Authors: Shana Norris

Tags: #teen, #love, #paranormal, #finfolk, #romance, #north carolina, #outer banks, #mermaid

Submerging (Swans Landing) (25 page)

“Show off,” a voice said when I resurfaced, blinking water out of my eyes.

I turned, and couldn’t help the grin that stretched across my face at the sight of him. He looked more alive than he had in all the time I’d known him. I knew that under the water, his tail bore the scars of what had been done to him, as it would for the rest of his life. But I didn’t care. He was alive, and he was truly finfolk once again.

“Well,” I said with a shrug, “when you feel like diving, you gotta do it.”

Callum swam closer to me, reaching out to grab my hand. I let him pull me toward him, until our noses were only inches apart. His half of a tail fin brushed against mine, sending a tingle through my body.

“And when I feel like doing this—” He pressed his lips to mine in a kiss that made me feel weak all over and we slipped below the surface for a moment before coming up again. Then he pulled back and winked. “I have to do it.”

“Do you have to do that first thing in the morning?” Josh wrinkled his nose at us from where he tread water nearby. Mama stayed close to his side, as she had done since we’d left Hether Blether two days ago. Most of the time she stayed quiet, just following along next to us. Other times, she thought Josh was his daddy and would talk about random memories, though she never mentioned the night he died. I wasn’t sure yet if she even remembered that night at all, and I didn’t want to risk having her break down in the middle of the ocean by asking those questions.

Besides, we had other things on our minds right then. Domnall and his men had certainly left Hether Blether by now, so we swam for as long as we could each day, stopping for only a few hours of rest when absolutely necessary. For all we knew, Domnall was right behind us, using whatever methods he had to track us through the water.

There was no land anywhere in sight. The ocean stretched on into the horizon all around, like land had disappeared completely. It would be another long, hard swim.

The key hung heavy against my waist, still tucked into the belt of my robe. We could return to Hether Blether any time we wanted as long as we had it.

But all I wanted was to see another island on the other side of the ocean.

Josh yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Everyone ready?” he asked.

I nodded, looking from him to Callum and then to my mother. “Let’s go home.”

About the author

Most days, Shana Norris still feels like she’s stuck at sixteen, which is probably why she enjoys writing about teens. She always wanted to be a mermaid and fell in love with the Outer Banks during a gray late winter years ago. She lives in a small town in eastern North Carolina with her husband and small zoo of pets, which currently includes two dogs, five cats, and five chickens.

Look for the third book in the Swans Landing series coming in 2013. Also, look for the novella
Shifting
coming in early 2013.

To learn more about Swans Landing and the people living there, please visit
www.shananorris.com
. Follow Shana on Twitter
@shananorris
or on
Facebook
. Or email her at
[email protected]
.