Whitney rolled her eyes at him. This all was a bit surreal. He was being burned by hot coals and having a conversation with her at the same time. And she was rolling her eyes. She just couldn’t help it. If she didn’t want to hear more of an answer, then she would have added “fine, Dad” to the conversation to emphasize her point.
‘The bond is mental and physical,’ Sam continued his explanation like they were having a nice conversation. ‘We share pain and wounds now. That’s how I knew this would work. When you cut your hands on the bowl, I felt it, too. If you hadn’t healed them as quickly as you did, then I would have been bleeding also, and everyone would have known we’re already bonded. This way, they can watch in awe when my father is done and think this is all divine intervention saving me and making you one of us. The sirens believe heavily in their gods and will accept you if they think you were sent by the gods.’
That was a flawless plan. Again, Whitney had a lot to learn. The mer world was part of the night human world, but there was so much in her upbringing she hadn’t learned. It was true she never thought she’d get a mate, so she didn’t pay attention to any of that. Now she had one, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He was lucky that she did love him or she would have been protesting.
‘And I love you, too,’ he said in her mind.
Whitney stared at him. She hadn’t sent those thoughts to him.
‘Part of being bonded means we share more than just what you send to me.’
Whitney’s mouth dropped open. Yes, she really needed to read up more on the whole night human bond thing. Would her mind ever be her own? That wasn’t something anyone ever told her about being bonded.
‘I’ll have my mother teach you how to shield your thoughts, and I promise not to eavesdrop if I can help it.’
‘You better,’ Whitney threatened him as new welts formed and melted away. A second idea quickly came to her as she watched them cycle through, appearing and disappearing. If he could read her thoughts, maybe she could read his.
‘Don’t even try,’ he told her. ‘It would be a waste of your time since I already shield my thoughts to keep my father out when he questions me.’
Great. That opened up a whole other problem. She never thought to ask if the siren king could look into the minds of sirens like the alpha of the skinwalkers could. She had grown up connected to the alpha. Would that be the same now?
‘I don’t think he can connect to you. That’s why he suggested killing you. My father is the kind of person that likes complete control. If he can’t control you, then you are a problem.’
Sam’s words ended abruptly, and Whitney looked up at him from watching the welts on her own fin heal.
The audience stared at Sam as he was tortured by his own father. It seemed to last forever, but it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. When the older man finally thought Sam had enough, he picked up all the burning coals with tongs, one by one. Ordering someone to grab a bucket of ocean water, the king washed away the last of the ash off Sam’s fin with salt water that should have stung if the wounds were still there. The blue color sparkled as the moon glinted off Sam’s wet tail.
“As you can all see, the gods have found favor in my son and his decision. He has brought us a gift in the form of a new siren.”
The king turned knowing eyes to Whitney and nodded his head to her. She was pretty sure he understood what had happened even if he couldn’t get into her head. With a flick of his finger, she was pushed right out of the bowl, floating on the water she sat in. She ended up next to Sam, who had already freed himself and was sitting up on the slab. Her pink fin shook at little as she looked his own fin over to make sure there still wasn’t a cut on it. She already knew it was better, though she couldn’t help but to look. The queen had stood up and brought a sheet to wrap around her, indicating she should change back. Whitney was grateful that at least one person remembered she was completely nude.
The people all stared at Whitney, still showing a bit of hostility and confusion. Sam stood up on his transformed legs and pulled her with him, wrapping his arms around her to keep the sheet tightly concealing her body from everyone as she transformed also.
“As it’s my eighteenth birthday today,” he told everyone as he looked around. “I am making my choice of a mate. I choose Whitney.”
Shock lined the faces all around them except for a few. Behind the normal mask, a small smile slipped at the corners of his mother’s mouth. His father also, while keeping a neutral face, seemed to smile with his eyes. There were a few that weren’t happy by the news. Tim was in the front row scowling, and a few rows behind him sat Amber wearing the same look of disgust. But Whitney didn’t let that bother her. In fact, it was a bit hard to listen to anything as she stood completely naked except for the sheet wrapped around her. One of her worst nightmares growing up had been to arrive to class naked, and now she stood before a whole audience of the clan she just joined wearing almost nothing. Not the best welcoming.
Soon enough the shock wore off the crowd, and the people began to cheer around them. Even though Sam seemed to dislike the island, Whitney could see the people on the island did like him. In fact, they stared a bit with admiration at him, maybe now more than before because he had survived his trial by fire. Some even openly gaped at him like he had been blessed by the gods as his father declared. Sam was correct that they all took it as a sign that she was meant to join them even if he did really just trick them all. Sam took Whitney’s hand from beneath the sheet and held her tight in his arms.
“What happens next?” she asked, still not sure of what she had gotten herself into.
Sam nibbled on her ear, obviously not shy of public displays of affection. All the people watched them, and Whitney’s face turned a bit red. She had hoped after his announcement they would all leave, but they sat there watching them like they were a great TV show instead.
“We exchange a little blood and pretend to bond, and then we party. All mer love a celebration,” he said softly into her ear. “And then we slip away so that I can welcome you to my world without all the distraction, maybe give you a personal tour of the island and show you where we will be living together when we come to visit this place, or we are requested back by my dad.”
His voice made her shiver, and that got an even bigger grin from him. Pulling her hand up to his lips, he kissed it. Sam’s dark eyes twinkled almost like the stars above them. She didn’t need to hear more words to feel the love he had for her. The bond was telling her exactly what he was feeling.
And just like that, her life had changed. What started off as a normal senior year in high school was turning out to be life-changing, and not just because she was going to be eighteen soon and legally an adult. Whitney was once again a night human, and she wasn’t sure what was going to come next. They had much left to sort out, but she was going to enjoy doing just that. Moving to Florida turned out not be so bad after all. She had felt alone for so long, but she didn’t any more. She had a mate and a very dysfunctional family and clan to belong to now. Life was sure going to stay interesting, but she was more than happy to welcome it. Meeting Sam as a kid was fate, and she was glad she had met him then and now. He was meant to be in her life, and she was meant to be in his. That was the only thing Whitney was certain about now.
Sam pulled his lips from her hand and gave her a smile brighter than the full moon in the sky. “Welcome to the mer world, princess.”
Author note:
Thank you for reading WATER AND BLOOD! Keep reading for the sneak peek of the next book in this series. Before we get there, I’d like to ask that if you enjoyed reading this book, please consider leaving me a good review on Amazon.com. Also consider joining my mailing list for the latest updates and sales info. If this is your first night human world book, there are nine more in the same world that you can read while you wait for the next book. Check out THE LEGEND OF THE BLUE EYES or THE WITCHLING APPRENTICE.
I greatly appreciate al
l the support from everyone and it keeps me going day in and day out! THANK YOU!
Sneak Peek: Book II – SONGS AND FINS
The party was in full swing, and Whitney was having a blast meeting all of the new people. Mostly. They seemed to welcome her. A few even seemed to be in awe. One little girl, in particular, told her that her fin was her favorite color, and she wanted to know the secret how to get one like that. Sam was an expert of leading her around to the groups he knew would welcome her, and of avoiding ones like Amber and her disgruntled family.
Whitney ignored the death stares from Amber’s camp. She had spent years with people giving her those same hateful looks growing up. It was nothing new, and nothing she could change. Besides, Whitney hadn’t been the one that had asked to be a siren. Sam had done that, and he wasn’t getting a single “try to kill you with my eyes” look from them.
“When will we get to the part where you show me around the island, and we get some alone time?” Whitney asked. The sirens really did like to party. From what she could tell it was getting close to sunrise, which would mean their party had already been going on for almost five hours straight.
“As soon as I can get you away. It seems like my father doesn’t want that to happen yet,” Sam replied, keeping a tight hold around her waist so that she was hip-to-hip with him.
Sam nodded his head toward his father and Whitney could make out the pathway behind him. That must have been the way out of the private beach they were all at. The king smiled and nodded back to Sam like he knew that they wanted to leave.
“He can be difficult about these things,” Sam complained. Now she saw that while he didn’t get along with his father, there was respect for him.
“Can we sneak by him?” Whitney asked.
Yes, meeting all of the siren was important, but she was exhausted and just wanted to be alone with Sam. There were so many questions she wanted to ask and things she wanted to see. So far her trip to the siren island was via being kidnapped and tied to a chair all night. Not the best first impression of her new world. She had a feeling Sam would show her the better parts, and not make her regret her decision to stay with him.
Sam grinned. “I like how you think.”
He slid his hand off her waist and took her hand in his. Weaving between people, Sam made it to the edge of the party and began leading them around the group of people who seemed content to stand around and talk all night long. They approached from behind, hoping Sam’s father, the king, would miss them as they snuck by.
“Leaving before sunrise?” the king asked, not turning around, but catching them anyway.
“I’m tired since I was basically kidnapped last night.” Whitney paused. She hadn’t even thought about going back on land, and it all came crashing back. “My aunt and cousin … they’ve probably called the police by now.” She was beginning to have a panic attack. One of the most important rules for sirens was that they had to keep being one a secret. There weren’t going to be any secrets if her aunt thought something happened to her.
Aunt Marissa was more laid back than most adults, but she never went more than twenty-four hours without checking on her at least once.
The king turned and smiled.
“It’s not a problem. Your aunt thinks you’re at your friend’s house all weekend. As long as you’re back by Monday morning, they won’t know the difference.”
Sam nodded with his father’s assurance. He probably set it up himself.
“Trudy is covering for you,” Sam added. That made her heartbeat slow down, and her panic subside. Trudy was a close friend and covered for her often.
“Father, may we leave and get some rest before heading back to land?” Sam asked.
The king looked surprised.
“Whitney will head back at sunset, but not you, Sam. The second half of your punishment for breaking siren law is that you are to remain on the island until I see fit.”
Sam’s face mirrored Whitney’s own shock. They been through enough to just be together, and now she was to head back to land without him.
“Father,” Sam tried to complain, “they need me there on land.”
The king shrugged. “Tim will go back in your place for now while you stay here and try to remember our laws, since you seem to have a hard time following them.”
“But—” Sam complained more.
Moving closer, the king stared harshly at Sam.
“Don’t think I don’t know what game you were playing to stay here. I know perfectly well how the gods helped you. Don’t make me regret going along with it. Now, you’ll do as I say and that’s the end of it.”
Whitney shivered when the king didn’t wait for a response, but turned back to the guests and walked away. Sam’s face was set in stone, hiding the anger beneath. He didn’t like the order any more than Whitney. She had hundreds of questions to ask him, and now she was going back without him.
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Carnelian: Chapter One
While you’re waiting for the next book in the night human world, be sure to check out The Chalcedony Chronicles, my time-travel paranormal romance series. Here’s the first chapter to get you started!
Chapter 1 – Welcome to College
I had the perfect idea of what going off to college would be like. I’d move into the dorms on the first day I could. My family would come along and my mom would cry over the thought of me growing up, especially since I was her only child. They would hang around, not wanting to leave, and finally I’d have to shoo them all out, reassuring them that I’d be okay. That’s how everyone pictures it going. Yet, here I sat, a day late, staring at my new home for the next four years, alone.
My mom and grandfather made the seven-hour trip north with me from Chicago to Minneapolis, but Grandfather got called away on business and my mom had to go with him. He was her ride home after all. Grandfather was in the antique business, and he had a lot of wealthy and powerful clients. I was used to them calling him away at a moment’s notice by now. I drove the last two hours to Lake Superior and Castor, the nice college town that Morton Carole was in. I chose to go to a school far from home, and now I regretted it as I sat outside the campus dorms, pondering my first steps toward being grown up.
Independence. That’s what college was for me. I’ve spent my entire life with my grandfather and mother, and yes, my mother was the hovering type. I never was allowed to go on trips with my friends, or even leave the city without her by my side. She worried every day about my walk to school. She hated cars and was afraid I’d get in an accident. Luckily, grandfather convinced her I would need a car here at college, so I did have wheels now. She never seemed to lack for something to worry about.
Sitting in my used Civic, looking at the massive dorms with people flowing everywhere, independence scared the crap out of me. Right now, the one thing every recent high school graduate wanted was staring me in the face, and I yearned to give it back. I was turning out to be the most timid college freshman in history. Thank you, Mom!
After taking a deep breath, I steadied my nerves and finally turned off my car to go to the registration table sitting outside. I gathered all the courage I found and opened the door. The large square brick building in front of me would be home for the next four years. It was intimidating yet exciting at the same time. College was the pinnacle of growing up, and I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to start a new chapter in my life.
The registration table was set up with several college students sitting around waiting. The fifteen-foot walk to the table was excruciating. I felt like everyone that passed was staring at me, the scared freshman. In reality, probably no one even glanced my way. The official move-in day was the day before, and I missed the opportunity to be lost in the masses of new students. I was late on purpose. Figuring the crowds would be smaller, I planned to arrive today with my grandfather and mother to help. I tri
ed to concentrate on the table, hoping to see a helpful face, but the girl there just glared at me as I approached. I crossed the parking lot and waited. The beautiful, long-legged brunette who already glared at me, now ignored me and sat talking to the girl next to her. They were obviously friends, as the brunette kept talking and the other girl kept nodding along, never getting a word in edgewise. I stood and waited. I thought the welcome table was to welcome new students, but this girl was anything but welcoming.
“I’m sure by the end of the week he will be coming back to me. He always does. You know he can’t find anyone better than me,” the brunette told her friend.
Poor guy, I wanted to add. I had grown up with girls like the one in front of me. Everything about her was fake, from her eyelashes to her boobs. Private school at St. Maria’s had prepared me for two things at the same time: fake girls and dealing with the people you never really want to be associated with. This girl was exactly that.
I coughed to get their attention. I didn’t need to learn more about the poor guy that the girl had her sights set on. The brunette looked up, surprised that I was there.
“Marcella Navina,” I told the girl, pointing to my name on the list.
“Oh, a new freshman,” the brunette said as she held out her hand to the girl next to her. The second girl was digging through a box looking for the correct key. Finally, she found it and handed it to the brunette. “Welcome to Morton Carole. If you need any help, feel free to ask. We’re all happy to help new freshman.” From the tone in her voice I somehow doubted that. “You are in Murdley, which is on the opposite side of the dorms here.” She said Murdley with disgust, as if she couldn’t imagine who would want to be stuck in the studious dorm. She held out her hand and her minion placed a map in it. “You can either go through the courtyard, through the connecting hallways, or around the outside to get there. Room 215. Good luck, and welcome to college.” A smile was plastered across her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I gave her my best fake smile back as I took her keys and map. I didn’t really need the map. I had already memorized it weeks ago.
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