Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs) by Karen Amanda Hooper Page B

drink in one gulp. The combination of alcohol and glacier water slid down my throat. An arctic chill traveled through my chest, along my arms, and extended to my fingertips. Body-freeze beat brain-freeze any day, but it still wasn't enough to numb me. "They won. They turned her."
    Jack signaled to Dina who slithered gracefully from behind the bar. Her black fingernails gripped the clear bottle of Siku as she poured us both a shot. Jack studied his drink in silence until the song ended. When a new song blared through the speakers he held up his glass. "A toast."
    "To what?" I asked, reluctantly lifting my drink.
    "To there bein' more than one way to skin a fish!" He swirled his vodka in circles and sniffed it like it was some fancy wine.
    "You know something I don't?"
    He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled, flashing the gap between his front teeth. "I'm the oldest selkie this side of the worlds. I know who's hiding skeletons in their closet and who has an Achilles heel. Give me a seagarette and let's talk outside where I can hear myself scheme."
    "First I need a real drink."
    He winked as he stood up. "I'll have Dina bring it out. Got a fresh donation this afternoon."
    Out in the back alleyway, under a buzzing streetlight, Jack and I smoked while we discussed the situation. Yara's transformation couldn't be undone, but everything could still play out in our favor. We had time to convince her that we were the better side. She didn't have to live with the merfolk or play by their rules once she learned how to survive. She could choose us over them.
    "It could get messy," Jack said, "but in the end it would be worth it, right?"
    I sat on my chopper, considering his uncivilized plan. "I'll do whatever it takes to be with her again."
    "This ain't about just you and her. It's about all of us."
    "You know what I meant."
    Dina opened the door and stepped in front of my handlebars, passing me a frosty mug. "Here, hon. It's been on ice since it came in. She says it's full of passion and—"
    "Dina!" I flicked my seagarette at her. "I told you, don't ever tell me anything about the donor."
    "Sorry, I thought maybe—"
    "Back inside, Dina," Jack ordered.
    She shut the door without argument and I gulped down the blood, trying not to wonder who it belonged to. Whoever the donor was, Dina hadn't lied. Rapture coursed through me. I ached to devour someone—body and soul—but knew it would pass in a few minutes.
    "Damn," I grunted, wiping my mouth. "Somebody had a good time last night."
    Jack smacked me on the shoulder. "That's half the fun of donating to you. We can anonymously gift you with highlights of our lives."
    "I'm grateful for it, but it's nothing compared to—well, you know."
    "Soon that will all change. You two will be able to share your souls with each other and forget all about this donor business."
    "I hope so. For hours I've been walking around thinking I've lost my soul mate forever." I punched the seat of my bike. "Treygan's a meddling prick. Just like our good-for-nothing father."
    Jack stomped out his seagarette with the heel of his boot and tossed the empty vodka bottle in the dumpster. "Forget about him. We'll get Yara to side with us. Love will triumph."
    Right. That's what fairytales claimed, but from where I stood, everything just got a hundred times harder—and messier—for the love gang.

Day 2
    B efore I opened my eyes, I sensed someone watching me. Somewhere between half-asleep and almost-awake, it gradually came back to me. The hurricane, my tail, those tattoo thingies, the coldness in Rownan's kiss and—
    My eyes flew open and there he was. Treygan.
    "What a massive waste of time," he said. "Ten hours have passed since you closed your eyes. Do you know how much we could have accomplished in ten hours?"
    I sat up and pulled my blanket over my arms. Sunlight beamed through the living room window. "It's called sleeping, jackass. Ten hours is an acceptable amount of time." I could have slept