*Highest Ranking: #4 in Vampire* "Get. Away. From me." I warned. He blinked, and a slow smile formed its way onto his face. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to brush a stray lock of midnight black hair from his forehead; he looked positively angelic when he smiled. "You don't want that," he murmured, his face dipping closer to mine. I pressed myself harder against the wall as he continued, his breath cool on my lips and so, so tempting. "You want me, Elizabeth. And out of every beautiful human girl in my estate tonight, I want you too." **** Sebastian Rockefeller is Lake Village's newest vampire. Lake Village banned the turning of humans 100 years ago; Sebastian has taken residence there and for the past 100 years, treated humans as cattle. No army is strong enough to overthrow him, and no other vampire dares to set foot in his territory. Despite the danger, humans flock around him in hopes of becoming immune to the march of time, and every year he hosts a ball to give them the chance to catch his interest, yet he has never taken it seriously. Now, Sebastian is tired of ruling alone.

Each baby born beneath the waves is killed--with one exception: the one hundred thousandth is spared. There's one rule shared between the island's tribes: don't touch the water. When Cressa-la breaks this law, her world, and body, changes. Sure, change is normal... but when has growing scales ever been normal? • • • Watty Award Winner 2015: Best Use of Visuals • • • Each baby born beneath the waves is killed--with one exception: the one hundred thousandth is spared. Among the spared, magic chooses a rare few, connecting them to the moon or sea. These are the One-Hundreds, mermaids and humans with the power to save the world-or corrupt it. When Cressa-la breaks the first rule of her tribe and touches the water surrounding her island, everything she knows turns on its head. Talking, sinister dolphins, mind control, and a whole world just under the waves await her on her eigteenth birthday... but she never asked for any of this. All she wanted was to become a Tribe Leader and take care of her village. It's amazing how one screw-up can change everything. A relentless darkness reaches for her, wanting her affections for his own twisted purposes. In opposition stands a fractured light, haunted by a painful past where corruption eroded friendship. Unless Cressa-la can bring the darkness to his knees and fight the war raging inside, the world is doomed. • • • Content warning: This story contains themes of depression and violence.