Reaching over, Sam touched her face. “I dunno if I would say that. Look at you. You’re a night human again. Seems like a second chance to me,” Sam said, expertly changing the subject as her heart grew heavier. He was protecting her again, this time from her own feelings.
Whitney smiled at him and his effort. “I’m not exactly sure I’d call being a night human again a second chance. Especially with a clan that half hates me while the other half seems to not care.”
Sam pretended to pout. They both knew that was more than had liked her before she changed.
“If you didn’t become a night human again, how would you get a second chance at having a mate like me?”
Whitney shook her head. That was a second chance. Over a year ago she had met a seer who told her she would find her mate in someone she had already met. After leaving home and moving in with her aunt, Whitney kind of believed her chance at finding true love was over. Mates were something special to the night human world. It wasn’t a day human thing, and she was certainly a day human now. As Sam laid there next to her, she realized she was wrong about getting a mate. She didn’t need the bond to reassure her. He was her mate and perfect for her.
“So this whole siren thing. Do we ever sleep?” she asked. She didn’t feel any of the exhaustion she should have after being up for a full day’s worth of excitement. And she hadn’t really gotten a good night’s sleep the night before when she had been kidnapped.
Sam grinned. “That I would say is one perk. We typically only need a few hours of sleep. And being a mer means we don’t have to worry about sunlight, either.”
Many of the night human clans would die from sun exposure. Whitney’s old clan wasn’t sensitive to sunlight, and she hadn’t even thought about it when she had been turned into a siren. That would have stunk because even though she wasn’t into the tanning thing, she was into sitting on the beach.
“So what else do I need to know? Like, why can I see the siren markings on you now?”
Sam reached forward and brushed his finger over her shoulder. “Like these?”
Looking down, she saw her own markings were also visible. “Yes, like these.” She stared at them in awe. Being a night human should have come with a manual. There were so many questions swirling in her head, and she was bound to forget more than half of them.
“Your lines are visible to everyone who joins the clan. Now you can tell on sight who’s a friendly merperson to you.”
That, too, was helpful to know.
“Okay, let me rephrase that,” Sam amended. “Those lines tell you who’s loyal to my father. The siren aren’t the kindest of species, even to each other. So friendly is the wrong word. The lines tell you who belongs to my father and who he keeps track of. They might or might not be friendly to you, but they will be siren.”
Whitney nodded, not quite sure what to make of the honest answer. “Possibly friendly, possibly not. Right. So clear now.”
Sam laughed, and Whitney didn’t have the heart to tell him she was only half serious. She really was going to need time to adjust to all of it. She had a whole lifetime of knowledge to learn, and it already seemed a bit daunting.
“Let’s head back inside,” Sam suggested as the sun now hung above the ocean in the sky.
Whitney followed him back down the ladder to the front door. When he opened the handle without a lock, Whitney had to assume the island was relatively safe if you didn’t need to lock doors. Sam led the way into the living room and past the kitchen where she had been held prisoner. It was kind of ironic if you thought about it, that she had been held prisoner in his house of all places. Through the doorway at the end of the hallway, Whitney could immediately tell why you didn’t need a lock on the front door with the open windows and an open double door that led onto a patio in the back, which was surrounded by flowers. In the center of the patio was a basin almost as big as a hot tub.
“How about we talk while in water?” Sam suggested, leading her over to the tub. “I know you just had a good soaking while everything was going on, but I’m more than a little parched. It almost feels like my fin might peel off me.”
Whitney’s mouth dropped open. He was making jokes already about what he went through. She couldn’t believe it. His father had dropped burning hot coals on Sam’s fin only hours ago, making layers and layers peel away, and Sam was joking. He really was. Sam laughed at her reaction.
“Come on.” Scooping her into his arms, he marched the last few feet over to the water to dump her before she had a chance to react. He paused with her just above the water.
“Samuel, you better not,” Whitney tried to scold using his full name.
Sam’s grin seemed to grow wider at her attempt at authority. “Normally I’d say hold your breath, but since I know you don’t need to …” Sam dropped her before saying anything further.
Whitney kept her fin away, refusing to transform, and stood in the water with the dress his mother had given her now soaked.
“I figured it would be nice to just let your fin out, but I really like that look.”
Whitney glanced down and realized in shock that the pale pink dress was as good as wearing white in water. It was completely see-through. Sliding into the water, she let her body transform into her mer form with her bright pink tail. There was plenty of room in the tub to sit and stretch out fully in her night human form.
“Thanks a lot,” Whitney was sarcastic, but not the least bit mad at him. Part of being with Sam was the fighting, and she loved every minute of it. From his grin, she could tell he did, too.
“Now that we can rehydrate,” Sam told her, sliding into the water beside her and turning into his siren form a lot more gracefully than her dump in the water, “we can get back to the questions. I know your head is swimming with them.”
Whitney tried to pull her concentration away from the swirling lines on his chest, which led down to the beautiful blue fin he had. It was mesmerizing as the sunlight that peeked through the open windows made it sparkle in places. She looked him up and down, her gaze going from his beautiful tail and up his well-defined chest before she landed on his smiling face.
“Um … what were you saying?” she asked when it finally hit her that he had said something and was waiting for an answer. She’d completely missed it.
“You said you have a lot of questions,” he prompted with merriment in his eyes.
Her cheeks heated as her thoughts were more on him than being a mer, and she momentarily couldn’t think of a single question even after he reminded her. Her reddened cheeks seemed to just make Sam happier as he laughed and slid closer to her. Whitney hid her face behind her hands and sunk beneath the surface of the water to hide the shades of red she was becoming. After a moment, Sam also slid down in the water, still keeping close to her.
‘I laugh because it’s great that I can affect you as much as you have been doing me for months and months,’ Sam told her mentally. The bond made it impossible for her to get away; she had planned for the water to block out all noise.
‘Affect you? Impossible.’ There wasn’t a single time she ever felt she had caught his eye in the past year. Even at swim lessons, he seemed more distracted with people stopping by or his phone.
Sam shrugged. ‘I faked all that. I was never distracted by anything but you.’
Scenes from the last year—which showed everything from Sam’s point of view—flashed before her eyes. She had never caught him watching her as she snuck peeks at him, but he had more than enough memories for her to be certain he had been watching her just as much, if not more than she had been watching him. It was weird to have his version of the last year float before her eyes. All those missed moments were strange to see from his point of view, but very cute, too. There was so much time they spent sneaking looks at each other, and now that would be gone. Reality was he wasn’t going back with her, and that was painful to think about.
‘I know, and I’m sorry.’ Sam pulled her hands from her face.
>
Whitney kept her eyes scrunched shut. He could feel her feelings across the bond, but that didn’t mean she could look him in the eyes right now. They’d been sort of friends for only a year, but the feelings inside of her were so strong. She didn’t want to admit how bad it felt to know she was leaving him behind on the island while she returned to the mainland alone.
‘Can I just stay here with you?’ She finally peeked at him. It was strange to be underwater and talking, but at the same time, it felt completely natural. His hair floated a little, and she watched it rather than his eyes as she already knew the answer he’d have to give.
‘You know I’d keep you here in a heartbeat if I could. But I’m sure you have to go back. It would be strange for you to leave or disappear right now. No one would suspect you of being a night human, but they might think you were killed by one. You going back keeps the sirens on the mainland safe, and as much as I want you with me, I want you on the mainland, too. That is your place, and I won’t let it be taken from you.’
Whitney knew he was right. She had to go home, and it was beyond unfair. The worst part was knowing Sam was being held on the island while he hated it there. However, from what she could see, she had no idea why he could hate it—it was a tropical paradise that was free of anyone they had to hide from.
‘A tropical paradise that’s filled with piranhas,’ Sam added.
Whitney knew from his words and the matching picture in his mind that he was referring to all the sirens on the island.
‘They can’t be that bad.’
‘Oh, they are much worse. I’d rather meet a school of real piranhas in a lake I couldn’t leave than be stuck with these people. They’ll be your best friend one minute, but then stab you in the back the first chance they get if it means it’ll help them climb the ladder of power. I can’t even count the number of people in my life that became my friend because of my title and not who I really am.’
With a shake of her head, Whitney pushed back up to break the surface of the water. They couldn’t really be that bad. Her siren friends were very nice, and she was happy now that they didn’t have to hide this part of their lives from her. Sam had to be exaggerating.
He reached back up and pulled her under the water to kiss her lips. Yes, he had to be exaggerating. Whitney was finding the siren not that bad, if you didn’t count Tim or Amber who both had tried to kill her. The rest of them didn’t seem anything more than curious about her. Oh yeah, and one siren, in particular, was very nice to be around.
Sam floated back as her silent thoughts were transferred to him. He grinned at her and didn’t say a word as he tugged her back to him. And he didn’t have to. Whitney had her siren mate now, and she could feel everything he felt, too. Her new world was strange and changing every moment. As scary as it could have been, it was also exciting, and she didn’t want this particular moment to end.
Tucking the comments about the siren away, along with her list of questions for Sam, she decided getting lost in his kiss was a better use of her time.
CHAPTER 2
Sam hesitated. He needed to let go and allow her to return to the mainland, but it still didn’t feel right. She was his mate and supposed to be with him. He was supposed to protect her. He couldn’t do that from the ocean, forbidden to step foot on land without his father’s direct order. What he wouldn’t give to be named his heir at the moment. He could make his own choices then. It was never a job Sam wanted and never once had he volunteered, but he was getting closer to asking to be put into the running for it.
The king had several sons still living, and he had yet to choose which was going to follow his rule. It wasn’t like there was a rush on it. Sirens lived for hundreds of years. His father wasn’t even one century old yet. But it was something he would have to decide, especially since he had grown fond of the island and had not left in over a decade. It was hard to be king when you never left your little world. The longer the king took in choosing an heir, the more likely it was that there would be arguing over who was next in line. Siren and mer alike were already choosing sides. From the little Sam had seen of the politics, Tim actually had quite a following. Sam would have expected Nic or Ken to be next in line since they were the oldest. Even his brother Lee was close to a decade older than Tim, but it seemed his horrible older brother of only two years was next in line by popular vote. Since their father had yet to name which son would be his heir, everything was still up in the air for who would rule next. His oldest brother had been the heir for over a decade before hunters killed him, their father wouldn’t name one after that.
“Stay away from anyone new,” Sam told Whitney for like the umpteenth time, causing her to roll her eyes. He couldn’t help it; he had reports of night human hunters moving into the area. Whitney was so new to everything. He was sure she would be on their radar right away.
“I got it. I’ll just hang with Tina and Trudy, and they’ll keep me out of everything,” Whitney told him.
He had a feeling she wasn’t as serious as she should be, not understanding the danger of carelessness.
“Sam. Really. I’ll be fine.” Whitney placed a hand on each of his cheeks and kept his face toward her instead of scanning the beach.
They were too far away for any human to see them amongst the waves, but that didn’t stop Sam from looking for anyone watching them. He was letting her swim away unprotected, and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt so much like a failure.
‘Sam,’ Whitney said, tugging his arms and pulling him under the waves, ‘I will stay safe. I know how to control my fin, and I know how to be a night human. I’m not as new at this as you seem to think. I’ll be fine and see you on Friday.’
Sam stared hard at her. He had never trusted anyone in his life before, except his mother, but even that was difficult at times. She was loyal to his father, and Sam didn’t trust the king at all. If Whitney could see both the good and bad in his father, he was certain she was fooled into thinking there was any real good in the man. The siren king was as cold and calculating as all the blue siren were, probably worse since he was king. That was the part Whitney wasn’t seeing, and the part of Sam didn’t want her to see as he protected the worst memories of his from her. He needed her to like her new world and not regret it. He wanted her to want to be a siren and stay with him, and he was pretty certain if she knew the real side to them, she would leave. He had seen what night humans were to her and they were not the same to the siren. She still believed being a night human meant protecting day humans. He needed time to figure out how to tell her what she had joined and what he had made her a part of. For now, she had to believe they were good and there was good in them.
‘He did give you the okay for Friday, right?’ Whitney was worried, and Sam quickly realized his lack of response had been interpreted differently than he expected. Yes, that was Whitney. She was something different and unique, and he wasn’t going to lose her.
‘Yes. He said I can still sing for the band. From there we will take the boat out to the island, so you can bring anything you want to leave there with you.’
Smiling, Whitney pulled him closer. Sam let his worries melt away as his lips met hers. There would still be time to figure it all out. The sirens wouldn’t keep him from her. He wouldn’t let them, and he wasn’t going to allow his father to make him lose her either. He would figure it all out when he wasn’t watching from the shore to make sure she was safe.
The two green fins of her friends disappeared as they climbed onto the rock formation he had led them to. It would be safe to enter land from there, and no one would be the wiser. Sam knew that much would stay hidden; now he just needed to believe Whitney would stay safe when he couldn’t see or plan everything out. Her friends had come to pick her up, which helped only a little to relieve his ever-growing concerns.
‘You have to go now,’ Sam told Whitney. He had a second sense about going on land, much more than most of the merfolk. They were currently safe from possible
unknown eyes, but that didn’t mean it would stay safe. It was the perfect time, and he needed it to be perfect.
Whitney nodded and swam a few yards away from him before turning around.
‘I’ll miss you,’ she told him across the bond, turning back to follow her friends to the shore.
Sam watched her fin disappear, and her legs climb onto the rock. She followed her friends up and stood on the edge looking back into the water. It was dusk, and with the setting sun, Sam knew she wouldn’t be able to see him, but he sat and watched her. Her golden hair framed her face. He couldn’t feel her thoughts as she stood out of the water he was swimming in, and it felt like she was leaving him. His heartbeat picked up as he watched her turn and follow her friends, climbing back around the rock formation, toward the shore. He could never lose her. It would kill him inside. He would do whatever it took to keep her.
‘I’ll miss you more,’ he said silently to her back as she disappeared from his view.
It felt like a typical Monday as Whitney made her way to the lunchroom. She was ready to find Tina and Trudy to complain about her already rocky morning, since it was James and Noah that had picked her up. Yeah, they were her friends, too, but they were guys and probably wouldn’t have understood her pain as much as the girls. She was in need of girlfriend time to help her cope with the separation from Sam. She had to make it through the week to see him again, and it had only been a few hours. She didn’t know how she was going to make it that long.
With her new joining of the siren, she could now tell who each siren was in school. While she couldn’t see it before, even when she had just become one, she could now that she was a part of their clan. Their siren markings swirled just below the skin of many of her classmates just as hers did. It was like she joined a new club which should have been exciting; except for the fact joining didn’t mean they would like her. While she was mostly ignored before by everyone since she had started her new school, now their indifference seemed to be replaced by hostile looks as she passed people in the hallways. She couldn’t wait to have lunch with the only four faces she was sure would be happy to see her.