Copyright © 2011 Amber Garr
www.ambergarr.com
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
If you’ve illegally downloaded this book for free, stop it. No one likes a thief. Authors put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into their work and only I should choose whether or not I offer it for free. Besides, after reading my books, you should be leery about what happens to thieves.
Cover Design by Phat Puppy Art
Acknowledgements
I would most graciously like to thank my group of beta readers who have taken time out of their busy lives to help make this book possible. To my mom, Sandy, Elizabeth, Jocelyn, and Erin…I can never thank you enough for your encouragement. This is something that means a lot to me and I’m so glad that you have been a part of this process. And also thanks to my friends and coworkers who have been tremendously supportive of my endeavor.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Betrayal Sneak Peek
Newsletter Sign Up
About the Author
Other Titles Available
I barely heard her parting words when the screen door slammed shut. My head spun in desperation as the anger coursed through my bones.
“Get back in here, Eviana!” she continued to scream at me. “We are not finished with this conversation!”
I’d already raced down the deck stairs to the sandy beach, kicking off my shoes and unbuttoning my blouse. We are for now, I thought as my blood boiled with rage and resentment. I’d be trapped! How dare they? This wasn’t the eighteenth century anymore! I had rights!
“Do not go see that boy,” she yelled. “I’m warning you!”
I stumbled onto the sand, taking just a brief moment to savor the warmth and the tiny grains massaging my toes. My shirt came off and I started to unzip my jeans. No one was around, but I wouldn’t care anyway. The water called to me, becoming the only voice I could hear now.
With one pant leg off, I hopped along in my forward progression until the other one broke free. My oasis was so close I could taste the salt in the air. The sun suddenly broke free of a cloud, stopping me for a moment. Although late afternoon with the sunset a few hours away, the sky had already turned multiple shades of pink and orange, the coloration resembling the inside of a brilliant conch shell.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I knew there’d be hell to pay when I returned to the house. Marguerite, my mother, had tolerated my rebellious behavior when I was younger, giving me more freedom and second chances than anyone in our clan. But apparently now, at seventeen, I was an adult. Adult enough to bear children. Adult enough to participate in clan gatherings. Adult enough to navigate our youth through their transition period. But not adult enough to choose who to love.
A slight breeze wafted off the ocean, bringing along scents that filled my gut with longing. The freedom of the ocean. Why couldn’t I just stay there forever? A gull called overhead, beckoning me to join him. The splashing waves calmed my inner rage as they ebbed and flowed in a hypnotic pattern. A distant moan of a shipping vessel reminded me of our history. I opened my eyes to see that I stood alone along miles of sandy beach interlaced with large rocks and cliffs emblematic of the northern California coast. So beautiful. I stripped off the rest of my clothes and ran into the ocean.
As soon as I dove under the water, I felt the transition begin. My lower body ached as the bones adjusted from a life on land to one at sea. Both legs began to fuse together and work as one. My foot bones elongated while I prepared for the agony. Although accustomed to the changes, it still proved to be a struggle of mind over matter.
Breaking through the surface of the water, I grabbed one last breath before the final jolt of pain ravaged my body. I bit my bottom lip and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the moment to be over. At last I felt an electric tingle move from my hips to my toes as the hardened, iridescent scales appeared on the bottom half of my body. I opened my eyes to find the internal transformation complete as well. My vision cleared. My lungs expanded. I could hear for miles.
I was free.
So I swam. I swam away from the shore and the house that I lived in. I swam away from my fears and obligations as though they could disappear with the distance. I would temporarily forget my responsibilities, my duties, and the argument with my mother. In here, I wasn’t trapped. In here, I was a mermaid and the sea was my true home.
The sun broke through the water, highlighting the kelp and creating a kaleidoscope of light beams piercing the blue depths of the ocean. Gathering up all of the negative energy, I smiled and thrust power into my movement. I darted over and under and around the light beams, while challenging myself not to hit any of the massive algal trees. I chased the fish and raced with the sea otters, laughing as they tried to decide if I was friend or foe.
My hair flowed behind me like a golden cape when I dove to the sea floor and skimmed over the bottom. In a daring move that most of my clan members would find disgraceful and childish, I pumped my tail and hurdled toward the surface. As I broke free from the water, I caught a glimpse of the shoreline miles away where my house was barely visible. Flying through the air like a circus performer, I gathered my breath just before diving to the ocean depths once again.
My body relaxed as I slipped into a more peaceful swimming pattern and let my mind drift away. I didn’t need to speak. I didn’t need to listen. I just was. Turning toward the shore, I began to move diagonally to the north. I knew this section of water well. Every rock outcropping, kelp bed, and reef was a marker on the map in my labyrinth of a mind. The ocean stayed calm today, allowing me to see nearly a hundred feet around. I swam close to the bottom, rising and falling over the contours of the seascape.
I’d nearly reached my destination when a shadow darted over my head, causing me to stop and spin around so fast that my hair tangled in my face. As I struggled to move it away from my eyes, I tried to sense if something lurked around me. Although merfolk claimed the top of the food chain in this part of the ocean, our natural animal instincts were hard to suppress.
Steadying myself, I listened for movement and felt for the electrical pulses all living creatures exude. Nothing. My hair was so wrapped up around my face that I needed both hands to separate the knotted mess. Finally, I broke free from my temporary imprisonment and when I focused my eyes, a large seal stared at me just mere inches away from my face.
While trying to stifle a scream, he looked into my eyes, cocked his head, and blew a rush of bubbles into my face. I grabbed for him with both arms, trying to capture his massive body, but instead my hands barely grazed his tail flippers. He slipped past me and darted to the surface. I raced after him while we both stole a quick breath, thinking this was my chance to slow him down. But he moved too fast
, and before I could get my head back underwater, I felt a jolt against my stomach when he tried to toss me into the air.
He failed and I made a quick snatch of his side flipper that yanked him back toward me. We twisted and turned and jockeyed around each other; each trying to get the upper hand. When we would get close to crashing into the sea floor, we’d change direction and struggle back to the surface. It must have looked like a bubble torpedo oscillating through the vast emptiness with no target in its sight.
I suddenly pulled free from the seal and took off as fast as I could toward the nearest kelp bed. He was too quick and managed to nip my tail just as I flitted into the great forest. We dodged and dived between the leaves. I was fast, but he was more agile with his sleek body shape.
Sensing my imminent defeat, I tried one last maneuver. Wrapping my hands around the largest trunk of algae I could find, I used all of the strength in my arms to swing my body around behind it. The movement caught him by surprise and he swam too fast to correct for it. The seal sailed past me but before he could turn around, I bounded out with one powerful kick. Jetting over him, I encircled my arms around his neck and maneuvered my body over his back.
He flipped around several times trying to knock me free, but I had him. I felt a laugh rumble through his body as he slowed to a casual swimming pace, ultimately conceding defeat. Smiling, I nestled my face against his neck as he carried me away.
We stopped at a small rock island a few miles offshore. On the west side, a tiny gravel-littered cove sat nestled in between two high cliffs, blocking the view to the east. The setting sun cast shards of orange, red, and purple against the volcanic sheets of rock like a massive, gothic crystal prism. This side of the island was hidden from the shore. This side of the island was our sanctuary.
I let go of my furry chariot and sat in the shallows to concentrate on my transition. Turning back into human form was always easier for me and in just a few moments I walked on two legs again. I watched the seal hurl himself out of the water and onto the rocky shore. He glanced my way, snorted, and turned his back to me. In a move so graceful it could only be magical, the seal pushed back onto his hind flippers…and became a human.
The fur coat fell from his body as he took a deep breath, his face turning up to the cliff. Even from behind, he looked breathtaking. We’d known each other since we were kids and every time I saw him my heart clenched and my stomach fluttered.
I started to move toward him, oblivious of my nakedness and captivated by his. It wasn’t an issue in our world and especially not at our sanctuary. The human body was just a part of who we were. He turned his head slightly and sighed, but I saw the smile from where I stood.
“I thought we weren’t going to meet until tomorrow.” He shook his head. “You caught me off guard and bested me.”
I almost argued that he’d surprised me too, but when he turned around to face me, I froze. His tall, athletic build was just a fraction of what made me catch my breath. Tanned skin and dark hair complimented the sharp angles on his face, enhancing the mesmerizing green of his eyes. Since the first day I met him, he could overwhelm me with his smile. It was one of his best features.
However, it was the way he looked at me that had captured my heart so many years ago. His laugh snapped me out of my temporary paralysis.
“Have I bewildered you again, my sexy siren?”
I smiled and closed the distance between us before he could speak again. Jumping into his arms, we kissed for several minutes, exploring every surface of our human forms. I lost myself in him until reality came crashing back, knocking the breath away from me. I pulled away so suddenly, I almost tripped over my feet. Tears filled my eyes.
“Eviana. What is it? What’s wrong?” He bent down and placed both hands on my arms to hold me up.
“They did it, Brendan! They’ve made the arrangements, and there’s nothing I can do about it!” I didn’t want to scream at him, but all of the emotion I’d pushed aside during our swim came flooding back. I hated them right now. “How could they do this to us?” I pleaded. “They have no right!”
Brendan’s hands caressed my arms before he pulled me in to his chest where I could burrow in his warmth. He sighed, kissed the top of my head, and rested his chin there for a while.
A few moments passed before he calmly and stoically replied, “We knew this day would come sometime. Now we’ll have to figure out what we’re going to do about it.”
“What we’re going to do about it? What we’re going to do about it? We’re going to run away from this place. So far away they’ll never come after us. I won’t live without you and I will not marry Kain!”
“You can’t leave your clan, Evs. Perhaps we could talk to them-”
“Talk?” I replied, sounding very immature as I cut him off. “Don’t you think I already tried that? My mother won’t listen to me. She doesn’t care about my feelings. “It is your duty, Eviana. You will marry Kain and breed for the good of the clan”,” I imitated in a not-so-good impression of our leader.
“Please,” he chuckled. “Your mother doesn’t sound anything like that.” Brendan’s attempt at humor helped calm my breathing.
I tried to smile at him, but the grin barely touched the corners of my mouth. “Yes, she does.” I pulled away to look into his beautiful green eyes. “What are we going to do?” I couldn’t control the tears threatening to burst their dam.
“Do you remember when we first met?” he asked.
“When you tried to smother me?”
He laughed. “No, when you ran away from your mother and fell asleep on my rock?”
I was ten, had just experienced my first transition, and still needed to learn how to control my urges not to live permanently in the sea. Therefore I was a bit…moody. During the first few years, a young mermaid lives many lifetimes over while trying to manage the changes, the perils of puberty, and creating excuses for your friends as to why you can’t go to the beach with them anymore.
My first years were hell. On this particular trip to Seattle, I was behaving badly and my mom sent me out of the house “until I knew what I was sorry for”. So, undoubtedly, my walk lasted for hours. I’d finally found a path and climbed down to the rocky beach, sprawling over the top of a large boulder. At some point I must have fallen asleep to the rhythmic sounds of the ocean, because when I woke, I was smothered by a seal as large as me. His strange green eyes hovered right above mine and he made no attempt to move away.
He weighed so much I couldn’t push him off, yet I could still throw a punch. Hitting him right in the snout, I felt a wave of satisfaction as I heard him whelp. He recovered quickly. So quickly, in fact, that before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my leg in his mouth and pulled me into the water with him.
For a few brief moments I panicked. Not because I was under the water, but because I could already feel my bones begin to ache. While dealing with the terror of my impending transition and trying to disrobe underwater (not an easy task), that wretched little seal kept darting over me. He slammed into my shoulders, pushed against my back, and then swam in a circle around me so that I became trapped in the swirl of his wake.
But the moment I got my clothes off, he stopped.
Intent on not being an embarrassed, naked, prepubescent girl, I sank deeper under the water and stubbornly turned to face him. I focused on his eyes as I felt my legs fuse and the scales appear, while trying to hide all traces of my mental discomfort and physical anguish. His reaction appeared to be humanlike, and I swear I caught him staring at my breasts.
As he began to slink closer, I held my ground. When he swam around examining me like a freak show exhibit, I remained still. It wasn’t until the moment he circled back to my face that I struck. Grabbing his neck and swinging my tail behind him, I wrapped my arms around his body and dug my hands into his blubbery folds. Just as I got a decent grip, he took off.
“I distinctly remember you trying to get me naked,” I joked, laugh
ing when Brendan pulled away in surprise.
“No…I…,” he smiled at my jab. “Okay, maybe. But do you remember what we talked about on that beach?”
I nestled my head closer against his chest, needing to feel his warmth. We swam around for miles that first day and when it was time for a rest, he took me to a secluded beach where we changed and talked for hours. We discovered what type of creatures we both were, learning that we had more in common than any of our friends could possibly understand. That beach became our world, and that world contained just the two of us. My earlier acts of disobedience had led me to my first selkie, my first kiss, and my only true love.
“We talked about how our parents would never let us be together,” I said, remembering the discussions about our cultures.
Brendan was a selkie. A shapeshifter of sorts, like me, but belonging to a totally different line. Our species didn’t mix. It wouldn’t result in a child, and was therefore forbidden. My mother hated that I loved him and I suspected she thought I’d give him up when the time came to fulfill my duties.
“We decided that it didn’t matter what they wanted. Every time your family visited nearby, you found a way to sneak out and be with me.” He kissed me again and pulled me down to the ground. “Just like we’ll find a way to deal with this too.”
I crossed my arms over his chest and sighed. “But they promised me to him, Brendan. You know how important this marriage is to our clans. I don’t know if we can get out of this one.”
We rested on our sides, facing each other and plotting through the silence. I rubbed my hand over his muscles, feeling shivers like it was the first time we touched.
“Okay,” Brendan suddenly said.
I raised my head to look up at him. “Okay, what?”
“You’re going to return home to your family and…” he placed a finger over my lips when I started to protest. “And we’ll pretend that we’ve accepted our fate. We’ll continue living our lives as though content.” He arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Well, you’ll continue to act as you normally do, and harass everyone to death.” Before I could take a bite of his finger in response to his snide comment, he quickly moved it away from my lips.
“And then what?” I asked indignantly.
“And then in one month, we leave.” He sounded so sure. So secure in this declaration that it took me a few seconds to believe what I heard.
“Really?” I pleaded, this time allowing more excitement to filter into my question. “Please tell me you mean this.”
“I won’t live without you Evs. I can’t.”
I launched myself onto his body, wrapping my legs around his waist, and kissing him at the same time. “I love you, Brendan, but please promise me we’ll go.”
He hugged me close and whispered into my ear, “I promise.”