And now they all wanted to get back to normal.
Even if I wasn’t sure what that looked like anymore.
Waves washed around my feet and then rushed out to sea.
It’d always felt better next to the ocean than anywhere else in the world. I’d never wanted to leave it, not for long anyway, and every time I had, I’d always been so happy to return home.
Until now.
The steps creaked behind me. I looked back to see Baylie coming down the stairs.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“Hey.”
Her hand lingered on the banister, and her gaze dropped. With a bare toe, she nudged the sand. “I had a question.”
I waited.
She glanced up at me. “You want a vacation?”
My brow furrowed.
Baylie tried for a smile. “I hear Kansas is… well, calm, this time of year.”
I paused, taken back by the simple gesture. By the fact she wanted me around.
By how much of a relief it would be to get away from this place and the question of whether I’d ever see Chloe again.
Even if only for a while.
“Yeah,” I replied, “that’d be nice.”
###
Want to know what happens next?
Read Return
Book Three of the Awakened Fate series
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Other titles
The Awakened Fate series
The Children and the Blood trilogy (published under the name Megan Joel Peterson)
About the author
Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the things she imagines couldn't actually exist.
Born and raised in central Illinois, she hopes someday to travel the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.
Connect with me
Website: www.skyemalone.com
Twitter: twitter.com/Skye_Malone
Facebook: facebook.com/authorskyemalone
Google Plus: google.com/+SkyeMaloneAuthor
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to everyone who supports this series.
To the wonderful people who’ve read these books: the Awakened Fate series wouldn’t be what it is without you. Thank you so much for reading, for your support, and for your excitement about this story.
To Vicki Brown: thank you again for beta-reading, your feedback, and for how much you’ve enjoyed this series.
To Tarra Peterson: thank you again for your thoughts and input, and for all your wonderful enthusiasm.
To my mother and sister, Mary Ann and Keri Offenstein: your support makes all the difference in the world. Thank you so much for all you’ve given me.
To my husband, Eugene: as always, this story wouldn’t have happened without you. Thank you for everything.
Chloe always dreamed of visiting the ocean, and now the ocean is the only place she has left to go. Trapped in the form of a mermaid and on the run from the Sylphaen, her best chance for safety lies in traveling with Zeke to his underwater home and staying under his protection there.
Leaving isn’t easy, however. Her best friend doesn’t know where she’s gone, and her family doesn’t either. She’s been forced to abandon Noah, the boy she’s liked for years and who she’s just discovered likes her too. She only hopes Zeke’s people will help her so she can return soon.
But when conspiracies follow her and people start to die, safety becomes harder to find than ever. The Sylphaen are coming. They’re more powerful than she could have imagined.
And they’re not through with Chloe yet.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Pronunciation Guide
Prologue: Noah
Chapter One: Chloe
Chapter Two: Zeke
Chapter Three: Noah
Chapter Four: Chloe
Chapter Five: Zeke
Chapter Six: Chloe
Chapter Seven: Zeke
Chapter Eight: Chloe
Chapter Nine: Zeke
Chapter Ten: Chloe
Chapter Eleven: Zeke
Chapter Twelve: Chloe
Chapter Thirteen: Zeke
Chapter Fourteen: Chloe
Chapter Fifteen: Noah
Chapter Sixteen: Chloe
Chapter Seventeen: Noah
Chapter Eighteen: Chloe
Chapter Nineteen: Zeke
Chapter Twenty: Chloe
Chapter Twenty-One: Noah
Chapter Twenty-Two: Chloe
Chapter Twenty-Three: Noah
Chapter Twenty-Four: Chloe
Chapter Twenty-Five: Zeke
Chapter Twenty-Six: Chloe
Epilogue: Noah
Afterword
Acknowledgements
Blurb