The Syrenka Series Box Set

by Amber Garr

  Julian, the silent leader of the selkies, and Malcolm, who insisted on being here today, were both now a permanent part of our defense team. Our relationship with the selkies made other clan leaders uneasy, but no one protested. Especially after seeing their work in the Bahamas. Both men greeted me with a big smile and bright green eyes that would forever pierce my soul. I’d loved the selkies for such a long time, it made me whole knowing that I could keep them in my life.

  And speaking of uncomfortable relationships, Isabel and Abhainn managed to come to the ceremony. The ratchets, sprites, and other creatures like the nereid’s came out of hiding after the merfolk assured them we’d keep their locations a secret. They weren’t without caution, and demanded several promises including a vow that water control would never be used against them and in return, they would assist with the merfolk affairs which required their specialized skills. Mostly that meant death and destruction, but Kain and I continued to meet with Abhainn to work on our water abilities and just have a conversation with a friend. He was blissfully happy with Isabel, and it was my understanding that she’d secured her role as queen. They had a home on a secluded island in the tropics protected by an army of loyal sprites.

  When we reached the end of the small crowd, my heart fluttered. Kain looked amazing, and the way the sun highlighted his blond hair and tall frame, sent shivers through my body. Like I said, I couldn’t get enough.

  “You look beautiful,” he murmured and I melted. Grabbing his hand, we let the ceremony begin. I remembered saying words and hearing him recite them back, but I couldn’t seem to feel anything else except for our kiss. The moment Kain’s mother pronounced us husband and wife, I jumped into his arms.

  Kain laughed while we kissed, yet his lips were just as eager as mine. In the past year, we’d shared many kisses and stolen moments. He moved into my house permanently six months ago, and we spent almost every waking moment together when not called away by the responsibility of our leadership. I’d learned that he doesn’t like to fold clothes, and he knew that I hated doing the dishes. He teased Marisol constantly, much to her amusement, and I was able to fall asleep in his arms every night.

  The kiss lasted long enough for our friends and family to start making rude noises. We laughed but I knew this wouldn’t be the last of it. A couple of weeks ago, we’d taken that final step in our relationship, creating the intimacy we’d both wanted from each other for so long. He was mine in every sense of the word and I was his. Forever.

  “Are you ready?” Kain breathed in my ear, sending chills down through my toes. I nodded just before he scooped me up into his arms and ran toward the surf.

  Everyone cheered as we crashed through the waves until Kain stood waist deep in the water. I couldn’t stop smiling when he turned me around so that I could toss the bouquet of flowers to beach. It was even more amusing when Troy’s girlfriend caught it and threw her arms around her man. The terrified look on his face was priceless.

  I waved while Kain walked deeper into the sea so that we could change. My legs transitioned into a tail before I was submerged.

  “Show off,” he teased and then tossed me into the water. I quickly swam back to him to in time to see his pants float away toward the shore and his jacket fly through the air. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “I love you,” he said before covering my mouth in his.

  I love you, too, I thought as I let the warmth of his lips and the comfort of the sea embrace me.

  Eviana wrapped her arms around me as I spoke. “I’m going to go too. We have a big day tomorrow.” I smiled, imagining how radiant she’d look. The scent of the bonfire still lingered in her hair and I rubbed her back wishing we could prolong this moment. Despite our kiss earlier in the day, I sensed she wasn’t completely comfortable with the plans for tomorrow. Our wedding.

  Deciding to give her some space, I stepped back and gently moved her hands away. “I will see you in the morning, Eviana. Sleep well.” Without a second thought, I bent forward and kissed her. Just a slight brush against the lips, it wasn’t as intense as the first one, but enough to let her know I cared.

  I walked out the door and toward my car, knowing I should listen to that nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. She’s just nervous, I thought as I rehashed our earlier conversation on the beach.

  “You’re a good man, Kain,” she’d said. “Please know that. And if something were to happen to me, I want you to find someone else and be happy with them. Don’t mourn me. Don’t hate me. Just live your life.”

  I couldn’t understand what she meant. “Why would I hate you?”

  She squeezed my hands as tears leaked down her cheeks. “Just promise me that you will live and move on. Please!”

  Her behavior had worried me, so I kissed her forehead. “Okay, I promise. Now stop crying,” I teased, trying to lighten the situation. How could I ever hate her?

  Backing out of the driveway now, my thoughts spiraled out of control. There could only be one reason why she would worry about me hating her, but I didn’t think Eviana would skip out on our wedding. Not after today. Not after she stood by my side at my father’s memorial and my appointment ceremony as my fiancée, and especially not after our first kiss. She cared about me, I knew it. It might not be in the same way she loved the selkie, but she would come around.

  She had to.

  By the time I pulled into the hotel parking lot, I realized sleep wasn’t going to happen. The clan shield on my shirt vibrated with power and a ball of dread rumbled in my stomach. If Eviana was having second thoughts, I needed to be there for her. Why did I leave?

  I turned the car around and headed back toward her beach house. The dark night swallowed my headlights, creating an ominous void. Call it intuition or just a hunch, something felt wrong the moment before I rounded the curve that hid her driveway.

  Brendan’s car sat at the end of the lane, engine idling for a quick escape. My heart dropped as angry blood filled the void. She wouldn’t do this.

  I pulled off the side of the road, far enough away to avoid detection, but close enough to watch the events unfold. Deciding to torture myself even more, I felt my body leave the car behind and walk closer to hear the exchange. In a haze of resentment and disappointment, I crept along the side of the road, hidden amongst the shrubbery. The sharp leaves and branches lashed at my face but were nothing more than a minor discomfort in comparison to my frantic heart.

  I stopped when Brendan opened the door and walked around the front of the car. His smile confirmed my worst fear, and it took all of my self control not to jump up and knock it off his face. For the life of me, I didn’t understand why she always chose that selkie. I also didn’t know why I tortured myself thinking that things would turn out any differently.

  I heard the grinding of her suitcase being dragged across the ground before I saw her. Panic, rage, and sadness washed over me with such intensity I almost lost my balance. Should I stop her? Should I give her one last chance to do what was right? We needed this marriage to unite our clans at a time when politics were unstable and volatile. And I needed this marriage because I loved her. However, that realization crawled back into the depths of my consciousness when I saw them kiss.

  “You made it,” Brendan said.

  “Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Eviana reached up to kiss him again, and something inside of me changed. She never looked at me that way, in fact I never saw her as happy as she was right now, in the midst of running away from everything she knew.

  Brendan grabbed her suitcase and she slipped into the car. A few moments later they pulled away from the driveway and headed in the opposite direction. I watched as the taillights disappeared, unable to move. Was it disbelief? Was it anger? Eviana chose Brendan instead of her family, her clan, and me. It was selfish and childish, but for some reason, I couldn’t fault her. If I could have run away from my life, I probably would have done the same.

  Thinking about it some more,
I wondered what my father would have thought if I’d refused to accept clan leadership. It would have crushed him and my mother. We can’t choose the families we are born into, and Eviana should understand that better than anyone.

  But can we choose whom to love? I’ve been in love with Eviana since we were kids, knowing that I would do anything for her. As we got older, those feelings intensified when I watched her coach the young merfolk through their first transitions. Or when I’d see the feistiness I knew would benefit her as a leader someday. I loved her just as much as she loved Brendan.

  Suddenly I got it. If Eviana asked me to run away with her, I would have done it in a second. Knowing that would’ve never happened, I still understood what they must have felt when she and Brendan decided this was their only choice. I’d given her another option; marry me and continue her relationship with Brendan. We would have ruled together as expected, and I would still have some part of her by my side. But even as I said those words to her weeks ago, I’d secretly hoped she wouldn’t take me up on my offer. I wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

  A noise in the distance startled me. Dragging my feet back to the car I fell inside and started the engine. The sun would be up in four hours, and I’d have to face the world knowing I was second choice.

  Deciding to stay here until the morning, I parked in her family’s driveway and walked past the house down to the beach. I needed the comfort of the water, although in too much of a daze to think about transitioning. Passing the smoldering bonfire from earlier tonight, anger seized control. I picked up an empty bottle and threw it against the logs, waiting for the sound of smashing glass to consume the night. How could she do this to me? The sand muffled my screams as I threw another and another, trying to cope. I hated her so much.

  Moving closer to the water, I dropped to the ground. The ocean covered my legs like a blanket and I ignored the tingling that signaled the need to transform. Instead, I sat on the sand, listening to the surf, and compartmentalizing all of my emotions into their own little box. Disappointment, love, hate, and devastation each took their turn churning through my sea of denial.

  For hours I sat there reminiscing about the past and figuring out the future. Would I ever see her again? Did I even want to? Her mother would be furious, as this was not only an embarrassment to the family but would reflect poorly on her leadership skills in the eyes of those who desired change. A lone gull laughed at me in the same way the other clan leaders would when they discovered tonight’s events.

  As soon as I saw the first glimmer of sunrise, I trudged back up to the house and tried to prepare myself for the humiliation to come. Though early morning, a flurry of movement reminded me that wedding preparations were in full swing. I sighed as I took that last, heavy step up to the expansive wood deck. No amount of preparation would make this any easier.

  The sliding glass door slid open with a thud, and three protectors emerged carrying large vases of flowers. Troy saw me standing in the shadows and nodded in my direction.

  “Master Matthew. I didn’t know you were here already.”

  I tried to make my smile look authentic. “Couldn’t sleep.”

  He set the heavy arrangement down and wiped a bead of sweat from his face. “Getting cold feet yet?” he teased.

  My stomach flipped and I swallowed the anger in my throat. Instead of replying I forced out a laugh. This wouldn’t be easy. I was here and no one knew Eviana was gone. Who do I tell first?

  “Is Mistress Dumahl inside?” I asked, deciding on her mother, the leader of their clan.

  “Yes, in the banquet room I believe,” Troy said.

  I nodded to him and walked inside the house. Moving around the center island, I couldn’t help but notice the flowers and baskets and wedding decorations scattered all over the place. A lot had gone into the planning of this wedding, and a lot of people were going to be very disappointed.

  As I rounded the corner, I ran into a petite woman carrying a clipboard and yelling into her cell phone.

  “No, I said fuchsia, not pink. You better not show up here with pink bows.” She looked up with a glare before recognizing me. “I’m not arguing about this anymore. Just be here soon.” She hung up and shook her head. “I tell you, give someone a little leeway and they think they can redesign the whole wedding.”

  “Mistress Dumahl,” I said. “I need to…”

  “Please, call me Marguerite, Kain. You’re a part of this family now.” She beamed at me with a smile that perfectly matched Eviana’s. I sucked in a breath. “I wasn’t expecting you so early, but I’m glad you’re here. Perhaps you can get her out of bed?”

  “Eviana? But I need to talk to…”

  “Yes,” she said and brushed past me. “Please tell Eviana that I need her downstairs in twenty minutes.”

  Before she finished that sentence, her phone rang again. I heard her yelling at yet another vendor as she marched through the house. Tempted to leave, I stood there weighing the pros and cons of that decision. I could just slip away until they noticed Eviana had left and let them break the news to me. That would be easier, but that would also be cowardly.

  I looked up toward the stairs thinking about climbing them. Maybe Eviana left a note. Maybe she had a good reason as to why she snuck out in the middle of the night to run away with her boyfriend. Maybe, but probably not.

  I found myself walking up them anyway. A door at the top of the stairs opened and I almost ran into Eviana’s sister. She rubbed her eyes and tugged on her pajama top before noticing my presence.

  “Kain?” Marisol tried to smooth out her hair. She smiled and then quickly covered her mouth. I saw color rise to her cheeks. “What are you doing here so early?” She stepped back into her room.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Sorry, I just didn’t know you would be here before I had a chance to get ready. I mean, Eviana.”

  Marisol always had a crush on me, and I felt a little less anxious as I watched her try to avoid blowing her morning breath in my direction. “Your mother wants me to wake her up.” Even though she isn’t here.

  Marisol chuckled. “Good luck with that. She doesn’t like getting up early.”

  I thanked her for the warning and walked to the end of the hall. This was it. Time to face the cold, hard truth. I knocked on the door before remembering it was unnecessary. Despite all of the commotion downstairs, the hallway remained empty and desolate. Just me and my fear of what I knew I would find inside filled the void.

  Opening the door, I held my breath. My hands shook, my stomach turned, and I couldn’t decipher whether it was anger or heartbreak that ripped apart my insides. A persistent sliver of light filtered in between the curtains, highlighting a single spot on Eviana’s bed. As though there for a purpose, the beam shone directly on an envelope I knew would be addressed to me.

  I swallowed my pride and the fear clawing at my throat, and walked to the bed to sit down next to her note. Sure enough, I saw my name. I only took a brief second before tearing it open, a glutton for punishment as always.

  Kain-

  These past few days with you have been enjoyable but confusing. I don’t know if I will ever have the right words to explain why I left except to say this isn’t the life I want.

  My mother will be furious and my clan will be disappointed, but most of all, you will hate me. And that saddens me more than you’ll ever know. There were many days when I wished I didn’t have to choose. You are one of the most important people in my life, and I admit there were times when I wanted you to be enough. I’m sorry to leave like this, Kain. You deserve better.

  Eviana

  Reading over it three times, I finally let reality settle in. She was gone and not coming back. She left with Brendan and abandoned everyone who cared about her. A part of me wanted to mourn the loss, but the bitter and annoyed side won out. I wouldn’t mourn for her. I felt too angry.

  A shuffling at the door grabbed my attention. “Where is she?” Marisol asked.
>
  I stayed seated on the bed, holding her note in my hand. Clearing my throat, I decided the time had come to let everyone know. “She’s gone.”

  “What?”

  I lifted my arm and shook the note. “She left with Brendan. Last night. She’s not coming back.” I struggled to get the words out.

  Marisol stood in silence, mouth opened and sleepiness long gone from her eyes. Finally, she spoke. “But she can’t do that to you.”

  I laughed. It wasn’t that I found Marisol’s comment funny; it screamed irony. “Apparently she can,” I replied and jumped to my feet. “I need to tell your mother.” Pushing past Eviana’s sister, I marched down the hall and toward the stairs with false bravado. Marguerite would not be pleased.

  “Oh, she’s going to be so mad,” Marisol said. She scampered behind me, ready to see her mother’s reaction. Marisol and Eviana did not get along well on most days, and this would surely be a memorable screw up for her big sister. Suddenly, Marisol tugged on my shoulder, forcing me to turn around and face her. Throwing her arms around my waist, she squeezed me hard. “I’m so sorry, Kain. She doesn’t deserve someone like you.”

  A rush of dread skittered through my chest. Marisol was right, she didn’t deserve me. “I know,” I replied before continuing downstairs.

  It proved easy to find Marguerite by the incessant yelling. I found her in the banquet room, directing the organization of the layout. It looked like the rental company brought the pink bows after all.

  “Do you understand that this is my oldest daughter’s wedding? It has to be perfect,” she said to the poor man holding fifty pounds of chair covers. “Go find your boss.” He slunk away while he had the chance, giving me the opening I needed.

  “Marguerite, I have to talk to you.”

  “Kain, oh good. Did you get Eviana up?” She looked past me, but found only her youngest daughter staring back. The clan leader’s eyes scrutinized the both of us, not missing anything. “What’s going on?”