How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(20)

I collapsed into his chest, deep sobs wracking me. Awkwardly, he put a hand around my shoulders, not knowing what else to do.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”





CHAPTER 6


As I learned a few minutes later, throwing yourself at a boy, especially if he was a half-naked merman, makes for an awkward conversation afterward. It took a few minutes for the tears to stop, and I was so embarrassed by my crying afterward, I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“What are you doing here?” Finn asked me again. He steadied me at arm’s length, probably trying to keep me from grabbing at him again. To my relief, his expression was warm and concerned, so that in of itself was comforting.

I took a steadying breath, and I felt the gills under my jaw flare as a painful reminder of what was happening to my body. The words threatened to deluge all at once, so I closed my eyes, fighting to hold them back.

“Thank you for saving me yesterday.”

He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“But whatever Nereia did to me, it’s turning me into a—a mermaid, I think.” The words tumbled out and I ended my sentence on a sob. “She called me a merwalker.”

Finn gave me a hard look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m turning into something like you. Surely you noticed that I’m freaking breathing underwater?” I said, exasperation eclipsing any other emotion. I cocked my head back and pointed to the gills. “Those weren’t there yesterday!”

Finn reached out as if to touch the gills, his face unreadable at the too-intimate gesture. He shook his head and cursed under his breath. I didn’t know what the words were exactly. Whatever translated sea-speak into English for me only identified them as vulgar words.

“It was meant to be temporary,” he said, his voice a little strangled. “Only until you returned to the surface.”

“Yeah, well I did, and Nereia did something permanent.”

“I can see that.” He combed his fingers through his hair. “Dammit. I’d hoped that she wouldn’t do that.”

“What, you knew she could turn me into a mermaid?” I shrieked.

“Merwalker,” he corrected. “And it was always a possibility.” He groaned. “Nobody really knows what goes on in that head of hers. She must have thought there was a purpose in turning you into a merwalker.”

I remembered her words. You should come back and visit...

“So you’re saying she’s—”

“Crazy,” he said simply. “She was the only one who could save you though. I had no choice.”

“Excuse me, I’m still here.”

We both looked up to see the snapper eyeing us warily, his mouth open in a big ‘o’. “Did I just hear you say that you are turning into a mermaid? But your tail...”

“It’s a fake tail, Ponce,” Finn said, his entire demeanor changing when he addressed the fish. He crossed his arms, increasing the distance between us. “She’s a human.”

That stung, like it was some sort of insult. “For now,” I added coldly.

Ponce, the nosy snapper, gaped at me. “A human? A real human? I mean, you were acting funny trying to call Finn here. I just figured that was for a date.”

“No!” I said quickly, my cheeks turning bright red. While Finn looked as embarrassed as I, it looked endearing on him. “I need help. I need to stop this. Can you take me to Nereia’s cave or whatever it was?”

To my dismay, Finn shook his head. “I can’t. She’s not there. She’s...she’s out collecting fire flowers.”

“What?” I asked, feeling the pit of dread clench my stomach.

“Well, you see, I dropped the potion, so she has to go find ingredients for it. My father ordered her to hurry, so she left immediately. We don’t expect to see her until tomorrow.”

“Why? Where?” Then something struck me as odd about Finn’s statement and I narrowed my eyes. “Wait, who is your father?”

It was Finn’s turn to turn bright red, averting his eyes from mine.

“King Oceanus,” Ponce answered for him in a smug voice.

I bit back a nervous giggle. “King Oceanus? Then that would make you...” I ended up dumbly gaping at Finn, who wouldn’t look at me.

“A prince,” Ponce finished when it was evident that a catfish had got my tongue. “Prince Finn. How did you not know that?”

“Ponce,” Finn warned, and at the same time I stammered, “H-hello, I’m a human!”

Holy crap, I’d been fawning over an undersea prince this entire time!

At my outburst, both merman and fish stopped to look at me. Even underwater, my chest was heaving as I breathed in and out, frustrated and shocked by the whole thing.

“You’re a prince?”

Finn flashed me his gorgeous smile, amused by my bewilderment. “Sometimes. I do prefer to just be Finn.”

My eyes were entirely too wide, and Finn’s expression of delight twisted my insides in a pleasant way. I had to slow my roll or else I was going to fall flat on my face.

“When will Nereia be back?” I asked, my voice mangled as I tried valiantly not to fawn over him.

“Tomorrow,” Finn—Prince Finn, holy crap—said. “It’s a long journey to get fire flowers.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have dropped the potion last night.”