Siren's Call Read Free

sorcery of her modification from human to Mer occurred within the span of a second.
    Born and raised in these waters, Tessa had always known she was different from the humans living onshore. Though human beings and mermaids were anatomically similar on land, all those similarities vanished once she hit the water. Far beneath the waves, where no human eyes could see her, Tessa became her true self—a strong, vital, confident woman of the seas.
    Churned by the storm wailing above, the water was muddy and as dark as a tomb. The murk boiled around her, thick and almost impenetrable even to her super-sharp eyes.
    Propelling herself at top speed, Tessa headed in the direction where she’d last seen the suicidal swimmer.
    Precious seconds ticked away as she searched for the man she’d seen onshore. Beneath the surface, the water was bone-chillingly cold. As a Mer, Tessa was comfortable hot or cold. For a human, surviving would be difficult. In this temperature he’d have perhaps ten minutes before muscle impairment set in.
    Struggling past the impulse to panic, Tessa forced herself to slow down. The water filtered in and out of her lungs as easily and naturally as she breathed air.
    If he’s dead . . .
    She clamped her teeth against the acidic nausea of dread. No! She would find him. She would save him. It was her fault he’d gotten this far out into the water in the first place. If she’d been paying attention instead of worrying about her starved libido, she would have recognized the warning signs sooner.
    Making several more passes through the area, she sensed rather than visually recognized his presence. A shadow. A wisp. Hair loose and tangled.
    Head whipping around, she zeroed in on the body gently bobbing beneath the water’s surface. His arms were floating outward, as if he were reaching for her in appeal. But his unseeing gaze stared right through her. There was no light, no life, in his eyes.
    Fear lanced through her. Was she too late to help him?
    Gasping painfully, Tessa quickly swam over to the fading man.
    If he still has any life, I can save him . The thought offered a glimmer of hope.
    Reaching out, Tessa cupped the man’s face between her palms. Beneath the water, a mermaid’s kiss could save a man’s life, granting him the ability to breathe. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the precious air he needed to survive.
    Tilting her head, she pressed her mouth to his. Summoning the magic known only to the Mer, she exhaled, passing the vital spark of life from her body to his . . .

Chapter 1
    Port Rock, Maine
Ten months later
     
    T he boat skimmed across water as clear and shiny as a newly polished mirror. Though the bay was calm and untroubled, Kenneth Randall felt his stomach make a slow backflip. Swallowing hard against the rise of nausea, he quietly fought the urge to vomit. Good grief . He’d had no idea a quick trip across the Penobscot would make him sick as a dog.
    Tightening his grip on the edge of the flat-bottomed skiff, he glanced down into a depth unfathomable to the naked eye. A prickling sensation ran up his spine. The bay looked unwelcoming, ominously unpredictable. Because the weather changed from day to day, its tides often presented intimidating challenges to navigation and piloting.
    Kenneth shivered. His muscles bunched with tension. Though the water was tranquil, he couldn’t help thinking back to the day he’d almost sacrificed his life to that all-consuming abyss in a moment of despair.
    He frowned as images of walking into the choppy water flashed across his mind’s eye. Through the hazy labyrinth of time and distance he still couldn’t remember what had happened after he’d gone under. Every time he tried to put the pieces together, the indistinct pictures melted away, slipping back into the murky void lingering around the edges of his skull.
    Despite the fact that it felt strange to admit it, he had a feeling he hadn’t been under the water alone. Someone—some