Submerge (Mer Chronicles #2)
Author: Tobie Easton
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books
Description:
Now
that Lia and Clay’s love has broken the Little Mermaid’s curse,
everything has changed. Will Lia’s family remain on land, leading the
only life she and her sisters have ever known, or will they move below
the waves, to the sparkling new capital city? Lia is adamant about
staying on land with Clay for her senior year. But at Melusine and her father’s trial, new revelations threaten what Lia holds most dear.
The
verdict will shake Lia’s whole world, calling into question her future
with Clay, her feelings for Caspian, and the fate of all Merkind.
As she wonders who to trust, Lia sets out on a treacherous path that
will lead her away from her sheltered Malibu home to a remote and
mysterious school for Mermaids—Mermaids who may hold the secret to
ancient magic Lia can use to either get back all she’s lost or to embark
on a thrilling and dangerous journey.
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It’s my last day of normal, and I plan to enjoy it. While my parents are getting caught up at the Foundation, I plan to sit right here, all snuggly on Clay’s couch and not think about what’s coming. Not think about how tonight, more Merfolk from across the ocean floor will surface here in Malibu. Not think about where I’ll be this time tomorrow.
Nope. All I’m going to think about is Clay and maybe how I can get to know his lips even better. I scoot closer to him on the couch, rest my head on his shoulder, and inhale. He played me one of his new songs on the guitar earlier, and the cinnamon scent of his guitar polish still lingers. He strokes my hair, and this den—his den, with its overstuffed, checkered furniture, humming AC, and glowing television—turns into the most relaxing place in the world. Sitting next to Clay, I can forget for a few minutes that I’m a Mermaid and just be a normal girl.
“Lia, can I … can I see your tail?”
Or not.
I sit up so fast, Clay’s hand gets tangled in my hair. Ow. “You’ve seen my tail plenty of times,” I say as he works his fingers free. It’s true; he’s seen it whenever he comes over and I’m swimming in my pool with my sisters or spending time in the grottos with my parents. But now that we’re alone and there’s no water in sight, deliberately transforming into my tail just so he can look at it feels like putting myself on display.
“I’ve never seen it up close,” he says, twisting his thumb ring around in a circle. He’s right—and that’s on purpose. I’ve been making a point of keeping our alone time as human as possible. We hang out at the pier, walk on the promenade, grab sushi or burgers—y’know, normal stuff. Clay’s a human guy and I just … I don’t want … it’s a lot to take in. What if I scare him off? What if up close, he thinks my tail’s gross, that I’m gross?
Since I haven’t said anything, he pushes on. “Every time I see you with your tail, we’re around your family, and I feel like I shouldn’t stare.” He lets his fingers sweep through his own dark hair, then claps a hand on his denim-clad leg. “It’s just, it’s a part of you. This beautiful part, and … but if you don’t want to, that’s cool. If it’s weird or whatever … ”
I raise my gaze from my lap. “Did … did you say beautiful?”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. An expression I know well. “Oh yeah.”
I look down at my lap again, and he rests a hand on my thigh, the heat of his palm warming my skin through the thin jersey of my skirt. “I think you’re beautiful,” he says.
All of me? I want to ask. Even the parts that are more halibut than human?
I love my tail, but it’s always been this secret part of me, the part I have to keep hidden. How will this human boy in front of me—this handsome, patient human boy—react to seeing it up close? I guess there’s only one way I’ll find out.
Nope. All I’m going to think about is Clay and maybe how I can get to know his lips even better. I scoot closer to him on the couch, rest my head on his shoulder, and inhale. He played me one of his new songs on the guitar earlier, and the cinnamon scent of his guitar polish still lingers. He strokes my hair, and this den—his den, with its overstuffed, checkered furniture, humming AC, and glowing television—turns into the most relaxing place in the world. Sitting next to Clay, I can forget for a few minutes that I’m a Mermaid and just be a normal girl.
“Lia, can I … can I see your tail?”
Or not.
I sit up so fast, Clay’s hand gets tangled in my hair. Ow. “You’ve seen my tail plenty of times,” I say as he works his fingers free. It’s true; he’s seen it whenever he comes over and I’m swimming in my pool with my sisters or spending time in the grottos with my parents. But now that we’re alone and there’s no water in sight, deliberately transforming into my tail just so he can look at it feels like putting myself on display.
“I’ve never seen it up close,” he says, twisting his thumb ring around in a circle. He’s right—and that’s on purpose. I’ve been making a point of keeping our alone time as human as possible. We hang out at the pier, walk on the promenade, grab sushi or burgers—y’know, normal stuff. Clay’s a human guy and I just … I don’t want … it’s a lot to take in. What if I scare him off? What if up close, he thinks my tail’s gross, that I’m gross?
Since I haven’t said anything, he pushes on. “Every time I see you with your tail, we’re around your family, and I feel like I shouldn’t stare.” He lets his fingers sweep through his own dark hair, then claps a hand on his denim-clad leg. “It’s just, it’s a part of you. This beautiful part, and … but if you don’t want to, that’s cool. If it’s weird or whatever … ”
I raise my gaze from my lap. “Did … did you say beautiful?”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. An expression I know well. “Oh yeah.”
I look down at my lap again, and he rests a hand on my thigh, the heat of his palm warming my skin through the thin jersey of my skirt. “I think you’re beautiful,” he says.
All of me? I want to ask. Even the parts that are more halibut than human?
I love my tail, but it’s always been this secret part of me, the part I have to keep hidden. How will this human boy in front of me—this handsome, patient human boy—react to seeing it up close? I guess there’s only one way I’ll find out.
Tobie
Easton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she’s
grown from a little girl who dreamed about magic to a twenty-something
who writes about it. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of
Southern California, Tobie
hosts book clubs for tweens and teens. She and her very kissable
husband enjoy traveling the globe and fostering packs of rescue puppies.
Learn more about Tobie and her upcoming books on www.TobieEaston.com.
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