Page 53 of Sworn to My Heart
“I wasn’t ready for that, so I left everything behind and came back to live on land. I knew the first place my parents would look for me was with my adoptive family, so I avoided meeting them. I sold sea treasures I found, got a lot of money for it, and lived in a small apartment in Manhattan until I met you all. And from there, you know the story.” I finish and take a deep breath, feeling a heavy weight lifted from my chest.
After pouring my heart out for a few minutes, they remain open-mouthed, still trying to process all the new information. Luca tightens his grip on me, seeming to finally piece together all the lies I’ve told.
After a few more seconds of silence, Mariano speaks up, “You live underwater? You look like a completely normal human! If I hadn’t seen what you did today, I’d think you were insane.”
He holds his head in confusion, and I give him a warm smile. After all, I’ve just confirmed that the ancient myths are true.
“We’re the mafia, not freaking Peter Pan and the lost boys. Where the hell did you come from?” Mariano adds, and I laugh.
“Peter Pan is a fairy tale and I’m not, as you can see, I am right here in front of you,” I reply with a glance full of anticipation.
“All I see is a five-foot-tall girl with otherworldly beauty who I’d love to take for a spin upstairs,” Pedro joins the conversation, and Luca immediately shoots him a paralyzing icy glare. “If you don’t want to die right after being saved, you better shut up,” he threatens.
Pedro clears his throat and quickly corrects himself, “I mean, I don’t see anything special beyond your beauty. I’m sorry, but it’s hard for me to believe.” He glances at Luca and clears his throat again.
I hear Luca sigh beside me as he leans closer to my ear and whispers, “Do you want to show them?”
I stretch from the protective ball position I’ve adopted over the past few minutes. Fear tingles in my body again, but I quickly silence it. I feel the need to pass this test in front of them.
I want to stay here with them, and I want them to accept me, but my secret must be kept at all costs.
I nod to Luca and turn to Mariano and Pedro. “I’ll show you both. But first, I need something from you, The day I found out about you and the mafia, Luca explained that you maintain an oath that cannot be broken. I want that to apply to me too. You said I’m part of the mafia now, so I’ll ask you to swear to keep my secret, however you do it. Because, as you taught me, your word is ironclad, and my secret cannot leave these walls.”
Luca looks proud of my display of knowledge and request, gazing at them with confidence, knowing they would never disappoint him.
They nod in agreement, and I immediately ask Luca to hand me a glass of water. He quickly gets up from the couch, fills a glass of water at the bar kitchenette by the entrance, and returns with a full glass in hand.
I confidently remove my robe, as if nudity is not an unusual thing in their world. But it seems Luca didn’t expect this at all. He immediately jumps forward in his caveman possessiveness and quickly covers my body.
Pedro’s eyes widen with curiosity, and a sly grin spreads across his face.
“Pour it on me,” I quietly ask Luca.
“I always thought you’d say that in a different context, but oh well,” he follows and laughs as he does it. I give him a gentle push for his comment, and slowly, my body begins to change as my legs transform into my tail and my body fully shifts.
I look at Pedro and Mariano, trying to understand the storm that must be raging in their minds right now. They sit in silence, scanning my body with intense focus, their faces revealing nothing.
I try to break the ice with a bad joke, “The tail is from Mom, the gills are from Dad,” I chuckle nervously. But it seems to be in vain; they’re not even listening.
After a few moments of silence that feel like an eternity, Mariano stands and walks toward me. “I think you spiked my drink; this can’t be real,” he declares as he bends down and touches my tail, trying to confirm with his touch what his eyes are seeing.
Suddenly, I hear his laughter cutting through the silence and tension that had filled the room in the last few minutes.
“Why does everyone laugh when they see my tail?” I wrinkle my nose, trying to understand, but I smile back at him anyway.
Luca whispers in my ear, “It’s some people’s way of dealing with things they don’t understand,” he explains and kisses my nose.
“Well, that way certainly runs in your family,” I reply with a chuckle.
I can sense that Luca is still in shock, but he’s trying to keep a steady face to make it easier for me and his brothers, and I appreciate him for that.
“Wow! So, I wasn’t wrong; your beauty really isn’t from this world. Now, can we go upstairs? I promise to be gentle. But only if you bring back your legs,” Pedro’s reaction surprises all of us. That’s the only thing he manages to say after a long stare at my tail. He really doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.
It seems he’d rather have Luca break his nose than face the truth that’s just been revealed. But I’m trying to ease them into accepting the situation, so I joke back with a smile, “Thatdepends, how much you paying?”
In an instant, Luca jumps up, grabs Pedro by the throat, and smoothly slides his gun under Pedro’s chin. “One wrong look, and even a brother, blood of my blood, will die,” he threatens and shoves him back onto the couch. Pedro laughs and raises his hands in surrender. A bunch of lunatics, maybe that’s why they’re accepting me like this.
I return my legs while rolling my eyes at Luca.
