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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~ ~ Xander ~ ~
Just as predicted, the storm came that evening. We had just finished having dinner with Helene, Amaya, Oscar, and Leon when it hit, and though it hadn't reached us yet, it spooked Malik quite a bit. That's why I guided him straight to our room to calm down, after saying goodbye to the others.
We didn't speak as we changed into comfortable clothes, and then climbed in bed together. I wrapped my arms securely around Malik as he sat in my lap and laid against my chest.
"I feel pathetic," he mumbled.
"Oh, shut up," I ran my fingers through his hair. "Everyone's afraid of something. You know what I'm afraid of?" He tilted his head back to look up at me and my heart fluttered with endearment. "I'm actually afraid of the ocean," I continued. "I know that sounds ridiculous, seeing as it's your home. But to me, it's scary. I can't even swim," I laughed.
"I understand why," Malik shrugged. "It can be very dangerous, and you never know what's lurking in the darkest parts. I guess that's why I love it so much." He paused for a moment, and then looked up at me. "You seriously can't swim?"
"I really can't," I grinned at him. "So you see why being afraid of thunderstorms is not pathetic. It's the same as the ocean, they're both dangerous if you're not prepared for them. They're both scary for understandable reasons. Let's not go around invalidating fears, alright?" I knew my point hit home when he sunk further into me.
"Alriiiight," he sighed. I smiled as I thought about how childlike he became when he was scared. It made me want to wrap him up and protect him like this every time fear threatened to consume him.
"Good," I cupped his face in my hands and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "So, what would you like to do while we wait out this storm?"
Malik thought about it for a moment before he replied. "Well, just sitting and talking like this is perfect, actually. It's keeping me distracted."
"Okay. Let's keep talking, then." So we did. We talked for hours, and as the time passed, I felt Malik's anxiety ease more and more. My merman fell asleep as it started to get late, and at this point, the storm passed by us.
As I got settled into bed, a soft knock sounded at the door. I sneaked a look at Malik to make sure it didn't wake him, and when I saw he hadn't moved, I slowly climbed out of bed so as to not disturb him. To my surprise, the knock came from Leon. I tilted my head at him as I stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door. "Hey, what's up? Is something wrong?" I asked him.
"Well, I first wanted to see if Malik was okay. That storm was pretty loud." I had to admire his genuine concern for his son.
"He's fine, I managed to keep him distracted. He just fell asleep, actually," I informed him.
