Ellie and the Prince (Faraway Castle #1)(63)

The man they called Mike had been observing me all this time, his elbows on his knees with those fleshy hands hanging down between. His eyes were the color of amber. Very pretty, I had to admit. He had thick, black eyelashes any girl would envy and thick, black brows no girl would want. His chin was dark, as if hair tried to grow there too. Even his legs were hairy. Were all human men that hairy? I tried to hide a shudder.

Mike smiled as if he knew what I was thinking. Or, more likely, he thought I liked the way he looked. He was certainly quite pleased with himself. “I’ll introduce myself,” he answered Beatrice, his gaze never leaving my face. “I am Prince Michael of Dorintosh, a fabulous kingdom on the other side of the world in the Far North. I’m enjoying the sunshine and heat here.”

“That’s nice.” I tried not to look at him again.

We roared across the lake so fast that I felt as if I might fly out of the boat at any second. Wind whipped at my hair until it wrapped around my face. I clutched at the towel around my shoulders and hoped to live through the next few minutes. Surely the director of Faraway Castle Resort would be able to contact Mother and get me back to where I belonged. Back into my proper shape. I could hardly look down for the horror of seeing those legs where my tail should be.

Princess Eddi leaned forward to ask, “Are you going to be human for good?”

My eyes widened. “I certainly hope not.”

“How did you get turned human?”

“I’m . . . not sure. Magic, of course, but I don’t remember why.”

“Or who,” Eddi added, nodding sagely. “You’ve lost your memory. I bet there is some man you need to find and fall in love with to break the spell. That’s how these things usually work.”

“A human man?” I must have sounded horrified, because Eddi laughed.

“You don’t like human men? What about Mike?” She waved a hand toward the man lounging on his seat, his limbs splayed out, his head tipped back. He now wore dark glasses over his eyes. Merfolk don’t have vision problems, so I wondered how I knew the device was called “glasses,” but it didn’t seem to matter just then. More important questions existed.

“I’m sure he is an excellent person,” I said. “But I don’t know him at all.”

He lifted the glasses and smiled at me, raising one brow. “We can solve that problem easily enough, Kamoana. Want me to come and sit beside you?”

I sat further into my corner. “No, thank you.”

Eddi looked at me as if I were crazy. Beatrice appeared to focus on driving the boat, but even from behind I thought she might be laughing. “Kamoana,” she called over her shoulder. “Will you need help walking?”

“I really don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve never tried to do it before.”

Mike laughed at this and sat upright again.

“What is so funny about that?” I asked.

Instead of answering, he said, “You are a gorgeous woman, Kamoana. But then, all sirens are gorgeous.”

Eddi gazed at him in wonder. “Have you seen a siren, Prince Mike?”

“I have. She spoke to me.” One dark brow twitched again. “Even sirens find me irresistible. But a human-siren match could never work out. I let her down gently.”

Oh, gag me. If all humans were this inane, my time as a woman would be fraught with horror. I needed to find the director and get put back to normal, and fast!

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