Chapter 1 - I'm Choosing to Trust You
Welcome to my story! This is the first novel I’ve ever written, and book 1 of my Arcelia series!
Please note that there are a lot of trigger warnings and it’s marked as mature for a reason! There are lots of mentions of blood, gore, kidnapping, abuse, mental health topics, and anxiety. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, don’t read the book, or proceed with caution. You’ve been warned. In addition to this, there will be warnings on the most triggering chapters.
Lastly, enjoy!! This is part of a huge world called Arcelia that’s only existed in my head for a long time, and I’m very happy to finally share it with people.
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This book is dedicated to the one I love who supported me in my writing every step of the way. Consider this creation an homage to our humble beginnings, and a love letter to you. I want you to know that no matter where life takes you, no matter how much you change and grow, I’ll be there for as long as you’ll have me. I want to change and grow with you, get to know every new person you become. Maybe someday, we won’t have to be so scared anymore.
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~ ~ Malik's POV ~ ~
Everything stung like someone pressed burning metal to my skin, the sand grating into cuts on my flesh. I breathed hard, dragging myself out of the ocean, tossing a duffel bag onto the beach next to me. The waves crashed over me as if the water itself cast me out. Pushed me away just as they had.
I had no plan. No home, no friends, and no family. Only myself to rely on for the first time in my life.
Thick red blood spilled from various cuts and gashes all over my burnt umber arms and torso. My icy blue tail had a torn tail fin, and missing scales left uncomfortable gaps. I rolled miserably onto my back, raindrops hitting my face, mixing with the tears running from my eyes. I intended to lay here until the elements could take me, until I heard faint footsteps in the sand behind me, a figure looming just out of sight.
“You’re bleeding,” a deep voice spoke softly, so quiet that I almost didn’t hear him over the sound of the rain and waves. But it was unmistakable.
I watched as the man knelt down beside me and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the sweet mercy of death to take me. The raindrops ceased their incessant attack. I opened my eyes and gazed up at the man, my eyebrows knitted in confusion as he held an umbrella above me to block the rain.
My gaze traveled to his face, dyed purple hair falling into his forehead, fanning freckled cheeks housing a light stubble. But what caught my attention the most was his bright red eyes, watching me with curiosity and concern. The eyes of a-
“Vampire,” I whispered.
I grew up learning about how cruel vampires were. They hunted the streets of other territories at night looking for blood, they tortured, killed, and assaulted. However, as I stared one in the eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was wrong about them. No, that’s impossible.
“Are you alright?” He asked. I didn’t know if it was the question itself, or the sound of his deep, rolling voice asking it, but my fight or flight finally kicked in. I quickly sat up, grabbing my sharp turret snail shell from the side pocket in my duffel bag. I swung it at him before he had time to react. I was rewarded with a cry of pain as he gripped his forearm where I cut into his skin.
I used the moment of distraction to crawl away on my forearms. With my body in such a panicked and wounded state, it would be impossible for me to walk on my own two legs, forced to drag my heavy, scaly tail behind me instead. Grains of sand embedded further into the gashes on my arm, as if I were crawling over hot coals and I immediately regretted my little escape attempt.
The vampire caught up to me easily, because who was I kidding? He stepped around my weak body on the ground and stood directly in front of me. I paused, deliberating my next move.
“Please don’t be afraid,” the stranger spoke gently again. “My name is Virgil, and I want to help you. How did you end up here?”
“I don’t need your help,” I spat, sitting up and pushing myself back using my tail. He watched, a half smile on his face as if I amused him.
He tilted his head and asked, “you sure about that?” His words forced me to take a good look at my situation. Of course I wasn’t sure. I didn’t even know where I was. He took my silence as his cue to continue. “Listen, I have-”
Whatever he was about to tell me died in his throat. I frowned when his eyes focused on something behind me.
I turned in time to see another figure approaching from the rainy fog. “I smell blood,” a man called. “Is it yours? Or can I take it?” As he moved close, he flashed long vampire fangs and crazed red eyes.
“It’s mine. You touch it, you die.” He spoke bluntly, his words causing the other man to falter for a mere moment before he laughed it off. As he stalked closer, now only ten feet away, I could see how heavily-built he really was. The man supposedly trying to save me, Virgil, as he called himself, stood much shorter, his oversized sweater making him look even smaller. Still, he placed himself between me and the opposing man.
“What are you gonna do, puny vampire?” He chuckled again, his gravelly voice sending uncomfortable shivers down my spine.
“You’re about to find out.” Something about those words, or perhaps the way he said them, should have made the other man turn around and walk away. But he was stubborn and prideful.
The larger vampire took one more step closer, though he never made it farther than that. With a flick of Virgil’s wrist, he fell to his knees, taking in little bursts of air in painful wheezes as if he were being choked by an invisible hand. The smaller vampire allowed this to go on for a few heart stopping moments before opening his hand, allowing the man to breathe again.
The wheezes and gasps he sucked in, forcing air back into his lungs, made me shiver uncomfortably. Whatever Virgil had done caused him to stumble to his feet and shout, “what the hell?! Filthy demon!” And with one last nasty glare, he finally staggered away.
I had never felt such fear before. I watched, paralyzed, as Virgil hurt a man right in front of me. What if he hadn’t stopped? Was he capable of killing someone? Could I really trust him after that?
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Virgil’s voice was a little gentler now. “I don’t normally use that, I swear I don’t. Having that kind of power over someone isn’t something I enjoy. I just… I had to protect you.”
I had no reply to that. Virgil hesitantly continued, filling in the silence. “As I was saying before, I have a mansion, just inland from here. I run a charity there for people who need help and if you come with me, we can get you checked out. From the looks of things, you won’t last much longer with those open wounds. What do you say?”
My mouth went dry as if I had swallowed the very sand I was sitting in. I nodded numbly, accepting that I had no other choice. My will to keep going drained out of me from the moment they drove me out of my own home. Whatever happened to me going forward… I didn’t care.
“I can’t move while my tail is out,” I mumbled, my voice trembling pathetically.
Virgil stepped closer to me, closing his umbrella and hanging it over his forearm. “I can carry you, with your permission?”
I nodded slowly. “I’m choosing to trust you. Don’t betray my trust, or there will be consequences.” However, as I just watched him bring a brute to his knees, I wasn’t so sure that was true.
“I won’t betray you,” he said gently, taking me seriously all the same. Virgil leaned down and picked me up bridal style, as if I weighed nothing. Clearly, he was much stronger than he looked, and it was no wonder the other vampire thought he could challenge this man. I shivered uncomfortably as my mind replayed his desperate gasps one more time. The helpless look in his eyes.
As Virgil carried me away from the scene, I squeezed my eyes shut as dizziness and nausea overwhelmed my body. With the amount of blood I was losing, I couldn’t stay awake. Eventually, I fell asleep on Virgil’s shoulder. I hoped he didn’t mind.
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I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It looked similar to a hospital room, but more homely. A machine beeped to the rhythm of my heart, sitting on my left. To my right, an IV and blood transfusion rack, with cords that led to needles stuck into my arm. I winced as I saw the bruises forming. The exposed brick walls and wooden medical cabinet made it look less daunting to wake up in.
I had a ‘call nurse’ button on the bed beside me so I pressed it and waited, my head dropping back onto the pillow behind me.
“Welcome back,” Virgil stepped into the room minutes later. I opened my mouth, ready to spew a million questions, but he gently shushed me, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. “We’re back at the mansion. My brother treated you last night and you slept until now. It’s the afternoon, you must have been exhausted.”
“What kind of charity has built-in hospital rooms and doctors on hand?” I asked, my voice rough as I got used to talking again.
Virgil smiled and said, “we have an extensive operation for people we find in the streets who need help. We have food, clothes, hygiene products, and any other essentials on hand. My brother is the doctor. It was him and his husband’s idea to start all this.”
“Husband?” I tilted my head, allowing a faint smile to touch my lips. “Are they soulmates?” I got a nod from the vampire in confirmation. “That’s lovely, when will I meet them?”
“My brother will be coming in here to give you food and water soon, as well as a change of clothes. His husband is around, but Leslie mostly works in the kitchen. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some other patients to tend to,” without another word, he stood up and left me alone with my thoughts.
It wasn’t long before another vampire showed up. He was much taller than Virgil, reaching at least a foot higher. Snow white hair fell into his porcelain face and bright red eyes greeted me with mirth. He gave me a friendly smile as he brought some things in. “Hi! I’m Adrian,” he set down a tray of food on the table to the right of my bed, then placed my duffel bag at the foot of the mattress. “How all your stuff managed to stay dry is beyond me, but we checked anyway. And here, I made you some sashimi.”
“Thank you,” I gave him a grin, his joy infectious. They didn’t have to do all of this for me, but they did. Nothing quite felt like enough to express my gratitude, but the simple thanks was enough for now. “It’s an underwater duffel, enchanted to keep everything dry.” Adrian nodded in understanding, his mouth making an ‘o’ shape.
“Adrian,” Virgil stopped at the doorway. “You have a shift tomorrow, right? Should I let Xander know?”
“Yep!” Adrian replied cheerfully.
“Who is Xander?” The name sounded strange to me, though I couldn’t explain why. The heart monitor next to me audibly sped up, not enough for the other two men to notice, but enough for me to notice.
“He works with us, too,” Adrian looked back at me to explain. “We don’t charge people for our services, so we rely on donations. That’s not always enough, so I have a part time job to keep things going. Xander takes my place while I’m working.”
“Yeah, donations,” Virgil snorted. He winked at me before disappearing into the bustling hallway.
“Ignore him,” Adrian shook his head with a soft smile. I watched him work as he gave me a checkup, letting me know my blood pressure and heart rate looked good. He removed the needle from my arm and covered the spot with a bandage. “All set! Xander will do his rounds later, so let him know if you need anything. He’ll be happy to help, even if he seems a little grumpy.” He gave me a teasing grin.
I nodded, ignoring the pang in my chest. Did I recognize the name? Maybe I know a Xander. I wracked my brain but I couldn’t figure out why that sparked something in me.
It didn’t take much to devour the sashimi Adrian brought me, my stomach gnawing at itself. I hadn’t had a chance to eat before it happened. After I cleared the plate, I took the time to change into my own clothes from my duffel bag.
As a merman, I lived in the ocean most of the time, residing in an underwater city called Leviane. Just south of the city sat a spread of islands, twenty-four of them to be exact, though most of them were small and bare, leaving them open to become merfolk territory.
There, we set up bungalows on the main island to reside in during vacation periods. A few weeks at a time every summer, we would walk on land, training and building strength in our legs. Merfolk tended to be cautious this way, for the sake of our survival, and while some hated the feeling of legs instead of a tail, I was fortunate enough to be comfortable either way.
The sun had set hours ago, a glance outside reminding me of sleep. I turned off the light in my room and hobbled into bed, laying down on my back and staring at the ceiling for what felt like forever. My mind ran through the last couple of days, replaying the way everyone reacted when they found out. The words, the spears, hands clawing at me, questions tearing into me.
The swim took hours, my body coming down from the adrenaline making it hard to keep going, to not get thrown and thrashed by the waves. Swimming close to the surface, in order to avoid any other merpeople, made things even more dangerous.
I hadn’t expected to make it to shore, let alone meet Virgil. What had he been doing on the beach at night, in the rain? I supposed it didn’t matter. He was there when I needed him, however strange it had been.
