Page 60 of Unmoored

Hazel simply nodded in thanks, and I caught the slightest frown flash over The Queen’s face before she turned her attention back to Maki. Their relationship was still strained at best, but the Queen seemed understanding enough of Hazel’s hesitations towards her. I couldn’t blame Hazel, and I felt a sense of protectiveness over her when it came to the Queen. Of course I respected her as the leader of my people, but that was where my loyalty ended.

Inaki, on the other hand, made every effort to help Hazel grow more comfortable in the Talassian Capital and with her powers, and their relationship seemed to grow stronger every day. On a few occasions, I’d found myself mildly irritated by him stealing her away, though I was well aware they needed the time together to heal.

Hazel had acclimated to life in my cottage immediately, but she still yearned for the land sometimes. Inaki had taken it upon himself to build her a cottage on the shores of Maine, though it wasn’t quite finished yet. A team of Talassi artisans had been working on it, and I was positive it would be far more beautiful and comfortable than anything I could build in our volcano.

“I don’t mind, you know,” Hazel said to me one morning as we lounged in her dry bedroom.

“You don’t mind what?” I asked, stroking her pale hair out of her face.

“You seem frustrated that Inaki and the Queen are trying to win my favor,” she said, huffing out a short laugh. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I love you, I love this room you made me, and no matter what gifts they bestow upon me, it’ll never change the way I feel about you. You’re my entire heart and soul, Draya.”

“I know,” I said, nipping at her cute, shifted ear. “I still wish I could give you more.”

“Give me the gift of your companionship,” she said. “When my home on the surface is done, stay with me in it sometimes. We can split our time between the land and sea, building a life together in both places.”

“I’d love nothing more,” I said, kissing her deeply. As much as I’d loathed humans, even my own human form before I’d met Hazel, I had to admit I was growing more fond of it because of her. I spent more time in human form than I ever had in my life, now that she was around.

She still hadn’t woken enough of her magic to fully shift into a Talassi with a tail, and both she and Cordelia were starting to rule out that option. Hazel didn’t mind, nor did I, and I think a part of her acceptance came from her hesitation to let go of her entire human self. And I couldn’t blame her at all.

The problem was that it was unsafe for her to sleep underwater. She still suffered from nightmares and panic attacks, and would often shift back and forth from her human form to her Talassi form in her sleep. I stayed by herside every night, caressing her face and body and soothing her back into reality when the terrors struck, and even in the short month since our return they had slowly begun to subside.

In reality, Hazel may never be free of the mental repercussions of the first twenty-five years of her life. She’d spent so long under the control of horrible people that she’d convinced herself she was mad, and that fear still crept into her mind at times. All I wanted was to be a stronghold for her, a rock. I wanted to love her, to be her space of peace and consistency when her thoughts began to spiral.

I loved this woman with every fiber of my being, and despite the unfortunate circumstances that brought us together, I’d forever be grateful for our connection. Oftentimes I’d think back to that night I found her floating in the open water and radiating pale blue light, glad I committed the image to my memory. The spirit of the ocean pushed me in her direction, and from that moment on she’d made herself a home within my soul for eternity.

EPILOGUE

HAZEL - ONE YEAR LATER

Some mornings I wake in my airy cottage off the coast of Maine, watching the sun rise over the Atlantic, and I feel immensely grateful for this lovely life I get to live. Others, I stare over the rocky, jutting cliffs, overcome with a haunting sense of dread and sadness, mourning for the girl who had to fight so hard just to survive. The mind is a strange thing, and though I want to exist in a state of peace and bliss, those moments of pain and the memories of tragedy remind me how precious those feelings of joy truly are.

I wouldn’t say I am particularly grateful for the hardships I endured, but I believe they shaped me as a person, and I know I’m stronger because of it.

Draya and I have settled into our lives with each other with ease, and I cherish every moment we’re able to spend together. By this point, we’ve ruled out the possibility of me forming a tail – and I am perfectly fine with it. My Talassi form feels unique to who I am, a half-human half-sea-dweller who feels the pull from both sides at all times. I love being human, and I love being Talassi, and more than any of it I love being a part of the Talassi community.

My biological father and I spend time together quite often, and my relationship with the Queen is far better than it was one year prior. I have no interest in “claiming” my title as royalty, which they respect, though I’m happy to have a cordial and friendly relationship. Draya and I often dine with them in the Queen’s residence, and Inaki visits my cottage often, always terrified that something went horribly wrong and needs to be fixed.

He and I will bear the scars of our suffering at the hands of Lord Emerson for the rest of our lives. In some twisted way, it brings me peace to know that I don’t have to carry that burden alone.

The Queen and Inaki never visit Draya’s cottage, though, and it has become our truest sanctuary.

I realized fairly quickly that I needed something todowith my time, so I proposed a job to the Queen, Prince Inaki, Commander Adri, and the rest of the Talassi Warriors. Though Lord Emerson left me zero ownership of his empire, he did leave me with moderate knowledge of trade routes and maritime commerce. I now work closely with the warriors and Captain Jogia to ensure the safety of Talassi outposts in the sea and wherever the Nayte Brigand spends their time. It allows me to explore, to see parts of the world I never thought I’d be able to see with my own eyes, and to use my brain and body to help ensure the future and safety of those I’d come to love so deeply.

We’re working our way around each of the Talassi posts, securing their borders and making the surrounding areas abit more unsafe for merchant ships, even steamships. My hope is to one day infiltrate the surviving pieces of Lord Emerson’s legacy and dismantle it from within, but that’s a mission for another time.

On this particularly sunny morning, I’d woken to Draya sound asleep next to me in bed – a solid bed with a wooden frame and real mattress – followed by a leisurely walk to the beach where we spent most of the morning splashing around in low tide. It was what I’d consider a perfect morning, and we spent the afternoon securing the cottage before heading back to the Talassian Capital.

With Draya’s hands around my body, cutting through the currents of the deep blue water, I felt in my heart that I was truly home. The ghosts and demons I’d collected during the first twenty-five years of my life would never truly disappear. They’d always linger at the edges of my mind and psyche, but there was a sense of peace that came from knowing they would no longer hurt me. I was free now.

For the first time, I had a future ahead of me, filled with endless possibilities. If I wanted a family, I could have one. If I wanted to man a ship of my own and sail from New York to Whitethorn Bay, I’d find a way. If I wanted to simply explore every corner of the world and make love to my Talassi warrior until we couldn’t speak another word, I could.

No matter where the currents brought us, the choices that lay ahead of me were completely my own, and I found peace in that promise. Though sadness still found me from time to time, it never lingered the way it had before, like a storm cloud waiting to pour over me at any moment. I’dlearned in the past year that I have power over that storm, and that I can use it, or send it away when I please. I’d become the version of myself that I was always meant to be, and I’d always be grateful to the call of the rushing waters for coaxing me into her arms.