Chapter 30


    Hunter


    Fred and Hannah helped me choose a wedding ring for Blue. It was a round solitaire diamond stud in a


    tinum ring, a little out of my budget but looked really beautiful. My bank ount was almost empty,


    but it was worth it. Blue deserved this and so much more. I kind of wished I had enough money to


    move into a bigger house where there was awn, a fence, a room for when Blue and I decided to


    have kids.


    I dreamed of it, about having my own little family.


    I’d never thought this was possible in my wildest dreams, that I’d find a woman who’d love me enough


    to want to marry me.


    The phone in my pocket began buzzing. It was from an unknown number. I pressed answer.


    “Hello Mr. Brantley, this is Gracie. I’m a wedding nner. Your mother told me you wanted to discuss a


    few things.”


    “Hi Gracie, please call me Hunter.” I spoke on the phone while walking out of the jewelry store towards


    the parking lot across the street, “I’m looking for simple wedding decorations, I’d like to discuss about


    this. Are you free around three p.m? We could talk it over lunch and—”


    A loud re of the honking stopped me dead in my tracks and I turned to look. I wanted to run but my


    legs weren’t moving. I was glued to the ce.


    A car was moving towards me in high-speed and there was absolutely nothing I could do.


    I saw it that time.


    Death wasing for me.


    Blue


    Adrian had tried convincing me that marrying Hunter was a bad idea. And then he’d given me another


    alternative that I knew would make Hunter really furious. Adrian suggested that I could marry him


    instead and visit the Land often to meet Hunter.


    In other words, he didn’t mind me having an affair with Hunter onnd as long as I married Adrian in


    our world. I’d told Adrian that he could stop talking and that I wasn’t going to have an affair with Hunter


    because I intended to marry him.


    I’d been napping with Leslie when I got one of those bad premonitions that something was going to


    happen. Since then I couldn’t sleep and paced around the apartment. I tried calling Hunter’s number


    but he didn’t answer it and that gave me even more anxiety.


    Adrian was reading a magazine upside down, a magazine he’d found discarded in a box within the


    depths of the storage room. The magazine had a naked woman on it. I didn’t know how I felt about


    Hunter going through this one. Adrian was merely leafing through the pages, his face masked with


    interest.


    I tried texting Hunter.


    Me: Why aren’t you answering my call?


    I called him several times but each time it hit voicemail. Thirty minutes and forty textster, I decided to


    call Hannah. When she answered the call she was sobbing and that was a clear warning that


    something was wrong.


    “Hannah, I’ve been trying to call Hunter but he’s not answering my phone. Is he with you?”


    “Blue...well, Hunter got into an ident. A car almost ran over him.”


    My heart almost stopped beating, “What?!” It took me an entire minute to collect myself. “Is he alright?”


    “He’s in the hospital.”


    “I want to see him.” I said urgently.


    Hannah told me that she was sending a car and a chauffeur to take me to the hospital. When I hung up


    the call, Adrian’s expressions clearly said ‘I told you so.’


    “You still have time to stop the wedding.” Adrian suggested.


    I gave him a sharp look, “I can’t ask Hunter to do that. We both love each other.”


    “Is that love any use of if either of you end up being dead?”


    I hated that he had a point.


    What if something happened to Hunter before or during the wedding ceremony? We still had a week


    ahead of us before we got married.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    We argued back and forth in Greek. I felt helpless and angry at my situation, like there was nothing


    else I could do against thews of nature.


    “The boy is hurt for today, and he maye back home looking prim and fine, making those promises


    about lifelong love but it’s going to be your selfish nature that will get him killed one day.” Adrian


    pointed out bitterly.


    “You know, I wasn’t so sure before but I think I understand now.” I said, keeping the venom out of my


    voice.


    “What do you understand?” He asked, still looking through that vile magazine filled with naked women.


    “I think you’re jealous of Hunter.” I said finally.


    Adrian looked at me, “And what if I am?”


    “It doesn’t matter, Ade. I’ve made my decision. It would make me the happiest in the world to marry


    Hunter, if my situation doesn’t allow me, then I won’t marry you either or anyone else for that matter.” I


    completed. “So there’s absolutely no reason for you to be jealous.”


    “Our parents and elders arranged our marriage to be fulfilled when we were old enough...” Adrian said,


    “Mermaids marry mermen. That’s ourw, Blue—”


    “I’m aware of the mermaidw.” I snapped. “I’m different than other mermaids. I will take Hunter as my


    husband and no one else.” Thest part came in a choked voice, tears were threatening to spill out any


    moment.


    “There’s a price to pay for everyw that’s broken.” Hepleted.


    “I’m asking you to give up convincing me to go with you because I will not.” I said.


    “Human lives are short, even if he lives a full healthy life, it won’t be enough, Blue. You will watch him,


    your children, your grandchildren, and everyone else you care about grow old and die while you stay


    the same.” He said vehemently. “Do you want to spend the rest of your eternity alone?”


    “I’m not thinking of that possibility.” I said. “I would still be hurt if I left and watched him marry and have


    children with someone else.”


    Adrian had a expression of resignation on his face, it looked like he was giving up convincing me.


    I dressed up quickly in a casual t-shirt, jeans and sneakers and waited until Hannah texted me


    that the car was parked outside the apartment building. Throughout the entire twenty minute car ride, I


    recalled each and everything that Adrian had said.


    No matter how much I loved Hunter, I valued his life above everything else.


    It was my first timeing to a hospital, and the atmosphere around made me ill. A stretcher upied


    by a boy was wheeled away, a mother crying as she followed it. Another ident. There was a lot of


    blood.


    I felt sick all of a sudden. The ce was giving me a very sad feeling. I couldn’t ignore the scent that


    lingered around me.


    The scent of death.


    I spotted Hunter’s older brother Ryan speaking with a nurse. I walked towards them and found ine


    standing outside a room and knew that it had to be Hunter’s. She wrapped me in a warm motherly hug.


    “Is Hunter alright?” I asked.


    “He’s doing okay, honey. Thank god nothing serious happened to him. Fred and Hannah are on their


    way. You go see him now.” She said sweetly, “I’m sure he wants to see his fiancé more than anyone


    else.”


    I felt guilty looking her in the eye and lying so openly. The lies about everything, about who I was,


    where I came from and what I had done to put him in the hospital. She loved her step-son, and I’d


    almost gotten him killed because of my selfish behavior.


    I entered the room and saw Hunter lying on the propped up hospital bed, and when he saw me, he


    shed me a huge grin, the one that I loved.


    It was probably the relief I felt when I saw him safe and smiling that a sob escaped my lips and I began


    crying. His eyes widened, “Oh, Blue...sweetheart. Come here.”


    His hand was bandaged in a white looking thing, and he was sitting shirtless. A patch of bandage


    covered his upper torso. He told me to sit beside him on the bed.


    “Does it hurt?” I asked touching his heavily bandaged arm.


    “It’s fractured. It did hurt when it happened and all I rememberter is waking up in the hospital with the


    bandages.”


    I covered my mouth with my hand and cried, “I’m so sorry, Hunter. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”


    “What? This isn’t your fault. You weren’t even—” He stopped talking and I saw his expressions register


    why it had happened.


    Certainly this was no co-incidence.


    “Call off the wedding.” I said firmly. “Adrian’s right. This was a bad idea.”


    Horror crossed his features, “What do you mean this is a bad idea? What are you nning to do?”


    “I’ll go back home with Adrian.” I said. “I can’t lose you. I can’t watch you die.”


    “This is your home, and you’re not going anywhere.” Hunter said.


    “I’ve been foolish to assume that I could live peacefully here with you, and look what happened. It’s


    best if I left.”


    Hunter touched my face with his good hand, his silver eyes were intense, cutting through mine like a


    bolt of lightning, he said the next words slowly, “I’m going to marry you, Blue, and no one’s going to


    stop me. I won’t let anyone or anythinge between us. I’ll move this entire fucking universe on its


    axis. Fight with god himself if I have to.”


    I was already deeply in love with him, but when he said that with so much conviction, I believed him.


    His eyes, they told me he’d make good on his word.


    “I love you and I can’t bear the thought of losing you, Hunter.”


    “I love you more than you could ever imagine. I’ve loved you for a long time.”


    I couldn’t argue with him, this brave man. He was ready to sacrifice his life in order to marry me.


    “You still have time to think. Take your time.” I said.


    “I’ve made up my mind.”


    “Let me see your arm.” I touched his arm softly, trying not to cause any pain.


    I hadn’t done this since years so maybe I’d lost practice but I needed to try. I wrapped my fingers


    around his elbow, holding his arm in ce and closed my eyes. I began chanting softly in whispers,


    and secondster I felt the burning sensation in my body, the glowing beneath my fingers. A feeling


    that something was being lifted off Hunter. As I continued to whisper the words, the heaviness was


    leaving his body.


    I heard Hunter whisper ′what’s happening? I ignored him and continued.


    When I opened my eyes, I saw Hunter giving me a weird look, he was grinning. “What was that about?”


    “Try moving your arm now. Do you still feel any pain?”


    Confusion was clear on his features, but he did what I’d asked him to and began moving his arm.


    “I feel...better. I think...” He gave me a surprised look. “I think my arm isn’t fractured anymore.”


    I touched his torso where he’d been injured and repeated the same thing. When it was done, I slowly


    peeled off the bandage and the part looked smooth like he hadn’t been hurt there at all.


    Hunter stared at me in awe, “how did you do that?”


    I giggled, “Powers, but shhh...don’t tell this to anyone.”


    He brought my face down to his in a long lingering kiss. It felt so good to have his plump lips on mine. I


    moaned literally and forgot that I was kissing him openly in a hospital room.


    Someone cleared their throat, and we pulled away abruptly.


    Wyatt, Hunter’s father was standing in the the doorway looking amused, “sorry to interrupt you kids, but


    the doctor says Hunter will be discharged from the hospital tonight.”


    My cheeks were ming. What would his dad think? That I couldn’t even wait until Hunter was okay


    and had shamelessly started kissing his son when he was in a hospital bed.


    “Dad, I think I’m ready to go home.” Hunter said gleefully, “I don’t feel any pain at all. I think my arm


    isn’t fractured, the doctor probably made a mistake.”


    Mr. Brantley narrowed his eyes, looking between me and Hunter in confusion, “are you sure there’s no


    pain, son?”


    “I’m positive.”


    “I’ll talk to the doctor to re-examine you.”


    The door closed after him and we broke into secretive giggles. Hunter touched my cheek and ran his


    fingers from my lips down to my breasts, just kept his hand there on my bosom, slowly he squeezed, I


    gasped. “The the pain in my arm has lifted and transferred to another part of my body.”


    Iughed, “where has it transferred? I’ll make it okay right now.”


    That ear-splitting grin remained, he moved his mouth close to my ear and whispered, “it’s transferred to


    my balls.”


    “Hunter...in order for me to take the pain away from your...well, balls...whatever that is. I need to see


    that part.”


    Hunter’s balls. How strange. I never knew that part of the male anatomy. I knew about footballs,


    basketballs...


    “No magic can make it go away.” He said, I had the impression that he was teasing me. “I have had this


    issue since I rescued you from the beach.”


    “Oh.” I said. “Well, if not with magic...can I help any other way?”


    Hunter watched me intently, “You can help me after we’re married, that is. You can make the pain go


    away.” Heughed again.


    “I see. Can I see it at least?”


    “On our wedding night. I promise you. I’ll show you everything.” Heughed, and I noticed Hunter


    blushing for the first time. He rarely blushed.


    “Everything?” I asked.


    “Yeah.” He said. “Everything that you were so curious about.”


    My eyes strayed to the tent in his denim and I was surprised how excited I was to see Hunter fully


    naked.


    “As your wife I can touch you and see you naked whenever I want?” I asked.


    “I’ll be yours to do whatever you please with me.” He said with humor.


    “I can’t wait.” I said truthfully.


    “You horny woman, you’re making me blush.” He said, “Do you think you want to get married the day


    after instead of waiting next week?”


    “Yes. Yes. I would love that.”


    “I’ll see what I can do to hasten the preparations.” He grinned happily.


    I pecked his lips, “Do you know where the bathroom is?”


    I told Hunter I would stay with him until he was sent back home. He’d insisted that I should leave but I


    refused.


    I made a run to the bathroom, closed the door and puked into themode.


    Blood. The dark red mermaid blood that looked almost ck, a little different than human blood.


    Taking Hunter’s pain away, and repairing his fractured arm had taken a toll on my body. I’d had a


    burning feeling in my stomach since but I didn’t want to trouble him because he looked so happy.


    I sshed water on my face. The white basin spotted with dark spots. I touched my nose and my


    fingers were smeared with the blood.


    I pulled paper towels and dabbed it.


    I’m going to be fine, I told myself.


    There was nothing that was going to stop me from marrying Hunter Brantley.