“Oh, this was a marvelous coming of age story, and the best in a truly excellent paranormal romance series. This book had it all: passion, magic, conflict, and a truly amazing heroine.”

—
ParaNormal Romance
(Top Pick)

“Virginia’s selkies are some of the most fascinating paranormal creatures around . . . Lucy and Conn’s romance is both epic and wonderfully intimate, and
Sea Lord
really delivers—both on the emotional front and on the action front. The stakes are high in
Sea Lord
, and readers will feel every moment.”

—
Dear Author

“With lush writing, vivid descriptions, and smoldering sensuality, Kantra skillfully invites the reader into the heart of the selkie sanctuary and into the hearts and minds of her characters.”

—
Romance Novel TV
(5 stars)

“Fast-paced, tense, sizzling, and romantic! Much like the previous books,
Sea Lord
kept me absolutely enthralled.”

—
Errant Dreams Reviews
(5 stars)

“Highly recommended!”

—
The Erotic Reader

“You will find yourself so engrossed in this story, you will hate to put it down until you have read the last page. Ms. Kantra has become an auto buy and this book is one for the keeper shelf.”

—
Night Owl Romance
(Top Pick)

“A fantastic romantic fantasy.”

—
The Best Reviews

Sea Fever

“An especially fine paranormal with strong characters, logical plotting, and a
great
sense of place. Don’t go to the shore without this bit of selkie romance.”

—
Romantic Times
(4 ½ stars)

“An exciting and spellbinding addition to this phenomenal paranormal series.”

—
Fresh Fiction

“There’s no second-novel slump for this trilogy . . . Moving, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”

—
Errant Dreams Reviews
(5 stars)

Sea Witch

“A paranormal world that moves with the rhythm of the waves and the tide . . . Kantra tells Margred and Caleb’s story with a lyric, haunting, poetic voice.”

—Suzanne Brockmann,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Full of excitement, humor, suspense, and loads of hot, hot sex. Anyone who enjoys a good paranormal should
not
miss this one!”

—
Fresh Fiction

“An absolutely fantastic paranormal/fantasy read . . . Gorgeous, complex, and fascinating.”

—
Errant Dreams Reviews
(5 stars)

“What a refreshing and unique world Virginia Kantra has created for Children of the Sea! Full of sensual magic, intrigue, and compelling characters,
Sea Witch
is a book to be savored.”

—
CK
²S Kwips and Kritiques
(4 ½ clovers)

“A bestseller arises from the depths of the sea and floats to the top of the romance/paranormal list!
Sea Witch
is enthralling!”

—
A Romance Review
(5 roses)

Home Before Midnight

“Sexy and suspenseful . . . A really good read.”

—Karen Robards,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Virginia Kantra is a sensitive writer with a warm sense of humor, a fine sense of sexual tension, and an unerring sense of place.”

—
BookPage

Close Up

“Holy moly, action/adventure/romance fans! You are going to
love
this book! I highly, highly recommend it.”

—Suzanne Brockmann,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Kantra’s first foray into single-title fiction is fast-paced, engrossing, and full of nail-biting suspense.”

—Sabrina Jeffries,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Honest, intelligent romance.”

—
Romance: B(u)y the Book

MORE PRAISE FOR VIRGINIA KANTRA AND HER BESTSELLING NOVELS

“Smart, sexy, and sophisticated—another winner.”

—Lori Foster,
New York Times
bestselling author

“An involving, three-dimensional story that is scary, intriguing, and sexy.”

—
All About Romance

“Kantra creates powerfully memorable characters.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“Virginia Kantra is an autobuy . . . Her books are keepers and her heroes are to die for!”

—
Suzanne Brockmann,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Packs a wallop!”

—Elizabeth Bevarly,
New York Times
bestselling author

Berkley Sensation Titles by Virginia Kantra

The Children of the Sea Novels

SEA WITCH
SEA FEVER
SEA LORD
IMMORTAL SEA

HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT
CLOSE UP

Anthologies

SHIFTER
(with Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, and Alyssa Day)

OVER THE MOON
(with Angela Knight, MaryJanice Davidson, and Sunny)

BURNING UP
(with Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, and Meljean Brook)

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

IMMORTAL SEA

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / September 2010

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-101-44297-5

BERKLEY
^®SENSATION

Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

BERKLEY
^®SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

http://us.penguingroup.com

To my readers.
Thank you.

And for my children.
You have my heart.

Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be,
Our souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither
And see the children sport upon the shore,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore.

—WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

—ROBERT BURNS

Foreword

IN THE TIME BEFORE TIME, WHEN THE DOMAINS of earth, sea, and sky were formed and fire was called into being, the elementals took shape, each with their element: the children of earth, the children of the sea, the children of air, and the children of fire.

After earth had flowered and life crawled from the sea, humankind was born.

The children of fire rebelled against this new creation, declaring war on the children of air and humankind. Forced to cohabit with the mortals, the other elementals withdrew: the fair folk to the hills and wild places of earth and the merfolk—selkie and finfolk—to the depths of the sea.

Over the centuries, the children of fire grew strong, while the children of the sea declined in numbers and in magic. Now the very survival of the merfolk hangs in the balance. A closer alliance with humankind might save the children of the sea. Or destroy them.

Yet all acknowledge that some contact is inevitable between the elementals and mortal men and women. From such encounters, souls are redeemed and lost, wars are waged, great art is created, empires are raised.

Of such meetings, legends—and children—are born . . .