
He then retrieved an electronic pad from the table.
“This is going to be reprogrammed so that no one can get into it without your eyeball. It carries all the passwords I have set up. Until they are burned into memory, you have this.” He held up another device.
“This one needs yours and Saleeni’s for her gate. ”
I understood the underwater gate security, but all these other passwords were in his head. Wondering why he had me signing papers and take this precaution, my stomach soured. “You plannin’ on leaving me any time soon?”
“Only if forced.”
Lost in thought, I stared into the pad’s camera as Styx reprogrammed it. I appreciated all his effort, but the thought of losing him to whatever threat may have been out there was like losing my foundation. Without it, would I crumble? Would Saleeni be safe?
Pulling my brass knuckles from my front jeans pocket, I slipped them on. My hand opened and closed, antsy to punch something.
“Those are going to come in useful if you keep using them as a tool like that.”
I grimaced at Styx. “What?”
“Your fangs. They started to grow again but retreated when you put those on.” He nodded. “Helps you maintain some self-control.”
I thought of Noma gifting these to me. How she wanted to help strengthen what I considered a shortcoming. My finger. Yet now they were doing even more. “I didn’t know I was ‘shifting’.”
He set the pad on the table next to a big envelope, and leaned his elbows on the surface. “And, until we know where a full ‘shift’ will lead us, I’d prefer not to witness it.”
My hand tightened around the brass. “You think I have more to come?”
He stayed quiet for a minute, then said, “According to what Saleeni said in the water when you got super-hot to the touch, and the alpha energy that pours off you when you get angry… Yeah, I think we got more to come.” He sat back in the President chair. “Hopefully, Saleeni will have some answers.”
Yeah, hopefully.
I was about to ask what was in the big envelope that reminded me of the one Noma got in the hospital with fake identities, but Saleeni suddenly blew through me like a song with my favorite lyrics, one I knew by heart and soul. My eyes closed. “She’s awake.”
Styx’s chuckle was a low rumble. “Jesus, you love the fuck out of that beauty.”
Answering her call, I left Church. Every step of my leather biker boots felt like slow motion as I made my way to her. She was on the bed, stretching her gorgeous form under the sheet. My mouth watered for her.
Her smile was all-knowing. “Hello, Maddox.”