A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

What if...

Every morning I have been instantly reminded of my environment by the cool water flooding up against my eyes as I open them.

It becomes a more normal sensation as the day goes on, which I cease to notice, but nonetheless, that first compression can be really quite unnerving.

This morning was no different, and I sat up trying to normalize myself to the cool sting, blinking a few times and looking around my bedroom. Vines of orange and purple flowers crawled up the walls, leading towards a jagged hole in the ceiling through which daylight sparkled into the room.

I stretched and allowed myself to float up towards the hole. As I neared, I raised my hand through it and pulled myself onto the other side.

Wow.

I must be right at the top of the palace; I could see over the whole of Evergreen. Across from me was the luminous green mountain which housed the population of the kingdom, and then there was a valley that separated it from the palace, which appeared also to be built into a hill of some kind. I swam forwards slowly and looked down. I could see mer bustling about down below in the valley. They were quite small, almost like tadpoles from this height.

I imagined they were off to their jobs, "working the lands" in Nephys's words, or making up boxes and boxes of Camuls.

I sat still for a minute on top of the palace, my tail folded beneath me. It felt good to have the sunlight twinkle on my flesh. We were too deep below for me to feel the heat of the sun, but nonetheless, it made me feel more at home to at least be within its touch.

The events of last night came flashing back, and as they did, I felt adrenaline pulsate through my body, charging me with energy.

Llyr is under a spell. A horrible evil spell.

I had banished all thoughts of our love from my mind ever since that monstrous moment in the Grand Hall when I had found out about his engagement. But this morning for the first time, I dared to allow the memories to trickle back through my mind.

I thought about his kisses, his touch and my heart still fluttered from every memory. I thought about our whole story, from the moment we met in the sea that night, through to the time he had rescued me from my terrifying kidnapping. He had been so unbelievably furious to find me held hostage on that boat. He had literally demolished one of my captors.

As gruesome as that had all been, his blind rage had made me realize that he truly cared for me; it had come from the heart. Despite everything that had happened, a part of me still held on to that belief that our love had been real. What if it's still there, underneath the magic? What if I can have him back again? I could finally put an end to all this unbearable heartache.

I could be happy again. Ecstatically happy, even.

But what if he still wanted to go through with this marriage? Or what if he still simply didn't want to be with me? I would end up heartbroken and rejected all over again.

And then how would I even get home? I would have to go back to looking for a mate again with a heart more splintered than ever before... No, I mustn't allow myself even to imagine that Llyr and I could be together again. If the past few days had taught me anything, it was that we were well and truly over. I had to banish any thought of reconciliation from my mind. While I would do whatever I could to help break the spell, I needed to continue with my quest back to the land.

This all brought me to think about Spirit and his strange departure last night. I put my head in my hands. Was it really that he lacks interest in magical stuff? He was prepared to go to great extremes to save the kingdoms before last night, even fetching me in the hope of tearing Llyr away from Kara.

I sighed. I hoped that he wasn't upset or angry with me. As much as I had disliked him all these years, I had seen a different side to him yesterday, one that I really liked. One that I really fancied, even.

Yesterday had been exciting. I had had that tingly sensation; the one when you are on an amazing date, and you have that buzz that you are going to end up kissing later...

It was weird; I had not had those feelings since that summer with Llyr. Not even with Sam.

And I had been almost certain Spirit liked me back. He must have done to sit next to me, and to tell me I was beautiful. If there was one thing I knew about this guy, it was that he did not dish out compliments. In fact, he dished out insults ordinarily.

I wondered too if it had just been yesterday that he had begun to feel something for me... or had it been from before? Maybe yesterday when we had met him at Mount Glas, he had realized that me and Llyr might truly be over. Maybe that was why he had begun to show me his kinder, more human side.

My stomach rumbled, and I tilted my body upside down and pushed myself back through the hole, immediately making my way towards the corridors. I glanced in the mirror. Most of my pearly makeup had been washed away now, and I scratched away a few remaining chunks before drifting out of the room.

With a bit of trial and error, I slowly managed to find my way back to the meeting room. The sound of Nephys and Bright quarreling told me I was heading in the right direction.

"Bright, you always say you are going to take Silver out, but then you never ask her," Nephys was saying, in a scolding tone.

I remembered Silver as being her friend.

"Well, I haven't gotten around to it yet," Bright was arguing, frustrated.

"Now or never, Bright," said Nephys. "Now or never."

"Morning," I said, swimming over to the table where they sat.

"Hello my gorgeous girl," said Nephys getting up and hugging me. "Can I tempt you with some seaweed?"

I looked down at the stringy green breakfast under consumption and felt my face scrunch up.

"Sure," I replied, now forcing a smile. This was not exactly what I had been hoping for.

Nephys smiled and daintily served me up a portion, wrapped around a stick.

"So, where's everybody?" I asked, perching on a seat next to her and taking the stick in my hand.

"Tairise and Aisling are plotting and planning in the gardens," said Nephys brightly, "and... Jasper is asleep."

"Jasper's here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Where on earth has he been hiding?

"Yes, he arrived back from a journey late last night," said Nephys. "You can meet him later when he wakes. Oh, you will adore each other. He's oceans of fun."

I smiled. I was definitely intrigued to meet this famous brother of hers.

"And Spirit?" I asked, looking down sheepishly. I didn't want them to detect anything other than casual curiosity.

Nephys was silent for a little bit.

"He's gone, darling," she said.

I froze.

"Gone?" I asked.

"Yes. He went back to Mount Glas."

"But... why?" I asked, alarmed.

"Because he likes it there, Crystal," said Nephys sweetly but firmly.

I nodded and smiled politely. I knew how fond Nephys was of me, but I understood the message underneath this civilized exchange.

And it was something along the lines of 'One or the other, Crystal'.

But she needn't have worried. At this point, I didn't think I was going to end up with either merman, and it made me feel more alone, and further away from home than ever.