How to be a Mermaid: A Falling in Deep Collection Novella (13 page)

It broke my heart to see how his face fell at my words. I wanted to stay. Oh, I desperately wanted to stay so bad.

I couldn’t.

His nose was inches from mine as he searched my face. “You can’t be serious.” He grasped my shoulders. “You can’t.” He kissed me again, desperate for some sort of explanation.

I could feel my resolve slipping slightly. Then I thought about the other animals that would have been wrongfully captured like Kai and left to die. Neptune was right when he said that he could do more on land than in the sea, and the ocean didn’t have a voice without a hero.

That was the role I was born to play. Half merwalker, half human. I was meant to do this as much as Finn was meant to be the protector of sea creatures. Two sides of the same sand dollar. Two hearts beating as one in different worlds.

It went against every fiber of my being to pull back from him. To break his heart too.

“I have a family that I need to take care of,” I told him gently. “My mother was worried about me when I went missing. And...” here was going to be the hard part, “and I want to help you out from the land.” I touched a hand to his face. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I want to help you. Keep you safe. And keep the sea safe too.”

His green eyes burned straight through me. “You should be here,” he said. “With me.”

“I will be,” I replied. “I’ll be right beside you. You have a mission for your people. I have a mission for me. We can make this work. Trust me.”

He kissed me again. “What did you have in mind?”

Six months later

Summer break was a time for all of my college
friends to get jobs or go study abroad. A lot of them were trying to get ahead with internships or squeeze in some summer classes to make up for classes that they’d failed in the spring semester. Everyone had plans, it seemed. Still, I knew they weren’t anywhere near as special as mine.

I’d told my mother that I got an internship on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, so I’d be out of touch for most of it, and not to worry. I was going to be studying marine life and getting good experiences for my marine biology degree at Texas A&M University of Galveston. It was unpaid, sure, and I wasn’t getting any class credit for it, but my board, food, and all expenses would be taken care of, I told her. While she wouldn’t budge on her opinion that I should be studying pre-law or pre-med, she begrudgingly supported my decision.

I loved my mother so much for supporting me, even though my decisions seemed crazy. By all accounts, they were.

I didn’t care, though. If I learned anything, it was to do what I wanted to do.

That was how I found myself on the shores of Galveston’s East Beach, an hour’s drive from the Houston Aquarium, which felt so long ago.

There was no one on the beach with me at six am on a Saturday morning, and that was exactly what I was going for. It was going to get weird in about five minutes, and I didn’t want anyone to see.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the salty air.

I wasn’t going on a trip. I was going home, at least for the summer. I’d been here every weekend during my spring semester. I told my roommate Elyse that I was spending it with my boyfriend.

I was telling her the truth.

I dipped a toe into the ocean, the sea foam cold against my bare skin. My skin turned to goosebumps initially, and before my very eyes, I saw the spread of scales trail up my legs.

I took off my shirt, revealing a bikini top underneath. Here was where it got weird, no matter how many times I did it. I took off my shorts, the bikini bottom along with it. I wasn’t going to need it where I was going.

I stowed the clothes in a waterproof plastic bag between two rocks. I hoped they’d be all right for two months. If not, I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

For now, I was itching to get back to the sea and see everyone.

I started out at a run and dove into the waves. They parted, welcoming me with open arms, like the ocean had been expecting me. I dolphin-kicked, and as I did so, I felt the skin between my legs zipper all the way down to my feet, which weren’t feet anymore. A long, beautiful tail fin sprouted from where my feet were, iridescent in all its splendor.

I looked down at it, and despite myself, I grinned. It never did go away did it? I was a full merwalker, one of the few that could go between the sea and the land.

I submerged, swimming farther out to sea, meaning to call the two most important people to me. “Kai,” I called out softly, “I’m here.” I took a deep breath, because my voice wavered in my anticipation, and said, “Finn, I’m here. I need you.”

The length of time impossibly stretched out before me. Impatience tugged at me, I couldn’t wait to see them.

I saw a dark shape in the water first, much bigger than I remembered. It barreled at me like a torpedo, slowing down enough before he got to me so he wouldn’t crash into me. Kai stopped and embraced me with his fins much like a human would. I held him back, feeling the tears of happiness spring to my eyes.

“Kai!” I cried happily.

“Tara!”
he said, like he couldn’t believe I was here. I couldn’t believe it either.
“How long are you here this time?”

“A long time,” I told him. “Did you think I’d forget you?” Kai eyed me suspiciously and I laughed.

“For good?”

I shook my head, feeling the dark cloud of sadness come over me. “Not yet,” I said. “But soon.” Finn and I had been discussing what was next in our relationship. The plan was to eventually end up living together somehow. For now though, I was busy being his eyes and ears on land.

“Tara!”
another familiar voice cried.

“Ponce!” I grabbed the snapper and hugged him close. “You look great! How are you doing?”

I swear, the fish flushed scarlet.
“I’ve got a girlfriend,”
he said sheepishly.

“A girlfriend?” I laughed. “She’s a lucky girl.”

My voice caught in my throat when I saw the other familiar figure in the distance. Unlike Kai or Ponce, he stopped further out, watching me. My heart fluttered.

“Hello there, stranger,” I called out to him playfully. My heart was pounding in my ears, as it always did when I saw him.

“You’re here.”

Before I could react, I found myself in his arms, his lips on mine, his hands holding me to him. He kissed me with the fervent passion of someone who had found everything he wanted.

I knew because I was kissing him that way too.

He pulled back and wrapped his arms around me. I couldn’t tell who was doing the holding and who was doing the clinging.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Tara, so much has happened while you were gone!”
Kai interjected. With finals and everything, it had nearly been a month since I had joined them in the water.

“I’ll bet,” I said, offering him a smile. “A lot’s happened on land as well.” Whatever translated my words into Mermish changed “two months” into “two moons”.

Finn held my hand, not taking his eyes off me. “You can tell us all about it,” he said, his sea green eyes soft.

“Just so long as you keep showing me how to be a proper mermaid.”

He smiled at me, the brilliance of the entire city of Thalassa in that one smile. “Of course.”

When I first started writing
How to be a Mermaid
, I knew next to nothing about professional mermaiding. I looked online, watched videos, and kept an eye on forums, but I didn’t think I’d get a chance to see a mermaid in real life. And if it wasn’t for the Georgia Aquarium’s Festival of the SEAson, I probably still wouldn’t have been able to.

As part of the Georgia Aquarium’s Christmas celebrations, the famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids did a special performance at the aquarium. I went to a meet and greet with one of the mermaids and watched them do a live show.

It was one of those defining moments in my life. Watching these mermaids perform was like watching fantasies come true. Up until that point, mermaids were a thing of myth.

The mermaids of Weeki Wachee brought them to life for me.

While I was there, I also did a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. My wonderful guide took me to areas where a lot of aquarium goers don’t venture. I got to see my favorite animals, the whale sharks, from a whole new perspective. I learned that they ship in food everyday from New Zealand for a particular animal’s diet. And I saw the inner workings of one of the world’s biggest aquariums.

The mermaids were enchanting, but I found that the living, breathing aquarium was just as magical. There are far too many things on this earth that we take for granted. The beauty of the sea is one of them.

The entire experience was eye-opening. A lot of conservation efforts are going on taking care of the animals and our oceans.

If we don’t take care of our environment, there will be be less opportunities for future generations to see the beautiful ocean and its creatures.

Finn, Tara, King Oceanus, and King Leviathan may take care of the oceans in this book, but it is our responsibility to do more.

We have a fantastical, magical world around us. We need to take care of it, too.

A shout out goes to all of the Blazing Indie Collective and the authors of the
Falling in Deep Collection
. You guys rock and it is an honor to work with you all.

Immense gratitude is in order for Lori Parker, Emily Goodwin, Blaire Edens, Felicia Sullivan, and Rhiannon Frater for their input into this making this book better. You deserve a hug.

A special thanks goes out to Lis Culpepper, who helped me with some legal questions that arose in this book. Without you, I would have been completely lost.

And last but not least, thank you to my family and friends, especially Chris. I know I disappear for long lengths of time into my world, but I can always count on you for making reality a wonderful world to come back to.

From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.

The Falling in Deep Collection

Scales
by Pauline Creeden

Ink: A
Mermaid
Romance
by Melanie Karsak

Of Ocean and Ash
by A. R. Draeger

Deep Breath
by J. M. Miller

At the Heart of the Deep
by Carrie Wells

The Mermaid’s Den
by Ella Malone

How to be a Mermaid
by Erin Hayes

The Water is Sweeter
by Eli Constant

The Glass Mermaid
by Poppy Lawless

An Officer & a Mermaid
by Blaire Edens

Cold Water Bridegroom
by B. Brumley

Before the Tide
by Emily Goodwin

Immersed
by Katie Hayoz

Siren’s Kiss
by Margo Bond Collins

To Each His Own
by Anna Albergucci

The adventure continues with Jordyn’s story in...

Coming October 2 as part of The Witching Hour Collection.

BONUS Sneak Peek:

Damned if I Do

The Harker Trilogy Book One

by Erin Hayes

Coming September 14, 2015

Preorder it from Amazon

They killed my sister and infected me.

Now I have to pick up the pieces before I die.

I’ve spent the last five months trying to find the bastard who did this. Yet, even with the help of a hot amnesiac vampire named Jude, I’ve had zero luck.

Until now. And it could change everything. Even though I grew up in a family that hunted the supernatural, there were still things I didn’t believe in.

Now I have to hurry for the slim chance that I could save us all. Because when you fight against immortal vampires, you’re the one who’s running out of time.

“Edie, did you have to go with something so...
loud
?” my older sister Meghan asks me as we walk out to the car.

I shift my shopping bags to my right hand so I can flip my long, pitch black hair with blue highlights over my shoulder in an exaggerated fashion. My hair has been freshly dyed during our shopping trip for last-minute Christmas gifts as a present to myself.

“I kinda like it.”

Meghan rolls her eyes and fishes her keys out of her pocket. “We both know the truth.”

I snicker. “That you’re jealous?”

“Uh huh, Edie,” she says with a good-natured grin. “Sure.”

It’s just after six o’clock on Christmas Eve, and Barton Creek Mall’s parking lot is empty of all cars except for Meghan’s CR-V. We spent a lot longer than expected gathering gifts for Amelia and Graeme, Meghan’s daughter and husband. We have more bags than what’s appropriate, but I’m feeling pumped at the prospect of seeing my three-year-old niece’s face when she opens these gifts. I picked out a camo bear at Build-A-Bear Workshop for her and dressed it in an adorably cute tutu with a tee that says, “I’m Unbearably Cool”. It’s perfect for Amelia despite Meghan’s protests that the camo is for boys.

The shadows lengthen as we near the CR-V, throwing the whole eastern side of the mall into twilight. We’re having a family dinner with Mike, my boyfriend, and we’re running too late to cook anything. I imagine there will be a spruced up Boston Market rotisserie chicken in our near future.

A chill runs down my spine, as if there are eyes on me. I glance back at the mall, wondering if anyone else has left the building behind us.

I see no one.

I look back at Meghan to see if she senses it too, but she’s too busy checking Facebook on her phone. I hurry my pace and grab her arm.

“Come on.”

She looks at me in curiosity, then, at seeing my face, she immediately goes alert. “What’s wrong?

“Something’s not right. Don’t you feel it?”

She takes my hint and quickens her step, somehow walking faster than me in high heels. I see her hand digging in her purse. Her keys are already out, so I know that she’s digging in there for something else.

“Meghan?” I ask, hoping that I’m crazy and there’s nothing wrong.

There’s a clatter, like someone has kicked gravel behind us.

Meghan whirls back on me in fear, our eyes with their identical shades of hazel clashing against each other. Her eyes plead with me to do something,
anything
.

Although what, I’ll never know.

They
pounce on us.

Vampires.

I don’t even see where they come from as talon-like claws grip my arms, pulling me backwards and separating me from Meghan. I scream her name and flail, helpless in their grasp. I’m strong, but I’m not strong enough to throw off eight vampires holding me inert.

“
Edie!
” Meghan shrieks, finally freeing what she’s been looking for in her purse.

A wooden stake.

She uses it much like a person with a dagger, flashing it about with deadly efficiency. She manages to catch the closest ones in the chest, the speed of her retaliation surprising our assailants. As she stabs them in the chest and pulls out the stake, they crumple to the ground, gasping in pain as blood spurts forth in an uncontrollable fountain of thick ichor.

Still, more take their place. It’s a full on assault. I can tell that they’ve pulled out all the stops to attack us.

Both Meghan and I have trained for situations like this all our lives, but their sheer numbers overwhelm us. Since I’ve been ambushed and incapacitated, I can’t help my older sister fight them off.

Instead, I’m forced to watch as Meghan spins and fights, parrying their attacks. She’s in a ballet of death at the moment, reminding me why she’s the best at what she does. And she hasn’t even pulled out the big, scary weapon yet. Vampires fall in heaps around her. They may have her outnumbered, but they can’t match her passion.

I’m helpless.

Dammit!
I don’t yell out to my sister any more for fear of distracting her and having her be ensnared. I can’t do anything to help, and Meghan can’t get to me to free me.

I try calling up some supernatural spells to fight back, only they leak like water through a sieve in my brain. Nothing is sticking, nothing retains. If I can’t visualize the spell in my mind because I’m too freaked out, I’m useless.

My meager powers don’t offer any sort of help in this situation.

Fingers grip my throat, forcing my head backwards and tearing my eyes away from the carnage in front of me. I grunt in pain while I try to fight it off.

“
Shhhh,
little Harker.”

A face floats into view, someone I don’t recognize. I thought I knew most of the vampires in Austin by now, but apparently not.

Built like a tank, my assailant is white and pale, a common trait for vampires due to their aversion to the sun. His face is, for lack of a better word, melted with keloided scars that make him look like candle wax. The skin around his eyes are drooped, giving him a hooded look. Deep within the melted folds of skin, clear blue eyes rake over me and through me, like they’re inspecting my soul.

He grins at me.

I shudder as his hot breath trickles over the skin of my neck, right where my jugular is. I’ve been bitten before without being glamored - it hurts like a son of a bitch. I try to prepare myself for it, yet I can’t help but tremble in fear.

“Hey Harker,” Melted Vampire yells out to my sister, using her official title. “Drop your weapon, or I slit the little Harker’s throat.” I feel sharp claws on my throat, pointed enough to draw blood.

I hear the clatter of the stake on the ground as she drops it in the eerie stillness that follows his threat. I manage to crane my head to look at her. She’s held by four vampires, who hold her hands at her side. Meaning that she can still-

Our ambushers must know exactly who they’re dealing with, because one puts her left hand over her heart. It’s the hand that she uses to summon her magic sword from. Our last chance for escape would kill her if she tries calling it forth.

“
No
,” escapes my throat, “Meghan, don’t-”

The melted face in my view gives an imperceptible nod, a signal for the other vampires. I hear their growl, knowing that they’re descending upon her right now. All because I’m too weak to help her out. Every fiber of my body screams against Fate. She’s going to die because of me.

I try averting my eyes. The hand against my throat tilts my head back into position, just in time to watch the vampires attack her. Her hazel eyes meet mine, pleading with me just before a female vampire slashes her claws against her throat.

I scream.

Blood spurts from Meghan’s throat, now cut all the way to her spinal column. Meghan’s struggles for air as she stumbles to her knees, and she collapses like a rag doll on her side.

I’m still screaming when the vampires lose themselves in the lust over her lifeblood. They relish it like a bunch of sparrows in a birth bath. Only, it’s a shower in my sister’s last moments of life.

My only sister is gone.

My scream is cut short at the excruciating pain in my left wrist. There’s a point with pain where you can no longer scream, only witness the agony. I was just flung over that point.

I turn to see Melted Vampire’s face shredding the flesh of my left forearm. Then his lips fasten to the wound and I feel him drawing out the blood from my veins, intending to drain me dry.

My basest survival instinct kicks into gear, and I thrash wildly about. I want to break away from him. I want to kill him for what he did to Meghan.

Only, I’m too weak and helpless, and it’s getting worse by the second. He’s unrelenting in his feeding.

Those blue eyes snap to mine, holding me in place. He doesn’t glamor me, but he watches me as he feeds.

Blackness swims into my vision, a darkness that threatens to overtake me. I can’t lose consciousness. Not now. I know that I won’t ever wake up again if that happens.

Still, he keeps feeding when I start gasping. Sounds fade, blackness tunnels everything in my view. I can no longer hear the vampires celebrating over Meghan’s dead body. The pain dulls, signaling that I’m just on Death’s doorstep.

Meghan,
I pray silently.
Mom. Dad. I’ll be seeing you soon.

The end never comes.

Dimly, I feel the weight of another wrist, slick from blood touch mine. Astonished, I look at Melted. He’s grinning in satisfaction at my shocked bewilderment. My eyes, through the dark lens of near-unconsciousness drift down to my forearm where his own open wrist is grasping mine, wound-to-wound.

No.
My mouth moves as I try to speak.
No. You can’t do that.

This is how humans are turned into vampires. And I know that this is how I will die a slow, painful death, as vampire blood will not play nice with my not-quite-human blood.

Melted leans into me as I near ever so close to the precipice of darkness, his bloodied lips inches from my ear.

“Be seeing you real soon, little Harker,” he whispers.

“Anthony,” a voice tells Melted, using what I think is his name. “Anthony, we have to go.
Now.
”

Then I fall into oblivion.

If I wake up, I’m going to find my world turned upside down.

To be continued in Damned if I Do, releasing everywhere on September 14.