"It's done," Erick murmurs as he takes his hand from Nymia's brow.

"Good." She blinks, clearing her eyes as a shiver visibly works its way up her spine. "The only thing that spell ever brought me was pain."

I try to meet her gaze but she stares pointedly away. One day soon, I hope she'll tell me what she went through in the years we were apart. There's a fear in her eyes she doesn’t want me to see, almost as though she's afraid what I might think. It's the same panic that filled my heart when I first saw her across that field—the dread of the unknown. I want to tell her nothing she says could ever change my opinion of her, that nothing could ever dull my love for her, but I think she knows that by now. With time, she'll open her heart to me again.

"You'll come back soon?" I ask instead. If I push, she'll only run farther away. Instead, I must be the one thing I've never been—patient. It’s a good test of my newfound maturity.

Nymia finally looks up.

"Yes." Her gaze slips sideways, scanning Erick up and down. "I have to admit, when I first saw you in the woods, human and hesitant, I never imagined that one day, I'd come to you to learn the secrets of my people and the true extent of my power."

"Nor I." Erick laughs with a shake of his head, magic flooding off him in waves with each small movement. "Life can be a funny thing, I guess, when you live long enough."

"Truer words have never been spoken." Nymia releases a humorous puff of air. They're not friends—yet. Though I'm starting to hope maybe one day they will be. "Good—"

"No," I cut her off. "Don’t say goodbye. Please, anything but that. I don’t want to hear those words on either of our lips again."

"Okay," she murmurs, rolling her eyes even as they warm with an inner glow. "How about this, then? May the Mother's light shine on you."

I grin and take her hand, sending a soft wave of power into her palm, one she sends back to me, tingling with the glory of our gods. "May her blessing warm your days."

Then she's gone, vanished through the portal, leaving Erick and me alone. Not really though, I remember as I glance around the cave at all of Mother's creatures living peacefully beside us. In her grace, we're never forgotten, just like Priestess Sytrene said.

"Are you ready?" Erick murmurs, taking my fingers gently in his.

I nod.

My gaze goes blurry as his magic shoots beneath my skin, but a moment later, it's done. When I think of the spell, it's like trying to grasp the ocean with my palm, the words slipping right through. I don't remember them. I can’t fathom them. They're simply gone.

Good riddance.

"You could go with her," Erick whispers.

My gaze drops to the portal still open by my feet, but for the first time in my life, I have no urge to run. I want to stay right where I am. Close it.

"Are you sure?" He raises his brows. "I made a promise to stay down here indefinitely, but you didn’t, Aeri. It doesn't have to be your prison."

It’s not, I tell him and step closer, lifting my free hand to his cheek and brushing his skin. I tenderly press my lips against his. It's the sort of kiss that simmers with the unspoken heat of forever. He sighs against me as I run my fingers through his hair, across his shoulder, and down his arm, until both of my hands hold his. When I pull back, magic glimmers in his eyes, the sort that's always blossomed between us, stemming straight from our hearts. There's nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.

A long time ago, I remember thinking we never should've left our cave, our little slice of paradise, and now we won't. We'll stay here until all our wrongs have been righted. And when we finally do emerge from hiding, we'll step into the world we always dreamed we could make—one where humans and faeries and all Mother's creatures live together in harmony.

I think of the tales Erick told me—about an earthquake that merged our world with another, all the lives lost, all the hopes dashed, all the people now counting on us to build a better future. I'm not sure what Mother saw in me, in him, in us that was so powerful she'd rest the fate of so many on our shoulders. Everywhere I look, there are ashes. The world weeps from so much darkness. But I have faith in her. Somehow, Erick and I will be the embers burning bright enough to spark the world anew. Somehow, we'll see her wish made true.

Do you think there's anything we could've done differently? I ask, running over the choices we made. There were mistakes, yes, but when I look back, there's not a moment shared between us I'd ever want to change. Or do you think this was Mother's plan all along? That this is how it was always supposed to end?

"Why would you think this is the ending?" Erick asks, lifting the corner of his lips into a lopsided grin that makes him look like the boy I once knew. He strokes my palm with his thumb and presses his forehead to mine, breathing in my magic and my touch. "I promise, Aeri. This, right here? It's only the beginning."

 

 

***

 

 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my twisted take on The Little Mermaid!

 

If you have a moment, please consider leaving a review. Even a few words can make a huge difference in someone deciding to give my book a chance.

 

If you want to learn more about Erick and one of the many stories he plans to tell Aerewyn, don’t miss the prequel novella, Granting Wishes!

 

 

 

She's about to discover a whole new world... Don't miss GRANTING WISHES, a fantasy romance that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Aladdin.

 

"His words come back to me--magic is the law. I guess I'm making my own set of rules."

 

Alanna thought rock climbing in Yosemite National Park would be the trip of a lifetime. Until an earthquake strikes and she finds herself plummeting to her death. But instead of slamming into the forest floor, Alanna drops into a secret underground cave where she's confronted by the impossible--magic.

 

A mysterious man named Erick uses incredible powers to save her life, then tells her that his magical world has collided with earth, merging the two together. Alanna writes it off as crazy, until he shows her a vision of her brother being dragged down a sandy cobblestone street in chains. Crazy or not, she'll do anything to save him.

 

As Alanna and Erick team up to rescue her brother from the clutches of a decrepit sorcerer king, fate intervenes in the form of a handsome prince. Alanna doesn't know who to trust, but in this foreign land, flying solo just might get her killed...

 

Granting Wishes is available now! Keep reading for a free preview…