Skye's Lure

Chapter 14: Decided

THE SUN SANK, AND I COULD FEEL the weight of my decision bearing down on me. I sat on the end of the deck, Vince bobbing by my feet.

"Have you decided?" Vince asked, slinging his wet hair back.

I nodded. Vince's eyebrows arched. It was a hard decision. I still wanted legs more than anything, but the price was too high. After talking to Vince, I found out that his condition had been getting steadily worse. Incontinence wasn't far behind, and there was a good chance I wouldn't live past fifty. It seemed like such a short time to be human, especially when I considered that much of it would be spent in a wheelchair.

"I know what you're probably thinking," I began, looking at my feet as they swished back and forth in the water.

The beautiful shoes had proved unkind to my feet, and there were red marks where they had dug into the skin. I sighed.

"I doubt it," he said, flashing a brilliant smile.

"You're expecting me to want to stay on land."

"No. I was actually thinking about how pretty you looked." A snort escaped, my expression wry. "No. It's true. I was also thinking about how hard of a decision this must be for you. It's easy for me. I want a tail. Land holds nothing for me. My parents couldn't care less. I don't have friends. Most of all, my legs are failing me. I don't want to live like that."

I bit my lip. "Vince, I—"

"But I would, you know. I would live like that if you wanted me to. We could grow old and feeble together. It might not be so difficult if I could share my misery with someone else . . . someone like you."

I smiled, though I still didn't look at him. "Maybe not. I have to wonder, though, why did you take me in the first place?"

"I told you, I wanted to impress my dad."

"Yes, but I don't believe that's everything. Why did you take me?"

Vince searched for words, a struggle in his eyes. "It's just that, I felt like we had a connection. I . . . I didn't want to let that go."

I gazed at Vince, searching my own heart. What did I feel? I spent so much time being angry at him, distrusting his motives, but was there something else motivating me.

I gazed at the water. "I met someone at the park."

Vince's face darkened. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He seemed pretty nice."

"Nicer than me?"

"I don't know. He didn't kidnap me, if that's what you're wondering."

Vince snorted. "There will always be that, won't there?"

"I don't know." Could I forgive him? But I already had. Somewhere along the way, he had made up for his wrongs. Kindness had won out over selfishness. Even now, he was determined to put my wishes first, letting me choose between land and sea.

I peered at Vince, his green eyes searching mine. My breath caught in my throat, my pulse increasing. I knew what I had to do.

"I've chosen to be a mermaid," I said at last.

"Are you sure?" Vince's brows furrowed.

I took a deep breath. "What good are legs if I can't use them? Besides, the sea has been my home for so long. We'll have to find a different pod than the one I grew up in, but the Sea King said there are many."

"Indeed, I did." The Sea King rose from the water, sitting atop his dolphin, the shark bringing up the rear. Vince nearly jumped out of the water, and my own heart skipped a beat.

"I'm happy to hear you have chosen the water," the Sea King continued. "I hoped that you would."

"You had to know I would," I said. "You gave me Vince's disease. You made it impossible to choose land." A tear rolled down my cheek, and I swiped it away.

"Your fates were linked. Even I could not control that without tampering with the physical laws of this world."

"You could've warned me. It just doesn't seem fair." I hung my head.

"I'm sorry, small fry."

Vince's green eyes met mine, asking the same question: Are you sure?

I nodded. It was hard letting my dream of being human go, but I had received more than any other Mer. I had no right to complain. The sea was where I belonged, and I was grateful that I wouldn't be returning there alone.

"So, how do we do this?" I asked, standing.

"Jump in," the Sea King replied. "There's a pod to the north that I think you would appreciate. They are a kind and fair bunch. They are also quite curious about humans, and I am certain they would welcome your tales of land."

"Thank you."

I looked at my feet one last time, wiggling my toes. A small smile crossed my face as I thought of all the things they had let me do. Their time was fleeting, but wonderful, even if they did give out on me at the end. Not only had I seen land, but I had walked on it. I had skipped, jumped, danced, and run. These feet had served their purpose. Now it was time to take them off and go home.

With one quick motion, I dove in. As my legs hit the water, I felt them fuse together, my feet fanning out to create the fluke. It was an odd feeling—nearly as odd as the moment when I first received my legs—but it also felt right.

I surfaced next to Vince and glanced around. The Sea King was gone, once again disappearing as quickly as he came.

Vince embraced me, his arms warm and strong. I hugged him back, snuggling my wet head into his chest.

"Well, we did it. We're both Mer." I drew back from Vince, watching his expression. "Do you have any regrets? You're leaving a lot behind."

"I'm gaining so much more. No regrets here. Not now. Not ever."

"How about you? You gonna miss that hottie in the park?"

"I don't think so."

Vince's hand cupped my chin, his green eyes clear. Electricity ran through my body as I let my walls come down. We did have a connection, and now our fates were linked. I wasn't sure what that entailed or what the future held for us, but in this moment, none of that mattered.

He leaned in, and I closed my eyes. His lips met mine, soft flesh and salt water mingling. The scent of brine and fish mixed with his musk. Every ounce of me felt alive, my heart beating faster, my head light and tingly.

Our lips parted, and breathless, I searched his eyes. I found exactly what I had hoped for.

"Let's get out of here," Vince whispered. I nodded, my lips curled in what felt like a permanent smile.

Holding hands, we dove beneath the water. We swam north, swirling about each other like little Mer. It wasn't dancing – not like the humans did, anyway. It was better. We twirled and whirled, our bodies in sync with the current and each other.

This was the way things were meant to be. Right now, in this moment, I had what I had been missing, what I had longed for my entire life. It wasn't legs and it certainly wasn't land, though those things would always hold a special place in my heart.

It was what the Tierramor had yearned for long ago.

Love.

Thank you for reading Skye's Lure!

Sign up for the author's newsletter to get free ebooks:

www.AngeLeya.com/Free-Gifts