41.Alin #5
I concentrate with all my might, sensing the foreign liquids within my father’s body.
It’s a daunting task, but I carefully guide them out through his mouth, knowing they must be expelled.
The process drains my concentration and energy, but I persevere.
When I’m confident I’ve removed everything, I solidify the liquid into an ice ball and send it crashing to the ground, far from us.
Bay stops singing, and I take a moment to wipe the sweat from my forehead when suddenly, I hear it—a single heavy breath that confirms we did it.
“Dad?” I ask, tears of hope streaming from my eyes this time.
“Alianna? What’s happening?” he responds weakly, attempting to sit up but struggling with his tail.
I lunge into a tight hug, overwhelming him momentarily with joy.
“I’ll explain later, Dad. Now we need to wake up Mom and Luca,” I announce with a broad smile, gathering my strength to continue. Bay and I get back to work.
When I wake up my mother, I already feel dizzy. The concentration and power, combined with the caution I need to exercise, are taking too much out of me. I have to keep going a little longer, forcing myself to summon renewed strength to wake Luca. We start again, for the last time.
“Alin?” I hear Luca’s voice call me after Bay wakes him up. I can hear him again; he’s here. I smile at him and want to hug him, but my body won’t move. The dizziness takes over, and before I can react, the world turns black.
When I open my eyes, a familiar sensation envelops me—I’m in water. In a bathtub.
I sit up in a panic, fearing it was all a dream and they’re still lifeless downstairs.
Lifting my head, I spot Luca, asleep again, leaning on the bathroom sink.
A strange d é jà vu washes over me. My smile widens, and I lift the bathwater into the air, swiftly transforming my tail back into legs.
I rush to him, settle in his lap, and wake him with a flurry of kisses.
He’s here; I did it. He’s alive. Tears flood my eyes, this time from the excitement welling up inside me.
“Alin? Are you okay?” he asks, worried, wrapping me in his embrace. His stubble tickles my cheek, and I pull back to look at him. Color has returned to his face. Gently, I trace the scar on his eyebrow with my finger, savoring his rugged beauty. He’s with me now, forever.
“You’re asking if I’m okay? You were a human popsicle,” I laugh through my tears.
“I feel as good as new, even better than before. I heard you gave me a great detox,” he smiles his captivating smile.
“I was so afraid I’d never see that smile again,” I think aloud.
“I told you before. I’ll always come back as long as you’re waiting for me at home,” he says tenderly and kisses my lips.
“As much as I want you all to myself right now, there are a few things we need to take care of. Come on,” he says suddenly, pulling a dress he had prepared for me from the hanger by the sink and dressing me in it.
For the first time, he doesn’t comment on the lack of underwear, and I chuckle to myself, deciding not to mention it.
We head downstairs to the first floor of the apartment, and I’m delighted to see my parents and Bay sitting in the living room.
I rush over and embrace them, feeling like a little girl again.
“I’m so proud of you, my dear,” my mother’s voice whispers in my ear, and I’m so happy to have the chance to hug them like this again.
“I thought I lost you all,” I say, looking at Luca standing behind me.
“I was completely devastated,” I add, sadness creeping into my voice as the image of them paralyzed on the ground flashes in my mind again.
“We’re all fine now thanks to you, and it seems you did a very good job with Zale and his son,” my mother says, laughing.
“At least I know she inherited that from me,” my father immediately interjects, but my mother doesn’t miss a beat.
“You must be forgetting all the times I saved your life and fought on your behalf, but if you prefer to think that then why not?”
We all laugh, and joy fills me. The people I love most are in one room, happy and safe. Humans and merfolk. I pray this isn’t a dream.
“The betrayal and death of Zale and his son means there’s no more wedding. You can come back home with us now, Alianna,” my father says gently, holding my hand, and I feel a pang in my chest.
I got my parents back, but I don’t want to leave Luca. I fought my whole life to stay here.
“Mom, Dad, I know you might not support me in this, but I want to stay here on land with Luca. I don’t want to leave the sea, but I don’t want to leave the land either.
I want to combine my two worlds, and I think I’ve earned that,” I request, bracing for the storm my parents might unleash in the room, holding my breath.
My mother looks at my father, and it seems the decision is in his hands. Not a good sign.
“Alianna, you are the next in line for our lineage. It will fall apart if you don’t come with us and continue it after us,” my father states what I already expected, and I sigh in frustration.
“Let me finish,” he suddenly says, and I look at him, his voice now filling me with anticipation.
“Now that we’ve finally, after a million tries, gotten rid of Zale, maybe it’s time for a bit of change,” he announces, and I’m filled with hope, waiting for him to continue. Is he going to say what I want him to say?
But instead, he gets up from the couch and walks over to Luca.
“You stood and protected my daughter even knowing your life was on the line. I value that trait highly. I might be old, but it’s hard to miss what you two mean to each other, and I’m open to changing how our lineage operates.
However, I expect a continuation of the lineage, more descendants.
They will need to grow up and protect both worlds.
Can you promise that?” he asks directly with his cold diplomacy, and my face turns red.
“Dad...” I plead, and I can hear my mother enjoying the show and curious about Luca’s answer.
“Luca, you don’t have to answer,” I add in desperation, knowing my father has no boundaries when it comes to invading privacy.
“No, it’s okay, Alin,” Luca rejects my attempt to save him and answers with the seriousness expected of a capo.
“Of course, I will meet your requirements. And rest assured, in my world, you won’t find a better keeper of secrets than my family,” he says and sends a mischievous smile my way.
“Am I dreaming?” I can’t be this happy right now. I pinch my cheek hard and curse when it hurts. Bay and Cora appear behind me, laughing.
“We did it, Alin,” Bay confirms to me.
I run to Luca and jump on him in a big hug, and he wraps me in his arms. I dreamed of this moment for so long, and honestly, I never truly believed it would come.
“If this is a dream, don’t wake me up,” I whisper in Luca’s ear, and he laughs.
“It’s definitely a dream, but you’re not asleep; we made it,” he kisses my cheek, and Bay runs to us with excitement and a huge smile on her face.
“So I’m staying too!” she announces, and we all laugh.
This is my family, my whole family, and I will protect them at all costs.