After much coaxing, Kieran convinced me to return to my family manor. My decision to go back had less to do with the livability of the cottage I'd chosen, and more to do with the fact that Kieran admitted it had been Lorelei's when she lived as a human on the Island. Broken windows and walls I could handle, but living among the ghosts of dreams and heartbreaks was too much to handle right now.

    We swam around the Island rather than walking through it, and for the first time, I felt a spark of excitement about being Merrow. Kieran moved as though he'd been born with a tail, darting between coral and fish with grace and ease. From time to time, sunlight would break between the clouds and pierce the water. When it struck our tails, the scales blazed a dappled streak of green and silver across the sand. With my enhanced vision, the light was almost blinding- turning us into aquatic stars.

    There was so much beauty in this life. Something I hadn't let myself consider when I was fighting against this fate, and maybe if I was trapped here, I wouldn't appreciate it so much. But I knew what a gift it was to move between both worlds, and the more time I spent in the sea, the more I ached to go out further, dive deeper until the world turned to sapphire.

    We chose Shipwreck Cove as our point of return. I unfurled the wet sheet and wrapped it around my body as I shifted back. Kieran waited for me on the shore, his broad chest damp and gleaming in the afternoon light. Basketball shorts hung low on his hips.

    "And just where did those come from?" I pouted.

    "Old Merrow Trick," he answered, pointing at his bicep. I'd missed the black band wound around it. "You can't carry more than a single item, but it's enough to make sure you don't shock anyone when you come out of the water. Yer not the only prude."

The teasing in his tone was refreshing. How long had it been since I'd heard it?

"Yes, well the prudes appreciate it greatly."

He smiled and took my hand as we walked across the field between the beach and my house. My steps were as sure as his as we navigated around the rocks and briers, and I relished the warmth of his skin against mine.

"Kieran, wait," I said, pulling him to a stop.

My eyes darted to the towering stone mansion before us. The clouds were heavy over the building, but the sun peeked between cracks, back lighting it so that it was darkness rimmed by a ring of gold.

"What's wrong?"

I put my hands around his neck and drew him to my lips. He didn't show surprise, and he didn't resist. We met one another with equal fervor, teeth and tongues tangling with the force of our passion. There were no attempts at finesse or delicacy. It was as if we were trying to consume the other, to destroy the space where he began and I ended.

"Wow," he breathed against my mouth before returning for another taste.

He was slower this time, and I shivered as he lowered his hands to the dip in my back and pressed me against him. I went up on tiptoe and slid my around his neck so that my hands touched his shoulders. He sucked on my lower lip, scraping his teeth over it before breaking contact.

"Wow," I agreed, wondering why he stopped. In a few minutes I might have dragged him to the ground and proved I wasn't as much of a prude as he thought.

I kissed him again, urging him to resume the previous pace. A zing of electricity jolted between us. Not the metaphorical kind, either. I touched my lip and looked at him in horror.

"That happened before. What the heck?"

"It's a trait most female Merrow share. You have an electrical current, kind of like an eel. I should probably warn you that your hormones are in overdrive right now." Kieran said the words with a hint of irritation. "Yer part animal now, and sometimes it gets the better of you."

I chuckled against his chest and soon the rumble against my face told me he'd joined me in my laughter.

"Is that what you think? I was just suddenly overcome and had to have you? Or, do you think it was your animal magnetism that got me all hot and bothered?"

The hands on my waist shifted, and I screeched as he dug his fingers into my ribs. He was relentless, ignoring my pleas even after I dropped to the ground. He rolled over me and continued until tears ran down my face.

"Mercy," I hollered. "I'm sorry."

His fingers stilled, and I drew in a deep breath. My cheeks were sore from smiling, and I reached up to trace the matching one on his face.

"So, if it wasn't either of those things, what was it for?"

"I can't just want to kiss you?"

"Of course you can, but that wasn't just a kiss."

"Well that's a relief that I'm not the only one who felt that way. It's the kiss I wanted to give you at my birthday party." I exhaled and looked at a point of sky beyond his ear. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He jerked back.

"I never intended to go along with y'all's plan. I thought I was saving you."

"Oh, that," he said, shifting so he was sitting cross legged instead of leaning over me. I sat up and waited for him to speak again. "I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't right pissed at you. I think I knew something was wrong the moment we left the party, and when I saw Leslie's face, I flew into a rage."

I winced. "I really thought it was best, and in a way it was."

Kieran's eyes glittered, and he clenched his jaw. "How is that best? I've spent my entire life on this Island preparing to settle, and then you come along. Do you know how it felt for me to think I was going to lose you?"

"But you would've had the sea," I argued, sweeping my hand toward the cove. "And that's what you've always dreamed about."

His hand cupped my cheek. "My dreams changed a long time ago. It started when this american girl with wild hair and bright green eyes showed up at my school."

"I love you," I blurted out. Then threw my hands over my mouth. "Was that too soon? It's only been two months since we met, but I know."

"Isla," he laughed, "I think we get a month for every near death experience, magical curse, and family feud we've encountered since you got here. I think we might be celebrating our silver anniversary. I love you too."

The declaration earned him another kiss, and when we pulled apart, neither of us tried to wipe the goofy grins from our faces.

"How are Tara and Niko? Al?"

"They're good. Tara and Niko didn't follow me to the cave so they weren't in the middle of that mess, but Al ended up with a crushed fin. It's healing better than his pride. It'll be awhile before he forgives himself, especially now that he knows you would have died."

"I'll have to talk to him."

"I think he would like that."

"Good. Now don't take this the wrong way, but I think I need to go inside by myself. I haven't talked to my mother since, well since that night."

Kieran nodded. "I understand, and you're probably right. Besides, I'm supposed to meet with the new Council to discuss what to do with some of Lorelei's closest followers. Like Mrs. Rose and Ewan."

"Be kind," I warned. "Maybe not to Ewan, the ass. But to the others. They only wanted this nightmare to end."

"It doesn't excuse their actions."

"No, it doesn't, but they didn't know the entire story. Not to mention, I know a boy who wasn't completely honest for a long time because of his own agenda. All of this started because of hardened hearts."

I stood in front of the door of the house until Kieran's dark curls disappeared from view. Then, I squared my shoulders and went inside. All at once I was hit by how nothing had changed within these walls even though everything was different.

My father's rain jacket hung from a hook on the wall, and the mud on his rain boots was still a dark brown, though it was beginning to crack as it dried. I walked into the dining room where I found notes for his novel scattered across the large table. A hint of cinnamon and soap scented the air.

I don't know what I expected. To find it all boxed up maybe? He had promised we would live in the ocean together, but he could come and go as he pleased. Perhaps he always meant to go between worlds. It didn't anger me.

It didn't matter anymore.

But it did make my chest tighten with sorrow. His presence was so strong I almost expected him to step through the doorway, a cup of the dark roast coffee he favored steaming in his hand. I'd make a cheesy pirate joke, and he'd make a stab at my school uniform. I gripped the back of a chair to hold myself up. The pain washing over me was almost worse than the first shift.

"Isla? Baby, you okay?"

I spun around to see my mother standing in the same place I'd just imagined my father. Her black hair was shorter than she used to wear it. Straight and shiny it hung at her chin in a blunt bob, giving her a more severe look than I was accustomed to seeing on her. Or maybe that look was caused by the events of the last year? A person could only go through so much emotional upheaval before the outside started to reflect the inside.

"I'm so glad you decided to come home," she said when I didn't reply. She settled herself in a chair, the same one Daddy used to sit in. "We have some things to discuss."

"Like where you were for the last year? Why you left me behind when you knew what Daddy had planned? Or maybe when you knew Lorelei was your mother?"

She waved away my questions with her hand. "I'll be happy to get to all of that when we have a minute alone."

I peered around the dining room, searching for the mysterious guest. "I don't see anyone."

"They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Who?"

She bit her lip and scrunched her nose. It was a habitual expression she made when she was anxious.

"We're meeting with a Finn Folk delegation. You see, I didn't meet your father quite by accident. I knew who he was and who I was when we met."

I stepped away in horror. "It never stops, does it?"

"Baby, listen. You're thinking of this as a betrayal, but I designed a bright future for you. The Finn Folk wanted a Merrow Queen. They've wanted one for centuries, but my mother's curse has prevented it. We didn't know it required death, of course, or we would never have gone through with it. Don't you see. I thought I was setting you up to be a queen."

"Then why weren't y'all honest with me? You know, most people are groomed for these types of roles. Y'all kept me in the dark. Made me think I was human."

"It was what your father wanted, and I couldn't convince him otherwise. He didn't know who I was. We were afraid he might be concerned about the family connection, but since we believed you'd be trapped in your Merrow form forever, he wanted to let you live the most human life possible. Hindsight suggests we were wrong."

This was unreal. She explained all of this as if it were the most sensible thing she'd ever said. Even my father had managed to sound torn over his decisions. Regret dripped in every syllable. But my mother... she truly believed she'd done nothing wrong.

"I need to go," I stuttered. "Clearly this was a mistake."

I turned to leave and ran smack into a wall of muscle. Rubbing my nose, I glared at the offending abs. They were whiter than powder, but as the person shifted beneath my scrutiny, I noticed his skin tone flickered. It was as if was trying to match the color of its surroundings.

"Hello, you are Isla, yes?"

His accent clanged in my ears. All sinuous curves around the s's and harsh clamps around the l's- it was unnerving. Like a violin bow that needed be rosined. I let my gaze travel upward and recoiled. His nose was almost flat, and his eyes were slightly protruded, almost like a fish. Long hair the color of  seaweed was pulled back into a man bun. It was all manner of wrong, but a humming beneath my skin whispered for me to move closer.

"Isla, say hello to Ridley, Prince of the Fin Folk."

"Hello," I said begrudgingly.

"She is quite suitable," he said in return, looking at my mother over my shoulder. "Though that hair will stand out like a beacon in the depths."

"Excuse me," I huffed. "Suitable for what?"

Mama put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me forward. "Why, for marriage."

A/N- and that's the end.... for now :)

I promise there will be a book 2, but for now, thanks so much for sticking it out until the end.