“Whenever suits you. If I’m not immediately available, one of the mermen I practice with will be available. They keep me at the top of my game and are the best of the best. Either way, you’ll receive the top training possible.”“I appreciate it.”“Anything for you. I’m just glad I can finally treat you like a daughter. It’s been painful holding back my true emotions.” He clears his throat. “Anyway, we’re here to work on the Mila’s power. The first thing I want to tackle is using it for good, something I’m sure is a foreign concept given all you know is from Marine.”“And my own experience,” I say quickly, surprising myself with the defensiveness I feel for the man who raised me. “Mostly that.”My father nods.I jolt with the realization that I just thought of him as my father.He leans closer. “Is something the matter?”“No. Sorry.”“Okay. Our power can be a volatile thing, can’t it? However, it’s extremely powerful when used for good.”“How does that work?”He leans forward. “Healing
“My” —I struggle to say the word out loud— “father got me out of it. But that means I’m going to spar the king for practice. Did you know he was reigning champion of the competition?”“You just called him your father.”“I know. I’m trying to get used to the reality, even though my dad will always be my dad.”“So, King Tobi is Father and Martine is Dad?”“That’s where I’m at. They’re both my dads. Just in different ways.”“At least you have a chance to have a good one.”We say goodbye to the band and head for the parking lot.Isaac leans against his bike. “Now that we’re alone, fill me in. I’m dying of curiosity.”I sigh dramatically and tell him all about my failed mission in the fourth-year library. He laughs at the part about Earwyn hearing me but her friends thinking she was crazy. “Now I want to see if I can find those other books. If the public library doesn’t have the ones I found before, I’ll know something is up.”“But why would someone go to all that trouble?”“Do you know ho
“Fine.” I look them over too, but don’t find anything.We go up and down the aisle and several adjoining ones, as well. Nothing. Like that’s a big shock. Isaac insists we keep searching, so we spend more time than seems necessary looking. And finding nothing.Exhausted, I turn to him. “They aren’t here. Can we give up now?”“That’s really what youI nod. “I have my answer.”“Which is?”“They aren’t here.”He tilts his head. “Who do you think is behind it?”There are too many people around for me to say that out loud. I inch closer and whisper, “You know.”“You really think so?”“Who else? It all points to him.”He frowns. “It just seems unlikely.”“Why? Why wouldn’t he want exactly this? It solved all of his problems.”“But he could’ve done it himself. And it isn’t like he added that info in himself. Those were clearly ancient books—at least the one I saw.”I nod. “The others are like that one, but with some different information.”“Maybe he didn’t have a clue about any of this. The b
“I’ll speak to the school about that.”“Well, I didn’t actually go there. I thought I was fine. You know me, stubborn as a mule.” I laugh nervously. “But he made sure I was okay before leaving me. And that’s not all. When people were rioting against my dad—I mean, your brother—he pulled me away when I wanted to fight them. He brought me to his room and—”“He took you to his room?”“Wait! It’s not like that. To study. That’s all. We—”“I’ve heard more than enough.” He spins around.“Dad!” I lunge for him, but Mom stops me.“Let them talk.”“Can you imagine how that’s going to go? A normal dad-boyfriend talk is bad enough, but he’s the king!”Mom plays with my hair. “He’s a kind merman, sweetheart. And if anyone knows what it’s like to have love ripped away, it’s him. Your dad is the last person to try and push you two apart.”She does have a point. “Are you sure?”Mom gives me a knowing look and nods. “I’m not saying he won’t warn Isaac not to break your heart, but he won’t be irration
Iswing the loaned trident at my dad, and he easily blocks it before pinning me to the wall.“Match!” calls the servant.Dad pulls away the trident. “You have a lot of potential, but I can see why the teacher wants you to have more practice sessions.”I hand the borrowed weapon to the servant. “It’s not the same with that one.”“I’m sure it’s not.” He wipes a brow. “Next time, bring yours.”“It can’t leave the academy.”He arches a brow. “It can if I say it can.”“Not going to argue with that.”“Or we can practice there. Either way. I’m already there to work with you on the Mila’s power.” He turns to my mom. “Did Mila tell you she healed my hand with the power?”“No.” She beams at me. “Great work, sweetheart!”“I had little choice. He was about to bleed out.”Her eyes widen. “What?”My dad hands his trident to the servant then kisses Mom. “I wouldn’t let myself bleed out.”“Good.” She kisses him passionately.I turn away and meet Isaac’s gaze. He’s obviously thinking the same thing I a
“Why?”“He tangled it in with some other laws …” His voice trails off. “Never mind. We need to work on the Mila power. Come midterm, we need to prove significant progress or you’ll have to return to magic class.”“What?” I give him a double-take. “That’s not happening.”“Let’s work on a simple healing.” He whips out a knife and slices his palm.I gasp. “What are you doing?”“Heal me.” He holds the bloody wound toward me.My pulse drums in my ears. “I don’t know how.”“Heal me,” he repeats.He has got to be kidding. That thing is really bleeding, and he’s waiting on me?“You wouldn’t let your father bleed out, would you?” He grins like this is some kind of joke.“I grew up on land!”“Time to stop using that excuse, love.”My heart feels like it’s going to explode. It’s hard to think. But I have to. There’s no other choice but to figure this out. “There’s no textbook I can study?”He shakes his head. “So few of us have it, it would be pointless.”That’s just perfect.I study his wound,
“Every merwoman does.” Halen hands me my brush. “Hurry up.”Yawning, I try to brush through the snarls, but I give up and pull it into a messy bun. Probably not castle-worthy, but I can fix it on the ride over.Dinner goes by quickly. When I head out, Bash grabs me, pulls me onto his lap, and gives me a quick kiss. “I’ve missed you. Where were you earlier?”“Oh no! We were supposed to meet in the garden. I’m so sorry. My dad was working with me on the Mila power and it sapped all my energy. I ended up taking a long nap.”“Your dad? He’s not Father any longer?”I shrug. “Guess I’m getting used to it.”“I’m sure you are. It’s a transition I wouldn’t mind adjusting to.” He laces his fingers through mine. “So, you want to make up for our missed date now?”“I wish I could. I’m supposed to meet my parents at the castle after dinner.”He kisses my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. He whispers in my ear, “I could go with you.”“I don’t know.”“They need to get used to us being together be
A flicker of something crosses her expression, but then it disappears as quickly as it showed.“What?” I lean closer to her.“In which libraries have you found books?”“The secret ones.”tell me much. Do you have any idea how many secret libraries Valora holds?”“At least three.”“Try more than twenty.”My mouth falls open. “What? Where?”“If I tell you, they wouldn’t be a secret, now would they?”I scowl at her.“Which three did you find, sweetheart?”“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.”She bursts out laughing. “Fair enough. I—”“Wait just a minute!” My mind races. “It was you!”“Come again?”“You put the books there!”“What books? Where?”“Don’t play dumb. It all makes sense. Who would’ve wanted Martine dead more than you?”Mom takes a deep breath. “I wish I knew what you were talking about.”“It really wasn’t you?”“If you tell me what you’re talking about, I’m sure I can explain my innocence.”I study her, and she does look genuinely confused. “While you were banished, I fou
She'd wanted to see his face for more than that brief glimpse. Did he fear what she would see? Beauty and the Beast was one of her favorite fairy tales, because an empath could see it all. The monster beneath the flesh, no matter how beautiful the mask. The beauty of the soul, no matter the disfigurement. But she hadn't wanted to assess the balance within him. She'd needed to look into his eyes for a reason she couldn't define, but it had been all-consuming. If she'd seen the darkness in him outweighing the light, would she have clung to him anyway, because he needed her? It was a desperation that went deeper into the soul than even she'd ever delved. Down to the dark, frightening places where children screamed but no mother came, pain and fear were the air one breathed, and the earth had no magic beneath the soles of the feet."Isaac?"A warm light had spread over her skin. She raised her gaze to her father's dark eyes. Apparently when she hadn't responded right away, he'd intensifie
. How on earth did she know what brimstone smelled like?Maybe she remembered it from that time she'd ended up in the outer catacombs of Hell, looking for the caverns where her parents had first met. She'd been twelve, and fascinated by the story of how Anna had hidden Jonah there when he was hurt and being pursued by Dark Ones. Of course, Lex hadn't been thrilled to run smack into Lucifer while on her romantic quest. She'd been told in no uncertain terms she would not be swimming down into his realm again, not if she knew what was good for her. She was twenty-one now, but the memory still made her shudder.God, she loved her parents, but they had such scary friends. The Lord of the Underworld was her father's best friend, while Mila was the seawitch Mina, a creature whose name no merperson would speak aboveBut whether or not Isaac was smelling brimstone, this had to be a dream. Mainly because that part of the mind that kept things from being too frightening in dreams said so, even
His hand slid up, his thumb finding her nipple and making her moan softly. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to focus. Goddess, it was as if he hadn't sated his lust in eons. What was it about her? Rationally, he knew it could be something the witch had done. But his heart knew differently, for an angel's heart knew truth."I'm off balance, because despite all that, I'm enthralled by the way your hair lies on your shoulders, how anger flashes in your eyes like heat lightning. The flush of your cheeks, the way your nipples have hardened against that thin shirt just from my barest touch." He folded his hand around her throat and cheek, tucked her head under his chin, and let sensuality give way to comfort.When Mila let out a resigned sigh, coiled her arms around his upper body, he felt that curious relief again. "I'm angry, because in the midst of all these things, I want you. So I strike out at your desire for me, so new and clean. It's beautiful, Anna, a miraculous gift to any male
Except for that one picture. The one that said she hoped for something better.As he came back up her body and sheathed himself again, pushing them both over the edge they needed, he knew he was going to embark on this journey with her. Not because he believed the seawitch, or that the darkness in his heart needed healing, but because suddenly the most important thing was that his little mermaid knew that someone believed in her.And hellfire, he still couldn't bring himself to go back, reach out to Lucifer or the Lady. Or any of them. What would a week matter? Time was relative, when one was an angel.SHE woke alone. The thunder was shaking the house, coming close together, flashes of lightning illuminating the cottage so she could see him standing on the deck, the sliding glass door open to the driving rain. His hair was plastered to his head, his face tilted to the sky, the wings a heavy weight on his back.She didn't dress, but moved down the stairs, stood in the open door, steppe
"What the hell did you let her do to me?""She was trying to save your life. The Dark Ones--""She is a Dark Spawn. Damn it, I never should have trusted her. Or you, a child stupid enough to think a Dark One can be your friend. I--""She may be dead because of you, my lord." Mila thrust hard against him, but of course he didn't budge. "Because of me. Because I brought her into this. She led the Dark Ones away from us.""Perhaps that's what she wants you to think." He had no patience for her feelings right now. With disgust, he released her and managed to make it to his feet this time, though he had to fight the desire to lie back down. Because his voice was hoarse, he cleared it twice before he got the words out. "What did she do to me?""You're human." She flinched at his expression. "It's only temporary. At dusk, your true form will return. Until . . ." She bit it off and looked away. "It will return at dusk."His eyes narrowed. Gods, his head felt like someone was pounding a mallet
"What have you been doing?" Erica demanded."What do you mean?""The Dark Ones were loose and swarming about the ocean floor, seeking one of the winged ones. And it's all over you, his aura. You are fair glowing with it." Erica was already rummaging through her stores, reaching into crevices in the rock used for storage for her healing tonics and potions."He said I would be safe as long as I wasn't with him.""Idiot.""Erica," Mila gasped. "He's an angel.""And an idiot. Here, drink this quickly. It will purge you and you'll be rid of that glow. Go on or I'll pour it down your throat."Anna hesitated. "What do you mean, purge? Not . . . forget?"Erica stopped, stared at her. "No," she said at last. "It's a cleansing, not a . . .""Cleansing. How . . . Does that mean . . ." He'd said he could voluntarily withhold his seed, but what if . . .Erica peered at her. Now her gaze traveled more slowly over Mila, apparently seeing far more than auras."Mila, you lay with him.""It was necessa
How do you know about that?"She shrugged. "I've spent time in the human world. I've studied their history.""So have I." The shadows were back in his eyes again, the dangerous set to his mouth that made him seem so formidable. But he regarded her curiously. "Won't someone be missing you? Your family? Your great-grandsire?""I don't stay in one place for long. They're used to my absences.""So no one looks after you.""I look after myself," she said with a trace of irritation. "I got you here.""Despite my command to leave me.""It wasn't a command," she protested.Isaac snorted. "It most certainly was, and you ignored it."She rose, went to the water. For a moment he thought she was going to dive, metamorphose into her other self and leave him there. Rising, he came up behind her, not yet touching her but standing just at her back. Feeling her hair brush his chest, his abdomen, he gazed down over the top of her head at the swell of her breasts, the pink tips so recently suckled. One
Her features were so fine, small. He put his finger up beside the line of her nose, just to judge, and it seemed the tip of his finger would almost cap it. Her lips were a tiny bow, and despite himself, he imagined what it would be like to stretch them . . .While he knew human mythology suggested angels were above such things, that myth was not based on the warrior class of seraphim. The nourishing energy they required made carnality a vital part of their strength, one of the easiest and fastest ways to replenish their powers. Many of the humanoid races freely offered themselves, and he was all too aware that many felt they had no right to refuse an angel. While he tried not to take advantage of that, fortunately, not many had the desire to resist.But as the years had passed, there was a lack of intimacy to such couplings that bothered him in a way he didn't care to examine too closely. He'd begun to prefer recharging by going into seclusion, drawing from the elements, a slower, med
He would die without her. Let me die . . .No, by Neptune's Trident. She would not. And she wasn't dying here, either. This wasn't how she was going to go, damn it.When her tail encountered a flat surface, and moving water pushed against her face, telling her the tunnel had become horizontal again and was widening, she sobbed in relief. She was able to switch arms and swim forward, using the additional propulsion offered by a wider sweep of her tail. And then, the darkness began to have shapes. Rock formations in the walls, the curve of the tunnel on all sides. Light. There was light coming from somewhere. Seafans with waving tendrils and myriad corals began to blanket the walls again, scraping at her knuckles. Bless the Lady, the water was getting warmer. Much warmer. As the tunnel directed her up, she pushed against the wall with her free arm as well as pumped with her tail, suddenly desperate to know that what she was seeing, sensing, was true and not some odd type of mirage in t