by Naomi Fraser
Lakyn grips my hand. His face contorts from what his uncle is doing to him. My scream feels like it will never end.
“Your tail now,” the man says softly. “I have never seen these colours before. Get ready.”
Two short words and my back bows off the sand. I release Lakyn’s hand; my arms spread wide and I let loose with a wild scream. My body—what body—disappears into tiny molecules, and then shifts into another realm where the man has a tail and works fast. The web of my tail fin knits and then the pain disappears.
I collapse back onto the sand and pat my chest. I’m here. There are no scales on my hips and I’m wearing my underwear, but the bottom is ripped out from growing a tail. I touch my throat, so thankful it’s healed. The contrast between intense pain and none at all is sublime. Heavenly. Joey’s crochet blanket drifts over me, covering my body. I lift my hands slowly and tuck the corners under my arms, wrapping the blanket around myself.
“You should be fine, and yes, you’re all there. Sorry about the pain.” Regret colours his deep, wise voice, and he turns to his nephew. “Lakyn, come back when you are ready. We need to talk, investigate the incident with the sirens. But you are now both,” his head turns to me for a moment, “finfolk and human.”
“How did you know to come here?” Lakyn asks with a shaky voice.
“She opened up a portal in front of the palace with your directions, no doubt. There was blood magic in the sea. Our blood. The whirlpool stopped me, so I travelled along a different route.” He hesitates and stares at Lakyn. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”
Lakyn nods, silent.
His uncle walks toward the water, feet splashing in the shallows, until his head disappears beneath the surface. A tremor shakes the ground, and the light winks out. Noise finally intrudes. Joey talks about having no reception on his phone and wheels away, giving us some privacy.
“It’s my uncle’s magic,” Lakyn says. “The light aura would’ve killed anyone who tried to cross it without his permission. I’ve never seen him with legs before.” A hint of uncertainty touches Lakyn’s eyes. “Are the sirens gone?”
“Yes.”
“We made it, Ellie. We did it.” His lips quirk in an irresistible grin that lights up his face. “You opened up a portal and used blood magic. You saved my life. That means you breathed finfolk into me.”
He knows I read his books. Jumped in to save him. Busted. I lean back, suppressing a laugh. “Ralph gave your books to me. I was going to tell you, but you told me not to talk about it. I thought I needed all the help I could get to stop the sirens. Without the books I never would have figured out that it was your bloodline that saved my life.”
He stands up in one fluid move and then gently lifts me to my feet. He leans in, his eyes as soft as a caress and my heart turns over. His fingers trail against my arms, the gesture light yet oddly protective.
His gaze suddenly drops to my lips. When he lifts his eyes back up to mine, his teeth press into his full bottom lip and he cocks his head to the side. Long fingers brush a wayward white curl behind my ear. His fingers stroke my cheek, trailing lower until his strong hands settle around my waist.
I steady myself against his wide shoulders, my heart pounding. The sand cups my feet, and I feel tethered to the ground, but an urgent longing beats inside me, ripples of unbearable excitement stirring deep within my heart.
His head lowers.
I stand on tiptoes.
The honk of a car horn along the sandy path signals company. He freezes, his lips an inch away from mine. The Hyundai takes the corner too fast and speeds toward us, then stops at a grassy patch beneath a casuarina tree.
“They’re here. Hold that thought,” Lakyn whispers, his breath hot against my ear.
Really. My gaze flicks up to his.
Heat simmers in his blue eyes. “I look forward to it.”
THE END
A NOTE FROM NAOMI FRASER
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AUTHOR BIO
NAOMI FRASER IS an avid reader who is in constant contact with her muse. She manages her writing life alongside being a mother and takes inspiration from anything life can throw her way. She lives in sunny Queensland, Australia, with her family.
