Ash chuckled and moved next to Tatiana. “I don’t see why we can’t go to FAU, but you’ll have to share me with Georgia.”
“Georgia?” Tatiana wrinkled her nose.
Ash sighed then winked. “She was my
you
when you were gone. My human friend.”
“Oh, I see.”
The girls laughed and hugged each other.
Ash whispered, “We’ll be married and living next to each other like we’d dreamed so many years ago.”
Tatiana responded by breaking apart from her and offering a pinkie swear. “Super spy #2.”
“That felt like ages ago,” Ash said while looping her pinkie around Tatiana’s. “So much has happened.”
“Yes,” Tatiana agreed, gesturing to merling Nicole. “But I think things will be better now, with Fin and Jacob by our sides, and honestly, I wouldn’t have dreamed of a better way for you to find out about the mer, minus kissing my gross uncle. Where has he been, anyway?”
Ash wrinkled her nose. “Who knows? Without Azor, he’s kind of like a fish out of water.”
With a laugh, Tatiana shrugged and shared a seashell off her bouquet for Nicole to play with. “I guess you’re right.”
As the audience of mers started a single file line to congratulate the happy couple, the promising party moved aside so Tatiana and Jacob could greet the guests. Smiles filled the faces of her parents, Desiree, Badger and Sandy, Sissy and Hans, the Lost Ones who’d returned to help rebuild their colony. She returned the waves of the retired servants hanging out of the windows of the palace, from rooms renovated into apartments. Though Azor had knocked out the northern entrance windows in his attempts to escape Grommet and the rebel army, flooding the second story, most everything above was able to be saved. Thinking of him, her eyes panned the landscape, noting the pile of rubble in the distance that used to be Azor’s compound. With the song in full bloom and the sharks locked away, Natatoria had morphed into an even more glorious place than it had once been.
“Such a beautiful promised one, you make,” Merric told Tatiana and kissed her forehead.
“Thank you,” she said with a blush.
She admired the returned youth of the once king. After the skirmish, Tatiana discovered King Merric, one of the surviving Lost Ones, didn’t die on Bone Island when Phaleon had escorted him there eighteen years ago. With the help of Sissy and Hans, he and so many others were saved from the banishment, living free and undetected on land, just waiting for the right time to return.
Merric had been elected Chancellor, overseeing the Council of the new governing body of Natatoria. After a brief stint as queen, Tatiana couldn’t be happier to see the position abolished, deciding she’d rather teach than lead. Her most attended class? Land-walking 101.
“Dad,” Tatiana said, encircling her arms around his middle. “I still can’t believe this all worked out.”
“You know, I’m still shocked myself. But I’ve never been more proud of you, or your choice in a mate,” he said, eyes shining. “To overcome the bond is an extraordinary feat.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, her tears dissolving into the current.
He touched the merling’s nose “And I’m proud of you, too.”
The child cooed, blinking her long dark eyelashes at him.
“Let me hold her,” Tatiana’s mom said, arms outstretched. “And you have nothing to worry about. Blue is going to have a wonderful time while you all are on your promisetide.”
“Blue?” Tatiana pursed her lips.
Her mom, Maggie, laughed. “Well, what else are we going to call this nameless child?”
“I actually decided to call her Nicole.”
Jacob, overhearing, pulled away from some of his rebel buddies and squeezed her shoulder. “I can’t think of a more fitting or more beautiful name.”
Tatiana smiled, molding into his side. “I can’t either.”
After the audience gave the happy couple their blessings and began to feast on a meal Sandy and her friends had put together, Jacob pulled Tatiana away from the group and into his arms. She peered up into his blue-grey eyes, her heart aflutter. And like always, a familiar fire crackled between them—one of loyalty, of understanding, of unity of purpose, with a dash of pheromones.
Acknowledgements
I first want to thank God, for grooming me for this. This has become a career I ever love. To my husband Mike, for your endless love of me, our family, and our home. Your promise to me is my greatest treasure. To my boys, for being persistent when competing with the characters screaming in my head and showing me what unconditional love means. To my family, for your never-ending support and encouragement, and forcing the occasional distraction from my imaginary world.
I’m never prepared for the journey a book will take me on. The characters always push me off a moving rollercoaster, but I’m astounded at the friends that come into my life as a result of these imaginary people.
I have the most amazing editing team ever. To Janille Dutton, for being there in a pinch, for your vernacular, attention to detail and wit. To Kristie Cook, for being my BAFF and saying it like it is. To Chrissi Jackson, for being my pseudo “B” to my lone publishing world here in Cali. To Lisa Sanchez, for pointing out the obvious and swooning over the hero. To Valia Lind, for cheering me on the entire way. To Darci and Savanna Soldano, for keeping me PG-13 and loving Aaron so I can indulge time in my imagination. To Karen Hedger at Crain Editing, for finding my mistakes and laughing with me over
mermatrons
.
Thanks to Amanda, the winner of the title contest, Kelly Ford Powell, winner of the shout out contest, and Nicole Hansen, winner of the name contest. May you enjoy your embodiment of a mer of great courage and strength. And to you, my dear readers and book bloggers, I write for you!
Follow me at:
http://www.brendapandos.com
:::
Follow Brenda
brendapandos.com
Twitter: @BrendaPandos
Facebook: Facebook.com/brendapandos
:::
Books by Brenda Pandos:
The Emerald Talisman (Talisman Series Book 1)
The Sapphire Talisman (Talisman Series Book 2)
The Onyx Talisman (Talisman Series Book 3)
Everblue (Mer Tales Book 1)
Evergreen (Mer Tales Book 2)
Everlost (Mer Tales Book 3)
:::
About the Author
Brenda Pandos
lives in California with her husband and two boys. She attempts to balance her busy life filled with writing, being a mother and wife, helping at her church and spending time with friends and family.
Working formerly as an I.T. Administrator, she never believed her imagination would be put to good use. After her son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum her life completely changed. Writing paranormal romance became something she could do at home while tending to the new needs of her children, household, and herself.
You can find out more about her writing, challenges and discoveries on her blog at brendapandos.com.
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