Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Everything Adan and I had lost came crashing back to me—first the loss of our dear mother, Queen Beathag and then the betrayal we’d both felt when our father had sent us away to live with strangers. The way I’d felt when Lord Alyxsander—this man in front of me—had abandoned me again and sent me even farther away to the mortal realm. And perhaps worst of all, the loss of my brother Aden—the only one I’d still had that I could count on and cling to!
Alyxsander had sent me away from my brother like I had no feelings, no worth. I’d been really young, but even then I’d had a terrible crush on Alyxsander. I’d believed I was in love with him, and I knew he was my soul mate, though obviously he was still too old for me. I was willing to wait. Obviously, he hadn’t been, and the knowledge of that crushed me too.
I felt fury rush over me as I put both my hands on his chest and pushed Alyx away from me. I watched as his body flew through the air and crashed into the thick glass wall of the aquarium. He slid down a few feet before he launched himself back toward me, almost flying over the water.
“I’ll let you do that once, and then your tantrum ends with my hand against that gorgeous backside of yours, and don’t think I won’t.” He was so angry he was snarling at me, and I wanted to snarl right back.
Suddenly, without warning, my vision felt different and my legs! I blinked in disbelief as I looked down at them or where they were supposed to be, but…
I had no legs. Instead, a fish tail extended below my waist—a glorious riot of colors like sapphire and emerald and turquoise and every color in between. Gills lined the sides of my lower chest. I was floating there in the water, my tail lashing back and forth beneath me to keep me afloat.
That’s when I did what any good hero of a story would do—I felt my eyes roll back in my head and I passed out cold.
Chapter Five
Alyx
When I saw Kailar’s body go limp, I admit I had a moment of pure panic. I had never moved so fast in my life as I did to grab him and take him in my arms. He was breathing air—or his chest was going up and down at least. But new gills had popped out on his sides near his ribcage, and they were twitching too like a fish would do if it were pulled out of water. I lowered him quickly back into the salt water of the pool and did the only thing I could think of to do. I panicked and shouted frantically for my brother, Keion.
He came at a run, our psychic connection so strong, I think he had already been on his way to find me.
“Kailar’s passed out!” I shouted. “One minute he was fine—and then I removed the spell I had on him to make him remember everything. And this happened! He had been sitting on the side of the pool talking to me and then I took him in my arms and—well, he got angry at me, and he was like this!”
“Why was he angry?”
“I-I told you! He remembered who he really is. He remembered Adan and how we sent them away from each other. Gods, he was furious.”
“What the fuck, Alyx? Did you think he was just going to forgive and forget? Are you really that stupid?”
I felt my face flaming, but I yelled right back at him. “Well, what the hell should I have done then? Keep lying to him? When he gets his memories back, he’ll know, Keion. He’ll resent us even more. I was going to apologize to him and beg him to forgive me. You see how well that worked out.”
“Should I use compulsion on him? Make him remember who he is but not our part in it?”
“No. I don’t want to keep lying to him, damn it.”
“But maybe just until he’s better?” Keion said. “Stronger? Then we can explain it in…stages.”
“Oh, genius plan. Like what will the first stage be? The part where I separate him from the only family he has left? Or where I send him to the mortal world to get rid of him?”
He looked at me and then away. “You were only trying to protect him.”
“Yes, of course, that’s what I told myself, but let’s face it, I was glad he was gone. Back then you remember how they were—just little pests who followed us around everywhere, getting into trouble whenever our backs were turned.”
“They missed their mother and father.”
“Don’t you think I know?” I looked down at his beautiful face and sighed. “Damn it. They didn’t get much help from us though, did they? Neither of them.”